Non trovo nulla nel cassetto.

Yes, by English logic it looks like a double negative, but in Italian this is normal. Italian often uses negative concord: the verb is negated with non, and another negative word like nulla, niente, mai, or nessuno appears too.

So Non trovo nulla is the standard everyday pattern.

A useful rule:

• if the negative word comes after the verb, you normally keep non
• if it comes before the verb, non is often dropped

For example:

• Non trovo nulla
• Nessuno è arrivato

Grammatically, nulla means nothing. But after non, English usually prefers anything rather than nothing.

So:

• Non trovo nulla literally lines up with I find nothing
• natural English is usually I can’t find anything or I don’t find anything

So the Italian word itself is negative, even if English changes the wording.

Yes. Non trovo niente nel cassetto is also correct and very common.

In many everyday contexts, nulla and niente mean almost the same thing. A learner can usually treat them as interchangeable here.

Very roughly:

• niente is extremely common in everyday speech
• nulla can sound a little more formal or more written, depending on context

But both are perfectly normal.

Because Italian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

Trovo is the first person singular form of trovare, so it already tells you the subject is I.

That means:

• Non trovo nulla nel cassetto = normal
• Io non trovo nulla nel cassetto = also correct, but more emphatic

You might add io if you want contrast, such as:

• Lui trova tutto, io non trovo nulla

Trovo is the present indicative, first person singular, of trovare.

So the base idea is I find.

But in real usage, the Italian present tense often covers several English ideas, depending on context:

• I find
• I am finding
• I can find / can’t find in practical situations

In this sentence, English often uses I can’t find anything, even though Italian simply uses the present tense with non.

Because nel is the contracted form of in + il.

So:

• in + il = nel

Since cassetto is a masculine singular noun, it takes il:

• il cassetto
• nel cassetto

This is the same kind of contraction you see in:

• sul = su + il
• dal = da + il
• al = a + il

Because cassetto is a masculine singular noun.

Its article is:

• il cassetto

So the contracted preposition is:

• nel cassetto

If the noun were feminine singular, you would use nella instead:

• nella scatola

So the choice depends on the noun’s gender and number, not on the meaning in English.

Yes, you could. Both are possible, but they are not always identical in feel.

• nel cassetto = the most neutral, standard way to say in the drawer
• dentro il cassetto = more literally inside the drawer, often a bit more physical or emphatic

So:

• Non trovo nulla nel cassetto sounds very natural and neutral
• Non trovo nulla dentro il cassetto is also understandable, but slightly more explicit

Yes, Italian word order is flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

The neutral order here is:

• Non trovo nulla nel cassetto

You can also say:

• Nel cassetto non trovo nulla

That puts more focus on nel cassetto.

A version like:

• Non trovo nel cassetto nulla

is possible, but it sounds less natural in ordinary speech.

So for a learner, the best default is the original order.

A simple English-style guide is:

non TRO-vo NOOL-la nel cas-SET-to

A few pronunciation notes:

• nulla has a clear double ll
• cassetto has a clear double tt
• the stress in cassetto is on set
• the final vowels should be pronounced clearly: trovo, nulla, cassetto

A more IPA-style version is:

[non ˈtrɔvo ˈnulla nel kasˈsetto]

The double consonants matter in Italian, so try not to shorten them too much.