Table of Contents
Dedication Acknowlegements Introduction 1. History of the Italian Language 2. Dialects of the Italian Language 3. Our Language “Exchange” with Italy 4. Some Initial Thoughts about Learning Italian 5. A Few Hints to Get Started 6. Intro to Phonology and the Alphabet L’alfabeto 7. Italian Vowels 8. Italian Consonants 9. Pronouncing Italian Words 10. The Articles 11. Nouns and adjectives 12. Numbers, Days, Seasons 13. Italian Verb Forms 14. Subject Pronouns and the Present Tense 15. Auxiliary verbs: Essere e Avere 16. Simple Prepositions 17. Compound Prepositions 18. What time is it? 19. Irregular Verbs 20. The courtesy form 21. Possessive Pronouns 22. Passato Prossimo Tense 23. Irregular Past Participles 24. The Comparative 25. The Superlative 26. The Imperfect Tense 27. Difference between Imperfetto and Passato Prossimo 28. The Simple Future 29. Think Like an Italian 30. Translated Groupings 31. Some Cognates 32. Idiomatic Expressions and False Friends 33. Common Errors to Avoid Summary About the Author Italian Survival Phrases Vocabulary Lists Final Practice Exercise: Finding Our Way Appendix Answers to Practice Questions Final Practice Exercise Talk Like an Italian
Rick Zullo Talk Like an Italian Rick Zullo
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DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all of my Italian teachers in the past who have shared their passion for this beautiful language with me. Please visit my blog at: rickzullo.com “The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for.” – Ludwig Wittgenstein
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS
I'd like to thank Jessica for her continued help and support - and for her determination in whipping my Italian into shape. I'd also like to thank my father for being my reader and editor. Grazie! INTRODUCTION
Thank you for buying this book, and I hope that together we can accelerate your understanding of the Italian language. And when I say “understanding,” I’m talking about more than just grammar rules and a list of vocabulary. Yes, we’ll need to study those things, but we’re not going to stop there. We will also explore the evolution of the language and its interactions with Italian culture and history. This will give us a deeper awareness of why Italian exists in its current form, which will allow us to know more than we’ve actually studied. What do I mean by this? Well, what I mean is that we will sometimes be able to figure things out based on patterns that we’ve learned instead of relying on the things that we’ve memorized outright. At first, this will very much be a conscious process of deduction. But further down the road our brains will begin to do these “calculations” automatically. That’s why you’ll occasionally say something (correctly) that you didn’t even realize you knew. The truth is you didn’t know it until that very moment! Make no mistake: it’s going to take a dedicated effort on your part. Buying a book (or CD or software program) is a great first step, but none of those things work unless you commit to using them on a daily basis. It sounds obvious, but the majority of people who purchase these products never really use them, or at least not to their potential. Don’t be one of those. If I can give you one “magic tip” to help you along the way, it would be to make the decision to enjoy the process of language acquisition without focusing on the ultimate, long-term goal (to become fluent in Italian). It is a marathon, not a sprint, and it can be a satisfying journey if you view it that way. Find the joy in the small daily victories and don’t worry too much if your overall progress is slower than you’d like. In fact, I’d say this is a philosophy that we could borrow from our Italian friends: slow down and enjoy. So what makes this book any better than the rest? Well, to be honest, I don’t believe that there’s any one “best” way to learn a foreign language. You have to find the method that works best for you —but a good guidebook is essential no matter what your preferred system of study. Some might find watching Italian movies useful. Others benefit from the guided structure of a software program. Chatting with Italian friends via the Internet is a great way to practice. Indeed, a mix of all these exercises would probably be the best formula. But having a good lesson book in front of you is an essential tool regardless of those other resources. In moments of doubt, you can double-check yourself here. After you’ve read through the book once and absorbed the larger themes, keep it handy as a reference source to clarify a grammar rule or explain a general topic. ABOUT ME
You may ask why I feel qualified to write a book on learning to “Talk Like an Italian” when I’m not a native speaker? An excellent and very fair question. But in fact, I would argue that having gone through the process of learning Italian as an adult myself, it actually makes me especially qualified to teach the topic to others in a similar situation. There is something called “The Curse of Knowledge.” This is the “curse” that some experts have which makes it hard for them to impart their expertise to a person at the beginner level. Having struggled through the various steps in the process myself, I believe that I’m more empathetic to the needs of an Italian learner than someone who grew up speaking the language naturally at home. I am therefore, perhaps, better able to explain things in a way that any beginner can understand, since I was in your shoes not so long ago. Furthermore, I’ve lived in Italy for several years and I am married to an Italian—an Italian language teacher, no less! (She helped me write the grammar sections of this book.) I have studied Italian both at the university level and at private language schools in Italy. And finally, I’m also a language teacher—an English teacher to Italians, which has given me further insight into the language learning process. I’ve witnessed this process from the reverse direction, which has given me a unique perspective as to the similarities and differences between the two languages. MY PERSONAL ITALIAN LANGUAGE JOURNEY
After studying the language on and off for several years, I can say proudly and with confidence that I speak Italian. Maybe with a slight American accent, but I feel OK in affirming that I speak the language quite well. People back in the U.S. often ask me, “So what’s the best way to learn Italian?” My answer is simple: Come live in Italy. Yes, that’s sarcastic, because what they really mean to ask is, “What’s the best way to learn Italian without moving to Italy?” That, as they say, is another story. Here’s what happened to me during my first trip through il Bel Paese: I was travelling from Rome to Umbria and I had my plan all worked out: get off the train at Assisi, find a taxi at the station, and take it to my hotel in the nearby village of Spello. I even had an Italian friend write out the directions on a piece of paper to give to the driver. No problem, all set. I sat back on the train with my journal in hand and enjoyed the view of the Umbrian countryside slowly passing by my window. Then the train unexpectedly stopped at a small, non-descript station. I glanced out the window and lo and behold the large blue and white sign said, “Spello.” Should I get off? I wondered. It seemed to make sense—why go 15 kilometers past Spello all the way to Assisi only to take a cab back again? Much easier to just jump off now and go directly to the hotel, no? I tried to solicit the opinions of random folks on the train, but alas, nobody spoke a word of English. And my handy phrasebook was buried deep in my backpack—not so handy after all. Damn it! I had 30 seconds to decide. Impetuously, I grabbed my other suitcase and hopped down onto the platform just as the whistle blew. The train slowly pulled away and I turned around to gaze wistfully at the majestic Monte Subasio in the near distance. And there: the charming town of Spello, about 6-7 kilometers away, tucked up high on the mountainside. Ah…che bella! (This was nearly the full extent of my Italian vocabulary at the time). After enjoying the lovely panorama for a minute, I turned back around to find the station and locate suitable transportation to the town center. On closer inspection, the “station” was merely an abandoned wooden shack. Not even a proper building at that point in its history; more like 20,000 termites holding hands in the shape of a building. “OK, don’t panic,” I told myself, “let’s appraise the situation. No station, no taxis, not another human in sight. Che bella!” I glanced again at the little town in the distance, now looking more like 60-70 kilometers away. The hike (or expedition) would require a significant quantity of mountaineering gear, a strong pack mule, and a well-trained guide. I strained my vocabulary for a more appropriate phrase. Che cazzo! (Why is it that the swear words are always the first thing that people learn?) Now what? Well, after a few intense moments of self-loathing, the first thing I did was resolve to learn Italian and come back to Italy with the skills to survive. For some reason this became extremely important to me from that moment on. It was a way to recover my pride, I suppose. Or maybe just plain stubbornness. Whatever the reason, I became very motivated to study, and ultimately conquer, the language. And now I have. Why is it so important for you to learn a foreign language? After all, the whole world speaks English, right? Well, not everyone. And besides, how boring the world would be if we all spoke the same language, ate the same food, and thought the same way? We experience the world through our language(s). In the words of William Gibson, “Language is to the mind what light is to the eye.” Cultures define themselves through languages and a foreign language will grant you admission into another culture. You will have the ability to communicate and to exchange thoughts and ideas with people from different linguistic backgrounds, and therefore very different cultural perspectives than your own. Without the ability to communicate effectively, you will never have the opportunity to really get to know them. According to the Czech proverb, “If you learn a new language, you gain a new soul.” Nice, huh? I think so. What are some other common motivations for learning a new language? General enrichment is a good enough reason. It has a positive effect on intellectual growth and promotes cognitive development. Studies have recently proven that bilingualism practiced on a daily basis helps to ward off dementia in later years. Children who learn a second language while growing up have the ability to think in both languages. They will have an easier time reading and writing in school, as well as the ability to think “differently” from children who were taught only one language during their formative years. Bilingual children will also have a better chance of learning several additional languages, even after they are grown. In other words, a child learning a second language during their early years will have a higher affinity for language acquisition in general than children who don’t. You would be doing your children a great service by encouraging them to learn a foreign language while they are growing up. Like musical education, languages enhance the development of a person’s overall intelligence. Economics is another reason for learning a foreign language. Living in a world that is increasingly characterized by globalization and intercultural connections, language skills are becoming crucial for business communications. With knowledge of a foreign language, you will undoubtedly increase your job opportunities. In many careers, knowing a foreign language is a useful—if not required—asset. So of all the languages, why did you choose Italian specifically? Maybe you’re like me and fell in love with the country on your first visit. Possibly you have family in Italy (or from Italy) and you would like to be able to speak to them in their own tongue. Perhaps you aspire to sing opera music or become a professional chef. What matters the most is that you have challenged yourself to do it. Bravi! So whatever your motivation is, do not lose sight of that as we read, study, and practice. ABOUT THIS BOOK
This book is loosely divided into two parts. The first part will continue our discourse on language acquisition in general, linguistics, phonetics, and the evolution of the Italian language, as well as some insights into Italian culture. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I feel that this information is valuable in aligning your mindset with learning the language and helping to provide a cultural context for understanding modern Italy and its language. The culture and the language are intimately connected and it’s nearly impossible to discuss one without the other. In this way, you will “understand” more than you technically “know.” The second part of the book will directly address Italian syntax and vocabulary with a review of the grammar rules, a broad look at some common expressions, and several exercises with which to practice your skills as they develop. Answers to the practice questions can be found in the back of the book. My target group for this book is anyone who ranges from an absolute beginner to a lower intermediate. The further along you get in your language skills, the less useful “studying” becomes. Practical usage will then become your primary tool. Once you’ve reached an advanced level, you really must go live in Italy to progress further —there’s just no way around it. However for those of you who are just starting out on this journey or for those who know a bit of Italian but not the grammar rules or the historical/cultural context, then this is the book for you. OK, enough introductions, let’s go! Andiamo! 1. HISTORY OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
The Italian language is a member of the Romance group of the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. It is the predominately spoken language of the Italian Republic, of course. But it is also spoken in southern Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, and by minority populations in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia. Italian is the direct offspring of the Latin that was spoken by the ancient Romans and forced upon the peoples under their control—consequently the wide diffusion of Romance languages throughout Europe. Modern Italian preserves a closer resemblance to Latin than all the other Romance languages. That’s not to say that they’re interchangeable, but the similarities are definitely noticeable. If you learned some Latin in school or church, then you have a head start on most people. Although bear in mind that the pronunciation of Latin taught in Italian schools is not the same as what is taught in English-speaking schools. Nobody really knows for sure how those ancient Romans pronounced their words anyway. That’s one reason it’s called a “dead” language. During the evolutionary period of the Italian language, many dialects sprang up. The assortment of these dialects and their individual claims by their native speakers as the “true spoken Italian” presented much difficulty in defining a universally accepted form of both spoken and written Italian. This affected the cultural and political unity of the peninsula of Italy throughout its history, and even has an impact today. We will expand on this topic more fully in the next chapter. Some of the earliest popular documents, which were produced in the10th century, were written in Vulgar (Italian) rather than Latin. During the next three centuries, Italian writers wrote in their native dialects, which resulted in the development of several competing regional schools of literature. The year 1230 marked the beginning of the Sicilian School and of a literature showing more uniform traits. Its importance lies more in the language (a move towards a standard Italian) than its subject—a love sonnet style, partly modeled on the Provençal poetry imported to southern Italy by the Normans and the Svevi under Frederick II of Sicily. It was in the 14th century that the Tuscan dialect became more predominant. This could be due, at least in part, to the central position of Tuscany in Italy as well as the aggressive commerce in the city of Florence, which became a sort of crossroads for business in Europe. The Medici family founded a bank that was the largest in Europe during the 15th century. They, in no small part, helped finance the Renaissance that was flourishing in their city at this time, contributing great sums of money for the support of the arts. The Tuscan dialect deviated very little in the formation of words and the sound of words from the classical Latin. Because of this, it most closely harmonized with the Italian traditions in the Latin culture. Most of all, Florentine culture produced the three literary giants who best summarized Italian thought and artistic expression of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. These writers were of course Dante, Petrarca, and Boccaccio. The attempt to establish a unified norm for the Italian language occupied writers of all dialects. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the grammar specialists of the time tried putting their heads together to decide upon a standard for the pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary of the 14th century Tuscan, which was at the time the status quo of a central and classical Italian speech. Eventually this meeting of the minds was broadened to include the organic changes, which are inevitable in a living, evolving tongue. In 1525, Pietro Bembo, a Venetian, set out his proposals for a standardized language and style. His models were Petrarca for poetry and Boccaccio for prose, and the result became the modern classic standard. Therefore, the language of Italian literature was modeled after the Italian spoken in Florence in the 15th century. The dictionaries and the publications of the Accademia della Crusca, which was created in 1583, were accepted by Italians as the authority in all matters of Italian language; a melding of classical purism (Latin and later vulgar Italian) and living Tuscan usage was successfully achieved. During the 17th century, the most important literary event did not take place in Florence, however. It was delivered by the Milanese writer Alessandro Manzoni. Wi t h I Promessi Sposi, Manzoni wrote a novel that had some very specific socio-political goals in mind. First published in 1827, it has been called the most famous and widely read novel of the Italian language (final version published in 1842). The relatively recent French revolution was still fresh in everyone’s memory and Manzoni, like so many other Europeans, looked to it for inspiration for changing his own country. But Italy was fragmented during this time and unification still seemed like a daunting task. So he wanted to compose a work that would unite Italians in many ways and across various social, religious, economic, and cultural differences. However, one of the biggest obstacles that he had to overcome was the diversity of language throughout the Italian peninsula. Even in Manzoni’s time, the language of Dante was considered the ideal—but not very many people outside of Tuscany spoke it. Manzoni himself, being from Milan, did not speak the Tuscan dialect perfectly. After writing his original draft, called Fermo e Lucia, he decided to “tuscanize” it by going through the entire manuscript and converting many of the words into Tuscan—including the name of the protagonist who went from the Milanese name Fermo, to the more Tuscan-sounding Renzo. The overall result, however, was awkward and it sounded forced and unnatural. Therefore he felt that he needed to “sciacquare i panni in Arno;” to wash his clothes (his language) in the Arno river—or in other words, to actually acquire the Tuscan dialect himself by living in Florence and hearing it spoken in the streets every day before completing the final draft of I Promesi Sposi which we have today. Finally in the 19th century, the language spoken by educated Tuscans spread and eventually became the language of the new nation of Italy. In 1861, the unification of Italy had a dramatic effect on the political scene as well as the social, economic, and cultural transformation. But unification was not—and is still not—easy. In the words of Massimo d’Azeglio, “L'Italia è fatta. Restano da fare gli Italiani.” ("We have made Italy. Now we must make Italians.") Because of mandatory schooling, the number of people with the ability to read increased during the post-war era of prosperity and many Italians added the national language to go along with their native dialect. Even today one could say that most Italians are raised “bilingual.” As recent as two generations ago, Standard Italian was still a second language for many people (if they spoke it at all), although the trend has since reversed. A greater concern for the future is that many of the more obscure dialects will be lost in subsequent generations. 2. DIALECTS OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE
