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2. PRONUNCIATION / LA PRONUNCIA
Italian is a very phonetic language, so pronunciation should be easy. Most
words are pronounced exactly like they are spelled. There are only seven pure
vowels, but several diphthongs and triphthongs. The English samples given are
not pronounced exactly as in Italian because English vowels tend to be
diphthongized (there's an extra yuh or wuh after the actual vowel). Make sure to
only say the pure vowel and not the diphthong when pronouncing Italian.
Italian Vowels English Pronunciation
[i] vita ee as in meet
[e] vedi ay as in bait
[ɛ] era eh as in bet
[a] cane ah as in father
[u] uva oo as in boot
[o] sole oh as in boat
[ɔ] modo aw as in law
Semi-Vowels
[w] quando, uomo wuh as in won
[j] piano, ieri, piove yuh as in yes
In spelling, the letter e is used to represent both [e] and [ɛ]; while the letter o is
used to represent both [o] and [ɔ]. If the vowel is stressed, then the
pronunciation is always closed [e] and [o]. If the vowel is not stressed, it is
always open [ɛ] and [ɔ]. This can change according to regional dialects in Italy,
of course, but this is the standard rule. Italian semi-vowels are always written
ua, ue, uo, ui for [w] and ia, ie, io, iu for [j]. If another vowel precedes u or i,
then it is a diphthong: ai, ei, oi, au, eu. The combination iu + another vowel
creates a triphthong.
Italian consonant + vowel combinations
c + a, o, u, he, ah-mee-kah, ah-mee-koh, ah-
k amica, amico, amiche
hi mee-keh
c + ia, io, iu, e, bah-cho, cheh-leh-breh, chee-
ch bacio, celebre, cinema
i neh-mah
g + a, o, u, he, gah-rah, goo-stoh, spah-geh-
g gara, gusto, spaghetti
hi tee
g + ia, io, iu, e, djoh-toh, djeh-lah-toh, mah-
dj Giotto, gelato, magico
i djee-koh
sc + a, o, u, he, skah-lah, skoo-oh-la, skeh-
sk scala, scuola, scheda
hi dah
sc + ia, io, iu, sciarpa, sciupato, shar-pah, shoo-pah-toh, sheh-
sh
e, i scemo moh
3. ALPHABET / L'ALFABETO
a ah q koo
b bee r ehr-reh
c chee s ehs-seh
d dee t teh
e eh u oo
f eff-eh v voo
g zhee z dzeh-tah
h ahk-kah
i ee Foreign Letters
l ehl-eh j ee loon-gah
m ehm-eh k kahp-pah
n ehn-eh w dohp-pyah voo
o oh x eeks
p pee y ee greh-kah (or) eep-see-lohn
Avere is used with many idioms and expressions that normally use the verb "to
be" in English:
8. QUESTION WORDS
Who Chi kee
Whose Di chi dee kee
What Che cosa keh koh-sah
Why Perché pehr-keh
When Quando kwahn-doh
Where Dove doh-veh
How Come koh-meh
How much Quanto kwahn-toh
Which Quale kwah-leh
When dove, come, and quale are followed by è (is), dove and come contract to
dov'è and com'è; and quale drops its e to become qual è.
If a number ends in -tre, you need to add an accent: -trè. When you have a
word that ends in a vowel, like venti, and another word that begins with a
vowel, like uno; the first word loses its vowel when putting the two words
together. Venti (20) and uno (1) make ventuno (21). One exception is cento;
it does not lose its vowel. Cento (100) and uno (1) make centouno (101).
Notice that cento does not have a plural form, but mille does (mila). And be
aware that Italian switches the use of commas and decimals.
Ordinal Numbers
first primo / prima
second secondo / seconda
third terzo / terza
fourth quarto / quarta
fifth quinto / quinta
sixth sesto / sesta
seventh settimo / settima
eighth ottavo / ottava
ninth nono / nona
tenth decimo / decima
undicesimo /
eleventh
undicesima
twentieth ventesimo / ventesima
hundredth centesimo / centesima
From eleventh on, just drop the final vowel of the cardinal number and add
-esimo. For numbers like ventitrè, trentatrè, add -esimo but do not drop the
final e. Ordinal numbers are adjectives and must agree with the nouns they
modify; -o is the masculine ending, -a is the feminine ending.
