Learn Hardcore Italian: Ogni sera scrivo due pagine nel mio diario personale. - Every evening I write two pages in my personal diary.

Italian is a “pro-drop” language, which means subject pronouns (like io, tu, lui/lei) are often left out because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is. Here, scrivo ends in -o, signaling first person singular (I), so io is unnecessary and would sound redundant.

Why is scrivo (simple present) used here for a habitual action instead of something like sto scrivendo or the future tense?

In Italian the presente indicativo covers:
• ongoing actions (Adesso scrivo)
• habitual/repeated actions (Ogni sera scrivo)
You use sto scrivendo (presente progressivo) only to stress that the action is happening right now. The future tense (scriverò) would shift the meaning to something you plan to do later.

Why is ogni followed by the singular noun sera instead of using the plural?

The word ogni (“every”) always takes a singular noun without an article:
• ogni giorno, ogni anno, ogni problema
It never becomes ogni giorni or ogni problemi.

Can I use tutte le sere instead of ogni sera? Are there any differences?

Yes, tutte le sere and ogni sera are largely interchangeable and both mean “each/every evening.”
• ogni sera = “every evening” (emphasizes each single evening)
• tutte le sere = “all of the evenings” (emphasizes the total sequence)
In everyday speech, they’re synonymous—choose the one you prefer for style or rhythm.

Why is there no article before due pagine? Wouldn’t Italians say delle pagine?

When you specify an exact number with a cardinal (uno, due, tre…), you do not use the partitive or indefinite article. You simply say due pagine, not delle pagine or degli pagine. The number itself serves as a determiner.

Why is it nel mio diario personale instead of in il mio diario personale? What does nel mean?

Nel is a contraction of the preposition in + the definite article il. Italian often fuses small prepositions with articles:
• in + il → nel
• in + lo → nello
• di + il → del, etc.
So nel mio diario literally means “in the my diary,” i.e. “in my diary.”

Could I use other prepositions like su or a with diario?

The standard collocation for “to write in a diary” is scrivere in (written as nel/nel mio diario). Using su (on) would sound like you’re writing on the cover, and a (to) doesn’t pair with diario in this sense. Just stick with scrivere in.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Scrivo due pagine ogni sera or move ogni sera elsewhere?

Italian is flexible with temporal expressions. You can place ogni sera at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end with slight emphasis shifts:
• Ogni sera scrivo… (focus on the routine)
• Scrivo ogni sera due pagine… (neutral)
• Scrivo due pagine ogni sera… (focus on the pages)
All are correct—choose the order that sounds most natural to you.

What nuance does personale add in diario personale? Can I drop it or say diario privato?

Diario personale emphasizes that it’s your own, private journal. You can simply say diario if context makes it clear. Diario privato is also valid and perhaps even stronger (“private diary”), but personale is very common in everyday speech.