Download Open High School Stage 6 Italian Beginners Preliminary Gi

Open High School
OHS
Gi
Stage 6
Italian Beginners Preliminary
Grammatical Resource
(itemised)
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................ 2
1.
Nouns ........................................................................................... 2
Articles .................................................................................................. 2
Adjectives ............................................................................................. 2
Comparatives ......................................................................................... 2
Superlatives ........................................................................................... 2
Possessive Adjectives............................................................................ 2
Adverbs
.............................................................................................. 2
Prepositions ........................................................................................... 2
Articulated Prepositions ......................................................................... 2
Pronouns .............................................................................................. 2
Subject Pronouns ................................................................................... 2
Direct Object Pronouns .......................................................................... 2
Indirect Object Pronouns ........................................................................ 2
The Indirect Object Pronoun: ne ........................................................... 2
Combined Pronouns .............................................................................. 2
The Pronoun Particle: si ........................................................................ 2
Possessive Pronouns............................................................................. 2
Demonstrative Pronouns........................................................................ 2
2
Indefinite Pronouns ................................................................................ 2
Relative Pronouns .................................................................................. 2
Interrogative Pronouns ........................................................................... 2
Use of verbs ........................................................................................... 2
The Present Tense................................................................................. 2
The Verb piacere ................................................................................... 2
The Present Participle ............................................................................ 2
The Present Progressive Tense ............................................................. 2
The Future Tense................................................................................... 2
The Perfect Tense.................................................................................. 2
The Imperfect Tense .............................................................................. 2
The Pluperfect Tense ............................................................................. 2
The Past Historic Tense ......................................................................... 2
The Imperative ....................................................................................... 2
The Present Conditional ......................................................................... 2
The Conditional Perfect .......................................................................... 2
The Present Subjunctive ........................................................................ 2
The Past Subjunctive ............................................................................. 2
The Imperfect Subjunctive ..................................................................... 2
The Pluperfect Subjunctive .................................................................... 2
Sentence Structure ................................................................................ 2
Expressions with avere .......................................................................... 2
3
Expressions with fare ............................................................................. 2
Direct and Indirect Discourse ................................................................. 2
The Passive Voice ................................................................................. 2
Informal and Formal Address ................................................................. 2
Numbers .............................................................................................. 2
The Time .............................................................................................. 2
Days, Months, Dates, Seasons ............................................................. 2
4
Introduction
Glossary of grammatical terms
When studying another language it is very useful to be able to describe the way
sentences are put together. Then you can compare the unknown (the new
language) with the known (English). To do this we need to understand the
meaning of grammatical terms such as verbs, nouns and adjectives.
The reference list we have added below gives very simple explanations of the
major terms used throughout this course. Some explanations will not be of use
until you reach a later stage. You do not need to learn the meaning of each term,
but you might find it useful to have easy access to these explanations. At this stage
we will just learn about parts of speech.
What is a noun?
A noun is the name of a person, place, thing or quality.
Examples:
ragazzo
boy
isola
island
nazione
nation
What is meant by singular/plural?
Singular refers to one person or thing.
Examples:
anno
year
l’ultimo anno
the last year
Plural refers to more than one person or thing.
Examples:
anni
years
sedici anni
16 years
5
What is an article?\
In English, the definite article is ‘the’. It is a word or part of a word that
shows that a noun is specific or generic.
Example:
la città
the city
In English, the indefinite article is ‘a’ or ‘an’. It is a word that shows that
you are not referring to a specific noun.
Example:
una città
a city
Take time to learn what these grammatical terms mean. A good
understanding of the terminology will make your language learning easier.
What is an adjective?
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. You might have heard
adjectives called describing words.
Examples:
italiano
Italian
piccola
small
grande
big, large
What is a personal pronoun?
A personal pronoun is a word used instead of a noun to refer to people. Without
having to name them again
For example:
I, me, we, us, you, he, she, they, it, them.
Personal pronouns can be first, second and third person pronouns, both singular
and plural.
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Singular/One
Plural/more than one
1st person pronoun
io — I
noi — we
2nd person pronoun
tu — you (informal)
voi — you
3rd person pronoun
lui — he
loro — they
lei — she
Lei — you (formal)
What is an adverb?
An adverb describes or adds to the meaning of a verb, adjective or another
adverb. Adverbs answer such questions as how?, when? and where?
For example:
Il gatto attraversa la strada velocemente.
The cat crosses the road quickly.
What is a verb?
A verb is a word or phrase that tells what someone or something does or
experiences. You might have heard verbs described as doing words.
For example:
Guarda questo!
Look at that!
Wendy nuota in piscina.
Wendy is swimming in the pool.
Nick va a scuola in bicicletta.
Nick rides his bike to school.
Gianni era qui cinque minuti fa.
Gianni was here five minutes ago.
What is a preposition?
A preposition is a word that points to where the action is taking place.
Prepositions are words like to, from, at, in, by.
For example:
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Abitano a Roma.
They live in Rome.
Gianni viene da Roma.
Gianni comes from Rome
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Nouns
The gender of nouns
Nouns in Italian are either masculine or feminine in gender.
This applies to things as well as people.
It’s important to remember the gender of nouns because all the words in
the sentence related to that noun will have to agree with it.
Agreement
If a noun is masculine, its article and any adjectives describing it or
pronouns used in place of it will have to be masculine also. The same
goes for feminine nouns.
The singular of regular nouns and agreement
Look at the following singular masculine nouns. What do they have in
common?
ragazzo
guy/boy
anno
year ........................................................................
These singular masculine nouns all end in -o.
Now look at the following singular feminine nouns. What do they have in
common?
ragazza
girl
Italia
Italy
scuola
school
These singular feminine nouns all end in -a.
To sum up:

most singular nouns ending in -o are masculine

most singular nouns ending in -a are feminine.
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
singular nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine. When
you come across a noun ending in -e, learn its gender together with its
meaning.

learn the gender of words ending in -i and -u as you encounter them.
They are not as common as the previous ones.

