Breakdown of Prendo appunti su un foglietto e lo infilo tra le pagine del libro.
io
I
su
on
il libro
the book
e
and
del
of
lo
it
tra
between
la pagina
the page
prendere appunti
to take notes
il foglietto
the slip of paper
infilare
to slip in
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Questions & Answers about Prendo appunti su un foglietto e lo infilo tra le pagine del libro.
What does prendo appunti mean?
Prendo appunti is the first-person singular present of prendere appunti, literally “to take notes.” It means “I take notes” or “I jot things down.”
Why is appunti plural here? Could you say appunto instead?
In Italian, “notes” (as in multiple items you write down) is almost always appunti (plural). Appunto (singular) exists, but it usually means a single “note” or “point,” and it’s less common when you’re referring to the general action of note-taking.
What is foglietto, and why use the diminutive?
Foglietto is the diminutive of foglio (“sheet”). The suffix -etto adds the sense of “small,” so foglietto means “little sheet” or “slip of paper.” It emphasizes that you’re writing on a small piece, not a full-size page.
What does su un foglietto mean, and why su?
The preposition su means “on.” So su un foglietto means “on a little slip of paper.” You’re saying where the notes go—on that small sheet—rather than, for example, on the book’s pages.
What does lo refer to in lo infilo?
Lo is a masculine singular direct-object pronoun replacing foglietto. Instead of repeating un foglietto, the sentence uses lo (“it”) to keep it concise: “I slip it between the pages of the book.”
Why use infilo here instead of a more general verb like metto?
Infilarе means “to slip in” or “to tuck in,” so infilo (“I slip in”) highlights the action of sliding the paper between pages. Mettere (“to put”) would work, but it’s more neutral and doesn’t convey that slipping/tucking nuance.
Could you say lo metto tra le pagine del libro? What changes?
Yes, that’s grammatically fine. Lo metto tra le pagine means “I put it between the pages.” It’s understandable but less specific: mettere doesn’t emphasize the sliding-in motion the way infilare does.
What does tra le pagine del libro mean exactly, and why not just nel libro?
Tra le pagine del libro literally means “between the pages of the book,” specifying exactly where the slip goes. Nel libro (“in the book”) is more general—you’d lose the image of tucking it between two pages.
What tense and person are prendo and inflo?
Both prendo (from prendere) and inflo (from infilare) are present-tense, first-person singular indicative forms: “I take” and “I slip in.”