Io aspetto il tram in stazione.

I wait for the tram at the station.

Breakdown of Io aspetto il tram in stazione.

• io: I
• in: in
• aspettare: to wait
• la stazione: the station

Questions & Answers about Io aspetto il tram in stazione.

Why is Io optional in this sentence?

In Italian the verb ending tells you who the subject is. Aspetto ends in -o, so it already means “I wait.” You only include Io for emphasis or contrast (e.g. Io aspetto, ma tu no). Otherwise you can simply say Aspetto il tram in stazione.

What tense and person is aspetto?

Aspetto is the present indicative, first person singular, of aspettare. Literally “I wait” or “I am waiting.”

Why is there no preposition before il tram?

The verb aspettare is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object without any preposition. You say aspetto il tram, not aspetto al tram or aspetto per il tram.

Why do we use an article before tram but no article before stazione here?

In Italian most nouns need an article, hence il tram. However, certain fixed expressions of place with prepositions like in, a, su, etc., drop the article: in stazione, a casa, in piazza. Those are idiomatic uses where the article is omitted.

Why is the preposition in used before stazione instead of ?