Learn Hardcore Italian: Metto più cereali quando lo yogurt è troppo liquido. - I add more cereal when the yogurt is too runny.

Metto is the first-person singular present indicative of mettere (to put): “I put.” Italian uses the present tense for habits and general truths, just like English does here: “I put more cereal when the yogurt is too runny.”

Where does più go, and what does it mean in this position?

Più means “more” and, when it modifies a noun of quantity, it goes before the noun: più cereali = “more cereal.” It can also modify adjectives/adverbs (e.g., più liquido = “more liquid”), but in your sentence it quantifies the noun cereali.

Why is there no article before cereali (why not più i cereali or dei cereali)?

With an indefinite/unspecified quantity introduced by words like più, molti, troppi, alcuni, Italian normally omits the article: più cereali, molti cereali.

dei cereali means “some cereal(s)” but doesn’t by itself express “more.”
più i cereali would be incorrect here; articles after più appear in different structures (e.g., comparisons: più dei tuoi cereali = “more than your cereal”).

Why is cereali plural when English often says “cereal” (uncountable)?

In Italian, breakfast cereal is commonly referred to in the plural i cereali. The singular il cereale usually means “a grain” (a type of cereal plant). So to talk about what you eat from a box, Italians usually use the plural form.

Could I say Metto più cereali nello yogurt? Do I need in/nel?

Yes: Metto più cereali nello yogurt is perfectly natural and explicit (“I put more cereal in the yogurt”). Your original sentence is also fine because the context makes the destination obvious, but adding nello yogurt is clearer.

Why is it lo yogurt and not il yogurt?

Italian uses lo (and plural gli) before masculine nouns starting with certain sounds: s+consonant, z, gn, ps, pn, x, and also words beginning with the consonant sound “y.” Hence, lo yogurt, gli yogurt. Using il yogurt is considered incorrect.

Is yogurt masculine or feminine, and how do you make it plural?

Yogurt is masculine: lo yogurt. As a borrowed word, it’s generally invariable in the plural: gli yogurt (not “yogurti”). Some older or nonstandard forms exist, but the standard modern usage keeps it invariable.

What does troppo mean here, and how is it different from molto or tanto?

Here troppo means “too,” indicating excess: è troppo liquido = “it is too runny.”

molto = “very” (degree) or “a lot/much/many” (quantity) but doesn’t imply excess.
tanto = “so/so much/so many,” often emphasizing a large amount, not necessarily excessive.
So: è molto liquido (very runny), è tanto liquido (so runny), è troppo liquido (too runny).

Does troppo agree in gender/number?

It depends on the function:

As an adverb before adjectives/adverbs, it’s invariable: è troppo liquido (“too runny”), parla troppo (“speaks too much”).
As an adjective before nouns, it agrees: troppo zucchero (masc. sing.), troppa acqua (fem. sing.), troppi cereali (masc. pl.), troppe noci (fem. pl.).

Why is it liquido (masculine) and not liquida?

Adjectives agree with the noun they describe. Yogurt is masculine singular, so the adjective must be masculine singular: liquido. If the noun were feminine singular (e.g., la crema), you’d say troppo liquida.

Why use quando and not se or perché?

Quando = “when,” introducing the time circumstance in which you do something (habitual condition).
Se = “if,” which would frame it as a condition: Metto più cereali se lo yogurt è troppo liquido (“if the yogurt is too runny”).
Perché = “because,” which would express a reason: Metto più cereali perché lo yogurt è troppo liquido (“because the yogurt is too runny”).
Your original chooses a time-based framing; se would also be common here.

Do I need a comma before quando?

Not in your original order. Italian doesn’t require a comma before a short quando-clause placed after the main clause. If you place the quando-clause first, you do use a comma: Quando lo yogurt è troppo liquido, metto più cereali.

Can I use aggiungo instead of metto?

Yes. Aggiungo (from aggiungere, “to add”) focuses on the idea of adding to what’s already there; it’s very natural with food: Aggiungo più cereali quando lo yogurt è troppo liquido. Metto is more general (“I put/place”), but it’s equally idiomatic in this context.

How would I say “I put too much cereal when the yogurt is runny”?

Use troppi with the plural noun: Metto troppi cereali quando lo yogurt è (troppo) liquido. If you also want to keep “too runny,” include both: Metto troppi cereali quando lo yogurt è troppo liquido.

How could I use pronouns like ne and ci here?

Ne replaces “of it/of them” (partitive): Ne metto di più quando lo yogurt è troppo liquido = “I put more of it/them when the yogurt is too runny.”
Ci can stand for “in it/there”: Ci metto più cereali quando è troppo liquido = “I put more cereal in it when it’s too runny.”
You can combine them (clitic order: ce ne): Ce ne metto di più quando lo yogurt è troppo liquido (“I put more of them in it…”).

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Two natural options:

Metto più cereali quando lo yogurt è troppo liquido.
Quando lo yogurt è troppo liquido, metto più cereali. Both are correct; the second puts emphasis on the condition/time.

What about the accents in è and più?

They’re essential:

è (with grave accent) = “is”; e (no accent) = “and.”
più (with accent) = “more”; piu without accent is a spelling mistake.
Always write the accents in standard Italian.