Learn Italian: Prendo la laurea fra una settimana. - I am getting my degree in a week.

When talking about how much time will pass before a future event happens (like "in a week" or "in two days"), Italian uses fra or tra. If you were to say in una settimana, it would actually mean it takes you one week of effort to complete the action, rather than the event happening one week from now.

Could I use tra instead of fra in this sentence?

Yes, absolutely! tra and fra mean exactly the same thing. You can use either one to say "in a week" (tra una settimana or fra una settimana). Italians usually just pick whichever one sounds better to avoid repeating sounds with the words right next to it.

Why does the Italian sentence use the present tense prendo ("I get") when the event is happening in the future?

In Italian, it is very common to use the present tense to talk about fixed plans in the near future, as long as the time is specified (like fra una settimana). You could use the future tense (prenderò), but using the present tense prendo is very natural and common for this kind of statement.

I thought prendere meant "to take". Why does the English translation say "I am getting"?