Luca sale sul trampolino, ma sua sorella preferisce tuffarsi dal bordo.

Sale is the third-person singular present tense of salire (to go up, to climb, to get onto).

So:

• io salgo = I go up
• tu sali = you go up
• lui/lei sale = he/she goes up

Because the subject is Luca, Italian uses sale.

In this sentence, sale sul trampolino means something like goes up onto the diving board or gets onto the diving board.

Sul is a contraction of:

• su = on / onto
• il = the

So:

• su + il = sul

Italian very often combines prepositions with definite articles:

• su il → sul
• da il → dal
• a il → al
• in il → nel

Here, sul trampolino means onto the diving board or on the diving board.

With a singular family member, Italian usually does not use the article before the possessive.

So you normally say:

• mia madre = my mother
• tuo fratello = your brother
• sua sorella = his/her sister

That is why the sentence has sua sorella, not la sua sorella.

However, there are exceptions. For example, the article is often used with:

• plural family members: i suoi fratelli
• modified family members: la sua sorella maggiore
• some more formal or regional uses

But in a basic sentence like this, sua sorella is exactly what you would expect.

After preferire (to prefer), Italian normally uses an infinitive if the subject of both actions is the same.

So:

• preferisce tuffarsi = she prefers to dive

Not:

• preferisce si tuffa ❌

That is because si tuffa is a conjugated verb, while after preferisce you need the infinitive form: tuffarsi.

Compare:

• Preferisco mangiare = I prefer to eat
• Preferisce aspettare = He/She prefers to wait
• Sua sorella preferisce tuffarsi = His/Her sister prefers to dive

Tuffarsi is the reflexive form of tuffare.

• tuffare = to plunge / to dip something
• tuffarsi = to dive / to plunge oneself

The -si shows that the subject is performing the action on themselves, in the sense of throwing oneself into the water.

That is why tuffarsi is the normal verb for to dive in.

Examples:

• Mi tuffo = I dive in
• Si tuffa = he/she dives in
• Preferisce tuffarsi = she prefers to dive in

English does not always make this reflexive idea explicit, but Italian often does.

Dal is a contraction of:

• da = from
• il = the

So:

• da + il = dal

Bordo means edge, rim, or side depending on context.

In this sentence, dal bordo means from the edge — specifically, the edge of the pool.

So the contrast is:

• sul trampolino = onto the diving board
• dal bordo = from the poolside edge

In Italian, it is very common to use the definite article where English might be more flexible.

Here:

• sul trampolino = on/onto the diving board
• dal bordo = from the edge

Italian tends to present these as specific, understood places in the situation. Even if English might sometimes say from poolside or off the edge, Italian naturally uses the article here.

It can suggest either idea depending on context, but goes up onto is often the most natural broad translation.

Salire is a general verb meaning:

• to go up
• to get on
• to climb up

So Luca sale sul trampolino can imply that Luca is moving upward and getting onto the diving board. If the board is reached by steps or a ladder, sale fits very naturally.

It does not necessarily mean climbs in a dramatic way. It is often just the normal verb for ascending.

Yes, it is in the present tense, but Italian present tense can cover more than one idea.

It can describe:

• something happening now
• a habitual action
• a vivid narration

So this sentence could mean:

• Luca is getting onto the diving board now, while his sister prefers diving from the edge
• or, more generally, Luca tends to use the diving board, but his sister prefers the edge

Without more context, both are possible.

Yes, ma simply means but.

It introduces a contrast:

• Luca sale sul trampolino = Luca gets onto the diving board
• ma sua sorella preferisce tuffarsi dal bordo = but his sister prefers diving from the edge

So the sentence is contrasting the two siblings’ preferences or actions.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• si tuffa dal bordo = she dives from the edge
• preferisce tuffarsi dal bordo = she prefers to dive from the edge

The original sentence is not just describing what she does; it highlights her preference.

So:

• si tuffa = an action
• preferisce tuffarsi = a preference about that action

The structure is:

• Luca = subject
• sale = verb
• sul trampolino = prepositional phrase

then:

• ma = but
• sua sorella = subject
• preferisce = verb
• tuffarsi = infinitive complement
• dal bordo = prepositional phrase

So a simplified pattern is:

Subject + verb + place, but + subject + verb + infinitive + place

This is a very common and useful Italian sentence pattern.