lingua

Conversational Italian #3: Italian phrasal verbs

by

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 something up: “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!

“Una chiacchierata” with Dianne Hales

by
una-chiacchierata-con-dianne-hales

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.

More about Dianne Hales:

http://www.diannehales.com
http://www.monalisabook.com/
http://www.becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com/

“Che tempo fa?” – Weather in Italian – Podcast

by

Basiclesson:WeatherinItalian.Chetempofa?

Weatheristheclassicicebreaker,buthowdowesay”ice”inItalian?TodayyouwilllearnthemostcommonexpressionrelatedtoweatherinItalianusingverbs,adjectives,frequentquestionsandvocabulary.Everythingcomeswithapodcast,ofcourserecordedbyanativeItalianspeaker.

VERBS-VERBI ADJECTIVES-AGGETTIVI

NOUNS-NOMI

Q&A’s -DOMANDEERISPOSTE DOMANDE
  • Com’èiltempooggi?-What’stheweatherliketoday?
  • Comesaràiltempodomani? Whatwilltheweatherbeliketomorrow
  • Comesonoleprevisioni?How’stheforecastlooking?
  • Nevicheràdomani?Isitgoingtosnowtomorrow?
  • Qualèlatemperatura?What’sthetemperature?
  • ChetempofaaMilano?How’stheweatherinMilan?
  • Com’erailtempoieriaRoma?HowwastheweatheryesterdayinRome
  • ChetempofaràdomaniaFirenze?Whatwilltheweatherbeliketomorrow inFirenze?
  • Domanipioverà?Isitgoingtoraintomorrow?
  • Domanifaràbeltempo?Istheweathergoingtobegoodtomorrow?
  • Facaldoofafreddo?Willitbehotorcold?
  • C’èilsoleaBologna?IsitsunnyinBologna?
RISPOSTE
  • Oggifabeltempo.Todaytheweatherisfine
  • Domanifaràbruttotempo.Tomorrowtheweatherisgoingtobebad
  • Leprevisionisonobuone.Theforecastisgood
  • Domaninonnevicherà.Itwon’tsnowtomorrow
  • Cisonoventottogradi.28degrees
  • AMilanoc’èilsole.It’ssunnyinMilan
  • ARomaierihapiovuto.ItwasrainingyesterdayinRome
  • DomaniaFirenzesarànuvoloso.ItwillbecloudyinFirenzetomorrow
  • Domaniforsenonpioverà.Maybetomorrowitwon’train
  • Domanifaràbeltempo.Tomorrowtheweatherwillbegood
  • Faràfreddo.Itwillbecold
  • ABolognac’èlanebbia.It’sfoggyinBologna

NowyouarereadytotalkaboutweatherinItalian.Pleasefollowusandsubscribetoournewsletter.

LearnItalianonlinewithDanteLearning,bookyourfreetriallessontoday!

Italian modal verbs – Presente and passato prossimo – Audio

by

Do you know the difference between dovere, potere, volere, and sapere? What happens to those verbs with the passato prossimo?

A guide to Italian modal verbs with audio examples and a final quiz

(continues …)

This is a “freemium” quiz

Login or Subscribe at no Cost

And study this lesson for FREE

Get new Italian language quizzes and results in your inbox

Login

Subscribe

  • Access to our “freemium” content: lessons and quizzes
  • Get new lessons in your inbox
  • Get your quiz score by email
  • Get exclusive content for members only, for free

Join for Free

Il presepe in Italia – Nativity scenes in Italy – Christmas words

by
presepe feat imge

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.

Presepi di Veona
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).

Presepe Napoli
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.

Presepe di sabbia lignano
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!

I verbi irregolari – Irregular verbs in Italian – Part 3/8 QUIZ

by

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:

  • Francesco ha chiesto a Laura di sposarlo.
  • Fa freddo! Carlo non ha chiuso la porta.
  • Giorgio ha espresso un’opinione interessante.
  • Luigi ha trascorso le vacanze sul Lago di Garda.
  • Caravaggio ha dipinto dei quadri meravigliosi.

Ready? let’s get started!