In English, when we mention the word “dialects,” what we are really referring to are regional accents with a few very minor variations in vocabulary. In Italian, however, “dialetti” are actually separate languages, which contain very different vocabulary, vastly different accents, and even different grammar rules. Even today it’s not uncommon in some areas of Italy to find that people living in neighboring villages only 10-15 miles apart cannot easily communicate with each other due to language differences. Compare that to the United States where someone from Washington D.C. and someone from Seattle, Washington (2,800 miles apart!) speak the exact same language. These various languages and dialects have evolved over centuries and have largely remained distinct from the standard Italian. This has occurred for several reasons, both intentional and unintentional. For example, up until a generation or two ago, the ability to travel around the country was limited. There was no radio or TV (or Internet) until the twentieth century. And there were deliberate attempts to maintain cultural heritage and independence, which still exist today. This sort of “hometown pride” is referred to as campanilismo, which literally translates to the loyalty towards the sight and sound of one’s bell tower, the campanile that rises in the main square of a town. The dialects have many distinct qualities that distinguish them from one another. Just as an example, the Neapolitan dialect might be the most widely known because of its use in popular folk songs. Ever heard “‘O Sole Mio”? The speakers of this dialect clip the articles to single vowels. In Romanesco, the letter “r” often replaces the letter “l,” so instead of pronouncing the word volta (meaning “a turn,” or “once”), they would pronounce the word as vorta. There are many regional dialects spoken in Italy. The major dialects of Italian include toscano, abruzzese, pugliese, umbro, laziale, marchigiano centrale, emiliano-romagnolo, friulano, ligure, lombardo, napoletano, piemontese, romanesco, sardo, siciliano and veneziano. But even within these regional dialects there are local variations which at times can be quite significant. I’ve heard it said that the “ideal” modern Italian would be the Tuscan dialect spoken with a Roman accent. I’m not sure if that’s true, but what it tells us is that these two dialects that come from Central Italy, Tuscan and Roman, are the closest to standard Italian. Paradoxically, this can actually make the Tuscans and the Romans harder to understand than people from either the North or South. In the Veneto or in Sicily, for example, the dialects are so completely different from Standard Italian that the speaker must make the conscious choice to use one or the other. On the other hand, people from Tuscany or Rome often mix their dialect into their Italian since they are so closely related. Don’t worry about all of this too much. While fascinating to consider, you won’t likely need to learn any of these dialects. Indeed, dialects are generally only used among close friends and family, while people tend to speak standard Italian in more formal situations and certainly at work. As I’ve mentioned, most Italians these days are “bilingual,” and the Standard Italian that you will learn is ideal for communicating throughout the country. Still, it is interesting to know about the dialects and good to keep in mind. Once in a while, I can’t help smiling when I hear someone in Rome tell me, Aho, ab bbello!‘Nnamo a magna’, in Romanesco instead of Ciao! Andiamo a mangiare, which would be the same phrase (“Hey! Let’s go eat!”) in Italian. 3. OUR LANGUAGE “EXCHANGE” WITH ITALY
Many Italian words have made their way into English over the course of several centuries, and so you will be happy to know that you already are using quite a bit of Italian. If you are a musician, you will be familiar with the terms such as bel canto, cello, mezzosoprano, pianoforte, and solo. Structural design has borrowed words like cupola, loggia, and stanza. Of course then there is Italian foods such as ravioli, mozzarella, lasagna, vermicelli, or porcini. During the course of our everyday lives, Italian words such as paparazzi, graffiti, mafia, and ghetto are used frequently. So as you can see, your own vocabulary already consists of several Italian words! Because of the growing influence of American culture through the media, this has become a two-way street. There are many English words that have been directly adopted by the Italians without translating them. Some of these words are club, flirt, bar, shopping, spray, and style. Terms relating to business and technology are particularly common, such as meeting, staff, marketing, computer, mouse, and fax. Or sometimes they take an English word and make it Italian by adding an Italian suffix. For example, the verb, “to download” should be translated as “scaricare,” but instead you’ll often hear an Italian say, “downloadare.” When visiting Italy, it may seem like you hear more English spoken than Italian, especially in the cities where tourism is heavy, such as Florence, Rome and Venice. Politicians and academics have made a series of efforts to defend the Italian language against this foreign invasion. A campaign against English phrases and grammar has been launched by some members of Parliament because many feel that the influx of the English language and culture is threatening to diminish the importance of the Italian language, and therefore the culture. (Benito Mussolini was himself a champion of this cause.) Not long ago Italian officials vowed to clarify the language used by the state to communicate with its citizens by declaring war on foreign words. That’s not likely to happen, of course, but it underscores the importance of this battle. However, we should also point out that there are many words that Italian and English already share due to common etymology or root word origin. These are referred to as “cognates,” or words that look similar and have nearly identical meanings. (This term derives from the Latin cognatus, meaning blood relative.) The list of cognates is long, and being aware of them can give you an initial jump start in learning Italian. A few examples of these are as follows: farmacia— p ha r ma c y; intelligente— i n t e l l i g e n t ; necessario—necessary; dividere—to divide; studiare—to study; and so on. Learning these can give a huge boost to your vocabulary. I’ll list some more in a subsequent chapter. Furthermore, there are letter groupings that can help you decipher many words. For example, the English suffix, “tion” becomes,“zione” in Italian, such as station, stazione. Or the English, “ly” translates as, “mente.” (e.g. probably = probabilmente). Again, a longer list of these will be provided later. Then there are also the false cognates, which are sometimes referred to as “false friends.” We don’t want to confuse ourselves by discussing these now, but we will take up this topic in a later chapter. For now, let’s keep things straight forward and focus on the similarities.
4. SOME INITIAL THOUGHTS ABOUT LEARNING ITALIAN
A common opinion is that Italian is more difficult to learn than English. Well, sorry to tell you, but it’s true—at least in the very beginning. The learning curve for English as a second language is much quicker than learning Italian as an adult. But so what? When you were a child learning English, you didn’t know whether it was easy or difficult, and therefore you just didn’t think about it. When learning Italian, remember that everyone was a beginner at some time in their life. It also helps to keep in mind that making mistakes is how one learns how to do it right (eventually). Don’t be afraid to open your mouth and embarrass yourself! You may think you will not be able to roll your r’s, but the fact is that many Italians cannot roll their r’s either. In Italy, what is known as the “soft r” (erremoscia) is in many cases a result of a regional accent or dialect. It is also traditionally associated with the speech of the upper class. The Italians from the north of Italy, close to the French border, are famous for this type of speech variation because of the influence of the French language on the local dialect. On the other hand, the rolling “r” is often exaggerated in the south. If you want to learn to roll your r’s, you should try placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth, close to the front and trill your tongue. If that doesn’t work, then pretend you are revving up a car motor or repeat the following English words a several times; ladder, or butter. Taking classes at a language school isn’t a bad idea if you have the time and money. But what if you don’t have any language schools close to your home? That’s OK. In this age of the Internet, a school being geographically close is no longer necessary. You can take courses online, listen to an Italian audio course, or even find an Italian pen (email) pal. There are many ways you can practice your Italian, and the Internet can help you. Some of the online courses are free, and you study on your own time. Sharetalk by Rosetta Stone is a good one. In the near future, you’ll also be able to find resources on my site at: http://talklikeanitalian.com. If your group of friends does not speak Italian, there are ways around that, too—or maybe you just need to get some new friends (kidding…sort of). Contact the Italian department at your local college, or call the Italian American organizations in your town. They often sponsor wine tastings and other events where participants can meet and mingle to practice Italian. You can join your local Italian Language Meetup group. (For example, I belong to Expats Living in Rome.) They organize Italian Language Meetups as a free gathering at local venues for anyone interested in learning, practicing, or teaching Italian. It’s a great place to practice once you’ve got a little bit of conversation under your belt. Of course, the fastest way to learn Italian is with a total immersion course. By spending two to four weeks at a language school in Italy, you will improve your Italian more in that amount of time than in a full year of high school or college Italian. The mornings (9:00 to 1:00) are usually devoted to the classes, but in the afternoon you are at leisure to visit the churches, museums, and other sites. No, it’s not cheap, but definitely worth the experience if you have the time and money. If not, well, that’s what this book is for! If you are only planning a short visit to Italy, then you will need to know the Italian survival phrases, such as “Where is the bathroom?” or “No, I don’t want to buy a salami from your brother.” These types of helpful phrases will be covered in the second part of this book. One final thought on learning Italian (or any language) in general: use a “shotgun” approach. In other words, mix it up. Watch Italian movies, listen to Italian music, buy a dual language book or parallel-text version (English on one page, the Italian translation on the opposing page). Several cable companies broadcast Italian programming on RAI International. There are also many Italian radio stations accessible from the Internet; Virgin Radio, for example. Whatever it takes. The point is, don’t rely on just one type of input to learn the language—try a bit of everything. Buon divertimento! 5. A FEW HINTS TO GET STARTED
Later in the book we will review the grammar: indefinite articles, direct object pronouns, prepositions, verb conjugations, etc. (This might be a good time to quickly review your English grammar to get reacquainted with the terms.) But the one thing that we can’t really do in a book is practice the sounds. However, there is some good news on this front: in Italian, basically it is “What you see is what you hear.” Italian is a phonetic language and most words are pronounced just as they are written. When you see an Italian speaking native open his mouth wide, it isn’t (always) to shout as much as it is to properly pronounce the big, round vowels. An example (if you want to try), is when you pronounce the letter “a,” you open your mouth wide and say “ahhhhh.” By remembering the phrase “what you see is what you hear,” you will have no trouble spelling and pronouncing the Italian words. Knowing what they mean and how to use them is another matter. But at least pronunciation is one thing that will create minimal obstacles for you as you learn this beautiful language. I’ll go deeper into this topic in the following chapters about phonetics. Because the endings of conjugated verb forms indicate person and number, Italian subject pronouns can be left out, and in fact they should be, unless they are needed to clarify, or when they have been modified by the word “also,” or “anche,” or when there is an emphasis or a contrast needed. If you are starting a first-person comment with “io,” such as “I study” or “I walk,” it sounds as though you are constantly calling attention to yourself, so in most cases the “io” is left off. Remember to slow down. Being fast only counts when you’re driving a Ferrari; fast does not make you fluent in the language. In fact, it may make things worse. Many of us native English speakers are notorious for slurring our words together. When speaking in Italian, it is better to allow the Italian vowels and consonants to maintain their particular, unchanging sound. Just relax and take a deep breathe so you can enjoy the music of the language at a leisurely pace. You’re in Italy (at least in your mind), so what’s the hurry? When it comes to adjectives, you can only say molto bene so many times before you start becoming bored with yourself. You can learn alternative ways to express yourself by including the use of prefixes, such as stra, ipo, iper, and super; and suffixes, such as one, ino, etto, ello, and accio. You will quickly increase your vocabulary by doing so. For example, fratello (brother) becomes fratellino (little brother) with the addition of the suffix. We’ll go over more of these prefixes and suffixes later while learning about adjectives. About the courteous form of address in Italian: there are four ways of saying “you” in Italian, tu, voi, Lei, and Loro. Tu, for one person, and voi, for two or more people, are the forms only used with family members, children and close friends. When speaking to an Italian, they may ask “Possiamo darci del tu?” which means “May we switch to the tu form?” after a relationship has progressed. This is the sign that you are now able to use the more “friendly” form, tu, instead of the formal Lei. Again, we’ll have a chapter dedicated to this topic, as well. Err, umm, ah, like, you know, are conversation fillers, which make you sound like a teenager. One remedy for this is to practice interjections, sentence starters, and additional useful phrases, which will help get your tongue moving and on the right track. Allora (So then), Quindi (Therefore), etc. are common ones. By the way, talking loudly does not make you more easily understood, it just makes you loud. Many people have a bad habit of almost screaming when asked to repeat themselves, or else attempting to add an Italian accent to their English. But don’t shout at them, they can probably hear just fine. On the other hand, there might be times when no matter how well you say something in Italian, it may still be difficult for even a linguist to interpret. It could be what you are saying and not how you are saying it that is the problem. The cultural differences become increasingly apparent when speaking a foreign language. If you are sure that what you are saying is grammatically correct and you are still receiving blank stares, you might try a different phrase. A common theme that I’ll repeat often is that “translating” doesn’t always work. We’ll go over some idiomatic expressions in a later chapter. 6. INTRO TO PHONOLOGY AND THE ALPHABET
Phonology, according to Marian Nespor, an Italian linguist and author of the book Fonologia, is the part of grammar that deals with the sounds made in natural languages for communicating meaning. Basically what that boils down to is the study of the meanings of the sounds we make as we speak. An important fact we must make clear is that there’s a difference between phonology and phonetics. Phonetics analyzes all sound coming from human speech; the meaning and the language doesn’t really matter in this discipline. In other words, phonology is the “musical” side of languages. Phonetics may study how the letter “T” is produced and how it sounds to the listener, while phonology analyzes how the words fa (he/she does) and va (he/she goes) have different meanings, even though there is only one differing sound. Put another way, phonology considers the sound and studies it in its context. Patterns are sought by determining which sounds contain meaning, and then it explains how these sounds are understood by a native speaker. When you are listening to a native speaker of Italian, notice the variance in how the rhythm of the language is expressed as opposed to the rhythm of English. There is a noticeable difference between the two regarding emphasized syllables and where accents are placed, both within words and within phrases. Phonological investigations have been conducted by linguists to study the various rhythmic patterns of languages. With the use of computer programs, the linguists replaced all the consonants with the letter “s” and all the vowels were replaced with the letter “a.” The end results showed how each language differs by only its musicality, taking the meaning of the words out of the equation. Interesting, no? But what does it tell us? It tells us that even if our vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation are perfect, if the “music” is off, then we can still be misunderstood. So these more subtle barriers—which are not so easily spotted as grammar and vocabulary—relate to inflection, intonation, and knowing where to place the correct stress. They are the “musical” aspects of the language. It’s one of the things that people like most about Italian, so it’s important to understand where this comes from. Phonology is the discipline that helps point out these less obvious keys to fluency, and they are the basis on which other aspects of linguistics can begin their contributions. In sum, phonology is a wide ranging subject, which includes other disciplines with complicated names such as assimilation, epenthesis, psycholinguistics, and phonotactics. Let’s stop here and not analyze it any further; to do so might spoil some of the magic. It is, however, through the understanding of esoteric puzzles like these that you can begin to “feel” what it’s like to really speak Italian, and not merely translate words and phrases like a computer program. L’ALFABETO
The Italian alphabet (l'alfabeto) contains twenty–one letters: Letters / Pronunciation of the letters:
a = a (like in alpha) b = bi c = ci d = di e = e (like in echo) f = effe g = gi h = acca i = i (like in india) l = elle m = emme n = enne o = o (like in oscar) p = pi q = cu r = erre s = esse t = ti u = u (like in uniform) v = vi z = zeta
The following letters do not belong to the Italian alphabet and are never used in the spelling, unless the word is “borrowed” from a foreign language: J = i lunga K = cappa W = doppia vi X = ics Y = ipsilon
7. ITALIAN VOWELS
The correct pronunciation in Italian can be difficult for some learners in the very beginning. But at least it is very standardized and stays consistent (unlike English). Once the basic rules are understood, it is actually quite simple to pronounce each word correctly. Italian grammar is difficult, but the pronunciation is not; the words are always spoken just as they are written. Perhaps this explains why you’d never see a Spelling Bee in Italy! Let’s look one more time at how to pronounce the Italian vowels, because in Italian, the vowels are always spoken clearly and distinctly—unlike in English where we tend to slop everything together. A – sounds like a in father E – has two sounds: short vowel like e in pen and the long vowel similar to ai in fair I – sounds like ea in tea. O – has two sounds: like o in cozy or similar of o in cost U – sounds like u in rude. Italian vowels are always spoken in a sharp, clear fashion; they should never be garbled or pronounced weakly. Vowels always keep their value in diphthongs—in other words, each vowel retains its own sound even when coupled with another vowel. For example, the Italian word for airplane is “aereo.” An English speaker might try to pronounce it “air-ee-oh,” but in fact it should be, “ah-er-eh-oh.” Even though Italian and English use the same Latin alphabet, the sounds of the letters are often (but not always) different between the two languages. I’ll repeat it one last time for emphasis: Italian is a phonetic language. This means that it is spoken exactly the way it is written without exception. I guess I’ve made my point on that.
