The dining table is the most important piece of furniture in Italian houses. Italian familial relationships are forged “a tavola” and children learn very soon how they should behave 1.) SI MANGIA TUTTI INSIEME – WE EAT ALL TOGETHER Italian see their children as young adults. We eat all together, no discussions. Parents help their … Read more ≫
The Italian “connettivi” are conjunctions, adverbs, prepositions or common expressions used to connect elements inside of a sentence Connettivi in Italian are essential for constructing sentences logically and cohesively. These connectors include conjunctions, adverbs, prepositions, or common expressions that create relationships between sentence elements. They are indispensable tools for clear communication. Depending on their function, … Read more ≫
This is a very basic introduction to the Italian impersonal verbs, verbi impersonali Italian impersonal verbs (verbi impersonali) are very common in the spoken and written language. Solve the quiz at the bottom and win an italian Skype class. LEVEL: B1 The verbi impersonali don’t have a specific subject. They are common across all tenses and moods … Read more ≫
Learn the most famous Italian “scioglilingua”, tongue twisters: challenge your fluency, pronunciation, speed and precision. Translating these sentences is quite pointless, because they make little or no sense. You can however recognize some common words. Thanks to our teacher Alessandra for recording these challenging sentences! If you know more, please get in touch, comment and we’ll … Read more ≫
Learn to deal with your hotel reservation and services. Listen to the correct pronunciation Today we’ll talk about your accommodation in Italia. Italy is one of the most visited countries in the world. Despite that, outside the usual destinations of the “grand tour”, big cities like Roma, Firenze or Venezia, many people including hotel managers … Read more ≫
Learn some basic Italian vocabulary and verbs related to shopping and fashion. PODCAST. Fashion is important business in Italia. Not just for money. We like to dress well in formal occasions, but also for a simple dinner out in centro (downtown). I’m sure you know some Italian fashion brands (Gucci, Prada, Armani, D&G etc), easily available in every … Read more ≫
LearnthecorrectvocabularyandsentencesfororderingfoodinItaly. PODCAST. Therearesomecommonpractices,setphrasesandwordsyoucanuseanywhere inItaly fororderingfoodandmakeyourselfunderstood. Wearegoingtoseethemtogether. Lacolazione-Breakfast Italianbreakfastisverysimple.Peopleeatthecolazioneat homeoratcafeterias(inItalywesimplycallita”bar”).Weusuallyhaveacaffelatte,(coffeeandmilk),cappuccino,orevenasimplecaffèandasweetpastry,abriocheorcornetto(croissant). InaB&B,a socalledagriturismo, youcaneattastylocalfoodlikesalameandprosciutto,formaggio(cheese)pane(bread)anddolcifattiincasa (homemadecakes)forbreakfast. Ilpranzo-Lunch Ilpranzoisusuallylighterthanlacena (supper).Onholiday however,proportionsandportionsarenotundercontrol.Ifyouwantalightmeal,youcaneata paninoconaffettati(delimeatlikeprosciuttoetc) porchetta (spit-roastedpork)formaggio.Youcanaskasalumiere (grocer)toprepareitforyouandfillitthewayyoulikeit. Anothergoodandcheapoptionisamenùa10euro,ormenùturisticoalunchsetwhichincludesaprimopiatto (pastaorrisotto),secondopiatto-carneopesce (meatorfish), contornodiverdura (patate,pomodori,insalataverde – sidedish,usuallypotatoes,tomatoesorgreensalad),pane(bread)acqua(water)andsometimesevenavinodellacasa,1/4 literof housewine.Uncaffèespressoisalwayspartofit. Ifyourbudgetallowsafulllunchinatrattoriaorristorante,ofcourseyoucaneatanddrinkasmuchasyouwant.ThecoursesofanItalianmealare:antipasto(appetizer),primo(firstdish),secondo(maindish),contorno(sidedish),formaggio(cheese),dolce(dessert),caffèandifyouarereadytotakeanap,anamaro(typicalItaliantonicliquor).Readytopaythebill?Askthewaiter,Ilcontoperfavore. Lacena-Supper Lacenacanberather cheapatapizzeria orexpensiveinanelegantristorante. Antipasto – Starter Italiansusually startadinner withsomeappetizers.Weusuallyeataffettati, cheese,andthefamousgrilledvegetablesmarinatedinoliveoil,thesocalledsottolio. Ifyoupreferfish,especiallyifyouarevisitingaplaceonthecoast,youcanorderanantipastodimare, aselectionofcoldseafoodandfish,pickled in oliveoilandlemon,ormoresophisticatedcoldentries. Ifyoutrustyourwaiter,andseethatotherpeoplearehavinganiceantipasto,youcanaskfortheantipastodellacasa,aselectionofpopularappetizers. Primipiatti ForgetabouttheItaliandishesyoucanfindathome. YouwillneverfindAmerican fettuccineAlfredo ormacaroniandcheese.Italiansdon’tevenknowwhattheyare. Pastaisking,from theextremenorthtoSicily.Thevarietyofshapes,fillings,saucesandcondimentsishuge. Risottoisprettycommoneverywherebutitismorepopularin thenorthernpartofthecountry.Pastaisusuallyservedaldente.Ifit’sovercooked wesayitisscotta. Youcanunderstandiftherestaurantisdecentif theyserveyourpastawithaformaggiera, acheesebowl,withgratedparmigianoorpecorino. Askforitifthewaiter forgets. Nowadaysrestaurantsservinggluten-freepastaareeasytofindinbigcities. Maybeyou’renotinthemoodforeatingmuchoryouhadaquitecaloriclunch,soyoucanaskthewaiterforasmall portion,ortoshareyourprimopiatto. Let’srecapwithapodcast: Vorrei degliaffettati-I’dlikeamixofdelimeat Vorrei unantipastodimare-I’dlikeaseafoodappetizer Vorrei unantipastodellacasa-I’dlikesome houseappetizers Vorrei unapastaalragù/alpesto Chetipodipastamiconsiglia?Whatkindofpastado yousuggest? Possoaveredelformaggiograttugiato?CanIhavesomegratedcheese? Qualeprimodellacasamiconsiglia? Vorrei unapastaaldente Avetedellapastasenzaglutine?Doyouhaveglutenfreepasta? Possiamoavereunaporzioneindue?Canweshareoneportionintwo? Possoavereunaporzioneabbondante?CanIhavealargeportion? Ilsecondo-Main course “Primo”and”secondo”canbeequallyconsideredmaincourses,butthesecondoisfarmorediverse.Meatandfish arethemainingredientsofasecondo. Ifyouorderasteak,thefamousbisteccafiorentina,grilled t-bonesteak, itoften comesalsangue(literally”bloody”rare),butyoucanhaveitcottaapuntino(medium)orbencotta(welldone). TheItaliancoastlineisverylong,andsoisthemenuofpesce -fishandfruttidimare -seafood. Bothmeatandfisharecookedindifferentfashions:bollito-boiled,grigliato-grilled,fritto-fried,inumido-stewed,alvapore-steamed,alforno-intheoven,inpadella-panfried. Dependingonthemaincourseyoucanaskamatchingcontorno,sidedish.Freshandgreenvegetables(verdura)areas commonas theubiquitouspotatoes. Qualesecondodicarne/dipescemiconsiglia? Ilpesceèfrescoosurgelato?