most foreign words that are used in Italian end with a consonant. These
nouns are mainly masculine. For example: autobus, film, whisky, sport,
bar
Summary of singular nouns
Singular nouns ending in:
-o
are
masculine
-a
are
feminine
-e
are
masculine or feminine.
The plural of regular nouns
To make the plural of nouns, change the vowel at the end of the noun,
following this simple pattern:
Singular nouns ending in….
in the plural, change to…
-o
un
ragazzo
-i
due
ragazzi
-e
uno studente
-i
due
studenti
-a
una scuola
-e
due
scuole
Irregular nouns
If a singular noun ends in…..
-u
un
it does not change in the plural!
due
emu
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emu
-i
un
consonant
accented vowel
uno sport
una città
abbreviated form
una foto
due
due
due
due
brindisi
brindisi
sport
città
foto
Look at these examples:
un film
lo sport
la città
una foto
il cinema
(two films)
(the sports)
(the cities)
(two photos)
(the movie theatres)
due film
gli sport
le città
due foto
i cinema
Nouns ending in -tà
In Italian there is a large number of nouns which end in -tà, like città.
They correspond to the English words that end in ‘-ty’, like city.
These words are feminine and do not change in the plural, which means
that the plural form is the same as the singular. The article indicates whether
the noun is singular or plural.
e.g. la città
–
la comunità –
the city
the community
le città (plural)
le comunità
Nouns ending in –ista
Like the -ist ending in English (tourist, motorist, dentist, etc), the -ista
ending is often used with Italian nouns that denote a person engaged in some
occupation or activity.
The ending -ista, like terrorista and tennista, can be either masculine or
feminine.
To know the gender of these nouns, you have to watch for clues, such as the
article preceding the nouns.
il tennista
masculine
la tennista
feminine
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Here are some more examples:
Il giornalista scrive un articolo.
È una famosa artista francese.
La signora è un’automobilista perfetta.
Il pianista e la violinista amano la musica.
Have you noticed how the article before each noun tells us the gender of that
noun?
All -ista nouns form the plural in the normal way, that is:
masculine nouns end in -i.
feminine nouns end in -e.
I giornalisti intervistano le tenniste australiane all’aeroporto.
The journalists interview the Australian tennis players at the airport.
Here are some words which do not follow the general rules
when used in the plural.
Learn the irregular plurals:
il problema (m.)

i problemi
the problem
l’uomo (m.)

gli uomini
the man
la radio (f.)

le radio
the radio
l’auto (f.)

le auto
the car
la moto (f.)

le moto
the motorcycle
la foto (f.)

le foto
the photo
il cinema (m.)

i cinema
the picture theatre
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* Pay special attention to the gender of these nouns. Some are masculine
(m.), others feminine (f.).
Some compound nouns
A compound noun is a noun formed by joining two words together.
e.g. il caffelatte
the latte (with coffee)
il portabagagli
the luggage rack
In the first case two nouns have been joined together:
caffé (coffee)
latte (milk)
In the second case a verb and a noun have been joined together.
porta
bagagli
(from portare – to carry)
(from i bagagli – the luggage)
There are quite a few compound nouns formed with porta.
These nouns do not change in the plural.
il portacenere
the ashtray
i portacenere (plural)
il portafogli
the wallet
i portafogli
il portabagagli
the luggage
compartment
i portabagagli
il portalettere*
(*more often called
il postino)
the postman
i portalettere
In Italian there is a large number of nouns which end in -tà, like città.
They correspond to the English words that end in ‘-ty’, like city.
These words are feminine and do not change in the plural, which means
that the plural form is the same as the singular. The article indicates whether
the noun is singular or plural.
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e.g. la città
–
la comunità –
the city
the community
le città (plural)
le comunità
Here are some words which do not follow the general
rules when used in the plural.
Learn the irregular plurals:
il problema (m.)

i problemi
the problem
l’uomo (m.)

gli uomini
the man
la radio (f.)

le radio
the radio
l’auto (f.)

le auto
the car
la moto (f.)

le moto
the motorcycle
la foto (f.)

le foto
the photo
il cinema (m.)