8. ITALIAN CONSONANTS
Much like the vowels, the sound that each consonant makes remains consistent, so once the rules are understood, it is simple to pronounce the words correctly. Here are the step by step instructions on the way the consonants are pronounced in Italian. The consonants B, F, M, N, and V are pronounced exactly as they are in English. C: Before a, o, u and before consonants has a sound similar to the English k; this is called a hard sound; before e and i it has a sound similar to the English ch as in church. This is called a soft sound. G: Before a, o, u and before consonants has a sound like the g in good (hard); before e and i like the g in general (soft). So what happens if we need to make a hard sound with either letter preceding an “e” or “i”? In those cases we insert an “h” in between: CHi e s a CHerubino (ker-oo-bee- no) GHiotto GHepardo (geh-par-doh) Instead, the soft sound is produced by inserting and “i” when between “c” or “g” and preceding the vowels “a,” “o,” or “u.” Ciao Giappone Let’s have a look at the groups GL a n d GN. The first is pronounced similarly to the double L syllable in the word “millionaire” in English, or it could be phonetically better written as “yi”; the latter is read like the Spanish “ň” with tilde. Coniglio Campagna
D is much sharper in Italian than it is in English; with the tongue near the tip of the upper teeth but with no aspiration. H is silent in Italian. In Italy, elementary school children are taught that the “h” is the “mute little letter” (la letterina muta). This means that this letter has no sound of its own. When found at the beginning of a word, it is totally silent. “Why do they use it?” one might ask. It’s mainly to remove any ambiguity. For example “ha” is a form of the verb “to have,” for the third person, present tense, meaning, “he/she has.” But “a” is a preposition and means “to.” Although “ha” and “a” sound exactly the same, they must be spelled differently according to their meaning. (And by the way, the sound for a laugh, in Italian, is spelled “Ah, ah” and not “Ha, ha”, for the same reason.) The L sounds like it does in English except with a sharper tone and more forward in the mouth. P sounds as it does in English, but without the aspiration. Qu sounds as it does in English like in the word quest. R is very different from the English; it is pronounced with one flip of the tongue against the gums of the upper teeth. This will make the trill sound of the r. S might sound either like the s in the English word rose (almost like a z), or like the s in the English word vase. T is pretty much like the T in English, but with no escaping of breath to go along with it. Z can be voiced, like ds in beds, or it can be voiceless, like ts in bets. All Italian consonants have a corresponding double consonant, whose pronunciation is similar to, but not exactly like, the single consonant. With the double consonant, there is an ever- so-slight pause between the identical letters, which is often missed by the non- native speaker. The mispronunciation of the double consonants can result in miscommunication and is one of the most common pronunciation mistakes made by English speaking learners of Italian. We’ll look at this phenomenon a little deeper later with some specific examples. 9. PRONOUNCING ITALIAN WORDS
If you enjoy listening to the sounds of the Italian language—as in the opera or listening to the voices of the Italian film stars—then you will love learning to speak Italian for yourself. Seriously, it’s a thrill when these sounds come from your own voice. Let’s look at few more ways to improve your pronunciation. Most Italian words are stressed on the next to the last syllable, whether it’s a long word or a short word. For example: Por-to-FIN-o (a city in the Liguria region); al-BER-go (hotel); ca-VAL-lo (horse). Then it stands to reason that the first syllable is usually stressed in two syllable words. For example: ME-la (apple), or PRON-to (ready). There are exceptions, but this rule will serve you about 95% of the time. When the final –e is omitted from a word, as it sometimes happens with some of the masculine titles, and they are immediately followed by the proper name, the position of the stress remains the same. Keep in mind with the above rule, dotTOre – doctor becomes dottTOR Nardi – Doctor Nardi; and profesSOre – professor becomes ProfesSOR Pace – Professor Pace. If the last vowel in a word is to be stressed, there will be an accent over that vowel. For example: cittá (city), caffè (coffee), or lunedì (Monday). When this occurs, the words do NOT change in their plural forms. Example: una (one, 1) cittá; due (two, 2) cittá. It is important to remember that open e and o occur only when they occur in stressed syllables. But don’t forget that the words “e” and “è” are different words with different meanings as well as different pronunciations. The “e” is a long, open e which means “and;” while “è” is a short, closed e and means “is.” The written accent is used with some words as a way to distinguish them from others that have the same spelling, but the words have a different meaning, as in the example above. Another example is, “casino” means a big mess, while “casinò” is a place to play cards or roulette. Notice the written accent over the “o” in the second case. But if this weren’t difficult enough, this phenomenon sometimes happens without the benefit of a written clue (the 5% exception that I mentioned earlier). For example “leggere” means “to read” when the accent falls on the first syllable, and it means “light” (not heavy; fem. plur.) when it falls on the second syllable. Uh-oh. Don’t worry about this too much. As I say, it’s the exception rather than the rule and the more common exceptions will be used often enough where they will just become memorized.
10. THE ARTICLES
In Italian, all nouns have a gender and a number. This means that everything has a gender, including objects and abstracts. The definite article must always match gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) of the noun.
Articoli determinativi (definite articles): SINGOLARE PLURALE FEMMINNILE LA(L') LE MASCHILE IL I MASCHILE LO(L') GLI “la” is the definite article that corresponds to feminine nouns. La casa » the house La scarpa » the shoe "il"-"lo" are the definite articles that correspond to masculine nouns. Il professore » the teacher Il telefono » the phone Lo studente » the student Why “il professore” but “lo studente?” Here are the rules to determine which article to use. For singular nouns: LO: It is used for all masculine nouns beginning with s + consonant (st-, sp-, sc-, sv-), z, cluster gn, ps, or vowel. IL: It is used for all other masculine nouns starting with a consonant. LA: It is used with all feminine nouns. L’: This is the elision of “lo” or “la,” and it is used before masculine OR feminine nouns beginning with a vowel. Examples: Lo zucchero » the sugar Il castello » the castle L’acqua » the water L’albero » the tree For plural nouns the rules are the same: GLI: It is used with masculine nouns starting with vowels, the consonant z, cluster gn, ps, or clusters made of s + consonant. I: It is used with all the other masculine nouns which do not belong to the previous case. LE: It is used before any plural feminine noun. Examples: Gli artisti » the artists I cavalli » the horses Le amiche » the friends (fem.) I ragazzi » the boys Gli stessi ragazzi » the same boys
Articoli indeterminativi (indeterminate articles): Masculine singular: UN or UNO = A or ONE Feminine singular: UNA or UN’ = A or ONE
The Italian indefinite article is only used with singular nouns. It also corresponds to the number one. Here are some rules to understand how to use these articles: UNO: It is used for masculine words beginning with z, s + consonant, gn, ps, BUT not vowel. UN: It is used for all other masculine words, including those starting with a vowel. UNA: It is used with any feminine nouns. UN': It is the elision of “una,” used when feminine nouns start with a vowel.
Examples: Un treno e una bicicletta » a train and a bicycle Uno stadio e un’automobile » a stadium and a car
Definite and Indefinite Article. Exercises Complete the following sentences choosing the appropriate article. 1. _____ casa è di fronte al mare. a) il b) le c) la d) lo 2. ___ albero è in fiore. a) il b) la c) lo d) l' 3. ___ vestito di Maria è molto elegante. a) la b) lo c) le d) il 4. _____ anatre nuotano nello stagno. a) la b) il c) le d) i 5. Antonio mangia ______spaghetti ogni giorno. a) i b) le c) gli d) la 6. ______bottiglia è vuota. a) i b) le c) gli d) la 7. ______aereo vola su Roma. a) l’ b) le c) gli d) la
11. NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES
In Italian, adjectives are usually placed after a noun, as opposite to English, and they must match in gender and number.
English: A black cat. Italiano: Un gatto nero.
The scheme that follows shows how the last vowel of a name or adjective changes depending on gender and number. SINGOLARE PLURALE MASCHILE GATT - O GATT - I FEMMINILE GATT - A GATT - E There are, of course, exceptions. Two for the masculine: nouns and adjectives with singular ending in –a and –e. And one for the feminine: nouns and adjectives with singular ending in –e. SINGOLARE PLURALE MASCHILE POET - A POET - I FULMIN - MASCHILE FULMIN - E I FEMMINILE MADR - E MADR - I One way to determine whether an irregular noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural is by looking at the article that precedes it. A noun ending in –E could be feminine plural, but also masculine or feminine singular. The article will solve the puzzle for you: La madre: The mother Il padre: The father Le sorelle: The sisters The article “la” is and can only be feminine singular; “il” masculine singular: “le” feminine plural. NOTE - phonetic: Remember that nouns and adjectives that end in –co –ca –go – ga, need, in their plural form -h- between the consonant “c” or “g” and the vowel of “e” or “i”. Try it. Form the plural of the following nouns and adjectives and indicate the gender. Friend AMICA AMICHE Feminine (girl) MAGO BIANCA FRESCO CUOCO FIOCCO Complete the following with the correct form (masculine, feminine, singular or plural) of the adjective given in parenthesis in its singular masculine form. 1. La pasta è ______. (caldo) 2. La madre di Luca è ______. (simpatico) 3. Le farfalle sono ______. (colorato) 4. La torta è ______. (buono) 5. Il gatto è ______. (bianco) 6. Maria è ______. (magro) 7. I bambini sono ______. (educato) 8. Voi siete ______. (timido) 9. L'appartamento è ______. (moderno) 10. L’albero è ______. (alto) 11. Gli studenti sono ______. (pigro) 12. Lo zaino è ______. (azzurro) 13. Gli psichiatri sono ______. (medico) 14. L’uva è ______. (maturo) 12. NUMBERS, DAYS, SEASONS
Numeri Cardinali 1 uno, 2 due, 3 tre, 4 quattro, 5 cinque, 6 sei, 7 sette, 8 otto, 9 nove, 10 dieci, 11 undici, 12 dodici, 13 tredici, 14 quattordici, 15 quindici, 16 sedici, 17 diciassette, 18 diciotto, 19 diciannove
20 venti, 21 vent-uno, 22 venti-due, 23 venti-tre 30 trenta, 31 trent-uno, 32 trenta-due, 33 trenta-tre 40 quaranta, 50 cinquanta, 60 sessanta, 70 settanta 80 ottanta, 90 novanta, 100 cento, 101 cento-uno 1000 mille, 10.000 dieci-mila, 20 venti-mila 100,000 cento-mila 1,000,000 un milione 1,000,000,000 un miliardo
Numeri Ordinali 1° primo, 2° secondo, 3° terzo, 4° quarto, 5° quinto, 6° sesto, 7° settimo, 8° ottavo, 9° nono, 10° decimo, 11° undicesimo, 12° dodicesimo, 13° tredicesimo, 14° quattordicesimo, 15° quindicesimo, 16° sedicesimo, 17° diciassettesimo, 18° diciottesimo, 19° diciannovesimo Then... 20° vent-esimo, 21° ventun-esimo, 22° ventidu-e-simo 30° trent-esimo, 31° trentun-esimo, 32° trentadu-esimo 40° quarantesimo, 50° cinquantesimo, 60° sessantesimo 70° settantesimo, 80° ottantesimo, 90° novantesimo 100° centesimo
Giorni della settimana: lunedì, martedì, mercoledì, giovedì, venerdì, sabato, domenica *Note that from lunedì to venerdì the word doesn’t change in the plural, but that’s not the case for sabato (sabati) and domenica (domeniche).
Espressioni temporali: domani - ieri - oggi - today tomorrow yesterday pomeriggio - mattina - sera - afternoon morning evening settimana notte - night anno - year - week giorno - mese - month ora - hour day
Mesi dell’anno: gennaio, febbraio, marzo, aprile, maggio, giugno, luglio, agosto, settembre, ottobre, novembre, dicembre
Stagioni: primavera (spring), estate (summer), autunno (autumn), inverno (winter)
Note: In Italian, the names for the days of the week, month, and season begin with a small letter (unless it’s at the start of a sentence). Also remember that the date is written: Day/Month/Year. For example, 29 giugno 2013 or 29/06/13.
Esercizi: A. Rispondi (respond to the question) Che giorno è oggi? Che giorno è domani? Quand’è il tuo compleanno? Che stagione è? Quanti anni hai? Quando sei nato?
