Learn how to express surprise in Italian with 10 examples coming from the live language.
Quick Italian lesson: try to translate into your language the following examples:
DI PUNTO IN BIANCO…
Exactly like “out of the blue”.
Di punto in bianco, Carlo si è alzato dal tavolo e se n’è andato.
Non se lo aspettava nessuno, è successo di punto in bianco.
Di punto in bianco ha cominciato a piovere.
CHE NE SO!
What do I know? – How am I supposed to know about it?
A: Non vedo Gianni, sai dov’è? B: Ma che ne so! È sempre in giro.
A: Qual è la capitale del Burundi? B: E che ne so!
A: Quanto costa una Ferrari? Che ne so!
COLTO SUL FATTO
Caught red handed.
L’assassino è stato colto sul fatto e arrestato dalla polizia.
IL MONDO E’ PICCOLO
It’s a small world! We can also say. Quanto è piccolo il mondo. How small the world is.
Ho incontrato il mio vicino di casa a Londra. Il mondo è piccolo!
CHE SORPRESA
What a surprise!
Che ci fai qui? Che sorpresa!
CHI NON MUORE SI RIVEDE
Look what the cat dragged in. Lit. Who is not dead shows up again.
Eccoti, chi non muore si rivede. Ti aspettavo alla mia festa il mese scorso.
MI E’ VENUTO UN COLPO!
I almost died!
Quando ho saputo che Claudio ha perso il lavoro, mi è venuto un colpo.
Maria è bruttissima, la prima volta che l’ho vista mi è venuto un colpo.
DAVVERO?
For real?
Hai solo 15 anni? Davvero?
NON CI CREDO!
I can’t believe it!
Non ci credo! La Juventus ha vinto la Champion’s League di Calcio!
ADDIRITTURA!
Seriously!
Hai speso un milione per la casa nuova? Addirittura!
Thanks for reading. Now you can express surprise in Italian! Please share, ask questions, put your translations in the comments or on Facebook. Please visit our facebook page for more. Ciao!
Do you like tiramisù? I do! The name of this famous Italian dessert is the combination of the verb tirare(to pull) and the preposition su (up). Italian phrasal verbs are called verbi sintagmatici.
Calling them “Italian phrasal verbs” is not right, but it makes sense and “verbi sintagmatici” is too technical (and boring, che noia!). Italian phrasal verbs are important elements of conversational Italian. Let’s see how and when we can use them with some examples.
“Tirare su” in Italian could mean:
to pull or pick somethingup:“Ho tirato su le chiavi, erano cadute”. I picked up the keys.
to cheer up: “Ero triste e ho visto un film comico. Mi ha tirato su”. The movie cheered me up.
In the second case, the usual meaning of tirare – to pull changes because there’s the preposition su – up. Just like in English, Italian phrasal verbs come in handy to express a concept or picture a situation adding some “movement” to a verb. The main difference is that in Italian, phrasal verbs are used to spice up the spoken language, particularly in Northern Italy, but you won’t see them so often on books or newspapers. On the other hand, TV and other media use them because of their flexibility.
There are some common verbs combined with certain prepositions or adverbs used to put together Italian phrasal verbs. We are going to explain only the figurative meaning of the phrasal verb and not the proper one. For example, the first line below, andare giù means of course “to go down”, no need to explain, but it also means …
Andare – to go
Andare giù: Carlo non è stato gentile, è andato giù pesante. – to be exceedingly bold
Andare avanti: Non posso andare avanti così. – to carry on
Andare contro: Michele va sempre contro. – to fly in the face of…
Andare dietro: Giovanna va dietro a cattive compagnie. – to follow somebody’s lead
Andare fuori: Giulio lavora troppo, è andato fuori – to go nuts
Andare sotto: Ho speso troppi soldi, sono andato sotto in banca – to go below a limit
Buttare – to dump
Buttarsi giù: Non ti buttare giù! – to get depressed (v. riflessivo)
Buttare giù: Non hai mangiato, butta giù qualcosa. – to swallow / eat something
Buttare fuori: Ha rubato dei soldi al lavoro, lo hanno buttato fuori! – to kick sb out
Buttare via: Ho buttato via un’occasione – to blow a chance
Essere – to be
Esserci dentro: Non puoi capire una situazione se non ci sei dentro – to be in it
Essere giù: Sono un po’ giù, non mi piace il mio lavoro – to be sad
Essere indietro: Michele è sempre indietro con il lavoro – to be behind schedule
Essere sotto: Monica non è molto sveglia, è un po’ sotto – to be a bit thick
Mettere – to put
Mettere giù: Ho messo giù una proposta da discutere – to jot down
Mettersi sotto: Gianni si è messo sotto a studiare – to work seriously
Mettere su: Graziella ha messo su famiglia – to put together something
Mettere via: Flavio metterà via i soldi in banca – to save
Portare – to bring / carry
Portare avanti: Nelson Mandela ha portato avanti idee importanti – to carry on
Portarsi avanti: Mi porto avanti con il lavoro – work in advance
Portarsi dietro: Vado in vacanza, mi porto dietro il gatto – bring together with you
Portare via: Il vento ha portato via un albero – to carry away
Tirare – to pull
Tirare avanti: Non abbiamo più soldi per tirare avanti – to survive
Tirare fuori: Finalmente Giuliana ha tirato fuori del carattere – to bring out some character
Tirare su: La cena di questa sera mi tirerà su il morale – to cheer up
Tirarsi indietro: Se mi chiederanno aiuto, non mi tirerò indietro – to hang back
Of course, this is just a sample of our work on Italian phrasal verbs. We know many more and we’d be delighted to show you some other examples. Please book your free trial and enjoy an Italian language lesson in video conference. Ciao!
