Learn Italian: Ricevo lo stipendio alla fine del mese. - I receive my salary at the end of the month.

Ricevo lo stipendio alla fine del mese.

I receive my salary at the end of the month.

Breakdown of Ricevo lo stipendio alla fine del mese.

to the / at the (feminine singular)

del

of the; than the (di + il)

Questions & Answers about Ricevo lo stipendio alla fine del mese.

Why does the Italian sentence use lo stipendio instead of a possessive like il mio stipendio for "my salary"?

In Italian, when ownership is obvious from the context, you usually drop the possessive adjective and just use the definite article. Because the verb is ricevo (I receive), it is already clear that you are talking about your own salary.

Why is the article lo used with stipendio instead of il?

The noun stipendio is masculine and starts with an "s" followed by a consonant ("t"). Masculine words starting with "s + consonant" (along with z, gn, ps, and pn) always take lo instead of il.

What is the difference between using alla fine and alla fine di?

You use alla fine di (which combines into del here, from di + il) when you specify exactly what is ending, like alla fine del mese (at the end of the month). If you just want to say "in the end" or "eventually" without specifying the object, you simply use alla fine on its own.