"Lui mette il piatto in tavola."
Translation:He puts the plate on the table.
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My Italian friend tells me that 'tavola' is used a lot in the context of 'at the table' whereas 'tavolo' is used more as a physical table. So she says that it's used in sentences such as 'would you put that chair at the table', etc. And strangely sentences like the DL one in this exercise seem to be used a lot.
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For me it looks like this: You have a wooden table "il tavolo" on it you can put coffee, put a newspaper. But when you put a tablecloth on it and prepare everything to eat dinner, you get a place where you put something, a closed space prepared for your dinner "LA TAVOLA" This is why you put "sul tavolo" the newspaper, or key. But when you have this place "la tavola" then you put "in"
What...? Did you not read the thread? The answer has been posted.
Tavolo refers to a literal table, as in furniture.
Tavola refers more to the place in which you eat your meal, with the table being the centerpiece. Think of it like a zone, rather than an object.
So instead of putting it ON the table, you're putting it IN the table zone. It's just one of those language quirks that doesn't really have a rhyme or reason
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Yes, I think we will get the "feel" or "sense" of it as we continue to learn :) There are things like that in any language.
Here is my thoughts on this question, that I also posted on the other discussion that was referenced below. Just in case you did not see that discussion, since your comment was not replied to directly, I'm cross posting here as well.
I think, since in the instances where "tavola" is used instead of "tavolo", it is indicating the table as a place prepared for dining, it follows the same kind of rules as for "in bagno" . They do not use the article in that construction either. Very confusing I agree, but from what I've been able to infer, for places in the home that have a specific name assigned to them (so, "bagno" as opposed to "la stanza per "bathing" or "la tavola" instead of "il tavolo per cena"), the article is omitted.
Please note: I am NOT a native speaker, so this should not be taken as gospel. This is just what I've inferred based on usage and my experience learning languages. I noticed you hadn't received a response, and wanted to put my two cents in. But if there is a native speaker who would be willing to weigh in, it would be much appreciated on my part.
I appreciate the links provided by others in this discussion. In addition to there being a difference between "tavolo" and "tavola," the use of "in" here to mean "on" seems idiomatic. Useful to know. IT WOULD BE A LOT LESS CONFUSING if Duolingo would provide an explanation when presenting this kind of idiomatic expression.
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There's a good discussion of tavola vs. tavolo over here: http://www.duolingo.com/comment/224654
So from what I was able to understand, and anyone feel free to correct me, but it seems like there's two uses:
(masc) TAVOLO refers to the literal piece of furniture, so you'd use that when like... shopping for a dinner table, or booking a table at a restaurant.
(fem) TAVOLA, while still talking about the dinner table, more so refers to the ZONE in which you gather to eat a meal, of which the table is the centerpiece.
Which is why "Lui mette il paitto IN tavola" is the translation, because its less important that he's putting it on the table (sulla), and more that he's putting it IN the table zone (in)- if that makes sense to anyone else.