Learn Hardcore Italian: Appoggio la borsa sul bancone e ordino un caffè. - I set my bag on the counter and order a coffee.

They’re first-person singular present indicative. Italian usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is. You can add Io for emphasis or contrast, but it’s not needed. Also, Italian present often covers English “I’m putting/ordering (right now)” without needing a progressive form.

What nuance does appoggiare have compared with mettere or posare?

Appoggiare: to rest/place something lightly, often temporarily, on or against a surface. It suggests a gentle or brief placement.
Mettere: the most general “to put/place,” neutral.
Posare: “to set down,” sometimes a bit formal or literary; common in some regions and contexts. In this context, appoggiare is a natural choice for putting a bag down on a counter.

Is appoggiare transitive? What about a reflexive form?

Yes, it’s transitive here: la borsa is the direct object. There’s also a reflexive form, appoggiarsi a/su, meaning “to lean on/against” (yourself), e.g., Mi appoggio al bancone (“I lean on the counter”).

How do I pronounce and spell appoggio correctly?

It’s spelled with double consonants: appoggio. Pronounce it roughly “ap-POJ-jo”:

Double consonants are held slightly longer in Italian.
gg
- i gives the “j” sound (as in “judge”), and -gio sounds like “jo.”

What exactly is sul?

Sul is the contraction of su + il (“on the”). Other forms:

sul (su + il), sullo (su + lo), sull’ (su + l’),
sulla (su + la), sui (su + i),
sugli (su + gli), sulle (su + le). Here, sul bancone = “on the counter.”

What’s the difference between bancone and banco?

Bancone: the big service counter (e.g., in a bar or café).
Banco: a bench, school desk, or stall; in bar talk you’ll hear al banco (“at the counter,” i.e., standing there to drink), but the surface is the bancone.
So you put something sul bancone, and you have your coffee al banco.

Why is it la borsa and not una borsa or la mia borsa?

La borsa means “the bag,” implying a specific bag understood from context (often your own). If you want to make possession explicit, use la mia borsa (Italian typically uses the article with possessives). Una borsa would mean an unspecified “a bag.”

Why is it un caffè instead of il caffè?

When ordering, Italians use the indefinite: un caffè (“a coffee”), which in a bar typically means an espresso. Il caffè refers to a specific, previously mentioned coffee, or to coffee as a substance (“coffee” in general), or to “coffee time.”

Is caffè countable, and how does the plural work?

Yes. Caffè is masculine and invariable:

1: un caffè
2+: due/tre/quattro caffè
The accent stays: caffè.

What’s the deal with e vs è, and the accent in caffè?

e (no accent) = “and.”
è (with grave accent) = “is.”
caffè takes a grave accent on the final è. Avoid caffé (acute accent), which is considered wrong in standard Italian.

Could I say Prendo un caffè or Vorrei un caffè instead of Ordino un caffè?

Absolutely:

Prendo un caffè is very common and neutral.
Vorrei un caffè is polite.
In cafés you’ll also hear Mi fa/mi dà un caffè, per favore?
Ordinare is fine, but it can feel a bit more formal or “restaurant-like.”

Can I use sopra instead of su?

Yes. Sopra il bancone is acceptable and clear. Su is shorter and very idiomatic in everyday speech. Sopra can also stand alone as an adverb (e.g., La borsa è sopra = “The bag is on top/upstairs,” depending on context).

Can I change the word order or use a pronoun for la borsa?

Yes. Examples:

L’appoggio sul bancone e ordino un caffè. (Using the direct object pronoun la, which elides to l’ before a vowel.)
Appoggio sul bancone la borsa (marked but possible, focusing on location).
Clitic pronouns normally go before the conjugated verb: L’appoggio. With infinitives/imperatives they can attach: appoggiarla.

Does su mean both “on” and “onto”?

Yes. Italian reuses su for location and movement; the verb supplies the rest:

Static: La borsa è sul bancone.
Motion: Appoggio la borsa sul bancone.