Learn Hardcore Italian: Comincio la lezione con un saluto.

In Italian the subject pronoun is usually dropped because the verb ending -o in comincio already tells you it’s first-person singular. You could say Io comincio… for emphasis or contrast, but normally it’s unnecessary.

What does comincio exactly mean, and is it a reflexive verb?

Comincio is the present-tense, first-person singular of cominciare, meaning “I start” or “I begin.” It is not reflexive, so there’s no mi in front of it. A reflexive form would be cominciarsi, but that’s rare and changes the meaning (something like “to get moving”).

Is comincio the same as inizio?

Yes, cominciare and iniziare are basic synonyms meaning “to start.” In everyday speech:

Cominciare is more colloquial.
Iniziare can sound slightly more formal or literary.
Either Comincio la lezione… or Inizio la lezione… works fine.

Why is la used before lezione?

You need a definite article with singular, countable nouns when talking about a specific instance. Here you mean “the lesson” (a particular lesson you’re teaching). Also, lezione ends in -ione, so it’s always feminine; hence la lezione.

Why is un used before saluto instead of il?

Because you’re introducing “a greeting,” not a previously defined or specific greeting. The indefinite article un means “a” or “one.” If you said il saluto, it would imply “the greeting” (perhaps one you already mentioned).

Could you drop the article before lezione or saluto?

No. In Italian, singular count nouns normally require an article (definite or indefinite). You cannot say Comincio lezione con saluto—that would sound ungrammatical.

Why is the preposition con used here? Could you use another preposition?

Con means “with,” indicating the tool or manner: you start the lesson with a greeting. You couldn’t say a un saluto or in un saluto here without changing the meaning or sounding odd.

How do you pronounce comincio and saluto?

• Comincio: pronounced [koˈmin.tʃo]. The c before i is like English “ch” in “church.”
• Saluto: pronounced [saˈlu.to], with a clear “sah-LOO-toh.”