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Questions & Answers about Distribuisco i fogli ai compagni prima della lezione.
Why is there no subject pronoun at the beginning of the sentence?
In Italian, the verb ending tells you who the subject is. Here, distribuisco is first person singular, so io (I) is understood and usually omitted.
What does distribuisco mean, and why not distribuo?
Distribuisco is the correct first-person-singular present form of distribuire (to hand out/distribute). Italian verbs ending in -uire often add -isco in the present tense (io distribuisco, tu distribuisci, etc.).
Why is i fogli used and not le foglie?
Fogli (from foglio) means sheets (of paper) and is masculine; le foglie means leaves (on a tree) and is feminine. The plural masculine article before a consonant is i, so you get i fogli.
Why do we say ai compagni instead of just compagni?
Ai compagni is the indirect object meaning “to the classmates.” It uses the preposition a + the plural masculine article i, which contracts to ai. Omitting the article would sound less natural here.
What’s the role of prima della lezione, and why della?
Prima della lezione means “before the lesson.” You need di + la (the feminine singular article) contracted to della because you’re referring to a specific lesson.
Could I move prima della lezione to the start of the sentence?
Yes. Word order in Italian is flexible. You can say
Prima della lezione distribuisco i fogli ai compagni.
Can I replace ai compagni with a pronoun?
Certainly. You could say
Distribuisco loro i fogli (“I hand out the sheets to them”)
or use clitics:
Glieli distribuisco (“I hand them out to them”).