Learn Hardcore Italian: Durante il viaggio tengo il passaporto nel marsupio per sicurezza. - During the trip I keep the passport in the waist pouch for safety.

In Italian, many prepositions (like durante) are followed by a noun that keeps its definite article. So you say durante il viaggio rather than durante viaggio. This pattern holds for other combinations, too: durante la lezione, durante gli esami, and so on.

Why is tengo used here instead of a verb like porto or metto?

Tenere means “to keep” or “to hold,” implying you keep your passport in a safe place for the whole trip.
Portare means “to carry,” focusing on the action of moving something from one point to another.
Mettere means “to put” (down or into), which describes the action of placing but not necessarily keeping it there.
Using tengo emphasizes that the passport remains in your fanny pack throughout the journey.

Could I say Durante il mio viaggio instead of Durante il viaggio?

Yes. Adding mio (my) makes it Durante il mio viaggio, which is more personal or specific to your trip. Leaving out mio (i.e., durante il viaggio) sounds a bit more general, but both forms are perfectly correct.

What does marsupio mean? Are there synonyms?

A marsupio is a waist bag or fanny pack worn around the hips.
Common synonyms or related terms include borsello (small bag), cintura porta-oggetti (belt with pockets), or even the English loanword fanny pack in casual speech. But marsupio is the standard Italian term.

Why do we contract in + il into nel in nel marsupio?

Italian regularly contracts certain prepositions with the definite article that follows:

in + il → nel
a + la → alla
di + le → delle
So in il marsupio naturally becomes nel marsupio.

Why is it per sicurezza rather than per la sicurezza?

Per sicurezza is an idiomatic expression meaning “for safety’s sake” or “just to be safe.” Omitting the article is typical in this set phrase. Using per la sicurezza is grammatically fine but usually sounds more formal or refers to a specific safety regulation.

Can I use the gerund Viaggiando instead of Durante il viaggio?

Yes. The gerund viaggiando means “while traveling.” You can say:
Viaggiando tengo il passaporto nel marsupio per sicurezza.
This version is more concise and common in spoken Italian, though both ways are perfectly acceptable.

Is the word order tengo il passaporto nel marsupio fixed, or can I say tengo nel marsupio il passaporto?

Both word orders are grammatically correct.

Tengo il passaporto nel marsupio is the most neutral, standard order.
Tengo nel marsupio il passaporto shifts slight emphasis onto nel marsupio (“It’s in the fanny pack that I keep it”). The overall meaning remains the same.