Days and months are not capitalized. To express the date, use È il (number)
(month). May 5th would be È il 5 (or cinque) maggio. But for the first of the
month, use primo instead of 1 or uno. To express ago, as in two days ago, a
month ago, etc., just add fa afterwards. To express last, as in last Wednesday,
last week, etc., just add scorso (for masculine words) or scorsa (for feminine
words) afterwards.
una settimana fa - a week ago
la settimana scorsa - last week
un mese fa - a month ago
l'anno scorso - last year
To say in the (season), just use in. In estate is in the summer, in primavera is in
spring. D'estate and d'inverno can also be used instead of in estate or in inverno.
13. DIRECTIONS / DIREZIONI
right destra
left sinistra
straight diritto
North nord nohrd
South sud sood
East est est
West ovest oh-vest
Colors are adjectives and must agree with the nouns they modify; -o is the
masculine ending, -a is the feminine ending. For example, rosso is masculine
and rossa is feminine. Color words always go after the noun they describe:
una casa gialla - a yellow house
il cubo rosso - the red cube
To ask the color of something:
Di che colore è il cielo? What color is the sky?
Di che colore sono i tuoi occhi? What color are your eyes?
Conoscere is used when you know people and places. It is conjugated
regularly. Sapere is used when you know facts. Sapere followed by an
infinitive means to know how. In addition, the object must be expressed in
Italian when using sapere. You cannot simply say I know as in English, but
rather I know it: Lo so.
Io conosco Mario. I know Mario.
Voi conoscete la Francia. You know (have visited) France.
Tu sai nuotare. You know how to swim.
Loro sanno cantare. They know how to sing.
Words ending in -io can either change the o to i, or just simply drop the o to
form the plural. When the -i of -io is stressed, the plural is -ii; however, most
words ending in -io do not stress the -i, and so their plurals are formed by
dropping the o. Compare: lo zio - gli zii and il figlio - i figli.
Some nouns ending in -co and -go may or may not insert an h before changing
the o to i. There is no general rule for it. All nouns ending in -ca and -ga insert
an h before changing the a to e. Nouns ending in an accented vowel do not
change for the plural. (la città (city) becomes le città) There are some
masculine nouns that end -a, and these nouns change the -a to -i in the plural:
il programma, il poeta, il pianete, il pilota, il poema, il sistema. The plural of
l'uomo (man) is gli uomini, while the plural of la mano (hand) is le mani.
You may leave off the definite article before family relation words in the
singular. All other times, you must use them. Notice that loro does not
change.
21. TO DO OR MAKE
fare - to do / make
faccio fah-cho facciamo fah-chah-moh
fai fah-ee fate fah-teh
fa fah fanno fahn-noh
When talking about your major or specialization, use the verb fare without the
definite article: Faccio geografia. I study geography.
Questo cane è di Marco. This dog is Marco's. / This is Marco's dog. (Literally:
This dog is of Marco.)
Reflexive Pronouns
mi ci
ti vi
si si
Common reflexive verbs:
to graduate (from
to be satisfied with accontentarsi di laurearsi
college)
to fall asleep addormentarsi to wash up lavarsi
to get up alzarsi to put on mettersi
to be bored annoiarsi to get organized organizzarsi
to make a
to get angry arrabbiarsi prenotarsi
reservation
to be called chiamarsi to remember to ricordarsi di
to make a
to forget to dimenticarsi di sbagliarsi
mistake
to graduate (from sentirsi (bene,
diplomarsi to feel (well, bad)
high school) male)
to have a good time divertirsi to specialize specializzarsi
farsi la barba /
to shave (the face) to get married sposarsi
radersi
to stop (oneself) fermarsi to wake up svegliarsi
to complain about lamentarsi di to get dressed vestirsi
Io mi lavo. I wash myself.
Noi ci alziamo presto. We get up early.
Si sveglia alle sette. She wakes up at seven.
The plural reflexive pronouns (ci, vi, si) can also be used with non-reflexive
verbs to indicate a reciprocal action. These verbs are called reciprocal verbs
and are expressed by the words each other in English.
