Italian Phrase
Puoi controllare la tua cartella spam?
Meaning
A polite request asking someone to look inside their e‑mail spam folder, usually because a message might have been filtered there.
When to use
Use this sentence when troubleshooting e‑mail delivery, after a colleague says they haven’t received your message, or when you suspect an important e‑mail ended up in the spam folder.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Puoicontrollarelatuacartellaspam?
Potere (puoi)
‘Puoi’ is the second‑person singular present of ‘potere’, used to ask permission or make a polite request.
Infinitive after modal
After ‘puoi’, the verb stays in the infinitive form (controllare).
Possessive adjective (tua)
‘tua’ agrees in gender and number with the noun ‘cartella’ (feminine singular).
Borrowed noun (spam)
‘spam’ is an English loanword used in Italian to refer to unwanted e‑mail messages.
🗨In Conversation
Non ho ricevuto il tuo messaggio.
I haven't received your message.
Puoi controllare la tua cartella spam?
Can you check your spam folder?
✕Common Mistakes
Può controllare la tua cartella spam?
‘Può’ is third‑person singular; you need second‑person ‘puoi’ when speaking directly to someone.
Puoi controllare la tua cartella di spam?
The preposition ‘di’ is unnecessary; ‘cartella spam’ works as a compound noun.
Puoi controlli la tua cartella spam?
‘Controlli’ is the present subjunctive/imperative form; after ‘puoi’ you must keep the infinitive.
↔Alternatives
Puoi dare un'occhiata alla cartella spam?
Can you take a look at the spam folder?
Controlla la cartella spam, per favore.
Check the spam folder, please.
Potresti verificare se il messaggio è finito nella cartella spam?
Could you verify if the message ended up in the spam folder?
Cultural Tip
In Italian e‑mail etiquette it’s common to add ‘per favore’ or use the conditional ‘potresti’ for extra politeness. The word ‘spam’ is widely understood, but you may also hear ‘posta indesiderata’ in more formal contexts.