Italian Phrase
Sono sommerso dai compiti.
Meaning
Literally ‘I am submerged by the assignments’, this idiomatic expression means the speaker feels overloaded or overwhelmed by the amount of homework they have to do.
When to use
Use it in informal conversations with classmates, friends, or teachers when you want to convey that you have a lot of schoolwork and you’re struggling to keep up.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Sonosommersodaicompiti
Essere (sono)
First‑person singular present of the verb ‘essere’ (to be), used here as a copula linking the subject to the adjective.
Participio passato usato come aggettivo
‘sommerso’ is the past participle of ‘sommergere’; when used with ‘essere’ it functions as an adjective meaning ‘overwhelmed, submerged’ and agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Preposizione articolata ‘dai’
‘dai’ = ‘da’ + definite article ‘i’; it introduces the cause or source – ‘by the assignments’.
Plurale di ‘compito’
‘compiti’ is the masculine plural noun meaning ‘homework, assignments’; it must stay plural after ‘dai’.
🗨In Conversation
Come va lo studio?
How’s studying going?
Sono sommerso dai compiti.
I’m swamped with homework.
✕Common Mistakes
Sono sommerso dal compiti.
‘dal’ is the contraction of ‘da’ + ‘il’; the noun ‘compiti’ is plural, so you need the plural article ‘i’ → ‘dai’.
Sono sommerso dai compito.
The preposition ‘dai’ already signals a plural; using the singular ‘compito’ changes the meaning and sounds ungrammatical.
Sono sommersa dai compiti.
The adjective must agree with the subject ‘io’ (masculine singular), so use ‘sommerso’, not ‘sommersa’.
↔Alternatives
Ho troppi compiti.
I have too many assignments.
Sono sommerso di lavoro.
I’m swamped with work.
Mi sento sopraffatto dai compiti.
I feel overwhelmed by the homework.
Cultural Tip
In everyday Italian, ‘sommerso’ is often used figuratively to describe any situation that feels crushing – not just literal submersion. While ‘sommerso dai compiti’ is perfectly natural, many Italians also say ‘sono sommerso di compiti’; both are accepted, but avoid mixing the preposition and article incorrectly (e.g., *dal compiti*).