Piacere (a) literally means to be pleasing (to) so to form a sentence you have
to invert the word order. You must also use the prepositional contractions with
a.
Maria piace a Giovanni. John likes Mary. (Literally: Mary is pleasing to John)
Gli studenti piacciono ai professori. The teachers like the
students. (Literally: The students are pleasing to the teachers).
The most common forms are the third person singular and plural when used with object
pronouns. The object pronouns that are used with these two verbs are somewhat similar
to the reflexive pronouns:
mi I (to me) ci we (to us)
ti you (to you) vi you (to you)
gli / he / she (to him / they (to
gli
le her) them)
38. COMMANDS
-are -ere -ire
tu form (singular familiar) -a -i -i / -isci
Lei form (singular polite) -i -a -a / -isca
voi form (plural polite) -ate -ete -ite
noi form (Let's ...) -iamo -iamo -iamo
To make a command negative, add non before the command, except for the tu
(singular familiar) commands, when you use non and the infinitive.
tu form Lei form voi form
Answer! Rispondi! Risponda! Rispondete!
Don't Non Non Non
answer! rispondere! risponda! rispondete!
Irregular Commands
stare -to
andare venire - fare - to dare - dire - to essere avere -
be /
- to go to come do to give say / tell - to be to have
stay
sing.
va' vieni fa' da' di' sii abbi sta'
fam.
sing.
vada venga faccia dia dica sia abbia stia
pol.
plural andate venite fate date dite siate abbiate state
andiam
Let's veniamo facciamo diamo diciamo siamo abbiamo stiamo
o
The words avanti, dai and su can accompany commands to give emphasis,
similar to come on! in English. If pure is used with a command, it softens the
intensity.
The non goes before the verb and the second part goes after.
Non ho niente. I have nothing.
Nessuno and niente can also be subjects. In this case, non is not used.
Nessuno è venuto. No one came.
52. TO WEAR
mettersi - to wear, put on (clothing)
mi metto ci mettiamo
ti metti vi mettete
si mette si mettono
Past participle: si è messo
You don't use possessive pronouns when referring to parts of the body or
clothing, but you do use the definite article.
Mi metto la maglia. I'm wearing my sweater.
→ The future tense is commonly used after quando (when), appena (as soon
as), dopo che (after), and se (if) even though the present tense is often used
in English. In addition to expressing the future, this tense in Italian can also
express probability; but in English, the words probably, can or must are used.
Non vedo Maria da molto tempo. Dove sarà? I haven't seen Maria in a long
time. Where could she be?
Sarà ammalata o in vacanza. She must be sick or on vacation.
→ Notice that Italian uses the future tense after se in hypothetical statements,
whereas in English the present tense is used.
Se domani farà bel tempo, andrò alla spiaggia. If the weather is good
tomorrow, I'll go to the beach.
→ The future perfect (futuro composto) is formed with the future of avere or
essere plus a past participle. The translation in English is will have + past
participle. It must be used when there are two actions in the future that do not
happen at the same time.
Alle sei, avremo già mangiato. By six, we will have eaten already.
Farà un viaggio dopo che avrà superato gli esami. He will go on a trip after
he will have passed his exams.
Buono e Bello
Singular Plural Before a:
Masculine
buono z, s + consonant
buoni
buon vowel or consonant
Feminine
buona consonant
buone
buon' vowel
Masculine
bello z, s + consonant
begli
bell' vowel
bel bei consonant
Feminine
bella consonant
belle
bell' vowel
If they go after the noun, then they can be formed in the usual way. The above
forms are only for when they go before the noun. Be aware that grande can
have alternate forms before nouns too. Grande can become gran before
masculine or feminine nouns beginning with a consonant. Or it could contract
to grand' before masculine or feminine nouns beginning with a vowel. But you
do not have to use the alternate forms, whether or not you place the adjective
before or after the noun.
57. ADVERBS
Most adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the
adjective. Adjectives ending in -le or -re drop the final -e before adding -mente, if the l
or r is preceded by a vowel.