i cinema
the picture theatre
* Pay special attention to the gender of these nouns. Some are masculine (m.),
others feminine (f.).
Adjectives
Noun and adjective agreement
In your earlier sets you learned about the agreement in Italian.
How does it work?
When an adjective is used to describe a noun, it agrees with that noun in
gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
To agree with the noun, the adjective changes its final vowel.
There are two types of adjectives:
1. ending in -o
italiano
2. ending in -e
francese
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Adjectives ending in -o change the final vowel like this:
* with masculine singular nouns, they end in -o
(an Italian boy)
un ragazzo italiano
* with feminine singular nouns, they end in -a
(an Italian girl)
una ragazza italiana
* with masculine plural nouns, they end in -i
(two Italian boys)
due ragazzi italiani
* with feminine plural nouns, they end in -e
(two Italian girls)
due ragazze italiane
Adjectives in -e change the final vowel like this:
*
with masculine and feminine singular nouns,
they end in -e
(a French boy)
un ragazzo francese
una ragazza francese
*
(a French girl)
with masculine and feminine plural nouns,
they end in -i
(two French boys)
due ragazzi francesi
due ragazze francesi
(two French girls)
Here is a list of adjectives in –o.
alto
tall
Filippo è alto.
bruno
dark (hair)
Gino è bruno e
scuro
dark (eyes)
ha gli occhi scuri.
biondo
blonde
Luciana ha i capelli biondi.
piccolo
small
Padova è una città piccola.
simpatico nice
Gli amici di Maria sono simpatici.
15
bello
beautiful
Luisa è una bella ragazza.
Adjectives in -co make the plural feminine in –che. For
example:
Luisa e Maria sono simpatiche.
Here is a list of adjectives in –e.
giovane
young
La mamma di Maria è giovane.
grande
big
Roma è una città grande.
interessante interesting
La biologia e la chimica sono materie interessanti.
elegante
elegant
Filippo è elegante.
difficile
difficult
Il giapponese è difficile.
Position of adjectives
In Italian adjectives are usually placed after nouns, while in English they are
placed before nouns.
Sono una ragazza fortunata.
I am a lucky girl.
In some cases, adjectives are placed before nouns.
A group of adjectives that usually go before nouns are:
bello / brutto
buono / cattivo
piccolo / grande
beautiful, good / ugly, bad
good / bad
small / big
Anche tu non sei mica male!
Sei un bel ragazzo!
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The comparative with più
•
Più means ‘more’
e.g.
Dario è più alto e più magro.
Dario is taller and thinner.
Queste mele sono care, ma quelle sono più care.
These apples are dear, but those are dearer.
Italians cannot add -er to an adjective. They always add più to make a
comparative.
• Non più means ‘no longer’, ‘not ... anymore’.
e.g. Non gioco più.
I no longer play. / I don’t play anymore.
• The comparison of superiority (more than) is expressed in Italian by
placing
più (more) before an adjective and
di (than) before a noun or pronoun.
e.g. Dario è più alto di Kevin.
Dario is taller than Kevin.
(alto – adjective / Kevin – noun/name)
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Le mele sono più care delle banane
Apples are dearer than bananas
(caro – adjective / banana – noun)
Marina è più magra di me.
Marina is thinner than me.
(magra – adjective / me – pronoun)
* Please note that when di (than) comes in contact with the definite article
of the noun, it contracts with it.
e.g. delle banane
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Superlativo assoluto
Absolute superlative
È un prezzo bassissimo.
It is a very low price.
La macchina è comodissima.
The car is absolutely comfortable.
Sono animali bellissimi.
They are exceptionally beautiful animals.
Le isole Eolie sono vicinissime.
The Aeolian islands are extremely close.
Notice how the -issimo / -issima / -issimi / -issime endings can add to the
meaning of an ordinary adjective.
In Italian Absolute Superlative (e.g. very low, absolutely comfortable,
extremely beautiful) can be formed in two ways.
1.
By dropping the final vowel of the masculine plural form of the
adjective and adding -issimo ending:
basso – bassi – bass – bassissimo
2.
By using adverbs such as molto, estremamente before the adjective.
Remember that adverbs are invariabile which means that they do not
change (e.g. la macchina è molto comoda; le gomme sono molto
buone).
Summing up
Il prezzo è
bassissimo
La macchina è
comodissima
Gli animali sono
bellissimi
Le condizioni sono
ottime
molto basso
OR
molto comoda
molto belli
molto buone
Molto.
Remember what molto means
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*
very
very much
a lot
it’s invariable
(it’s an adverb)
and when it means
*
much
many
a lot of
it agrees with the noun
(it’s an adjective)
Examples
molti
molto
(adj.)
(adv.)
Ho molti amici e mi piace molto andare al cinema con
loro
I have many friends and I like a lot to go to the movies
with them.
molto
molte
(adv.)
(adj.)
La matematica è molto difficile e abbiamo sempre
molte cose da fare in classe.
Maths is very difficult and we always have a lot to do
in class.
Irregular comparative and superlative
Do some revision of the regular comparative and relative superlative in Unit 20.
Adjectives
Certain adjectives have regular and irregular comparatives and superlatives.
Here are the most common ones:
adjective
buono
good
cattivo bad
grande large/great
comparative
superlative
più buono
migliore
better
il più buono
il migliore
più cattivo
peggiore
worse
il più cattivo
il peggiore
the worst
più grande
maggiore
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larger/greater
/older
the best
il più grande
il maggiore the largest
/greatest/
oldest
piccolo small/little
più piccolo
minore
smaller
il più piccolo
il minore
the smallest
The regular forms are used along with the irregular ones. Usually the
regular forms have a literal meaning.
Questa frutta è più buona.
Questa frutta è migliore.
(It tastes better)
(It is of a better quality)
The irregular forms tend to have a figurative meaning.
e.g. Lui è il mio fratello maggiore.
He is my older brother.
Lui è il maggiore.
He is the oldest.
Lei è la mia sorella minore.
She is my younger sister.
Lei è la minore.
She is the youngest.
The adjectives QUELLO
(that)
BELLO
(beautiful)
Study these examples:
•
Quel ristorante è troppo caro.
That restaurant is too expensive.
•
Ma è un bel ristorante, vicino al mare!
But it's a beautiful restaurant, near the sea!
When used before nouns, quello and bello change their forms, following the
pattern of the definite article (e.g. il ristorante – quel ristorante – il bel
ristorante).
Learn this table.
il ristorante
lo zaino
l'albergo
quel ristorante
quello zaino
quell'albergo
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il bel ristorante
il bello zaino
il bell'albergo
i ristoranti
gli zaini
gli alberghi
quei ristoranti
quegli zaini
quegli alberghi
i bei ristoranti
i begli zaini
i begli alberghi
Note how the forms of quello and bello follow closely the forms of the
definite article.
The feminine forms also follow this rule.
la lettera
l'amica
le amiche
quella lettera
quell'amica
quelle amiche
la bella lettera
la bell'amica
le belle amiche
Using linkers
From simple to complex sentences: linkers are words and expressions which
can be used to connect statements or extra information. Read the list of
linkers and find them in the following diary entry.
prima
firstly
prima di tutto
first of all
poi
after
dopo
afterwards
infine
at last, lastly
però
however
Useful Linkers &
Expressions
a dir la verità
to tell the (honest) truth
abbastanza
enough
ah, bene!
ah! very well!
al contrario
on the contrary
all’inizio
at the beginning
alla mia età
at my age
allora
then / well then
altrimenti
otherwise
anzi
actually
22
appena
as soon as
bene
well
bene o male
better or worse
benissimo
very well
certamente
certainly
che ne pensi?
what do you think?
che ne so?
how should i know?
che peccato!
what a shame!
chiaramente
clearly
cioè
that is
come al solito
as usual
comunque
however
cosa ne dici?
what is your opinion?
così
so
da un certo punto di vista
from a particular point of view
dato che…
given that….
davvero
really
di solito
usually
diciamo
let’s say
dico sempre che…
i always say that….
direi
i would say
dopo
after
dunque
therefore
durante il giorno
during the day
è vero che…?
is it true that…?
e viceversa
vice versa
fra poco
in a short while
il problema è che
the problem is that
improvvisamente
suddenly
23
in certi casi
in some cases
in ogni caso
in any case
in particolare
in particular
in un certo senso
in a sense..
indubbiamente
undoubtedly
infatti
as a matter of fact
insomma
so…
invece
instead
io sinceramente
honestly, i…..
io sono convinto/a che…
i’m convinced that..
le solite cose
the usual things
ma anche
but even
ma, non lo so.
but, i don’t know
ma…forse…
but…maybe…
magari
i wish! / of course/ if only!/you bet!
mentre
while
mi sento a mio agio
i feel at ease
mi stupisce il fatto che
it astounds me that…
nel frattempo
in the meantime
non me ne importa niente!
i don’t care at all!
non sono d’accordo con…/
che…
i don’t agree with…./ that….
non vedo l’ora di…
i can’t wait to…
oltre a…
other than
ovviamente
obviously
pensi che sia possible?
do you think it is possible?
perché
why/because
per cui
for which
per esempio
for example
per fortuna
fortunately
24
per modo di dire
in a manner of speaking
per quanto mi riguarda
as far as i am concerned
perfetto
perfect
però
however
personalmente
personally
più tardi
later
poi
then
praticamente
in reality / in truth
prima
before
purtroppo
unfortunately
quando
when
quindi
therefore
secondo me/ te
according to me/ you or in my/your opinio
sennò
if not
sfortunatamente
unfortunately
sì, penso di sì.
yes, i think so
soprattutto
above all
spesso
often
subito
straight away
un sacco di…
a lot of…
vale la pena di…
…..is worth while
veramente
truly
volentieri
with pleasure
L’articolo
There are two kinds of articles in Italian, like in English:
1. Indefinite article – a/an/one
25
2.
Definite article
–
the
Here are the Italian forms:
Indefinite article
Masculine
uno
un
Feminine
una
un’
before S + consonant or Z
uno studente
before other consonants
un ragazzo
or vowels
un amico
before all consonants
una ragazza
before vowels
un’amica
26
Definite article
Masculine
singular
plural
il
i
before most consonants il ragazzo
i ragazzi
before S + cons. or Z
lo
gli
before vowels
Feminine
singular
lo studente
gli studenti
l’amico
gli amici
plural
before consonants
la
le
l’
before vowels
la ragazza
le ragazze
l’amica
le amiche
As you see, the definite article has many forms in Italian. This is because:
a.
b.
It agrees in gender and number with the noun it accompanies.
The word immediately following the article, or rather the letter with
which this word starts, determines its form.
27
Present tense of –are verbs
Now, let’s look at verbs more closely.
In a sentence, the most important part is the verb.
The verb carries the meaning of the action, the time in which this action is
performed and also the doer of the action/ indicates who is doing the action.
The verb contains
this information
* the meaning of the action
(expressed by the verb stem)
* the time of the action
(expressed by the verb tense)
* the person or thing doing the action
(expressed by the verb ending)
The tense of a verb indicates when the action happens. The present tense
of a verb refers to the present moment (as opposed to the past or future) and
indicates that the action of the verb is happening now, it is a general truth
or an habitual action.
This is how it works:
Let’s consider a verb form you already know
Abita vicino alla scuola.
abita
(He/she lives near the school.)
meaning
abita
– from abitare
= to live
time
abita
– ending of the present tense
= he/she lives
doer
abita
– ending for he/she/it
= he/she lives
28
In Italian there are 3 classes of verbs
To know the class of the verb look at the infinitive of the verb.
The infinitive is the form you find in the dictionary when you look up the verb.
The infinitive corresponds to the English form to + verb, e.g. to live.
Class 1
parlare
–
to speak
–are verb
Class 2
vendere
–
to sell
–ere verb
Class 3
partire
–
to leave
–ire verb
The three vowels
A
for
–ARE verbs
E
for
–ERE verbs
I
for
–IRE verbs
characterise the three classes of verbs.
Most verbs belonging to the same class have the same endings.
So, when you learn the present tense of parlare, for instance, you
would be able to say the present tense of all regular –are verbs.
This is how you form the present tense of PARLARE
Remove the -ARE part
 PARL29
Then add to it the different endings.
(io)
parl–o
I speak, I am speaking, I do speak
(tu)
parl–i
you speak, you are speaking, you do speak
(Lei)
parl–a
(lui/lei)
par–la
you (singular/polite) speak, you are
speaking, you do speak
he/she speaks, he/she is speaking, he/she
does speak
(noi)
parl–iamo we speak, we are speaking we do speak
(voi)
parl–ate
you (pl.) speak, you (pl.) are speaking, you
(pl.) do speak
(loro)
parl–ano
they speak, they are speaking, they do speak
Remember that the present tense in Italian can be expressed in three ways in
English. For example,
I speak
(io) parlo
=
I am speaking
I do speak
30
In Italian, verb forms do not change when you ask a question. If the
sentence is negative, you simply put non before the verb. For example
Tu parli italiano.
You speak Italian.
Parli italiano?
Do you speak Italian?
Non parli italiano.
You do not speak Italian.
Non parli italiano?
Don’t you speak Italian
abitare
confinare
salutare
aspettare
lavorare
Here are some more
-ARE verbs that you
know.
to live
to border
to greet
to wait for
to work
Practise forming the present tense of all these verbs until you memorise
the endings. Follow the same procedure as with abitare.
It’s important that you spend some time memorising the present tense
of these verbs. If you do it now, your future work will be so much
easier and more fun!
Summing up
1.
2.
drop –are
add endings
(io)
(tu)
(Lei)
abitabit-o
abit-i
abit-a
(io)
(tu)
(Lei)
abito
abiti
abita
(lui/lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
abit-a
abit-iamo
abit-ate
abit-ano
(lui/lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
abita
abitiamo
abitate
abitano
Have you noticed how the pronouns before the verb form have been omitted
or written in brackets? One seldom hears, or sees in writing, these forms
which correspond to the English forms I, you, he, she, etc.
as the ending of verb indicates who or what is doing the action of
the verb.
So, subject pronouns are used in Italian only for emphasis or contrast.
31
io
tu
Lei
lui
lei
noi
I
you (singular/friendly)
you (singular/polite)
he
she
we
Here are the forms
of the subject
pronouns

