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I soldi sono nel portafoglio.

I soldi sono nel portafoglio.
The money is in the wallet.
From Lesson 47:Articulated prepositions with in (nel, nella)·Italian

Questions & Answers about I soldi sono nel portafoglio.

Why does the Italian sentence use sono (are) instead of è (is)?
In Italian, the common word for money is i soldi, which is plural. Because it is plural, it requires the plural verb sono (are). In English, "money" is singular, which is why the translation uses "is".
Where does the word nel come from?
Nel is an articulated preposition, which is a preposition merged with a "the" word. Here, it combines in (in) + il (the). It uses il because portafoglio (wallet) is a masculine, singular noun that starts with a normal consonant.
Could I just write in il portafoglio instead?
No. In Italian, whenever in is followed directly by a definite article like il, they must be combined into a single word (nel). Writing or saying in il is grammatically incorrect.
How do I pronounce the gli part of portafoglio?
The letters gli together make a special sound in Italian. You don't pronounce a hard "g" sound at all. Instead, it sounds very similar to the "lli" in the English word "million".

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