Adjective (feminine
Adverb
form)
recente recentemente recently
comoda comodamente comfortably
finale finalmente finally
regolare regolarmente regularly
Note that the adverbial form of buono (good) is bene (well), and cattivo (bad) is
male (badly).
The adverb sempre (always) usually follows the verb. Anche (also, too)
always precedes the noun, pronoun or infinitive to which it refers. When it
precedes io, it becomes anch'.
Noi studiamo sempre. We always study.
Vuole anche questo libro. He wants that book, too.
Anch'io devo studiare. I have to study too.
59. TO PLAY
Giocare-to play
gioco joh-koh giochiamo joh-kee-ah-moh
giochi joh-kee giocate joh-kah-teh
gioca joh-kah giocano joh-kahn-oh
Past participle: giocato
Most sports use giocare a (sport) without the prepositional contractions to
mean to play a sport.
Giocano a pallacanestro. They play basketball.
Mi piace giocare a calcio. I like to play soccer.
Che cosa fai nel tempo libero? What do you do in your free time?
Di solito faccio sport. Usually I play sports.
60. NATURE & GEOGRAPHY
air l'aria (f) rain la pioggia
archipelago l'arcipelago (m) rainbow l'arcobaleno (m)
bank la riva river il fiume
bay la baia rock lo scoglio
barn la stalla root la radice
beach la spiaggia rose la rosa
branch il ramo sand la sabbia
bridge il ponte sea il mare
bud il bocciolo shadow l'ombra
bush l'arbusto (m) sky il cielo
il capo / il
cape snow la neve
promontorio
cave la caverna soil il terreno
city la città south il sud
climate il clima spring (water) la sorgente
cloud la nube / nuvola star la stella
coast la costa stem il gambo
comet la cometa storm il temporale
constellation la costellazione strait lo stretto
country il paese stream il ruscello
country(side) la campagna street la strada
current la corrente sun il sole
daffodil il narciso sunflower il girasole
daisy la margherita thaw il disgelo
darkness l'oscurità (f) thunder il tuono
desert il deserto tornado il turbine
dew la rugiada tree l'albero
dust la polvere trunk il tronco
earth la terra tulip il tulipano
east l'est (m) valley la valle
farm la tenuta view la vista
field il campo water l'acqua
flower il fiore fresh water l'acqua dolce
foam la schiuma salt water l'acqua salata
fog la nebbia watering can l'annaffiatoio
foliage il fogliame waterfall la cascata
il bosco / la
forest wave l'onda (f)
foresta
frost il gelo weather il tempo
grass l'erba (f) west l'ovest (m)
gulf il golfo wind il vento
hail la grandine world il mondo
hay il fieno
high tide l'alta marea North Pole il Polo Nord
hill la collina South Pole il Polo Sud
Northern l'emisfero
ice il ghiaccio
Hemisphere settentrionale
Soutern l'emisfero
island I'isola (f)
Hemisphere meridionale
il circolo polare
isthmus l'istmo (m) Arctic Circle
artico
jungle la giungla equator l'equatore (m)
lake il lago Arctic Ocean l'Oceano Artico
leaf la foglia Atlantic Ocean l'Oceano Atlantico
light la luce Pacific Ocean l'Oceano Pacifico
lightning il fulmine / lampo Indian Ocean l'Oceano Indiano
lily il giglio Caribbean Sea il Mar dei Caraibi
Mediterranean
low tide la bassa marea il Mar Mediterraneo
Sea
meadow il prato North Sea il Mare del Nord
moon la luna Red Sea il Mar Rosso
mountain la montagna Black Sea il Mar Nero
mountain la catena
range montuosa
mouth (river) l'imboccatura Mercury Mercurio
mud il fango Venus Venere
nature la natura Earth Terra
north il nord Mars Marte
peninsula la penisola Jupiter Giove
il piano / la
plain Saturn Saturno
pianura
planet il pianeta Uranus Uranio
plant la pianta Neptune Nettuno
pond lo stagno Pluto Plutone
pot (for plants) il vaso da fiori
61. OBJECT PRONOUNS
Subject Direct Indirect Object of Prepositions
io I mi me mi to me me me
tu you (s.i.) ti you ti to you te you
lui he/it lo him/it gli to him/it lui him/it
lei she/it/you (s.p.) la her/it/you le to her/it/you lei her/it/you
noi we ci us ci to us noi us
voi you (p.i.) vi you vi to you voi you
loro they/you (p.p.) li/le them/you loro to them/you loro them/you
1. S.i. means singular informal, s.p. means singular polite, p.i. means plural
informal, and p.p. means plural polite. For you (s.p.) and you (p.p.) they
are capitalized to set them apart from the other meaning. (Lei instead of
lei and Loro instead of loro.)
