{"id":59834,"date":"2026-05-13T05:07:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T20:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=59834"},"modified":"2026-05-13T06:23:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:23:14","slug":"italian-ing-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ing-translation\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian -ing Translation: 5 Ways to Render English -ing in Italian (B2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> English packs the suffix <em>-ing<\/em> into a thousand jobs: &#8220;a girl reading a book&#8221;, &#8220;running keeps me sane&#8221;, &#8220;the boy walking down the street&#8221;, &#8220;swimming is good for you&#8221;. Italian has no single equivalent. For <strong>italian -ing translation<\/strong> the language splits the work across five different solutions: a <em>che<\/em> relative clause for most cases, the elegant past participle (<em>una donna arrivata stamattina<\/em>), the present participle in &#8211;<em>ente<\/em>\/-<em>ante<\/em> for formal and bureaucratic registers, the gerund in &#8211;<em>ando<\/em>\/-<em>endo<\/em> when the meaning is adverbial, and the infinitive when the -ing is acting as a noun. This guide explains all five, when to pick which, and why English speakers default to the wrong one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-ing\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-ing-t gb-headline-text\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to section<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#one-liner\">The one-liner rule for italian -ing translation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#che-verb\">Solution 1: che + verb (the default)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#participle-deletion\">Solution 2: the elegant deletion (una donna arrivata)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#present-participle\">Solution 3: present participle -ente, -ante (formal)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#gerund\">Solution 4: gerund -ando, -endo (adverbial only)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#infinitive\">Solution 5: infinitive (when -ing is a noun)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#decision-tree\">Decision tree: which one when<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#traps\">Five traps for English speakers<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialogue\">Dialogo in studio di traduzione a Torino<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mini-challenge\">Mini-challenge<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#related\">Related guides<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-oneliner-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"one-liner\">The one-liner rule for italian -ing translation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian has no direct equivalent of the English -ing form. To translate an -ing into Italian, first ask what job the -ing is doing in English: relative clause, adverbial modifier, or noun. Each job gets its own Italian solution. Default to <em>che<\/em> plus verb; reach for the others only when the meaning calls for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-cheverb-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"che-verb\">Solution 1: che + verb (the default)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When the English -ing is functioning as a reduced relative clause (&#8220;the girl reading a book&#8221; = &#8220;the girl who is reading a book&#8221;), Italian uses a full relative clause: <em>che<\/em> plus a finite verb in the appropriate tense.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>La ragazza che legge il giornale \u00e8 mia cugina. <em>The girl reading the newspaper is my cousin.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Caterina ha visto un uomo che correva nel parco. <em>Caterina saw a man running in the park.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lo studio cerca traduttori che parlino tedesco. <em>The studio is looking for translators speaking German.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>La banca offre un mutuo che copre il novanta per cento del prezzo. <em>The bank offers a mortgage covering ninety per cent of the price.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Federica ha incontrato due colleghi che lavorano sullo stesso progetto. <em>Federica met two colleagues working on the same project.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Questa \u00e8 di gran lunga la soluzione pi\u00f9 comune per l&#8217;italian -ing translation. Quando in inglese il verbo in -ing modifica un nome (&#8220;a woman reading&#8221;, &#8220;a project offering&#8221;), in italiano si espande in una relativa con <em>che<\/em> e il verbo coniugato. La scelta del tempo verbale dipende dal contesto: presente per azioni in corso (<em>che legge<\/em>), passato prossimo o imperfetto per azioni concluse o continuative (<em>che leggeva<\/em>, <em>che ha letto<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Una nota importante: in italiano il pronome relativo <em>che<\/em> non si pu\u00f2 omettere come l&#8217;inglese omette spesso &#8220;that&#8221; o &#8220;who&#8221;. <em>The book I read<\/em> in inglese pu\u00f2 saltare il &#8220;that&#8221;; in italiano dobbiamo sempre dire <em>il libro che ho letto<\/em>. Allo stesso modo, <em>la ragazza che legge<\/em> non si riduce mai a <em>la ragazza legge<\/em>: questa seconda forma cambia funzione e diventa una frase principale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-deletion-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"participle-deletion\">Solution 2: the elegant deletion (una donna arrivata)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian has a stylistic shortcut that English speakers find unexpected. When the relative clause uses <em>essere<\/em> plus a past participle (<em>che \u00e8 arrivata<\/em>, <em>che sono stati eletti<\/em>), Italian frequently drops the relative pronoun and the auxiliary, leaving only the past participle.