Learn these pronouns, but remember that, unlike the English, in Italian verbs
can be used without the pronoun.
Please note
When the subject of a verb is not a pronoun (e.g. lui, lei, loro), but is a
proper name or a noun (e.g. Marco, Luisa, il ragazzo, la scuola), choose the
verb form as follows:
a) Proper names and singular nouns (masculine and feminine) use the lui,
lei (he, she, it) form of the verb.
Examples
Proper nouns Marco abita a Sydney.
Singular
nouns
Pronoun
Lui abita a Sydney.
(Marco lives in Sydney.)
(He lives in Sydney.)
Luisa abita in Italia.
Lei abita in Italia.
(Luisa lives in Italy.)
(She lives in Italy.)
Il ragazzo non parla
italiano.
Lui non parla italiano.
(The boy does not speak Italian.)
32
(He does not speak Italian.)
La ragazza parla al
professore.
Lei parla al professore.
(She speaks to the teacher.)
(The girl speaks to the teacher.)
La scuola è vicina.
È* vicina.
(The school is close.)
(It is close.)
L’Italia confina con la
Francia.
Confina* con la Francia.
(It borders with France.)
(Italy borders with France.)
* While for people you can use subject pronouns before verbs, (e.g. lui, lei, loro),
for objects verbs are used without a pronoun (e.g. la scuola).
b) Plural nouns (masculine and feminine) use the loro (they) form of the verb.
Examples
I ragazzi salutano il professore.
loro salutano
(The boys and girls greet the teacher.)
(they greet)
Le ragazze abitano vicino alla scuola.
loro abitano
(The girls live near the school.)
(they live)
La Francia e la Svizzera confinano con l’Italia. (loro) confinano
(France and Switzerland border with Italy.)
(they border)
Padova e Roma sono due città italiane.
(loro) sono
(Padova and Roma are two Italian cities.)
(they are)
One more point!
Io e Marco abitiamo a Sydney
noi abitiamo
(Marco and I live in Sydney.)
(we live)
Tu e Luisa parlate italiano.
voi parlate
(Luisa and you speak Italian.)
(you speak)
33
Verbs fare, andare, avere, essere
Last week you learned the present tense of regular -are verbs.
Today you’ll learn the present tense of some very common -are verbs which
are irregular in some forms.
FARE
to do/make
(io)
(tu)
(lui,lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
faccio
fai
fa
facciamo
fate
fanno
l’anno
undici
Expressions with fare
Please study the following expressions with fare. The meaning is often
idiomatic, so you need to become familiar with the meaning of each
expression as given, instead of translating it literally.
• Fa caldo/freddo.
Oggi fa tanto caldo
It is hot/cold.
Today it is very hot.
• Fa bello/brutto.
Non vado al mare se fa brutto.
bad.
The weather is good/bad.
I’m not going to the beach if the weather is
• fare tardi
Faccio sempre tardi.
to be late
I am always late.
• fare bene/male
Mi fa male.
to be good/bad (for someone)
It is bad for me.
• fare l’amore/la guerra
to make love/war
I giovani vogliono fare l’amore, Young people want to make love,
non la guerra.
not war.
• avere da fare
Ho molto da fare.
ANDARE
–
to be busy
I am very busy.
to go
34
(io)
(tu)
(lui,lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
vado
vai
va
andiamo
andate
vanno
a scuola
Learn these verb forms and practise using them.
Here is the present tense of the two most common verbs, avere and essere.
AVERE
to have
(io)
(tu)
(lui, lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
ho*
hai
ha
abbiamo
avete
hanno
un amico
italiano
I have
you have
he/she has
we have
you (pl) have
they have
a friend
* the ‘h’ is silent!
ESSERE
to be
(io)
(tu)
(lui, lei)
sono
sei
è
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
siamo
siete
sono
I am
you are
he/she is
italiano
italiana
we are
you (pl) are
they are
italiani
italiane
Italian
Italian
s
These two verbs are called auxiliary verbs or helping verbs, because they
help other verbs to form the past tense.
35
Articulated prepositions or preposition and article combinations
What is a preposition?
It’s an invariable word used before nouns, adjectives or verbs,
(preposition means 'put before'), which helps to relate these words to
each other, e.g. at, to, in, with, etc.
You have already met a number of Italian prepositions. Here are some
common ones.
a – at, to
da – from/by
di – of
in – in
su – on
con – with
per – for/in order to
tra – between
You must have noticed that, in some cases, these prepositions contract or
are joined to the definite article to form one word, while in English they
are kept separate.
Examples:
Andiamo al cinema?
a + il