A friendly conversation with the author of the best-selling book “La bella lingua” and the brand new “Mona Lisa: A life discovered”
I’m very happy to finally have the chance of “chiacchierare” (chatting) with Dianne Hales. I am fascinated by the genuine love Dianne feels for my native language, expressed with passion in her book, “La bella lingua”, a tribute to the evolution of the Italian spoken and literary language and, at the same time, the description of her intimate journey for “becoming Italian word by word”.
“Mona Lisa: A life discovered”, her new intriguing book, is the story of a “flesh-and-blood woman who became one of the most famous artistic subjects of all time”. Release date, 5th of August 2014.
Prima di tutto, benvenuta. Thanks for being here. Come stai?
Molto bene. Thank you for inviting me.
You were in Italy for the first time in 1983, and the only words you could say were “non parlo italiano”, I don’t speak Italian. Do you still observe Italy with the same curiosity of that American girl?
I remain endlessly intrigued and amused and bemused. Back then everything was exotic. I had no idea that many of the animated Italian conversations I couldn’t understand were about food. Now Italy is far more familiar—more like an old friend whose company I always enjoy than an enticing stranger.
How “Italian” is Dianne now, after such a long affair with Italy and our language? Are your still in love?
Si, ancora innamorata! I’ve been married for 36 years and am still very much in love with my husband too, so maybe it’s my nature. But Italy and Italian never fail to delight me. My ties to Italy have become so much deeper and stronger over the years, largely because of relationships with Italian friends. One of my favorite quotes comes from E.M. Forster, who wrote: “Love and understand the Italians, for the people are more marvelous than the land.” And they are.
I totally agree, even though people used to order and discipline can find Italians bizarre. In every “lunga storia d’amore”, long love story, there’s always something we can’t fully accept about our partner. What would you like to change of today’s Italy?
“Povera Italia! Sempre malgovernata!” Italians have been saying for years. But I never realized what a toll poor government and corruption can take. I hear from friends how there’s no money for education, for art, for parks, for repairing roads, and restoring art. And it makes me sad to see this beautiful country with its wonderful heritage neglected.
Sorry, I used a very confidential tone with you. I should have been more respectful and ask you “possiamo darci del tu?”, because now you are an Italian Cavaliere (Knight of the Order of the Star), awarded by President Giorgio Napolitano.
It came as a complete surprise. I had no idea an American could become an Italian knight. It struck me as such a honor that this recognition came for a labor of love — love for a language, no less.
I really liked a line in your preface of La bella lingua: “If I have committed any strafalcioni, the Italian word for blatant linguistic blunders, I apologize. La colpa è solo mia”. I must confess that’s exactly what I think whenever I write something in English. After so many efforts for “becoming Italian word by word” what is your “bestia nera”, the most difficult aspect of the Italian language?
I spend most of my life in the U.S. and I read in and about Italian every day, but I lose my verbal ease. I wish my accent and pronunciation were better. And I stumble over verb conjugations. I can’t say how many times I’ve studied the congiutivo yet still remain unsure of when or when not to use it. My closest friends in Italy are Italian scholars who helped me when I was researching LA BELLA LINGUA, so I’m quite self-conscious about my grammar. I wish I could be more disinvolta, more relaxed. Of course, a bit of wine helps.
A glass of Italian wine “fa buon sangue”, makes good blood. What would you suggest to foreign students approaching for the first time the Italian language?
Drink it in with every sense. Read it. Listen to it. Sing it. Watch movies in it. Let the sheer beauty of its rhythms carry you away so you want to do the hard work of mastering grammar and building vocabulary.
We know you as the successful author of La bella lingua, but you also wrote a book called Just Like a Woman, where you bust stereotypes about women based on male models. I think in my country there’s nothing more stereotypical than the Italian mamma. What do you think about Italian women?
I admire them. For so long, their political and financial power was limited—and it still may be. But Italian women are strong. They are more comfortable in their skins than American women. I have met many accomplished and successful Italian women who never lose sight of the importance of love and family and home. They’re tough but tender—and so stylish! I envy their ability to walk the cobblestoned streets of Rome in high heels.
