Metto la penna nella borsa.

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Breakdown of Metto la penna nella borsa.

• la penna: the pen
• mettere: to put
• la borsa: the bag

Questions & Answers about Metto la penna nella borsa.

What form of the verb is metto?

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

So metto means I put or I am putting, depending on context. Italian often uses the simple present where English might use either I put or I’m putting.

Why isn’t io included?

Italian usually leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• metto = I put
• metti = you put
• mette = he/she/it puts

So Metto la penna nella borsa is perfectly natural. You could say Io metto la penna nella borsa, but that would usually add emphasis, as in I’m the one putting the pen in the bag.

Why are there articles before both penna and borsa?

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

• la penna = the pen
• la borsa = the bag

Both penna and borsa are feminine singular nouns, so they take la.

A native English speaker may expect to drop an article sometimes, but in Italian that is usually not possible here. Saying just Metto penna nella borsa would sound wrong.