Are we going to the cinema?
AL (cinema)
It’s a typical pub of the area.
E un tipico pub della zona.
di + la

DELL (zona)
Not all Italian prepositions contract with the definite article. Only the ones
in the following do. Study this table carefully.
prepositions
articles
 il
lo
l’
la
i
le
gli
A
al
allo
all’
alla
ai
alle
agli
DA
dal
dallo
dall’
dalla
dai
dalle
dagli
DI
del
dello
dell’
della
dei
delle
degli
IN
nel
nello
nell’
nella
nei
nelle
negli
SU
sul
sullo
sull’
sulla
sui
sulle
sugli
*the article il drops the i before contracting
36
*articles starting with the letter l, double this letter before
contracting
*the preposition di becomes de before contracting
*the preposition in becomes ne before contracting
It takes time to become proficient in the correct use of articulated
prepositions.
So, keep practising, since practice makes perfect.
When in doubt, think of the article your should use
before the noun, then make your contraction
The impersonal si construction
When Italians use si as a subject of a verb, they are not referring to anyone
in particular, but to people in general.
It corresponds to the English forms ‘one, you, we, they, people’, before
verbs.
This construction is called impersonal because it is referred to no one in
particular.
Study these examples:
Come si dice?
How do you say?
Si vede il mare da casa tua?
Can you see the sea from your home?
Come si va in centro?
How do we go to the city?
Dove si paga?
Where do you pay?
37
Quanto si paga?
How much does it cost? (Literally: How much does one pay?)
Have you noticed that all the verbs used with si are in the third
person singular (lui/lei forms)?
Negative and interrogative sentences
Negative sentences
To make the sentence negative, you just place non before the verb form.
Examples
Non è alta.
Non parla italiano.
She is not tall.
He/she does not speak Italian.
Interrogative sentences
To make a question in Italian, you do not need to change the order of words
or the verb form. You just change the intonation of your voice.
Compare these two questions.
You go home.
Vai a casa.
Do you go home?
Vai a casa?
Sometimes for emphasis or contrast the subject pronoun may be placed at
the end of the sentence. For example
Vai a casa, tu?
(The word tu is stressed)
*
Do you go home?
To answer a question in the
positive use sì at the beginning of
the sentence. For example
Sì, vado a casa.
38
*
To answer a question in the
negative use ‘no’ at the beginning
of the sentence. For example
No, non vado a casa.
*
These are the answers to the
emphatic question.
Sì, io vado a casa
No, io non vado a casa
(The word io is stressed.)
The verb stare (to be / to stay)
Here is another irregular verb in -are for you to learn. This verb is used to
enquire about other people, particularly about their general wellbeing or
health. You need to change the forms of the verb stare according to the
person you are referring to.
stare – to be, to stay
(io)
sto
(tu)
stai
(lui, lei, Lei)
sta
(noi)
stiamo
(voi)
state
(loro)
stanno
The formal form of address
Italians have a formal and familiar way of addressing one another.
When you talk to someone, you can either use the tu form of the verb or the
lei form of the verb.
Tu is for friends, family members, relatives, children.
39
Lei is for older people, as a sign of respect, or for people you don’t know
very well.
Using the correct form of address (tu or Lei) is important in
Italian. Read the following
•
If you don’t use the Lei forms when speaking to adults you don’t know
very well, what you are saying will sound too familiar, even a bit rude.
•
It takes a while to get used to the Lei forms – at first it feels like you’re
talking about someone, not to someone.
Notice that when using formal language, Italians often use the pronoun
Lei in front of the verb, much more often than they use the pronoun tu.
•
•
•
Notice also that in writing, Lei is capitalised out of respect.
When adults address young people, they use the tu form.
When you are addressing more than one person you use the voi form.
Voi is used in formal and familiar situations.
e.g. Cosa desiderate, signorine?
Come state, ragazzi?
points carefully.
FAMILIAR
'tu' form
FORMAL
'Lei' form
Others:
Friends
Family members
people with whom you are
40
On a first-name basis
not on the first-name basis.
FAMILIAR GREETINGS
FORMAL GREETINGS
Ciao! / Salve! (Hello! / Hi!)
Ciao! (Bye)
Arrivederci (See you later.)
Buongiorno (Hello!)
Buonasera (Good evening.)
ArrivederLa (Goodbye.)
EXAMPLES OF THE FAMILIAR MODE
EXAMPLES OF THE FORMAL MODE
Salve Luisa/Rob! Ciao Luisa/Rob!
Buongiorno, signora / signor Gozzi.
Come stai?/Come va?
Come sta?
Io mi chiamo . . . e tu, come ti chiami?
Io mi chiamo . . . e Lei, come si chiama?
Quanti anni hai?
Quanti anni ha?
Davide, (tu) sei italiano?
Signore, Lei è italiano?
Luisa, (tu) sei italiana?
Signora, Lei è italiana?
Piace o Piacciono?
41
‘I like’ can be expressed in Italian in two ways:
1
Mi piace
when what you like is a singular
noun (Mel Gibson) or a verb in the
infinitive (andare)
2
Mi piacciono
when what you like is a plural
noun (i film)
Compare these sentences:
I like …
Mi piace quel ragazzo italiano.
Mi piacciono quei ragazzi italiani.
Mi piace l’ultima canzone di Eros
Ramazzotti.
Mi piacciono le ultime canzoni di
Eros Ramazzotti.
Mi piace la pasta.
Mi piacciono gli spaghetti.
Mi piace la musica rock.
Mi piacciono i dischi di musica
rock.
Mi piace la tua nuova macchina.
Mi piacciono le macchine
sportive.
Mi piace ballare.
Mi piace andare in campagna.
Mi piace uscire con gli amici.
Mi piace mangiare gli spaghetti.
Summing up
piace
with singular nouns
with verbs in the infinitive
42
piacciono
with plural nouns
Now, let’s focus on the person that does the liking.
In the previous examples ‘I’ did the liking and it was expressed in Italian by
mi.
When you do the liking, ‘you’ is expressed by ti.
mi piace/piacciono
I like
ti piace/piacciono
you like
*
Have you noticed that whether you use mi or ti the verb can only be
piace or piacciono?
Examples:
Ti piace Mel Gibson?
Sì, mi piace Mel Gibson.
Ti piacciono le canzoni di Eros Ramazzotti?
Sì, mi piacciono le canzoni di Eros Ramazzotti.
Ti piace ballare?
Sì, mi piace ballare.
For those of you who want to know why, the answer is that the Italian
construction that expresses ‘to like’ is similar to the English ‘to appeal to’.
Mi piace Mel Gibson means literally.
Mel Gibson appeals to me.
Mi piacciono le canzoni di Eros Ramazzotti means.
Eros Ramazzotti songs appeal to me.
Ti piace ballare?
Does dancing appeal to you?
C’è (there is) and ci sono (there are)
43
Study the following notes on these two frequently used expressions.
Ci means there.
When ci is used before the verb form è (is), in order to avoid the contact of
two vowels, the i of ci is dropped and is replaced by the apostrophe (').
Examples
C’è una camera con bagno.
There is a room with a bathroom.
Ci sono molte pensioni vicino alla There are many pensioni near the
stazione.
station.
Do not confuse c'è and ci sono with ecco (here is, here are) which points at,
or draws attention to something or someone.
Examples
Ecco il passaporto.
Here is the passport.
Ecco le valige.
Here are the suitcases.
Negative and interrogative sentences
Negative sentences
To make the sentence negative, you just place non before the verb form.
Examples
Non è alta.
She is not tall.
