Marika explains all about the verb mettere (to put) in this video lesson.

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As you will see, there are dozens of different ways to use mettere. But what can sometimes be tricky is that in English we don’t generally use “put” without some sort of preposition or adverb. We always think of “put in,” “put on,” or “put up,” but in Italian, at least in casual speech, we might hear:

Metti un po’ di sale.
Put [in] a bit of salt.

In a recent episode of Stai lontana da me, there is a discussion between two guys in a couple. One is criticizing the cooking methods of the other:

No, allora cuciniamo per terra

No, so let's cook on the floor

come nel Medioevo. -Ma che c'entra?

like in the Middle Ages. -But what does that have to do with it?

Metti meno olio, no, scusami. -Sì, nella Preistoria.

Put in less oil, right? Excuse me. -Yes, in prehistoric times.

Captions 88-90, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema

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The grammatically correct way to say this would be by attaching an indirect pronoun at the end of the verb to mean “in it”:

Mettici meno olio, no?
Put in less oil, can’t you?

If we look carefully, however, we see that earlier in the discussion, they actually do say things the right way:

Chi cucina? Ah, sì,

Who cooks? Ah, yes,

con tutto l'olio che ci metti

with all that oil that you put in,

me l'incrosti da matti, guarda, ogni volta.

you cake them up like crazy, look, every time.

Captions 86-87, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema

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In the previous example ci stands for “into them,” where it represents the baking pans. For more on metterci, see this lesson. The lesson also talks about using mettere to say how long something takes—how much time you “put into something” (Marika will talk about this in part 2 of her lesson on mettere).

Here’s another thing to remember with mettere. In an episode of Commissario Manara, there's a dicey situation, and Luca lifts Lara up to help her. She exclaims:

Aiutami. Ah, ah, ah... mettimi giù!

Help me. Ah, ah, ah... put me down!

Captions 40-41, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva

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In the example above, a single word is formed from the verb and object pronoun together. In this case Lara is using the informal imperative and she’s using herself as the direct object.

In the following example, however, mettimi looks identical, but means something different. This time mi at the end of mettimi is an indirect object and means in this case, “for me.” The direct object is questo (this).

No, mettimi questo sulla scrivania per favore, io vado con la Rubino.

No, put this on the desk for me please. I'm going with Rubino.

Caption 42, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero

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And just to add a little something more to the pot, we have the word smettere. An “s” attached to a verb often shifts its meaning to the opposite.

Mi metto al lavoro alle dieci e smetto alle tre di pomeriggio.
I start working at ten and I quit at three in the afternoon.

So a way to ask someone to stop doing something is smettila (stop it)!
In fact, in a recent episode of La Tempesta, Paolo’s neighbor is telling him off.

Terzo, la devi smettere di parcheggiare la Porsche

Third, you have to stop it with parking the Porsche

davanti al pettine delle bici.

in front of the bike rack.

Captions 72-73, La Tempesta - film - Part 1

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Learn more:
Direct object pronouns 
Particelle (little words like mi, ci, ti...)

This week Dixi is attempting to ride a bicycle.

Non c'è due senza tre.

There can't be two without three [good/bad things come in threes].

-Riproviamo?

-Shall we try again?

Caption 28, Dixieland - In bicicletta

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Three is often seen as a magic number, and the above expression is the way Italians express this. It can mean that if two bad things happen, one more will happen to make three, and the same can hold true for good things. Still another way the phrase can be interpreted is “third time’s a charm,” so it’s important not to stop after two. In fact, on the third try, Dixi does manage to stay on his little bicycle.

A related expression with numbers comes to mind that has to do with making that extra little effort at the end of something you’ve worked so hard on. It has to do with going that extra mile. It means going all the way and then some:

Abbiamo fatto trenta, facciamo trentuno.
We’ve done thirty; let’s do thirty-one.

Meanwhile, Dixi is not perfectly in control of his bike:

Attenzione! Pista!

Careful! Track [coming through]!

Caption 10, Dixieland - In bicicletta

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Pista means track, racetrack, runway, skating rink, dance floor, path or trail. If you hear someone yelling pista, it basically means they “have” the track, so you should get out of the way and in a hurry. It’s not considered impolite, but more about safety.

A proposito di sicurezza (speaking of safety), there are more and more bike paths cropping up in Italy.

E vicino al lungomare ci sta una pista ciclabile.

And next to the promenade there is a bike path.

Caption 44, Antonio - racconta Praia a Mare

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In their work, Lara and Luca use pista to indicate the track they’re on in the investigation, or the lead they’re following.

E che pista seguiamo?

And which track are we following?

Caption 25, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero

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When you’ve undertaken something, you’re off and running, like in a race. 

Sono in pista!
I’m off!