2. Direct and indirect pronouns go directly before the conjugated verb OR
they are attached to the infinitive at the end (minus the final -e of the
infinitive); except loro, which always follows the verb: Lo voglio
comprare. = Voglio comprarlo. I want to buy it.
3. With commands, the pronoun (except loro) is attached to the end and
written as one word: Parlatemi! Talk to me!
With one syllable commands, the consonant of the pronoun is doubled
before adding it to the end of the command: di' + mi = dimmi! tell me!
However, with negative commands, the pronoun may either be placed at
the end as with positive commands, or they can be placed between non
and the verb: Non andarci! = Non ci andare! Don't go there!
4. When you have more than one pronoun, the indirect comes before the
direct.
5. Mi, ti, ci, and vi change to me, te, ce, and ve before lo, la, li and le.
Also notice the insertion of ce before a pronoun + avere in constructions
such as: Ce l'ho. I have it. Non ce le ho. I don't have them.
6. Gli and le become glie before lo, la, li, and le; and are written as one
word connected with the other pronoun: glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele
If you use the direct object pronouns lo, la, li, le in the present perfect tense,
the past participle must agree with them.
Hai mangiato il panino? Did you eat the bun?
Lo ho mangiato. I ate it.
Hai mangiato la pasta? Did you eat the pastry?
La ho mangiata. I ate it.
In negative sentences, pronouns go before the entire verb as well, but after the
non.
I haven't eaten it. Non lo ho mangiato.
The following verbs are always used with indirect pronouns or nouns:
to give dare to bring portare
to say/tell dire to prepare preparare
to ask domandare to give (as a gift) regalare
to return, give
to lend imprestare rendere
back
to teach insegnare to bring back riportare
to send mandare to answer rispondere
to show mostrare to write scrivere
to offer offrire to call/telephone telefonare
You can use the expressions Ho mal di + body part or Mi fa male + definite
article and the body part to say that something hurts. If the noun is plural, you
have to use mi fanno male instead of mi fa male.
Ho mal di testa. My head hurts. / I have a headache.
Mi fa male il dito. My finger hurts.
Mi fanno male gli occhi. My eyes hurt.
To talk about hair and eyes:
Ha i capelli corti / lunghi. S/he has short / long hair.
Ha i capelli biondi / bruni / neri / rossi. S/he has blond / brown / black / red
hair.
Ha gli occhi azzurri / marroni / grigi / verdi. S/he has blue / brown / gray /
green eyes.
67. CI AND NE
Ci (there, it, about it, of it) and ne (some, of them, of it) are both pronouns that
go before the verb and they replace prepositional phrases. Ci will replace
phrases indicating locations that begin with in, on, to, at, under, etc. and ne will
replace phrases that are usually preceded by some or a number and that
indicate quantities.
Example Sentences
I live in Paris. Vivo a Parigi.
I live there. Ci vivo.
I have some apples. Ho delle mele.
I have some (of them). Ne ho.
I have five sisters. Ho cinque sorelle.
I have five (of them). Ne ho cinque.
Do you buy books often? Compri spesso libri?
I buy many (of them). Ne compro molte.
Similar to other pronouns, ci and ne go directly before the conjugated verb or
they are attached to the infinitive at the end (minus the final -e of the infinitive).
Ci voglio andare. = Voglio andarci. I want to go there.
Ne posso spendere molti. = Posso spenderne molti. I can spend a lot.
In the perfect tenses, the past participle must agree with the noun that ne
refers to, the same way that it must agree with the direct object preceding it:
Quante caramelle hai mangiato? How many candies did you eat?
Ne ho mangiate quattro. I ate four of them.
