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“Piacere” and other tricky Italian verbs: Quiz

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piacere quiz

What is the subject in a sentence like “Mi piace Firenze”? How about “Mi interessa Firenze”? Read this post and solve the quiz at the bottom

Ciao a tutti.

“Piacere”, translates in “to like” but has a different logic in Italian. If I say “Mi piace il gelato”, it means “I like ice cream” but translates literally in “Ice cream is pleasing to me”, where ice cream is the subject and “I” (me) is an indirect object. This works with other important Italian verbs.

If the thing I like is plural, the conjugation of the verb changes accordingly. For example, “Mi piacciono i miei amici”, I like my friends, actually is “My friends are pleasing to me”.

Indirect pronouns – Pronomi indiretti.

Depending on “who likes what”, we need to choose an appropriate pronoun. We already know that “to me” in Italian is “mi”. Let’s see the complete list So “you like ice cream” will be “ti piace il gelato”, “he likes ice cream” “gli piace il gelato” and so on. You will find more examples in the quiz.

We can use “piacere” to say that “I like doing” something. Instead of the gerund, in Italian we use the infinito. For example:

  • I like playing soccer –> Mi piace giocare a calcio.

Many students are surprised when I teach them that piacere and similar verbs can of course be conjugated in any mood and tense, such as the congiuntivo, condizionale, gerundio … and so on. For intermediate – advanced students, try to understand the following:

  • Pensavamo che vi piacessero i film francesi.
  • Non credo che gli interessino i tuoi gusti musicali.
  • Mi sono serviti i tuoi consigli.
  • Mancandovi i soldi necessari, non comprerete quella casa.
  • Le tue raccomandazioni non le basterebbero per ottenere quel lavoro.

Let’s see some simple examples with familiar tenses.

Mi piacerebbe…

We can use the condizionale, “mi piacerebbe”, (I would like to… lit. “It would be pleasing to me”) or “mi piacerebbero” in case of a plural noun. For example:

  • Mi piacerebbe una macchina rossa.
  • Mi piacerebbero dei pantaloni nuovi.
  • Mi piacerebbe andare in vacanza.

I’d like to go on holiday. Ti piacerebbe andare in Italia?

Passato prossimo.

The verb piacere and all the other verbs with the same construction (see below) have essere as auxiliary verb with the passato prossimo. This has a visible consequence on the past participle, which is masculine or feminine, singular or plural according to the subject. Some examples.

  • Mi è piaciuto il film.
  • Ti è piaciuta questa serata?
  • Gli sono piaciuti i tuoi amici
  • Vi sono piaciute le patate?

If the subject is an action, we will just use piaciuto (singular masculine) in the passato prossimo.

  • “Ci è piaciuto nuotare in piscina”, we liked swimming in the pool.

Similar verbs

The following are the most common verbs with the same grammar rules.

  • sembrare – to seem – Carlo mi sembra intelligente.
  • succedere – to happen to sb – Mi succede spesso di perdere il treno.
  • bastare – to be enough – Ti bastano 100 euro?
  • mancare – to miss – Gli mancano due esami per laurearsi.
  • servire – to need – Vi serve un aiuto?
  • interessare – to be of interest –  Non ci interessano i musei.
  • convenire – to be advisable/worthwhile – Mi conviene andare, è tardi.

Grazie e a presto. Completa il quiz e vinci una lezione su Skype o Zoom

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Imperfetto in conversational Italian

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The “conversational” use of the imperfetto in Italian is very common and helps to simplify the language. Is it right to learn it the wrong way?

I’m not going to explain again the correct use of the imperfetto, but how the “incorrect” and common use of it, is so popular in the spoken language.

The imperfetto, “imperfect” by definition, is very flexible and can break some rules.

There are many ways we can use it as an alternative to more complex structures. For example:

Imperfetto ipotetico

The Italian condizionale and congiuntivo are elegant, beautiful tenses, and make the Italian language so musical. They are combined together to build conditional sentences. For example:

  • Se studiassi tutti i giorni, imparerei l’italiano

It means that if “I studied every day, I would learn Italian”: Congiuntivo imperfetto and Condizionale presente. This is the correct way to build the periodo ipotetico della possibilità, a possibility that may occur now or in the future: the Italian and English second conditional.

