Learn Italian: Seguo un corso di italiano. - I am taking an Italian course.

In English, we say we 'take' a class or course. In Italian, the verb seguire (to follow) is used for attending or taking a course. Seguo literally means 'I follow', but in this context it naturally translates to 'I am taking'.

The English translation says 'I am taking', but isn't seguo just the simple present tense?

Yes! Italian often uses the simple present tense (like seguo) to express both 'I take' and 'I am taking'. At this level, you can rely on the simple present to talk about actions that are currently ongoing.

Why does it say corso di italiano instead of 'italiano corso'?

In Italian, you generally can't put a descriptive noun directly in front of another noun like we do in English ('Italian course'). Instead, you state the main thing (corso) and connect the topic with the preposition di (of). It literally translates to 'a course of Italian'.

Why isn't italiano capitalized in this sentence?

Unlike in English, Italian does not capitalize the names of languages, nationalities, or days of the week unless they happen to be the very first word in a sentence.