Cadere (to fall)
  • Passato remoto: caddi, cadesti, cadde, cademmo, cadeste, caddero
  • Futuro: cadrò, cadrai, cadrà, cadremo, cadrete, cadranno
  • Condizionale presente: cadrei, cadresti, cadrebbe, cadremmo, cadreste, cadrebbero

Verbs of the same family

accadere (happen); decadere (decay, deteriorate); ricadere (fall back); scadere (expire)

Chiedere (ask)
  • Passato remoto: chiesi, chiedesti, chiese, chiedemmo, chiedeste, chiesero
  • Participio passato: chiesto

Verbs of the same family

richiedere (request)

Chiudere (close)
  • Passato remoto: chiusi, chiudesti, chiuse, chiudemmo, chiudeste, chiusero
  • Participio passato: chiuso

Verbs of the same family

dischiudere (disclose); racchiudere (contain, enclose); richiudere (enclose, close again); rinchiudere (segregate); schiudere (hatch); socchiudere (half close) 

Cogliere (pick up – catch)
  • Presente: colgo, cogli, coglie, cogliamo, cogliete, colgono
  • Passato remoto: colsi, cogliesti, colse, cogliemmo, coglieste, colsero
  • Congiuntivo presente: colga, colga, colga, cogliamo, cogliate, colgano
  • Participio passato: colto

Verbs of the same family

accogliere (receive, accomodate); raccogliere (collect)

Comprimere (compress)
  • Passato remoto: compressi, comprimesti, compresse, comprimemmo, comprimeste, compressero
  • Participio passato: compresso

Verbs of the same family

deprimere (depress); esprimere (express); imprimere (imprint) ; opprimere (oppress); reprimere (repress)

Concedere (grant)
  • Passato remoto: concessi, concedesti, concesse, concedemmo, concedeste, concessero
  • Participio passato: concesso

Verbs of the same family

succedere (happen); retrocedere (demote)

Correre (run)
  • Passato remoto: corsi, corresti, corse, corremmo, correste, corsero
  • Participio passato: corso

Verbs of the same family

accorrere (rush); concorrere (contribute, compete); decorrere (accrue from); discorrere (talk); incorrere (incur); occorrere (need, require); percorrere (go trhough); ricorrere (resort, appeal to); rincorrere (run after); ripercorrere (retrace); scorrere (flow); soccorrere (aid, assist); trascorrere

Crescere (grow)
  • Passato remoto: crebbi, crescesti, crebbe, crescemmo, cresceste, crebbero
  • Participio passato: cresciuto

Verbs of the same family

accrescere (increase); decrescere (decrease); ricrescere (regrow)

Cuocere (cook)
  • Presente: cuocio, cuoci, cuoce, c(u)ociamo, c(u)ocete, cuociono
  • Passato remoto: cossi, c(u)ocesti, cosse, c(u)ocemmo, c(u)oceste, cossero
  • Congiuntivo presente: cuocia, cuocia, cuocia, c(u)ociamo, c(u)ociate, cuociano
  • Participio passato: cotto

Verbs of the same family

scuocere (overcook)

Decidere (decide)
  • Passato remoto: decisi, decidesti, decise, decidemmo, decideste, decisero
  • Participio passato: deciso

Verbs of the same family

circoncidere (circumsise); coincidere (coincide); incidere (incise, weigh on); recidere (truncate); uccidere (kill)

Difendere (defend)
  • Passato remoto: difesi, difendesti, difese, difendemmo, difendeste, difesero
  • Participio passato: difeso

Verbs of the same family

offendere (offend)

Dipingere (paint)
  • Passato remoto: dipinsi, dipingesti, dipinse, dipingemmo, dipingeste, dipinsero
  • Participio passato: dipinto

Verbs of the same family

ridipingere (repaint)

Dirigere (direct)
  • Passato remoto: diressi, dirigesti, diresse, dirigemmo, dirigeste, diressero
  • Participio passato: diretto

Verbs of the same family

erigere (erect)

Discutere (discuss)
  • Passato remoto: discussi, discutesti, discusse, discutemmo, discuteste, discussero
  • Participio passato: discusso

Verbs of the same family

incutere (instil)

Distinguere (discern)
  • Passato remoto: distinsi, distinguesti, distinse, distinguemmo, distingueste, distinsero
  • Participio passato: distinto

Verbs of the same family

contraddistinguere (mark, distinguish); estinguere (extinguish)

Dividere (divide)
  • Passato remoto: divisi, dividesti, divise, dividemmo, divideste, divisero
  • Participio passato: diviso.

