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The Italian Alphabet and Pronunciation
The Italian Alphabet and Pronunciation
Consonant Pairs
CH GH RR SS ZZ SCI or SCE SCA, SCU, SCHI or SCHE GN GU before I or E is pronounced as a ck sound as in click before I or E is pronounced as a hard g sound as in gallop is "trilled" more than a single R is pronounced more like the S in English as in summer as in pizza is pronounced as an SH sound as in sheet
is pronounced as SK in ski almost always has the pronunciation of the NY combination as in vineyard is pronounced like a GW sound as in language
Articles in Italian
DEFINITE ARTICLE ("articolo determinativo"):
in italian has a number of different forms, depending on whether the noun it accompanies is masculine or feminine, singular or plural. It also changes its form according to the initial letters of the word that follows it. MASCULINE SINGULAR, before: single consonant: double consonants: vowels: MASCULINE PLURAL, before: single consonants: double consonants: vowels: i "i denti" <the teeth> <the boots> gli "gli stivali" il l' "il teatro" "l'orso" <the theater> <the bear> lo "lo specchio" <the mirror>
FEMININE SINGULAR, before: consonants: vowels: FEMININE PLURAL: invariably: le "le regole" <the rules> la "la casa" l' "l' anima" <the house> <the soul>
"Z" and "X" count as double consonants ("DS" and "KS"). "Lo" and "la" elide (lose their vowels and take an apostrophe) before words beginning with a vowel. Definite articles are used with nouns which are abstract, general or collective: "la vita" <life>; "l'oro" <gold>; "la gente" <people>. They are used with parts of the body and articles of clothing, where English would use a possessive adjective: "le mani" <her hands>; "le scarpe" <his shoes>. Definite articles are also used with titles preceding a last name, except in direct address: "Il signor Bianchi di Firenze." <Mr. Bianchi is from Florence.> BUT; "Buon giorno, signor Bianchi" <Hello, Mr. Bianchi>. Another important use of the definite article is with possessive adjectives: "Ho perso il mio libro" <I lost my book>.
un
"un orso"
<a bear>
una un'
Interjections:
An interjection is a word or expression often given increased emotive value in the stream of speech. Interjections are rarely used in formal or business writing. In print interjection is usually followed by an exclamation mark or a comma: suvvia! = alas! aiuto! = help! hey! = hey! oh! = wow! ahi! = ouch! bont mia! = My goodness! Ahi! Mi sono rotto una gamba! <Ouch! I broke my leg!>
Prepositions:
Prepositions are invariable connecting words preceding elements in a sentence (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs) that show the relationship between other elements or other sentences: La bicicletta di Paolo rotta. <Paolo's bicycle is broken.> Mettilo sul tavolo. <Put it on the table.>
Dopo averci detto tutto ci, lui spar. <After telling us all that, he disappeared.> Per quello che lei ci disse, cambiammo idea. <Because of what she told us, we changed our mind.>
Simple Prepositions
In Italian the basic or simple prepositions, are: di a da in con su per tra fra sotto sopra (of) (at, to) (from) (in) (with) (on) (for) (among, between) (among, between) (under) (over)
Scrivo a Piero. <I'm writing to Piero.> Poco lontano da qui, c un ristorante. <Not too far from here, there is a restaurant.> Carlo tra quella folla. <Carlo is among that crowd.> Some prepositions (a, da, di, in, su) contract and combine with the definite article to form a single word as shown in the chart below. (These are called preposizioni articolate.) al ristorante (to the restaurant) Metti il libro sul tavolo. (Put the book on the table.) Metti il libro nellarmadio. (Put the book in the closet.) Potr vederti domani dalle 5 alle 7. (I can see you tomorrow, from 5 to 7.) Salt gi dal secondo piano. (He jumped from the second floor.) ARTICLE IL LO L' LA I GLI PREPOSITION A AL ALLO ALL' ALLA AI AGLI DI DEL DELLO DELL' DELLA DEI DEGLI DA DAL DALLO DALL' DALLA DAI DAGLI
IN SU CON
NELLA NEI NEGLI SULLA SUI SUGLI COLLA COGLI COI (ARCHAIC) (ARCHAIC)
Along with the simple prepositions there is a group words, called preposizioni improprie which are actually adverbs, adjectives or rarely verbs, but often they function as prepositions:
davanti avanti innanzi dietro dentro oltre presso fuori sopra sotto su accanto attorno intorno prima dopo lungo secondo vicino (in front of) (in front of) (in front of) (behind) (inside) (further) (by) (outside) (over) (under) (on) (near by) (around) (around) (before) (after) (along) (in accordance with) (near, close by)
Examples: Vai fuori! (Go out!) (adverb) Star fuori citt per qualche giorno. (I will be out of town for a few days.) (preposition) Tu stai dietro. (You stay behind.) (adverb) Laltro dietro la casa. (The other is behind the house.) (preposition) Mia nonna abita vicino. (My grandmother lives near by.) (adverb) La casa di mia nonna vicina. (My grandmother's house is close.) (adjective)
Mia nonna abita vicino a noi. (My grandmother lives near us.) (preposition)
"la virt" <the virtue>, "le virt" <the virtues>; "la citt" <the city>, "le citt" <the cities>. The same is true of one-syllable nouns, and of foreign loanwords ending in a consonant: "il re" <the king>, "i re" <the kings>; "il film" <the movie>, "i film" <the movies>. Some nouns ending in "-a" or "-e" can be either masculine or feminine, depending on the gender of the person being named by the noun: "il pianista" <the male pianist>; "la pianista" <the female pianist>; "il cantante" <the male singer>, "la cantante" <the female singer>. Other nouns change their ending according to gender: "l'attore" <the actor>, "l'attrice" <the actress>; "il gallo" <the rooster>, "la gallina" <the hen>; "il cameriere" <the waiter>, "la cameriera" <the waitress>. There are also nouns that have both genders, but with a different meaning for each: "il fine" <the purpose>, "la fine" <the conclusion>; "il tema" <the topic>, "la tema" <fear>.
Agreement: A noun and its modifiers have the same gender and have number AGREEMENT. If a noun is feminine, its modifiers will be feminine: "una antica chiesa" <an old church>. If a noun is plural, its modifiers will be plural: "i capelli grigi" <gray hairs>.
Quantity in nouns:
Below are examples of countable nouns. Pay special attention to the expressions of quantity in parentheses. Those listed below are used only with countable nouns.
Expressions of Quantity Countable Nouns uno (one) studente (student) ogni (every) libro (book) ogni (every) stanza (room) due (two) piante (plants) entrambi (both) ragazzi (boys) un paio di (a pair of) scarpe (shoes) alcuni (some/few) amici (friends) molti (many) cani (dogs) pochi (few) pesci (fish) parecchi (quite a few/a lot) amici (friends) meno (fewer) vantagi (advantages) Below are examples of noncountable nouns. The expressions of quantity preceding parentheses are used only with noncountable nouns. Expressions of Quantity Noncountable Nouns un po' di (some/a little bit of) caff (coffee) molto (a lot of) ghiaccio (ice) molta (many) gente (people) Cardinal adjectives -- one, two, several etc. -- are used with noncountable mass nouns (nouns of substance) only in a very restricted context and mean portion: Vogliamo due caff per favore. (We want two coffees, please.) Il cameriere ci ha portato un t e un caff. (The waiter brought us one tea and one coffee.)
Noncount nouns:
refer to things that cannot be counted. In English they do not usually take a definite aritcle, but in Italian they often do. Whole groups of similar items : il cibo (food) la posta (mail) la roba (stuff) la spazzatura (garbage) Fluids: il caff (coffee) il t (tea)
il latte (milk) l'olio (oil) la benzina (gas) l'aceto (vinegar) Solids: il ghiaccio (ice) il burro (butter) il formaggio (cheese) la carne (meat) il legno (wood) il sale (salt) il pane (bread) Gases: l'aria (air) lo smog (smog) l'ossigeno (oxygen) Particles: il riso (rice) il grano (grain) la farina (flour) lo zucchero (sugar) la sabbia (sand) Abstract nouns: la bellezza (beauty) l'educazione (education) la salute (health) l'aiuto (help) la violenza (violence) Sports, games, and activities: il calcio (soccer) il baseball (baseball) il football (football) il poker (poker) Nature:
il tempo (weather) la nebbia (fog) la pioggia (rain) la neve (snow) il fuoco (fire) la luce (light) il vento (wind) -- but, figuratively, "i quatri venti" = "the Four Winds"
Noun/Adjective Suffixes:
Suffixes modify the meaning of the base word and can be used to form adjectives from nouns and vice versa. Suffixes can be used to form diminutives, augmentatives, and pejoratives (depreciatives), but they should be coined cautiously: many have preexisting figurative, slang, or sexual meanings. Many other suffixes form adjectives from nouns and verbs, but most of these adjectives can stand alone as nouns -- the noun they modify can be an unspoken indefinite pronoun: one or some.
Diminutives:
In English, the diminutive endings -let and -ie (-y) are added to nouns to connote small size or endearment: pig, piglet, piggie. Italian uses the diminutive ending in the same way. The final vowel of the noun is dropped before adding the diminutive suffix. In the feminine form the -o changes to -a. -ino uccello --> uccellino (little bird) -icino cuore --> cuoricino (little heart) -etto giovane --> giovanetto (little young man) -ello fontana --> fontanella (little fountain) -olo figlio --> figliolo (little son) bocca --> boccuccia (cute, little mouth) uccio -olino radio --> radiolina (little radio)
-uzza via --> viuzza (little street) Sometimes diminutives connote a bad quality or contempt. casa --> casuccia (small, ugly house) uccio -etto podere --> poderetto (worthless, little farm) Some nouns change meaning and gender when a suffix is attached. camera --> camerino (room --> changing room) coda --> codino (tail--> pigtail) Caution: codina (feminine) in some dialects means prostitute and codino (masculine) can be male prostitute if applied to a person.
-ino -ino
N.B.: coin diminutives cautiously -- many (including all of the above) have preexisting slang or figurative, including sexual, meanings.
