Inforno il peperone e la melanzana prima che arrivi Laura.

Because Italian often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

• Inforno = I put in the oven / I bake / I roast
• The ending -o tells you the subject is I

So Inforno il peperone e la melanzana... naturally means I put the pepper and the eggplant in the oven...

You could say Io inforno..., but that usually adds emphasis, like I am the one doing it.

Inforno is the 1st person singular present of infornare.

Infornare literally means to put into the oven. Depending on context, English might translate it as:

• I put ... in the oven
• I bake ...
• I roast ...

So this verb is slightly more specific than a general cooking verb: it focuses on the action of putting something in the oven.

In this sentence, the singular suggests one pepper and one eggplant.

• il peperone = the pepper
• la melanzana = the eggplant

So the speaker is probably talking about specific items, not vegetables in general.

Italian often uses the definite article with nouns in places where English may or may not use the, but here it most naturally refers to actual ingredients the speaker has in mind.

If you wanted the plural, you would say:

• i peperoni e le melanzane

Because prima che is used before a full clause with a verb.

Here the second part is:

• arrivi Laura = Laura arrives

So you need prima che + verb:

• prima che arrivi Laura = before Laura arrives

By contrast, prima di is used before:

• a noun: prima di Laura
• an infinitive: prima di arrivare

So:

• prima che arrivi Laura = before Laura arrives
• prima dell'arrivo di Laura = before Laura's arrival
• prima di arrivare = before arriving

Because after prima che, Italian normally uses the subjunctive.

So:

• arriva = indicative
• arrivi = present subjunctive

In standard Italian, prima che triggers the subjunctive because it refers to an action that is still pending, anticipated, or not yet realized from the speaker's point of view.

That is why the sentence says:

• prima che arrivi Laura

not

• prima che arriva Laura

Arrivi is the present subjunctive of arrivare.

Here is the contrast:

• Laura arriva = Laura arrives / is arriving → present indicative
• che Laura arrivi = that Laura arrive / before Laura arrives → present subjunctive

In this sentence, the subjunctive is used because of prima che.

Italian word order is more flexible than English word order.

Both of these are possible:

• prima che arrivi Laura
• prima che Laura arrivi

They mean the same thing: before Laura arrives.

The version with arrivi Laura can sound a little more natural or flowing in some contexts, especially when introducing the subject after the verb. Italian does this quite often.

So this is not strange or wrong; it is just a normal Italian word-order pattern.

Yes. Prima che Laura arrivi is absolutely correct.

Both versions are grammatical:

• prima che arrivi Laura
• prima che Laura arrivi

The difference is mainly one of rhythm, focus, and style, not meaning.

In standard Italian, personal names usually do not take an article.

So you simply say:

• Laura
• Marco
• Giulia

not normally la Laura or il Marco.

In some regional varieties of Italian, especially in speech, you may hear an article before a name, but in standard Italian the normal form is just Laura.

Yes. Italian often uses the present tense for actions that are planned, scheduled, or about to happen, even when English might think of them as future.

So this sentence is in the present:

• Inforno = I put in the oven / I bake
• arrivi = present subjunctive

But the meaning is future-oriented:

• I’ll put the pepper and the eggplant in the oven before Laura arrives

This is very normal in Italian.

By itself, it can most naturally describe a specific situation, but the present tense in Italian can also sometimes express a habit if the context supports that reading.

Without extra context, most people will understand it as:

• I put the pepper and the eggplant in the oven before Laura arrives
  in this particular situation

If you wanted to make the habitual meaning clearer, context would help, for example:

• Di solito inforno il peperone e la melanzana prima che arrivi Laura.
  I usually put the pepper and the eggplant in the oven before Laura arrives.