Learn Italian: Ricevo una cartolina da mio zio. - I receive a postcard from my uncle.

Ricevo una cartolina da mio zio.

I receive a postcard from my uncle.

Breakdown of Ricevo una cartolina da mio zio.

Questions & Answers about Ricevo una cartolina da mio zio.

Why is there no "il" before mio zio?

In Italian, you normally use a definite article (like il or la) before a possessive word. However, there is a special rule for family members: singular family members (like zio, madre, or fratello) do not take the article when used with a possessive. So it is just mio zio, not il mio zio.

How would I replace mio zio to say "I receive a postcard from him"?

You would use the tonic pronoun lui (him) after the preposition da (from), making the sentence: Ricevo una cartolina da lui. You use tonic pronouns like lui, lei, or te whenever they come right after a preposition, which is exactly what your current lesson is covering!

Is ricevo a regular verb?

Yes! It comes from ricevere (to receive), which is a regular -ere verb. You just drop the -ere and add the standard "I" ending, which is -o, to get ricevo.