Things may change if I want to use the third conditional:

  • Se avessi studiato tutti i giorni, avrei imparato l’italiano.

If I had studied every day, I would have learned Italian. So it’s impossible now, it was possible in the past. Congiuntivo trapassato and condizionale passato.

This last example can be easily simplified in spoken Italian with

  • Se studiavo tutti i giorni, imparavo l’italiano

This is poor grammar, sloppy, and you should learn the correct conditional sentences. As a matter of fact though, some people use the imperfetto indicativo instead of the condizionale passato and the congiuntivo.

We have to find some balance between following rules and be flexible when needed, so I think that every intermediate and advanced student should learn the “wrong” imperfetto. But we’ll get back to that at the end of this article.

Imperfetto di cortesia

In this second typology, the flexibility of the imperfetto is very useful when we need to soften the tone of a request. The verb volere (want) sounds too direct with the presente indicativo:

  • voglio un caffè e un panino al prosciutto

The waiter will bring you a coffee and a ham sandwich, but you were quite rude: “I want” is way too direct.

  • vorrei un caffè e un panino al prosciutto

This is perfect. The condizionale makes the request possible and not imperative.

  • volevo un caffè e un panino al prosciutto

“I wanted” a coffee and a ham sandwich. “I wanted” now, not in the past. It’s illogical but in this case the imperfetto is a valid alternative to the presente and condizionale.

Imperfetto as possibility in the future

The imperfetto is a past tense, but in some cases we can use it to talk about intentions and possibilities in the near future. Some examples:

  • Domani volevi andare in palestra?
  • Ho sentito che stasera c’era un bel film in tivù.
  • Ti ricordi a che ora partiva l’aereo domani?

All the sentences above are conversational and sound just right to Italian speakers. Italians use the imperfetto here without paying much attention to the fact we’re talking about the future using a past tense.

This is possible because all these events are linked to previous knowledge. In other words, the speaker is resuming a past discussion and the imperfetto refers to it, not necessarily to the event.

The conclusion, and my point of view, is the following.

We can talk about an “unorthodox” use of the imperfetto, but not of new trend or a sudden change of the Italian language. “Modal imperfetto” has been around for centuries in literature, from Dante to modern and contemporary authors, and all the cases are encoded in the Italian grammar.

In Italian we say parla come mangi, “speak the same way you eat”, keep it simple. So, use the condizionale when you need to be correct, let yourself go and allow some imperfetto when your teacher is not around.

Alla prossima!

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Imperativo e pronomi: Italian imperative and pronouns: QUIZ

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We can combine the imperativo with pronouns in a single word. Learn the most common scenarios and solve the quiz at the bottom of this post.

LEVEL: Intermediate.

I recently wrote a post about the Italian imperativo with simple audio examples. I

IMPERATIVOparlarecorrereaprirefinire
tuparlacorriaprifinisci
noiparliamocorriamoapriamofiniamo
voiparlatecorreteapritefinite
tu (negativo)non parlarenon correrenon aprirenon finire

So, the imperativo, or giving orders in Italian, is basically very similar to the presente indicativo, (with the exception of -ARE –> (TU) PARLA instead of (TU) PARLI).

The negative imperativo of NOI & VOI is NON + IMPERATIVO. Non parlate.

The negative imperativo of TU is NON + infinitive= Non parlare, “don’t speak”.