Non parla italiano.
He/she does not speak Italian.
Interrogative sentences
To make a question in Italian, you do not need to change the order of words
or the verb form. You just change the intonation of your voice.
Compare these two questions.
44
You go home.
Vai a casa.
Do you go home?
Vai a casa?
Sometimes for emphasis or contrast the subject pronoun may be placed at
the end of the sentence. For example
Vai a casa, tu?
(The word tu is stressed)
*
Do you go home?
To answer a question in the
positive use sì at the beginning of
the sentence. For example
Sì, vado a casa.
*
To answer a question in the
negative use ‘no’ at the beginning
of the sentence. For example
No, non vado a casa.
*
These are the answers to the
emphatic question.
Sì, io vado a casa
No, io non vado a casa
(The word io is stressed.)
The passato prossimowith avere and
essere
Parliamo del passato
Let's talk about the past (continued)
In Unit 17 you learned how to make the past tense (passato prossimo)
using avere (present tense) and the past participle of the verb.
45
Cosa hai fatto ieri, Maria?
Ho visto un film italiano.
(fare)
(vedere)
Most Italian verbs form the passato prossimo this way.
However, the following commonly used verbs use the present tense of
essere (not avere) to form the passato prossimo. You’ll notice that most of
them express movement (coming, going, returning, etc.)
All these verbs form their past participle following the pattern of regular
verbs that you have learned in Unit 17.
Exceptions
scendere
essere
(to come down)
(to be)
sceso
stato
Examples
Maura è andata in campeggio.
Maura went camping
46
È partita mia figlia.
My daughter has left.
È entrata a prendere una bibita.
She went in for a soft drink.
Sei tornato dopo tanti anni.
You’ve come back after many years.
Come sei salito lassù?
How did you climb up there?
Sono caduto dall’albero.
I fell from the tree.
Sono venuta a prendere Gino.
I’ve come to pick up Gino.
Siamo stati in piazza.
We were in the square.
Carletto è diventato un generale.
Charlie has become a general.
Here is the passato prossimo of andare (to go).
Repeat each form after the speaker.
Andare
singular
plural
N.B.
masculine
feminine
sono andato
sono andata
sei andato
sei andata
è andato
è andata
siamo andati
siamo andate
siete andati
siete andate
sono andati
sono andate
• the auxiliary is essere, not avere
• the past participle agrees, like an adjective –
in gender (masculine or feminine) and
in number (singular or plural) with the subject of
the verb.
47
The subject of a verb is the noun or pronoun which most closely refers to
the verb. It is found by asking the question ‘who’ or ‘what’ before the verb.
Example
Marina è andata al cinema.
Who has gone to the movies?
Answer: Marina
Marina is the subject of the verb è andata
As you see, the past participle of andare, andata, behaves just like an
adjective and agrees with the subject, Maria.
Other examples:
Finalmente sono uscito. (male speaker)
Sono venuta a prendere Gino. (female speaker)
Summing up
•
The passato prossimo can be formed by using either avere or essere as
auxiliary
•
Most verbs use avere. Some verbs expressing motion and some
commonly used verbs use essere.
When the auxiliary is essere, the past participle of the verb agrees
with the subject.
Memorise this list of verbs that form the passato prossimo with essere.
•
•
Infinitive
Past participle
andare
(to go)
andato
venire
(to come)
venuto
arrivare
(to arrive)
arrivato
partire
(to leave)
partito
entrare
(to enter)
entrato
uscire
(to go out)
uscito
salire
(to climb)
salito
scendere
(to come down)
sceso
rimanere
(to stay)
rimasto
48
tornare
(to return)
tornato
ritornare
(to return)
ritornato
essere
(to be)
stato
stare
(to be, to stay)
stato
restare
(to remain)
restato
diventare
(to become)
diventato
riuscire
(to succeed, to be able)
riuscito
49
Pay particular attention to the following points:
• the passato prossimo translates 3 English tenses
e.g. Ho visto i ragazzi.
I saw the boys.
I have seen the boys.
I did see the boys.
• the passato prossimo is always made up of two words:
1. the present tense of the auxiliary verbs essere or avere.
2. the past participle of the verb you want to use.
• If the auxiliary verb is avere, the past participle of the verb usually does
not change.
If the auxiliary is essere, the past participle agrees with the subject (the
doer) of the verb.
Bruno ha comprato
e.g. Bruno ha comprato una bicicletta
e
è andato al parco a fare un giro.
Bruno è andato
Bruno bought a bike and went to
the park for a ride.
Lucia ha
comprato
Anche Lucia ha comprato una
bicicletta è andata al parco a fare
un giro.
Lucia è andata
Lucia also bought a bike and went
to the park for a ride.
Bruno e Lucia
hanno comprato
Bruno e Lucia hanno comprato
una bicicletta e sono andati al
parco a fare un giro.
Bruno and Lucia bought a bike
and went to the park for a ride.
I verbi riflessivi
50
Bruno e Lucia
sono andati
Reflexive verbs
Mi alzo and ti alzi are reflexive verbs, in the io and tu form of the present
tense of alzarsi (to get up).
What is a reflexive verb?
A reflexive verb is a verb whose action is ‘reflected’ back on the subject. So
subject and object of the verb are the same,
e.g. Mi alzo.
I get (myself) up.
As you can see in the example above, in English, the ‘myself’ part of the
sentence, which makes the verb obviously reflexive, is very often omitted.
In Italian, the reflexive word or pronoun (e.g. mi, ti, etc.) is always used.
Verbs that are reflexive in Italian sometimes are not reflexive in English.
How do you know when a verb is reflexive in Italian?
In the dictionary or vocabulary lists, reflexive verbs are recognised by the
endings –arsi, -ersi, -irsi. The vowels –a-, -e-, -i-, identify the verb in one
of the three groups of regular verbs.
51
This is the present tense of the reflexive verb alzarsi (to get up).
(io)
mi alzo
I get up
(tu)
ti alzi
you get up
(lui, lei)
si alza
he/she gets up
(Lei)
si alza
You (polite) get up
(noi)
ci alziamo
we get up
(voi)
vi alzate
you (pl.) get up
(loro)
si alzano
they get up
As you see, the present tense of alzarsi is formed by the present tense of the verb
alzare (which follows the pattern of –are verbs) plus the reflexive pronouns (mi, ti,
si, etc.)
The reflexive pronouns are:
mi
myself
ci
ourselves
ti
yourself
vi
yourselves (pl.)
si
himself/herself
yourself (polite)
si
themselves
Note
• Reflexive pronouns are the same as the direct and indirect
object pronouns except for si (himself, herself, yourself,
themselves).
• Reflexive pronouns usually come before the verb, as the
direct and indirect object pronouns that you have already
learnt.
e.g. Mi preparo subito.
I get ready (prepare myself) immediately.
52
• They follow the verb when the verb is in the infinitive form. This
normally occurs when the reflexive verb is the second verb in the
sentence.
e.g. Voglio prepararmi in fretta.
1st verb
2nd verb
I want to get ready in a hurry.
1st verb
2nd verb
This is what happens: the infinitive of the verb drops the final –e and the
pronoun is attached to it.
Here are some more examples:
Non mi piace allacciarmi le scarpe.
I don’t like to lace up my shoes.
allacciarmi = allacciare + mi
Quanto tempo passi a pettinarti?
How long do you spend combing your hair?
pettinarti = pettinare + ti
Devi svegliarti alle otto.
You must wake up at eight.
