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Leggo un libro sulla poltrona.

Leggo un libro sulla poltrona.
I read a book on the armchair.
From Lesson 50:Articulated prepositions with su (sul, sulla)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Leggo un libro sulla poltrona.

Why is the word for 'on the' sulla instead of just sul?
Sulla is a combination of the preposition su (on) and the definite article la (the). Because poltrona (armchair) is a feminine singular noun, it takes the article la. When you combine su and la, you get sulla. You would use sul for masculine words that use the article il.
Why does sulla have two Ls when the article la only has one?
When you combine the preposition su with a definite article that starts with L (like la, lo, le, or l'), Italian spelling rules require you to double the L. That is why su plus la becomes sulla.
In English we say we sit 'in' an armchair. Why does Italian use su (on)?
Prepositions rarely translate perfectly word-for-word between languages. While English speakers often talk about sitting deep 'in' an armchair, Italians talk about sitting 'on' it. Therefore, you use su (combined here as sulla) for reading or sitting on chairs, armchairs, and couches.
Why doesn't the sentence start with io (I)?
In Italian, the ending of the verb tells you who is doing the action. The verb leggere (to read) changes to leggo for 'I read'. Because the -o ending already tells us it is 'I' doing the reading, you can drop the word io. You only include it if you want to add special emphasis.

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