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Possiamo arrivare alle otto.

Possiamo arrivare alle otto.
We can arrive at eight.
From Lesson 58:The verb can (potere)·Italian

Breakdown of Possiamo arrivare alle otto.

otto
eight
arrivare
to arrive
a
to / at
potere
can, to be able to

Questions & Answers about Possiamo arrivare alle otto.

Why does arrivare stay in its full dictionary form here?
Because it follows possiamo, which is a form of the modal verb potere (can / to be able to). When you use a modal verb, only the modal gets conjugated (changed to match "we"). The second verb stays in its infinitive (dictionary) form. So, possiamo (we can) is simply followed by arrivare (to arrive).
Where is the word for "we" in this sentence?
The "we" is built right into the verb! Possiamo is the specific "we" form of potere. Because Italian verb endings change for every person, you usually drop the subject pronoun (noi) unless you want to add special emphasis.
Why do we use alle instead of just a (at) for "at eight"?
When talking about time in Italian, you almost always need the definite article le (the plural feminine "the") before the hour. The preposition a (at) merges with le to become the combined word alle. You are literally saying "at the eight (hours)".
How do I know if alle otto means 8:00 AM or 8:00 PM?
Usually, the context makes it obvious. If you need to be specific, you can add di mattina (in the morning) or di sera (in the evening). Italy also frequently uses the 24-hour clock for schedules, so 8:00 PM might instead be said as alle venti (at twenty).

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