Other Uses of Ci
The particle ci is also used in the verbs volerci and metterci. Both of these
verbs translate to take when referring to how much time is needed to do
something. In addition, volerci translates to need, be required when there is no
reference to time and it is often used in the impersonal sense (general you or
we; is + past participle).
Per fare un tavolo ci vuole il legno. To make a table, you need wood / wood
is required.
Ci vogliono fatti e non teorie. We need facts and not theories.
Ci metto 30 minuti per andare al lovoro. It takes me 30 minutes to get to
work.
Non ci metti molto a finirlo. It doesn't take me a lot of time to finish it.
68. ANIMALS
animal l'animale (m) lark l'allodola
ant la formica lion il leone
antelope l'antilope (f) lizard la lucertola
lobster
antenna l'antenna l'aragosta
(spiny)
antler le corna louse il pidocchio
badger il tasso mackerel lo sgombro
bat il pipistrello mole la talpa
beak il becco monkey la scimmia
bear l'orso mosquito la zanzara
bee l'ape (f) moth la falena
beetle lo scarabeo mouse il topo
bird l'uccello mule il mulo
blackbird il merlo mussel il pidocchio
bull il toro nest il nido
butterfly la farfalla nightingale l'usignolo
calf il vitello octopus il polpo
carp la carpa ostrich lo struzzo
cat il gatto owl il gufo
caterpillar il bruco ox il bue
cheetah il ghepardo oyster l'ostrica
chicken il pollo parrot il pappagallo
chimpanzee lo scimpanzé partridge la pernice
claw l'artiglio paw la zampa
cockroach lo scarafaggio penguin il pinguino
cod il merluzzo pig il porco
cocoon il bozzolo pigeon il piccione
cow la vacca pike il luccio
crab il granchio pony il pony
crayfish il gambero rabbit il coniglio
crocodile il coccodrillo raccoon il procione
crow il corvo rat il ratto / il sorcio
deer il cervo rooster il gallo
dog il cane salmon il salmone
donkey l'asino scale la squama
dragonfly la libellula scorpion lo scorpione
duck l'anitra sea gull il gabbiano
eagle l'aquila seahorse il cavalluccio marino
eel l'anguilla seal la foca
egg l'uovo shark lo squalo
elephant l'elefante (m) sheep la pecora
il gamberetto / il
feather la penna shrimp
gambero
fin la pinna skin la pelle
fish il pesce slug la lumaca
flea la pulce snail la chiocciola
fly la mosca snake il serpente / la biscia
fox la volpe sole la sogliola
frog il ranocchio sparrow il passero
fur la pelliccia spider il ragno
gill la branchia squid il calamaro
giraffe la giraffa squirrel la scoiattolo
goat la capra starfish la stella di mare
goose l'oca stork la cicogna
gorilla il gorilla swallow la rondine
grasshopper la cavalletta swan il cigno
hamster il criceto tadpole il girino
hare la lepre tail la coda
hedgehog il riccio tiger la tigre
hen la gallina toad il rospo
heron l'airone (m) trout la trota
herring l'aringa tuna il tonno
hoof lo zoccolo turkey il tacchino
horn il corno turtle la tartaruga
horse il cavallo wasp la vespa
hummingbird il colibrì weasel la donnola
iguana l'iguana whale la balena
insect l'insetto wing l'ala
jellyfish la medusa wolf il lupo
kitten il gattino worm il verme
ladybug la coccinella zebra la zebra
lamb l'agnello
70. SUFFIXES
Suffixes may be attached to nouns, adjectives or adverbs. The final vowel of
the word should be dropped before adding the suffixes. The endings -ino, -ina,
-ello, -ella, -etta, -etta, -uccio, and -uccia are diminutives that express
smallness. The endings -one and -ona are augmentatives and express
largeness. The endings -ino and -uccio also express endearment. The
endings -aacio, -accia, -astro, -astra, -azzo, and -azza imply ugliness or poor
quality.