Speaking of Italian women, we are very much looking forward to reading your next book: “Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered”. Could you tell us something about it? Why Lisa Gherardini?
The first time I learned that the woman in La Gioconda was a real woman, una fiorentina, I became curious. I had wanted to include a chapter on women’s writings in LA BELLA LINGUA but it was very hard to find material. Yes, there were Venetian poets (mostly cortesans) and intellectuals like VIttoria Colonna, but women never had the opportunity to speak for themselves. Lisa Gherardini has the most famous face in the world—but no voice. Because people don’t think of “her” as real, the painting has been mocked and mutilated and parodied thousands of times. But she was a real flesh-and-blood woman—a daughter, a wife, a mother, a Florentine, a Christian and, of course, a muse. I wanted people to see her as three-dimensional, as a human being not unlike any of us. My book is a true story of discovery, ablend of history, biography, and memoir. I loved immersing myself in Lisa’s world, and I am eager to share what I’ve learned.
Are you going to Italy any time soon? Any special plans?
Yes, I will be going to Italy in the fall to celebrate the publication of MONA LISA. I want to thank the many people who helped me and to bring more recognition to Lisa in her hometown.
Grazie mille per essere stata con noi. Thank you so much Dianne.
A presto!
Dianne Hales’s “Mona Lisa – A life discovered” is published by Simon & Schuster. It can be pre-ordered on Amazon. Release date August the 5th 2014.
Today, we will take a quick look at the Italian modal verbs dovere, potere, volere (and sapere) and provide examples in both the presente and passato prossimo tenses.
What is a modal verb?
In Italian, they are called verbi modali or verbi servili. The latter term better explains their function—they are “of service” to another verb, expressing an intention, possibility, necessity, or ability. For example:
Compro una maglietta nuova. – I’m buying a new t-shirt.
Voglio comprare una maglietta nuova. – I want to buy a new t-shirt.
In the first case, I simply buy a t-shirt now. In the second, the verb comprare is “helped” by volere to say “I want to buy a t-shirt.” It’s the same concept as in English with the verb “want.”
Dovere, Potere, and Volere are properly defined as modal verbs. Sapere behaves differently in the passato prossimo and other compound tenses and has a double meaning: to know (facts) and to be able to (do something).
Essere or Avere?
In Italian, as in English, verb tenses are divided into simple and compound forms. Simple tenses, such as the presente, consist of a single-word verb. For example, Mangio (I eat) is in the present tense.
Compound tenses, like the passato prossimo, are formed with the auxiliary verb essere or avere, followed by the past participle of the main verb (ending in -ato, -uto, -ito). For example:
(Io) ho studiato. (I studied) uses avere.
(Io) sono andato. (I went) uses essere
When using modal verbs (dovere, potere, volere) with compound tenses like the passato prossimo, the situation becomes more complex because we add a third verb to the mix.
The choice of auxiliary verb (essere or avere) depends on the main verb, not the modal verb. For example:
Ho dovuto studiare. (I had to study.) – uses “avere” because “studiare” typically uses “avere”
Sono dovutaandare. (I had to go.) – uses “essere” because “andare” typically uses “essere”
In the second example, we see that the subject is a female and the feminine ending applies to the modal verb (dovuta). As you know, when you studied the passato prossimo, whenever we have essere, we need to apply a gender to the verb and make it masculine, feminine, singular or plural.
Rule of thumb: To determine which auxiliary to use, consider what the auxiliary would be if the sentence didn’t include the modal verb.
Examples with different modal verbs:
Hai potuto mangiare? (Were you able to eat?) – uses “avere” because “mangiare” uses “avere”
Siete potuti venire? (Were you able to come?) – uses “essere” because “venire” uses “essere”
Ho voluto comprare un libro. (I wanted to buy a book.) – uses “avere” because “comprare” uses “avere”
Sono voluto partire presto. (I wanted to leave early.) – uses “essere” because “partire” uses “essere”
Omitting the main verb: If the main verb is omitted and only the modal verb is used, “avere” is always used as the auxiliary. For example:
Ho dovuto. (I had to.)
In other words, with Italian modal verbs in the passato prossimo, we have three verbs:
essere/avere + verbo servile + main verb.
For example:
Ieri ho dovuto lavorare molto .
An easy trick to identify essere or avere as the correct verb is to use the question “che cosa?” (“what?”) with the verb. STUDIARE (che cosa? la matematica), MANGIARE (che cosa? i tortellini).
If you can answer the question, the verb supports a direct object (called a verbo transitivo) and uses avere. Otherwise, use essere. This works in most cases, not all, but it’s a simple intuitive rule.
With Sapere, we mostly use avere with the passato prossimo and other compound tenses, or tend to express the concept of “I was able to” with “potere” or other set phrases. That’s why “sapere” is not considered a fully functioning modal verb and is often times excluded in grammar books.
Let’s check the details and use of Italian modal verbs. Listen to the audio and repeat to improve comprehension and pronunciation.
