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C'è una mela nel frigorifero.

C'è una mela nel frigorifero.
There is an apple in the fridge.
From Lesson 47:Articulated prepositions with in (nel, nella)·Italian

Questions & Answers about C'è una mela nel frigorifero.

Why do we use nel instead of just in?
In Italian, when the preposition in (in) is followed by a definite article like il (the), they combine into a single word. Because frigorifero is a masculine noun starting with a consonant, it takes the article il. When you combine in + il, you get nel.
How would this change if the apple was in a feminine place, like cucina (kitchen)?
If the noun is feminine, it uses the article la. When you combine in + la, it becomes nella. So, "There is an apple in the kitchen" translates to C'è una mela nella cucina.
What exactly is C'è a combination of?
C'è translates to "there is". It is a combination of ci (there) and è (is). The letter i drops out and is replaced by an apostrophe because the next word starts with a vowel, making it smoother to pronounce.
Is there a shorter way to say frigorifero?
Yes! Just like "refrigerator" becomes "fridge" in English, Italians commonly shorten frigorifero to frigo. Since frigo is also masculine and starts with a consonant, you still use nel: C'è una mela nel frigo.

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