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Una donna arrivata da poco a Torino. <em>A woman who has recently arrived in Turin.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>I documenti spediti la settimana scorsa sono giunti a destinazione. <em>The documents sent last week have reached their destination.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il libro tradotto dal russo ha vinto il premio. <em>The book translated from Russian won the prize.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Le candidate ammesse al concorso devono presentarsi alle nove. <em>The candidates admitted to the competition must present themselves at nine.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Si tratta di una variante elegante e molto frequente nello scritto. Funziona soltanto con verbi che usano <em>essere<\/em> come ausiliare (intransitivi e passivi). Non si pu\u00f2 applicare a verbi con <em>avere<\/em>: non si dice <em>la ragazza letto un libro<\/em> per &#8220;la ragazza che ha letto un libro&#8221;. La forma ridotta funziona solo se la relativa originale era con <em>essere<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Questo schema \u00e8 particolarmente comune nei titoli di giornale, nelle didascalie, nei sottotitoli delle fotografie, e in tutta la prosa giornalistica che cerca la concisione. <em>La sentenza emessa ieri sera<\/em>, <em>il quadro rubato al museo<\/em>, <em>i passeggeri rimasti a terra<\/em>: tutte forme che un inglese tradurrebbe con un -ing (issued, stolen, left behind) ma in inglese diventerebbero pi\u00f9 probabilmente past participles.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-ing-1\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-task:<\/strong> Traduci le frasi inglesi usando o &#8220;che + verbo&#8221; o la deletion variant, secondo quale suona meglio.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The students attending the lecture took notes carefully.<\/li>\n<li>A package delivered yesterday is waiting at the door.<\/li>\n<li>The journalists writing for the cultural section meet on Mondays.<\/li>\n<li>The pictures hung in the new gallery come from a private collection.<\/li>\n<li>The trains leaving from Padova are usually on time.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 See answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <em>Gli studenti <strong>che assistevano<\/strong> alla lezione hanno preso appunti con attenzione.<\/em> (che + verbo, no deletion possible: assistere takes avere)<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Un pacco <strong>consegnato<\/strong> ieri sta aspettando alla porta.<\/em> (deletion: consegnato passivo)<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>I giornalisti <strong>che scrivono<\/strong> per la sezione cultura si riuniscono il luned\u00ec.<\/em> (che + verbo, no deletion: scrivere = avere)<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>I quadri <strong>esposti<\/strong> nella nuova galleria provengono da una collezione privata.<\/em> (deletion: esposti passivo)<\/p>\n<p>5. <em>I treni <strong>che partono<\/strong> da Padova sono di solito puntuali.<\/em> (che + verbo; alternative: <em>i treni <strong>in partenza<\/strong> da Padova<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-pp-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"present-participle\">Solution 3: present participle -ente, -ante (formal)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian does have a present participle, formed with -ante for -are verbs (<em>parlante<\/em>, &#8220;speaking&#8221;) and -ente for -ere and -ire verbs (<em>scrivente<\/em>, &#8220;writing&#8221;; <em>partente<\/em>, &#8220;leaving&#8221;). It exists, but it&#8217;s restricted: most Italian present participles have lexicalised into adjectives or nouns (<em>interessante<\/em>, <em>insegnante<\/em>, <em>cantante<\/em>) rather than functioning as live verbal forms.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Le candidate aspiranti alla posizione devono inviare il curriculum. <em>The candidates aspiring to the position must send their CV.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>La normativa concernente la sicurezza sul lavoro \u00e8 stata aggiornata. <em>The regulations concerning workplace safety have been updated.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>I documenti riguardanti il caso sono in archivio. <em>The documents regarding the case are in the archive.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Il pacchetto contenente i campioni \u00e8 arrivato. <em>The package containing the samples has arrived.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Il participio presente come forma verbale viva esiste soprattutto nel linguaggio giuridico, burocratico, e accademico. Forme come <em>concernente<\/em>, <em>riguardante<\/em>, <em>contenente<\/em>, <em>spettante<\/em>, <em>aspirante<\/em>, <em>partecipante<\/em> compaiono regolarmente in contratti, leggi, bandi di concorso, sentenze. Nel parlato quotidiano \u00e8 rarissimo; quando un italiano usa <em>concernente<\/em> in conversazione, sta facendo una scelta stilistica formale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Da evitare per i principianti: non si forma un participio presente &#8220;creativo&#8221; su qualunque verbo. <em>Mangiante<\/em>, <em>dormente<\/em>, <em>guardante<\/em> esistono come parole ma non si usano come traduzione naturale del corrispondente inglese -ing. Per &#8220;a man eating an apple&#8221; non si dice <em>un uomo mangiante una mela<\/em>: si dice <em>un uomo che mangia una mela<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-gerund-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"gerund\">Solution 4: gerund -ando, -endo (adverbial only)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Italian gerund (<em>parlando<\/em>, <em>leggendo<\/em>, <em>partendo<\/em>) corresponds to English -ing only when the -ing is acting as an adverbial modifier, telling you how, when, or why something happens. The gerund never modifies a noun in modern Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Caterina ha imparato il russo leggendo Dostoevskij in originale. <em>Caterina learned Russian (by) reading Dostoevsky in the original.