Conjugations with the imperative are quite limited, since we can give orders only to TU, NOI and VOI. We can combine the imperativo with any pronouns – direct object, indirect object, CI & NE – as follows:

  • Prendi il telefono –> PRENDILO
  • Finisci i compiti –> FINISCILI
  • Dai i soldi a Lucia –> DAGLIELI
  • Regala la bicicletta a Dario –> REGALAGLIELA
  • Aiutiamo le tue amiche –> AIUTIAMOLE
  • Dite a Francesca di venire –> DITEGLIELO
  • Compra le sigarette per me –> COMPRAMELE
  • Porta i bambini al cinema –> PORTACELI
  • Assaggia una fetta di torta –> ASSAGGIANE UNA FETTA

In some of the examples above, we can see how direct and indirect pronouns merge together with the imperativo to create a single word . e.g DAGLIELI.

The following verbs can have an irregular imperative with TU.

andaredaredirefarestare
TUvai (va’)dai (da’)di’fai (fa’)sati (sta’)

When combined with some pronouns there’s a duplication of consonants. For example:

  • Vai al mercato –> VACCI
  • Dai a me i soldi –> DAMMI I SOLDI –> DAMMELI
  • Dai a me le chiiavi –> DAMMI LE CHIAVI –>DAMMELE
  • Di’ a noi cosa pensi –> DICCI COSA PENSI –> DICCELO
  • Fai il tuo lavoro –> FALLO
  • Fai a noi un piacere  –> FACCI UN PIACERE –>FACCELO
  • Stai a casa –> STACCI

The negative imperative with TU is NON + INFINITO. The infinito has the same property of the imperativo. It can be combined with pronouns. Alternatively, we can put the pronoun before the verb. For example:

  • Non salutare Luigi –> Non salutarlo = Non lo salutare.
  • Non bere la birra –> Non berla = Non la bere.
  • Non comprare la moto a Davide –> Non comprargliela = Non gliela comprare.
  • Non dare i soldi a loro –> Non darglieli –> Non glieli dare.

LEI & LORO

The imperativo of the formal tu = Lei and Loro is in fact a form of congiuntivo presente. Pronouns do not merge with the verbs.

LEI

  • Vada a casa –> Ci vada.
  • Mi saluti Suo marito  –> Me lo saluti.
  • Prenda il mio ombrello –> Lo prenda.

LORO

  • Vadano a casa –> Ci vadano.
  • Bevano tutti del vino –> Ne bevano tutti.
  • Prendano il treno –> Lo prendano.

Thanks for reading. Please read more in the quiz. Alla prossima!

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Italian adjectives for absolute beginners

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Italian adjectives, also known as “aggettivi qualificativi,” generally agree in gender and number with the nouns they refer to. In Italian, all nouns have a gender (masculine and feminine) and can be singular or plural

This is a very simplified classification, but it will show most of what you need to learn as an absolute beginner.

When consulting an Italian dictionary, you will typically find adjectives listed in their singular masculine form. There are three categories of adjectives: those ending in -o, those ending in -e, and those ending in -a.

Italian adjectives decline in the feminine and plural forms as follows:

1. Adjectives ending in -o:

– “-o” for the masculine singular (e.g., Antonio è bello).
– “-a” for the feminine singular (e.g., Lucia è bella).
– “-i” for the masculine plural (e.g., Antonio e Claudio sono belli).
– “-e” for the feminine plural (e.g., Lucia e Giorgia sono belle).

2. Adjectives ending in -e:

– “-e” for both the singular forms (e.g., Dario è intelligente, Stefania è intelligente).
– “-i” for the plural forms (e.g., Dario e Francesco sono intelligenti, Claudia e Marta sono intelligenti). Adjectives ending in “-e” do not differentiate between masculine and feminine genders. The distinction is determined by the noun itself or the accompanying article.

3. Additionally, there is a small number of invariable Italian adjectives that do not change regardless of gender or number. Examples include “rosa” (pink): la macchina è rosa, i vestiti sono rosa. Other examples are pari (even), dispari (odd), blu (blue), lilla (lilac), and viola (violet).

4. Adjectives ending in -ista: this is just an example of adjectives ending with a particular suffix. there are others and you will learn with experience.

– Adjectives keep the same in the singular form (e.g., Mauro è altruista, Elisa è altruista).
– Adjectives change in the plural form:
– “-i” for the masculine plural (e.g., Giulio e Luigi sono ottimisti).
– “-e” for the feminine plural (e.g., Michela e Giorgia sono pessimiste).

