World Cup 2026: Who are you supporting?

💬 [i] in [Per i Mondiali] is just the plural [the]: [il Mondiale] becomes [i Mondiali]. You'll see the same pattern with masculine plurals like [il tifoso] → [i tifosi].

💬 [per] often means [for], but with events it can mean [for] in the sense of [for/during this occasion]: [per i Mondiali], [per Natale]. That makes it a useful pattern for talking about plans around a big event.

💬 [sostieni] is the [you] form; compare it with [io sostengo] for [I support]. Many Italian verbs change their ending this way depending on who does the action.

💬 Italian often uses the present tense where English uses [are ... -ing], so [Chi sostieni?] is literally [Who do you support?] but naturally means [Who are you supporting?]. The same works with [Chi tif i?] or [Cosa guardi?].

💬 Italian often drops [io], because the verb already shows who is speaking. [Io] is added mainly for emphasis or contrast: [Io sostengo l'Italia, lui la Francia].

💬 [sostengo] is the [I] form of [sostenere]. Compare [io sostengo] with [tu sostieni]: the middle of the verb changes as well as the ending, so it's worth learning these as a pair.