B. Scrivi i seguenti numeri (write out the following numbers) 213 1,977 12,865 524,329 1,250,326 92,325,424 4,786,755,233 C. Scrivi le seguenti date (write out the following dates) 04/03/1843 14/4/1912 25/07/1963 14/01/1977 31/08/2013 13. ITALIAN VERB FORMS
When studying Italian verbs you must avoid the temptation of making comparisons to English. There are some major differences and by trying to find equivalent substitutions you will only end up frustrating yourself. There may be some similarities between the two languages, but verb conjugations are not one of them. The first thing to remember is that there are some “persons” in Italian that we don’t have in English. For example, we don’t have the second person “formal,” which in Italian is Lei and uses the third person singular (he/she/it) form of the verb, although referring to a second person. Italian also has a separate designation for “you plural,” (voi), which doesn’t exist in English. In English, we say “you” whether we’re talking to one person or ten. There are three primary groups of verbs (conjugations) in Italian. They are grouped according to the ending of their infinitives. There is the first conjugation (-are verbs), second conjugation (-ere verbs), and third conjugation (-ire verbs). ALL Italian verbs fall into one of these three designations. The majority of the Italian verbs belong to the first conjugation group and follow a very consistent pattern. Once you have mastered the conjugation of – are verbs, in essence you will have learned hundreds (well, the regular ones, anyway). The second conjugation “-ere” verbs total about one quarter of the verbs. Many of them have an irregular structure. The final group of verbs is those that end in –ire and these also have some irregular conjugations, including the –isc syllables added to some forms of the verb, which we will look at later. In Italian there is a difference between tense and mood. Mood refers to the attitude or intention of the speaker to what he or she is saying. There are four finite moods (modi finiti) in Italian; the indicative – indicativo, which is used to make statements; subjunctive – congiuntivo, which is used to express doubt, uncertainty, or opinion; conditional – condizionale, which is used to express what would happen in a certain situation that is hypothetical; and imperativo – imperative, which is used to give orders or exhortations. There are also three indefinite moods in Italian; the forms do not specify the person/subject, such as first, second, or third. They are infinitive – infinito, participle – participio and gerund – gerundio. Moods are divided into one or more tenses, which tell the time when the action of the verb takes place whether it is present, past or future, of which there are several variations. We won’t be discussing all of these at this beginner level, only the most important which will serve us effectively 90% of the time. CONJUGATING ITALIAN VERBS
There are six different verb forms for all of the Italian verb tenses in the four finite moods; each verb form corresponds with each of the six persons used as the subject. Singular First person: io = I Second person: tu = you Second person (formal): Lei = (no English equivalent) Third person: lui/lei = he/she/it Plural First person: noi = we Second person: voi = you (plural) Second person (formal): Loro = (no English equivalent) Third person: loro = they Learning all eight forms for every verb could be a daunting task. Fortunately most Italian verbs are regular, meaning they are conjugated using a regular pattern, so you only have to learn one pattern. Once you have the regular verb endings memorized, the pattern can be applied to other verbs of the same group (conjugation). You simply can’t speak Italian without the verbs essere – to be and avere – to have. These two verbs are often used as auxiliary verbs (ausiliari) in compound verb formations, along with idiomatic expressions, and many other grammatical constructions. You will want to become the master of these two verbs from the very beginning because it is a giant step toward learning Italian. All verbs are either transitive or intransitive. The transitive are the verbs that take a direct object, such as in “Jessica reads a book.” (What does Jessica, our subject, read? A book, which is our object in this example.) Intransitive are those verbs that never take a direct object “Giorgio walks.” (No object. He can walk someplace, but h e can’t walk “something.”) Some verbs can be classified as either transitive or intransitive, depending on the context of the sentence. Italian verbs, like in English, have two voices. A verb is considered to be in the active voice when the subject of the sentence performs the action of the verb, such as Marco ha preparato le valigie – Marco packed the suitcases. A verb is considered to be in the passive voice when the subject is acted on by the verb, such as Le valigie sono state preparate da Marco – The suitcases were prepared by Marco. Only transitive verbs with a clear direct object can be changed from the active voice to the passive voice. We don’t use reflexive verbs nearly as much in English as they are used in Italian. But whether you realize it or not, you start every day with reflexive verbs (verbi riflessivi). These verbs revert the action back to the subject such as, Mi sveglio – I wake myself; Ti alzi – you get yourself up; ci laviamo – we wash ourselves. In Italian, reflexive pronouns (i pronomi reflessivi: mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si) are needed when conjugating reflexive verbs. Modal Verbs In Italian, there are three very important verbs known as verbi servili o r verbi modali – modal verbs. These verbs are potere – to be able to, can; volere – to want; dovere – to have to, must. We will use these words often and they should be committed to memory as soon as possible. These verbs can also take on their given meaning and stand alone. Functioning to modify the meaning of other verbs, they can—and often do— precede an infinitive, as in this example: Voglio mangiare una pizza (I want to eat a pizza.) “Mangiare,” and “to eat” are the infinitive forms of the verbs in their respective languages. To the dismay of students of all levels and abilities, there is no hard and fast set of rules governing the grammatical usage of prepositions associated with specific verbs. They are all unique and must be memorized. Furthermore, they don’t adhere to their English equivalent verb + preposition combinations. For example, in English we say that “I think about/of you often,” whereas in Italian it is correct to say “Penso a te spesso,” or “I think to you often.” Don’t worry, after much trial and error these conventions will eventually be absorbed. 14. SUBJECT PRONOUNS AND THE PRESENT TENSE
(Pronomi Soggetto e Tempo Presente Indicativo)
As we’ve mentioned, a typical characteristic of Italian grammar are the conjugations. All the Italian verbs are divided into three main groups called conjugations depending on how a verb ends in its infinitive form. The first conjugation includes all the verbs whose infinite ends in –are Ex. Amare (to love), cantare (to sing), volare (to fly)
The second conjugation includes all the verbs whose infinite ends in –ere Ex. Credere (to believe), vedere (to see), scrivere (to write)
The third conjugation includes all the verbs whose infinite ends in –ire Ex. Sentire (to hear or to feel), dormire (to sleep), capire (to understand)
Why is it important to know to which conjugation a verb belongs? Because in Italian, verbs change their endings according to the subject that performs the action, and the endings are different depending on the conjugation. Let’s see this more in detail. In Italian, like in English, there are six possible subjects to perform an action: Singular Tu - Lui/Lei - Io - I subjects: You He/She Plural Noi- Voi - They - subjects: We You Loro In English we take a verb in the infinitive, for example “to love”, we drop the “to” and we use “love” for each possible subject (I love, you love, etc.) with the only exception of third singular person – he, she or it – which requires an additional –s (he loves, she loves, it loves). Maybe you forgot, but this is a process that, just like in Italian, it’s called conjugation. Transforming a verb from its infinite form into the appropriate form for a given subject is the process of conjugating. This process in Italian is a little more diverse. In Italian we take a verb in the infinitive, for example “am-are”, we drop the “-are” and we add to “am-“, called stem, a different ending depending on the subject; as follows:
1. Am- 2. Scriv- 3. Dorm- are ere ire Io Am - o Sciv - o Dorm - o Tu Am - I Scriv - i Dorm - i Lui/Lei Am - a Scriv - e Dorm - e Am - Scriv - Dorm - Noi iamo iamo iamo Am - Scriv - Voi Dorm - ite ate ete Am - Scriv - Dorm - Loro ano ono ono We can see above that the endings are slightly different in the three conjugations. Having such specific endings for each given subject is fundamental in Italian, because in the majority of cases, the subject in Italian is implied. In English we are obliged to mention the subject every time before a verb: I sing; he loves; we sleep. But in Italian we don’t need to do so. By simply saying, canto, ama, dormiamo, it is enough to tell us who the subject is. We’re able to understand that the subject must be “io” in the first case, because no other ending is –o except the one for the first singular person; in the second case must be a third singular person, because in no other case we have an ending in -a; in the last case must be first plural person, -iamo.
IL PRESENTE INDICATIVO – THE PRESENT INDICATIVE TENSE
In Italian, the Present Tense is used in three cases: 1. For repeated actions: Ex: Vado a lavoro tutti i giorni I go to work every day 2 . For actions about to happen (English –ing): Ex: Vado a fare la spesa! I’m going grocery shopping! 3 . To ask questions in the present, without changing he structure of the sentence, but simply by adding a question mark at the end: Ex: Oggi vai al lavorare? Are you going to work today? (Without the question mark, the same sentence would merely be a statement.)
Particularity of the third conjugation: Verbs of the third conjugation might require the cluster –isc- between the stem and the endings in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd singular person and 3rd plural person, as shown: Verb CAPIRE: Io cap-isc-o Tu cap-isc-i Lui/Lei cap-isc-e Noi capiamo Voi capite Loro cap-isc-ono
Here is a list of the most common verbs with this particularity: Cap-ire (To understand), Costru-ire (To build), Finire (To finish), Imped-ire (To prevent), Infastid-ire (To annoy), Prefer-ire (To prefer), Spar-ire (To disappear), Sped-ire (To send), Trad-ire (To betray), Un-ire (To put together). A. Fill in the gaps with the verb given in its infinitive form in parenthesis. 1. A colazione (io) ______sempre i biscotti (MANGIARE) 2. (Tu) ______in dio? (CREDERE) 3. Il nonno non ______piú molto bene (SENTIRE) 4. I bambini ______molto i dolci (AMARE) 5. (Noi) ______un film stasera? (VEDERE) 6. Ogni anno sulle strade ______molti incidenti collegati all’abuso di alcool (ACCADERE) 7. ______tutti nello stesso coro? (CANTARE) 8. Amanda ______troppo raramente alla mamma (SCRIVERE) 9. Marco ______almeno otto ore a notte per prevenire le rughe (DORMIRE)
B.Fill in the gaps with the verb given in its infinitive form in parenthesis. These are only verbs of the third conjugations which require the cluster –isc- 1. Parli inglese? (Io) non ______l’italiano (CAPIRE) 2. Spesso i ricchi ______la propria casa (COSTRUIRE) 3. Antonio ______di mangiare sempre per ultimo! (FINIRE) 4. I nuovi vicini ascoltano la musica ad alto volume ed ______tutti! (INFASTIDIRE) 5. (Voi) ______la pasta o la pizza? (PREFERIRE) 15. AUXILIARY VERBS: ESSERE E AVERE
Verbi ausuliari Essere (to be) and Avere (to have)
Like in English, the auxiliary verbs essere (to be) and avere (to have) are very irregular but also very common. It is therefore recommended to learn them very well. Here is the conjugation of these two verbs in their Present Tense form. ESSERE AVERE io sono io ho tu sei tu hai lui/lei è lui/lei ha noi siamo noi abbiamo voi siete voi avete loro sono loro hanno Part A. 1. Mario _____ una bella macchina. a) ha b) hai c) hanno d) avete 2. Nadine _____ una ragazza francese. a) siamo b) siete c) sono d) è 3. Antonio e Luigi ______fratelli. a) siete b) è c) sono d) siamo 4. Voi ______i miei migliori amici. a) siamo b) siete c) è d) sono 5. Noi ______una grande casa. a) hanno b) avete c) ho d) abbiamo
Part B. Choose between the correct form of either “essere” or “avere.”
- Antonio ______un mio compagno di classe. - (Io) ______italiano. - Riccardo ______una macchina nuova. - Il Signor Rossi ______un professore di italiano. - Noi ______tutti parenti. - Molti bambini africani ______poveri. - I diamanti ______molto costosi. - (Io) seguo una dieta e ora ______in forma. - La preistoria ______molto interessante. - (Tu) ______gli occhi verdi. - Io e Alessia ______sorelle gemelle. - L’America ______molto grande. - (Tu) ______molto alto. - Le autostrade ______molto pericolose. - (Noi) ______un regalo per te. - Gli inglesi ______le automobili con la guida a destra. - Il dizionario ______molte pagine. - Gli italiani ______la pizza migliore del mondo. - Mia madre ______i capelli biondi. 16. SIMPLE PREPOSITIONS
(Preposizioni Semplici)
Although it is possible to provide a close translation of each English preposition into an Italian one, it is very important to bear in mind that prepositions are used differently from a language to another. The table that follows is therefore to be considered merely indicative. DI OF A TO, AT FROM, BY, DA SINCE, TO IN IN CON WITH SU ON PER FOR BETWEEN, TRA- AMONG, FRA WITHIN Let’s see a few example of each case and get acquitted with the major differences. Di: "Di" means "of", indicating possession, or "from" (to be from). Examples: Un bicchiere di vino » A glass of wine. La città di Firenze » The city of Florence Il libro di Mario » Mario's book (literally: "the book of Mario") Io sono di Roma » I am from Rome I due ragazzi sono di Berlino » The two boys are from Berlin A: "A" means "to" (indirect object and movement) or "in", indicating location (cities and places). When preposition "a" is followed by another word starting with a vowel, for mere phonetic reasons it changes to "ad". Examples: Regalo il libro a Linda » I give the book to Linda A destra » to the right (note how in Italian the two directions have no article) Torno a Miami » I return to Miami Siamo a letto » We are in bed Tu vivi a Roma » You live in Rome Da: "Da" means "since", "from" (to “come” from, as opposed to “be” from, which would use the preposition “di”), "by" (passive) and it's used with location referring to people. Examples: Vivo a Roma da 6 anni » I've lived in Rome for 6 years Vengo da Milano » I come from Milano Questo è stato fatto da Antonio » This was made by Antonio Sono da Fabrizio » I'm at Fabrizio's In: "In" usually means "in" but also “by” when referring to modes of transportation. Examples: Ho tre caramelle in borsa » I have three candies in my bag Traverseremo il canale in gondola » We will cross the canal by gondola Vivo in Italia » I live in Italy Note: Look carefully at the last example. We use “in” followed by name of regions, nations, countries, islands; but we use “a” before name of towns. Con: "Con" means "with". Examples: Sono con te » I'm with you Ho comprato l’auto con pochi soldi » I bought the car with little money Anna era con un amico » Ana was with a friend Su: "Su" means "on(to)", "over". More rarely “about”. Examples: Il gatto è su una panchina » The cat is on a bench L'aereo vola su Pisa » The plane flies over Pisa Ho cambiato opinione su di te » I changed my mind about you Per: "Per" mainly translates the English “for”. Examples: Questo regalo è per te » This present is for you Ho un biglietto per il cinema » I have a ticket for the cinema I fiori sono per la signora » The flowers are for the lady Tra-fra: "Tra" and "fra" are interchangeable and both mean "between" or “among” or "in" followed by a time expression. Examples: Sono tra (fra) il tavolo e la sedia » I'm between the table and the chair Vengo a casa tra (fra) due minuti » I'd come home in two minutes L'autobus passerà fra (tra) due ore » The bus will pass in two hours’ time L’albero fra (tra) le due case è alto » The tree between the two houses is tall 17. COMPOUND PREPOSITIONS
(Preposizioni Articolate) When a simple preposition is followed by a definite article, it often contracts, creating one single new word, the compound preposition. Not all prepositions follow this phenomenon: con, per and tra do not. The others do, as shown in the following scheme. A DA DI IN SU IL al dal del nel sul LO allo dallo dello nello sullo L' all' dall' dell' nell' sull' I ai dai dei nei sui GLI agli dagli degli negli sugli LA alla dalla della nella sulla L' all' dall' dell' nell' sull' LE alle dalle delle nelle sulle A+il= al A+lo= allo A+i= ai A+gli+ agli A+la= alla A+le= alle Etc.
*Note how the consonant doubles: A+lo= ALLO not ALO!
As we mentioned “per,” “tra,” “fra,” and “con” remain separated from the article:
Es.: Per la strada Tra la gente Con gli amici
*However sometimes the old form “col” (con+il) can still be found. 18. WHAT TIME IS IT?
(Che ora é? Che ore sono?)
To ask the time in Italian you can wither use singular or plural: "Che ora "What hour is literally e?" it?" or "Che ore "What hours literally sono" are they?" Regardless of your choice in the question, the answer must always be plural: "They are ..." "Sono literally instead of "It is le ..." ..." Sono le due, sono le tre, sono le quattro, etc.
There are three exceptions when you use the singular instead: e mezzogiorno it's noon e l'una it's one o'clock e mezzanotte it's midnight Italians use a 24 hour system meaning that, past noon, there are two options to say the time. One o’clock pm can be “l’una” or can be “le tredici” (thirteen). Two o’clock pm can be “le due” or “le quattordici” (fourteen). The 24 hour system it is, however, more commonly used for official schedules, theaters, time tables, professional appointments, whereas common people just use the 12 hour basis.
The minutes are indicated following the hour and following the conjunction “e” (and) Sono le tre e It's three twenty five venticinque Sono le It's a quarter past quattro e four un quarto Sono le It's five thirty cinque e (literally "and a mezza/o half") Sono le It's a quarter to seven sette meno (literally seven minus un quarto a quarter) Note that “mezzo” and “mezza” are both correct. 19. IRREGULAR VERBS
(Verbi Irregolari) The verbs we’ve seen so far in the first, second and third conjugations were all regular. Regular verbs follow the given rules about conjugation (stem + ending). But there are many verbs in Italian which are irregular and in these verbs we can observe different phenomena. Some of them slightly – or completely – change their stem. Some follow a different conjugation than the one they belong to. Let’s see some of these irregulars in their Present Tense.
Verbi ausiliari ESSERE e AVERE – Auxiliary verbs to be and to have Sono Ho Sei Hai E Ha Siamo Abbiamo Siete Avete Sono Hanno
Verbi servili VOLERE, POTERE, DOVERE – modal verbs want, can, must Voglio Posso Devo Vuoi Puoi Devi Vuole Puo Deve Vogliamo Possiamo Dobbiamo Volete Potete Dovete Vogliono Possono Devono
FARE, SAPERE, STARE – to do/to make, to know, to stay/be Faccio So Sto Fai Sai Stai Fa Sa Sta Facciamo Sappiamo Stiamo Fate Sapete State Fanno Sanno Stanno ANDARE, VENIRE, RIMANERE– to go, to come, to remain Vado Vengo Rimango Vai Vieni Rimani Va Viene Rimane Andiamo Veniamo Rimaniamo Andate Venite Rimanete Vanno Vengono Rimangono
Conjugate the irregular verbs given in parenthesis in the infinitive.