In this case, there is only one form for both the masculine and feminine singular, but two different forms for the plural.

The position of an adjective in a sentence can also alter its meaning in some cases. For example:
– “Luigi è un amico vecchio” means “Luigi is an old friend.”
– “Luigi è un vecchio amico” means “Luigi is an old man.”

Feel free to test your knowledge with the quiz above, and check your score at the end. If you’re interested, you can have a chance to win a coupon for an Italian Zoom class with a native teacher.

Ciao!

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Talk about time in Italian: Audio and Quiz

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“Il tempo” is the Italian word for both time and weather. Today we are going to talk about time

You can review the lesson point with a fun quiz ( about 5 minutes – cinque minuti).

I giorni – Days

Giorno is the Italian word for day and daytime. Some Italian days are named after the planets, following the Greek/Roman tradition: Luna (Moon) Marte (Mars) Mercurio (Mercury) Giove (Jupiter) Venere (Venus).

Sabato, Saturday, comes from the Hebrew Shabbat and Domenica (Dies Dominicus) is the Latin for “day of the Lord”. In Italy the first day of the week is lunedì and the name of days starts with a small letter (unless of course they are at the beginning of a sentence). The word dì is an obsolete version of giorno but it’s still visible at the end of the name of the days as suffix. Listen and repeat:

  • Lunedì – Monday
  • Martedì – Tuesday
  • Mercoledì – Wednesday
  • Giovedì – Thursday
  • Venerdì – Friday
  • Sabato – Saturday
  • Domenica – Sunday

Below, some common adverbs of time (avverbi di tempo). Pretty straightforward, they are of great importance. Please listen carefully, try the quiz and memorise them.

  • Ieri – Yesterday
  • Oggi – Today
  • Domani – Tomorrow
  • Dopodomani – The day after tomorrow
  • L’altroieri – The day before yesterday
  • Tra due giorni – In two days
  • Tre giorni fa – Three days ago

I mesi – Months

Nothing exotic here. Just memorize, listen and repeat.

  • Gennaio
  • Febbraio
  • Marzo
  • Aprile
  • Maggio
  • Giugno

Le ore – Hours

Che ore sono? – Che ora è? —> What time is it?

The question can be asked using both the singular or plural form of the verbo essere (to be). Normally, the answer is “sono le…” lit, “they are” as opposed to “è… – it is…”, since numbers different to one (l’una) are plural. In other words:

  • SONO LE … ore e minuti (hour and minutes)
  • e.g. 4:32 –> Sono le quattro e trentadue

In case of one, noon or midnight, we need to use the singular conjugation of essere.

  • È (it is) mezzogiorno (noon)
  • È mezzanotte (midnight)
  • È l’una
  • 13.32 è l’una e trentadue;
  • 12: 25 è mezzogiorno e venticinque

Other useful words are

  • …e un quarto (a quarter past)
  • …e mezza or …e mezzo (half past)
  • …meno un quarto (a quarter to).

When the minutes are more than 30, we can use the …meno # rule. So for example:

  • 14:40 sono le tre meno venti – “lit. it’s 3 minus twenty…”
  • 12:45 è l’una meno un quarto –
  • 17: 55 sono le sei meno cinque –

Meno means “minus”. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Please listen to the following podcast for more examples. Try to anticipate the answers.

I noticed that even expert students struggle with simple numbers. You have a good chance for refreshing this simple lesson point.

Sono le…

  • 5:32
  • 21: 50
  • 14:15
  • 11:27
  • 19:30
  • 22:40
  • 16:00

È…

  • 13:15
  • 00:25
  • 01:30
  • 11:45
  • 23:40
  • 00:45
  • 12:55

Let’s practice! Q&A’s  – DOMANDE E RISPOSTE

A couple of words about this last podcast. First off, please listen to the DOMANDE (questions), focus on comprehension and pronuntiation. The second part, RISPOSTE (answers) is dedicated to logic. Try to anticipate the podcast and see if you get it right. You can pause the audio with the space bar (pc) or your thumb (pollice!) if you use a mobile. Read them first and get ready.

