Learn Hardcore Italian: Lei entra scalza in casa e chiude piano la porta. - She enters the house barefoot and quietly closes the door.

With no context, it most naturally means she. Italian also has the formal Lei (“you”), which takes third-person verb forms, but that use typically appears in direct address (e.g., speaking politely to someone). Since this looks like narrative description, read it as “she.” Note that at the beginning of a sentence, capitalization doesn’t help disambiguate, because both “lei” (she) and “Lei” (formal you) would appear as “Lei.”

Why include the subject pronoun Lei at all? Isn’t subject pronoun usually dropped in Italian?

Yes, Italian is a pro‑drop language, so you could simply say Entra scalza in casa e chiude piano la porta. Using Lei can add clarity (e.g., distinguishing from lui) or emphasis on the subject.

Is scalza an adjective or an adverb? What is it doing here?

Scalza is an adjective meaning “barefoot,” and it agrees with the subject lei (feminine singular). Grammatically it’s a “predicative adjective” (complemento predicativo del soggetto), similar to English “She came in barefoot.”

Why is it scalza and not scalzo/scalzi/scalze?

Agreement:

Masculine singular: scalzo
Feminine singular: scalza
Masculine plural: scalzi
Feminine plural: scalze Here the subject is feminine singular (lei), so scalza is required.

Could I say a piedi nudi or a piedi scalzi instead of scalza?

Yes. Alternatives:

Entra a piedi nudi in casa (barefoot)
Entra a piedi scalzi in casa They’re common and natural. Scalza is just shorter and equally correct.

Can I change the word order of scalza and in casa?

Yes. These are all fine, with slight shifts in rhythm/emphasis:

Entra scalza in casa (very natural)
Entra in casa scalza (also common)
Less usual but possible for emphasis: Scalza, entra in casa

Why is it in casa and not a casa?

With entrare, Italian normally uses in: entrare in (casa, classe, chiesa, ufficio). By contrast:

andare a casa / tornare a casa / restare a casa use a
uscire di casa uses di So: entra in casa, but va a casa and esce di casa.

Why is there no article before casa in in casa?

Expressions like a casa, in casa, di casa usually omit the article when referring to “home” in a general sense. Use the article for a specific house:

General: Entra in casa.
Specific: Entra nella casa di Maria.

Could I say rientra instead of entra?

Yes, if she is returning to her own home. Rientrare means “to come back in/return,” so:

Rientra in casa = she comes back home (goes back in)
Entra in casa = she goes in (generic “enters”)

What does piano mean here: slowly or quietly?

With chiudere, piano typically means “softly/quietly/gently” (so as not to make noise). Piano can also mean “slowly” in other contexts, but with doors it’s about noise more than speed. Compare:

Parla piano = Speak softly/quietly
For unambiguous “slowly,” use lentamente.

Where does the adverb piano go? Is Chiude la porta piano also correct?

Both are acceptable:

Chiude piano la porta (very common)
Chiude la porta piano (also fine) Fronting for emphasis is possible with a pause: Piano, chiude la porta. The default spot for many adverbs is after the verb.

Why chiude and not si chiude?

Chiudere is transitive: Lei chiude la porta = “She closes the door.”
Use the pronominal/intransitive when the door is the subject acting on itself: La porta si chiude = “The door closes.”

Why is the simple present used instead of a progressive like sta entrando / sta chiudendo?

Italian often uses the simple present for actions happening now or for narrative sequences. Sta entrando / sta chiudendo exists, but it emphasizes the ongoing nature and is less common in concise narrative descriptions.

How would I say this in the past?

A natural passato prossimo version:

È entrata scalza in casa e ha chiuso piano la porta. Notes:
entrare takes auxiliary essere; the participle agrees: entrata (feminine singular).
chiudere takes avere: ha chiuso (no agreement with la porta).

Can I replace la porta with a pronoun?

Yes: La chiude piano = “She closes it softly,” where la is the direct-object pronoun for la porta. Pronouns come before the verb in simple tenses.

Is piano here the same word as the noun meaning “floor/plan/piano (instrument)”?

Same spelling, different functions. In your sentence, piano is an invariable adverb meaning “softly/quietly.” As a noun, piano can mean “floor/storey,” “plan,” or the instrument “piano,” depending on context.