1) Ogni estate Amanda ______(andare) in montagna. 2) Domani noi ______(potere) andare al mare. 3) Questa sera io non ______(venire) al ristorante con voi. 4) Che cosa ______(fare - tu) domani? 5) Come ______(stare - tu)? 6) ______(dare - voi) l'indirizzo a Linda;______(venire - noi) a trovarvi domani. 7) Questa sera io e i miei amici ______(andare) in piscina. 8) Se domani Lucia ______(stare) bene, può andare a scuola. 9) Ma ______(venire) anche loro? 10) Noi non ______(sapere) la lezione di oggi. 11) Stasera io ______(rimanere) a casa. 12) Valeria ______(dire) sempre cose brutte di tutti. 13) Voi non ______(bere) il vino? 20. THE COURTESY FORM
(La forma di cortesia)
In Italian there are two possible ways to address to a listener: the informal, la forma familiare, and the formal – or the courtesy form - la forma di cortesia. The informal is used with friends, relatives, classmates, and (usually) coworkers. The courtesy form is reserved to unknown people, personnel, shop assistants, management, elderly people, or anyone of high respect. The characteristic of the informal form is the use of the pronoun "tu" (you) and consequently the verb is conjugated in the second singular person. In the courtesy form instead, the pronoun “Lei” (She) must be used, spelled with a capital “L” as opposed to “lei” – she; this “Lei” is, in fact, used for both men and women, since it does not imply any gender designation. It is, however, a third person pronoun; therefore the verbs that follow must be correctly conjugated in the third singular person. Examples: Vieni anche tu con noi domani, Francesca? Viene anche Lei con noi domani, (signora) Francesca?
Sto venendo date. Sto venendo daLei.
Questo è il tuo cane? Questo è il suo cane? (We will talk about the possesive pronouns in the next chapter.)
Change the following sentences into the courtesy form as shown in the example. 1. Oggi sei particolarmente carina. = “Oggi è particolarmente carina.” 2. Non scrivi mai lettere? 3. Sei molto gentile. 4. Mi hai telefonato tu? 5. Sei mai stato a Roma? 6. Vuoi uscire con me sabato? 7. Sai che ore sono? 21. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
(Aggettivi Possessivi) Singolare Maschile Femminile mi-o mi-a tu-o tu-a su-o su-a nostr-o nostr-a vostr-o vostr-a lor-o lor-o Plurale Maschile Femminile mie-i mi-e tuo-i tu-e suo-i su-e nostr-i nostr-e vostr-i vostr-e lor-o lor-o The possessive pronouns indicate, as the word suggests, belonging or possession. In Italian they vary in gender and number, and must match the noun that follows. This means that they must match with the possessed thing and not the possessor. The possessive pronouns in Italian must always be preceded by the appropriate definite article, except singular members of your immediate family.
Ex: Il mio gatto My cat My Il mio cane dog La mia My car macchina
By saying “mio gatto,” “mio cane,” or “mia macchina,” and forgetting the article is wrong and cacophonic, and it is not a minor mistake! The only exception is that the article is not used when preceding singular immediate family members.
Ex: Mia madre My mother Mio padre My father Mio fratello My brother Mia sorella My sister BUT:
Ex: Le mie My sisters sorelle My I miei cugini cousins Fill in the gap with the appropriate possessive (and article!) given in English in parenthesis. 1) (My) ______figlio si chiama Mario. 2) (Your) ______cugina è molto carina. 3) (Her) ______genitori sono molto gentili. 4) (Our) ______madre cucina ogni giorno per noi. 5) (Their) ______amico è uno scrittore. 6) (My) ______fidanzata vive a Firenze. 7) (Your) ______nonni sono molto vecchi? 8) (Your) ______gatto è molto affettuoso. 9) (Our) ______figlie sono gemelle. 10) (Your, plural) ______amici hanno la macchina? 11) (His) ______scuola è famosa per i corsi di letteratura. 22. PASSATO PROSSIMO TENSE
Th e passato prossimo is a compound tense; in other words it is formed by two parts:
1. The auxiliary verb – essere o avere – suitably conjugated according to the subject; 2. The participio passato (past participle) of the main verb, which we will see how to form now.
In a direct translation this tense might sound similar to the English past perfect, but it is in fact used more like t h e simple past. Grammatically speaking, we say that the passato prossimo describes an action which started and is concluded in the past – as opposed to a continued action.
Some examples: - Mi sono iscritto I enrolled in all'universita the university - Oggi sono Today I left at uscito alle 7 7am - Dante ha scritto Dante wrote la Divina the Divine Commedia Comedy
Some verbs in the passato prossimo require the auxiliary essere, while others require avere. To review… Intransitive verbs. Intransitive are those verbs that cannot be followed by a direct object. To simplify, we could say that these correspond the verbs of movement (to go, to come, to return, etc.) but verbs of movements are the majority, not the totality of the intransitive verbs. Intransitive verbs form their passato prossimo with the auxiliary essere. Transitive verbs. Transitive are those verbs that can be followed by a direct object. Transitive verbs form their passato prossimo with the auxiliary avere.
Examples: - Sono partito da Roma This is an intransitive verb (partire, to depart) because this verb could never be followed by an object in a sentence that makes sense: you depart from somewhere, but you cannot depart something. - Antonio ha comprato una casa. This is a transitive verb (comprare, to buy) because this verb could always be followed by an object in a sentence that makes sense: what does one buy? A house, a car, a dress, etc.
When using an intransitive verb, as we said, we need to use the auxiliary verb “essere.” Therefore, we must change the last vowel of the past participle to match the gender and number of its subject. This is not to be done with the transitive verbs, verbs that use avere. Esempi: maschile (Silvio is a - Silvio é andato; masculine name) femminile - (Melanie is a Melanie é andata; woman) plural (in a - Silvio e Melanie mixed group, sono andati; masculine prevails) - Silvio ha mangiato la pizza; Melanie ha mangiato le pizza; - Silvio e Melanie hanno mangiato la pizza;
Notice that in the last three examples, we need not change the participle with regards to the gender or number of our subjects. Let’s see now how to form the Passato Prossimo. Once we have determined which auxiliary we need, we’ll have to form the past participle (participio passato) of the main verb. This is how to proceed for the three conjugations:
PRIMA CONIUGAZIONE – ARE- ATO Examples: Am - are Am - ato And - are And - ato Chiam - are Chiam - ato
SECONDA CONIUGAZIONE – ERE- UTO Esempi: Cad - ere Cad - uto Perd - ere Perd - uto Piov - ere Piov - uto
TERZA CONIUGAZIONE – IRE- ITO Esempi: Boll - ire Boll - ito Cap - ire Cap - ito Fugg - ire Fugg - ito
In each case we have: Determined which conjugation our verb belongs to; Removed the ending of the infinitive to isolate our stem; Added to the stem –ato for the first conjugation, -uto for the second and –ito for the third. 23. IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLES
There are, of course, some irregular verbs whose past participle does not respect the scheme mentioned in the last chapter. Here are some of the most common: accendere (avere) acceso aprire (avere) aperto chiedere (avere) chiesto chiudere (avere) chiuso conoscere (avere) conosciuto cuocere (avere) cotto dare (avere) dato dire (avere) detto dovere (avere) dovuto essere (essere) stato fare (avere) fatto leggere (avere) letto mettere (avere) messo morire (essere) morto nascere (essere) nato perdere (avere) perso piacere (essere) piaciuto prendere (avere) presso ridere (avere) riso rimanere (essere) rimasto rispondere (avere) risposto scendere (essere) sceso scrivere (avere) scritto spegnere (avere) spento stare (essere) stato vedere (avere) visto venire (essere) venuto vivere (avere/essere) vissuto
Exercise
Conjugate the following verbs in the passato prossimo. (Pay particular attention to the auxiliary verb)
1. Un bambino va al parco con la mamma. Un bambino______al parco con la mamma.
2. (Tu) scrivi una lettera. Tu______una lettera.
3. Anna sposa Marco. Anna______Marco.
4. Gli studenti tornano in classe. Gli studenti______in classe. 5. Il leone corre nella foresta. Il leone______nella foresta.
6. (Noi) leggiamo molti libri. (Noi)______molti libri.
7. Tu e Mario mangiate la pizza. Voi (tu e Mario)avete mangiato______la pizza.
8. Pinocchio dice molte bugie. Pinocchio______molte bugie.
9. Quanto costano questi gioielli? Quanto______questi gioielli?
10. Le mele cadono dall’albero. Le mele______dall’albero. 24. THE COMPARATIVE
(Il Comparativo)
We use a comparative to compare two or more qualities, persons, or things. The elements which are compared are called “termini di paragone.” There are three types of comparative phrases in Italian.
1. Comparativo di uguaglianza (Equality): TANTO... QUANTO...
AS... COSi... (used with AS... COME... quality and quantity) (used with Note: to quality) agree in gender and number when about quantity Esempi: - He is as tall as his brother E’ tanto alto quanto suo fratello.
- I have as many pens as books Ho tante penne quanti libri
2. Comparativo di maggioranza (Superiority):
MORE... PIU... PIU... THAN... DI... CHE...
You need to use “che” in the following cases: 1.When comparing two characteristics of the same subject. 2.When comparing two verbs. 3.When the noun or pronoun is preceded by a preposition.
Esempi: - Mario is taller than Gianni. = Mario è più alto di Gianni. BUT: - Daniela is more attractive than kind. = Daniela è più attraente che gentile. - I like reading more than watching tv. = Mi piace leggere più che guardare la televisione. - You’re more interested in soccer than in studying. = Sei più interessato al calcio che allo studio.
3. Comparativo di minoranza (Inferiority): LESS... MENO... MENO... THAN... DI... CHE... The rules about “che” are the same.
Esempi: - Mario is less tall than Gianni. = Mario è meno alto di Gianni. - This cake is less appealing than good. = Questa torta è meno invitante che buona. - I like running less than swimming.= Mi piace correre meno che nuotare. 25. THE SUPERLATIVE
(Il Superlative)
The superlative can be: 1. Superlativo relativo (relative) 2. Superlativo assoluto (absolute)
The relative superlative indicates a quality at its maximum level, in relation to other people or things. The absolute superlative indicates a quality at its maximum level, with no comparison at all.
1. Superlativo relativo. di, articolo piu aggettivo che, determinativo meno tra + + + of, definite more adjective that, article les among Esempi: - Mario è il più alto di tutti. Mario is the tallest of them all.
- Questo libro è il meno interessante fra le novità. This book is the less interesting among the new ones. - Questo film è il più noioso che ha mai visto. This is the most boring movie that I have ever watched.
2. Superlativo assoluto. - issim-o - issim-a Aggettivo + - issim-i - issim-e To form the absolute superlative we modify the adjective by adding –issim – and the appropriate vowel to match number and gender of the noun it’s referred to. In English there is no actual form equating the absolute superlative. What about the most delicious pasta or the best gelato? The absolute superlative expresses the concepts of very-very or extremely. Esempi: - Mario è alt-issim-o. Mario is “very very” tall. - Daniela è bell-issim-a. Daniela is “extremely” beautiful. - Questa mela è buon-issim-a. This apple is “very very” good. 26. THE IMPERFECT TENSE
(Tempo Imperfetto) The imperfetto tense indicates an action in the past which was continued, meaning that it lasted for a certain period of time without exact indication of its ending point. It also corresponds to the English “used to,” for actions that are repeated or habitual in the past. Last, it’s used as the preferred narrative tense, especially for tales, as in the English “once upon a time,” or in Italian, “c’era una volta.” It is formed with the same endings in all three conjugations. What is different among them is the v o c a l e tematica, the characteristic vowel of each conjugation in its infinitive form: -Are (vocale tematica “a”) – Ere (vocale tematica “e”) and – Ire (vocale tematica “I”). T he imperfetto is used much more frequently in Italian than in English.
Esempi: Fumavo un pacchetto di sigarette al giorno. I used to smoke a pack of cigarettes per day. Mangiavano sempre troppo. They always ate/used to eat too much. Volevamo andare in Italia. We wanted to go to Italy.
In all the given examples, we understand that the described action is over and/or that the situation has changed. “I used to smoke a pack of cigarettes,” tells us that maybe the person quit, or perhaps now smokes two packs a day instead of just one. What we know for sure is that smoking one pack is the action that is over, although we have no details about when exactly it ended or changed. The auxiliary verb essere is partially irregular, but avere behaves as a perfectly regular verb: ESSERE AVERE Io er-o Io av-e-vo Tu er-i Tu av-e-vi Lui/Lei av-e- Lui-Lei er-a va Noi er-a- Noi av-e-vamo vamo Voi er-a-vate Voi av-e-vate Loro er-ano Loro av-e-vano
1a, 2a e 3a coniugazione, forme regolari: Prima Seconda Terza coniugazione coniugazione coniugazione AM-ARE CRED-ERE SENT-IRE Io am-a-vo Io cred-e-vo Io sent-i-vo Tu am-a-vi Tu cred-e-vi Tu sent-i- Lui/Leiam- Lui/Leicred- Lui/Leisent- a-va e-va i-va Noi am- Noi cred- Noi sent- a-vamo e-vamo∫ i-vamo Voi am- Voi cred- Voi sent- a-vate e-vate i-vate Loro am- Loro cred- Loro sent- a-vano e-vano i-vano
Irregular verbs There are a few irregular verbs of the imperfetto. These are among the ones most used: FARE DIRE BERE Facevo Dicevo Bevevo Facevi Dicevi Bevevi Faceva Diceva Beveva Facevamo Dicevamo Bevevamo Facevate Dicevate Bevevate Facevano Dicevano Bevevano
Some adverbial expressions that are commonly used with the imperfect tense include: a volte at times giorno dopo day after day giorno sempre always tutti i giorni every day continuamente continuously once in a ogni tanto while
Exercises A. Fill in the gaps using the imperfetto. All’arrivo della polizia, i ladri non ______[ESSERE] piú in banca. Una donna, visibilmente incinta, non ______[SMETTERE] di piangere, ma ______[STARE] bene. Un uomo anziano ______[RIPETERE] “Sono andati da quella parte! Sono andati da quella parte!”. Il cassiere ______[DARE] la descrizione dei ladri: “Tutti ______[INDOSSARE] una maschera di Topolino!” L’ispettore ______[FARE] domande a tutti e ______[PRENDERE] appunti. Fortunatamente nessuno ______[ESSERE] ferito, solo una signora anziana ______bisogno di... un dentista perchè non ______[TROVARE] piú la sua dentiera (false teeth, dentures)!
B. Fill in the gaps using the imperfetto. The verbs to be used are given at the bottom without order. “Quando ero piccolo”. Quando ero piccolo ______spesso con mia nonna al parco. ______molto affascinato dai cigni che ______nel laghetto. Un cartello ______: “Non dare cibo ai cigni”, ma mia nonna ______sempre un po’ di pane secco per loro, ed il guardiano del parco, non si ______. Molti bambini ______al parco, alcune coppie ______, gli anziani ______o ______il giornale. La nonna ______un’amica che alcune volte ______al parco con noi e ______sempre dei dolci per me. Mi divertivo molto al parco, da piccolo. Adesso vado lì con i miei bambini, ma loro passano tutto il tempo con i loro vidogames.