We will write examples for each verbo servile, with presente indicativo on the left and passato prossimo on the right, using a mix of verbs that take essere or avere. Personal pronouns are in order: IO, TU, LUI/LEI, NOI, VOI, LORO.
Verbi servili, Audio – Presente & Passato Prossimo
Dovere
Dovere means must, have to, or need to.
PRESENTE
DEVO imparare a suonare il pianoforte – I must learn to play the piano.
DEVI provare quel ristorante giapponese – You must try that Japanese restaurant.
DEVE scrivere un libro sui suoi viaggi – He/She must write a book about his/her travels.
DOBBIAMO organizzare una festa a sorpresa – We have to organize a surprise party.
DOVETE vedere quell’opera d’arte al museo – You (plural) need to see that artwork at the museum.
DEVONO salvare il pianeta dai cambiamenti climatici – They must save the planet from climate change.
PASSATO PROSSIMO
HO DOVUTO correre per prendere l’ultimo treno – I had to run to catch the last train.
HAI DOVUTO spegnere il fuoco in cucina – You had to put out the fire in the kitchen.
HA DOVUTO ammettere la verità davanti a tutti – He/She had to admit the truth in front of everyone.
SIAMO DOVUTI restare svegli tutta la notte per finire il progetto – We had to stay awake all night to finish the project.
AVETE DOVUTO tradurre il documento in quattro lingue – You (plural) had to translate the document into four languages.
HANNO DOVUTO cambiare piano all’ultimo minuto – They had to change plans at the last minute.
Potere
Potere means can, could, or be able to.
PRESENTE
POSSO preparare la cena per tutti stasera – I can prepare dinner for everyone tonight.
PUOI accompagnarmi in aeroporto domani mattina? – Can you take me to the airport tomorrow morning?
PUÒ finire il rapporto entro venerdì prossimo – He/She can finish the report by next Friday.
POSSIAMO organizzare una riunione per discutere il progetto – We can arrange a meeting to discuss the project.
POTETE prenotare i biglietti del concerto online – You (plural) can book the concert tickets online.
POSSONO utilizzare la sala conferenze al piano di sopra – They can use the conference room upstairs.
PASSATO PROSSIMO
HO POTUTO imparare una nuova lingua online – I was able to learn a new language online.
HAI POTUTO risolvere il problema da solo? – Were you able to solve the problem by yourself?
HA POTUTO partecipare alla conferenza virtualmente – He/She was able to participate in the conference virtually.
SIAMO POTUTI andare in vacanza dopo mesi di lavoro – We were able to go on vacation after months of work.
SIETE POTUTI entrare al museo gratuitamente – You (plural) were able to enter the museum for free.
HANNO POTUTO collaborare sul progetto a distanza – They were able to collaborate on the project remotely.
Volere
Volere means to want.
PRESENTE
VOGLIO scoprire nuovi mondi – I want to discover new worlds.
VUOI imparare a suonare il violino – You want to learn to play the violin.
VUOLE scrivere un romanzo – He/She wants to write a novel.
VOGLIAMO organizzare una sorpresa – We want to organize a surprise.
VOLETE esplorare una città sconosciuta – You (plural) want to explore an unknown city.
VOGLIONO vedere l’aurora boreale – They want to see the Northern Lights.
PASSATO PROSSIMO
HO VOLUTO lavorare ieri – I wanted (decided) to work yesterday.
TI SEI VOLUTA godere il tramonto – You decided to enjoy the sunset.
HA VOLUTO scalare la montagna più alta – He/She wanted to climb the highest mountain.
ABBIAMO VOLUTO esplorare una città nuova – We wanted to explore a new city.
SIETE VOLUTI restare svegli fino all’alba – You wanted to stay awake until dawn.
HANNO VOLUTO prendere una decisione audace – They wanted to make a bold decision.
Sapere
Sapere means to know, but it can also mean to know how to or to be able to.
PRESENTE
SO preparare un piatto raffinato – I can prepare a sophisticated dish.
SAI suonare i classici del rock – You know how to play classic rock songs on the guitar.
SA leggere i manga in giapponese – He/She knows how to read manga in Japanese.
SAPPIAMO fare immersioni in alto mare – We can go deep-sea diving.
SAPETE guidare una moto da corsa – You (plural) know how to drive a racing motorcycle.
SANNO cantare arie di Verdi – They can sing Verdi’s arias.
PASSATO PROSSIMO
HO SAPUTO preparare un ottimo risotto – I managed to make a great risotto.
HAI SAPUTO riparare il tuo computer – You knew how to fix your computer.
HA SAPUTO suonare il pianoforte – He/She knew how to play the piano.
ABBIAMO SAPUTO leggere dei dati finanziari – We managed to read financial data.
AVETE SAPUTO parlare in pubblico – You (plural) knew how to speak in public.
HANNO SAPUTO organizzare un evento di successo – They knew how to organize a successful event.