Augmentatives
Augnentative suffixes are added to a noun to indicate large size or exaggeration of a quality. A common one is -one. -one naso --> nasone (big nose -- or a person who has one) -one libro --> librone (big book) Some feminine nouns when the -one suffix is attached change gender. la donna --> la donnone (big woman -- or too masculine or -one dominating, or a male transvestite) la febbre --> la febbrone (high fever -- or excitement, -one including sexual) la palla --> la pallone (soccer ball, or possibly male sexual -one arrousal without release) -one la stanza --> la stanzone (room large room)
Pejorative:
The following suffixes convey the idea of ugliness or a bad quality: -accio ragazzo --> ragazzaccio (bad boy) -astro poeta --> poetastro (a terrible poet) -ucolo maestro --> maestrucolo (bad teacher) -accione uomo --> omaccione (ugly man)
fraternita' (fraternity) bravo --> bravura (something worth of a"bravo") alto --> altura (heights/highlands) barba --> barbuta (bearded)
CONTRACTIONS:
The definite articles form CONTRACTIONS ("contrazioni") with the prepositions "a" <to, at, in>, "di" <of, from, by, about>, "da" <of, by, from, with>, "in" <in, to>, "su" <on>, and "con" <with>: ARTICLE IL LO L' LA I GLI PREPOSITION A AL ALLO ALL' ALLA AI AGLI DI DEL DELLO DELL' DELLA DEI DEGLI DA DAL DALLO DALL' DALLA DAI DAGLI IN NEL NELLO NELL' NELLA NEI NEGLI SU SUL SULLO SULL' SULLA SUI SUGLI COLLO COLL' COLLA COGLI CON COL COI (ARCHAIC)* (ARCHAIC) (ARCHAIC) (ARCHAIC) *Modern Italian uses separate words in place of archaic forms: e.g., "con lo" vice "collo."
LE
ADJECTIVES
Forming Adjectives: Some adjectives are formed from verbs by adding the suffix -nte. Such adjectives are actually archaic forms of the present participle.
ardere (to burn) ---> ardente (hot) fortificare (to fortify) ---> fortificante (fortifying) Other adjectives are derived from the past participles of verbs. scrivere (to write) --> scritto (written) contorcere (to twist) --> contorto (twisted) Adjectives are sometimes formed from nouns by adding the suffixes -so (English -ous) and -ico (English -ic). miracolo(miracle) --> miracoloso (miraculous) letargo (lethargy) --> letargico (lethargic) ADJECTIVES agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Regular adjectives with separate masculine and feminine forms end in -o (m.) and -a (f.) in the singular, -i (m.) and -e (f.) in the plural: "Il battello bianco" <The boat is white>; "La colomba ha un'ala bianca" <The dove has a white wing>; "I miei denti sono bianchi" <My teeth are white>; "Le mie scarpe sono bianche" <My shoes are white>. (Note that the letter "h" inserted in bianchi and bianche is there to keep the "hard" sound of the "c".) Regular adjectives with identical masculine and feminine forms have a singular ending "-e" and a plural ending "-i": "un vestito verde" <a green dress>; "una mela verde" <a green apple>; "dei alberi verdi" <some green trees>; "delle tartaruge verdi" <some green turtles>. N.B. Adjectives describing colors by means of nouns do not change form to show gender or number: "la rosa" <the rose>, "rosa" <pink>, "dei fiori rosa" <some pink flowers>; "la viola" <the violet>, "viola" <purple>, "un vestito viola" <a purple dress>. Other adjectives describing colors that are invariable are: "arancione" <orange>, "marrone" <brown>, "blu" <blue>, If an adjective follows two nouns, it takes a plural form; if one of the nouns is masculine, the adjective must be masculine plural:
"un vestito e una camicia rossi" <a red dress and a red shirt>. (also note the difference between rossa = red and rosa = pink.) If the adjective precedes two nouns, however, it agrees with the closest one: "rosse camicie e vestiti" <red shirts and dresses>. The POSITION of adjectives follows certain rules. Generally speaking, adjectives which describe or differentiate FOLLOW the nouns they modify: "una fontana magnifica" <a magnificent fountain>; "la mano destra" <the right hand>. Adjectives PRECEDE the nouns they modify when they express an essential or characteristic quality, and when they limit or quantify: "un piccolo asino" <a small donkey>; "le poche case" <the few houses>; "alcuni romanzi" <some novels>. Some adjectives change meaning when they precede the noun, taking on a figurative sense: "un uomo povero" <a poverty-stricken man> but "un pover' uomo" <an unfortunate fellow>.
ADVERBS:
Forming Adverbs: ADVERBS of manner are usually formed by adding the suffix "mente" to adjectives in their feminine singular form: "esatta" <exact>, "esattamente"<exactly>. "Buono" <good> and "cattivo" <bad> have special adverbial forms: "bene" <well> and "male" <badly>. Some singular masculine adjectives are used adverbially: "Parlo piano" <I am speaking softly>; "Abitano vicino" <They live nearby>; "Sempre risponde giusto" <She always answers correctly>.
Comparisons of Equality: To form the comparison of equality with adjectives, use: Tanto (as, so) + adjective + quanto (as) + noun Angela e tanto bella quanto sua sorella. <Angela is as beautiful as her sister.> or: Cosi (as, so) + Adjective + come (as) Angela e cosi bella come sua sorella. <Angela is as beautiful as her sister.> (To form the comparison of equality with nouns, only tanto...quanto is used, and these words must agree with the nouns they modify: Lui vende tanti libri quante reviste. <He sells as many books as magazines.>) Comparisons of superiority or inferiority: when two charcteristics or qualities of one person are being compared, use: (Someone is) piu (more) or meno (less) + adjective + che (than) + adjective. When comparing two persons or things, use: (Someone or something is) piu (more) or meno (less) + adjective + di (someone or something else.) In addition to the regular (piu, il piu) forms, there are some irregular adjective comparisons: superiore (higher) inferiore Basso (low) (lower) Buono migliore (good) (better) peggiore Cattivo (bad) (worse) Grande maggiore (large) (older) Alto (high) il superiore (highest) l' inferiore (lowest) il migliore (best) il peggiore (worst) il maggiore (oldest) supremo (very high) infimo (very low) ottimo (very good) pessimo (very bad) massimo (very large)
Piccolo minore il minore minimo (very (small) (younger) (youngest) small) The two forms of comparison usually differ in meaning, and the differences are learned through experience and may differ regionally (piu grande <bigger> vs. maggiore <older>.) There are similar irregular adverb comparisons: meglio (better) peggio Male (badly) (worse) Molto piu (more) (much) Poco (little) meno (less) Bene (well) il meglio (best) il peggio (worst) il piu (most) ottimamente (excellently) pessimamente (very badly) moltissimo (very much)
The piu, il piu (and meno, il meno) forms of comparison are irregular adverb forms modifying base form adjectives: il piu (adverb) grande (adjective) = <the most large> = <the biggest> As in English, Combinations and doubling are also used for of emphasis and for special meanings: il piu maggiore di maggiore <the oldest of the oldest> meno il superiore <a little less than perfect> maggiore maggiore <much older>
POSESSIVES
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES ("aggettivi possessivi") and POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS ("pronomi possessivi") are usually compound forms which include a definite article that is not translated into English. The forms of the possessive adjective are: MASCULINE SINGULAR il mio il tuo MASCULINE PLURAL i miei i tuoi FEMININE FEMININE MEANINGS SINGULAR PLURAL la mia la tua le mie le tue <my> <your> familiar
Possessive pronouns are identical in form to possessive adjectives; the difference is in meaning. Where the possessive adjective "il mio" means "my," for example, the possessive pronoun "il mio" means "mine": "le tue scarpe e le mie" <your shoes and mine>. It is important to note that possessives agree in gender and number with the thing possessed, rather than with the possessor: "i miei amici" <my friends> "la loro automobile" <their car>. If ambiguity results from the use of possessives, possession may be expressed by means of "di" with a disjunctive pronoun: "la sua valigia" <his or her or your suitcase>; "la valigia di lui" <his suitcase>. If the possessor is also the subject of the sentence, "proprio" may be used instead of "suo" or "loro": "Giovanni porta la propria valigia" <John carries his own suitcase>. "Proprio" MUST be used after impersonal expressions: "Bisogna portare le proprie valige" <One must carry one's own pieces of luggage>. When referring to articles of clothing and parts of the body, the definite article is regularly used instead of the possessive adjective: "le scarpe" <her shoes>; "la testa" <his head>.
Demonstratives:
The DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES ("aggettivi dimostrativi") are:
"Codesto" refers to something near the person being spoken to, but itis falling into disuse: "quello" is replacing it. "Questa" is sometimes shortened to "sta" and contracted with the noun it modifies: "questa sera" <this evening>, "stasera" <this evening>. There is elision of "questo," "questa," and "quella" before a noun beginning with a vowel: "quest'aereo" <this airplane>; "quest'aula" <this classroom>; "quell'autostrada" <that highway>. Demonstratives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, and always precede them: "questo libro" <this book>; "quella casa" <that house>. The DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS ("pronomi dimostrativi") are identical in form to the demonstrative adjectives, but mean "this one," "that one," etc. They are used alone, but refer back to something mentioned earlier (the antecedent) and agree with it in number and gender: "Questa casa bianca e quella nera" <This house is white and that one is black>.
Pronouns:
SUBJECT PRONOUNS ("pronomi") are often omitted, since the verb form indicates the subject: "Ho freddo" <I'm cold>. When subject pronouns are used, it is for purposes of emphasis, clarification or courtesy: "Io ho freddo" <I, for my part, am cold>; "Lui detesta il film" <He hates the movie>;
"Vorrebbe Lei venire con me?" <Would you like to come with me?>.
