Lei sorseggia il caffè in silenzio prima della riunione.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In Italian, lei (lowercase) can mean she, and Lei (often capitalized) is also the polite/formal way to say you when speaking to one person.

So this sentence could mean either:

• She sips the coffee in silence before the meeting
• You sip the coffee in silence before the meeting (formal)

Without more context, both are possible. In many textbooks, the capital L is a clue that it is the formal you.

When Lei is used as the formal you, it is often capitalized in writing to distinguish it from lei meaning she.

So:

• lei = she
• Lei = formal you

That said, in modern everyday writing, especially informal writing, people do not always capitalize it. You may see both styles.

Sorseggia comes from the verb sorseggiare, which means to sip.

It is the present indicative, third person singular form.

Conjugation:

• io sorseggio = I sip
• tu sorseggi = you sip
• lui/lei/Lei sorseggia = he/she/you(formal) sips
• noi sorseggiamo = we sip
• voi sorseggiate = you all sip
• loro sorseggiano = they sip

So sorseggia matches Lei perfectly.

In Italian, the simple present often covers both the English simple present and present continuous.

So Lei sorseggia il caffè can mean:

• She sips the coffee
• She is sipping the coffee

Italian does have a progressive form, such as sta sorseggiando, but it is not always necessary. Very often, the normal present tense is enough.

Italian uses articles more often than English does.

Il caffè here means the coffee, but in natural English we might simply say coffee. Italian often includes the article when referring to a specific drink, food item, or thing in the situation.

So:

• beve il tè = drinks tea / drinks the tea
• mangia la pasta = eats pasta / eats the pasta
• sorseggia il caffè = sips coffee / sips the coffee

Leaving out the article would usually sound less natural here.

The accent shows that the stress falls on the last syllable: caf-FÈ.

This is important because Italian spelling often marks final stress with a written accent.

So caffè is pronounced with stress at the end, not like CAF-fe.

Literally, in silenzio means in silence.

It is a common fixed expression in Italian, and it normally does not use an article. So you say:

• in silenzio = in silence / silently

Similar expressions include:

• in fretta = in a hurry
• in pubblico = in public
• in privato = in private

In English, we might often translate in silenzio more naturally as silently or without speaking.

Because prima uses the preposition di before a noun.

The basic pattern is:

• prima di + noun

Since riunione is feminine singular and takes la, di + la becomes della.

So:

• prima di la riunione → prima della riunione

This contraction is required.

Yes, but it depends on what comes after it.

Use prima di before a noun or an infinitive:

• prima della riunione = before the meeting
• prima di mangiare = before eating

Use prima che before a conjugated verb:

• prima che inizi la riunione = before the meeting starts

So in this sentence, because riunione is a noun, di is needed.

Yes. Italian often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you the person.

So Sorseggia il caffè in silenzio prima della riunione is also grammatically correct.

Including Lei can:

• add emphasis
• clarify who is doing the action
• help show that it is formal you

Italian uses explicit subject pronouns less often than English.

The given word order is completely natural:

• Lei sorseggia il caffè in silenzio prima della riunione.

Italian word order is fairly flexible, but some versions sound more neutral than others.

For example:

• In silenzio, Lei sorseggia il caffè prima della riunione.
• Prima della riunione, Lei sorseggia il caffè in silenzio.

These are also correct, but they shift the emphasis. The original sentence is a straightforward, neutral way to say it.

Yes. Riunione is a very common and standard word for meeting, especially in work or organizational contexts.

Examples:

• una riunione importante = an important meeting
• avere una riunione = to have a meeting
• prima della riunione = before the meeting

So it is exactly the kind of word you would expect in this sentence.