Ascolta questo dialogo
🧔🏻 – Gianna, puoi venire al concerto domani? – Gianna, can you come to the concert tomorrow?
👩🏼🦰 – Non posso venire, devo studiare per l’esame – I can’t come, I have to study for my exam.
🧔🏻 – Sai se qualcuno vuole venire? – Do you know if someone else wants to come?
👩🏼🦰 – So che Paola vuole andarci. Puoi chiamarla – I know Paola wants to go. You can give her a call.
🧔🏻 – Vuoi studiare insieme a me domani? – Do you want to study with me tomorrow?
👩🏼🦰 – Va bene, possiamo studiare domani pomeriggio – Ok, we can study tomorrow afternoon.
🧔🏻 – Perfetto, allora ci vediamo domani – Perfect, see you tomorrow then.
👩🏼🦰 – D’accordo, buona serata! – Ok, have a good evening!
FAQs
Q: Can modal verbs be used without other verbs?
A: Yes, modal verbs can be used alone in Italian, but they usually require another verb to complete their meaning.
Q: Can modal verbs be used in compound tenses?
A: Absolutely, modal verbs in Italian can be conjugated in compound tenses like the passato prossimo.
Q: What is the difference between “potere” and “sapere”?
A: “Potere” expresses ability or permission, while “sapere” indicates knowledge or skill. Potere is a proper modal verb, sapere is easier with simple tenses, rarely used in compound tenses under strict conditions (e.g. verbi riflessivi).
Q: Are modal verbs in Italian irregular?
A: Yes, modal verbs like dovere, potere, volere, and sapere have irregular conjugations.
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Question 1 of 2
1. Question
I verbi modali al presente
Completa le frasi utilizzando il verbo modale corretto Complete the sentences using the correct modal verb
You can use an apostrophe instead of an accent if you don't have an Italian keyboard (è = e')
Mia sorella (dovere) (deve) prendersi cura del nostro cane mentre siamo via. My sister must take care of our dog while we are away.
Io (potere) (posso) preparare il pranzo per tutta la famiglia oggi. I can prepare lunch for the whole family today.
Giulia (volere) (vuole) imparare a suonare il violino quest'anno. Giulia wants to learn to play the violin this year.
Marco (sapere) (sa) parlare tre lingue fluentemente. Marco knows how to speak three languages fluently.
Gli operai (dovere) (devono) completare la costruzione del ponte entro fine mese. The workers must complete the bridge construction by the end of the month.
Tu (potere) (puoi) andare al supermercato per comprare il latte? Can you go to the supermarket to buy milk?
Noi (volere) (vogliamo) organizzare una festa a sorpresa per il compleanno di Luigi. We want to organize a surprise party for Luigi's birthday.
Il nostro vicino (sapere) (sa) cucinare piatti deliziosi. Our neighbor knows how to cook delicious dishes.
Il mio amico (dovere) (deve) trasferirsi in una nuova città per lavoro. My friend must move to a new city for work.
Anna (potere) (può, puo') fare jogging al parco ogni mattina. Anna can jog in the park every morning.
Voi (volere) (volete) partecipare alla maratona cittadina quest'anno? Do you want to participate in the city marathon this year?
I bambini (sapere) (sanno) già nuotare senza aiuto. The children already know how to swim without assistance.
Mio padre (dovere) (deve) chiamare il tecnico per riparare il computer. My father must call the technician to repair the computer.
Io e i miei amici (potere) (possiamo) andare al cinema stasera. My friends and I can go to the cinema tonight.
La nonna (volere) (vuole) raccontare storie ai suoi nipoti. Grandma wants to tell stories to her grandchildren.
Il professore (sapere) (sa) spiegare gli argomenti in modo chiaro. The professor knows how to explain topics clearly.
Luca (dovere) (deve) restituire i documenti al comune entro domani. Luca must return the documents to the town hall by tomorrow.
Correct
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Question 2 of 2
2. Question
I verbi modali al passato prossimo
Completa le frasi utilizzando il verbo modale corretto Complete the sentences using the correct modal verb
You can use an apostrophe instead of the accent if you don't have any talion keyboard (può = pu0')
Il dottore (dovere) (ha dovuto) cancellare gli appuntamenti per un'emergenza. The doctor had to cancel the appointments due to an emergency.
Io (potere) (sono potuto) uscire prima dal lavoro grazie a un permesso speciale. I was able to leave work early thanks to a special permit.
Anna (potere) (ha potuto) partecipare alla maratona dopo mesi di allenamento. Anna was able to participate in the marathon after months of training.
Laura (volere) (è voluta, e' voluta) fermarsi al parco per rilassarsi dopo una lunga giornata. Laura wanted to stop at the park to relax after a long day.
Gli studenti (sapere) (hanno saputo) usare il nuovo software senza difficoltà. The students knew how to use the new software without difficulty.
Noi (volere) (abbiamo voluto) provare il nuovo corso di yoga al centro benessere. We wanted to try the new yoga class at the wellness center.