Singular 1st 2nd familiar 2nd polite 3rd masculine 3rd feminine Plural
indirect mi <to me> ti <to you> Le <to you> gli <to him/to it> le <to her/to it> Indirect
1st 2nd familiar 2nd polite masculine 2nd polite femimine 3rd masculine 3rd feminine
ci <to us> vi <to you> Loro <to you> Loro <to you> loro <to them> loro <to them>
With the exception of "loro," pronouns regularly precede the conjugated verb, but they are attached to infinitives (which drop the final "-e"), participles and familiar commands: "Sono venuto per vederlo" <I have come to see it>; "Sto chiamandolo" <I am calling him>; "Ascoltami" <Listen to me!>. In a compound (perfect) infinitive, the pronoun is attached to the auxiliary verb: "averti chiamato" <having called you>. Some one-syllable familiar commands double the first consonant of the object pronoun: "Dimmi" <Tell me!>. "Lo" is used as a neuter pronoun referring back to a general idea or situation: "Vale la pena -- S, lo so!" <It's worth the trouble-- Yes, I know it! >. When direct and indirect pronouns are used together, the indirect pronoun comes first. "Loro" is the exception to this rule; it always follows the verb: "Lo disse loro" <He said it to them>. Before "lo," "la," "li," "le," and "ne," the indirect object pronouns change their form as follows: mi --> me: ti --> te: ci --> ce: vi --> ve: gli--> glie: gli --> glie: "Giovanni me lo diede" "Te lo ho comprato" "Ce lo d" "Ve l'ho detto ieri" "Glieli mander" "Glielo dicono" <John gave it to me> <I bought it for you> <He gives it to us> <I said it to you yesterday> <I'll send them to him> <They say it to her>
Note that "glie" combines with the direct object pronoun. The 3rd person reflexive pronoun singular and plural "si" changes to "se" before a direct object pronoun: "Si lava la faccia? S, se la lava." <Does he wash his face? Yes, he washes it>
These pronouns, also known as stressed pronouns ("pronomi tonici"),are used most frequently as objects of prepositions. "Parla a me?" <Are you speaking to me?> "Preferisco lavorare per lei" <I prefer to work for her>.
Relative pronouns:
RELATIVE PRONOUNS ("pronomi relativi")
introduce a subordinate clause and represent persons or things mentioned previously. They can function as either subject or object pronouns without any change in form. The most common relative pronouns are:
1) "che" or "il quale" <who, which, that>, referring to a specific antecedent: "L'uomo che hai visto italiano" <The man you saw is Italian>; "Giulia, la quale italiana, non parla inglese" <Julia, who is Italian, doesn't speak English>; 2) "quel che," "quello che" or "ci che" <what>, referring to an unspecified antecedent: "Quel che ha fatto non m'interessa" <What she did doesn't interest me>; "Non so quello che ha fatto" <I don't know what she's done>; "Fa ci che vuole" <She does what she wants>; 3) the impersonal pronoun "chi" <the one who/whom>: "Chi ride vince" <He who laughs wins>. After a preposition, the invariable pronoun "cui" is used in place of "che": "Ecco la signora di cui parlai" <Here is the woman of whom I spoke>.
Indefinite Pronouns:
Such pronouns refer to indefinite (sometimes unknown) persons or things or to indefinite quantities: Poco fa qualcuno ha bussato alla porta.<Not too long ago somebody knocked at the door.. A nessuno permesso di parcheggiare lauto in quella strada.<Nobody is permitted to park the car on that street.> Chiunque pu farlo.<Anybody can do it.> Tutto possibile in questa situazione.<Everything is possible in this situation.> Se ti regalano molti libri ricordati che ne vorrei alcuni anchio.<If they donate many books to you, remember that I would like some too.> Tutti applaudirono.<All of them clapped their hands.>
The following indefinite pronouns become indefinite adjectives when they accompany a noun:
poco (little) alquanto (pretty much) tanto (much) altrettanto (as much) molto (much) troppo (too much) tutto (all) ciascuno (each) altro (other) vario (various) tale (such) Ho bisogno di molti soldi. (adjective) <I need a lot of money.> Quanto costano questi bicchieri? Me ne servono molti. (pronoun) <How much are these cups? I need many of them.> Ho pochi soldi. (adjective) <I have little money.> Devo controllare quanti soldi ho. Ne ho pochi. (pronoun) <I need to check how much money I've got. I don't have much.> Non mi piaciuto nessun vestito tra quelli che ho visto. (adjective). (I didn't like any of those dresses that I saw.) S, ho visto I vestiti, ma non mi piaciuto nessuno. (pronoun) <Yes, I saw the dresses, but I didnt like any of them.> The following indefinite pronouns can be used only and exclusively as pronouns: Uno/-a, (a person), indicates a single person, but sometimes can be used in the plural: Ha telefonato uno, che voleva parlarti. <Somebody called who wanted to talk to you.> Ho ascoltato le opinioni degli uni e degli altri. <I listened to the opinions of different people (the "ones" and the others).>
Qualcuno/qualcuna, <somebody> is used only in the singular. Qualcuno ha bussato alla porta. <Somebody knocked at the door.> Ho preparato dei panini. Prendine qualcuno.<I fixed some sandwiches. Have some.> Ognuno/ognuna <each one/every>, is used only in the singular Ognuno dar il suo contributo. <Each person will give his/her own contribution.> Chiunque <anybody, whoever> is only used in the singular and refers only to people. Chiunque potrebbe farlo. <Anybody could do it.> Chicchessia <whoever>, used only in the singular, refers only to people. Non ho paura di chiccessia. <I'm not afraid of anybody.> Qualcosa <something> is invariable and refers to things in general. Dimmi qualcosa delle tue vacanze. (Tell me something about your vacation.> Niente or nulla (nothing), is also invariable. Non ho paura di niente. <I'm not afraid of anything.> (Notice the use of the double negative )
Negative Pronouns:
nessuno alcuno (nobody, none) (none)
Both pronouns are always before the verb: Te lo regalo. Ve ne ho parlato. Glieli mander. Me li hai comprati? unless the verb is an infinitive, in which case they are attaged as suffixes to the infinitive: E' importante parlargliene (exceptions to the exception: Voglio/Posso/So/Devo parlargliene or Gliene voglio/posso/so/devo parlare.) or an imperative, where they are also attached to the verb form Diglielo! Compramelo!
Negation:
A verb is negated by preceding it with "non." When there is an object pronoun in front of the verb, "non" comes before the object pronoun: "Non mi telefona" <He doesn't call me>.
A negative response, as in English, may consist of the single word "No": "Lei parla italiano?-- No" <Do you speak Italian?-- No>. Double negatives are standard in Italian: "Non vedo nessuno" <I don't see nobody = anybody>.
There are four COMPOUND TENSES: PRESENT PERFECT: "Ho parlato" FUTURE PERFECT: PLUPERFECT: PAST ANTERIOR: "Avr parlato" "Sar arrivato" "Ero arrivato" "Ebbi parlato" "Fui arrivato" <I have spoken, I spoke> <I will have spoken> <I will have arrived> <I had arrived> <I had spoken> <I had arrived> "Sono arrivato" <I have arrived, I arrived>
The pluperfect is sometimes called the past perfect or first past perfect; the past anterior is sometimes called the preterite perfect or second past perfect. There are four verbal MOODS or modes ("modi"): INDICATIVE (stating a fact): "Parlo italiano" <I speak Italian> SUBJUNCTIVE (expressing an attitude): "Credo che lei parli italiano" <I think she speaks Italian> CONDITIONAL (indicating a possibility): "Gli studenti parlerebbero italiano, se potessero" <The students would speak Italian if they could> IMPERATIVE (giving a command): "Parla italiano!" <Speak Italian!> The conjugated forms of verbs agree with the person and number of the subject. There are two NUMBERS (singular and plural) and three PERSONS. First person is the speaker; second person is the one spoken to; third person is the one spoken about. 1ST PERSON: io parlo <I speak> 2ND PERSON: tu parli <you speak> 3RD PERSON: lei parla <she speaks> noi parliamo <we speak> voi parlate <you speak> loro parlano <they speak>
The "Lei/Loro" (polite "you") form of address is second person but uses third person verb forms.
First Conjugation:
Present Infinitive Infinitive) parlare (to talk) Present Participle parlando Present Past Infinitive (Perfect avere parlato Past Participle parlato, -ata, -ati, -ate Present Perfect
ho Parlato hai parlato ha Parlato abbiamo parlato avete parlato hanno parlato Pluperfect (Past Perfect) avevo parlato avevi parlato aveva parlato avevamo parlato avevate parlato avevano parlato Future Perfect (Future Anterior) avr parlato avrai parlato avr parlato avremo parlato avrete parlato avranno parlato
Preterite Perfect (Past Anterior) parlai parlasti parl parlammo parlaste ebbi parlato avesti parlato ebbe parlato avemmo parlato aveste parlato
loro
ebbero parlato Past Subjunctive abbia parlato abbia parlato abbia parlato abbiamo parlato abbiate parlato abbiano parlato Past Perfect Subjunctive avessi parlato avessi parlato avesse parlato avessimo parlato aveste parlato avessero parlato Past Conditional - avrei parlato - avresti parlato - avrebbe parlato - avremmo parlato - avreste parlato - avrebbero parlato parla parli parlate
Present Imperative
Loro
parlino
Second Conjugation
Present Infinitive Infinitive) vendere (to sell) Present Participle vendendo -ute Present io tu lui/lei noi voi loro vendo vendi vende vendiamo vendete vendono Imperfect io tu lui/lei noi voi loro vendevo vendevi vendeva vendevamo vendevate vendevano Future io tu lui/lei vender venderai vender Past Infinitive (Perfect avere venduto Past Participle venduto, -uta, -uti, Perfect (Passato Prossimo) ho venduto hai venduto ha venduto abbiamo venduto avete venduto hanno venduto Pluperfect (PastPerfect) avevo venduto avevi venduto aveva venduto avevamo venduto avevate venduto avevano venduto Future Perfect (Future anterior) avr venduto avrai venduto avr venduto
ebbi venduto avesti venduto ebbe venduto avemmo venduto aveste venduto ebbero venduto
Present Subjunctive io tu lui/lei noi voi loro venda venda venda vendiamo vendiate vendano Imperfect Subjunctive io tu lui/lei noi voi loro vendessi vendessi vendesse vendessimo vendeste vendessero Present Conditional
Past Subjunctive abbia venduto abbia venduto abbia venduto abbiamo venduto abbiate venduto abbiano venduto Past Perfect Subjunctive avessi venduto avessi venduto avesse venduto avessimo venduto aveste venduto avessero venduto Past Conditional
avrei venduto avresti venduto avrebbe venduto avremmo venduto avreste venduto avrebbero venduto
Third Conjugation
Present Infinitive Infinitive) dormire (to sleep) Present Participle dormendo Present io tu lui/lei noi voi loro dormo dormi dorme dormiamo dormite dormono Imperfect io tu dormivo dormivi Past Infinitive (Perfect avere dormito Past Participle dormito, -ita, -iti, -ite Perfect (Passato Prossimo) hodormito haidormito hadormito abbiamodormito avetedormito hannodormito Pluperfect (Past Perfect) avevo dormito avevi dormito
aveva dormito avevamo dormito avevate dormito avevano dormito Future Perfect (Future Anterior)
avr dormito avrai dormito avr dormito avremo dormito avrete dormito avranno dormito Past Anterior
ebbi dormito avesti dormito ebbe dormito avemmo dormito aveste dormito ebbero dormito Past Subjunctive
abbia dormito abbia dormito abbia dormito abbiamo dormito abbiate dormito abbiano dormito
Imperfect subjunctive io tu lui/lei noi voi loro dormissi dormissi dormisse dormissimo dormiste dormissero Present Conditional io tu lui/lei noi voi loro dormirei dormiresti dormirebbe dormiremmo dormireste dormirebbero Present Imperative tu Lei voi Loro dormi dorma dormite dormano -
Past Perfect Subjunctive avessi dormito avessi dormito avesse dormito avessimo dormito aveste dormito avessero dormito Past Conditional avrei dormito avresti dormito avrebbe dormito avremmo dormito avreste dormito avrebbero dormito
lui/ ha lei
aveva
ebbe
avr
abbia
noi abbiamo avevamo avemmo avremmo abbiamo voi avete loro hanno avevate aveste avevano ebbero avrete abbiate avranno abbiano
Imperfect Conditional Subjunctive sia fossi sarei sia fossi sarest sia siamo siate siano fosse fossimo foste fossero
sareb
sarem
sarest sareb
loro parl-ano
Third conjugation "dormire" io tu lei noi voi dorm-o dorm-i dorm-e dorm-iamo dorm-ite <to sleep> <I sleep> <you sleep> <she sleeps> <we sleep> <you sleep> <theysleep>
Third (-isco) congugation "pulire" pul-isco pul-isci pul-isce pul-iamo pul-ite pul-iscono <to clean> <I clean> <you clean> <she cleans> <we clean> <you clean> <theyclean>
loro dorm-ono
The present tense can have the sense of the English present progressive: "scrive" <she is writing>. The present tense is also used in conversation to refer to actions which will take place in the immediate future. It is occasionally used in literature to replace the past tense, lending an immediacy to the narrative (vivid present).
