ELONIO
Log inSign up

Stiamo stendendo il bucato sul balcone.

Stiamo stendendo il bucato sul balcone.
We are hanging out the laundry on the balcony.
From Lesson 89:Present progressive (stare + -ando, -endo)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Stiamo stendendo il bucato sul balcone.

How does the "stiamo stendendo" structure work to mean "we are hanging"?
To describe an action happening right now, Italian uses the verb stare (to stay/be) plus a gerund (the "-ing" form of a verb). Here, we use stiamo (we are) paired with stendendo (hanging).
Why does the gerund end in "-endo" instead of "-ando"?
The ending depends on the original verb. Verbs ending in -are take -ando, but verbs ending in -ere and -ire take -endo. Because "to hang out" is stendere (an -ere verb), the gerund is stendendo.
Can I just say "stendiamo" instead of "stiamo stendendo"?
Yes! The simple present tense (stendiamo) can mean both "we hang" and "we are hanging." However, using the stare + gerund structure emphasizes that you are in the middle of doing the action right at this very second.
What does "bucato" mean, and is it different from normal clothes?
Il bucato specifically means "the laundry" (clothes that need to be washed, are being washed, or were just washed). If you are just talking about general clothes you wear, you would use the word i vestiti.
Why is it "sul balcone" rather than "su il balcone"?
In Italian, prepositions like su (on) must combine with definite articles like il (the) to form a single word. Since balcone is a masculine noun that takes the article il, su + il merges into the combined word sul.

Learn Stiamo stendendo il bucato sul balcone and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →