Scrivo una riga nel quaderno.

I write a line in the notebook.

Breakdown of Scrivo una riga nel quaderno.

• io: I
• in: in
• scrivere: to write
• il quaderno: the notebook

Questions & Answers about Scrivo una riga nel quaderno.

Why is there no word for I in Scrivo una riga nel quaderno?

In Italian, the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

• scrivo = I write / I am writing
• The ending -o tells you it is first person singular: I

So Scrivo una riga nel quaderno is naturally understood as I write a line in the notebook.

You could say Io scrivo una riga nel quaderno, but io would usually add emphasis, as in I am writing a line.

What tense is scrivo?

Scrivo is the present indicative of the verb scrivere.

Here it can mean either:

• I write
• I am writing

Italian often uses the simple present where English might use either the simple present or the present continuous, depending on context.

What is the base form of scrivo?

The base form, or infinitive, is scrivere, meaning to write.

A few present-tense forms are:

• io scrivo = I write
• tu scrivi = you write
• lui/lei scrive = he/she writes
• noi scriviamo = we write
• voi scrivete = you all write
• loro scrivono = they write

So scrivo is the io form of scrivere.