speak> lei noi voi parler- parler-emo parler-ete <she will speak> <we will speak> <you will speak> <they will speak> vender- vender-emo vender-ete
will sell> <she will sell> <we will sell> <you will sell> <they will sell>
loro parler-anno
vender-anno
THIRD CONJUGATION "dormire" future stem: dormirio tu lei noi voi dormir- dormir-ai dormir- dormir-emo dormir-ete <I will sleep> <you will sleep> <she will sleep> <we will sleep> <you will sleep> <they will sleep> <to sleep>
loro dormir-anno
In addition to expressing future time, the future tense is used to express uncertainty or probability in the present: "Saranno le cinque" <It must be around five o'clock>.
noi parla--vamo voi parla--vate loro parla--vano THIRD CONJUGATION "dormire" perfect stem: dormiio tu lei dormi-vo dormi-vi dormi-va
<we used to vende--vamo speak> <you used to vende--vate speak> <they used to vende--vano speak>
<to sleep>
<I was sleeping> <you were sleeping> <she was sleeping> <we were sleeping> <you were sleeping> <they were sleeping>
The imperfect tense describes a situation in the past, or an action which was ongoing or repeated. For this reason, it is sometimes called the past descriptive.
"parlare" io tu lei noi voi loro parl-ai parl-asti parl- parl-ammo parl-aste parl-arono THIRD CONJUGATION
<to speak> <I spoke> <you spoke> <she spoke> <we spoke> <you spoke> <they spoke>
<to sell> <I vend-ei sold> <you vend-esti sold> <she vend- sold> vend<we emmo sold> <you vend-este sold> vend<they erono sold> "vendere"
<to sleep> <I io Dorm-ii slept> <you tu dorm-isti slept> <she lei dorm- slept> <we noi dorm-immo slept> <you voi dorm-iste slept> <they loro dorm-irono slept> Second conjugation -ERE verbs have the following alternate endings (unless the verb stem ends in "-t", as with "pot-ere"): io vend-etti; lei vend-ette; loro vend-ettero. "dormire" The simple past tense narrates an action with a beginning and an end. For this reason, it is sometimes called the past historic. It is also called the preterite, or the past absolute.
The present perfect uses a present tense auxiliary; the future perfect uses a future tense auxiliary; the pluperfect uses an imperfect auxiliary; the past anterior uses a simple past auxiliary.
The pluperfect is sometimes called the past perfect or first past perfect; the past anterior is sometimes called the preterite perfect or second past perfect.
loro hanno io tu lei noi voi loro sono sei siamo siete sono
<they have spoken, they spoke> <I have arrived, I arrived> <you have arrived, you arrived> <she has arrived, she arrived> <we have arrived, we arrived> <you have arrived, you arrived> <they (f.) have arrived, they arrived>
"appena" <as soon as>: "Quando avesti finito, cenammo" <When you had finished, we ate supper>. io tu lei noi voi loro io tu lei noi voi loro ebbi avesti ebbe avemmo aveste ebbero fui fosti fu fummo foste furono parlato parlato parlato parlato parlato parlato arrivato arrivato arrivato arrivati arrivati arrivate <I had spoken> <you had spoken> <she had spoken> <we had spoken> <you had spoken> <they had spoken> <I had arrived> <you had arrived> <she had arrived> <we had arrived> <you had arrived> <they (f.) had arrived>
The Present conditional is based on the future stem, and adds identical personal endings to all three conjugations: FIRST CONJUGATION future stem: io tu lei noi voi loro SECOND CONJUGATION future stem: io tu lei noi voi loro THIRD CONJUGATION future stem: io tu lei noi voi loro "parlare" parlerparler-ei parler-esti parler-ebbe parler-emmo parler-este parler-ebbero "vendere" vendervender-ei vender-esti vender-ebbe vender-emmo vender-este vender-ebbero "dormire" dormirdormir-ei dormir-esti dormir-ebbe dormir-emmo dormir-este dormir-ebbero <to speak> <I would speak> <you would speak> <she would speak> <we would speak> <you would speak> <they would speak> <to sell> <I would sell> <you would sell> <she would sell> <we would sell> <you would sell> <they would sell> <to sleep> <I would sleep> <you would sleep> <she would sleep> <we would sleep> <you would sleep> <they would sleep>
conditional of the auxiliary verb and a past participle of the main verb.
io tu lei noi voi loro io tu lei noi voi loro avrei avresti avrebbe avremmo avreste avrebbero sarei saresti sarebbe saremmo sareste sarebbero parlato parlato parlato parlato parlato parlato arrivato arrivato arrivata arrivati arrivati arrivate <I would have spoken> <you would have spoken> <she would have spoken> <we would have spoken> <you would have spoken> <they would have spoken> <I would have arrived> <you would have arrived> <she would have arrived> <we would have arrived> <you would have arrived> <they (f.) would have arrived>
The subjunctive has four tenses: present, perfect, imperfect and pluperfect.
io tu lei
<to sell> <I sell> <you sell> <she sells> <we sell> <you sell> <they sell>
noi parl-iamo voi parl-iate loro parl-ino THIRD CONJUGATION "dormire" io dorm-a tu dorm-a lei dorm-a noi dorm-iamo voi dorm-iate loro dorm-ano
<to clean> <I clean> <you clean> <she cleans> <we clean> <you clean> <they clean>
The IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE ("congiuntivo imperfetto") is formed by adding personal endings to the imperfect stem. The endings are identical for all three conjugations:
FIRST SECOND
<to speak>
CONJUGATION "vendere" imperfect stem: vendevende-ssi vende-ssi vende-sse vende-ssimo vende-ste vende-ssero
<to sell>
noi parla-ssimo voi parla-ste loro parla-ssero THIRD CONJUGATION "dormire" imperfect stem: dormiio tu lei dormi-ssi dormi-ssi dormi-sse
<I used to speak> <you used to speak> <she used to speak> <we used to speak> <you used to speak> <they used to speak>
<I sold> <you sold> <she sold> <we sold> <you sold> <they sold>
<to sleep>
<I was sleeping> <you were sleeping> <she was sleeping> <we were sleeping> <you were sleeping> <they were sleeping>
The PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE or PAST SUBJUNCTIVE ("congiuntivo passato") consists of the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verb and a past participle of the main verb.
io tu lei noi voi loro io tu lei noi voi loro abbia abbia abbia abbiamo abbiate abbiano sia sia sia siamo siate siano parlato parlato parlato parlato parlato parlato arrivato arrivato arrivata arrivati arrivati arrivate <I have spoken, I spoke> <you have spoken, you spoke> <she has spoken, she spoke> <we have spoken, we spoke> <you have spoken, you spoke> <they have spoken, they spoke> <I have arrived, I arrived> <you have arrived, you arrived> <she has arrived, she arrived> <we have arrived, we arrived> <you have arrived, you arrived> <they (f.) have arrived, they arrived>
The PLUPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE ("congiuntivo trapassato") consists of the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb.
io tu lei noi voi loro io tu lei noi avessi avessi avesse avessimo aveste avessero fossi fossi fosse fossimo parlato parlato parlato parlato parlato parlato arrivato arrivato arrivata arrivati <I had spoken> <you had spoken> <she had spoken> <we had spoken> <you had spoken> <they had spoken> <I had arrived> <you had arrived> <she had arrived> <we had arrived>
voi loro
foste fossero
arrivati arrivate
Verbs and expressions that require the subjunctive in a dependent clause express:
Emotion (joy, hope, sorrow, fear): Sono contenta che lei lavori. (I'm happy she is working.) Temiamo che piova. (We're afraid it's raining.) A wish or command: La maestra vuole che gli studenti ascoltino. (The teacher wants the students to listen.) Voglio che tu lavori. (I want you to work.) An opinion: Penso che siano ricchi. (I think they are rich.) Crede che Caterina abbia torto. (He thinks that Caterina is wrong.) Doubt or uncertainty: Non siamo sicuri che Angelo capisca. (We're not sure Angelo understands.) Dubita che Cristina arrivi. (He doubts (that) Cristina will arrive.) Expectation: Aspettiamo che lui venga. (We are waiting for him to come.) Verbs that express advising, permitting, forbidding, ordering, such as suggerire, ordinare, comandare, lasciare, permettere, proibire, raccomandare can be followed by two different constructions having the same meaning. Permetti che io legga. (Will you let me read?) Mi permitti di leggere. (Will you let me read?)