Verbs of the same family

condividere (share); suddividere (split)

Dovere (have to, must)
  • Presente: devo (or debbo), devi, deve, dobbiamo, dovete, devono (or debbono)
  • Futuro: dovrò, dovrai, dovrà, dovremo, dovrete, dovranno
  • Congiuntivo presente: debba, debba, debba, dobbiamo, dobbiate, debbano
  • Condizionale presente: dovrei, dovresti, dovrebbe, dovremmo, dovreste, dovrebbero

Verbs of the same family

none

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.

verbi irregolari in italiano

Learn Italian online – Are we ready?

by

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
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!

Exercise – Livello Bravo – “Le parti del corpo” – Body parts in Italian

by

Le parti del corpo: body parts in Italian.

Please have a look at this audio lesson about body parts in Italian for learning more.

https://dante-learning.com/eng/files/2013/08/parti-del-corpo-.swf

 

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.

 

Giving personal information in Italian – Audio lesson

by
LearntoaskandgivepersonalinformationinItalian.Talkaboutwork,relationships,nationality.Understandwhenitisappropriatetuusetheformal”lei”insteadofthefriendly”tu”.Audiolesson. LearningtoaskandgivepersonalinformationinItalianisquiteeasy.Youneedtolearnsomebasicsentencesandvocabulary.Allbasicinformation,asithappensinmanylanguages,isprovidedusingtheimportantverbsessere (tobe)andavere (tohave).Incaseyoudon’tknowthem,hereyoucanseetheir presenteindicativo conjugation.Havealookbeforeproceedingfurther.

  • TuorLei?

  YoucanaddresssomeoneinItalianusingtheinformal”Tu”ortheformal”Lei”.WealreadysaidthatthechoiceofdaredelLei,addressingsomeoneinformally,dependsoncommonsense.Whenyoudon’tknowthepersonyouarearegoingtotalkwith,orwhenthispersonisseniorbyageorstatus,youshoulduseLei. Forexample,”What’syourname”is:

Cometichiami?(Tu)/Comesichiama(Lei?) Michiamo…

Mind,”Lei”inthiscaseisnotsynonymof”she”,butjustaformalwaytoreplace”tu”,you.Whenyouwillknowpeoplewellorwon’tbethecasetousetheformalLei,youwillbeinvitedtoswitchfrom”Lei”to”Tu”.
“Diamocideltu”or”Possiamodarcideltu”

Normally,youngpeoplewillskipthe”lei”andusedirectlytheinformal”tu”.

  • ChièMario?
Whenwetalkaboutourrelationshipwithsomeone,weoftenuseItalianpossessiveadjectives.So,ifItalktoyouabout”Mario”,youmayask:”ChièMario?”

Marioèunmio…(Mariaèunamia…) amico/amica(friend)
collega(colleague)
conoscente(acquaintance)
parente(relative)

  SeMario(Maria)èunparente,ifMarioisarelative,wecandescribeourdegreeofkinship.Inthiscasewehavetoomitthearticle.Wedon’tsay”Marioèil/unmiofratello”.Wesay”Marioèmiofratello”Marioismybrother.Havealookandlistentotheaudiolesson”Lamiafamiglia”,myItalianfamily foracompleteoverview.SomenounsaboutthefamilyinItalian:

Marioèmio…(Mariaèmia…)

Ifyouwanttosay”Ihaveabrother,sisteretc”,inItalianwesay”Ioho/Lui-Leiha- un/una…fratello/sorella/marito/moglieetc.withtheverbAVERE.

  • Didovesei(tu)?Didov’e(lui/lei)?

  InordertoprovidecompletepersonalinformationinItalian,youmustknowyournationality.Peopleusuallywantto knowwhereyoucomefromandwhereyoulive.

