Learn Hardcore Italian: Guarda la farfalla che si posa sul gelsomino in giardino. - Look at the butterfly landing on the jasmine in the garden.

Guarda is the second-person singular (tu) informal imperative of the verb guardare (“to look”). Here it means “Look!” or “Watch!” and is used to tell someone to direct their attention to the butterfly. (Note: guarda can also be the third-person singular present indicative, but context makes it an imperative.)

Why is si used in si posa? Can’t we just say posa?

The verb here is posarsi, a reflexive form meaning “to settle” or “to land” (as a bird or insect does). The si is the third-person reflexive pronoun, so si posa = “it lands/settles itself.”
Without si, posare is transitive (“to place something down”), so la farfalla posa sul gelsomino would mean “the butterfly places something on the jasmine,” which isn’t what we want.

Why do we write sul gelsomino instead of su il gelsomino?

In Italian, simple prepositions combine with definite articles into contractions.
• su + il → sul
Thus sul gelsomino is mandatory in standard written and spoken Italian rather than su il gelsomino.

Why is there no article in in giardino, but we do contract su + il?

With locations, Italian often uses the preposition in without an article when speaking of a place in a general sense (a locative use). So in giardino means “in the garden” (as a place). You could say nel giardino (“in the garden”) if you mean a specific, well-defined garden, but in giardino is more common for general location.

How does che function in this sentence?

che is a relative pronoun meaning “that/who/which.” Here it refers back to la farfalla and introduces the subordinate clause che si posa… (“that lands on…”). It acts as the subject of the verb si posa. Italian uses che for both subject and object roles in relative clauses.

Should there be a comma before che? Why or why not?

No comma is used before che in a restrictive (defining) relative clause like this one. We write la farfalla che si posa… without a comma because the clause is essential to identify which butterfly we are talking about.

Could we use the present progressive (continuous) here, as in English “that is landing”?

Yes, Italian allows a progressive construction, but it’s less common. You could say che si sta posando (“that is landing”), using stare + gerund. However, the simple present (si posa) is perfectly natural and often preferred for describing ongoing actions, especially in narrative or when giving commands.

Why do we use posarsi instead of a verb like atterrare?

Atterrare is typically used for airplanes or heavy objects (“to land”). For small creatures like butterflies or birds, posarsi is the idiomatic choice—it conveys the gentle action of perching or alighting. Posarsi focuses on settling onto a surface.

How do you pronounce the double l in farfalla?

In Italian, a double consonant (geminate) is held slightly longer than a single one. So farfalla is pronounced far-FAL-la, with the ll sound held roughly twice as long as a single l. This lengthening is important for distinguishing words (e.g., pala vs. palla).