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Italian for travellers: Buying clothes. PODCAST

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buying-clothes

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 important city.

We usually go shopping – fare spese – on saturdays, peeking at store windows – vetrine dei negozi – downtown – centro della città – and visit shopping malls – centro commerciale – now widely spread. I negozi, shops, are normally closed on Sundays  – domenica.

 

  • Fare spese
  • Negozi
  • Vetrine
  • Centro della città
  • Centro commerciale
  • Domenica

 

All negozi have the equivalent reparto (department) in a shopping mall. So, un negozio di abbigliamento (clothes) becomes reparto abbigliamento (without the preposition “di”) in a mall.

We can buy vestiti da uomo (men’s clothing), vestiti da donna (women’s clothing), vestiti da bambino (children’s clothing), pelletteria (leather goods), scarpe (shoes), accessori (accessories).

You can also find biancheria intima (lingerie), profumi (perfumes), articoli da regalo (gifts), and articoli per la casa (home accessories).

Clothes

  • vestito da donna (dress)
  • abito da uomo (suit),
  • gonna (skirt)
  • pantaloni (trousers)
  • giacca (jacket)
  • camicia (shirt)
  • maglietta (T-shirts)
  • cappotto (coat)
  • sciarpa (scarf)
  • cappello (hat)
  • guanti (gloves)
  • cravatta (tie)

 

Accessories

If you are interested in jewelry,  you want to look for a gioielleria (jewelry store).

  • anello (ring)
  • bracciale (bracelet)
  • collana (necklaces)
  • orecchini (earrings)
  • orologio (watch)
  • oro (gold)
  • argento (silver)
  • platino (platinum)
  • diamante (diamond)
  • smeraldo (emerald)
  • rubino (rubies)
  • perle (pearls)

 

Pelletteria – Leather goods

  • borsa (bag)
  • borsetta (purse)
  • scarpe (shoes)
  • cintura (belt)
  • portafoglio (wallet)
  • valigia (suitcase)
  • borsellino (change purse)
  • stivali (boots)
  • sandali (sandals)

 

Intimo – Lingerie

  • calze (socks)
  • calzini (short socks)
  • canottiera (tank shirt)
  • reggiseno (bra)
  • pigiama
  • accappatoio (bathrobe)
  • collant (stockings)

 

Tessuti e materiali

  • lana (wool)
  • cotone (cotton)
  • seta (silk)
  • pelle (leather)
  • sintetico (acrylic)
  • velluto (velvet)
  • lino (linen)

 

Useful phrases

Learn how to try, buy, pay, change your new clothes.

Key verbs

Vorrei comprare una maglietta rossa  – I’d like to buy a red t-shirt

  • Vorrei…(I’d like to)
  • provare (try)
  • comprare (buy)
  • pagare (pay)
  • cambiare (change)

+ the name of the clothes

 

Colors and sizes

Vorrei comprare una maglietta rossa  grande – I’d like to buy a large red t-shirt

Asking American sizes, XS to XXL, is normal although Italian sizes are different. In the example below, I used a Tshirt, so all the colors and adjectives are feminine, according to the feminine noun maglietta.

  • Porto la taglia L (I have a L size)
  • Vorrei una maglietta…
  • rossa (red)
  • verde (green)
  • gialla (yellow)
  • blu
  • arancione (orange)
  • bianca (white)
  • nera (black)
  • chiara (light)
  • scura (dark)
  • a righe (stripes)
  • a quadri (checked)
  • a pallini (dots)

 

  • La maglietta è troppo… The tshirt is too…
  • grande (big)
  • piccola (small)
  • stretta (tight)
  • larga (large)
  • leggera (light – weight)
  • pesante (heavy)
  • cara (expensive)
  • economica (cheap)
  • Posso cambiare? Can I change?

 

Thanks for reading. Try the quiz and check your language skills!

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Italian for travellers: Eating out – PODCAST

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eating-out

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…
  • …naturale
  • …frizzante
  • Vorreiunabottiglia/caraffa/bicchiere
  • divino…
  • …dellacasa
  • …rosso-red
  • …bianco-white
  • …rosato-rosè
  • …fermo-still
  • …frizzante-sparkling
  • …secco-dry
  • …dolce-sweet

 
Dolce,caffè -Dessert,coffee

  • Vorrei lalistadeidolci
  • Vorreiuncaffè
  • …uncappuccino
  • …unamaro
  • ilcontoperfavore

 

Thanksforreading.Trythequizonthispageandwin afreeItalianSkype classwithanativeteacher

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Italian for travellers: Making friends. PODCAST

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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-
  • Lui/Leisichiama-
  • Noicichiamiamo-
  • Voivichiamate-
  • Lorosichiamano-

Ifyouwanttoask”what’syourname”youhavetwooptions

  • Cometichiami(tu)?Informal
  • Comesichiama(lei)?Formal

Rememberthatwecanomitthesubject,soit’snotnecessarytosayTuorLeilikeinEnglish.Thepersonwouldanswer”Michiamo…”orsimplysayhisorhername.