svegliarti = svegliare + ti
Possiamo alzarci?
May we get up?
alzarci = alzare + ci
Volete prepararvi ora?
Would you like to get ready now?
prepararvi = preparare + vi
Scusi, signora, può alzarsi?
Excuse me, madam, would you get up?
alzarsi = alzare + si
Dove andiamo per divertirci?
Where do we go to enjoy ourselves?
divertirci = divertire + ci
•
Reflexive pronouns follow these forms of the imperative (used when
giving an order).
tu form
Preparati in fretta!
Get ready in a hurry!
noi form
Sbrighiamoci!
Let’s hurry up!
voi form
Divertitevi!
Have a good time!
Passato prossimo of reflexive verbs
This is the passato prossimo of the reflexive verb divertirsi (to enjoy oneself).
53
I have enjoyed myself/I enjoyed
myself, etc.
mi sono divertito/a
ti sei divertito/a
si è divertito/a
ci siamo divertiti/e
vi siete divertiti/e
si sono divertiti/e
54
Note
• In forming the passato prossimo and all other compound
tenses (tenses made up of two parts), reflexive verbs always
take essere, therefore the past participle agrees with the
subject.
Note that the reflexive pronouns precede the forms of essere.
Examples:
I ragazzi si sono alzati tardi.
The boys got up late.
Le ragazze si sono alzate tardi.
The girls got up late.
Marcello si è divertito, ma
Elsa non si è divertita.
Marcello enjoyed himself, but Elsa
did not.
Here is a list of commonly used reflexive verbs. Learn each one.
alzarsi
to get up
addormentarsi
to fall asleep
chiamarsi
to be called, named
divertirsi
to enjoy oneself
fermarsi
to stop (oneself)
mettersi
to put on (clothes)
prepararsi
to get ready
riposarsi
to rest
sbrigarsi
to hurry
sedersi
to sit down
sentirsi (bene, male)
to feel (well, not well)
sposarsi
to get married
coricarsi
to go to bed
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Here are some more verbs for your morning daily routine.
lavarsi i denti
to brush one’s teeth
lavarsi i capelli
to wash one’s hair
farsi la doccia
to shower
farsi la barba
to shave
pettinarsi
to comb one’s hair
svegliarsi
to wake up
vestirsi
to get dressed
Here are some common reflexive verbs which refer to the way people react to things.
annoiarsi
to get bored
arrabbiarsi
to get angry
meravigliarsi
to get surprised
vergognarsi
to be ashamed, embarrassed
preoccuparsi
to get worried
Brief introduction to the imperfect tense
What is the Imperfect?
The Imperfect is a past verb tense.
You use it when you are talking of:
 what used to be, what used to happen
 what was going on
 how you or someone was feeling.
Examples
what used to happen
Durante l’estate nuotavo molto spesso.
During the summer I used to swim very often.
what used to be
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Il mare era sempre calmo.
The sea was always calm.
how I was feeling.
Ero molto contento.
I was very happy.
You have already learned a tense to use for events in the past: the Passato
Prossimo (present perfect).
The Imperfetto and the Passato Prossimo are not interchangeable.
In the next few units, you will learn when to use one or the other. Their use
is complex but you will be introduced to these verbs slowly, and gradually
gain confidence through practice.
Com’era il
mare?Faceva
caldo? Allora
eri contenta.
Era bellissimo. Sì, 30
gradi ogni giorno. Sì,
ero contentissima!
Piacere with all pronouns
Passato prossimo, imperfect and some forms of the
conditional
Before starting this grammar section on the verb piacere, do some revision
of the indirect object pronouns in Unit 23. As you know, you need to use
the indirect object pronouns with the verb piacere (to like) in all its tenses,
when you want to express who does the liking.
Below is a table of the passato prossimo of the verb piacere. Pay special
attention to the pronouns that preced the verb forms, because they
indicate the person doing the liking.
The verb itself is only used in the third person (singular or plural)
depending on what follows.
Remember this:
57
 a verb infinitive or a singular noun want the third person singular of
piacere,
 a plural noun wants the third person plural.
Note that the past participle of piacere agrees with the noun or nouns
expressing what is liked in gender and number and not with the person
doing the liking.
Io form
I liked to go to the movies.
I liked the trip.
noun
I liked the the presents.
noun
I liked the holidays.
noun
Mi è piaciuto andare al cinema.
Mi è piaciuta la gita.
andare – infinitive
la gita – sing. fem.
Mi sono piaciuti i regali.
i regali – pl. masc.
Mi sono piaciute le vacanze.
le vacanze – pl. fem.
The examples above show you how to say what you liked (io form).
You can use the same patterns when other people do the liking. All you
have to do is change the indirect object pronouns before the verb forms.
Tu form
You liked to go to the movies.
You liked the trip.
You liked the presents.
You liked the holidays.
Ti è piaciuto andare al cinema.
Ti è piaciuta la gita.
Ti sono piaciuti i regali.
Ti sono piaciute le vacanze.
Lui/Lei form
He/she liked to go to the movies.
He/she liked the trip.
He/she liked the presents.
He/she liked the holidays.
Gli/Le è piaciuto andare al cinema.
Gli/Le è piaciuta la gita.
Gli/Le sono piaciuti i regali.
Gli/Le sono piaciute le vacanze.
Noi form
We liked to go to the movies.
We liked the trip.
We liked the presents.
We liked the holidays.
Ci è piaciuto andare al cinema.
Ci è piaciuta la gita.
Ci sono piaciuti i regali.
Ci sono piaciute le vacanze.
Voi form
You liked to go to the movies.
You liked the trip.
You liked the presents.
You liked the holidays.
Vi è piaciuto andare al cinema.
Vi è piaciuta la gita.
Vi sono piaciuti i regali.
Vi sono piaciute le vacanze.
Loro form
They liked to go to the movies.
They liked the trip.
They liked the presents.
They liked the holidays.
Gli è piaciuto andare al cinema.
Gli è piaciuta la gita.
Gli sono piaciuti i regali.
Gli sono piaciute le vacanze.
Study the following examples from the texts in this unit.
The indirect pronouns, which indicate the person doing the liking, are
bolded.
Note the conditional form piacerebbe (would like).
Mi piace dormire.
Gli/le piace vivere nel caos.
I like to sleep.
He/She likes living in chaos.
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Ci piace stare a casa.
Le piacerebbe essere il centro
centre
dell’attenzione di tutti.
Non vi è mai piaciuto pulire la nostra camera.
room.
I miei fratelli dicono che non
never
gli è mai piaciuto fare sport.
We like to stay at home.
She would like to be at the
of everybody’s attention.
You never liked to clean our
My brothers say that they
liked to play sport.
Reflexive verbs in their infinitive form used after modal
verbs (dovere, potere, volere)
Where do you place reflexive pronouns when reflexive verbs are used in
their infinitive form after a modal verb such as potere, volere or dovere?
You place the pronoun after the infinitive, after dropping the final -e of the
infinitive form.
Look at the following examples form the texts.
Noi dobbiamo prepararci la cena.
Lei vuole alzarsi presto la mattina.
We have to cook our dinner.
She wants to get up early in the
morning.
Double negatives
Contrary to what happens in English, in Italian it is possible to use two
negative words in the same sentence and retain its negative meaning.
Usually the first negative word is non.
The second negative word is placed straight after the verb, and it can be:





