Learn Italian: Mio figlio va a scuola. - My son is going to school.

Mio figlio va a scuola.

My son is going to school.

Breakdown of Mio figlio va a scuola.

to go / to be fine / to work out

to / at

Questions & Answers about Mio figlio va a scuola.

Why is the verb va? I thought the verb for 'to go' was andare.

Andare (to go) is highly irregular in the present tense. Instead of following the normal -are ending rules, its forms change completely for most pronouns. For 'he/she/it goes', the correct form is va. So, Mio figlio va means 'My son goes' or 'My son is going'.

Why is there no il (the) before mio figlio?

Usually in Italian, you need a definite article before a possessive, like il mio cane (my dog). However, the rule changes for family members! When talking about a singular family member (like figlio, madre, fratello), you drop the article. That is why it is just mio figlio.

Why is it a scuola and not alla scuola?

In Italian, certain common daily destinations just use the simple preposition a (to or at) without combining it with the word for 'the' (la). Andare a scuola is a fixed phrase meaning 'to go to school'. You will also see this with home (a casa) and bed (a letto).

The translation says 'is going', but doesn't va just mean 'goes'?