Learn Hardcore Italian: Le tende leggere ondeggiano quando apro la finestra. - The light curtains sway when I open the window.

Here leggere is not the verb “to read” but the adjective “light” (i.e. not heavy). It comes from leggero/leggera and agrees with tende, which is feminine plural, so it becomes leggere.

Why is the adjective placed after tende? In English we say “light curtains,” not “curtains light.”

In Italian most descriptive adjectives come after the noun: tende leggere. Placing an adjective before the noun (e.g. le leggere tende) is possible but gives a more poetic or emphasized feel, and sometimes slightly changes the nuance.

Why does it say le tende instead of simply tende?

Italian frequently uses the definite article before nouns in general statements (especially with clothing, body parts, household items). So “the curtains” (le tende) can function like a general reference to that set of curtains, even if in English we’d drop “the.”

What does ondeggiano mean exactly, and how is it different from oscillano or si muovono?

Ondeggiano (from ondeggiare) means “they sway or undulate gently, like waves.” Oscillano is more neutral “they swing/oscillate,” and si muovono just means “they move.” Ondeggiare suggests a soft, flowing motion.

How do I pronounce ondeggiano?

It’s pronounced on-‘dehd-d͡ʒa-no. The double gg before i makes the /d͡ʒ/ sound, like the English “j” in judge.

Why is quando apro la finestra in the present tense? Should it be future or subjunctive?

With quando as a temporal conjunction referring to a habitual or factual action, Italian uses the indicative. So “when I open the window” becomes quando apro la finestra. You’d only switch to the subjunctive if you were expressing doubt or an uncertain/non-real event (rare with quando).

Why is there no subject pronoun like io before apro?

Italian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -o in apro already tells you the subject is “I.” You only add io if you want extra emphasis (“Io apro la finestra!”).