DOMANDE

  • Che ore sono? – What time is it?
  • Che giorno è oggi? – What day is today?
  • Che giorno era ieri? – What day was yesterday?
  • Che giorno è (sarà) domani? – What day is tomorrow?
  • Che mese è? – What month is it?
  • A che ora pranziamo? – What time are we going to have lunch?
  • A che ore inizi a lavorare? – What time do you start working?
  • A che ora finisci di lavorare? What time do you finish working?

RISPOSTE

  • Sono le due meno un quarto – A quarter to two
  • Oggi è giovedì –  Today is Thursday
  • Ieri era mercoledì – Yesterday was Wednesday
  • Domani è domenica – Tomorrow is Sunday
  • È dicembre – It’s December
  • Pranziamo a mezzogiorno – We have lunch at noon
  • Inizio a lavorare alle 8:30 – I start working at 8:30
  • Finisco di lavorare alle 17:00 – I finish to work and 17:00

Please note: iniziare a … and  finire di … + the infinitive are / ere / ire.

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The Italian sequence of tenses – La concordanza dei tempi – Indicativo

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la-concordanza-dei-tempi-all'indicativo

Learn how to match correctly all the tenses of the Indicativo.

The sequence of tenses in Italian follows a rather precise set of rules. This set of rules, goes under the name of Concordanza dei tempi.

In order to have a sequence, we obviously need two more sentences, one of which is the main clause.

The main clause is our point of view, all the other verbs (subordinate) should be seen in perspective.

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The Italian sequence of tenses

La concordanza dei tempi – Indicativo

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Painting: Giovanni Boldini – La signora in rosa – 1916

The Italian word “ancora”- idioms

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ancora

Learn different meanings of the Italian word “ancora” with common examples, idioms

Ancora (pronounced ancòra) is an adverb, and has different meanings.

Still, even now/then

“Anche ora” “Anche allora”, also now/then. It means that an action is, will be, or was ongoing.

  • Ieri sono andato in palestra, sono ancora stanco. Yesterday I went to the gym, I’m still tired.

  • Quando ti ho conosciuto, abitavo ancora a Roma. When I met you, I was still living in Rome.

  • Domani alle otto di sera sarò ancora a casa. Tomorrow at eight pm, I will still be at home.

Again

That’s one of the most common translations.

  • Voglio tornare ancora a Orvieto. I want to go back again to Orvieto.

  • Ho studiato ancora i pronomi ma non li ho capiti. I studied again the pronouns but I did not understand them.

  • Un giorno, visiterò ancora Agrigento. One day, I will visit Agrigento again.

More

Ancora can mean “one more time” (sometimes as “ancora una volta”) or “more” when we talk about  quantity,

  • (a teatro) Bravi! Ancora! (at the theatre) Bravo! We want more!

  • Ho fame, c’è ancora della pasta avanzata? I’m hungry, is there any more pasta left?

  • I soldi non le bastano, ne vuole ancora. Money isn’t enough, she wants more.

Not yet

“Non ancora” in negative sentences. Again, it works with present, past and future tenses.

  • Non sei ancora stanco? Aren’t you tired yet?

  • Quando sei nato, tua madre non aveva ancora 20 anni. When you were born, your mother wasn’t even 20.

  • Domani alle 8 non avrò ancora finito. Tomorrow at 8, I won’t be finished yet.

Even more / less

With a comparative, ancora helps to amplify the difference between two elements.

  • La mia casa nuova è ancora più grande di quella vecchia. My new house is even bigger than the previous one.

  • Il mio lavoro è ancora più difficile dell’anno scorso. My work is even more difficult than last year.

  • L’italia è ancora più bella della Spagna. Italy is even more beautiful than Spain.

Idioms

A couple of useful expressions in spoken Italian,

  • Milano non mi piace, Torino ancora ancora. I don’t like Milan, Turin is just acceptable.