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Camminando per il centro di Torino abbiamo incontrato Pietro. <em>Walking through the centre of Turin we ran into Pietro.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Lavorando duro si arriva ovunque. <em>(By) working hard one gets anywhere.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Sbagliando si impara. <em>(One learns by) making mistakes.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Tre regole importanti per l&#8217;uso del gerundio. Primo: il soggetto del gerundio \u00e8 di norma lo stesso del verbo principale (<em>Caterina ha imparato<\/em> e <em>Caterina legge<\/em>, stesso soggetto). Secondo: il gerundio \u00e8 invariabile, non ha forma femminile o plurale. Terzo: non si usa il gerundio per modificare un nome. <em>The man sitting on the bench<\/em> non \u00e8 <em>l&#8217;uomo sedendo sulla panchina<\/em> ma <em>l&#8217;uomo seduto sulla panchina<\/em> (participio passato) oppure <em>l&#8217;uomo che \u00e8 seduto sulla panchina<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Il gerundio italiano si combina anche con <em>stare<\/em> per dare la forma progressiva <em>sto leggendo<\/em>, <em>stavo camminando<\/em> (&#8220;I am reading&#8221;, &#8220;I was walking&#8221;). Questa costruzione corrisponde direttamente all&#8217;inglese &#8220;to be + -ing&#8221;, ed \u00e8 uno dei pochi casi in cui italiano e inglese si allineano in modo intuitivo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-inf-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"infinitive\">Solution 5: infinitive (when -ing is a noun)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When the English -ing acts as a noun (&#8220;swimming is good for you&#8221;, &#8220;reading is my favourite hobby&#8221;, &#8220;smoking is bad&#8221;), Italian uses the infinitive. The infinitive in Italian doubles as the form for verbal nouns.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nuotare fa bene alla schiena. <em>Swimming is good for the back.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Leggere \u00e8 il mio passatempo preferito. <em>Reading is my favourite pastime.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Fumare in ufficio \u00e8 vietato. <em>Smoking in the office is forbidden.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Tradurre poesia richiede orecchio. <em>Translating poetry requires an ear.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Italian can also use the infinitive with the definite article (<em>il<\/em> or <em>lo<\/em>) for a slightly more formal or emphatic feel: <em>il leggere<\/em>, <em>il tradurre<\/em>. This is the &#8220;substantivised infinitive&#8221;. It&#8217;s not wrong, but it sounds bookish in everyday writing. The plain infinitive without article (<em>leggere<\/em>, <em>tradurre<\/em>) is the everyday default.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-decision-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"decision-tree\">Decision tree: which one when<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian -ing translation has no single mapping, so when you meet an English -ing run through this short checklist in your head.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Is the -ing modifying a noun?<\/strong> (&#8220;the boy walking&#8221;) \u2192 use <em>che + verb<\/em>, or the past-participle deletion if the original would be <em>essere + past participle<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Is the -ing in a formal\/bureaucratic context<\/strong>, modifying a noun? \u2192 consider <em>concernente<\/em>, <em>riguardante<\/em>, <em>contenente<\/em> and similar -ente\/-ante forms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Is the -ing telling you how, when, why something happens?<\/strong> (&#8220;by reading&#8221;, &#8220;while walking&#8221;) \u2192 use the gerund <em>-ando \/ -endo<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Is the -ing acting as a noun, the subject or object of another verb?<\/strong> (&#8220;swimming is good&#8221;, &#8220;I love reading&#8221;) \u2192 use the infinitive (<em>nuotare<\/em>, <em>leggere<\/em>).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Is the construction &#8220;to be + -ing&#8221;<\/strong>, expressing progressive action? \u2192 use <em>stare + gerundio<\/em> (<em>sto leggendo<\/em>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The single most common mistake is to default to the gerund for every English -ing. The Italian gerund cannot modify a noun. If the -ing is sitting next to a noun and describing it, you almost certainly want a <em>che<\/em> clause or the past-participle deletion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-traps-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"traps\">Five traps for English speakers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-1\">Trap 1: Using the gerund to modify a noun<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>English happily says &#8220;the boy walking down the