Lo chef taglia il formaggio finemente.

The chef cuts the cheese finely.

Breakdown of Lo chef taglia il formaggio finemente.

• tagliare: to cut
• il formaggio: the cheese
• lo chef: the chef
• finemente: finely

Questions & Answers about Lo chef taglia il formaggio finemente.

Why is lo chef used instead of il chef?

In Italian the masculine definite article lo is used before certain consonant clusters (for example s+consonant, z, ps, gn, etc.) and often with foreign words beginning with a consonant. Since chef is a borrowed word starting with ch, it takes lo. You might occasionally hear il chef in casual speech, but the standard rule prescribes lo chef.

What tense, mood, and person is taglia, and what does it mean?

Taglia is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb tagliare (to cut or slice). It literally means “he/she/it cuts.” In our sentence it means “the chef cuts” or “the chef is cutting” in a general sense.

Why is there no subject pronoun like lui before taglia?

Italian verbs encode person and number in their endings (–a here indicates third-person singular), so subject pronouns are usually dropped. Adding lui (“he”) would be redundant unless you want to emphasize the subject: Lui taglia il formaggio finemente.

Why do we say il formaggio instead of formaggio with no article or del formaggio?

Italian generally uses definite articles with both countable and mass nouns when speaking in general or about a specific item. Il formaggio can mean “the cheese” (a known cheese) or “cheese” in a general sense. Using formaggio without an article sounds odd. Del formaggio (“some cheese”) would imply an indefinite quantity, which changes the nuance.

What is finemente, and how is it formed?

Finemente is an adverb meaning “finely.” In Italian, many adverbs of manner are created by taking the feminine singular form of an adjective (here fine, which is the same in masculine and feminine) and adding the suffix -mente:
fine + -mente = finemente.

Can finemente go in a different position in the sentence?

Yes. Italian adverbs are fairly flexible. Besides
Lo chef taglia il formaggio finemente,
you could also say
Lo chef finemente taglia il formaggio
or
Finemente lo chef taglia il formaggio.
Putting it at the end is most common for clarity, but all positions are grammatically correct.

Why is the simple present (taglia) used instead of a continuous form like sta tagliando?

Italian does not require a periphrastic progressive (like English “is cutting”) in everyday speech. The simple present covers both habitual and ongoing actions. If you wanted to stress that the action is in progress right now, you could say
Lo chef sta tagliando il formaggio finemente,
but Lo chef taglia il formaggio finemente works perfectly for a general description.

Could we use affetta instead of taglia, and what’s the difference?

Yes. Affettare specifically means “to slice” (usually thinly) and is often used for foods like cheese or meat. Tagliare is more general (“to cut”). If the chef is slicing the cheese into thin slices, you might prefer
Lo chef affetta il formaggio
(possibly adding a fette sottili for emphasis).

What other ways can you express “finely” besides finemente?

You can use synonyms or phrases such as sottilmente (though less common), a fette sottili (“in thin slices”), or in modo sottile (“in a thin manner”). For example:
Lo chef affetta il formaggio a fette sottili
conveys a similar meaning.