  • Ancora meglio! Even better!

  • Ancora peggio! Even worse!

Thanks for reading, a presto!

 

Today’s painting: Guercino, Sibilla Persica (1647)

The versatile Italian word “NE” – PODCAST

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Italian-for-beginners-22

We can use the Italian word NE to express different concepts.

The Italian word NE is a “quasi-pronoun”. In fact, NE is more than a simple pronoun and has three main functions. Let’s see them one by one and listen to the podcast.

1. NE as “partitivo”

  • Hai comprato il pane?

  • Sì, l’ho comprato.

  • Quanto NE hai comprato?

  • Ne ho comprato un chilo.

In the first answer, we use an object pronoun. Did you buy bread? Yes I bought IT, – LO ho  (l’ho) comprato. Then she wants to know how much bread. I bought one kilogram (of it) = NE

NE helps to identify the number of objects or the proportion of a part related to a whole. The use of NE always depends on nouns or adjectives defining a quantity, such as:

  • Un paio, un centinaio, una decina…

  • Nouns describing a number a part a portion: dieci, metà, un quarto, un pezzo…

  • Indefinite pronouns: qualche, tutto, niente, molti, parecchi, nessuno …

OTHER EXAMPLES

  • Quanti figli hai? – Ne ho due.

  • Ci sono tante zanzare? – Stasera non ce ne sono.

  • Hai dei biglietti della lotteria? – Ne ho comprati tre.

  • Avete dei francobolli? – Sì, quanti ne vuole?

  • Quanti anni ha tua nonna? – Ne ha novanta!

  • Vuoi un caffè? – No, ne ho già bevuti tre.

  • Quanti soldi ti servono? – Me ne servono molti.

  • Vuoi un panino? – Ne voglio solo metà.

2. NE as “motion from a place”

  • A che ora sei andato in ufficio? – Ci sono andato alle otto.

  • A che ora sei uscito? – Ne sono uscito alle 5 di sera.

This use of NE (example B) is related to its Latin origin INDE, similar to the English Thence, “from there”, NE = da lì. It’s possible but rather unusual in spoken Italian. It is instead of common use when NE reinforces idioms. For example: ANDARSENE = Sono stanco, me ne vado – I’m tired, I hit the road (lit. I get myself away from here).

3. NE as “specification”

  • Avete parlato di calcio? – Sì, ne abbiamo parlato.

  • Sai qualcosa di Claudio? – Non ne so niente.

When we talk / think / about something or someone (using the preposition DI = of/about/’s) we can use NE as a pronoun. In other words, NE is the equivalent of “of/about it”.

So, the example A goes: Did you talk about football? – Yes, we talked about it.

B Do you know anything about Claudio? – I know nothing about him.

That’s all, è tutto. Thanks for reading and listening. A presto!

Pronomi diretti, Italian direct object pronouns – Audio Examples

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Italian direct object pronouns

Learn the Italian direct object pronouns (atoni and tonici), listen to the audio examples.

A direct object (complemento oggetto in Italian) is the target, the object of an action expressed by a verb. It answers the questions: Chi? Che cosa? In other words:

  • Mangio (che cosa?) un gelato.
  • Porto (chi?) mia madre al  cinema.

Gelato and mia madre are the objects of the sentences.

I didn’t use much fantasy for the examples. There are more complex sentences below.

If we know the object linked to a verb, we can avoid repetitions and instead of gelato or mia madre we can use Italian direct object pronouns: pronome diretto, a.k.a. pronome complemento diretto:

  • Lo mangio.
  • La porto al cinema.

I eat it, I take her to the movies. The choice of the right pronoun depends on the gender and number of the noun we need to replace.

Gelato is singular masculine, mia madre is singular feminine. Look at the chart.

Two types of Italian direct object pronouns

(Pronomi Soggetto)Pronomi AtoniPronomi tonici
(io)mime
(tu)tite
(lui / lei)lo / lalui / lei
(Lei – form)LaLei
(noi)cinoi
(voi)vivoi
(loro)li / leloro

Unlike English, we have two sets of direct object pronouns.