(freshorfrozen) Vorreiunabistecca… …alsangue,…cottaapuntino,…bencotta Vorreidelpesce… …alvapore,…grigliato…inumido, …bollito,…fritto,…alforno,…inpadella Percontornovorrei… …dellepatatealforno/bollite/fritte …un’insalataverde/mista …dellaverdurabollita Bevande-Drinks Italyisoneofthelargestproducersofwineintheworld.Andmineralwater.Thelatteriseasytoorder.Youcanhaveyouracqua naturale(still)orfrizzante(fizzy). Youcanorderunacaraffa (apitcher)ofvinodellacasa(housewine)unbicchiere(aglass)orunabottiglia(abottle). Sometimesalocal vinodellacasaischeaperandbetterthanbottledwine. Vorreiunabottigliadiacqua… … Read more ≫
Addressingpeopleformallyandinformally,greetingsandintroductions.Listentothepodcast. ThePodcastisaboutmakingfriendsandstartingaconversation. “LEI”AND”TU” InItalian,wehavetwodifferentlevels ofcommunication:formalandinformal.Whenwewantto addresssomeoneinformally,weusethepronounTU(you).OntheotherhandtheformalpronounisLEI(she)usedforbothmenandwomen.ThefirstoneisequivalenttotheEnglishYOU,sothere’snoproblemhere.TheLEI isaformofrespectthat createsdistancebetweenspeakers.Forexample: Cometichiami(tu)? Comesichiama(lei)? Theybothmeanwhat’syourname,butthelatterismoreappropriateifyouspeaktoanadultyoudon’tknow,orneedtopayrespecttosomeone. Forexample,IknowmanypeopleusingtheLeiwiththeirparentsinlaw,theirbossesandcolleaguesatwork,theircustomers.Itdependsonthesituation. SometimestheLeiis notnecessarybecause thenature oftherelationshipisinformal.Italiansarefriendly,somostprobablytheLeiwillbe necessaryonlywhenyouintroduceyourself.YouwillsoonusetheinformalTu. Sinceyouareaforeigner,people willunderstandit’sdifficultforyoutousetheLei.Inanycase,it’srecommendedtoshowsomepolitenessandlearngreetingsandintroductionsusing Lei.Then,youcanasktoswitchtotheinformalTusaying: Diamocideltu. Possiamodarcideltu? Let’sproceedwithorder: TITLES ItaliansusetitlesmorethanEnglishspeakers.Thefollowingisthebasics: Signore-Sir Signora-Ma’am Signorina-Miss SignorRossi-Mr.Rossi SignoraBianchi-Mrs.Bianchi SignorinaFerrari-MissFerrari Ontopofit,people tendtogivealotofimportancetograduatedprofessionals.EveryItalianholdingauniversitydegreeisadottore ifmaleordottoressa if femaleandthetitleis usedinsteadofsignororsignorabeforethelastname,evenoutsidetheworkingenvironment.Themostcommonare: DottorRossi DottoressaBianchi AvvocatoMartini ProfessorArmani ProfessoressaLamborghini IngegnerCampari Youcanseethattitlesformalesendingin”e”,dropthe”e”beforethelastname.SignorebecomesSignorRossi,DottorebecomesDottorRossiandsoon. GREETINGS GreetingsinItalianfollowthesamesimplerulesyouhaveinEnglish.Theycanbeformal,informal,commonorlesscommondependingonthesituation.Downbelowthemostcommon. Buongiorno-Goodmorning,butalsogoodafternoonuntildusk Buonpomeriggio-Goodafternoon,notascommonasBuongiorno Buonasera-Goodevening Buonanotte-Goodnight Buonagiornata-Haveagoodday Buonaserata-Haveagoodevening These canbeusedinformalandinformalsituationsand areallratherpolite.I’drarely saybuonasera toaclosefriend. Ciao-Hi Salve-Hello Ciao iswhatIwouldsaytoafriendorarelative.It’dbevery rudetosayciaotoapersonwho deservestheformalLei. Salve istheformal versionofciao. Useitwhennecessary. Arrivederci-Seeyou. Civediamo-Seeyou. Cisivede-We’llseeeachother. Cisentiamo-Speaktoyousoon. Apresto-Seeyousoon. Adomani-Seeyoutomorrow. Allaprossima-Seeyounexttime. Adopo-Seeyoulater. Benvenuto/Benvenuta/Benvenuti-Welcome. Arrivederciisquiteformal.It’soktouseitwiththeLeiform.SamewithApresto.Alltheothersareratherconversationalandinformal.Cisentiamo ismorelike”we’llhearfromeachother”. INTRODUCTIONS Youprobablylearnedthat”Michiamo…”means”Mynameis…”.Right,buttheliteraltranslationis “Icallmyself…”.Chiamarsiisaverboriflessivo,areflexiveverb.Visitthelinkedpageifyouwanttolearnmore.So,what’syournameis”Cometichiami?