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L'acqua bolle, metto la pasta.

L'acqua bolle, metto la pasta.
The water is boiling, I put the pasta in.
From Lesson 96:In cucina (pentole e posate)·Italian

Questions & Answers about L'acqua bolle, metto la pasta.

Why does the Italian sentence use "bolle" (boils) when the English translation says "is boiling"?
In Italian, the simple present tense (bolle) is frequently used for actions happening right this moment. While you could use the present continuous form (sta bollendo), the simple present is perfectly natural and much more common in everyday speech for quick observations like this.
The English translation says "I put the pasta in", but I don't see a word for "in". Is it missing?
The verb mettere means "to put". In a clear context like cooking, saying metto la pasta strongly implies putting it into the pot. Italian often skips extra directional words like "in" or "inside" when the action is already obvious from the situation.
What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of the verb "bolle"?
The infinitive is bollire (to boil). It is a regular -ire verb, so for the "it" form (referring to the water), you drop the -ire and add the standard ending -e to get bolle.
Could I say "buttare la pasta" instead of "mettere la pasta"?
Yes, absolutely! The verb buttare literally means "to throw", but buttare la pasta (throwing the pasta in) is a very common, native-sounding phrase used in Italian kitchens. Both phrases mean exactly the same thing here.

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