Wecansay”nicetomeetyou”indifferentways:

  • Piacerediconoscerla-“Pleasure toknowyou”-Lei,formal
  • Ciao,piacere-Hi,pleasure-Tu,informal
  • Moltopiacere-Muchpleasure-Verypolite,impersonal

Ifyouintroducesomeoneelsetosomepeople,therearetheusualtwooptions:

  • LepresentoilDottorBianchi-Iintroducetoyou(Lei)Dr.Bianchi
  • TipresentolamiaamicaLucia-Iintroducetoyou(Tu)myfriendLucia
  • VipresentoIlsignorMartini-IintroducetoyouMr.Martini(voi,youplural)

Thepodcastandexamplesabovearebasic.Itwouldbeenoughtogetyoustarted.Downbelow,moreexamples.

LEI&TU

  • Buongiornodottore,comesta?
  • Miscusi, sacheoresono?
  • Doveabita?
  • Dov’èilsuoalbergo?
  • Chelavorofa?
  • Laringrazio.
  • Leihafigli?
  • Possoaiutarla?

  • Buongiorno Marco,comestai?
  • Scusami, saicheoresono?
  • Doveabiti?
  • Dov’èiltuoalbergo?
  • Chelavorofai?
  • Ti ringrazio.
  • Tu haifigli?
  • Possoaiutarti?
ENGLISH
  • Goodmorning,howareyou?
  • Excuseme,whattimeisit?
  • Wheredoyoulive?
  • Whereisyourhotel?
  • What’syourjob?
  • Thankyou.
  • Doyouhavechildren?
  • CanIhelpyou?

Inred,theLEIversion,inbluetheTUversion.ThesearejustafewexamplesandshowhowafewwordsinItaliancanchangethetoneandthelevelofrespect in aconversation.Thesesentencesmaybeuseful asice-breakersforstartingaconversation.

TITLES

Allthefollowingexamplesarewiththecourtesyform”Lei”.

  • BuonNataleSignorRossi.
  • AvvocatoBerlusconi,acheoraciincontriamo?
  • Chiedoscusasignorina,habisognodiaiuto?
  • SignoraMartini,sacheoresono?
  • Ingegnere,hacompletato quelprogetto?
  • Miscusisignore,hapersolechiavi.
  • VorreiparlareconilprofessorCampari. Èdisponibile?
  • DottoressaBianchi,ammiromoltoilsuolavoro.
  • LepresentoilsignorBonaventura.
ENGLISH
  • MerryChristmas,Mr.Rossi.
  • AvvocatoBerlusconi,whattimeshallwemeet?
  • IbegyourpardonMiss,doyouneedanyhelp?
  • MrsMartini,doyouknowwhattimeisit?
  • Ingegnere,haveyoufinishedthatproject?
  • ExcusemeSir,youhavelostyourkeys.
  • IwouldliketotalktoProfessorCampari,isheavailable?
  • DottoressaBianchi,Iadmireverymuchyourwork.
  • LetmeintroduceMr.Bonaventura.
GREETINGS

  • Buongiornoatutti!
  • Buonpomeriggiosignora,possoaiutarla?
  • Buonasera Franco,comeva?
  • Buonanotteesognid’oro.
  • Buonagiornata ebuonlavoro.
  • Buonaserataebuondivertimento.
  • CiaoLuca,daquantotempo!
  • SalvesignoraRossi,imieisalutiasuomarito.
  • Arrivederci eapresto.
  • Civediamolasettimanaprossima.
  • GraziemilleMichela,cisivede.
  • CiaoGiulia,apresto.
  • Graziemilleperlabellaserata.Cisivede.
  • BenvenutiinItalia!
ENGLISH
  • Goodmorningeveryone.
  • GoodafternoonMa’am,canIhelpyou?
  • GoodeveningFranco,howisitgoing?
  • Goodnightandsweetdreams
  • Haveagooddayandagoodtimeatwork.
  • Goodeveningandhavefun.
  • CiaoLuca, longtimenosee!
  • SalvesignoraRossi,myregardstoyourhusband.
  • Seeyousoon.
  • Seeyounextweek.
  • ThanksalotMichela,I’llseeyou.
  • Bye Giulia,seeyousoon.
  • Thanksalotforthelovelyevening.We’llseeagain.
  • WelcometoItaly!

Theseareformalandinformalgreetingsandfarewells.Theexpression”buonlavoro”doesn’treallyhaveanequivalent inEnglish.It’safarewell,inthiscaseitdoesn’tmean”goodjob!”.

