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Mettiamo tutto il cibo nel frigorifero.

Mettiamo tutto il cibo nel frigorifero.
We put all the food in the fridge.
From Lesson 47:Articulated prepositions with in (nel, nella)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Mettiamo tutto il cibo nel frigorifero.

Why is it nel frigorifero instead of in il frigorifero?
In Italian, the preposition in combines with definite articles to make one new word. Because frigorifero is a masculine noun starting with a consonant, it takes the article il. The preposition in + il always combines to form nel. You will never see in il written as two separate words!
Why do we need il after tutto?
When tutto means all or the whole and is used to describe a noun, Italian requires you to include the definite article right after it. So, all the food translates perfectly to tutto il cibo.
How do we know who is putting the food in the fridge if there is no subject?
The verb ending gives it away. Mettiamo comes from the verb mettere (to put). The -iamo ending always means we (noi). In Italian, you usually drop the subject pronoun because the verb itself tells you who is doing the action.
Is frigorifero always this long, or is there a shorter version like fridge?
Yes, Italians frequently shorten frigorifero to frigo in everyday conversation. Because frigo is also masculine and starts with a consonant, it still takes the article il, so you would still say nel frigo.

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