Maria e Giovanni (potere) (hanno potuto) terminare il progetto prima della scadenza. Maria and Giovanni were able to finish the project before the deadline.
Il bambino non (potere) (è potuto, e' potuto) partecipare alla gita scolastica per un malanno. The child was not able to join the school trip due to an illness.
Il direttore (dovere) (ha dovuto) assumere nuovo personale per gestire l'aumento del lavoro. The director had to hire new staff to manage the increased workload.
Luca e Marta (sapere) (hanno saputo) organizzare la festa di compleanno in modo impeccabile. Luca and Marta knew how to organize the birthday party perfectly.
Le maestre (sapere) (hanno saputo) motivare gli studenti durante il concorso scolastico. The teachers knew how to motivate the students during the school competition.
Io e mia sorella (volere) (abbiamo voluto) dipingere la stanza di colori vivaci. My sister and I wanted to paint the room in bright colors.
Tu (volere) (hai voluto) assistere al seminario sul cambiamento climatico. You wanted to attend the seminar on climate change.
Il meccanico (potere) (ha potuto) trovare il pezzo di ricambio raro per la moto d'epoca. The mechanic was able to find the rare spare part for the vintage motorcycle.
Il mio amico (dovere) (ha dovuto) annullare il viaggio a causa di un imprevisto. My friend had to cancel the trip due to an unforeseen event.
Noi (potere) (siamo potuti) partire per le vacanze in anticipo grazie al bel tempo. We were able to leave for vacation early thanks to the good weather.
I miei genitori (sapere) (hanno saputo) gestire le finanze familiari con attenzione. My parents knew how to manage the family finances carefully.
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After the Zoom Class
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The Italian presepe is a traditional representation of the nativity, but also a chance to stay together during Christmas
Il presepe, or presepio, is a classic representation of the nativity. Every catholic family (famiglia cattolica) in Italy makes the “presepe” with kids and friends at home. An Italian Christmas (Natale) is not complete without the presepe!
There are many presepe, everywhere, in every church of Italy. Small, big, made of all the possible materials. Very often whole villages, paesi, put on stage living presepe’s (il presepe vivente) with real craftsmen creating tools and shepherds making cheese. Usually, the last baby born in the community (l’ultimo nato) becomes the Gesù bambino, surrounded by a real ox and a donkey.
The most ancient presepe in the world – Bologna 1300
Many people are convinced that the presepe was born in Naples (Napoli), perhaps because the tradition is very strong there, and centuries ago from Napoli (when southern Italy was under Spanish domination) the presepe migrated to Barcelona and finally to all South America.
Actually, the presepe dates back to San Francesco di Assisi, the little Italian friar devoted to poverty and simplicity (povertà e semplicità). He wanted to represent Christ as a man close to people, born in a humble barn, and celebrate Christmas with a living representation of the nativity. So, his group of young friars, used to stage a the nativity with real people. A cultural revolution!
The most ancient presepe in the world (il presepe più antico del mondo) is in Basilica di Santo Stefano, a very old church in Bologna. There are 5 wooden statues in full size, surprisingly modern, dating back to 1290 to 1370, with vibrant colours and a natural posture.
Now the presepe is quite popular, not only in Catholic countries. The exhibition inside the Arena di Verona, displays every year as many as 400 presepe, coming from every corner of the planet (da ogni angolo del mondo). The 2013 – 2014 edition is open to public until the end of January. On your right, a small selection of pictures from the exhibition. The atmosphere inside the Arena is perfect. It’s dark. The thick walls made of stone are a suggestive and silent theatre.If you are lucky and are in Verona at the right time, along with beautiful hand-crafted presepe (or presepi, the correct plural in Italian), you can enjoy the colourful Christmas market (il mercatino di Natale) in the fantastic piazza in front of the Arena. There are stands where you can buy typical products, Christmas sweets, souvenirs and Xmas presents. Don’t forget to buy the authentic Pandoro, the Christmas sweet of Verona (il dolce natalizio di Verona). If you are not in a hurry (se non vai di fretta), we suggest a one day trip to the small medieval city of Soave, 15 minutes by car from Verona. You won’t regret it…
It’s worth mentioning two very special Italian presepe. The most traditional and, in our opinion, the most innovative (il più tradizionale e il più innovativo).
Statue of a fishmonger – Napoli’s Presepe
The first one is a perhaps the most popular and funny celebration of the presepe. Of course, it takes place in Napoli, in the district (nel quartiere) of San Gregorio Armeno. The realistic small statues are authentic masterpieces (capolavori). They are designed and created following the smallest details, with a particular style, unique.
The small botteghe artigiane, workshops, display fantastic examples of creativity, and not only for the presepe. The smart (furbi) napoletani depict every new aspect of Italian social life, making fun of famous people with irreverent statues. Their favourite target is of course politicians (i politici). From Berlusconi surrounded by sexy girls to Angela Merkel, a smiling Obama or a serious Putin, and of course the beloved Papa Francesco, Pope Francis.
