Controllo e-mail prima di uscire.

I check email before leaving.

Breakdown of Controllo e-mail prima di uscire.

• io: I
• controllare: to check
• prima di: before
• uscire: to leave
• l’e-mail: the e-mail

Questions & Answers about Controllo e-mail prima di uscire.

Why is there no subject pronoun in the sentence?

In Italian, subject pronouns are often dropped because the verb ending already tells you who’s performing the action. Here controllo ends in -o, indicating first-person singular (io). You could say Io controllo e-mail, but it’s more natural and common to omit io.

What does prima di uscire mean, and why is di necessary?

Prima di means before when talking about doing something. The preposition di is required before an infinitive verb. So prima di uscire literally means before to go out, i.e., before going out.

Why is uscire in the infinitive here?

After prepositions like di, Italian uses the infinitive form of a verb. You cannot say prima di esco or prima di uscendo; the correct structure is prima di + infinitive (e.g., prima di mangiare, prima di dormire).

Why is there no article before e-mail, and could I include one?

Omitting the article makes the phrase more general or colloquial, like saying I check email in English. If you want to specify the emails, you can include the definite article: Controllo le e-mail prima di uscire. Both forms are correct; the version with le sounds slightly more formal or specific.

What gender and number is e-mail in Italian?

E-mail is feminine (short for posta elettronica). If you use the article, it’s la e-mail (singular) and le e-mail (plural). Even when you omit it, remember it’s treated as a feminine noun.

Can I use posta elettronica instead of e-mail? Are they the same?

Yes. Controllo la posta elettronica is the fully Italian alternative and is interchangeable with controllo le e-mail. E-mail is simply the borrowed English term, while posta elettronica is the literal Italian.

Is a comma needed before prima di uscire?

When the time clause comes first, you usually add a comma: Prima di uscire, controllo e-mail. When it follows the main clause, the comma is optional in informal writing, so Controllo e-mail prima di uscire is perfectly fine without it.

Can I change the word order to put prima di uscire at the start?

Absolutely. Both are correct:

• Prima di uscire, controllo e-mail.
• Controllo e-mail prima di uscire. The meaning stays the same; just watch the comma when you front the subordinate clause.