Appena finisce la lezione, gli studenti si mettono a parlare in cortile.

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Breakdown of Appena finisce la lezione, gli studenti si mettono a parlare in cortile.

• la lezione: the lesson
• lo studente: the student
• il cortile: the courtyard

Questions & Answers about Appena finisce la lezione, gli studenti si mettono a parlare in cortile.

What does appena mean here? I thought it could mean just.

Yes, appena often means just in sentences like Ho appena mangiato = I just ate.

But in this sentence, appena means as soon as:

• Appena finisce la lezione = As soon as the lesson/class ends

So appena has more than one common use, and the meaning depends on the context.

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Why is it finisce and not a future form?

Italian very often uses the present tense where English might use the present or the future, especially in time clauses introduced by words like:

• quando = when
• appena = as soon as
• dopo che = after

So:

• Appena finisce la lezione, gli studenti...

is completely natural Italian, even if in English we think of it as something that happens next.

This present tense can describe:

• a habitual action: Whenever class ends...
• a future sequence: As soon as class ends...

Italian does not normally say Appena finirà la lezione in this kind of everyday structure.

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Why is there no subject before finisce? Who is doing the ending?