Devo cucire un bottone sulla camicetta.

I need to sew a button onto the blouse.

Breakdown of Devo cucire un bottone sulla camicetta.

• io: I
• dovere: to need
• su: onto
• il bottone: the button

Questions & Answers about Devo cucire un bottone sulla camicetta.

Why is it devo and not io devo?

Devo means I must / I have to.

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

• devo = I must
• devi = you must
• deve = he/she must

So Devo cucire... is perfectly natural and means I have to sew.... You could say Io devo..., but that usually adds emphasis, like I have to, not someone else.

Why is cucire in the infinitive?

Because after dovere (must / to have to), Italian normally uses another verb in the infinitive.

So the pattern is:

• dovere + infinitive
• devo cucire = I have to sew
• devo studiare = I have to study
• devo andare = I have to go

This works much like English have to + verb.

What exactly does cucire mean here?