Learn Hardcore Italian: Leggo l’oroscopo del giorno mentre bevo il caffè. - I read the day’s horoscope while I drink coffee.

That apostrophe marks an elision. Italian drops the vowel of the article lo before a word starting with a vowel, so lo oroscopo becomes l’ + oroscopo = l’oroscopo.

What does del in del giorno represent, and what does del giorno mean?

Del is the contraction of the preposition di (“of”) + the definite article il (“the”). So del giorno literally means “of the day,” i.e. “today’s.” Together l’oroscopo del giorno means “the horoscope of the day” or simply “today’s horoscope.”

Why is there a grave accent on the final è in caffè, and how do I pronounce it?

The grave accent on caffè marks the stressed open /ɛ/ sound on the last syllable (caf-FÈ). Without it, you might misplace the stress (CAF-fe) or pronounce a closed /e/. In phonetic terms, it’s /kafˈfɛ/.

Why do we use the definite article il in il caffè? Can I omit it?

In Italian you normally use the definite article with meals, drinks and objects you’re referring to specifically. Bevo il caffè literally means “I drink the coffee” (the one in front of me or the usual morning coffee). You can say bevo caffè to mean “I drink coffee in general,” but in this sentence you’re talking about your actual cup of coffee, so il is natural.

Why are leggo and bevo in the simple present, instead of something like sto leggendo or sto bevendo?

Italian often uses the simple present to express both habitual and ongoing actions. When you link two simultaneous actions with mentre (“while”), the simple present is enough: Leggo… mentre bevo…. If you really want to stress the ongoing aspect you could say Sto leggendo l’oroscopo mentre bevo il caffè, but it’s not required.

What’s the difference between mentre and quando, and could I say quando bevo il caffè instead?

Mentre means “while,” emphasizing two things happening at the same time. Quando means “when,” focusing on the timing or trigger. You could say Leggo l’oroscopo quando bevo il caffè, but that sounds more like “I read my horoscope whenever (at the moment that) I drink coffee,” implying a habit rather than two actions you’re doing right now.

Could I say leggo l’oroscopo di oggi instead of leggo l’oroscopo del giorno? Are they equivalent?

Yes, l’oroscopo di oggi (“the horoscope of today”) is perfectly natural and very common. Both expressions mean “today’s horoscope.” Del giorno has a slightly more formal or journalistic ring, but in everyday speech you’ll hear di oggi more often.

Why is oroscopo masculine, and how do I know which article to use before it?

In Italian, most nouns ending in -o are masculine. You normally use the masculine definite article il, but because oroscopo starts with a vowel you elide il to l’. Hence l’oroscopo is the correct form.