Whenweask”Didovesei?”whereareyoufrom,wemeanthenationalityforforeignersandtheregionofItalyorcityoforiginforItalians.JustlikeinEnglish,wehavetwomaingroups:

Iosono…- Lui/Leiè…
  • -ESE(Giapponese,Francese,Inglese-andMilanese)
  • -ANO(Italiano,Americano,Australiano-andRomano).
ThereisnoautomaticcorrespondancebetweenItalianandEnglishnamesofNationality.Forexample,wesayCanadeseandnot”Canadiano”,OlandeseandnotDutch,Tedescoandnot”Germano”.LikealltheotherItalianadjectives,theonesendingin-Edon’tvaryaccordingtothegender,theonesendingin-Ochangewiththegender.Sowesay:

  • IosonoGiapponese,MikeèAmericanoeLucyèAustraliana.

Ifyouwanttonameyourcityoforigin,youcanofcoursedothatsaying:
Sonodi…(Roma,Tokyo,NewYorketc…) Literally,Iamof…Historically,Europeancitiesandsomeothersaroundtheworldhaveanitalianizedname.Forexample:Parigi,Londra,Lisbona,Barcellona,Berna,Vienna,Berlino,Varsavia,Stoccolma,Atene,Belgrado,Dublino,CittàdelMessico,Pechino,NuovaDelhi,CittàdelCapoandmanyothers.WeusedtosayNuovaYork,butit’sobsoletenow.

  • Chelavorofai(tu)-Chelavorofa(Lui/Lei)?

  Nowadays,therearesomanyjobtitlesthatthemattercan’tbeliquidatewiththeusualdoctor/nurse/clerkbasicvocabulary. Wewilldedicateaposttojobsandworking-relatedItalianlanguage.YourjobisofcoursesomethingyouwanttosayorknowaspersonalinformationinItalian.WewillhelpyoutoidentifythenameofyourjobinItalian,justaskinthecomments.Thequestionis:”Chelavorofai?”,Whatisyourjob:

Io Faccioil/la…dottore/dottoressa
Sonoun/una… dentista Lui/Lei Fail/la…dottore/dottoressa
È un/una… dentist

  The”formula”thenis:

 Fareil/lo/la+jobtitle=Essereun/uno/una +jobtitle WeexplainedHOWyoushouldaskorprovidepersonalinformationinItalian.IfyouwanttofindoutWHATandlearnnewwords,pleaseexplorethisblogandfindyouranswers.Ifyouneedsomehelpindescribingyourjob,nationalityorotherinformationinItalian,pleaseleaveacommentandwe’llansweryourquestions.Subscribetoourmailinglistformorearticles!

WithDanteLearningyoucan learnItalianon-line withanativeteacher,studyingatyourownpacefromhome.Savetimeandmoney, subscribeforFREE todayandenjoyafreetriallesson,alevelcheckandaccesstointeractiveexercises.Alllive,one-one-one,invideoconferencewithanativeItalianteacher.ThenyoucandecideifyouwanttojoinusandbepartofourOn-lineItalianLanguageSchool.

 

I verbi irregolari – Italian irregular verbs – Part 2/8 QUIZ

by

Learn the main Italian irregular verbs and solve the quiz.This is the second of eight parts – Conjugation ERE – A&B

It is very important to learn the main Italian irregular verbs. If you study Italian as second language, you normally conjugate Italian verbs following rules. Those rules are not applicable here. That doesn’t mean that all the irregular verbs are not predictable or do not follow any pattern. We are going to repeat this introduction for every instalment of this topic. so that you wont’ need to go back and forth for finding basic rules about Italian irregular verbs. We can narrow down the possible scenarios as follows.

  • 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.
  • Most irregular verbs are of the second conjugation – ere
  • Some verbs have only an irregular Passato Remoto and Participio Passato. Whilst you can just have a brief look at the Passato Remoto, the Participio Passato is a very important tense, because it is used to form all the compound tenses of all Italian verbal moods. So, please remember the past participle of irregular verbs. For example, the Passato Prossimo of ACCENDERE is “Ho acceso la luce” (I switched the light on) and not “Io ho accenduto la luce“.

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.

In this second instalment we’ll have a close look at a few irregular verbs of the second conjugation (-ere), beginning with A & B. 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.

