Prima della ricreazione, la supplente controlla il registro.

Because della is the contraction of di + la.

• prima di = before
• When di is followed by the feminine singular article la, they usually combine:
  • di + la = della

So:

• prima della ricreazione = before recess / before the break

This is a very common pattern in Italian:

• il libro della studentessa = the student's book
• la porta della classe = the classroom door

In Italian, articles are used more often than in English. With many nouns, especially in ordinary everyday contexts, Italian normally uses the article where English may or may not.

So la ricreazione is the natural way to say recess / the break in this sentence.

Italian often prefers:

• vado a scuola = I go to school
  but
• prima della ricreazione = before recess

The article here is part of the noun phrase after prima di.

Supplente means a substitute teacher or temporary replacement teacher.

In a school context:

• il supplente = a male substitute teacher
• la supplente = a female substitute teacher

So in this sentence, la supplente tells you the teacher is female.

Italian normally requires an article before a singular countable noun when you are talking about a specific person or thing.

So:

• la supplente = the substitute teacher
• il registro = the register

Leaving out the article would usually sound incomplete here.

English is less article-heavy in some cases, but Italian generally is not.

Controlla is the third person singular present tense of controllare.

Conjugation:

• io controllo = I check
• tu controlli = you check
• lui/lei controlla = he/she checks

Since the subject is la supplente (she / the substitute teacher), controlla is the correct form.

In this sentence it can mean:

• checks
• is checking depending on context, since the Italian present tense can cover both simple present and present progressive meanings.

No. This is an important false friend.

In Italian, controllare often means:

• to check
• to inspect
• to verify

So controlla il registro means:

• checks the register

It usually does not mean to control in the English sense of to dominate or to manage completely.

In a school context, il registro usually means the class register, attendance register, or the teacher's record book.

It is not usually a registry in the English administrative sense.

Depending on the school system, it may be:

• a paper attendance book
• a grade book
• an electronic class record system

So here il registro is the school record the teacher checks.

Italian word order is flexible. Putting Prima della ricreazione at the beginning sets the time frame first:

• Prima della ricreazione, la supplente controlla il registro.

This is very natural and similar to English:

• Before recess, the substitute teacher checks the register.

You could also say:

• La supplente controlla il registro prima della ricreazione.

Both are correct. The version with the time phrase first gives a little more emphasis to when the action happens.

The comma separates the introductory time expression from the main clause:

• Prima della ricreazione, = introductory phrase
• la supplente controlla il registro. = main clause

This is common in both Italian and English, especially when a sentence begins with a time phrase or other introductory element.

That said, punctuation can be somewhat flexible, and you may sometimes see it omitted in short sentences. But with this structure, the comma is perfectly natural.

Normally, no. In this sentence, the natural form is prima della ricreazione because ricreazione is a noun and it takes the article here.

A useful contrast is:

• prima della ricreazione = before recess
• prima di uscire = before going out

So:

• prima di + infinitive verb
• prima di/del/della/dei... + noun phrase

Examples:

• prima di mangiare = before eating
• prima del pranzo = before lunch
• prima della lezione = before the lesson

Often yes, especially in a school context, but the exact nuance can vary by country and school system.

Ricreazione can refer to:

• recess
• break
• the short free period between classes

So depending on context, English translations might be:

• before recess
• before the break

If the learner is thinking in American school terms, recess is a very good match. In a more general English context, break may also work.