Learn Hardcore Italian: Marta prende il tram ogni mattina.

Prende is 3rd person singular, present indicative of prendere (to take).
Italian uses the simple present for habits and routines, so with ogni mattina (every morning) it means a repeated action.
Mini conjugation: prendo, prendi, prende, prendiamo, prendete, prendono.

Why is it il tram and not lo tram or l’tram?

Use il before most consonants, including clusters like tr-.
lo is only for nouns starting with: z, s + consonant (e.g., st-, sp-), ps, pn, gn, x, y (e.g., lo zaino, lo studente, lo psicologo).
l’ is for words starting with a vowel (e.g., l’autobus).
Since tram starts with a regular consonant cluster, the correct article is il.

Can I omit the article and say “Marta prende tram”?

No. In Italian, singular countable nouns normally need an article. With transport, when you use prendere, you use the article: prendere il treno/il tram/l’autobus. If you want no article, switch structure to a means expression: andare in tram, viaggiare in treno, arrivare in autobus.

What gender is tram, and what’s the plural?

Tram is masculine: il tram.
The plural is usually invariable: i tram. (You may see i trams in older or nonstandard usage, but i tram is standard.)
Indefinite forms: un tram, not uno tram.

What’s the difference between prendere il tram and andare in tram?

Prendere il tram = the concrete act of catching/boarding the tram (a specific trip).
Andare in tram = the means/mode of transport (how you get somewhere).
Often interchangeable in context, but the focus differs: action vs. mode.

Where can I place ogni mattina in the sentence?

End (neutral): Marta prende il tram ogni mattina.
Beginning (slight emphasis on time; usually with a comma): Ogni mattina, Marta prende il tram.
Middle is possible but less natural: Marta prende, ogni mattina, il tram. (adds a pause/emphasis)

Why is it ogni mattina (singular) and not ogni mattine?

Ogni always takes a singular noun: ogni mattina, ogni giorno, ogni settimana.
An equally common alternative is plural with an article: tutte le mattine (“every morning”).
Nuance: ogni can feel a bit more “each,” tutte le more “all the,” but in practice they’re both used to mean “every.”

How do I pronounce the tricky parts?

Marta: MAR-ta.
prende: PREHN-deh (short, clean vowels; the final -e is pronounced).
tram: trahm (single syllable).
ogni: OH-nyi, with gn like the “ny” in “canyon” or the “gn” in “lasagna.”
mattina: maht-TEE-na (double tt is held a bit longer).

Can I drop the subject and just say Prende il tram ogni mattina?

Grammatically yes—Italian often drops subject pronouns.
But without prior context, Prende… is ambiguous (who?). Keeping Marta avoids confusion.
Be careful with Lei: lowercase lei = she; capitalized Lei is the formal “you,” which can be ambiguous in writing.

How do I make it negative, or say “never/usually”?

Basic negation: put non before the verb: Marta non prende il tram ogni mattina (she doesn’t take it every morning).
“Never”: Marta non prende mai il tram.
“Usually”: Di solito Marta prende il tram.
“Almost always/rarely”: quasi sempre/quasi mai go near the verb: Marta prende quasi sempre il tram.

How would I say she is taking it right now?

Use the present progressive: Marta sta prendendo il tram (adesso/ora). Italian reserves this form for actions in progress, not habits.

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Marta prende ogni mattina il tram?

The default is SVO with time at the end: Marta prende il tram ogni mattina.
Ogni mattina can move: Ogni mattina, Marta prende il tram.
Marta prende ogni mattina il tram is possible but less neutral; it slightly highlights the frequency phrase mid-sentence.

Can I replace il tram with a pronoun?

Yes, once it’s clear from context:

Direct object pronoun (masculine singular) is lo: Marta lo prende ogni mattina = “She takes it every morning.”
Don’t use the pronoun in the original sentence unless “tram” has been mentioned already.

Why not use the reflexive prendersi here?

Transport with prendere is not reflexive: say prendere il tram, not prendersi il tram. Reflexive prendersi appears in idioms like prendersi una pausa (take a break) or prendersi un raffreddore (catch a cold), but not for catching transport.

How do I ask “Does Marta take the tram every morning?” in Italian?

Italian yes/no questions often use statement order with rising intonation:

Marta prende il tram ogni mattina? You can also front the time: Ogni mattina Marta prende il tram? Both are natural in speech.

Is there any difference between mattina and mattino?

Both mean “morning.” Mattina is more common in everyday speech for parts of the day.
You’ll hear both in set phrases, but here ogni mattina is the most idiomatic. You could say ogni mattino, but it’s less common in modern usage.