-Howdoyoucallyourself?”.Thecompleteconjugationoftheverbchiamarsiisthefollowing: Iomichiamo- Tutichiami- … Read more ≫
Learnthevocabularyrelatedtothe”famiglia”.Listentothepodcast. WhenIwasachild(unbambino)myfamily,(lamiafamiglia)usuallymetinspecialoccasions,mainlyreligiousevents,likeweddings(matrimoni),communions(comunioni),baptisms(battesimi)andsoon.Wecouldn’tmeetatsomebody’shouse,weweretoomany(eravamotroppi).So,weusedtogoatbigrestaurantsinthecountryside(incampagna)andcelebratetogether.Mygrandpa(miononno),theheadofthefamily,usedtositcapotavola,guestofhonor. Listenadrepeataftertheaudiofiles-hitthespacebartopausethetrack ilpadre=father lamadre=mother ilpapà=dad lamamma=mom ilnonno=grandpa lanonna=grandma lozio=uncle lazia=aunt ilfiglio=son lafiglia=daughter ilfratello=brother lasorella=sister ilnipote=nephew lanipote=niece inonni=grandparents igenitori=parents iparenti=relatives glizii=uncles ifigli=offspring ifratelli=brothers lesorelle=sisters ilmarito=husband lamoglie=wife ilsuocero=f.inlaw lasuocera=m.inlaw ilcognato=b.inlaw lacognata=s.inlaw ilcugino=cousin(m) lacugina=cousin(f) icugini=cousins ilgenero=soninlaw lanuora=daughterinlaw ilbisnonno=great-grandfather ilbisnonna=great-grandmother ilpronipote=grandnephew lapronipote=grandniece ilpatrigno=stepfather lamatrigna=stepmother ilfidanzato=fiancé lafidanzata=fiancé Onelastnoteregardingrelativesandlanguage.WhenweusepossessivesinItalian,wegenerallyaddthearticolodeterminativo.Inotherwords: IlmioamicoLuigièsimpatico Lamiacasaègrande IlmiocanesichiamaFido Lemieamichesonosposate Andnot- Mia macchinaèunaAlfaRomeo. Whenwetalkaboutsinglularfamilymembers,thearticleisomitted.Sowesay: Miofratelloèalto Miasorellaèsimpatica MiocuginosichiamaDavide … Read more ≫
Theverbessereisusedintheexpressionsc’èandcisono(thereis-thereare) followedbya singularorpluralnoun.Podcast. C’èandcisono correspondtotheEnglishthereisandthereare. Asimplepostforbeginners There’snoperfectmatchbetweenEnglishandItalian.Sometimesessereandesserci(tobeandtobethere)areinterchangeable. Thenegativeformsare nonc’èand noncisono. Afewnotes.Money(soldi)initalianisplural,people(gente)inItalianissingular,so”thereis”and”thereare”areobviouslyinverted.Theorderofthewordsinthesentencedoesn’tchangeinquestions.InItalian,whenyoudon’tneedinterrogativeadverbs(come,dove,quando,perchéetc…)we justaddaquestionmark.Soicanask: Mariononc’è? Nonc’ètempo? Finally, fromalogicalpointofview,therearesomeverycommonItaliansentences(doublenegatives)thatinEnglishdon’tmakesense,butarecorrectinItalian.Forexample: Nonc’ènessuno -lit.Thereisn’tnobody Nonc’èniente-lit.Thereisn’tnothing ThereareplentyoforedoublenegativesinItalian(withmai,nessuno,niente).Learn themastheyare. Thanksforreading.VisitourhomepageandwinanItalianSkypeclasswithanativeteacher. photocredit