street&#8221;. The literal Italian equivalent <em>il ragazzo camminando per la strada<\/em> is wrong. The gerund cannot attach to a noun. Use <em>il ragazzo che cammina per la strada<\/em> or, if the verb were intransitive with <em>essere<\/em>, <em>il ragazzo arrivato per la strada<\/em>. The gerund is reserved for adverbial functions, never for nominal modification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-2\">Trap 2: Inventing present participles for every verb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Italian has present participles like <em>concernente<\/em>, <em>contenente<\/em>, <em>riguardante<\/em>, but you cannot generate them freely. <em>Mangiante<\/em> exists as a word but doesn&#8217;t translate &#8220;eating&#8221; naturally. For most verbs the live present participle is dead and you must use <em>che + verb<\/em>. Only a closed list of formal\/bureaucratic forms is productive in modern Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-3\">Trap 3: Translating &#8220;I love swimming&#8221; with the gerund<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I love swimming&#8221; is not <em>amo nuotando<\/em>. When the -ing is the object of a verb like &#8220;love&#8221;, &#8220;hate&#8221;, &#8220;enjoy&#8221;, &#8220;prefer&#8221;, it is acting as a noun, and Italian uses the infinitive: <em>amo nuotare<\/em>, <em>odio aspettare<\/em>, <em>preferisco leggere<\/em>. The same rule applies to subjects: <em>nuotare fa bene<\/em>, not <em>nuotando fa bene<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-4\">Trap 4: Omitting che in relative clauses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>English allows &#8220;the book I read&#8221; without &#8220;that&#8221;. Italian doesn&#8217;t: <em>il libro che ho letto<\/em>. The relative pronoun is obligatory. English speakers often drop the <em>che<\/em> by analogy with English, producing ungrammatical Italian. Always include <em>che<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"trap-5\">Trap 5: Mistranslating &#8220;stop doing X&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>English &#8220;stop smoking&#8221; looks like it should be <em>smetti fumando<\/em>. It isn&#8217;t. Italian uses <em>smettere di + infinitive<\/em>: <em>smetti di fumare<\/em>. The same goes for &#8220;start&#8221;, &#8220;finish&#8221;, &#8220;continue&#8221;, &#8220;decide&#8221;: all take <em>infinitive<\/em>, not gerund, in Italian. <em>Comincia a leggere, finisci di mangiare, decide di partire<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-cheat-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet: italian -ing translation at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table>\n<thead><tr><th>English -ing job<\/th><th>Italian solution<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr><td>Relative modifying a noun (active or with avere)<\/td><td>che + verb<\/td><td>la donna che legge \/ the woman reading<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Relative with essere or passive<\/td><td>past participle (deletion)<\/td><td>una donna arrivata \/ a woman arrived<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Formal \/ bureaucratic noun modifier<\/td><td>-ente \/ -ante present participle<\/td><td>la legge concernente \/ the law concerning<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Adverbial (how, when, why)<\/td><td>gerund -ando \/ -endo<\/td><td>camminando \/ walking<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Noun (subject or object)<\/td><td>infinitive<\/td><td>nuotare fa bene \/ swimming is good<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>Progressive (&#8220;am \/ was -ing&#8221;)<\/td><td>stare + gerundio<\/td><td>sto leggendo \/ I am reading<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td>After stop\/start\/finish<\/td><td>verb + di + infinitive<\/td><td>smettere di fumare \/ stop smoking<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-dialogue-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"dialogue\">Dialogo in studio di traduzione a Torino<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Caterina \u00e8 una traduttrice editoriale, Pietro un revisore. Federica \u00e8 la caporedattrice. Discutono come rendere in italiano il titolo inglese di un articolo di sezione cultura: <em>&#8220;Women shaping contemporary Italian cinema&#8221;<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-ing\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Federica:<\/strong> Allora, come la mettiamo questa &#8220;Women shaping&#8221;?<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Io tradurrei &#8220;Le donne che plasmano il cinema italiano contemporaneo&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\uddd4\ud83c\udffb <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> &#8220;Che plasmano&#8221; mi suona pesante per un titolo. Troppe sillabe.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> E &#8220;Donne plasmanti&#8221;? Esiste come parola?<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\uddd4\ud83c\udffb <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Esiste ma \u00e8 un orrore. Da contratto notarile, non da rivista.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Federica:<\/strong> Potremmo girarla: &#8220;Le donne che cambiano il volto del cinema italiano&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> &#8220;Cambiano&#8221; funziona meglio di &#8220;plasmano&#8221; per un lettore non specialista.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\uddd4\ud83c\udffb <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Mi piace. Oppure pi\u00f9 conciso: &#8220;Donne al timone del cinema italiano&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Federica:<\/strong> Bellissimo. Si perde un po&#8217; la sfumatura di &#8220;shaping&#8221; ma il titolo respira.