71. CONJUNCTIONS
and e because ché
or o because, so that perché
otherwise, or oppure so that, in order that affinché
and yet, still eppure since poiché
nevertheless tuttavia as soon as siccome
now ora given that dato che
but, however ma if se
but, however però until finché
neither… nor né…né up to, until fino a
therefore, then dunque though benché
in fact infatti although sebbene
so, therefore quindi although nonostante
what, that che although quantunque
when quando before prima que
while mentre as soon as appena
I contratti sono firmati dalle ragazze. The contracts are signed by the girls.
La stanza è stata arredata da Carlo. The room was decorated by Carlo.
L'affitto sarà pagato dai miei genitori. The rent will be paid by my parents.
As in the future tense, verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h after the c or g
for pronunciation. Verbs endings in -ciare and -giare drop the final i in all forms
of the present conditional. The verbs that have irregular future stems are also
irregular in the conditional tense:
to remain,
to be essere sar- rimanere rimarr-
stay
to have avere avr- to drink bere berr-
to be, stay stare star- to put, place porre porr-
to give dare dar- to come venire verr-
to make fare far- to translate tradurre tradurr-
to go andare andr- to hold tenere terr-
to fall cadere cadr- to draw, pull trarre trarr-
to have to,
dovere dovr- to explain spiegare spiegher-
must
to be able
potere potr- to pay pagare pagher-
to, can
to know
sapere sapr- to look for cercare cercher-
(facts)
to see vedere vedr- to forget dimenticare dimenticher-
to live (be
vivere vivr- to eat mangiare manger-
alive)
to want volere vorr- to begin cominciare comincer-
Gli parlerei, ma non è a casa. I would talk to him, but he's not at home.
Prendereste un caffè? Would you like some coffee?
Sarei più contenta. I would be happier.
→ The past conditional expresses the same basic idea as the present
conditional. It is formed by using the present conditional of avere or essere and
the past participle of the main verb. If the main clause is in the present tense,
then the subordinate clause will either be in the present or past conditional in
Italian.
Non so se lo potrebbe fare. I don't know if he would be able to do it.
However, if the main clause is in the past tense, then the subordinate clause
MUST be in the past conditional in Italian:
Ha detto che sarebbe venuto. He said that he would come.
scegliere-to
spegnere-to turn off sedere-to sit trarre-to obtain
choose
scegliam spegniam tragg
scelgo spengo siedo sediamo traiamo
o o o
scegli scegliete spegni spegnete siedi sedete trai traete
spegner traggon
sceglie scelgono spengono siede siedono trae
e o
Verbs that have the same root suffix will be conjugated the same:
porre → proporre (to propose, suggest), esporre (to expose, display)
scegliere → togliere (to take off, remove), cogliere (to gather), raccogliere (to
collect, harvest)
trarre → distrarre (to distract), attrarre (to attract)
Avere and essere and many other verbs are irregular in the historical past:
avere essere fare dire
ebbi avemmo fui fummo feci facemmo dissi dicemmo
avesti aveste fosti foste facesti faceste dicesti diceste
ebbe ebbero fu furono fece fecero disse dissero
dare bere stare
diedi demmo bevvi bevemmo stetti stemmo
desti deste bevesti beveste stesti steste
diede diedero bevve bevvero stette stettero
The following verbs are irregular only in the io, lui/lei and loro forms. The verbs
are all either -ere or -ire verbs, so use the irregular stem for these three forms
and add these endings: -i, -e, -ero. Use the regular stem and regular endings
for the other three forms.
chiedere chies- rispondere rispos-
chiudere chius- sapere sepp-
conoscere conobb- scegliere scels-
decidere decis- scrivere scriss-
leggere less- vedere vid-
mettere mis- venire venn-
nascere nacqu- vivere viss-
prendere pres- volere voll-
The present perfect of the historical past is formed the same way as the
present perfect of the indicative. Just add the past participle to the historical
past of avere or essere.