Avere, Chiacchierare, Giocare, Portare, Dire, Essere, Andare, Nuotare, Arrabbiare, Passeggiare, Leggere, Venire, Portare. 27. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMPERFETTO AND PASSATO PROSSIMO
One of the trickiest grammar points to learn concerns when to use the passato prossimo and when to use the imperfetto. I will give you some guidelines that are very useful, but in the end you’ll need to “sense” which tense in needed. Practice, practice, practice. As we’ve seen, the passato prossimo refers to an action or event completed in the past. By “completed” we mean that the action is over and we have information about when it ended. Some examples: Carlo è arrivato. >> Carlo arrived (has arrived). Io ho bevuto abbastanza. >> I drunk (have drank) enough. Hai capito cosa è accaduto? >> Did you understand what happened?
T h e imperfetto instead refers an action which began at an undefined time in the past, continued for an undefined period, and is now over. Or more specifically we use this verb form for: 1) Habitual or repeated actions. L’anno scorso, andavo al mare ogni fine settimana. (Last year I went to the sea every weekend.) 2) Emotions, physical or mental states in the past. Ieri ero molto triste. (Yesterday I was very sad.) 3) Dates, time, age, weather in the past. Erano le sette di sera e faceva molto bello. (It was seven in the evening and the weather was very beautiful.) 4) Descriptions in the past. La piazza era grande, c’era tanta gente, ed i ristorante erano chiusi. (The square was big, there were lots of people, and the restaurants were closed.) 5) Two continuous actions at the same time in the past. Mentre leggevo, mia madre cucinava il pranzo. (While I was reading, my mother was cooking lunch.)
*And sometimes we can use both tenses in the same sentence, for example when one ongoing action is interrupted by another:
Guardavo la partita quando è arrivato mio fratello a casa. (I was watching the game when my brother arrived home.) Exercises:
Conjugate the verbs using EITHER the passato prossimo OR the imperfetto. *Hint: don’t forget to change the participle according to gender and number, if necessary.
1. ______(essere) già tardi e ______(fare) freddo. Io ______(essere) stanco, così ______(prendere) un taxi e ______(tornare) a casa. 2. Mentre ______(passeggiare) in centro ______(ho incontrato) Fabrizio. ______(andare – noi) in un pub e ______(chiacchierare) un po’. 3. Mario ______(andare) al concerto. Il violinista ______(essere) bravissimo, ma il pianista non ______(suonare) per niente bene. 4. Quando ______(essere) piccolo ______(avere) un gatto di nome Gigi. Io e Gigio ______(stare) sempre insieme. Una volta Gigio ______(sparire) per un giorno intero, e dopo qualche mese... ______(arrivare – loro) sei gattini! Così ______(capire – io) che Gigio ______(essere) femmina. 5. Molti anni fa mio padre ______(vendere) formaggi in paese. I formaggi ______(essere) di ottima qualitá, e così mio padre ______(diventare) molto conosciuto. Pochi anni dopo ______(comprare – lui) un piccolo negozio e lì un giorno______(incontrare) mia madre, che ______(essere) una cliente. 28. THE SIMPLE FUTURE
(Futuro semplice)
“All’alba vinceró....! Vinceró...! Vinceró...!” “At dawn, I will win!” goes the famous aria from Turandot. Vinceró is a form of the verb vincere in its futuro semplice tense.
In Italian, just like in English, the simple future tense refers to actions that are yet to happen. It is important to remind you, however, that Italians, especially in the spoken language, prefer to use the present tense to describe actions that will happen very soon. “Domani non vado a lavoro,” literally “tomorrow I don’t go to work” is not only perfectly acceptable, but in fact preferable in the spoken language than “domani non andró a lavoro.” The latter is grammatically more precise and should probably be used in formal writing. The futuro semplice is formed, for the regular verbs, as shown in the charts below. The accent on the last vowels of the first and third singular person, is a characteristic unique to this tense. The auxiliary verbs “essere” and “avere” are, of course, irregular… ESSERE AVERE Io sar-ò Io avr-o Tu sar-ai Tu avr-ai Lui/Lei sar-a Lui/Lei avr-a Noi sar-emo Noi avr-emo Voi sar-ete Voi avr-ete Loro sar-anno Loro avr-anno A coincidence can be useful to our memory: although the verbs “essere” and “avere” belong to two different conjugations (-ere and –are), they have the same endings in the futuro semplice.
Futuro semplice, 1st, 2nd and 3rd conjugation, regular: AM-ARE CRED-ERE SENT-IRE Io am- Io cred-erò Io sent-irò ero Tu am – Tu cred- Tu sent- erai erai irai Lui/Leiam Lui/Leicred- Lui/Leisent- – erà erà irà Noi am Noi cred- Noi sent- – eremo eremo iremo Voi am Voi cred- Voi sent- – erete erete irete Loro am Loro cred- Loro sent- – eranno eranno iranno Each conjugation maintain its vocale tematica with the exception of the first, where “–a” is changed into “- e.”
T h e futuro semplice counts a fair number of irregular verbs. These verbs are subject to phenomena of contractions or other modifications of their stem, whereas the endings remain as shown above. - Modal verbs volere, potere and dovere are all irregular in the future: Volere: io vorr-ó, tu vorr-ai, lui/lei vorr-á... Potere: io potr-ó, tu potr-ai, lui/lei potr-á... Dovere: io dovr-ó, tu dovr-ai, lui/lei dovr-á... - Two common verbs of movement also modify their stem: Andare: io andr-ó, tu andr-ai, lui/lei andr-á Venire: io verr-ó, tu verr-ai, lui/lei verr-á - The verb fare does not follow the rule of the change of the vocale tematica: Fare: io far-ó, tu far-ai, lui/lei far-á
Exercise: futuro semplice
Fill in the gaps using the future tense of the verbs given at the infinitive in parenthesis. The subject is also given, when misunderstandable.
1. Se non ______(tornare - tu) tardi stasera ______(andare-noi) a fare una passeggiata. 2. Se non ______(studiare - tu) di più, non ______(superare - tu) l’esame. 3. Quando ______(arrivare) gli ospiti? 4. L’anno prossimo ______(andare – noi) in vacanza in Marocco. 5. Un giorno mia figlia ______(sposare) una principe. 6. I bambini ______(venire) in macchina con noi? 7. ______(dovere – io) risparmiare molto per comprare un’auto nuova! 8. Quando ______(iniziare-voi) il corso di lingua italiana? 9. Non ______(comprare - noi) mai piú in quel negozio: le commesse sono troppo maleducate! 29. THINK LIKE AN ITALIAN
When learning to speak a new language, you must strive to “forget” your native tongue—at least temporarily. As I’ve mentioned, spending time in Italy and speaking only Italian is the best way to help you speak fluently. Short of that, you should try to think like an Italian when practicing at home, which means you will need to “take off the training wheels,” so to speak, and get rid of those helpers that are holding you back. For instance, bilingual dictionaries are a crutch and their use should be limited. Use them while studying, but not while practicing. Indeed, “translating” in general won’t work, and that goes for grammar rules, too. Every language has rules and forms, which are unique and often “illogical” when compared to English (of course, Italians say the same thing about our language). If you want to speak with competence, translating back and forth in your head before speaking or reading is a technique which will ultimately impede your progress and indeed may paralyze you completely. So you must let go of the fear of making mistakes. In the beginning, your goal should only be to communicate and don’t get too hung up on the grammar. Focus on the grammar while studying, but try to “forget it” while speaking. You really don’t want to sound as if you have a PhD in Italian grammar, because not only will you never accomplish that, but there are very few Italians who speak that way in their own language. I often make up random sentences in my mind while sitting in traffic or doing household chores. Just get your brain working in Italian, even if your vocabulary is limited. The next step is having the courage to open your mouth and feel the tempo of the language as it rolls off your tongue. It’s a lot like taking dance lessons. You can take lessons from an expert, with those cut-out feet and numbers on the floor to show you the steps, but without rhythm you will never get it right. In this way, rhythm is also helpful in Italian—try to “feel” the tempo as you speak. It’s a very musical language, after all. Memorizing scripted responses when learning a foreign language does not work, either—at least not in the long run. (Although one could argue that it’s not a bad place to start). The majority of the textbooks for the beginners have several pages of dialogue. But what if you ask a person one of the questions from that dialogue and they don’t answer according to the dialogue you memorized? It has happened to me! Memorizing scripts is OK in the very beginning, but eventually you’ll have to learn how to formulate original sentences in Italian just as you can in English. The sooner you can do this, the better. Of course, your sentences will be basic in the beginning and that’s OK. Start with three or four word phrases— subject, verb, object, adjective —and build from there. For example, “I prefer the red wine.” = “(Io) Preferisco il vino rosso.” String a few of these simpler phrases in a row and now you have a compound sentence. “In general, I prefer red wine with meat, but white wine with fish.” “In generale, preferisco il vino rosso con la carne ma il vino bianco con il pesce.” Pretty soon you’ll surprise yourself by sounding like a fluent speaker. Not very frequently at the beginning, but this will happen often enough to give you a little encouragement to keep on pushing forward! 30. TRANSLATED GROUPINGS
These are great to know, because with them, you can “figure out” many words that you haven’t yet committed to memory. Included are typical examples, but there are many other cases where the exact same rule applies. Try to figure out some more on your own. Write them down and then check yourself in a dictionary. Do this exercise once in a while and pretty soon you’ll start coming up with words in Italian that are correct more often than not.
‘ive‘ = ‘ivo‘ (e.g. positive = positivo) ‘ary‘ = ‘ario‘ (e.g. necessary = necessario) ‘ous‘ = ‘oso‘ (e.g religious = religioso) ‘y‘ ending = ‘ia‘ (e.g. copy = copia) ‘y‘ in the middle = ‘i‘ (e.g. system = sistema) ‘ion‘ = ‘ione‘ (e.g. television = televisione) ‘al‘ = ‘ale‘ (e.g. natural = naturale) ‘ty‘ = ‘tá‘ (e.g. ability = abilitá) ‘tion‘ = ‘zione‘ (e.g. station – stazione) ‘ble‘ =‘bile‘ (e.g. impossible = impossibile) ‘x‘ = ‘s‘ (e.g. exam = esame) ‘ly‘ = ‘mente‘ (e.g. probably = probablimente) ‘nce‘ = ‘nza‘ (e.g. ambulance = ambulanza) ‘ph’ = ‘f‘ (e.g. photograph = fotografia) ‘th‘ = ‘t‘ (e.g. theatre – teatro) ‘ct‘ = ‘tt‘ (e.g. contract = contratto) ‘dv‘ in the middle = ‘vv‘ (e.g. adventure = avventura) ‘dm‘ in the middle = ‘mm‘ (e.g. administration = amministrazione) 31. SOME COGNATES
These are also useful to know because you can clearly see the relationship between the Italian word and the English word. But be careful—the many false friends are waiting to catch you in this trap!
dizionario—dictionary farmacia—pharmacy intelligente—intelligent mercato—market museo—museum necessario—necessary oceano—ocean onesto—honest stazione—station teatro—theater accompagnare—to accompany creare—to create dividere—to divide studiare—to study telefonare—to telephone 32. IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS AND FALSE FRIENDS
We have to accept that many words and phrases just don’t translate well—and some don’t translate at all! You can’t always substitute word for word and expect to get a logical result. This is another example of where culture meets language and it’s important to recognize these situations so that you can let go of your own cultural certainties and learn to “think” in another language.
Idiomatic expressions We all know that when we say “It’s raining cats and dogs,” there are no Chihuahua puppies or Persian kittens responsible for the traffic jam on the highway. This is the definition of an idiomatic expression: a phrase that makes no sense in its literal meaning, but it describes something that we’ve conventionally agreed upon as a culture. The funny part comes when these nonsense phrases, which after years and years are taken as absolutes, are literally translated into another language to the confusion (and/or amusement) of our listener. For example, in Italy it never rains like cats and dogs. Instead, it rains like little sheep. Huh? Your Italian friend might “not see the hour” (non vedo l’ora) until he meets you again; or, in idiomatic English, “he can’t wait.” If he’s a bit upset at his co- worker who likes to show off, he might tell him to “lower his wings” (abbassare le ali). If he tells you that “you went to Rome and did not see the Pope,” don’t waste time explaining that you haven’t had a chance to visit The Vatican yet; he’s just telling you that you’ve neglected something very important. If he fails a test, he’s obviously “gone white.” But if he cheated, he knows that he has “a tail made of straw.” The list is endless. So don’t worry if some things “ have no sense” (n o n hanno senso) in the beginning, because sooner or later, they will make sense (as we say in English).
