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Prendo appunti mentre il professore parla.

Prendo appunti mentre il professore parla.
I take notes while the professor speaks.
From Lesson 199:Present gerund (-ando, -endo)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Prendo appunti mentre il professore parla.

Since this lesson is about the gerund, why isn't a gerund used here instead of mentre ... parla?
In Italian, you can usually only use a gerund to mean 'while doing something' if both actions share the same subject. Here, the subjects are different: you are taking notes, but the professor is speaking. Because of this, you have to use a conjunction like mentre (while) followed by a normally conjugated verb (parla).
How would I rewrite this using a gerund if I was the one doing both actions?
If the sentence was 'I take notes while listening to the professor,' the subjects match (you are doing both). In that case, you drop the word 'while' and just use the gerund. It becomes: Prendo appunti ascoltando il professore.
Why doesn't appunti have an article like gli in front of it?
Prendere appunti is a set phrase meaning 'to take notes.' Just like in English, you don't need a definite article here because you are talking about the general activity of taking notes, not referring to specific notes you've already written.
Could I use durante instead of mentre to say 'while'?
No, because durante means 'during' and must be followed by a noun, not a verb. You could say durante la lezione (during the lesson), but since parla is a conjugated verb, you must use the conjunction mentre.

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