Learn Italian: Finisco la cena subito. - I finish dinner immediately.

The verb for 'to finish' is finire. It belongs to a special group of -ire verbs that need an extra -isc- inserted between the stem (fin-) and the ending (-o). This happens in the I, you, he/she/it, and they forms. So, fin- + -isc- + -o becomes finisco.

How do you pronounce the sc in finisco?

It sounds like a hard 'sk', as in the English word 'skip'. In Italian, sc followed by an o (or a or u) has this hard sound. If it is followed by an i or e (like in finisci, which means 'you finish'), it makes a soft 'sh' sound.

Why is there a la before cena? Doesn't that mean 'the dinner'?

Yes, it literally means 'the dinner'. In Italian, definite articles (like il or la) are used much more often than in English. You generally need them before nouns, including names of meals. While in English we say 'I finish dinner', an Italian says 'I finish the dinner'.

Is the word io (I) missing at the beginning of the sentence?