Sand presepe in Jesolo, Venezia
Artists from all over the world gather in Jesolo, near Venezia, for creating presepe’s with sand. This outstanding show will go on until mid february. I presepi di sabbia are so far the most pleasant surprise of this 2013 Christmas.
Creating your own miniature village in the living room (in soggiorno) is a lot of fun. The centre of the scene is a small wooden barn (una piccola stalla di legno) with the statues of Mary and Joseph (Maria e Giuseppe), the ox the and the donkey (il bue e l’asinello).
Then, the “village” is populated by statues of shepherds (pastori), a blacksmith (un fabbro), a carpenter with tools (un falegname con gli attrezzi), a fisherman, the baker with a small wood oven, geese (oche), cows (mucche) and dozens of sheep (pecore). All out of proportion. So the game is arranging everything properly and put the statues in the right perspective. We make rivers and lakes with tin foil (alluminio) and hills of paper (colline di carta) in the background. Everyone put the small statue of baby Jesus (Gesù bambino) on Christmas, and the three kings (i tre Re Magi) on the 6th of January.
We hope this post about the Italian presepe was useful. Please be social and share, Ciao!
Learn the main irregular verbs in Italian and solve the quiz. This is the third of eight parts – Conjugation ERE letters “C and D”. QUIZ.
In this third instalment we’ll have a close look at some Italian irregular verbs of the second conjugation (-ere), beginning with C & D.We’ll show you the conjugation of the main verb, in order of importance or alphabetical, and all the others having the same root. You can create your own homework trying to write down the conjugations of the verbs of the same family.
Let’s recap the common patterns of the irregular verbs in Italian.
Most irregular verbs are of the second conjugation – ere
Some verbs have only an irregular Passato Remoto and Participio Passato. You can just have a brief look at the Passato Remoto, keeping in mind it is a tense fading to extinction. The Participio Passato however, is a very important tense, because it is used to form all the Italian compound tenses. So, please remember the past participle of irregular verbs. For example, the Passato Prossimo of DECIDERE is “Ho deciso di studiare l’italiano” and not “ho deciduto di studiare l’italiano“.
Italian irregular verbs can be grouped by etymology, meaning that if they have the same root they most probably follow the same behaviour. For example, the irregular verb fare (to do, to make) and its “family” behave exactly the same way – disfare, rifare, stuperfare etc.
We are going to exclude all the irregular verbs which, in our opinion, aren’t of common use or may be confusing for foreign students.
Important family of verbs here are Chiudere and Correre and the modal verb Dovere.
All the conjugations below are of course with Io, Tu, Lui/Lei, Noi Voi, Loro.
Let’s see some examples of sentences with irregular Participio Passato:
Please take some time for solving the interactive exercise about irregular verbs in Italian. Click on start and allow a few seconds for the quiz to load.
We hope this post about Italian irregular verbs was useful. Please add your comments or questions. Subscribe to our mailing list!
With Dante Learning you can learn Italian on-line with a native teacher, studying at your own pace from home. Save time and money, subscribe for FREE today and enjoy a free trial lesson, a level check and access to interactive exercises. All live, one-one-one, in video conference with a native Italian teacher. Then you can decide if you want to join us and be part of our On-line Italian Language School
Many people around the world are open to learn Italian online. What kind of students are ready to embrace new learning methods? Are Italian teachers prepared for supporting the demand and be up and running with technological evolution?
Italian speakers around the world
The seeds of the Italian language
First off, how many people in the world speak Italian? Let’s first consider native speakers. Italian is spoken by about 61 million people in Italy, including foreigners, and 4 million Italians living overseas. There are 1.5 million native speakers in the US and Canada, 500.000 in Switzerland, 300.000 in Australia.
Then we have about 80 million people with Italian blood born and living abroad, speaking some Italian at home, including regional dialects. For example, 50% of the population in Argentina is of Italian origin, 44% in Uruguay, 38% in Brasil, the country with the largest population of Italians outside Italy. In the US there are 18 million people of Italian origin, about 6% the population.
13.500.000 people in the EU speak Italian as second language. Worldwide, Italian is the fifth most studied foreign language, after English, French, German, and Spanish.
Why people study Italian and who is ready to learn Italian online
Labelling people is not nice, but for the sake of simplicity, based on our experience of teachers of Italian to foreigners, we can say there are three main categories of Italian learners. Of course, in most cases students have mixed characteristics.
People of Italian origin– They want to visit the land of their grand-grandparents and get closer to Italy. They usually start learning Italian before travelling to Italy and keep studying after that. Some go to see the city or village their family came from and fall in love with the country, so they want to improve their language skills for coming back again to Italy. If they have a local Italian school back in the country where they live, they start taking classes and don’t give up easily. If they don’t have any school in the neighbourhood they may start to learn Italian online. They generally know some basic Italian words and understand the language, but standard Italian is very often a totally new language to them, because they spoke local dialects at home.
