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Perché lasci il piatto sulla mensola?

Perché lasci il piatto sulla mensola?
Why do you leave the plate on the shelf?
From Lesson 50:Articulated prepositions with su (sul, sulla)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Perché lasci il piatto sulla mensola?

Why do we use sulla here instead of just su?
In Italian, when the preposition su (on) is followed by a definite article like la (the), they combine into one word. Since mensola (shelf) is a feminine singular noun, it takes the article la. So, su + la becomes sulla (on the).
Where is the word for "you" in this sentence?
In Italian, you usually don't need to use subject pronouns like tu (you) because the verb ending already tells us who is doing the action. The verb lasci is the "you" form of lasciare (to leave), so the "you" is built right in!
Does lasci mean "to leave" as in going away?
No, lasciare means to leave an object behind or leave something alone (like leaving a plate on a shelf). If you want to say "leave" as in departing or going away, you would use a different verb, like partire or andare via.
Can perché mean both "why" and "because"?
Yes! In Italian, perché does double duty. It means "why" when asking a question, like in this sentence, and it means "because" when answering one. Also, remember to always include the accent mark on the final e.

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