Questions & Answers about Io gioco con i miei cani su questa spiaggia.
Why is it con i miei cani and not just con miei cani?
In Italian, possessive words like "my" (miei) almost always need a definite article (like i, meaning "the") right before them. You are literally saying "with the my dogs". The main exception you have learned is for singular family members, like mio padre (my father).
Why doesn't the preposition su combine into a single word like sulla here?
The preposition su (on) only combines with definite articles (il, la, i, etc.) to form combined words like sulla (on the). Here, it is followed by questa (this), which is not an article. Since there is no "the" to attach to, su stands alone as a separate word.
If I want to say "I play a sport," do I still use giocare con?
No. You use giocare con (to play with) for interacting with people, animals, or objects. If you want to talk about playing a sport or a game, Italian uses the preposition a. For example, "to play tennis" is giocare a tennis.
Why is there an "i" in spiaggia if we don't really hear it?