ELONIO
Log inSign up

Ho piegato il cavalletto e l’ho messo nel marsupio grande.

Ho piegato il cavalletto e l’ho messo nel marsupio grande.
I folded the easel and put it in the large waist pouch.
FromLesson 40inHardcore Italian

Breakdown of Ho piegato il cavalletto e l’ho messo nel marsupio grande.

io
I
mettere
to put
e
and
nel
in
lo
it
grande
large
piegare
to fold
il marsupio
the waist pouch
il cavalletto
the easel

Questions & Answers about Ho piegato il cavalletto e l’ho messo nel marsupio grande.

Why is Ho piegato used instead of Sono piegato?
Because piegare is a transitive verb (“to fold”). Transitive verbs in the passato prossimo take avere, not essere. You only use essere with certain intransitive verbs (often movement or reflexive verbs).
How does l’ho work here? What is it short for?
L’ho is the clitic pronoun lo (referring to il cavalletto) combined with the auxiliary ho. When lo comes before a vowel, it elides and becomes l’, so lo ho messo → l’ho messo.
Does the past participle messo agree with the pronoun l’?
With avere, the past participle normally stays in the masculine singular form. However, if a direct-object pronoun precedes a verb with avere, you must agree the participle. Here l’ = masculine singular “it,” so messo remains messo. If it had been feminine plural, you’d see messe.
What is nel? Why not in il marsupio?

Nel is the contraction of in + il. Italian often merges prepositions with definite articles:

  • di + il → del
  • a + il → al
  • in + il → nel
Why is the adjective grande placed after marsupio?
In Italian you can put many adjectives before or after the noun. Size adjectives like grande often follow the noun for a neutral description. Saying il grande marsupio would be fine, but it sounds a bit more emphatic or poetic.
What’s the difference between cavalletto and treppiede?
  • Cavalletto can mean an easel (for paintings) or a small stand/tripod.
  • Treppiede is the more technical term for a camera or surveyor’s tripod.
Any pronunciation tips for piegato and cavalletto?
  • Piegato: “pie” = [pyeh], then “ga-to.” The ie is a close-front diphthong.
  • Cavalletto: stress on the second-to-last syllable: ca-val-LET-to. Double tt means a slightly longer “t” sound.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Italian grammar?”
Italian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Italian

Master Italian — from Ho piegato il cavalletto e l’ho messo nel marsupio grande to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Open the Italian course →