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Tradurre l&#8217;inglese -ing \u00e8 sempre questa storia. O metti il &#8220;che&#8221; e ti viene lungo, o ti inventi una metafora e ti allontani dall&#8217;originale.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\uddd4\ud83c\udffb <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Esatto. Il gerundio sarebbe stato perfetto ma in italiano non modifica i nomi.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffb <strong>Federica:<\/strong> Allora scegliamo &#8220;Donne al timone&#8221;. Caterina, aggiusta il sottotitolo di conseguenza.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to notice in the dialogue<\/h3>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Le donne che plasmano<\/strong>: Caterina&#8217;s first instinct is the default <em>che + verb<\/em> solution.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Donne plasmanti<\/strong>: she tests the present participle and Pietro rejects it as too bureaucratic.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Il gerundio sarebbe stato perfetto ma in italiano non modifica i nomi<\/strong>: Pietro names the central rule of the lesson.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Donne al timone<\/strong>: the final translation abandons the relative-clause solution altogether and uses a metaphor. Real translators do this constantly when the -ing form fights against Italian rhythm.<\/li>\n<li>The dialogue is a meta-conversation about the very topic of this guide. Italian translators have these arguments every day in editorial studios.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-mini-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"mini-challenge\">Mini-challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-ing-final\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-challenge:<\/strong> Traduci in italiano scegliendo la soluzione giusta (che + verbo, deletion, participio presente, gerundio, infinito).<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Reading the newspaper every morning keeps Pietro informed.<\/li>\n<li>The candidates aspiring to a scholarship must submit the form by Friday.<\/li>\n<li>I learned Spanish (by) watching films in the original language.<\/li>\n<li>The pictures hanging on the wall are by my grandmother.<\/li>\n<li>Caterina hates waiting in line.<\/li>\n<li>The witnesses called to testify will appear on Monday.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>\ud83d\udc49 See answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>1. <em><strong>Leggere<\/strong> il giornale ogni mattina tiene Pietro informato.<\/em> (infinitive: -ing as subject noun)<\/p>\n<p>2. <em>Le candidate <strong>aspiranti<\/strong> a una borsa di studio devono inviare il modulo entro venerd\u00ec.<\/em> (present participle: formal-bureaucratic noun modifier)<\/p>\n<p>3. <em>Ho imparato lo spagnolo <strong>guardando<\/strong> film in lingua originale.<\/em> (gerund: adverbial)<\/p>\n<p>4. <em>I quadri <strong>appesi<\/strong> alla parete sono di mia nonna.<\/em> (past-participle deletion)<\/p>\n<p>5. <em>Caterina odia <strong>aspettare<\/strong> in fila.<\/em> (infinitive: -ing as object of &#8220;hate&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>6. <em>I testimoni <strong>chiamati<\/strong> a deporre compariranno luned\u00ec.<\/em> (past-participle deletion)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-quiz-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:30px;background:#f4f5f6;border-radius:10px;color:#888\"><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-h2-faq-ing gb-headline-text\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions about italian -ing translation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Le sette domande qui sotto raccolgono i dubbi tipici di un B2 alle prese con l&#8217;italian -ing translation. La voce della Treccani sul <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/enciclopedia\/gerundio_(La-grammatica-italiana)\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gerundio<\/a> e quella sul <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/enciclopedia\/participio_(La-grammatica-italiana)\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">participio<\/a> offrono il riferimento grammaticale completo.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-ing-q1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why can&#8217;t I just use the Italian gerund to translate English -ing?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Because Italian gerund and English -ing only overlap in part. The Italian gerund functions adverbially: it tells you how, when, or why an action happens. The English -ing has a much wider job, including modifying nouns (a man walking) and acting as a noun itself (swimming is good). The Italian gerund cannot do either of those two things. For noun modification you need a che + verb relative clause; for the noun function you need the infinitive. Defaulting to the gerund is the most common B2 mistake when translating from English.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ing-q2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the difference between che + verb and the past-participle deletion?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Both translate English noun + -ing constructions, but they have different conditions. Che + verb works for any relative clause: la donna che legge, l&#8217;uomo che corre. The past-participle deletion works only when the original relative would be essere + past participle, which means intransitive verbs of motion or passive constructions: una donna arrivata = una donna che \u00e8 arrivata. You cannot delete the relative in active verbs that take avere: la donna che ha letto cannot become la donna letto. The deletion is a stylistic shortcut available only under specific grammatical conditions.