Il cane scodinzola quando mi vede.

The dog wags its tail when it sees me.

Breakdown of Il cane scodinzola quando mi vede.

• il cane: the dog
• vedere: to see
• quando: when
• mi: me
• scodinzolare: to wag one’s tail

Questions & Answers about Il cane scodinzola quando mi vede.

What does scodinzola mean, and how is it formed?

Scodinzola is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb scodinzolare, which means “to wag one’s tail.” To form it, you take the infinitive scodinzolare, drop -re, and add -a for lui/lei (he/she).

Why don’t we say scodinzola la coda or add la sua coda (“its tail”)?

In Italian, when referring to an animal’s (or person’s) own body part, you usually omit it if the context is obvious. Scodinzola already tells us “(the dog) wags its tail,” so adding la coda or la sua coda sounds redundant and is generally avoided.

Why is there a definite article il before cane? Doesn’t English use “a dog” in generic statements?

Italian often uses the definite article to talk about a specific or habitual subject. Il cane here means “the dog” (for example, your dog). If you wanted to say “a dog wags its tail when it sees me,” you could use Un cane scodinzola quando mi vede, but the original implies a particular dog.

What function does quando mi vede serve, and why is mi placed before vede?

Quando is a conjunction meaning “when,” introducing a time clause. In Italian, direct object pronouns like mi (me) precede a conjugated verb, so it must be mi vede (“he sees me”), never vede mi.

Why is vede in the present tense? Could we use the past or future tense?

With time clauses introduced by quando, Italian uses the present tense to describe habitual or general actions: “whenever he sees me, he wags his tail.” If you wanted to refer to a specific future event, you could say Il cane scodinzolerà quando mi vedrà (future + future). For a past habitual, you might use the imperfect: Il cane scodinzolava quando mi vedeva.

Can I replace quando with ogni volta che?

Yes. Ogni volta che mi vede means “every time he sees me” or “whenever he sees me.” You could say
• Il cane scodinzola quando mi vede.
• Il cane scodinzola ogni volta che mi vede.
Both are correct and nearly interchangeable.

Could I drop il cane and start with the verb?

Italian is a pro-drop language, so grammatically you could say Scodinzola quando mi vede, and the subject is implied by the verb ending. However, including il cane makes it clear and is more natural in most contexts.