Learn Hardcore Italian: L’imballaggio protegge il vetro durante il viaggio. - Packaging protects the glass during the trip.

The apostrophe shows that the definite article il has been elided (dropped) before a word beginning with a vowel. So il imballaggio becomes l’imballaggio to make pronunciation smoother.

Why is the definite article used here—why l’imballaggio instead of un imballaggio or just imballaggio?

In Italian, the definite article is often used when speaking about something in general or as a category. Here l’imballaggio refers to “packaging” in general, not some unspecified instance (un imballaggio). Dropping the article entirely (imballaggio) would sound too abrupt and is unidiomatic.

Why is imballaggio masculine?

Most Italian nouns ending in -aggio are masculine (e.g., il coraggio, il passaggio). That is a regular pattern you can safely follow.

What is the plural of l’imballaggio?

You would say gli imballaggi. The elided article becomes gli before a vowel (and plural i-words), and imballaggio changes to imballaggi.

Why is there no preposition between protegge and il vetro?

Proteggere is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object without any preposition. You simply say protegge il vetro (“protects the glass”).

Why is protegge in the third person singular present tense?

Because the subject l’imballaggio is singular, we use protegge (he/she/it protects) rather than proteggono (they protect) or an infinitive or past form.

Why is durante used instead of in or per in durante il viaggio?

Durante specifically means “during” or “throughout” a period. In viaggio would mean “on a trip” or “while traveling,” but you’d say in viaggio without an article. Per il viaggio means “for the trip” (e.g., packaging for the trip), which shifts the meaning.

Could you also say mentre viaggio?

You could, but that means “while I’m traveling,” so you’d need a subject pronoun: mentre viaggio (“while I travel”). In our sentence the traveler isn’t doing the protecting—the packaging is—so durante il viaggio is more neutral and impersonal.

Why is it il vetro? Can vetro be plural?

Here vetro refers to the material “glass,” which is uncountable in Italian, so it stays singular with a definite article. If you meant “glass objects” you could say i vetri (the glass panes or windows).

Can the phrase durante il viaggio move to the front of the sentence?

Yes. Italians often do that for emphasis: Durante il viaggio, l’imballaggio protegge il vetro. The meaning stays the same; you’re just foregrounding the time frame.