94. HOLIDAYS
Christmas
Halloween Halloween la vigilia di Natale
Eve
bat il pipistrello Christmas il Natale
candy le caramelle angel l'angelo
la campana / la
cat il gatto bell
campanella
ghost il fantasma candle la candela
skeleton lo scheletro card il biglietto di auguri
skull il cranio carol il canto
spider il ragno elf l'elfo
web la ragnatela fireplace il camino
witch la strega garland la ghirlanda
Thanksgiving Giorno del holly l'agrifoglio
Ringraziamento
apple la mela lights i luci natalizie
corn il granturco log il ceppo di Natale
cornucopia il corno di abbondanza mistletoe il vischio
cranberry l'ossicocco nativity la natività
crow la cornacchia North Pole il Polo Nord
hat il capello present il regalo
hay il fieno reindeer la renna
leaf la foglia Santa Claus Babbo Natale
pie il pasticcio sleigh la slitta
pumpkin la zucca star la stella
rake il rastrello stocking la calza
roll il filoncino toy il giocattolo
scarecrow lo spaventapasseri tree l'albero di natale
New Year's
turkey il tacchino il San Silvestro
Eve
New Year's
yam l'igname il Capodanno
Day
95. HOBBIES
chess scacchi lens l'obiettivo
checkers la dama negative il negativo
board game i giochi da tavolo print la copia
dartboard il bersaglio
darts le freccette videogame il videogioco
bullseye il centro comic strip il fumetto
dice i dadi cinema il cinema
deck of cards il mazzo di carte adventure film un film d'avvenura
dominoes il domino comedy una commedia
backgammon il tric tac horror film un film dell'orrore
spy film un film di spionaggio
do-it-yourself il fai da te romantic film un film sentimentale
handicrafts l'artigianato historical film un film storico
embroidery il ricamo detective film un film poliziesco
cross-stitch il punto croce western un film western
science-fiction un film di
sewing il cucito
film fantascienza
la macchina da
sewing machine war film un film di guerra
cucire
needle l'ago cartoons i cartoni animati
thread il filo documentary un documentario
thimble il ditale political film un film politico
pin lo spillo
pin cushion il puntaspilli tent la tenda
tape measure il metro map la mappa
scissors le forbici compass la bussola
knitting il lavoro a maglia sleeping bag il sacco a pelo
le scarpe da
yarn la lana hiking boots
escursionismo
knitting needle il ferro da calza backpack lo zaino
woodworking la falegnameria water bottle la borraccia
pottery le ceramiche paddle la pagaia
drawing il designo canoe la canoa
cooking la cucina flashlight la torcia
gardening il giardinaggio campfire il fuoco
painting la pittura
photography la fotografia
la macchina
camera
fotografica
100. INTERJECTIONS
Accidenti! Darn! / Damn!
Ahimé! Alas!
Aiuto! Help!
Altroche! Absolutely!
Attento! Look out!
Basta! Enough!
Bravo! Well done!
Coraggio! Chin up!
Diamine! / Come no! Of course!
Dio moi! My goodness!
Forza! Come on!
Guai! Watch out!
Macché! Of course not!
Magari! I wish! / if only!
Mamma mia! Good gracious!
Pazienza! Nevermind!
Peggio per lui! Too bad for him!
Per carità! God forbid!
Piano! Softly! / Gently! / Quietly!
Presto! Quickly!
Voce! Talk louder!
Zitto! Be quiet! / Shut up!
Attento, bravo and zitto are only used when talking to a man. If you are talking
to a woman, say attenta, brava, and zitta.
REGIONS OF ITALY
English
Italian Region English Translation Capital City
Translation
Abruzzo Abruzzo L'Aquila L'Aquila
Valle d'Aosta Aosta Valley Aoste Aosta
Puglia Apulia Bari Bari
Basilicata Basilicata Potenza Potenza
Calabria Calabria Catanzaro Catanzaro
Campania Campania Napoli Naples
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna Bologna Bologna
Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friuli-Venezia Giulia Trieste Trieste
Lazio Lazio Roma Rome
Liguria Liguria Genova Genoa
Lombardia Lombardy Milano Milan
Marche Marche Ancona Ancona
Molise Molise Campobasso Campobasso
Piemonte Piedmont Torino Turin
Sardegna Sardinia Cagliari Cagliari
Sicilia Sicily Palermo Palermo
Trentino-Alto Trentino-Alto
Trento Trento
Adige/Südtirol Adige/Südtirol
Toscana Tuscany Firenze Florence
Umbria Umbria Perugia Perugia
Veneto Veneto Venezia Venice