Important verbs here are Avere and Bere.

Ready? let’s get started!

Accendere (light up, turn on)
  • Passato remoto: accesi, accendesti, accese, accendemmo, accendeste, accesero
  • Participio passato: acceso

Verbs of the same family

riaccendere (restart)

Accorgersi (realise)
  • Passato remoto: accorsi, accorgesti, accorse, accorgemmo, accorgeste, accorsero
  • Participio passato: accorto

Verbs of the same family

scorgere (glimpse)

Addurre (adduce, convey)
  • Presente: adduco, adduci, adduce, adduciamo, adducete, adducono
  • Imperfetto: adducevo, adducevi, adduceva, adduciamo, adducevate, adducevano
  • Passato remoto: addussi, adducesti, addusse, adducemmo, adduceste, addussero
  • Futuro: addurrò, addurrai, addurrà, addurremo, addurrete, addurranno
  • Congiuntivo presente: adduca, adduca, adduca, adduciamo, adduciate, adducano
  • Congiuntivo imperfetto: adducessi, adducessi, adducesse, adducessimo, adduceste, adducessero
  • Condizionale presente: addurrei, addurresti, addurrebbe, addurremmo, addurreste, addurrebbero
  • Participio presente: adducente
  • Participio passato: addotto
  • Gerundio: adducendo

Verbs of the same family

condurre (lead, drive); dedurre (deduce); indurre (induce); introdurre (insert, introduce); produrre (produce); ridurre (reduce); riprodurre (reproduce, copy); sedurre (seduce); tradurre (translate)

Annettere (annex)
  • Passato remoto: annettei (o annessi), annettesti, annetté (o annesse), annettemmo, annetteste, annetterono (o annessero)
  • Participio passato: annesso

Verbs of the same family

connettere (connect); disconnettere (disconnect); interconnettere (interconnect)

Appendere (hang)
  • Passato remoto: appesi, appendesti, appese, appendemmo, appendeste, appesero
  • Participio passato: appeso

Verbs of the same family

dipendere (depend, rely); sospendere (suspend); spendere (spend)

Assistere (assist, watch)
  • Participio passato: assistito

Verbs of the same family

coesistere (coexist); consistere (consist); desistere (desist, give up); esistere (exist); insistere (insist); persistere (persist, last); resistere (resist)

Assolvere (absolve, acquit)
  • Participio passato: assolto

Verbs of the same family

dissolvere (dissolve, melt away); risolvere (solve)

Assumere (hire, acquire)
  • Passato remoto: assunsi, assumesti, assunse, assumemmo, assumeste, assunsero
  • Participio passato: assunto

Verbs of the same family

presumere (presume); riassumere (recap)

Avere (to have)
  • Presente: ho, hai, ha, abbiamo, avete, hanno
  • Passato remoto: ebbi, avesti, ebbe, avemmo, aveste, ebbero
  • Futuro: avrò, avrai, avrà, avremo, avrete, avranno
  • Congiuntivo presente: abbia, abbia, abbia, abbiamo, abbiate, abbiano
  • Condizionale presente: avrei, avresti, avrebbe, avremmo, avreste, avrebbero

Verbs of the same family

riavere (have back)

Bere (to drink)
  • Presente: bevo, bevi, beve, beviamo, bevete, bevono
  • Imperfetto: bevevo, bevevi, beveva, bevevamo, bevevate, bevevano
  • Passato remoto: bevvi, bevesti, bevve, bevemmo, beveste, bevvero
  • Futuro: berrò, berrai, berrà, berremo, berrete, berranno
  • Congiuntivo presente: beva, beva, beva, beviamo, beviate, bevano
  • Congiuntivo imperfetto: bevessi, bevessi, bevesse, bevessimo, beveste, bevessero
  • Condizionale presente: berrei, berresti, berrebbe, berremmo, berreste, berrebbero
  • Participio passato: bevuto
  • Gerundio: bevendo

Verbs of the same family

nessuno (none)

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

Please take some time for solving the interactive quiz about today’s topic. Click on start and allow a few seconds for the quiz to load.

verbi irregolari quiz 2

Don`t copy text!