Se la camicia fosse meno stropicciata, la metterei subito sulla gruccia nuova.

Fosse is the imperfetto del congiuntivo of essere. It is used because the sentence expresses a hypothetical, unreal, or unlikely condition.

This is a very common pattern in Italian:

• Se + congiuntivo imperfetto
• condizionale presente in the main clause

So:

• Se la camicia fosse meno stropicciata, la metterei...

This is the equivalent of an English type like If the shirt were less wrinkled, I would put it...

If the speaker were describing a more real or open possibility, Italian would normally use a different structure.

Metterei is the present conditional of mettere.

It is used in the main clause because the result depends on the hypothetical condition introduced by se. In other words, the action is not presented as something the speaker is actually doing now, but as something they would do if the condition were true.

So fosse and metterei go together as a pair in this kind of sentence.

Because standard Italian does not normally use the conditional directly after se in this kind of sentence.

So a form like Se la camicia sarebbe meno stropicciata... is not standard.

Instead, Italian uses:

• indicative after se for real or likely conditions
• subjunctive after se for hypothetical or unreal conditions

Here the condition is hypothetical, so Italian uses fosse, not a conditional form.

They do two different jobs.

• In la camicia, la is the definite article: the
• In la metterei, la is a direct object pronoun: it

Both are feminine singular, because camicia is a feminine singular noun.

So:

• la camicia = the shirt
• la metterei = I would put it

This repetition is completely normal in Italian.

Because mettere here needs a direct object, and Italian normally expresses that object with a pronoun if the noun has already been mentioned.

So after saying la camicia, the sentence naturally continues with la metterei.

English does the same thing:

• If the shirt were less wrinkled, I would put it...

Italian is not being redundant here; it is just following normal grammar.

Stropicciata means something like:

• wrinkled
• creased
• crumpled
• rumpled

It is often used for clothes, paper, fabric, and things that have been crushed, folded badly, or handled a lot.

For a shirt, stropicciata suggests it does not look neat and smooth. It can feel slightly more physical or crumpled than a simple neutral wrinkled.

A learner may also see sgualcita, which can be similar in many contexts.

This is the comparative of minority:

• meno + adjective

So:

• meno stropicciata = less wrinkled

Because camicia is feminine singular, the adjective is also feminine singular:

• stropicciato → masculine singular
• stropicciata → feminine singular

There is no need for di here because the comparison is implicit. The idea is simply less wrinkled than it is now or less wrinkled than it appears.

Because the usual expression is mettere qualcosa su una gruccia or sulla gruccia.

Here:

• su + la = sulla

So sulla gruccia nuova means on the new hanger.

Using a would sound different and would not be the normal choice with mettere in this context. If you changed the verb, you might get a different preposition in some expressions, but with mettere, su is very natural.

Yes, both are possible, but the nuance changes slightly.

• gruccia nuova is the more neutral, everyday order
• nuova gruccia can sound a bit more emphatic or stylistically marked, drawing more attention to the fact that it is new

So sulla gruccia nuova is a very normal way to say it.

Italian adjective placement is flexible, but it is not always random. Post-noun position is often the default for descriptive adjectives like nuova in a concrete phrase like this.

Mettere sulla gruccia is natural and understandable.

It focuses on the idea of putting the shirt onto a hanger.

You could also hear:

• appenderla alla gruccia
• appenderla su una gruccia

Using appendere emphasizes the act of hanging it. Using mettere is a little broader and very common in everyday speech.

So the original sentence sounds fine.

Subito means immediately or right away.

It tells you that the speaker would do the action without delay.

Its position is natural here:

• la metterei subito sulla gruccia nuova

Italian adverbs can often move around more than in English, though some positions sound more natural than others. For example, you could also hear:

• la metterei sulla gruccia nuova subito
• subito la metterei sulla gruccia nuova

But the original order is smooth and standard.

Usually, yes.

This structure often suggests that the condition is not currently true, or at least that the speaker sees it as contrary to the present situation.

So the sentence normally implies something like:

• the shirt is still too wrinkled
• therefore the speaker is not putting it on the new hanger yet

That said, context always matters. Sometimes this structure can sound more tentative than strongly counterfactual, but in most everyday situations the implication is that the shirt is indeed wrinkled now.