A hypothetical sentence (periodo ipotetico) consists of two clauses: a dependent clause introduced by se (if) indicating a condition, a possibility, or a hypothesis: and an independent clause indicating the result of the condition. A hypothetical sentence can express real situations, probable situations, and improbable situations. Real: Se vanno in Italia, visitano molte citt. (If they go to Italy, they (will) visit many cities.) Probable: Se andassero in Italia, visiterebbero molte citt. (If they went to Italy, they would visit many cities.) Improbable: Se fossero andati in Italia, avrebbero visitato molte citt. (If they had gone to Italy, they would have visited many cities.) When unlikely situations are described, the se clause is in the imperfect subjunctive and the result clause is in the conditional: Se lui avesse una macchina, andrebbe in montagna. (If he had a car, he would go to the mountains.) When impossible situations are described, the se clause is in the past perfect subjunctive and the result clause is in the conditional, usually the conditional perfect: Se avesse studiato, avrebbe superato l'esame. (If she had studied, she would have passed the test.) The subjunctive is used in a dependent clause and is introduced by che after impersonal verbs and expressions that express doubt, uncertainty, emotion. E' importante che lei finisca il progetto. (It is important that she finishes the project.) E' probabile che siano partiti. (It's probable that they left.) All impersonal verbs and expressions are followed by a verb in the infinitive if the verb has no expressed subject. Expressed subject E' importante che tu parta. (It's important that you leave.) Unexpressed subject E' importante partire. (It's important to leave.)
Imperative:
Strictly speaking, the imperative mood is only used for second person ("you") familiar commands. For the other persons, the subjunctive mood is used as a "polite imperative."
<sell!> <sell!>
<sleep!> <sleep!>
<clean!> <clean!>
The NEGATIVE of familiar singular commands is expressed with the infinitive form "Non parlare" <Don't talk!>; "Non vendere la tua macchina" <Don't sell your car>; "Non dormire" <Don't sleep>. This is also the form used in written instructions (public signs, recipes, etc.), where it has a polite, impersonal sense: "Non fumare" <No smoking>.
The polite forms of the second person ("Lei/Loro") and the first person plural ("noi") use the present subjunctive for commands:
FIRST CONJUGATION Lei
parli
Loro noi SECOND CONJUGATION Lei Loro noi THIRD CONJUGATION Lei Loro noi
parlino parliamo
ci <ourselves>
ti si si
Passive conjugation:
lodare (to praise) Present Infinitive essere lodato (to be praised) Present Participle essendo lodato/-a/-i/-e
Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive) essere stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/i/-e Past Participle essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/a/-i/-e Perfect (Passato Prossimo) stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato Pluperfect (Past Perfect) stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato
Present io tu lui/lei noi voi loro sono sei siamo siete sono lodato lodato lodato lodato lodato lodato Imperfect io tu lui/lei noi voi loro ero eri era eravamo eravate erano lodato lodato lodato lodato lodato lodato Future io tu lui/lei noi voi loro sar sarei sar saremo sarete erano lodato lodato lodato lodato lodato lodato sono sei siamo siete sono
Future Perfect (Future Anterior) stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato Past Anterior stato lodato
io
fui
fui
stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato
Present Subjunctive io tu lui/lei noi voi loro sarei saresti sarebbe lodato lodato lodato
sarebbero lodato
stato lodato stato saresti lodato stato sarebbe lodato stato saremmo lodato stato sareste lodato stato sarebbero lodato sarei Past Perfect Subjunctive fossi stato lodato fossi stato lodato fosse stato lodato fossimo stato lodato foste stato lodato fossero stato lodato Past Conditional sarei saresti sarebbe saremmo sareste stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato stato lodato
Imperfect Subjunctive io fossi lodato tu fossi lodato lui/lei fosse lodato noi fossimo lodato voi foste lodato loro fossero lodato Present Conditional io sarei lodato tu saresti lodato lui/lei sarebbe lodato noi saremmo lodato voi sareste lodato
loro
sarebbero lodato
sarebbero stato lodato Past Imperative essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e
Present Imperative tu sii lodato noi siamo lodato voi siate lodato
Participles:
The ADVERBIAL PRESENT PARTICIPLE or gerund ("gerundio") is formed by adding a suffix to the verb stem:
-ARE verbs add "-ando": parl-ando <speaking> -ERE verbs add "-endo": vend-endo <selling> -IRE verbs add "-endo": dorm-endo <sleeping> Adverbial participles answer questions about the action expressed by the main verb: "Sbagliando si impara" <One learns by making mistakes> (answering the question, "How does one learn?"). They are used like English present participles to form progressive tenses with the verb "stare": "Sto parlando" <I am talking> (Present progressive, answering the question, "What am I engaged in doing?"); "Stava dormendo" <He was sleeping> (Past progressive, answering the question, "What was he engaged in doing?"). Because they function as adverbs, defining an action, these participles are invariable in form, and do not agree in gender or number with the subject of the verb. The ADVERBIAL PERFECT PARTICIPLE (Gerundio perfetto) is formed with the adverbial present participle of the auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb: "avendo parlato" <having spoken>; "essendo arrivato" <having arrived>.
NOTE: The Italian name "gerundio" has led to the use of the English word "gerund" to denote adverbial participles. This is misleading, since the English gerund is a verbal noun ("Walking is good exercise"). It is best for English--speaking students to avoid using the term "gerund" when studying the Romance languages like Spanish and Italian. The ADJECTIVAL PRESENT PARTICIPLE or simple participle ("participio presente") is formed by adding the following suffixes to the verb stem: -ARE verbs add "-ante": parlante <speaking> -ERE verbs add "-ente": vendente <selling> -IRE verbs add "-ente": dormente <sleeping> The ending follows the form of unisex adjectives ending in "_e," changing to "_i" in the plural: "l'uomo dormente" <the sleeping man>; "le lezione seguenti" <the following lessons>. The PAST PARTICIPLE ("participio passato") is formed by adding the following suffixes to the verb stem: -ARE verbs add "-ato": parlato <spoken> -ERE verbs add "-uto": venduto <sold> -IRE verbs add "-ito": dormito <slept> The ending is inflected like a regular adjective: MASCULINE SINGULAR: parlato venduto dormito FEMININE SINGULAR: parlata venduta dormita MASCULINE PLURAL: parlati venduti dormiti FEMININE PLURAL: parlate vendute dormite When used with the auxiliary verb "essere" to form compound tenses, the past participle agrees in person and number with the subject of the verb: "Giulia arrivata" <Julia has arrived>. When used with the auxiliary verb "avere" to form compound tenses, the past participle has an invariable ending, except that it can agree with a preceding direct object: "Ho comprato una macchina fotografica" <I bought a camera>; "Ecco la cartolina postale che ho comprata" <Here's the postcard I bought>.
The past participle can also be used in what is called the ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTION, where it modifies a noun to form a phrase with no strict grammatical connection to the rest of the sentence: "Finita la lezione, sono partiti" <When the lesson was over, they left>. The noun being modified may form part of the absolute construction, as in the preceding example, or it may be the subject of the main clause: "Arrivata a Firenze, Giulia gli telefon" <Having arrived in Florence, Julia telephoned him >. Note that the past participle agrees in both gender and number with the noun it modifies in the absolute construction.
reflexive:
essere uscito <to have gone out> essersi sentito <to have felt>
Infinitives can function as VERBAL NOUNS, with or without an accompanying definite article (invariably masculine singular): "Il ballare molto divertente" <Dancing is very entertaining>. The infinitive is always used after the MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS "potere" <to be able to>, "dovere" <to have to> and "volere" <to want to>: "Non pu parlare" <He can't speak>; "Ho dovuto portare il loro bagaglio" <I had to carry their luggage>; "Voglio mangiare" <I want to eat>. The infinitive is used for familiar NEGATIVE COMMANDS: "Non andare" <Don't walk!>. It can also be used to give impersonal commands (the type found on public signs, etc.): "Non fumare" <No smoking>. The infinitive is also used after verbs which are followed by the linking prepositions "a" and "di," and with the causative of "fare" (to make something be done): "Cominciarono a cantare" <They began to sing>; "Speravano di essere a tempo" <They hoped to be on time>; "Fa' correggere gli errori" <See to it that the errors are corrected!>.
"Stare" <to stay, to be> is used as an auxiliary verb with adverbial participles (so-called gerunds) to form PROGRESSIVE TENSES. The present progressive uses the present tense of "stare": "Sto parlando" <I am speaking>. The past progressive uses the imperfect tense of "stare": "Stava leggendo" <He was reading>. "Andare" is used in a similar fashion as an auxiliary verb: "Andava cantando" <He went around singing>.
Verb-Preposition Idioms:
The following verbs require the preposition a when followed by an infinitive. The preposition is not necessarily always translated into English.
abituarsi (to get used to) aiutare (to help) andare (to go) cominciare (to begin) divertirsi (to enjoy oneself) fermarsi (to stop) imparare (to learn) invitare (to invite) mandare (to send) mettersi (to begin) obbligare (to oblige) pensare (to think of) riuscire (to succeed) sbrigarsi (to hurry) stare (to stay, to stand) tornare (to return) venire (to come) Vado a giocare a calcio. (I go to play soccer.) Impariamo a parlare in italiano. (We learn to speak Italian.) Sono venuti a trovarmi. (They came to see me.) The following verbs require the preposition di when followed by an infinitive. accettare (to accept) ammettere (to admit) aspettare (to wait) avere bisogno (to need) avere paura (to be afraid) avere voglia (to feel like) cercare (to try) credere (to believe) domandare (to ask) finire (to finish) offrire (to offer) pensare (to plan) sapere (to know) suggerire (to suggest) tentare (to try) vietare (to forbid) Ho bisogno di un caff. (I need a coffee.) Ho finito di mangiare alle otto. (I finished eating at 8:00.) Tentiamo di riparare l'aspirapolvere. (We're trying to fix the
vacuum cleaner.)
Questions:
Many questions begin with either an interrogative pronoun or an interrogative adverb.
Che cosa vuole? <What does she want?> Con chi parli? <With whom are you talking?> Quante vengono? <How many are coming?
