Breakdown of Quando Eva arriva tardi, le porto un caffè caldo in ufficio.
io
I
in
in
quando
when
portare
to bring
Questions & Answers about Quando Eva arriva tardi, le porto un caffè caldo in ufficio.
Why is quando followed by the present tense here?
Because this sentence describes a habitual action: something that happens regularly or whenever the situation occurs.
In Italian, quando + present indicative often means when/whenever in the sense of every time that:
- Quando Eva arriva tardi... = When/Whenever Eva arrives late...
So the present tense here is not just about right now. It can also express routines and repeated situations.
Why is it arriva and not arrivi?
Because Italian uses the indicative after quando when the speaker is talking about a real, factual, or habitual event.
So:
- quando Eva arriva tardi = factual/habitual
- arrivi is the subjunctive, and that is not the normal choice here
A learner may expect the subjunctive after a subordinate clause, but quando does not automatically trigger it. In a straightforward sentence like this one, arriva is the normal form.
What does le mean here?