Devo confermare la prenotazione dell’hotel prima di partire.

I have to confirm the hotel booking before leaving.

Breakdown of Devo confermare la prenotazione dell’hotel prima di partire.

• io: I
• di: of
• dovere: to have to
• l'hotel: the hotel

Questions & Answers about Devo confermare la prenotazione dell’hotel prima di partire.

Why is it devo and not io devo?

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

• devo = I must / I have to
• The -o ending tells you it is io

So Devo confermare... is completely natural.
You could say Io devo confermare... if you want extra emphasis, such as:

• Io devo confermare, non tu. = I have to confirm, not you.

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Why is confermare in the infinitive form?

After modal verbs like dovere (must/have to), potere (can), and volere (want), Italian usually uses a second verb in the infinitive.

So:

• devo confermare = I have to confirm
• voglio partire = I want to leave
• posso entrare = I can come in

This works much like English:

• I must confirm
• I want to leave

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What exactly is devo?