Italian Phrase
Metti il bagaglio in alto.
Meaning
The sentence is a polite command telling someone to place their luggage in the upper part of the cabin, typically an overhead compartment. It emphasizes the vertical location rather than simply ‘on top of’ something.
When to use
Use this phrase on airplanes, high‑speed trains, or long‑distance buses when you need to ask a fellow passenger to store their suitcase in the overhead bin. It can also be used in a hotel lobby when directing luggage to a storage shelf.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Mettiilbagaglioinalto
Imperative (2nd person singular)
‘Metti’ is the informal command form of the verb ‘mettere’ (to put), used when speaking to one person you know well.
Definite article
‘il’ is the masculine singular definite article that agrees with ‘bagaglio’.
Prepositional phrase ‘in alto’
‘in alto’ means ‘up/high’; it indicates a vertical position rather than ‘sopra’ (on top of) which can be ambiguous.
Direct object placement
In Italian the object (‘il bagaglio’) comes directly after the verb in the imperative construction.
🗨In Conversation
Dove devo mettere la valigia?
Where should I put the suitcase?
Metti il bagaglio in alto, vicino al finestrino.
Put the luggage up, near the window.
✕Common Mistakes
Metti il bagaglio sopra.
‘Sopra’ means ‘on top of’ and can imply the bag is on a surface, not in an overhead bin.
Metti il bagaglio su.
‘Su’ is a colloquial preposition that sounds incomplete without a noun (e.g., ‘su di…’).
Metti il bagaglio in basso.
‘In basso’ means ‘down/low’, the opposite of the intended direction.
↔Alternatives
Posiziona il bagaglio sopra.
Place the luggage above.
Metti la valigia in alto.
Put the suitcase up.
Sistemalo nel vano sopraelevato.
Stow it in the overhead compartment.
Cultural Tip
On Italian trains the overhead storage area is called ‘scompartimento sopraelevato’. Passengers are expected to keep the aisle clear, so placing the bag ‘in alto’ is both courteous and required by law. In everyday speech Italians often use ‘valigia’ for a suitcase and ‘bagaglio’ for any piece of luggage, but the command works with either word.