Learn Hardcore Italian: Controllo il percorso sulla mappa prima di partire. - I check the route on the map before leaving.

Controllo is the first-person singular present indicative of controllare. In Italian the simple present expresses both habitual actions (“I check regularly”) and immediate ones (“I’m checking right now”), so here it means “I check” or “I’m checking.”

How do we know controllare doesn’t mean “to control” in the political sense here?

In everyday Italian controllare most commonly means to check, to inspect, or to verify. The sense “to control” (as in exercising power over others) is less frequent; context (a map + route) makes it clear it means to check.

Why is the definite article il used before percorso and not un?

Il percorso means the route you have in mind. Using the definite article implies you’re talking about a specific route you intend to follow. If you said un percorso, it would mean “some route” rather than “the route.”

Why do we say sulla mappa instead of su mappa?

Italian prepositions contract with definite articles. Here su + la (feminine singular article for mappa) becomes sulla. So you always need both parts: su + la = sulla.

Why is prima di partire the correct way to say “before leaving” in Italian?

Italian uses prima di + infinitive to express “before [doing something].” Since partire is the infinitive “to leave” or “to depart,” prima di partire means “before leaving.” You cannot say prima che parto in a neutral statement; if you use che, you’d need the subjunctive (prima che parta), which is less common for simple timing phrases.

Could percorso be replaced with another word?

Yes. Common synonyms include:

itinerario – more formal, like a planned schedule of stops
tragitto – emphasizes the stretch between two points
You could thus say Controllo l’itinerario sulla mappa or Controllo il tragitto sulla mappa with nearly the same meaning.

Is the word order important in this sentence?

Italian word order is fairly flexible, but this arrangement is the most natural:
Verb (Controllo) → Direct object (il percorso) → Locative phrase (sulla mappa) → Temporal phrase (prima di partire).
If you want to emphasize before I leave, you could start with Prima di partire, controllo il percorso sulla mappa, but the original order is the standard neutral way.