Quando la cameriera vede il sacchetto sul tavolo, capisce che vogliamo portare via il pane.

In Italian, singular countable nouns usually need an article much more often than in English. So la cameriera means the waitress, and il sacchetto means the bag or the little bag.

Leaving the article out would usually sound incomplete unless you are using the noun in a special structure, such as after essere in some cases: Lei è cameriera.

Sul means on the. It is a contraction of su + il:

• su = on
• il = the
• sul = on the

So sul tavolo literally means on the table.

They are conjugated to match their subjects:

• la cameriera vede = the waitress sees
• (la cameriera) capisce = she understands / realizes
• (noi) vogliamo = we want

So:

• vede is third person singular of vedere
• capisce is third person singular of capire
• vogliamo is first person plural of volere

Italian changes the verb ending depending on who is doing the action.

Italian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is. Vogliamo already means we want, so noi is not necessary.

You could say noi vogliamo, but that would usually add emphasis, as in we want.

Here che means that and introduces a new clause: capisce che vogliamo... = she understands that we want...

In English, that is often optional: She understands we want... In Italian, che is normally required in this kind of sentence.

It can be understood as either, depending on context. Literally, capire is to understand, but in a sentence like this it often sounds more natural in English as realizes:

• capisce che... = she realizes that...

So the basic meaning is still understand, but the natural translation may be realize.

Portare via is a common expression meaning to take away, to carry off, or to take with you. In this sentence, it means that we want to take the bread away with us, probably from the restaurant.

The word via adds the idea of removal or taking something away from a place.

After volere (to want), Italian normally uses an infinitive, just like English:

• vogliamo portare via = we want to take away

So the structure is: volere + infinitive

Other examples:

• voglio mangiare = I want to eat
• vogliono andare = they want to go

Italian often uses the definite article with nouns in places where English might leave it out. Il pane here means the bread, but in natural English we may simply say bread.

This does not always mean a very specific loaf; it can just refer to the bread in the situation being discussed, such as the bread served at the table.

Yes. Quando can introduce a specific moment (when) or a repeated/habitual situation (whenever). The exact meaning depends on context.

So this sentence could describe:

• one particular situation: When the waitress sees the bag...
• a typical reaction: Whenever the waitress sees the bag...

Both are possible with quando.

Yes, but the meaning would shift slightly. The present tense here works well for a current scene, a general situation, or a vivid narrative style.

If you wanted to talk about a future event more explicitly, Italian could use the future: Quando la cameriera vedrà il sacchetto sul tavolo, capirà che vorremo portare via il pane.

But the original present-tense version is very natural, especially for describing what happens in a situation.

Yes. The ending -etto often gives a diminutive sense, so sacchetto is literally something like small bag or little bag.

Depending on context, English may still just say bag. In a restaurant, it could be a small bag, takeaway bag, or paper bag.

Sometimes, yes. With infinitives, portare via il pane is perfectly normal. With pronouns, Italian often places the pronoun before the infinitive or attaches it to the infinitive:

• vogliamo portare via il pane
• vogliamo portarlo via

So via is part of the expression portare via, but the sentence can be rearranged a little when pronouns are involved.