Bevo una birra a cena.

to drink

Breakdown of Bevo una birra a cena.

• a: at
• la cena: the dinner
• la birra: the beer

Questions & Answers about Bevo una birra a cena.

Why is it bevo? What verb is this?

Bevo is the 1st person singular form of the verb bere = to drink.

So:

• bere = to drink
• bevo = I drink / I am drinking

This is an irregular verb, so it does not follow the most basic -ere pattern exactly.

A few present-tense forms are:

• io bevo = I drink
• tu bevi = you drink
• lui/lei beve = he/she drinks
• noi beviamo = we drink
• voi bevete = you all drink
• loro bevono = they drink

Why isn’t io included? Shouldn’t it be Io bevo?

In Italian, subject pronouns are often left out because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• bevo already means I drink
• so io is optional

You would add io mainly for:

• emphasis
• contrast
• clarity

For example:

• Io bevo una birra, lui beve vino. = I’m drinking a beer, he’s drinking wine.

So Bevo una birra a cena is completely natural.

Does bevo mean I drink or I am drinking?