INTRODUCTIONS

  • MichiamoLuca,piacere.
  • TichiamiFabio,vero?
  • LuisichiamaStefano,èunmioamico
  • Comesichiama latuaamica?
  • Piacerediconoscerla dottoressaFerrari.
  • Piacerediconoscerti,michiamoDario.
  • Piaceremio.
  • PossopresentarleilprofessorBianchi?
  • PossopresentartiLaura,lamiaragazza?
  • Viconoscetegià?
ENGLISH
  • MynameisLuca,nicetomeetyou.
  • YournameisFabio,right?
  • He’sStefano,afriendofmine.
  • What’sthenameofyourgirlfriend?
  • PleasedtomeetyoudoctorFerrari(woman)
  • Nicetomeetyou,mynameisDario
  • Mypleasure.
  • MayIintroduceprofessorBianchi?
  • CanIintroduce Gianni,myboyfriend?
  • Doyoualreadyknoweachother?

Thanksforreading!

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La famiglia italiana – PODCAST

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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
  • Miamadreèbionda

Andnot-IlmiopadresichiamaLuigi

Whenwetalkaboutfamilymembers,pluralnouns, thereisthearticle.Sowesay:

  • Imieigenitorisonogiovani
  • LemiecugineabitanoaMilano
  • Imieinonnisonoanziani
  • Lamia famigliaènumerosa

Andnot-Mieifratelligiocanoacalcio Thanksforreading,graziemilleeapresto.

Italian for beginners: “C’è” – “Ci sono”- PODCAST

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c'è-ci-sono

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.

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Hollywood stars who speak awesome Italian – Video

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actors-fluent-in-italian

A list of Hollywood stars who speak awesome Italian or are such great actors that managed to speak it very well on stage.

Some Hollywood actors speak (or spoke) Italian very well, others tried to speak a credible Italian but simply couldn’t. Some others, learned Italian only for acting properly, with astonishing results.

Vincent Cassel

 

We are sure that 14 years of marriage with actress Monica Bellucci helped Vincent Cassel with his Italian. He speaks quite flawlessly,  with a slight French accent, but he’s definitely very fluent. Being French is of course a great advantage for learning Italian or other Romance languages. Cassel loves Brazil and he’s also proficient in Portuguese.

Christoph Waltz

 

Unforgettable performance in Inglorious Basterds. An Austrian-born actor, Waltz is of course a native German speaker, and he’s fluent in English and French. Listening to this performance alone, it would be easy to assume he’s fluent in Italian too, but actually he admitted he’s not. He learned a few lines for the movie and that’s it. I’m sure though he would learn very quickly. Great accent, fluency and intonation, he fooled me.

 

Colin Firth

 

This versatile English actor, good on stage and on the big screen, married Livia Giuggioli in 1997 , an Italian producer and director. They live in London and Italy and have two sons with Italian names, Luca and Matteo. He started to learn Italian when he and Giuggioli began to date and he now is fluent. He has a house in Siena and spends as much time as he can in Italy. In this recent message, he shows advanced Italian skills mixed with a great British accent.

Audrey Hepburn

 

The tribute here is a must. Hepburn was a polyglot, fluent in Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian. in 1968 she married an Italian doctor, Andrea Dotti. The legendary Vacanze Romane, the unforgettable movie with Gregory Peck, made Italy even more famous and desirable than it was already, a romantic destination for millions people. In this interview, she displays a near-native knowledge of Italian an elegant syntax and a very good pronunciation. A real charm.

Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster is fluent in French, Spanish and Italian. In this quick interaction with an Italian journalist, Jodie speaks naturally and complains about her French accent, which is hardly noticeable. I wasn’t expecting that, it was a nice find. She speaks naturally. Beautiful smile…

Viggo Mortensen

It’s well known that Viggo Mortensen speaks 7 languages and Italian too. He uses sophisticated vocabulary and describes his beautiful movie Green Book with all the nuances of a native Italian speaker. Intelligent, charming, polyglot. One of my favourite actors. Bravo.

Penelope Cruz

Surprisingly, there are not many Spanish actors fluent in Italian, even though our Spaniard cousins speak a nearly identical language. Penelope Cruz is an exception. Her Spanish accent is beautiful and she tries to find appropriate words when she talks about her childhood. Brava e Bella.

Robert De Niro

When I heard Robert De Niro speaking fluent Sicilian as a young Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, I was shocked. I am a native speaker and I found his Sicilian very convincing. Of course he has an American accent, but he was clearly understanding what he was saying, as opposed to Al Pacino in the same movie, who instead didn’t seem comfortable in speaking broken Italian. De Niro is a living legend in Italy, he’s not only considered a great actor, but also a great Italian. But is he really Italian? Well, he holds a double passport, but I wanted to know if he learned Sicilian at home as a kid. Then I learned that he’s of Irish and Italian origin and learned some Italian only as an adult. Amazing.

Thanks for reading. Please comment and share.

Alla prossima!

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“Piacere” and other tricky Italian verbs: Quiz

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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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