Breakdown of Lui mangia e io pulisco il tavolo.
io
I
lui
he
e
and
il tavolo
the table
mangiare
to eat
pulire
to clean
Questions & Answers about Lui mangia e io pulisco il tavolo.
Why is the verb pulisco and not just "pulo"?
The verb pulire (to clean) belongs to a special group of -ire verbs that add the extra letters -isc- between the stem (pul-) and the normal ending (-o). This happens in the I, you, he/she/it, and they forms of the present tense.
How is the sc in pulisco pronounced?
Why are the pronouns lui and io used here? I thought Italians usually drop them.
You are right that subject pronouns are usually dropped because the verb ending tells you who is acting. However, we keep them when we want to show a strong contrast. Using lui and io highlights the difference in what the two people are doing: he is eating while I am cleaning.
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