Nel ripostiglio tengo le valigie leggere e in cucina lascio solo le cose che usiamo ogni giorno.

Nel is the contraction of in + il.

• in + il ripostiglio → nel ripostiglio

Italian often combines a preposition with the definite article:

• in + il = nel
• in + la = nella
• in + i = nei
• in + gli = negli
• in + le = nelle

So nel ripostiglio means in the storage closet / in the pantry / in the utility closet, depending on context.

Italian usually leaves out subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb form.

• tengo = I keep
• lascio = I leave
• usiamo = we use

Because the verb ending already shows the subject, io is normally unnecessary. You could say Io tengo... or Io lascio..., but that would usually add emphasis, like I keep them there.

They are related, but not identical.

• tenere → to keep, to hold
• lasciare → to leave

In this sentence:

• Nel ripostiglio tengo le valigie leggere = I keep the light suitcases in the storage closet
• in cucina lascio solo le cose... = in the kitchen I leave only the things...

So tengo suggests where something is stored or kept, while lascio suggests what remains or is left in a place.

Yes. Here leggere is the feminine plural form of the adjective leggero (light in weight).

Agreement:

• masculine singular: leggero
• feminine singular: leggera
• masculine plural: leggeri
• feminine plural: leggere

Since valigia is feminine, and valigie is feminine plural, the adjective must also be feminine plural:

• la valigia leggera
• le valigie leggere

This is not the verb leggere meaning to read. In this sentence, it is clearly the adjective light.

In Italian, adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• le valigie leggere = the light suitcases

That is the most neutral and common order. Some adjectives can come before the noun, but after the noun is very normal, especially when the adjective is describing a factual quality.

Both can exist, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

• in cucina often means in the kitchen in a general location sense
• nella cucina can sound more specific, like inside the kitchen or in that particular kitchen

Italian often uses room names without the article after certain prepositions:

• in cucina
• in camera
• in bagno

So in cucina lascio... is very natural.

Solo usually goes right before the word or group it limits.

• lascio solo le cose che usiamo ogni giorno

This means: I leave only the things that we use every day.

Here solo limits le cose. It tells us that the speaker leaves only those things, and nothing else.

If you move solo, the emphasis can shift slightly, although the basic meaning may stay similar.

Here che is a relative pronoun, meaning that or which.

• le cose che usiamo ogni giorno
• literally: the things that we use every day

It links le cose to the clause usiamo ogni giorno.

This works like English that in:

• the things that we use every day

Italian che does not change form here.

Because the sentence says the things that we use every day, not the things that I use every day.

• uso = I use
• usiamo = we use

So the speaker is talking about things used by a group, probably the household or family. Italian often omits the pronoun, so usiamo already means we use without needing noi.

Italian uses definite articles more often than English does.

• le valigie leggere
• le cose che usiamo ogni giorno

In English, sometimes you might omit the, but in Italian the article is usually needed with plural countable nouns in this kind of statement.

Also, both nouns are feminine plural:

• la valigia → le valigie
• la cosa → le cose

So le is the correct article in both cases.

Yes, Italian word order is flexible, but the original sentence sounds natural and clear.

Original:

• Nel ripostiglio tengo le valigie leggere e in cucina lascio solo le cose che usiamo ogni giorno.

You could also say:

• Tengo le valigie leggere nel ripostiglio e lascio solo le cose che usiamo ogni giorno in cucina.

But that version may sound a little less balanced, and the final in cucina could briefly seem to modify only the second part. The original places the location first in each half:

• Nel ripostiglio...
• in cucina...

That creates a neat contrast between the two places.

Ogni means every, and it is normally used directly before a singular noun, without an article.

• ogni giorno = every day
• ogni settimana = every week
• ogni anno = every year

So you do not say ogni il giorno or ogni giorno il.

Even though ogni refers to repeated time, the noun stays singular in Italian:

• ogni giorno, not ogni giorni

Not always. Ripostiglio is a small storage space, cupboard, utility closet, or storage room, depending on the house and context.

It is one of those words whose exact English translation changes with the situation. So a learner should focus more on the idea:

• a place where things are stored

That is why translations may vary, even though the Italian word stays the same.