Il pescivendolo dice che la macellaia cucina benissimo, soprattutto quando prepara il brodo.

In Italian, it is very common to use the definite article with professions when you are referring to a specific person:

• il pescivendolo = the fishmonger / the fish seller
• la macellaia = the butcher (female)

So Italian often says the fishmonger and the butcher where English might sometimes just use a name or a pronoun if the people are already known from context.

Also, the articles show gender and number:

• il = masculine singular
• la = feminine singular

Yes. These are profession nouns, and they show gender.

• pescivendolo is masculine
• macellaia is feminine

A native English speaker often notices that Italian profession words can change form depending on whether the person is male or female. For example:

• il macellaio = the male butcher
• la macellaia = the female butcher

So in this sentence, la macellaia tells you the butcher is a woman.

Italian often leaves subject pronouns out because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

For example:

• dice = he/she says
• cucina = he/she cooks
• prepara = he/she prepares

Because of that, Italian does not need to say lui or lei unless the speaker wants emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

So:

• Il pescivendolo dice... is perfectly normal
• La macellaia cucina... is also perfectly normal

Here che means that.

So:

• dice che = says that

It introduces a subordinate clause, just like English that:

• Il pescivendolo dice che la macellaia cucina benissimo.
• The fishmonger says that the butcher cooks very well.

Just like in English, that can sometimes be omitted in translation, but in Italian che is normally kept in this kind of sentence.

Yes, cucina can be either:

• a noun: kitchen
• a verb form from cucinare: he/she cooks

In this sentence, it is clearly the verb, because it comes after the subject la macellaia:

• la macellaia cucina benissimo = the butcher cooks very well

If it were the noun, the structure would be different, for example:

• La cucina è grande. = The kitchen is big.

So context tells you which meaning is intended.

Benissimo is an intensified form of bene.

• bene = well
• benissimo = very well / extremely well

It adds stronger praise. So:

• cucina bene = cooks well
• cucina benissimo = cooks extremely well / cooks really well

Italian often uses -issimo / -issima to strengthen meaning. You will see this pattern in many words:

• buono → buonissimo
• grande → grandissimo
• bene → benissimo

Soprattutto means especially or above all.

Here it introduces the idea that the praise is even more true in one particular case:

• soprattutto quando prepara il brodo
• especially when she prepares broth

Its position is flexible, but where it appears affects emphasis a little. In this sentence, it naturally highlights the whole time clause that follows.

Because after quando meaning when, Italian normally uses a conjugated verb, not the infinitive, when talking about something that actually happens.

So:

• quando prepara il brodo = when she prepares broth

Here prepara is the present tense, third person singular, from preparare.

You would not use the infinitive preparare here because the sentence needs a full clause with a subject understood:

• quando prepara = when she prepares

The sentence uses the present indicative throughout:

• dice = says
• cucina = cooks
• prepara = prepares

Italian often uses the present tense in the same situations where English does:

• general statements
• habitual actions
• comments about what someone does

So this sentence sounds like a general observation: the fishmonger says that the butcher is an excellent cook, especially when she makes broth.

Both are possible in Italian, but they do not always mean exactly the same thing.

• prepara il brodo usually means she prepares the broth or she makes broth, referring to the dish in a general, familiar sense
• prepara brodo is less natural here

With food and common activities, Italian often uses the definite article where English may use no article:

• mangiare la pasta
• preparare il caffè
• fare il brodo

So il brodo is very natural in this sentence.

Yes, Italian word order is flexible, although the original version is the most neutral and natural.

For example, you could say:

• Il pescivendolo dice che la macellaia cucina benissimo.
• Il pescivendolo dice che la macellaia, soprattutto quando prepara il brodo, cucina benissimo.

These versions are still understandable, but they may sound more marked or literary depending on the exact arrangement.

The original sentence is straightforward because it follows a common pattern:

subject + verb + che-clause + adverbial phrase

Yes. In the clause after che, the understood subject remains la macellaia.

So:

• la macellaia cucina benissimo
• quando prepara il brodo

The subject of prepara is still la macellaia, even though it is not repeated.

This is very common in Italian. Once the subject is clear, it does not need to be repeated in every part of the sentence.

You usually put non before the verb.

For example:

• Il pescivendolo non dice che la macellaia cucina benissimo... = The fishmonger does not say that the butcher cooks very well...

Or:

• Il pescivendolo dice che la macellaia non cucina benissimo... = The fishmonger says that the butcher does not cook very well...

Or:

• ...soprattutto quando non prepara il brodo = ...especially when she does not prepare broth

So the position of non depends on which verb you want to negate.