Metto la lampada piccola sul comò.

Metto is the first-person singular present tense of mettere, which means to put, to place, or sometimes to set.

So:

• mettere = to put
• metto = I put / I am putting

In this sentence, the subject I is not stated explicitly, because Italian often leaves subject pronouns out when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Italian uses the present tense more broadly than English does, so metto can mean:

• I put
• I’m putting

If you want to be more explicitly progressive in Italian, you can also say:

• Sto mettendo la lampada piccola sul comò = I’m putting the small lamp on the dresser

But the simple present metto is very normal here.

La is the definite article meaning the for a feminine singular noun.

• lampada is feminine singular
• so its article is la

That is why you get:

• la lampada = the lamp

Italian uses articles very regularly, often more often than English does.

Because adjectives in Italian usually agree with the noun they describe.

Here:

• lampada is feminine singular
• so the adjective must also be feminine singular
• piccolo becomes piccola

Agreement here is:

• masculine singular: piccolo
• feminine singular: piccola
• masculine plural: piccoli
• feminine plural: piccole

So:

• la lampada piccola = the small lamp

In Italian, adjectives often come after the noun, especially when they are simply describing it.

So:

• la lampada piccola = the small lamp

That said, Italian can also place some adjectives before the noun:

• la piccola lampada

Both are possible, but the nuance can shift a little.

Very roughly:

• la lampada piccola can sound more descriptive or contrastive: the small lamp, not the big one
• la piccola lampada can sound a bit more general, natural, or sometimes more stylistic

For a learner, the most important point is: adjectives commonly come after the noun in Italian.

Sul means on the.

It is a contraction of:

• su = on
• il = the

So:

• su + il = sul

This is very common in Italian. Similar combinations include:

• sulla = su + la
• sui = su + i
• sugli = su + gli
• sulle = su + le

So:

• sul comò = on the dresser

Because comò is a masculine singular noun.

So the correct article is:

• il comò

And after su, that becomes:

• sul comò

If the noun were feminine singular, you would use sulla instead.

The accent shows that the stress falls on the last syllable:

• com-ò

In Italian, words stressed on the final vowel are normally written with an accent mark.

So comò must be written with the accent.

This word means a dresser or chest of drawers.

Because sul means on the, so the lamp is being placed on top of the dresser.

If you wanted to say in the dresser or inside the dresser, you would use something like:

• nel comò = in the dresser

So the choice of preposition tells you the position:

• sul comò = on the dresser
• nel comò = in the dresser

No, Italian word order is fairly flexible, although this version is very natural:

• Metto la lampada piccola sul comò.

You can move parts of the sentence for emphasis. For example:

• Sul comò metto la lampada piccola.

This puts more emphasis on where you are putting it.

Still, the original order is a very standard neutral order:

• verb + object + place

Yes, but the meaning would change.

• la lampada piccola = the small lamp
• una lampada piccola = a small lamp

So la refers to a specific lamp that is already known or identifiable, while una introduces it as nonspecific.

The sentence you were given is talking about the small lamp, not just any small lamp.

No.

• lampada = lamp
• lampadina = light bulb

So in this sentence, you are putting the lamp on the dresser, not the bulb.

That distinction is important, because English learners sometimes see both words translated loosely as something related to light.