Pronomi tonici: when we use a pronome tonico, the focus of the sentence is the pronoun itself. We want the object to be the main element of the sentence. In this case, the pronoun comes after the verb. The pronomi tonici make sentences less fluid and have an “exclusive” function, as we focus only on one element. Moreover, the pronomi tonici are valid for people, not for objects. I could never turn Mangio il gelato into Mangio lui. If I talk about about a person:

  • Porto lei al cinema. 

I take her to the movies, nobody else. The pronomi tonici exclude other possible objects.

Pronomi atoni: the focus of the sentence is not the pronoun. The pronome atono comes before the verb and it’s strictly linked to the action. It is more common than the equivalent pronome tonico in spoken Italian and the sentence is more fluid. I simply take her to the movie, there’s no particular emphasis on the object.

  • La porto al cinema.

Unless you really need to put the object at the center of the sentence, your choice will be  the pronome atono, more common and useful in spoken Italian. Read and listen to the examples.

Pronomi Atoni

  • Guardi spesso la tivù? – Sì, la guardo tutti i giorni.
  • Stai cercando un lavoro? – Sì, lo sto cercando.
  • Mi chiami stasera? – No, ti chiamo domani.
  • Ci invitate alla festa? – Sì, vi invitiamo.
  • Hai comprato le fragole?  – No, non le ho comprate.
  • Avete visto i miei figli? – Sì, li abbiamo visti in piazza.

* voice of a student!

Italian direct object pronouns are very important. You will soon learn that they can interact with pronomi atoni indiretti, riflessivi, si impersonale and some verbs (infinito, imperativo, gerundio).

Please solve the quiz below.

If you are already familiar with the pronomi diretti, you can try this more complex quiz.

Alla prossima.

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Vittorio Matteo Corcos – Guardando il mare – 1900 ca

Sapere VS Conoscere and Potere: to know, to be able & idioms

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sapere

Sapere is a rather important verb. Let’s see it together and learn some useful sentences. This time the webcast is for everyone.

Ciao a tutti

Sapere VS conoscere

Prima di tutto, first and foremost, let’s have a look at the conjugations of the two verbs and listen to the correct pronunciation.

 

Both sapere and conoscere translate as “to know”. The difference is in the depth of knowledge and the object I know.


 

SAPERE AS MODAL VERB VS POTERE

Sapere is a very important modal verb. A modal verb supports and describes a second verb and amplifies its meaning. In English, for example,  I can swim means that I am able to swim, I know how to do that, or that I am allowed to do that. “Can” is the modal verb, “to swim” is the main verb.

In Italian, “Can” is translated with two different modal verbs: Potere or Sapere (+ an infinitive verb). I can say:

  • (io) so nuotare – I can swim, I learned as a child and I know how to do that.

  • (io) posso nuotare – I can swim, I am allowed to or I’m in a condition to do that.

Another example. Let’s suppose Carlo goes out for dinner and has a few glasses of Chianti. He needs to go back home. Now, he knows how to drive (sa guidare) but tonight he can’t (non può), because he had too much wine.

  • Carlo sa guidare, ma stasera non può perché ha bevuto.

 

SAPERE IN CONVERSATIONAL ITALIAN

There are plenty of Italian set phrases coming with the verb sapere. Below, a small, personal selection and webcast.

 

  • Fammi sapere. – Let me know.

  • Sono venuto a sapere che …- I came to know that…

  • Non ne voglio sapere. – I don’t want to know.

  • Ti faccio sapere. – I’ll let you know.

  • Le faremo sapere. – We’ll let you know (formal)

  • Come faccio a saperlo? How would I know it?

  • Mi sa che (il ristorante è caro) – I have the feeling that…

  • Non so se mi spiego. – Need I say more?

  • Mario sa il fatto suo. -He knows his stuff

 

Thanks for listening. Get in touch if you have questions. Alla prossima!

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