Sentences:
Sentences are made up of one or more CLAUSES. A clause consists of a SUBJECT (a noun or pronoun) and a PREDICATE (what is said about the noun or pronoun). The predicate always contains a verb. In the simple sentence: Il re ama la regina. <The king loves the queen.> re is the subject and ama is the predicate. When an adjective or noun is used along with the verb essere <to be> in order to tell us what is being asserted about someone or something, the adjective or noun is said to be in the predicative position. In the sentence: Il re un amante <The king is a lover.> amante is a predicate noun. Predicate adjectives and nouns have the same case as the noun or pronoun they inform us about. The DIRECT OBJECT of a verb is a noun or pronoun which receives its action. In the sentence:
Il re ama la regina <The king loves the queen> regina is the direct object of the verb. Some verbs take an INDIRECT OBJECT. In the sentence; Il re d un regalo alla regina <The king gives a gift to the queen.> regalo <servant girl> is the direct object and alla regina <to the queen> is the indirect object.
Imfinitive
(translation)
Participio Passato acceso accorto aperto chiesto concluso (conosciuto) coperto >
accendere (to light) accorgersi (to notice) aprire (to open) chiedere (to ask) concludere (to conclude) conoscere (to know) coprire (to cover)
Transfer interrupted!
correre (to run) corsi decidere (to decide) decisi dipingere (to paint) dipinsi discutere (to discuss) discussi dividere (to divide) divisi esplodere (to explode) esplosi evadere (to escape) evasi fingere (to pretend) finsi giungere (to arrive) giunsi leggere (to read) lessi mettere (to put) misi nascere (to be born) nacqui offrire (to offer) (offrii) perdere (to lose) persi (perdei) (perdetti) piangere (to cry) piansi piovere (to rain) piovve prendere (to take) presi rendere (to give back) resi ridere (to laugh) risi rispondere (to respond) risposi rompere (to break) ruppi scendere (to descend) scesi scoprire (to discover) (scoprii) scrivere (to write) scrissi spegnere (to turn off) spensi spingere (to push) spinsi succedere (to happen) successi trascorrere (to spend (time)) trascorsi uccidere (to kill) uccisi vincere (to win) vinsi
corso deciso dipinto discusso diviso esploso evaso finto giunto letto metto nato offerto perso (perduto)
pianto (piovuto) preso reso riso risposto rotto sceso scoperto scritto spento spinto successo trascorso ucciso vinto
Conjunctions:
Coordinate conjunctions (e, ma, and o) join units
that are equal grammatically (fill the same position in the sentence) or join two clauses of the same type: Scivol e cadde sul pavimento. (He slipped and fell on the floor.) E joins two verbs. Si muoveva velocemente ma silenziosamente. (He moved quickly but quietly.) Ma joins two adverbs Possiamo andare attraverso il fiume o attraverso i boschi. (We can go over the river or through the woods.)O joins two adverbial phrases Ieri sera and a casa e trov le finestre rotte. (She went home last night and found the windows broken.) E joins two clauses.
The conjunctions:
entrambi e (both and..) non solo ma anche (not only.. but also) sia che (eitheror) n n. (neithernor) serve to intensify the coordination. Entrambi Maria ed io andremo alla festa. (Both Maria and I will go to the party.) Non solo diede regali a tutti noi, ma anche ci invit alla festa. (She not only gave all of us presents, but she also invited us to the party.) N I soldi n il potere possono farti felice. (Neither money nor power can make you happy.) Sia mio marito che io possiamo portarti a casa. (Either my husband or I can drive you home.) If only two elements (two words, two phrases, two clauses) are
joined by a coordinate conjunction, no comma is needed before the conjunction: Il dottore gli disse di non fumare o bere. (The doctor told him not to smoke or drink.) Disse che era molto stanco e che stava per andare a casa. (He said that he was very tired and he was going home.) If three or more units are joined, commas separate them: Uomini, donne, e bambini sono benvenuti. (Men, women, and children are welcome.)
subordinate conjunctions:
join elements of unequal rank, establishing a relation of subordination between two phrases or clauses. Following is the list of commonly used subordinate conjunctions: perch because quando when mentre while appena che as soon as una volta che once (that) come as se if sebbene although a condizione che at the condition that a meno che unless dopo che after that before that prima che fino a che until Non lo vide dopo che lui ebbe lasciato la citt. (She never saw him after he left the town.) Prese la multa perch guidava troppo veloce. (He got a ticket because he was speeding.) Una volta che hai lavato lauto asciugala bene. (Once you have washed the car, dry it very well.) Si ammal gravemente da quando ebbe l'incidente. (She became very ill, since she had her accident.) Non va mai ai festini, a meno che sua moglie non vada con lui. (He never goes to parties unless his wife comes with him.)
Aspetteremo dentro fino a che la smette di piovere. (We will wait inside until the rain stops.)
Subordinate Clause:
serves as part of a sentence but do not express a complete thought and cannot stand by itself. They are subordinate to the main clause. The adjective clause (also called relative): has the same function that an adjective or an apposition has in a sentence. That is, it specifies a preceding noun, noun phrase or pronoun. Relative clauses are linked to the main clause by means of relative pronouns. John, che fratello di Mario, venuto a trovarci. (John, who is Mario's brother, came to see us.) The verb is in the indicative mood when in the relative clause a real and certain situation is presented: La ragazza, che prese in prestito la rivista, entr nella stanza. (The girl who borrowed the magazine, entered the room.) Il negozio, nel quale ho comprato la rivista, era chiuso. (The shop where I bought the magazine was closed.) The verb is in the subjunctive mood instead, when a possible, uncertain, wished, feared or hypothetical situation is presented: Non sembra esserci nessuno di cui mi possa fidare. (There seems to be nobody I can trust.) Qualsiasi persona che conosca le regole, pu giocare. (Anybody that knows the rules can play.) The interrogative pronoun chi is actually a double pronoun, in that it always refers to people. It stands for: whoever (that) he/she (who) those (who) and therefore it often introduces a relative clause. Chi ha gi terminato il compito, pu lasciare la stanza. (Those who have already completed the assignment can leave the room.)
Che (that) is by far the most frequently used relative pronoun. Noun clauses have the same function that a noun, used as a subject or an object, has in a sentence. E ben saputo che il vino migliore fatto in Francia. (It is well known that the best wine is made in France.) (clause acts as a subject) So che il vino migliore fatto in Francia. (I know that the best wine is made in France. )(clause acts as an object) La mia convinzione che il vino migliore sia fatto in Francia, corretta. (My belief that the best wine is made in France is correct.) (clause is appositive to subject)
Noun clauses:
occur most frequently as the object of the verb in the main sentence. Compare: Lui si lamentava ai suoi amici di sua moglie. (He complained to his friends about his wife.) Lui si lamentava ai suoi amici che sua moglie era una cattiva cuoca. (He complained to his friends that his wife was a bad cook.) The verbs in the main clause usually express mental activities or states and speech: credere (to believe) sapere (to know) dichiarare (to declare) dire (to tell) ricordare (to remember) scrivere (to write) mostrare (to show) chiedere (to ask) spiegare (to explain) consigliare (to suggest) dispiacersi (to regret) sognare (to dream)
predire (to predict) insegnare (to teach) accorgersi (to realize) rispondere (to answer) menzionare (to mention) notare (to notice) Non ho notato se lui portava gli occhiali. (I didn't notice whether he was wearing the glasses.) Credo che sia una persona onesta. (I believe that she is an honest person.) Non so se abbia intenzione di venire alla festa. (I don t know whether or not she plans to come to the party.) Noun clauses must be linked to the main clause with che (that) or se (if) and take the indicative if they express a real and certain situation, and the subjunctive if they express an unreal, uncertain or possible condition: Indicative: So che il vino migliore fatto in Francia. (I know that the best wine is made in France.) Subjunctive: Penso che ilvino migliore sia fatto in Francia. (I think that the best wine is made in France.) However, the noun clause takes the conditional if it expresses an unreal, uncertain or possible condition that is likely to happen in the future: Penso che dovresti farlo. (I think that you should do that.)
l'autobus arriver presto. (the bus will arrive soon.) l'autobus potrebbe arrivare presto. (the bus may be arriving soon.) If you compare these present tense sentences with the past tense sentences below, you notice that the main verb in the past requires the verb in the noun clause to be shifted to the past: Lui disse che: (He said (that): l'autobus arrivava sempre in ritardo. (the bus always arrived late.) l'autobus stava per arrivare. (the bus was arriving.) l'autobus era arrivato in ritardo. (the bus had arrived late.) l'autobus arriv in ritardo. (the bus arrived late.) l'autobus sarebbe arrivato presto. (the bus would arrive soon.) l'autobus avrebbe potuto arrivare presto. (the bus might be arriving soon.)
Indirect address is the union of two or more actions, two or more verbs -- one that is principal and the others are secondary or dependent. The principal verb determines the tenses and moods of the dependent verbs. Some examples: DISCORSO DIRETTo
DISCORSO INDIRETTO Disse che conosceva quella Disse: "Conosco questa donna. donna." (He said (that) he knew that (He said: "I know this woman.") woman.) Gli rispose: "E' strano che Gli ripose che era strano che lui tuconosca questa donna." conoscesse quella donna. (She responded to him: "It's (he responded to him that it was strange that you know this strange that he knew that woman.") woman.) Disse che sarebbe andato al Disse: "Andr al mare. mare. (He said: "I will go to the (He said (that) he would go to the beach.") beach.) Disse: "Sono arrivata alle Disse che era arrivata alle sette. sette." (She said that she had arrived at (She said: "I arrived at seven.") seven.) Disse che avrebbe voluto Disse: "Vorrei mangiare." mangiare (She said: "I would like to eat.") (She said that she would like to eat.)
Adverbial Clauses
Like an adverb, the adverbial clause modifies the predicate of the main clause. The following conjunctions introduce an adverbial clause: quando (when) mentre (while) dal momento che (since) prima che (before) dopo che (after) fino a che (until) appena che (as soon as)
Quando piove, non mi piace guidare. (When it rains, I don't like to drive.) Mentre camminavo nel parco, vidi dei bambini litigare. (While I was walking in the park, I saw children fighting.) Dal moment che non vuole ascoltarmi, non gli parler pi. (Since he doesn't want to listen to me, I will not talk to him any more. Lavatevi le mani, prima che vi mettiate a tavola. (Wash your hands before you sit down for dinner.) Dopo che ebbe finito i compiti, and a letto. (After she finished her homework she went to bed.) Fino a che non avrai finito i compiti, non potrai andare a giocare. (Until you haven't completed your homework, you won't be going to play.)
