Durante la ricreazione, la supplente sfoglia il registro e ci guarda con calma.

Durante la ricreazione means during recess / during break. It sets the time frame for the whole sentence.

Starting with a time expression is very common in Italian, just like in English:

• Durante la ricreazione, la supplente...
• In the morning, the substitute teacher...

It gives context first, and then tells you what happens.

The comma is used because Durante la ricreazione is an introductory phrase placed before the main clause.

So the sentence is structured like this:

• Durante la ricreazione, = time expression
• la supplente sfoglia il registro e ci guarda con calma. = main clause

In Italian, this comma is natural and helps readability, though punctuation can sometimes be flexible.

La supplente means the female substitute teacher.

A few useful points:

• supplente = substitute teacher / substitute
• la supplente = feminine
• il supplente = masculine

In this sentence, the article la tells you the teacher is female.

Italian usually uses articles more often than English.

So where English might say:

• the substitute teacher

Italian says:

• la supplente

Even when English sometimes drops the article, Italian often keeps it. Here, the article is completely normal and expected.

Sfoglia comes from sfogliare, which means to leaf through, to flip through, or to browse through pages.

So in this context, la supplente sfoglia il registro suggests that she is turning pages and checking the class register.

It is different from:

• legge = reads
• guarda = looks at

Sfogliare specifically gives the idea of moving through pages.

In a school context, il registro usually means the class register, grade book, or attendance book.

It is not just any generic register in the abstract sense. In a classroom sentence like this, it refers to the book or record the teacher uses for attendance, grades, notes, and similar school information.

They are in the simple present:

• sfoglia = she flips through
• guarda = she looks

Italian often uses the present tense to describe a scene, a habitual action, or a narrative moment. English can do something similar:

• During recess, the substitute flips through the register and looks at us calmly.

So this is not strange at all. It can sound descriptive, like you are watching the scene happen.

Ci is the unstressed object pronoun meaning us.

So:

• ci guarda = she looks at us

Italian usually prefers object pronouns like mi, ti, ci, vi, lo, la, li, le instead of using the full stressed pronoun unless you want emphasis.

Compare:

• ci guarda = she looks at us
• guarda noi = she looks at us, with extra emphasis or contrast

So ci guarda is the normal, neutral choice.

In Italian, unstressed object pronouns usually come before a conjugated verb.

So:

• mi guarda = she looks at me
• ti guarda = she looks at you
• ci guarda = she looks at us

This is a very common rule in Italian sentence structure.

Yes. In Italian, guardare already includes the idea of looking at something or someone.

So:

• ci guarda = she looks at us

You do not need a separate word equivalent to English at.

This is different from some other Italian verbs, where a preposition is required. But guardare takes a direct object.

Con calma literally means with calm, but in natural English it usually means:

• calmly
• in a calm way

So ci guarda con calma means she is looking at us in a calm, composed, unhurried manner.

This is a very common Italian structure:

• con attenzione = attentively / with attention
• con cura = carefully / with care
• con calma = calmly / with calm

Yes, calmamente is possible, but con calma often sounds more natural and idiomatic in everyday Italian.

Compare:

• ci guarda con calma = very natural
• ci guarda calmamente = grammatically correct, but sometimes a bit more formal or literary depending on context

Italian often prefers a con + noun expression where English might use an adverb.

Again, Italian uses definite articles very regularly.

So:

• la supplente
• il registro

Both nouns are presented as specific, identifiable things in the situation: the substitute teacher and the register she is using.

In English, articles can sometimes be omitted in more general contexts, but in Italian they are often required.

Yes, Italian word order is fairly flexible, though the original sentence is very natural.

For example, you could also say:

• La supplente sfoglia il registro e ci guarda con calma durante la ricreazione.

This puts the time expression at the end instead of the beginning.

The original version emphasizes the setting first:

• Durante la ricreazione, ...

So the choice is mainly about focus and style, not basic meaning.

No. Ricreazione is common, especially in school contexts, but you may also hear intervallo.

Very roughly:

• ricreazione = recess, especially school recess
• intervallo = break, interval; also common in schools

Which one sounds more natural can vary by region and context.

Yes. Italian normally omits subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

So instead of saying:

• Lei sfoglia il registro e ci guarda...

Italian simply says:

• La supplente sfoglia il registro e ci guarda...

Or even, in another context, just:

• Sfoglia il registro e ci guarda...

because the verb form and context often make the subject clear enough.