UNIT

1.4 Grammar

Subject Pronouns
PRONOMI PERSONALI

Subject pronouns in Italian can be singular or plural. You singular can be formal
(Lei) or informal (tu). These are the subject pronouns in Italian:

Singular Plural

io (I) noi (we)

tu (you, informal) voi (you, formal and informal)

lui (he) / lei (she) / Lei (you, formal) loro (they)

Lei (generally capitalized) is the subject pronoun used to address someone
formally, i.e. people you dont know well or to whom you wish to show respect,
such as a professor, your boss, or any person in a position of authority. Older people
often use Lei in conversation even if they have known each other for many years.

Tu is the subject pronoun used to address someone informally. It is commonly used
among friends and relatives or when talking to children. Young people generally use
tu among themselves, even if they dont know each other well.

Voi is the subject pronoun used to address two or more people, in both formal and
informal situations.

Loro means they but may also be used in place of voi in extremely formal situation
to address two or more persons; in this case it is generally capitalized, just like Lei.
Since this use is relatively rare, we will use voi to address two or more people both
informally and formally, and we will use Loro only in its meaning of they.

Notice that the subject pronoun it (esso, essa) for inanimate things is rarely used in
Italian, and will not appear in our charts.

The use of subject pronouns can sometimes be avoided since the subject of a verb
is clear from the verb ending. Therefore, pronouns are generally used only for
emphasis or to avoid misunderstandings. Because they are optional, they will be
written in parenthesis in charts and examples.

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UNIT 1.4 Grammar

The Verb Essere (To Be)

IL VERBO ESSERE

Essere is the infinitive form of the verb to be. When conjugated, verb endings
change according to their subject.



Singular Plural

(io) sono (noi) siamo

(tu) sei (voi) siete

(lui / lei / Lei) (loro) sono

Use of essere
The following interrogative expressions are often used with the verb essere:

Dove ? Where ?
Come ? How ?

Notice that dove and come are contracted when followed by :
Dov ? Com ?

Study the following examples:

Dov Milano? Where is Milan?

Milano in Lombardia. Milan is in Lombardy.

Dove sono le Isole Tremiti? Where are the Tremiti Islands?

Le Isole Tremiti sono nel Mare Adriatico. The Tremiti Islands are in the Adriatic Sea.

Com Como? How is Como?

Como una piccola citt su un bellissimo Como is a small town by a beautiful lake.
lago.

Come sono le Isole Tremiti? How are the Tremiti Islands?

Le Isole Tremiti sono molto piccole, ma The Tremiti Islands are very small but very
molto belle. beautiful.

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UNIT 1.4 Grammar

The verb essere is also used to talk about ones origins (the equivalent of the
English Where are you from? I am from):

Di dov Lei? Where are you from? (formal)
Di dove sei tu? Where are you from? (informal)

Study the following examples:

Di dov Lei, professor Baldini? Where are you from, professor Baldini?

Sono di Empoli, vicino a Firenze. I am from Empoli, near Florence.

Renato, di dove sei? Renato, where are you from?

Sono di Cefal, una piccola citt in Sicilia. I am from Cefal, a small town in Sicily.

Di dove sono Marta e Daniele? Where are Marta e Daniele from?

Sono di Potenza, il capoluogo della They are from Potenza, the capital of the
Basilicata. Basilicata region.

The verb essere is used to express possession:

Di chi ? Whose is ?
Di chi sono ? Whose are ?

Study the following examples:

Di chi questo libro? Whose book is this?

di Giovanna. It is Giovannas.

Di chi sono questi occhiali? Whose glasses are these?

Sono di Lorenzo. They are Lorenzos.

The verb essere is also used in the verbal forms there is and there are:

C (a contraction of ci + ) There is

Ci sono There are


Study the following examples:

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 UNIT 1.4 Grammar

C una bellissima chiesa in questa piazza. There is a beautiful church in this square.

Non c ununiversit a Livorno. There is not a university in Livorno.

Ci sono molti ristoranti italiani in centro. There are many Italian restaurants downtown.

Non ci sono molti studenti italiani in There are not many Italian students at this
questa universit. University.

Negative verbs

To make a negative verb (I am not ), place the negative non right before the verb
or between the subject pronoun and the verb.

Sono italiana. Non sono italiana.
Noi siamo americani. Noi non siamo americani.


Definite Articles (Singular and Plural)
ARTICOLI DETERMINATIVI (SINGOLARI E PLURALI)

Definite articles in Italian are the equivalent of the English the. Articles must agree
in gender and number with the following noun.

Definite articles (masculine)

Singular Plural
il i
lo gli
(before nouns beginning with (before nouns beginning with
z, s + consonant, or ps) z, s + consonant, or ps)
l (before nouns beginning with a vowel) gli (before nouns beginning with a vowel)

Definite articles (feminine)

Singular Plural
la le
l (before nouns beginning with a vowel) le


Here are some examples:

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UNIT 1.4 Grammar

Masculine nouns with their definite articles

Singular Plural
il il libro i i libri
il signore i signori
lo lo zio gli gli zii
lo gli studenti
studente gli psicologi
lo
psicologo
l lalbergo gli gli alberghi
(hotel) gli ospedali
lospedale



Feminine nouns and their definite articles

Singular Plural
la la strada (street) le le strade
la casa (home, house) le case

l luniversit le le universit



The Adjective Bello
LAGGETTIVO BELLO

The adjective bello (beautiful, handsome, nice), when used before a noun, takes the
same endings of the definite article. Study the following examples:

Masculine nouns

il museo (the museum) il bel museo (the beautiful museum)

lorologio (the watch) il bellorologio (the nice watch)

i ragazzi (the young men) i bei ragazzi (the handsome young men)

gli alberi (the trees) i begli alberi (the beautiful trees)

gli zaini (the backpacks) i begli zaini (the nice backpacks)

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UNIT 1.4 Grammar

Feminine nouns

la ragazza (the young woman) la bella ragazza (the beautiful young woman)

le ragazze (the young women) le belle ragazze (the beautiful young women)

luniversit (the university) la bella universit (the beautiful university)

le universit (the universities) le belle universit (the beautiful universities)