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IhopethisshortlessonaboutItaliandoublenegativeswashelpful.Apresto!
Whenthesunissohotandstrongthatbreaksstones.It’snotunusualtohearthisidiominsummertime,frompeopleorevenonTV.
…where”toA” isanindirectpronounand”B”istherealsubject.
Therearesomeotherimportantverbshavingthesamestructureofpiacere,notably:
interessare (tobeofinterest,tocareof), servire (toneed),sembrare (toseem),succedere (tohappen).Let’sseesomeexamplesandlistentothepodcast:
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Mica and Manco are widely used expressions in spoken Italian, often characterized as colloquial. However, their usage is rarely emphasized in academic settings or textbooks. These words are considered “too conversational” and may pose challenges when attempting to provide a comprehensive explanation. In this discussion, we will explore their meanings and usage in a simplified manner.
The term “mica” originates from the Latin word for “breadcrumb.” Its Latin root is still evident in some other Italian words. For instance, in Milan, the typical bread roll is known as “michetta,” meaning “little crumb.” While the original meaning of “mica” has faded, the modern Italian word for breadcrumb is “briciola.”
In conversational Italian, “mica” roughly translates to “not even a breadcrumb,” comparable to the English expressions “not one bit” or “not at all.” It is used to intensify the negation of a statement. Consider the following examples:
“Mica” can’t be easily translated in English, as it includes the notion of “not as you think”, “not as it seems”, “not as you said” etc. For example:
You asked Gigi to take the umbrella because you thought it was raining, but Gigi is telling you you it’s not, “at all”.
“Manco” is a simpler alternative to the word “neanche” (not even) and is commonly used in conversation. While it is not recognized as a standard Italian word in academic literature, it finds frequent usage among Italian speakers. Consider the following examples:
While “mica” and “manco” have distinct meanings, they are discussed together due to their widespread use across the country. “Mica” is more commonly used in northern Italy, whereas “manco” has roots in southern dialects, particularly Sicilian. However, both words are familiar to Italians and contribute to the richness and diversity of spoken Italian.
Thanks for reading – Grazie per avere studiato con me
As a beginner, you should learn the present tense of some important Italian irregular verbs. If your level is intermediate or advanced, a second look will help you to remember some basics.
Before we start:
Dovere, potere, volere and sapere (as “to know how to”) are the main Italian modal verbs.
Remember that conjugations made of just two letters (e.g. Lui va, Lei fa etc) don’t need any accent mark like Lui và, Lei fà. The only exception is Lui/Lei dà.
Personal pronouns are in order: IO – TU – LUI/LEI – NOI – VOI – LORO.
Please complete the quiz below and check your score.
The following are “must learn” irregular verbs, you should memorise them as a beginner.
There are some more irregular verbs in the quiz. Please read the sentences carefully and repeat the exercise if necessary.
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We already introduced the Italian imperfetto tense and the difference with the passato prossimo tense, both belonging to the indicativo mood (realis mood). If you want to progress from the beginner-level to the intermediate-level, you need to master these two lesson points. Please have a look at the posts linked above and solve the attached quizzes before getting familiar with today’s quick lesson.
We are now going to focus on the imperfetto and the four main Italian modal verbs, the “verbi servili” dovere, potere, volere and sapere. We chose this particular topic because the verbi servili are extremely important and their conjugation is irregular in most tenses and moods, not in the imperfetto.
Let’s see the conjugations and listen to the podcast for learning the correct pronunciation. Pay particular attention on the stress of the Loro pronoun.
We hope this fast lesson and podcast were useful. Please share and comment, feel free to ask questions.
Weirdosareeverywhere,includingItaly.ButhowcanyoudescribeapersonhavingastrangeorunusualattitudeinItalian? Itseemsthatwhenitcomestostrangeorunusualpeople,allthelanguagesagreeonstereotypesandcommonexpressions.
Thanksforlistening.Ifyouhavequestionsorknowmore,pleasecommentthispostandshare.