Travellers – After the first trip to Italy, many people want to come back. The reason is quite simple. Italy is beautiful and Italians are friendly. Speaking Italian helps to enjoy holidays, get along together with Italians and make some friends, find your way around the country, outside the traditional itineraries. Along with the consolidated flow of tourists from North America, Northern Europe and Japan, new wealthy people from emerging countries want to come to Italy and learn the language. Russians, Arabs and Chinese are the new lovers of Italy and are quite positive about studying Italian online. Women and shopaholics fit better the profile of those new comers.
“Italophiles” – The sad years of Sacco and Vanzetti and Italophobia are long gone, thank god. A few negative stereotypes still exist, (and some very funny ones are true) but now Italy and Italians are generally admired. The image of Italy abroad is definitely positive. The country and the iconic Italian lifestyle is respected almost everywhere. So, learning Italian is now a sort of identification with Italy and the good things about our country. In this “category” of students the extremes are the real lover, driven by authentic passion for Italy and the Italian language, and the follower, a “temporary” lover, ready to change according to the flavour of the moment. Both are ready to learn Italian online, but one gives up soon and the other goes on and improves by studying hard. Which one is the latter?
Learn Italian Online – The case of Japan
The openness of Japan to western cultures, and in particular European countries, was very strong before WWII. Then it was replaced by the American dream. Nonetheless, the passion of Japanese for Italian opera, food, sport, fashion and culture in general is very strong. There are more Pizzeria’s in Tokyo than Napoli, elegant shopping districts in Japanese cities are packed with premium expensive Italian retail stores. Japanese tourists are everywhere in Italian cities.
Many Japanese learn Italian online. Simply as a hobby, or for enjoying their (short) Italian holidays. The online language business is consolidated and profitable in Japan. The Japanese, partly for the lack of free time and the scarcity of qualified schools, are used to learn Italian online with native teachers. Of course, technological innovation and hi-speed internet connections, make Japan an ideal market for e-learning.
There are large companies delivering this service in Japan. The big ones, like Nova, GEOS, ECC, and Aeon, have hundreds of thousands of students taking advantage of their e-learning language lessons. Japanese are very aware consumers, they pay attention to quality and trust Japanese companies better than foreign ones. That’s true also for Italian schools. If a school or a teacher is not located in Japan, and is not up to Japanese customer service standards, preferably provided in Japanese, it is extremely difficult to penetrate the market. There are at least 350.000 students who usually learn Italian online, at school, or following lessons on the Japanese national TV NHK.
We started our online Italian language experience in Japan in 2003 and learned a lot about cutting edge e-learning techniques. Now, Dante Learning has just opened a branch in Tokyo and is up and running.
Skype Italian lessons: welcome to the jungle
If you google “learn Italian online”, the Skype logo pops up immediately. Of course, Skype opened a new world of great opportunities for teachers and students of foreign languages. Does it mean that every Italian speaker can become an Italian teacher?
Free language exchange is a fantastic opportunity for making new friends online on the other side of the world, share your ID and start to speak a foreign language with a perfect stranger. That’s a great thing, a lot of Italians want to learn English and go for a language exchange. GO for it and speak to people. However, do you think a Skype friend is a teacher?
How many online Italian language schools are there, available on the market? Plenty, and some are really promising. We won’t name them of course, they are competitors, but there are some great examples of experienced valid teachers doing business online. Some use Skype, some others don’t. For example, we use Skype, along with audio and video material, online exercises and other tools. Some golden rules if you really want to learn the language and go beyond a free conversation on Skype:
Avoid non native Italian speakers. Would you learn French from an Italian teacher, Japanese from a Chinese or German from a Spanish speaker? There are many foreigners taking advantage of a few years spent in Italy opening a good looking blog and selling Italian classes on Skype. Just dont…
Choose after a trial lesson. Ask for a free lesson before giving money to a perfect stranger. You may be disappointed of the result after the trial, but at least you can buy yourself a pizza with the nickels and dimes you didn’t throw away.
Choose only a legitimate business. Avoid people without a website and clear terms and conditions. Ask for a phone number, and invoice after your payment. Check their website before taking any classes. Protect yourself from improvised teachers.
Competition out there is fierce. Italy and Italian teachers need to catch up quickly. Our country lacks a decent hi speed internet network and Italian schools are not used to e-learning and are not ready for opening 2.0 language classes. If you are a professional Italian teacher, take a private course for e-learning, study abroad for some time and see what’s available on the market. There are students ready to learn Italian online. Teach them!
With Dante Learning you can learn Italian on-line, studying at your own pace from home. Subscribe today for free, you will get a free trial lesson: live, one-one-one, in video conference with a native Italian teacher. Then you can decide if you want to join us. Ath the end of the quiz, please click on the finish button for learning more about us and our services.
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I verbi modali al presente
I verbi modali al passato prossimo
