Se l’albicocca è troppo matura, la metto nello yogurt; se l’avocado è duro, lo lascio sul tavolo fino a domani.

The apostrophe shows elision: the article drops its final vowel before a word that starts with a vowel.

• la albicocca → l’albicocca
• il avocado → l’avocado

So l’ can stand for either la or il in the singular. You can tell the gender from other words in the sentence, such as adjectives or pronouns.

Because la and lo here are direct object pronouns, not articles.

• albicocca is feminine singular, so it becomes la
• avocado is masculine singular, so it becomes lo

So:

• l’albicocca → la metto
• l’avocado → lo lascio

This is a very common point of confusion, because l’ looks the same for masculine and feminine nouns, but the object pronoun still has to match the noun’s gender.

In Italian, unstressed direct object pronouns normally go before a conjugated verb.

So you get:

• la metto
• lo lascio

This is the normal word order in sentences like this. English often puts the object after the verb, but Italian uses these short pronouns before it.

Because adjectives must agree with the noun they describe.

• albicocca is feminine singular, so: matura
• avocado is masculine singular, so: duro

The word troppo here is an adverb meaning too, so it does not change. The part that changes is the adjective:

• troppo maturo
• troppo matura
• troppo maturi
• troppo mature

Nello is a contraction of in + lo.

The noun yogurt is usually treated as masculine, and it commonly takes lo:

• lo yogurt

So:

• in + lo yogurt → nello yogurt

This is the same kind of contraction you see in:

• in + il → nel
• in + la → nella
• in + l’ → nell’

Because sul is the contraction of su + il.

• su + il tavolo → sul tavolo

Italian often combines prepositions with definite articles:

• a + il → al
• di + il → del
• in + il → nel
• su + il → sul

So sul tavolo simply means on the table.

After se meaning if, Italian usually uses the indicative in real or likely conditions.

So these are normal:

• Se l’albicocca è troppo matura...
• Se l’avocado è duro...

The subjunctive is generally not used after se in this kind of everyday conditional sentence. This sentence describes real, practical situations, so the present indicative is exactly what you expect.

Yes. The present tense here expresses a habitual or general action:

• If the apricot is too ripe, I put it in yogurt.
• If the avocado is hard, I leave it on the table until tomorrow.

Italian uses the present tense very often for routines, instructions, and general truths. So this is not just about one single moment right now; it can describe what the speaker normally does.

Yes, you could say:

• Se l’albicocca è troppo matura, metto l’albicocca nello yogurt
• Se l’avocado è duro, lascio l’avocado sul tavolo fino a domani

But that sounds repetitive. Italian, like English, usually prefers a pronoun once the noun is already clear. So la metto and lo lascio sound much more natural.

Mostly, yes, but the endings help.

• albicocca ends in -a, which is very often feminine
• avocado is treated as masculine

So in this sentence:

• l’albicocca → feminine
• l’avocado → masculine

With many nouns, especially common ones, gender becomes easier once you learn them together with an article, such as l’albicocca and l’avocado, rather than learning the noun alone.

It means the avocado stays on the table until tomorrow. In context, it suggests the speaker is waiting for it to soften or ripen.

So lo lascio sul tavolo fino a domani does not just mean physically leaving it there; it also implies a purpose: letting time change its condition. This is a very natural way to talk about food ripening in Italian.