Learn Hardcore Italian: Devo consegnare il documento al mio capo in ufficio. - I have to deliver the document to my boss at the office.

Devo is the first-person singular present tense of the verb dovere, used as a modal verb meaning “I have to” or “I must.” It expresses obligation or necessity.

Why is consegnare in the infinitive form?

When you use a modal verb like devo, it must be followed by another verb in the infinitive. Here, consegnare (“to deliver/hand in”) remains unconjugated because the obligation is carried by devo.

Why is there il before documento? Could I say un documento instead?

• Il documento uses the definite article il because you’re referring to a specific document.
• If you meant “a document” in a general or unspecified sense, you would say un documento.

Why do we say al mio capo instead of a mio capo?

In Italian, the preposition a (“to”) must combine with the definite article il (“the”) to become al. So a + il mio capo contracts to al mio capo, meaning “to my boss.”

Why do we include il before mio capo? Are articles always required with possessives?

Yes, possessive adjectives in Italian normally require a definite article: il mio capo, la tua casa, i nostri amici.
Exception: singular unmodified family members often drop the article (e.g., mia madre, tuo padre), but this exception doesn’t apply to capo.

Why is it in ufficio instead of a ufficio or al ufficio?

• In ufficio means “at/in the office” (location).
• A or al ufficio would imply motion “to the office” (destination).
Since the action takes place at your workplace, you use in.

Can I move in ufficio to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Italian word order is flexible. You could say:
In ufficio devo consegnare il documento al mio capo.
This simply emphasizes the location (at the office).

Is there any nuance between consegnare and other verbs like portare or inviare?

• Consegnare implies handing something over in person or submitting it officially.
• Portare is more general (“to bring/to carry”).
• Inviare means “to send” (often by mail or electronically).
So consegnare il documento stresses the act of formally giving it to someone.