leggo
In Italian, the phrase 'I read' is expressed as leggo.
leggo is the standard way to say 'I read' in Italian. If you wish to describe an action that is currently in progress, such as 'I am reading', you should use Sto leggendo.
Which one should you use?
Sto leggendo is used to indicate an ongoing action of reading. To express your identity as a reader, use Sono un lettore if you are male or Sono una lettrice if you are female.
How does it change in a sentence?
The subject pronoun io (I) is often omitted because the verb ending -o uniquely identifies the first-person singular. When you want to say you read 'often', you can use the word spesso.
Did you know?
- The verb leggere is the root of the English word 'lecture'. While 'lecture' now means a spoken talk, it comes from the Latin act of reading a text aloud to students.
- In Italian, you can use the verb leggere to describe reading music, such as saying leggo la musica.
- In older Italian literature, the act of reading was often associated with leggere a voce alta (reading aloud), as books were expensive and reading was frequently a communal, auditory experience.
Examples in context
- Io leggo il libro.I read the book.This sentence shows how to use leggo with a specific book.Tatoeba #1996679 by Guybrush88, translation #989164 by Valodnieks
- Io leggo un libro.I read a book.This sentence shows how to use leggo with an indefinite book.Tatoeba #2920872 by Guybrush88, translation #2651095 by CK
- Io leggo dei libri.I read books.This sentence shows how to use leggo with multiple books.Tatoeba #2429257 by Guybrush88, translation #1001623 by Nihonkage
- Leggo molti libri.I read many books.
- Ogni sera, leggo il giornale.Every evening, I read the newspaper.
- Non posso rispondere adesso, sto leggendo un libro molto interessante.I can't answer right now, I'm reading a very interesting book.
- Io leggo sempre prima di dormire.I always read before sleeping.
- Leggo spesso romanzi storici.I often read historical novels.
- 117 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a coffee shop, Alessandro asks Chiara about her afternoon.
- AlessandroCosa fai di bello oggi?What nice thing are you doing today?
- ChiaraLeggo un romanzo in questo bar.I am reading a novel in this bar.
- AlessandroTi piace il libro?Do you like the book?
- ChiaraSì, è molto interessante.Yes, it is very interesting.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
