Oggi indosso gli stivali, ma nello zaino porto anche i sandali.

Indosso is the first-person singular present of indossare, which means to wear or to put on clothing.

So:

• indosso gli stivali = I wear / I’m wearing the boots

In Italian, the present tense can often cover both English I wear and I’m wearing. In this sentence, because of oggi (today), the most natural English meaning is Today I’m wearing boots.

Italian often omits subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

Here:

• indosso = I wear / I’m wearing
• porto = I carry / I’m carrying

Both verb forms already show that the subject is I, so io is unnecessary.

You could say Io oggi indosso gli stivali... for emphasis, but normally Italian leaves io out.

Italian uses definite articles much more often than English, especially with things like:

• clothing
• body parts
• everyday objects

So Italian naturally says:

• gli stivali
• i sandali

even where English would often just say boots or sandals without the.

This is completely normal Italian, not especially emphatic.

Because stivali begins with s + consonant (st-), and masculine plural nouns with that beginning usually take gli.

So:

• singular: lo stivale
• plural: gli stivali

Compare that with sandalo:

• singular: il sandalo
• plural: i sandali

So the difference comes from the sound at the beginning of the noun.

Nello is a contraction of:

• in + lo = nello

The noun is lo zaino, not il zaino, because zaino begins with z, and masculine singular nouns beginning with z normally take lo.

So:

• lo zaino
• in lo zaino → nello zaino

That is why the sentence says nello zaino = in the backpack.

Porto is from portare, which can mean several related things depending on context, including:

• to carry
• to bring
• to take

In this sentence, the most natural sense is I carry / I’m carrying:

• nello zaino porto anche i sandali = in my backpack I’m also carrying the sandals

It does not mean I wear here. Italian distinguishes:

• indossare = to wear
• portare = to carry / bring / take

Here anche means also / too, and it is placed before the thing being added:

• porto anche i sandali = I also carry the sandals / I carry the sandals too

Its position helps show what is being added. In this sentence, the added item is i sandali.

If you move anche, the emphasis can shift. For example, in other contexts, changing its position can make it sound like the action, the place, or the person is what is being added. So word placement matters.

Because the sentence describes two different relationships to the items:

• gli stivali are being worn
• i sandali are being carried in the backpack

So Italian uses:

• indosso gli stivali = I’m wearing the boots
• porto anche i sandali = I’m also carrying the sandals

This is a useful distinction in Italian: clothing you have on your body is typically described with indossare, while items you have with you are often described with portare.

Yes, Italian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The sentence says:

• nello zaino porto anche i sandali

This puts a little more attention on where the sandals are: in the backpack.

A version like:

• porto anche i sandali nello zaino

can also be understood, but the original order sounds very natural and helps frame the location early.

So the chosen order is not strange; it is just a natural Italian way to organize the information.

It can mean either, depending on context. Italian simple present often covers both:

• English simple present
• English present progressive

So:

• indosso gli stivali can mean I wear boots or I’m wearing boots
• porto anche i sandali can mean I carry sandals or I’m carrying sandals

Because of oggi (today), the most natural English translation is the more immediate one:

• Today I’m wearing boots, but I’m also carrying sandals in my backpack.