False Friends And now for the dreaded “false friends.” There are many of them between our two languages and they present many opportunities for humorous misunderstandings. Let’s look at a few of them. Actually. It sounds very similar to “attualmente,” and it probably derives from the same root word, except in Italian, “attualmente” means “at the present time.” Eventually. Similar to “eventualmente” but instead of “sooner or later” (which is “primo o poi”), in Italian it means “in case,” or “in the event of.” Corpse. Sounds a lot like “corpo,” which in Italian is simply a “body.” In English, reporting “a dead corpse” to the police would be redundant. Not so in Italian. Cream. So close to “crema.” When asking for “cream” an Italian probably wants custard. “Panna,” is the Italian word for the cream that goes on top of your gelato—“whipped” cream. Definitely. Definitivamente: that means forever, definitively. NOT definitely. Stranger. I know some Italians who have a lot of “stranger” friends. What they mean to say is “foreign” friends. Hopefully they count me among the latter group. Straniero means foreigner in Italian, while a stranger is “sconosciuto.” So don’t be offended if they say that you’re strange. Magazine. Magazzino: which means a department store or warehouse. “Rivista” is the word for the many gossip rags on sale at the newsstand. Factory. Fattoria. Ever heard of an assembling line in a farm? No, me either, but that’s what a “fattoria” is: a farm, not a factory. “Fabbrica,” is the word for factory, while fabric is “stoffa,” in Italian. Confused yet? OK, just one more. But it’s an important one. Preservative. Preservativo. No, no, and no! Not the chemicals that they put in your food, but rather a condom. Try not to make this mistake! Of course there are many, many more, but this list gives you a good idea of just how dangerous it can be to assume that “translating” will provide an accurate meaning for a given word or phrase. (I’ve listed some more in the appendix) But this is part of the fun. When you learn these, you sort feel like you’re privy to an inside joke. Enjoy! 33. COMMON ERRORS TO AVOID
As your lessons progress and your Italian improves, there may still be a few mistakes that you just can’t seem to stop making. Sometimes those particular Italian lessons just didn’t stick in your mind. For some people it’s verb conjugation and for others it might be getting the gender and number consistently right. Here are a few others among the common mistakes made by English speakers, which will make them stick out in a crowd no matter how good their vocabulary of Italian words. It is not unusual for English speakers to have a problem pronouncing double consonants in Italian. Unlike English, and because Italian is a phonetic language, you must always pronounce both consonants. If it will make it easier for you, say it and then write it, say it again and write it again. This will prevent you from asking for punishment, which is pena instead of a pen, which is penna. When an American says the word “butter,” it sounds like “buder.” Then listen to an Italian pronounce English words like “butter,” or “happy,” or “sunny.” They pronounce both of the double consonants quite distinctly in every case. It can be very “fun-ny” to listen to, but you have to admit that they have a point. For those students who are studying English as their second language, it may seem as if there is no rhyme or reason for the use of prepositions. And for those of us who are studying Italian, we have the identical challenge. As a student of Italian, you will need to reconcile the fact that, just as in English, there are few rules and many exceptions when it comes to the use of prepositions in Italian. Really, the only way to learn this is by memorization and practice. There are no shortcuts here, unfortunately. Consequently, mistakes with prepositions is something that you’ll likely struggle with even as an upper- intermediate speaker. It’s one of the last pieces to fall into place. Fortunately, it doesn’t often interfere with communication, only with accuracy. You are still understood even if you miss a preposition here or there. Italians will use body language and hand gestures to emphasis a point and add just a little more meaning that the word or phrase is missing on its own. Since you don’t want to be mistaken for the indifferent, non-native Italian, learn a few Italian hand gestures and other nonverbal responses. Furthermore, never underestimate the power of these gestures in Italy. We all know the old joke, which goes: How do you make an Italian shut up? Tie their hands behind their back! (This is only a slight exaggeration.) And while spoken dialects are greatly variable throughout Italy, the gestures are fairly universal. Indeed, many Italians are often shocked when they learn that the gestures aren’t an absolute, common to all languages around the world. In Italy, gestures are to enhance, underline, or in a better word, improve communication. It’s one thing to merely say, “What are you looking at?” versus the same phrase accompanied by the appropriate gesture. In fact, often times the gesture given without the accompanying phrase carries more weight, more contextual significance. So keep that in mind when someone is giving you a gesture while not actually speaking. Upon asking an American the colors of the flag of Italy, most will tell you rosso, bianco, e verde, which means red, white and green. Even though the colors are correct, the order in which they were said will sound grating to most native Italian ears. (It should be green, white, and red.) If someone said the colors of the American flag were blue, white and red, it would sound the same to us as using the red, white and green is to the Italians. We have had the red, white and blue so ingrained into our society and into our language that saying the colors of our flag in any other way is just not the same. This merely underscores once again the subtleties of language beyond just the words themselves. In America, when the winter months fade away and the spring and summer starts warming up, you will see many Americans dining outside whether it is at home or in a restaurant. Many restaurants have outside setting areas and as Americans we refer to this as dining al fresco. When you make you next trip to Italy and arrive at your favorite restaurant for lunch, the hostess will ask you if you want to dine indoors or outdoors. Then she might snicker if you tell her you want to dine al fresco. In Italian the word al fresco means in the cooler, which is also a slang term for being in jail or prison. If you wish to dine on the patio of a restaurant in Italy you will be better off using the term all’aperto or all’aria aperta or even just fuori, “outside.” Humor and proverbs are probably the most difficult to learn when learning a foreign language. Many times they are idiomatic and usually reflect the culture. For instance Italian proverbs are often agrarian or nautical in nature due to the country’s background. Consider this English proverb “The early bird catches the worm.” An Italian proverb which reflects the same meaning is “Chi dorme non piglia pesci”, which means “He who sleeps doesn’t catch any fish.” Or how about when something costs “un occhio della testa,” an eye of the head, instead of “an arm and a leg?” Wishing someone good luck in English is sometimes expressed as “Break a leg.” In Italian it’s, “In bocca al lupo,” in the mouth of the wolf. Why? Who knows where these colorful phrases come from! By learning proverbs and idiomatic expressions, one learns about the language—but also the traditions and the culture. Remember, it all evolved simultaneously. SUMMARY
I want to commend you because this is a very admirable, but challenging goal that you’ve set out for yourself. Learning a new language as an adult is not easy and you should never underappreciate the effort required. However it will enrich your life in many ways, even beyond the practical advantages of speaking another language. Bravi! If you’re just starting out and you’re committed to the process, you’ll notice that improvement comes rather quickly at first. Of course, you’ll eventually reach a plateau when you feel like you just can’t make any progress for weeks at a time. Psychologically, this the most difficult phase, when you must continue to push yourself even when it seems like you’re going nowhere fast. But don’t get discouraged. Even though it seems like you’re not progressing, in a way you are. Your brain is collecting information at this stage, but it hasn’t yet processed it. Once it does, the new material will suddenly pop into your head one day and you’ll say something out loud in Italian that you didn’t even realize that you knew. This is one of the most satisfying moments in language acquisition. Remember that feeling, and use it to motivate you to keep pushing forward during the frustrating stages. Let me summarize and reiterate a few important tips to keep in mind while learning Italian. Find a method that you like and make sure you stick to it. Establishing a routine is important because it will encourage you to study when you don’t feel like it. Always have your baseline routine to fall back on when the motivation is low and you just want a little guidance to keep the schedule moving along. Let this default method— whether it be this book, an online program, or a podcast—act as your taskmaster, relieving you of self- inflicted discipline. That said, you need to mix it up if you want to see any significant gains. While your routine will provide an overall structure, don’t allow it to become more than 50-75% of your language practice. Watch movies, read books, and chat with online friends. YouTube has some instructional videos and Netflix offers many Italian movies which you can watch for free (unlimited) with a subscription. At some point you’ll need to find some “live” partners to practice with. If there are any Italian folks living in your area, then you might be able to work out a language exchange. As I mentioned before, Meetup.com is an excellent place to start your search. And also look into your local college for adult learning programs. Many offer foreign language courses at very reasonable prices. Finding other Italian learners is valuable, too. Whether you are the person at the higher or lower level, it really doesn’t matter. In both scenarios there is an opportunity to increase your knowledge and confidence, either by playing the role of the teacher or student. But naturally, the ultimate learning opportunity comes when you arrive in Italy and are forced to use the Italian that you’ve learned. There’s nothing quite like the first time that you order lunch in another language—and they understand you! Above all, have fun while you are learning. Make the lessons enjoyable. While you are out with friends include your Italian lessons by naming the Italian words for what you see. Go to the local pizzeria (not the chains, obviously) and see if anyone there is from Italy. Find some songs that you like and memorize the lyrics. Bring some language CDs along in your car to listen to on the way to work each day. I did this for about a year or so and found it to be a great way to learn vocabulary and short phrases. (And just ignore the other drivers who are giving you funny looks for talking to yourself.) Be realistic about your expectations. Don’t set your goals so high that they are unattainable. Failing to meet the deadline you set for yourself will only discourage you. Expect to forget a lot of what you have learned. “Two steps forward, one step back,” is the normal pattern for language learning. Remember progress is never steady, you will find you will learn more some days than others. It’s okay. And it’s always exciting on that occasional day when it all suddenly comes to you so clearly and you feel that you’re almost “there.” Just don’t feel too bad when the next day you can’t even remember how to say, “Buongiorno!” Learn at least one new word every session and try to write them down when you’re able. Keeping a notebook for new words is a very good idea. Learning vocabulary by topics is a great idea, too: days of the week, numbers, but also names of animals, clothing, etc. Studying a foreign language is a psychological game. You need to feel like you are getting somewhere or you will want to quit. By learning a new word every lesson or every day, you will feel like you are progressing, even if it is slowly. The vocabulary should be built upon constantly, even while you’re focusing on other goals such as grammar or pronunciation. Once you’ve become “functional,” the vocabulary will be your biggest obstacle to fluency. But it takes a long time for that, so be patient with yourself. Establish some long term goals and tuck them away. Don’t focus on them every day, but check yourself once in a while to see how it’s going. Instead, focus on improving communication over “mastering” the language. It’s an important difference when it comes to your mindset. Concentrating on “the language” can often hamper you when it comes to communicating. Don’t let that happen. Just open your mouth, employ the appropriate gestures, and “Talk Like an Italian!” ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rick Zullo is an American traveler, teacher, and writer. He was born in Chicago, raised in Florida, and now resides in Rome. After stints in Bologna and Venice, he arrived in the Caput Mundi during the summer of 2010 where he immediately fell in love with the city…and one of its citizens, who is now his wife. (And his Italian teacher.)
Dear Reader, Thank you for buying and reading my book. I hope that you find it both useful and enjoyable. If so inspired, please leave a comment or question on my blog at: rickzullo.com Or “Like” my Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RicksRome You can also follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RickZullo1 Ciao! Rick ITALIAN SURVIVAL PHRASES
Greetings Salve! – Hello! Pronto! – Hello! (When you answer the phone) Ciao! – Hi! or Good bye! Buon giorno! –Good morning/Good Day! Buon pomeriggio – Good afternoon! (used rarely) Buona sera! – Good evening! Buona notte! – Good night! Come sta? – How are you (formal)? Come stai? – How are you (informal)? Come va? – How’s it going? Ci sentiamo bene – We’re feeling (doing) fine. Va bene, grazie – Fine, thanks
Introductions Another part of the essential phrases for travelers is the introduction. Here is a list of introductions in Italian along with the English counterpart. Mi chiamo Michele – My name is Michael Piacere di conoscerLa – Pleased to meet you (formal) Piacere di conoscerti – Nice to meet you (informal) Questa è mia moglie – This is my wife Questo è mio marito – This is my husband Come si chiama? – What is your name? (formal) Come ti chiami? – What is your name? (informal) Di dov’e? – Where are you from? (formal) Di dove sei? – Where are you from? (informal) Dove lavora/lavori? – Where do you work? (formal/informal) Che cosa studia/studi? – What are you studying? (formal/informal) Lei abita qui? – Do you live here? (formal) (Tu) abiti qui? – Do you live here? (informal) Siamo qui da una settimana – We’ve been here for a week
How to Ask Questions in Italian This is a quick “how to” instruction on how to ask the right questions in Italian. 1. When questions are asked beginning with a questioning word, the subject is usually placed at the end of the sentence, if you need to define the subject. Example: Quando guarda la TV Michele? – When does Michael watch TV? But if I’m talking to “you,” then you don’t need to mention the subject. Example: Quando guardi la TV? 2. Chi? Means Who? Or Whom? 3. To ask Which (one) or Which (ones) use Quale (singular)? Or Quali (Plural)? 4 . Che: means What? Or What kind of? 5. If you are asking about How much? Or How many? Use Quanto/a/i/e? 6. Come? Indicates How? 7. To ask Why? Use Perchè? Then you also use the same word for the reply, “Because…” 8. (Che cosa è, cos’è) says in English What is it? Dove? means Where? A few more tips when forming a question in Italian: 1 . Che and cosa are abbreviated forms of che cosa. The forms are interchangeable, you can use one or the other, and they can also go together, “che cosa?” 2. As with all adjectives, the questioning adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, except for che, which stays the same; it is invariable. 3. Prepositions such as a, di, da, in, su, tra, con, and per always precede the questioning “che?” In Italian, a question will never end with a preposition. VOCABULARY LISTS
Casa – Home
Casa >> Home, house Appartamento >> Apartment Soggiorno >> Living room Divano >> Sofa Poltrona >> Armchair Tavolino >> Coffee table Tappeto >> Carpet Quadro >> Painting Televisore >> Television Scaffale >> Shelf Cucina >> Kitchen FrigoriferoFridge Congelatore >> Refrigerator Fornelli >> Stove Lavandino >> Sink Tavolo >> Table Sedia >> Chair Credenza >> Cupboard Camera da letto >> Bedroom Cameretta >> Kids’ room Camera degli ospiti >> Guest room Letto >> Bed Letto singolo >> Single bed Letto matrimoniale >> Double bed Cuscino >> Pillow Materasso >> Mattress Armadio >> Closet Cassettiera >> Chest of Drawers Cassetto >> Drawer Comodino >> Bedside table Lampada >> Lamp Bagno >> Bathroom Vasca da bagno >> Bathtub Doccia >> Shower Lavandino >> Sink Bidet >> Bidet Accappatoio >> Robe Asciugamano >> Towel Tappetino >> Rug Specchio >> Mirror Sapone >> Soap
Abbigliamento – Clothing
Vestito >> Dress, but also man’s suit Gonna >> Skirt Minigonna >> Miniskirt Pantaloni >> Pants Pantaloncini >> Shorts, hot pants Jeans >> Jeans Maglietta >> T-shirt Canottiera >> Tank Camicia >> Shirt Maglia >> Blouse Maglione >> Sweater Giacca >> Jacket Cappotto >> Coat Manica lunga >> Long sleeve Manica corta >> Short sleeve Mezza manica >> Half sleeve Senza maniche >> Sleeveless Scollo rotondo >> Round neck Scollo quadrato >> Square neck Scollo a barchetta >> Scoop neck Scollo a vi >> V neck Collo alto >> Turtle neck Tinta unita >> Solid color A fantasia >> Print A fiori >> Flowered pattern A righe >> Strip pattern A quadri >> Square pattern Cotone >> Cotton Lana >> Wool Lino >> Linen Seta >> Silk Sciarpa >> Scarf Calzini >> Socks Reggiseno >> Bra Boxer >> Boxers Costume da bagno >> Swimsuit Due pezzi/bikini >> Bikini Un pezzo/intero >> One piece Pareo >> Beach scarf Borsa >> Bag, handbag Portafogli >> Wallet, purse Scarpe >> Shoes Sandali >> Sandals Infradito >> Flip-flop Stivali >> Boots Ballerine >> Flats Ciabatte >> Slippers Mocassini >> Moccasins Zeppe >> Wedge Decolleteè (French) >> Pumps Scarpe da ginnastica >> Sneakers Tacco alto >> High heel Tacco basso >> Short heel Senza tacco >> Flat Pelle >> Leather Tessuto >> Fabric Vernice >> Patten leather Camoscio >> Suede Cintura >> Belt Gioielli >> Jewels Anello >> Ring Orecchini >> Earrings Bracciale >> Bracelet Collana >> Necklace Spilla >> Pin Oro >> Gold Argento >> Silver Acciaio >> Stainless steel Diamante >> Diamond Orologio >> Watch, but also clock Gemelli >> Cufflinks
La famiglia – The family Padre/papá >> Father/dad Madre/mamma >> Mother/mom Fratello >> Brother Sorella >> Sister Figlio >> Son Figlia >> Daughter Cugino/a >> Cousin Nonno >> Grandfather Nonna >> Grandmother Zio >> Uncle Zia >> Aunt Marito >> Husband Moglie >> Wife Cognato >> Brother-in-law Cognata >> Sister-in-law Suocero >> Father-in-law Suocera >> Mother-in law Genero >> Son-in-law Nuora >> Daughter-in-law Nipote >> Grandchild, granddaughter, grandson, niece, nephew Patrigno >> Stepfather Matrigna >> Stepmother Fratellastro >> Stepbrother Sorellastra >> Stepsister Parente >> Relative Genitore >> Parent Famiglia allargata >> Extended family
La tavola – the table
Note: tavolo means table, referring to the furniture; tavola means table, when there’s food on it.
Piatto >> Plate, dish Piatto fondo >> Lit. deep plate, pasta bowl Piatto piano >> Lit. flat plate, plate for second course Piattino >> Small plate, for fruit or dessert Coltello >> Knife Forchetta >> Fork Cucchiaio >> Tablespoon Cucchaino >> Teaspoon Tovaglia >> Tablecloth Tovagliolo >> Napkin Bicchiere >> Glass Acqua >> Water Vino >> Wine Birra >> Beer Antipasto >> Starter; appetizer Primo piatto >> First course, i.e. pasta Secondo piatto >> Second course Contorno >> Side dish Dolce >> Dessert Caffè >> Coffee Liquore >> Liquor Amaro >> Digestive; after meal liquor Carne >> Meat Pesce >> Fish Verdura >> Vegetables Bistecca >> Steak Maiale >> Pork Vitello >> Veal Manzo >> Beef Pollo >> Chicken Calamaro >> Squid Gambero >> Shrimp Vongola >> Clam Pesce spada >> Sword fish Insalata >> Salad Olio >> Oil Butter >> Burro Aceto >> Vinegar Sale e pepe >> Salt and pepper FINAL PRACTICE EXERCISE: FINDING OUR WAY
(La stazione di Roma) Buongiorno. Un Cliente: biglietto per Venezia, per favore. Certo. Ecco. Sono Impiegato: 57 euro. Ecco la mia carta di Cliente: credito. Bene. Una firma, Impiegato: per favore. Ah, un’informazione: Cliente: c’è un ufficio cambio qui in stazione? Non sono sicuro, ma c’è una banca Impiegato: proprio qui vicino. In Piazza Garibaldi, di fronte alla statua. Grazie mille! Cliente: Arrivederci! Prego! Buona Impiegato: giornata! These vocabulary words should be pretty easy to figure out. Give them a try!
