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- Topic: Italian >
- "Io leggo libri."
17 Comments
I think you use the article when you are referring to specific books (i.e. there is a pile of books in front of you and you are speaking about the books that you will or are reading). You don't use the article when you are referring to an idea, or books as a collective e.g. In English I would say that I am interested in literature and therefore I read books. I had the same issue with 'i gatti bevono latte' and I was thinking why isn't 'i gatti bevono il latte'?. So the first sentence is a phrase about cats in general drinking milk ( a declaration, if you like) whereas the second (il latte) assumes that you have a group of cats in front of you and they are drinking the milk that you have placed in front of them. At least this is my understanding. If someone else has another way of explaining or clarifying that would be fantastic :)