Learn Italian: Ho molto sonno perché è notte. - I'm very sleepy because it's nighttime.

In Italian, physical feelings like being hungry, thirsty, cold, or sleepy are expressed using the verb avere (to have). Instead of saying 'I am sleepy', Italians literally say 'I have sleep' (ho sonno).

If the English translation says 'very sleepy', why does the Italian use molto (much / a lot of)?

Because sonno is a noun meaning 'sleep', not an adjective. You are literally saying 'I have much sleep.' Since sonno is a masculine singular noun, you use the matching masculine singular adjective molto.

Why is there no word for 'it' before è notte?

Italian does not use a subject pronoun like 'it' when talking about time, weather, or general states. You just use the verb directly, so 'it is night' or 'it is nighttime' is simply è notte.

Can perché mean both 'why' and 'because'?

Yes! In Italian, the word perché does double duty. You use it to ask the question 'why?' and also to give the reason 'because,' which is exactly how it connects the two halves of this sentence.