Learn Hardcore Italian: Il coperchio in vetro mi permette di vedere la pasta che cuoce. - The glass lid lets me see the pasta while it cooks.

Il coperchio means lid or cover—for example, the part that closes a pot or pan. Il tappo, on the other hand, is the stopper or plug used for bottles, sinks, or containers. You use coperchio when talking about cookware and tappo for bottles, drains, or anything you twist or push in to seal a small opening.

Why is it in vetro and not di vetro? Are both possible?

Yes, both in vetro and di vetro mean made of glass.

di vetro literally names the material (“the glass lid”).
in vetro emphasizes the substance or composition (“the lid composed in glass”).
In everyday speech they’re interchangeable with no real change in meaning.

What is the function of mi in mi permette?

Mi is the dative clitic pronoun meaning to me. The verb permettere requires an indirect object: you permit someone (mi) to do something. You always place Italian object pronouns like mi, ti, gli, ci before the conjugated verb: mi permette, ti consente, ci aiuta, etc.

Why is there a di before vedere—mi permette di vedere?

When permettere is followed by another verb in the infinitive, Italian requires the preposition di:
• permettere di fare qualcosa
• impedire di parlare
• decidere di partire
You cannot drop di here: mi permette vedere would be ungrammatical.

What role does che have in la pasta che cuoce?

Che is a relative pronoun linking la pasta (the noun) to the verb cuoce (is cooking). It literally means that or which:
“the pasta that is cooking.”
Without che, you’d just have two separate clauses, e.g. vedo la pasta; cuoce—but as a single phrase you need che.

Why is the simple present cuoce used here instead of the present continuous sta cuocendo?

Italian often uses the simple present to describe ongoing actions, especially in relative or subordinate clauses. Saying la pasta che cuoce is perfectly natural. You can say la pasta che sta cuocendo to stress “that is cooking right now,” but it’s a bit longer and more emphatic.

Could you use an infinitive like cuocere instead of che cuoce?

Yes. Another valid construction is:
Il coperchio in vetro mi permette di vedere la pasta cuocere.
Here cuocere is an infinitive governed by vedere, so you drop the relative pronoun che. Both versions are grammatical; the infinitive one is more compact, the che-clause more explicit.

Could you replace che with mentre?

Absolutely. If you want to stress “while it’s cooking,” you can say:
Il coperchio in vetro mi permette di vedere la pasta mentre cuoce.
Here mentre means while, and you keep cuoce in the simple present.

How else might you say “I can see the pasta cooking” in Italian?

Some natural alternatives:
• Posso vedere la pasta che cuoce. (I can see the pasta that’s cooking.)
• Vedo la pasta cuocere. (I see the pasta cooking.)
• Con il coperchio trasparente, osservo la pasta mentre cuoce. (With the transparent lid, I watch the pasta as it cooks.)