Puoi restare qui fintanto che te ne stai tranquillo. (You can stay here as long as you are quiet.) Mentre guardavo la televisione, il telefono squill. (While I was watching TV, the phone rang.) This type of adverbial clause can also be expressed by the present gerund if its subject coincides with that one of the main clause: Elena leggeva, ascoltando la radio. (Elena was reading, (while she was) listening to the radio.)
Aveva passato la settimana scorsa allospedale, ragion per cui era piuttosto debole quando torn a casa. (He spent the last week in the hospital, so he was quite weak when he came back home.) If the subject of the main clause coincides with the subject in the adverbial clause, adverbial clauses of causes and effect can also be expressed by a present or past gerund or past participle: Avendo finito di studiare, il ragazzo pot finalmente uscire. (Since he had completed his homework, the boy could finally go out.)
Conditional clauses: Statements with real conditions express different kinds of conditional meanings. Possibility:
Se piove, cosa faremo? (If it rains, what will we do?) Se hai bisogno di qualcosa, fammelo sapere. (If you need anything, please let me know.) I lavoratori in sciopero torneranno al lavoro, se raggiungeranno l'accordo con l'amministrazione. (The strikers will go back to work if they reach the agreement with the administration.)
Supposition:
Se sarai nominato, ti opporrai alle sue misure? (If you are elected, will you oppose his measures?) Note that in Italian if the action will take place in the future (the main clause verb is in the future), the verb in adverbial clause is also in the future. Se far bel tempo andremo al picnic. (If the weather is nice, we will go on a picnic.) Se domani avr abbastanza tempo, mi chiamer. (If she has enough time tomorrow, she will call me.)
Comparative clauses:
Adverbial clauses of comparison are usually introduced by comparative words, such as: come (as) piuttosto che (rather than) che (than) di quanto (than) una volta che (once) fintanto che (as long as) allorquando (when) L'esame stato difficile proprio come prevedevo. (The test was as hard as I thought it would be.) Fin molto pi presto di quando avevamo calcolato. (It ended much sooner than we planned.) La nuova macchina non tanto pi efficiente di quanto lo sia quella vecchia. (The new machine is not more efficient than the old one.) Comparative clauses can also be expressed in Italian with piuttosto di plus infinitive: Piuttosto di stirare tutta quella biancheria , laverei i piatti tutto il giorno. (Rather than iron all that linen, I would wash dishes all day long.)
Punctuation differences:
In almost all cases, Italian punctuation is the same as punctuation in English. Following are some exceptions: Periods in abbreviations :
Often the period is in the middle of an abbreviation Sig. Sig.ra Sig.na Signor (Mr.) Signora (Mrs.) Signorina (Miss)
Egregio (distinguished) curriculum vitae (resume) Spettabile (respectable) allegato (enclosures) vedi (see)
Since the dawn of the internet, the English word "dot" has entered Italian with the meanings: period, decimal point, and "dot" (as in "netscape.com" = netscape dot com).
trans/tras (across) Latin prefixes a/ab from/out of bi/bis inter pos pro per re/re semi e/ex Greek Prefixes anti peri sin (twice) (between) (after) (forward) (through/for/because of) (again) (half) (out)
Transatlantico (transatlantic)
(abrogation) (greatgrandfather) (to interpose) (the day after tomorrow) (to put forward) (to reconnoiter) (reaction) (semicircle) (except)
Numbers:
Cardinal Numbers:
0 zero 1 uno/una 2 due 3 tre 4 quatro 5 cinque 6 sei 7 sette 8 otto 9 nove 10 dieci 10 dieci 11 undici 12 dodici 13 tredici 14 quattordici 15 quindici 16 sedici 17 dicasette 18 dicotto 19 diciannove 20 venti 20 venti 21 ventuno 22 ventidue 23 ventitre 24 ventiquatro 25 venticinque 26 ventisei 27 ventisette 28 ventotto 29 ventinove 30 trenta 10 dieci 20 venti 30 trenta 40 quaranta 50 cinquanta 60 sessanta 70 settanta 80 ottanta 90 novanta 100 cento 101 cent(o)uno
100 cento 200 duocent 300 trecento 400 quatroce 500 cinquece 600 seicento 700 settecen 800 ottocent 900 novacen 1.000 mile 1.100 millece
Cardinal numbers are used in Italian to count, to indicate quantities, and for giving all dates except the first of every month (which is always "il primo".)
amounts of money, especially your own money, it is best to show the amount you mean in written figures. In Italian, The only way to say 1,ioo through 1,900 is millecento, milleduecento, milletrecento, etc. There is no italian equivalent to "thirteen hundred".
Collective Numbers ("about ten, about sixty, etc.), normally formed by dropping the final vowel of the
cardinal numbers and adding -ina, are used to express approximations ("about ten", "about fifty", etc.) Collective numbers are feminine nouns and are almost always indefinite, so they normally require the indefinite article una. They are followed by the preposition di if used with another noun. una diecina <about ten> una cinquantina <about fifty> una trentina di nostri amici <about thirty of our friends> Exceptions: un centinaio <about a hundred>, centinaia <hundreds> un migliaio <about a thousand>, migliaia <thousands> Dozen/dozens (of): una dozzina, due dozzine, etc. <a dozen, two dozen, etc.> Una Dozzina di mele <a dozen apples> a Dozzina <by the dozen>) (uno sacco di: Ho uno sacco di cose da fare, <I have dozens of (lots of) things to do.> -- sacco really means "sack" so <I have a sack of things to do>
trenta meno quindici fa (fann0) quindici <30 - 15 = 15> cinque per sei fa (fanno) trenta <5 x 6 = 30> quaranta diviso per diece fa (fanno) quatro <40 : 10 = 4>
Fractions -- frazione:
1/2 = la meta <one/a half> (le due mete <both halves>) (1 1/2 = uno e meta <one and a half>) 1/2 = mezzo,-a,-i,-e <one/a half (something)> (I due mezzi (cosi) <both half (somethings)>) La meta is the noun and mezzo is the adjective: la meta della classe <half of the class> mezza bottiglia <a half bottle> Other fractions use the same word for nouns and adjectives, but they are also inflected when used as adjectives, e.g., la terza bottiglia 1/3 = un terzo <one/a third> (2/3 = due terzi <two thirds>) (1.2/3 = uno e due terzi <one and two thirds>) 1/4 = un quarto <one/a fourth or one/a/quarter> 1/5 = un quinto 1/6 = un sesto 1/7 = un settimo 1/8 = un ottavo 1/9 = un nono 1/10 = un decimo 1/11 = un undecimo .... 1/17 = un diciasettimo 1/18 = un dicottimo/un dicottavo 1/19 = un dicianovimo/un dicianono 1/20 = un ventesimo 1/21 = un ventunesimo 1/22 = un ventiduesimo 1/23 = un ventitresimo .... 1/28 = un ventottesimo/un ventottavo .... 1/100 = un centesimo .... 1/1000 = un millesimo As in English, fractions are formed by using a cardina number in the numerator and an ordinal in the denominator, and if the
numerator is more than one, the denominator is plural. Sources differ on how to form obscure fractions -mathematicians appear to prefer "un ventottesimo" for 1/28 (but are just as likely to say "uno diviso per (or fratto) ventotto.") Linguists like "un ventottoavo" for 1/28 (but they also may just say "uno diviso per ventotto.") As in English, any fraction can be spoken like "dieci diviso per ventitre <ten divided by twenty three>. Fratto also is translated by the English word fractional.
Telephone numbers:
Italian phone numbers can have from five through ten (or even more) digits. Area codes are either two or three digits, almost always start with zero, and may or may not have to be dialed within local areas -- in Rome, for example, the 06 area code has to be dialed before local numbers. To speak a phone number, first say the individual digits of the area code (e.g., "zero, sei" for Rome, or "zero, sette, uno" for Ancona). then say the numbers in groups of two (55551515 is "cinquantacinque, cinquantacinque, quindici, quindici" -- 55-5515-15.) if there are three digits left at the end of the number, they are combined into a group (55151 is "cinquantacinque, centocinquantuno" -- 55-151 -- never "cinquantacinque, quindici, uno.") A number including its area code combines the two usages. (Ancona 555151 is "zero, sette, zero, cinquantacinque, centocinquantuno" -- 1-7-1-55-151.) The country code for Italy is 39 and is said as a two number group ("trentanove") before all the other numbers (Rome, Italy 55551515 is "trentanove, zero, sei, cinquantacinque, cinquantacinque, quindici, quindici" -- 39-0-6-55-55-15-15.) If you ask for a repeat, and the person on the line recognizes that you are a foreigner, you may get all the digits individually (39 06 55551515 would be "tre, nove, zero, sei, cinque, cinque, etc." -- 3-9-0-6-5-5-etc.)
venti (twenty) una ventina (around twenty) cinquanta (fifty) una cinquantina (around fifty) Exceptions: un centinaio (pl. centinaia) around a hundred (hundreds); un migliaio (pl. migliaia) around one thousand (thousands)
Ordinal Numbers
ORDINAL NUMBERS EXPRESS DEGREE, QUALITY, OR POSITION IN A SERIES OR SUCCESSION. 1st primo 2nd secondo 3rd terzo 4th quarto 5th quinto 6th sesto 7th settimo 8th ottavo 9th nono 10th decimo 11th undicesimo/ decimoprimo 12th dodicesimo/ decimosecondo 13th tredicesimo/ decimoterzo etc. 20th ventesimo 30th trentesimo etc. 21st ventunesimo/ ventesimo primo 22nd ventiduesimo/ ventesimo secondo etc. 100th centesimo 200th du(e)centesimo 300th trecentesimo etc. 101st centunesimo/ centesimo primo etc. 1,000th millesimo
1,000,000th milionesimo
nth ennesimo last ultimo As in English, ennesimo <nth> can mean "any number" or can mean "utmost" Ordinals agree with the nouns the modify in gender and number Ordinals normally precede the noun the modify ("il primo capitolo" <the first chapter>) but can follow the noun for empasis and always follow the noun to indicate lines of
succession of kings, Popes, ect.: Enrico Ottavo <Henry the Eighth>, Papa Pio decimo < Pope Pius the Tenth. As in English, ordinals can be used without the noun they modify, but if the noun is known the ordinal should be inflected. Only the ordinal primo is used in dates: Oggi e il primo (di) febbraio <Today is the first of February.> All other dates us cardinal numbers: Oggi e il cinque (di) Febbraio <Today is February the fifth.>)
Time
What hour is it?