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ing-q3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">When should I use the Italian present participle (-ente, -ante)?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>In formal and bureaucratic contexts, when modifying a noun, with a closed list of verbs whose present participle has remained productive: concernente, contenente, riguardante, aspirante, partecipante, spettante, costituente. These forms appear in legal texts, contracts, official notices, academic writing. In everyday Italian they sound out of place. Don&#8217;t invent present participles for other verbs: most are either lexicalised as adjectives or nouns (interessante, insegnante) or simply not used as live verbal forms.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ing-q4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How do I translate I love reading into Italian?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>With the infinitive: amo leggere. The English -ing in this case acts as the object of the verb love, which makes it grammatically a noun. Italian uses the infinitive for that nominal function. The same rule applies to other verbs taking an -ing object: odio aspettare (I hate waiting), preferisco viaggiare in treno (I prefer travelling by train), evito di fumare (I avoid smoking). Note that many of these verbs take a preposition (di, a) before the infinitive: amo and odio don&#8217;t, preferisco doesn&#8217;t, but evito di does. The dictionary will tell you which preposition each verb requires.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ing-q5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is the Italian gerund the same as the English present continuous?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Partially. The Italian construction stare + gerundio (sto leggendo, stavi camminando) corresponds closely to the English be + -ing (I am reading, you were walking). This is the one case where Italian and English line up cleanly. The naked gerund (camminando, leggendo) without stare has a different function: it&#8217;s adverbial, expressing how, when, or why an action happens, not the action itself. Camminando per il centro ho incontrato Pietro means while walking through the centre, not I am walking. The two uses are formally similar but functionally different.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ing-q6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Can I omit che in Italian relative clauses like English omits that?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>No. Italian relative pronouns are obligatory. English can drop that or who in many cases (the book I read instead of the book that I read), Italian cannot: il libro che ho letto, with che always present. This is a common B2 mistake: English speakers transfer the omission habit and produce ungrammatical Italian like il libro ho letto. Always include the che. The same rule applies to cui, il quale, and other relative pronouns: they cannot be omitted.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-ing-q7\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What&#8217;s the difference between in partenza and che parte?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>They&#8217;re close but not identical. In partenza is a fixed expression meaning leaving or about to leave, typical of timetables and announcements (il treno in partenza dal binario sei = the train leaving from platform six). Che parte is the full relative construction and works in any context (il treno che parte da Padova alle sette = the train that leaves from Padova at seven). Both translate the English -ing in many contexts, but in partenza carries a flavour of imminence (about to leave) that che parte does not. The same logic applies to in arrivo (arriving, about to arrive) vs che arriva.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related\">Related guides<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-narrative-imperfect\/\">Italian Narrative Imperfect: Why Newspapers Say &#8216;Nasceva&#8217; Instead of &#8216;Nacque&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-stesso-vs-reflexive\/\">Stesso in Italian: How to Say &#8216;Myself, Himself&#8217; for Emphasis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ce-ci-vuole\/\">Italian C&#8217;\u00e8, Ci Vuole, Ce L&#8217;ho: The Many Faces of Italian Ci<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-noialtri-voialtri\/\">Italian Noialtri and Voialtri: The &#8216;We Others&#8217; Pronouns Explained<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udd0d In short. English packs the suffix -ing into a thousand jobs: &#8220;a girl reading a book&#8221;, &#8220;running keeps me sane&#8221;, &#8220;the boy walking down the street&#8221;, &#8220;swimming is good for you&#8221;. Italian has no single equivalent. For italian -ing translation the language splits the work across five different solutions: a che relative clause for &#8230; <a title=\"Italian -ing Translation: 5 Ways to Render English -ing in Italian (B2)\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-ing-translation\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Italian -ing Translation: 5 Ways to Render English -ing in Italian (B2)\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1866,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-b2","category-lingua","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59834"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59836,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59834\/revisions\/59836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}