Learn Italian: Non esco la sera, sono molto stanco. - I do not go out in the evenings, I am very tired.

Non esco la sera, sono molto stanco.

I do not go out in the evenings, I am very tired.

Breakdown of Non esco la sera, sono molto stanco.

Questions & Answers about Non esco la sera, sono molto stanco.

If the verb is uscire (to go out), why does it start with an 'e' in esco?

Uscire is an irregular verb. In the present tense, the starting u- changes to an e- for most forms, including the 'I' form used here: esco. Only the 'we' (usciamo) and 'you all' (uscite) forms keep the original u.

Why does la sera mean 'in the evenings'? Shouldn't there be a word for 'in'?

In Italian, you don't always need a preposition like 'in' for parts of the day. Using just the definite article (la) before sera (evening) is how you talk about a habitual action. It naturally translates to 'in the evening' or 'evenings' as a routine.

How would this sentence change if a woman is speaking?

The word stanco (tired) is an adjective, so its ending must match the gender of the person it describes. Because it ends in -o, it tells us a man is speaking. A woman would say stanca. The verbs esco and sono would stay exactly the same.

Why isn't the word io (I) used before esco and sono?

In Italian, the verb endings usually tell you exactly who is doing the action. Both esco and sono are the 'I' forms of their verbs. Because the verbs already show who the subject is, you can drop io unless you want to add special emphasis.