Mia madre lava l’uva prima di cena.

In Italian, with close singular family members, you usually do not use the article before the possessive.

So you say:

• mia madre = my mother
• mio padre = my father
• mia sorella = my sister

But there are important exceptions. You normally do use the article with:

• plural family members: i miei genitori
• modified family nouns: la mia cara madre
• some forms like loro: la loro madre

So mia madre is the normal form here.

Italian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

Here, lava means he/she/it washes. Because of that, lei is not necessary.

So:

• Mia madre lava l’uva = My mother washes the grapes

You could say Lei lava l’uva, but that would usually be for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Lava is the present indicative of lavare.

The verb lavare means to wash.
Its present-tense forms are:

• io lavo = I wash
• tu lavi = you wash
• lui/lei lava = he/she washes
• noi laviamo = we wash
• voi lavate = you all wash
• loro lavano = they wash

In this sentence, lava agrees with mia madre, which is third person singular.

Yes. In Italian, the simple present often covers both:

• washes
• is washing

So depending on context, Mia madre lava l’uva could mean either:

• My mother washes the grapes
• My mother is washing the grapes

If you specifically want to stress an action in progress, Italian can also use stare + gerundio, for example:

• Mia madre sta lavando l’uva = My mother is washing the grapes

But in many everyday cases, the simple present is enough.

Because uva is a feminine singular noun that begins with a vowel, so the feminine singular definite article la becomes l’ before it.

• la + uva → l’uva

This is called elision.

Similar examples:

• l’acqua = the water
• l’amica = the female friend
• l’isola = the island

So l’uva is just the normal shortened form of la uva.

Uva is grammatically singular in Italian, even though in English we often translate it as grapes.

So:

• l’uva = grapes / the grapes

Italian often treats some foods or fruits as collective or mass nouns in ways that do not match English exactly.

If you want the regular plural form, it is:

• l’uva = grape(s) as a food / grapes
• le uve = grapes, grape varieties, or bunches/types in more specific contexts

For a beginner, it is best to learn l’uva as the normal word for grapes.

Prima di means before, and when talking about meals in a general sense, Italian often uses di + meal name with no article:

• prima di colazione = before breakfast
• prima di pranzo = before lunch
• prima di cena = before dinner

If you say prima della cena, that usually sounds more specific, like before the dinner or before that particular dinner/event.

So in a general everyday sentence, prima di cena is the natural choice.

Prima di means before.

It can be followed by:

1. a noun

   • prima di cena = before dinner
   • prima di scuola = before school

2. an infinitive

   • prima di mangiare = before eating
   • prima di uscire = before going out

So prima di is a very common structure in Italian.

This is the most neutral Italian word order:

Subject + verb + object + time expression

• Mia madre = subject
• lava = verb
• l’uva = object
• prima di cena = time expression

Italian word order is more flexible than English, so other orders are possible, especially for emphasis:

• Prima di cena, mia madre lava l’uva.
• L’uva la lava mia madre prima di cena. (more marked/emphatic)

But the original sentence is the most straightforward and natural for a learner.

It is pronounced roughly like LOO-va.

A few points:

• l’ is just the article la shortened before a vowel
• uva has the stress on the first syllable
• so it sounds like OO-va, with the article attached: L’OO-va

In IPA, it is approximately /ˈluːva/ or more precisely in Italian /ˈuva/ with the article before it.

No. In Italian, common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin the sentence.

So:

• mia madre = correct
• prima di cena = correct

You would only capitalize them for special reasons, such as at the beginning of a sentence or in titles.

Yes, but it changes the tone.

• mia madre is more neutral and descriptive: my mother
• mamma is more personal and familiar: Mom / Mum

So both are possible, but they are used in slightly different situations.

• Mia madre lava l’uva prima di cena. = neutral
• Mamma lava l’uva prima di cena. = more intimate/family-style

Because prima di is the full expression meaning before. The di belongs to that structure.

So you should think of it as one chunk:

• prima di cena = before dinner

Not as:

• prima
  • some separate extra preposition you choose freely

This is why learners should memorize prima di as a set phrase.