La cittá – The City Aeroporto ______Albergo ______Banca ______Bar ______Chiesa ______Cinema ______Farmacia ______Museo ______Negozio ______Ospedale ______Piazza ______Ristorante ______Scuola ______Stazione ______Supermercato ______Teatro ______Ufficio postale ______Universitá ______Via ______Zoo ______
Mezzi di trasporto – Modes of Transportation Aereo ______Autobus ______Automobile ______(Auto, macchina) Bicicletta ______(Bici) Metropolitana ______Motocicletta ______(Moto) Motorino ______Taxi ______Treno ______
Indicazioni – Directions A destra ______A sinistra ______Dritto ______Lì, lá ______Lontano ______Qui, qua ______Vicino ______
C’è...? Ci sono...? ______Dov’è...? Dove sono…? ______Ecco ______Esercizio: which things in list B do you associate with the things in list A?
A B 1. Ristorante a. Viaggio 2. Ospedale b. Animale c. 3. Scuola Cappuccino 4. Stazione d. Dottore e. 5. Aeroporto Studentessa 6. Bar f. Aereo 7. Ufficio g. Pizza prenotazioni 8. Supermercato h. Banana 9. Via i. Motorino 10. Zoo j. Treno APPENDIX
List of False Friends
(to) annoy doesn’t mean annoiare, but irritare, dar fastidio Annoiare is translated as “to bore”
Argument doesn’t mean argomento, but discussione, litigio Argomento is translated as “topic”
(to) arrange doesn’t mean arrangiare, but disporre, sistemare Arrangiare is translated as “to manage, to get by, to fix up”
(to) attend doesn’t mean attendere, but frequentare, partecipare Attendere is translated as “to wait for”
(to) bend means curvare, inchinare, piegare Bendare is translated as to bandage, blindfold
Brave doesn’t mean bravo, but coraggioso Bravo is translated as “clever, good”
Code means codice Coda is translated as” tail, or end of a line”
Commodity doesn’t mean comodità but in fact prodotta, merce a disposizione Comodità is translated as “comfort, convenience”
Comprehensive means esauriente Comprensivo is translated as “understanding, inclusive, sympathetic”
Conductor means bigliettaio del tram, direttore d'orchestra Conduttore is translated as “driver”
(to) confront means far fronte a, affrontare Confrontare is translated as “to compare”
(to) conjure means evocare, far giochi di prestigio Congiurare is translated as “to plot”
Convenient means comodo, adatto, opportuno Conveniente is translated as “good value”
Delusion means illusione Delusione is translated as “disappointment”
Diffidence means sfiducia in se stesso Diffidenza is translated as “distrust”
Disgrace doesn’t mean disgrazia, but vergogna, disonore Disgrazia is translated as misfortune
(to) divert means deviare Divertire is translated as “to amuse”
Editor means direttore (di giornali) o curatore (di libri) Editore is translated as publisher
Education doesn’t mean educazione, but rather cultura, istruzione Educazione is translated as “good manners” Effective means efficace Effettivo is translated as “real”
Fastidious means esigente, scrupoloso Fastidioso is translated as “annoying”
Fatal means mortale, funesto Fatale is translated as “inevitabile”
Fine means multa Fine is translated as “end”
Frequent doesn’t always means frequentare, but also spesso Frequentare is translated as “to attend, to see regularly, to frequent (archaic)” Gratuitous means ingiustificato Gratuito is translated as “free”
Gross doesn’t mean grosso, but grossolano, rozzo Grosso is translated as “big”
(to) guard means sorvegliare, far la guardia Guardare is translated as “to look at, to watch”
Incident means evento, episodio Incidente is translated as “accident, crash”
Inconvenient means disturbo, scomodità Sconvenienza is translated “as breach of good manners, unseemly”
Ingenuity means ingegno, abilità Ingenuità is translated as “ingenuousness”
Inhabited means abitato Inabitato is translated as “uninhabited”
Injury means ferita, danno Ingiuria is translated as “insult”
Intend doesn’t always mean intendere, but destinare Intendere is translated as “to mean, to understand, to hear” Joke means scherzo Gioco is translated “as play, game”
Lecture doesn’t mean lettura, but conferenza, lezione universitaria Lettura is translated as “reading”
Library means biblioteca Libreria is translated as “bookshop, bookcase”
Local means il bar dietro l'angolo Locale is translated as “room, hotel, bar, location, etc.”
Miser doesn’t mean misero, but avaro Misero is translated as “wretched” Misery means sofferenza Miseria is translated as “poverty”
Morbid means morboso Morbido is translated as “soft”
Obituary means necrologio Obitorio is translated as “morgue”
(to) occur means accadere, venire in mente Occorrere is translated as “to be needed”
Ostrich means struzzo Ostrica is translated as “oyster” Pace means andatura, passo Pace is translated “as peace”
Parents means genitori Parenti is translated as “relatives”
Parole means libertà per buona condotta Parole is translated as “words, promise”
Patent means brevetto Patente is translated as “licence”
Pavement doesn’t mean pavimento, but marciapiede Pavimento is translated as “floor” Physician means medico The noun fisico is translated as “physicist”
Preoccupied means assorto Preoccupato is translated as “worried”
Prepared means disposto a Preparato is translated as “well trained”
(to) pretend doesn’t mean pretendere, but “far finta” Pretendere is translated as “to claim”
Principal means preside Principale is translated as “boss or main”
(to) process means elaborare Processare is translated as “to try, to bring to trial”
Proper means appropriato, giusto Proprio is translated as “one's own, typical”
(to) realise means accorgersi; capire, accorgersi si, rendersi conto di Realizzare is translated as “to carry out, to fulfil, to achieve, to accomplish”
Record means disco, appunto Ricordo is translated as “memory, remember” Romance doesn’t mean romanzo, but “storia d'amore” Romanzo is translated as “novel”
Rumour means voce diffusa, gossip Rumore is translated as “noise”
Sane means equilibrato, ragionevole Sano is translated as “healthy, sound”
Scholar doesn’t mean scolaro, but in fact studioso, erudito Scolaro is translated as “pupil”
Society doesn’t always mean società, but alta società, associazione, confraternita Società is translated as company, firm
Spade means zappa, vanga Spada is translated as “sword”
Spectacles means occhiali Spettacoli is translated as “shows, performance”
Stamp means francobollo Stampa is translated as “the press, to print”
(to) stipulate means porre come condizione necessaria, stabilire Stipulare is translated as “to draw up” Suggestive means allusivo Suggestivo is translated as “full of atmosphere, evocative”
(to) support means sostenere, mantenere Sopportare is translated as “to bear, to stand, to support”
Sympathetic means comprensivo, compassionevole Simpatico is translated as “nice, likeable, pleasant”
Tent doesn’t mean tentare, but tenda di camping Tentare is translated as “to try, to attempt” Terrific doesn’t mean terrificante, but eccezionale, fantastico Terrificante is translated as “terrifying, frightening”
Test means prova, esame, saggio Testo is translated as “text”
Tremendous doesn’t mean tremendo, but fantastico, enorme Tremendo is translated as “dreadful, terrible, awful”
Trivial means banale, futile, di poca importanza, superficiale, leggero Triviale is translated as “vulgar, obscene” Vacancy means posto di lavoro disponibile Vacanza is translated as “vacation or holiday”
Vicious means brutale Vizioso is translated as “bad, dissolute”
Vile means orribile, brutto Vile is translated as “cowardly”
Villan means “il cattivo” Villano is translated as “lout, peasant, rude” ANSWERS TO PRACTICE QUESTIONS
Chapter 9 1—C; 2—D; 3—D; 4—C; 5—C; 6— D; 7—A
Chapter 10 1—calda; 2—simpatica; 3—colorate; 4—buona; 5—bianco; 6—magra; 7— educati; 8—timidi; 9—moderno; 10— alto; 11—pigri; 12—azzurro; 13— medici; 14—matura
Chapter 11 A.(variable)
B. 213: duecentotredici 1,977: millenovecentosettantasette 12,865: dodicimilaottocentosessantacinque 524,329: cinquecentoventiquattromilatrecentoventinove 1,250,326: un milione duecentocinquantamilatrecentoventisei 92,325,424 novantadue milioni trecentoventicinquemilaquattrocentoventiquattro 4,786,755,233: quattro miliardi settecentottantasei milioni settecentocinquantacinquemiladuecentotrentatre
C. 04/03/1843: il quattro marzo milleottocentoquarantatre 14/4/1912: il quattordici aprile millenovecentododici 25/07/1963: il venticinque luglio millenovecentosessantatre 14/01/1977: il quattordici gennaio millenovecentosettantasette 31/08/2013: il trentuno agosto duemilatredici
Chapter 13
Part A. 1—mangio; 2—credi; 3—sente; 4— amano; 5—vediamo; 6—accadono; 7— cantate; 8—scrive; 9—dorme
Part B. 1—capisco; 2—costruiscono; 3— finisce; 4—infastidiscono; 5—preferite
Chapter 14
Part A. 1—a; 2—d; 3—c; 4—b; 5—d
Part B. Antonio è un mio compagno di classe. (Io) sono italiano. Riccardo ha una macchina nuova. Il Signor Rossi è un professore di italiano. Noi siamo tutti parenti. Molti bambini africani sono poveri. I diamanti sono molto costosi. (Io) seguo una dieta ed ora sono in forma. La preistoria è molto interessante. (Tu) hai gli occhi verdi. Io e Alessia siamo sorelle gemelle. L’America è molto grande. (Tu) Sei molto alto. Le autostrade sono molto pericolose. (Noi) Abbiamo un regalo per te. Gli inglesi hanno le automobili con la guida a destra. Il dizionario ha molte pagine. Gli italiani hanno la pizza migliore del mondo. Mia madre ha i capelli biondi.
Chapter 18 1—va; 2—possiamo; 3—vengo; 4— fai; 5—stai; 6—Date, veniamo; 7— andiamo; 8—sta; 9—vengono; 10— sappiamo; 11—rimango; 12—dice; 13 —bevete
Chapter 19 1. Given 2. Non scrive mai lettere? 3. È molto gentile, Lei. 4. Mi ha telefonato, Lei? 5. È mai stato a Roma, Lei? 6. Vuole uscire con me sabato? 7. Sa che ore sono? Chapter 20
1—Mio; 2—Tua; 3—I suoi; 4— Nostra; 5—Il loro; 6—La mia; 7—I tuoi; 8—Il tuo; 9—Le nostre; 10—I vostri; 11 —La sua
Chapter 22
1. Un bambino va al parco con la mamma. Un bambino èandato al parco con la mamma.
2. (Tu) scrivi una lettera. Tu hai scritto una lettera.
3. Anna sposa Marco. Anna ha sposato Marco.
4. Gli studenti tornano in classe. Gli studenti sono tornati in classe.
5. Il leone corre nella foresta. Il leone ha corso nella foresta.
6. (Noi) leggiamo molti libri. (Noi) abbiamo letto molti libri.
7. Tu e Mario mangiate la pizza. Voi (tu e Mario) avete mangiato la pizza.
8. Pinocchio dice molte bugie. Pinocchio ha detto molte bugie. 9. Quanto costano questi gioielli? Quanto hanno costati questi gioielli?
10. Le mele cadono dall’albero. Le mele sono cadute dall’albero.
Chapter 25 A. Fill in the gaps using the imperfetto. Quando la polizia arrivò, i ladri non erano piú in banca. Una donna, visibilmente incinta, non smetteva di piangere, ma stava bene. Un uomo anziano ripeteva: “Sono andati da quella parte! Sono andati da quella parte!”. Il cassiere dava la descrizione dei ladri: “Tutti indossavano una maschera di Topolino!” L’ispettore faceva domande a tutti e prendeva appunti. Fortunatamente nessuno era ferito, solo una signora anziana aveva bisogno di... un dentista perchè non trovava piú la sua dentiera!
B. Fill in the gaps using the imperfetto. The verbs to be used are given at the bottom without order. “Quando ero piccolo”. Quando ero piccolo andavo spesso con mia nonna al parco. Ero molto affascinato dai cigni che nuotavano nel laghetto. Un cartello diceva: “Non dare cibo ai cigni”, ma mia nonna portava sempre un po’ di pane secco per loro, ed il guardiano del parco, non si arrabbiava. Molti bambini giocavano al parco, alcune coppie passeggiavano, gli anziani chiacchieravano o leggevano il giornale. La nonna aveva un’amica che alcune volte veniva al parco con noi e portava sempre dei dolci per me. Mi divertivo molto al parco, da piccolo. Adesso vado lì con i imiei bambini, ma loro passano tutto il tempo con i loro videogames. Avere, Chiacchierare, Giocare, Portare, Dire, Essere, Andare, Nuotare, Arrabbiare, Passeggiare, Leggere, Venire, Portare.
Chapter 27 1—tornerai, andremo; 2—studierai, supererai; 3—arriveranno; 4—andremo; 5—sposerá; 6—verranno; 7—dovró; 8 —inizierete; 9—compreremo
Chapter 27 Conjugate the verbs using EITHER the passato prossimo OR the imperfetto.
1. Era già tardi e faceva freddo. Io ero stanco, così h o preso un taxi e sono tornato a casa. 2. Mentre passeggiavo in centro ho incontrato Fabrizio. Siamo andati in un pub e abbiamo chiacchierato un po’. 3. Mario è andato al concerto. Il violinista era bravissimo, ma il pianista non ha suonato per niente bene. 4. Quando ero piccolo avevo un gatto di nome Gigi. Io e Gigio stavamo sempre insieme. Una volta Gigio è sparito per un giorno intero, e dopo qualche mese sono arrivati sei gattini! Così ho capito che Gigio era femmina. 5.Molti anni fa mio padre vendeva formaggi in paese. I formaggi erano di ottima qualitá, e così mio padre è diventato molto conosciuto. Pochi anni dopo ha comprato un piccolo negozio e lì un giorno hai incontrato mia madre, che era una cliente. FINAL PRACTICE EXERCISE
La cittá >> The City Aeroporto >> airport Albergo >> hotel Banca >> bank Bar >> (coffee) bar Chiesa >> church Cinema >> cinema, movie theater Farmacia >> pharmacy Museo >> museum Negozio >> store Ospedale >> hospital Piazza >> public square Ristorante >> restaurant Scuola >> school Stazione >> station Supermercato >> supermarket Teatro >> theater Ufficio postale >> post office Universitá >> university Via >> roadway Zoo >> zoo
Mezzi di trasporto >> Modes of Transportation Aereo >> airplane Autobus >> bus Automobile >> car Bicicletta >> bicycle Metropolitana >> subway/underground Motocicletta >> motorcycle Motorino >> scooter Taxi >> taxi Treno >> train
Indicazioni >> Directions A destra >> to the right A sinistra >> to the left Dritto >> straight Lì, lá >> there Qui, qua >> here Lontano >> far Vicino >> near
C’è...? Ci sono...? >> Is there? >> Are there? Dov’è...? Dove sono…? >> Where is? >> Where are? Ecco! >> There (it is)!
Esercizio: which things in list B do you associate with the things in list A? A B 11. Ristorante = g a Viaggio 12. Ospedale = d b. Animale c. 13. Scuola = e Cappuccino 14. Stazione = j d. Dottore e. 15. Aeroporto = f Studentessa 16. Bar = c f. Aereo 17. Ufficio g. Pizza prenotazioni = a 18. Supermercato = h. Banana h 19. Via = i i. Motorino 20. Zoo = b j. Treno