Che ora e? / Che ore sono? di notte ----> e l'una ----> di pomeriggio ----> e mezzogiorno ----> ----> e mezzanotte ----> ----> sono le due ----> del pomeriggio ----> di notte ----> sono le quattro ----> del pomeriggio ----> di mattina ----> sone le cinque ----> del pomeriggio ----> sono le undici ----> di mattina ----> it's one a.m. it's one p.m. it's noon it's midnight it's two p.m. it's four a.m. it's four p.m. it's five a.m. it's five p.m. it's 11 a.m.
di notte ----> it's 11 p.m. Because the word ora,-a is implied, the feminine definite article is used. Italian uses e (singular) for 1 o'clock and sono (plural) for hours more than one o'clock. e l'una <It's one o'clock> sono le sei <it's ("they are") six o'clock> Morning, Noon and Night: A.M. (antimeridiano) and P.M. (postmeridiano) exist in Italian, and the abreviations are the same as in English, but they are rarely used. Some Italians use a.m./p.m only when talking to foreigners. di mattina (5 a.m. to noon), del pomeriggio (noon to 5/6 p.m.), di sera (5/6 p.m. to 10 p.m.), and di notte (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) are more commonly used. Borders between pomeriggio / sera / notte / mattina vary considerably, but the mattina / pomeriggio line is more consistently at noon. "Mezzogiorno," however, can stretch out several hours into a long lunch. "il mezzogiorno" is the south of Italy, which is famous for long lazy afternoons. "a mezzogiorno" means <in the south>, while "al sud" means <to the south.> "sono a mezzogiorno" can mean <they are lazy> as well as <they are taking a long lunch.> Minutes are added to the hour using e <and>: sono le due e venti. = <it's 2:20> E l'una e trentotto = <it's 1:38> Sono le otto e cinquantanove = <it's 8:59.> Minutes past the half hour can also be expressed as: the next hour minus (meno) the minutes until the next hour -Sono le dieci meno venti = <it's 20 minutes before 10> or <it's 9:40>, or as: Minutes "left to go" (mancare = to be lacking) before the next hour -Mancano dieci minuti alle sette = <it is (They are lacking) ten
minutes before seven> Manca un/uno minuto alla sei = <it is (it is lacking) a/one minute before six. Rarely, minutes can be added to any time for emphasis, meaning "you are this many minutes late" -Sono le nove e venticinque e dieci <(roughly) It's 9:35 and you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago at 9:25.> Quarters and thirds of Hours: (ora,-e) e un quarto <a quarter past> ... e mezzo/mezza <half past> ... e tre quarti <three quarters past> (rarely used) ... meno un quarto <a quarter to> ... e un terzo/terza <20 past> (rarely) ... meno un terzo/terza <20 til> <Rarely> At what time? When? A Che ore ...? A mezzogiorno <at noon> All'una precisa <at one o'clock sharp> alle otto precise <at eight sharp> alle otto e trentotto <at 8:38> Time expressions: in anticipo <early, ahead of time> in orario <on time> in ritardo <late> in punto <sharp, on the dot, punctual(ly) precisa,-e <sharp> le ore di punta <rush hour(s)> la mattina <in the morning> il pomeriggio <in the afternoon> la sera <in the evening> la notte <at night> E' presto <It's early/it's on time> E' tardi <it's late> ieri <yesterday> ieri l'altro/l'alto ieri <the day before yesterday/the other day> oggi <today> domani <tommorow><figuratively -- "whenever"> dopodomani <the day after tomorrow> ...fa <...ago> -venti minuti fa <20 minutes ago> molto tempo fa <a long time ago>
secoli fa <centuries ago> Fra...e... <between...and...> -fra otto e nove <between 8 and 9> circa <about/approximately> -e circa l'una <it's about one> Sono circa le tre <it's about three> One Time, Two Times, Many times, at times, Sometimes, etc. Volta,-e La volta expresses repetative time: Dillo ancora una volta <SAy it once more (one more time)> Quante volte ...? <How many times ...?> A volte .... <At times ....> Qualche volta... <sometimes> -volta is singular because qualche is always followed by singular nouns La secunda volta <the second time> Mille volta <a thousant times> <countless times> c'era una volta <there once was/once upon a time> una volta per sempre <once and for all> per l'ultima volta <for the last time> tre volte stupido <utterly stupid> ogni volta <every/each time> due per volta/tre per volta/etc. <two at a time/three at a time/etc.> la volta tua <your turn> la prossima volta <the next time> la altra volta <the other time> un'altra volta <another time> etc.
MONTHS:
GENNAIO <JANUARY> FEBBRAIO <FEBRUARY> MARZO <MARCH> APRILE <APRIL> MAGGIO <MAY> GIUGNO <JUNE> LUGLIO <JULY> AGOSTO <AUGUST> SETTEMBRE <SEPTEMBER> OTTOBRE <OCTOBER> NOVEMBRE <NOVEMBER> DICEMBRE <DECEMBER> "IN/A GENNAIO"
SEASONS:
LA PRIMAVERA <SPRING> (IN PRIMAVERA) L' ESTATE <SUMMER> (IN ESTATE) L' AUTUNNO <AUTUMN> (IN AUTUNNO) L' INVERNO <WINTER> (IN INVERNO)
Centuries (secoli):
il Undicento (secolo) = 1101 through 1200 il Duecento (secolo) = 1201 through 1300 il Trecento (secolo) = 1301 throuh 1400 il Quatrocento (secolo) = 1401 through 1500 il Cinquecento (secolo) = 1500 through 1600 il Seicento (secolo) = 1601 through 1700 il Settecento (secolo) = 1701 through 1800 l'Ottocento (secolo) = 1801 through 1900 il Novecento (secolo) = 1901 through 2000 Note that Italian uses "the 1200 (century)" where English uses "the 13th century." The word secolo is used only if needed to avoid confusion. Centuries are capitalized.
past perfect erano piaciuti,-e future perfect saranno piaciuti,-e conditional perfect sarebbero piaciuti,-e Note that piacere is conjugated with essere so the past participle agrees with its subject. The recipient of the action (the person(s)) to whom something is pleasing is either the indirect object (or the dative object -indirect object -- pronoun) or the object (or the disjunctive object pronoun) of the preposition "A." If the indirect object (dative) pronoun is used, it precedes the verb: Mi piace.... and the subject (that which is pleasing) follows the verb: mi piace il film. The verb, naturally, agrees with its subject. If a + disjunctive is used it Precedes the verb or follows the subject which follows the verb: A me (disjunctive object pronoun) piace il film (subject). -- 0r-- Piace il film (subject) a me(disjunctive pronoun.) An infinitive can be the subject of piacere: Mi piace viaggiare. <To travel is pleasing to me./I like to travel.> Piace viaggiare a me. <To dance is pleasing to me./I like to dance.> (The English usage of the participle as a noun is not used with piacere.
Fare: Weather -Che tempo fa? <How is the weather?/lit.: What weather makes (it)?> Fa bel (cattivo) tempo. <the weather is good (bad).:/Lit.: It makes good (bad) weather.> Fa freddo. <It's cold.> Fa molto caldo. <it's very hot.> (But: Poive. <It's raining.>, Neve. <It's snowing.>, Tira vento. <The wind is blowing.>
Professions -Che cosa fa Suo padre? <What does your father do?>
Mio padre fa il medico. <My father is a doctor.> Faccio il musicista. <I am a musician.>
in place of English "have" -- to "Have something done" -Faccia aprire la porta. <Have the door opened.> Mi sono Fatto un vestito. <I had a dress made for myself.> Le ho fatto scrivere una lettura. <I had her write a letter./I made her write a letter.> Note the use of the infinitive vice the English usage of the past participle.
Other Idiomatic Expressions -Fare una domanda <to ask a question> fare un viaggio <to take a trip> fare un bagno <to take a bath> Fare una passeggiata <to take a walk> Fare colazione <to have breakfast/brunch/light lunch> fare da mangiare <to make lunch or dinner> fare attenzione <to pay attention> fare un piachere <to do a favor> Fare una conferenza <to give a lecture> Farsi male <to hurt oneself> farsi la barba <to shave> Si fa tardi. <It's getting late.> Non fa niente. <It's all right.>
Avere:
To be hungry = to have hunger; to be thirtsy = to have thirst Ho fame <I'm hungry> Ho sete <I'm thirsty> Ho caldo <I'm warm> (not the same as Fa caldo <it's hot/warm>) ho freddo <i'm cold> (not the same as Fa freddo <it's cold>) Ho fretta <I'm in a hurry> Ho paura <I'm afraid> Ha ragione <You're right> Ho sonno <I'm sleepy> Also: Ho venticinque anni <he's fifteen years old> Ha i capelli biondi <He has blond hair/his hair is blond>
Che cosa hai? <what's the matter with you (familiar singular?> Non ho niente. <Nothing is the matter with me.>
Ho bisogno di un paio di scarpe. <I need (have need of) a pair of shoes.> The verb bisognare is impersonal and means "to be necessary." It is always followed by the subjuntive. -Bisogna ch'egli parta. <It is necessary that he go.>
Volere:
Volere <to wish/want> is conjugated irregularly: voglio, vuoi, vuole, vogliamo, volete, vogliono Although volere is used regularly in Italian, its translations are idiomatic in English: Voglio partire. <I want to leave.> <Will you do this for me? (more literally: Do Vuol farmi questo? you want to do this for me?> Vorrei andarci <I, also, would like to go there.> anch'io. Cosa vuol dire <What does this word mean? (more questa parola? literally: This word wants to say what?> Ci vogliono due ore <It takes two hours to go (there). (more per andare. literally: It wants two hours to go (there).> Come vuole. <As you wish.> Voglio bene a mia <I love my mother. (more literally: I wish my madre. mother well.>
Dare:
dar ragione <to agree ("give agreement")> dar torto <to disagree ("give disagreement")> dare la mano a <to shake hands with ("to give the hand to")> dare del tu, del voi, del Lei, del Loro <to use tu, voi, Lei, Loro(in direct address)>
Andare:
Andare in treno, in automobile <to go by (lit: in) train, by car> Andare a cavallo <to ride hrseback> Come va? <How goes it?> Va bene. <Very well.>