Parliamo del matrimonio.

Parliamo is the 1st person plural form of parlare in the present tense, so it means we speak / we are speaking / let’s speak, depending on context.

For parlare, the present tense is:

• io parlo = I speak
• tu parli = you speak
• lui/lei parla = he/she speaks
• noi parliamo = we speak
• voi parlate = you all speak
• loro parlano = they speak

So parliamo del matrimonio uses the we form.

It can mean either we are talking or let’s talk, depending on context.

In Italian, the present tense often covers both:

• a general present: we talk / we speak
• a current action: we are talking
• sometimes an invitation or suggestion: let’s talk

So Parliamo del matrimonio could mean:

• We’re talking about marriage
• or Let’s talk about marriage

You need context to know which one is intended.

Italian often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

In parliamo, the ending -iamo tells you the subject is noi = we.

So:

• (Noi) parliamo del matrimonio
• Parliamo del matrimonio

Both are correct, but Italian usually prefers the version without the pronoun unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Del means of the and is a contraction of:

• di = of / about
• il = the

So:

• di + il = del

In this sentence, parlare di means to talk about, so:

• parlare di qualcosa = to talk about something

Because matrimonio is masculine singular and takes il, di + il becomes del:

• del matrimonio = about the marriage / about marriage

Because in Italian, the verb parlare commonly takes di when you mean to talk about a topic.

Examples:

• Parlo di te. = I’m talking about you.
• Parliamo di politica. = We’re talking about politics.
• Parlano del film. = They’re talking about the movie.

This is just how the verb works in Italian. English uses about, but Italian usually uses di.

Italian often uses the definite article more than English does.

So where English might say:

• We’re talking about marriage

Italian may naturally say:

• Parliamo del matrimonio

This can mean:

• about marriage in a general sense
• or about the marriage if a specific marriage is already understood from context

The article does not always make the phrase sound as specific as English the does.

Matrimonio is masculine.

You can tell because it normally uses il:

• il matrimonio

That is why:

• di + il = del
• del matrimonio

Even though marriage may feel abstract, the noun itself is grammatically masculine.

You use il because matrimonio begins with a consonant sound that normally takes il.

Italian masculine singular articles:

• il before most consonants: il matrimonio
• lo before s + consonant, z, ps, gn, x, y: lo studente, lo zio
• l’ before vowels: l’amico

Since matrimonio starts with m, it takes il.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

par-LYAH-mo del ma-tree-MOH-nyo

A few points:

• gli does not appear here, so there is nothing especially tricky in parliamo
• the stress in parliamo is on -à- / -ia-: par-LIA-mo
• matrimonio has the stress on -mo-: matri-MO-nio

A more Italian-like approximation:

• par-LYA-mo del ma-tree-MO-nyo

Yes, that is grammatically correct.

Adding noi makes the subject explicit:

• Noi parliamo del matrimonio.

But in normal Italian, noi is often unnecessary because parliamo already tells you the subject is we.

You would add noi mainly for emphasis, contrast, or clarity, for example:

• Noi parliamo del matrimonio, loro parlano del divorzio. = We’re talking about marriage; they’re talking about divorce.

It is neutral. Nothing in the sentence is especially formal or informal.

• parliamo is just the normal we form
• del matrimonio is standard vocabulary

The tone depends mostly on context and intonation. It could sound:

• neutral: We’re talking about marriage
• conversational: Let’s talk about marriage
• even serious, if the topic is important

Yes, matrimonio can refer to both, depending on context.

It may mean:

• marriage as an institution or state
• wedding as the event

So Parliamo del matrimonio could mean:

• We’re talking about marriage
• or We’re talking about the wedding

Context tells you which meaning is intended.