più
mai
niente
nessuno
mica
again
never
nothing
noone
not at all
Non l’abbiamo più visto.
Non mi chiede mai.
Non fanno niente a casa
Non ho visto nessuno.
Non voglio mica farti arrabbiare.
We never saw him again.
She never asks me.
They do nothing at home.
I haven’t seen anybody.
I don’t want to get you angry.
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Linkers
Here is a new linker for you to learn:
mentre while, instead
Look at the examples of the two different meanings of mentre.
 The first one is often used with the imperfect, because it indicates
that something was going on (while).
 The second meaning is used when contrasting two things (instead).
Look at these examples from the audio scripts.
Mentre lei dormiva, io leggevo.
Io sono ordinata, mentre lei è disordinata.
While she was sleeping, I was
reading.
I am tidy, however, she is
untidy.
Suffix in -ino
In Italian you can use a small range of suffixes (a suffix is something that is
attached to the end of a noun) to modify the meaning of the noun.
A common suffix is –ino, which gives the noun a connotation of being
small, dear, lovely.
Example
letto (bed)
parola
lettino (small bed)
parolina (sweet little word)
However, you are advised not to make up new words this way, as words
could often change their meaning altogether when a suffix is added.
This information is only given to you for recognition, to aid your general
comprehension of the text.
Look at the two examples from the texts.
In the first example, -ino has the meaning of little. In the second example,
the meaning of the word changes substantially.
Sei la mia sorellina preferita.
Lei ha un caratterino...
You are my favourite little sister.
She has a bad (or difficult) temper.
Verbs with prepositions (di, da, a)
Chiedere a… Chiedere di … Dire a … Dire di …
Carefully read the following examples.
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chiedere a
to ask someone
Chiediamo a un passante dov’è la Fontana di Trevi.
Let’s ask a passer-by where the Trevi Fountain is.
chiedere di
to ask for someone
Sai dov’è Pino? C’è una persona al telefono che chiede di lui.
Do you know where Pino is? There is someone on the phone asking for him.
dire a
to tell someone
Non ha detto a nessuno dove è andato.
He did not tell anyone where he went.
dire di sì/no
to say yes/no
Perché dici sempre di no?
Why do you always say no?
dire di …
to tell ... (to)
Gli abbiamo detto di non venire.
We told him not to come.
Summing up
chiedere a
to ask someone
chiedere di
to ask for someone
dire a
to tell someone
dire di + infinitive to tell someone + infinitive
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The imperfect tense
What is the Imperfect?
The Imperfect is a past verb tense.
This tense corresponds to two English past tense forms.
Study the following examples.
La mattina andavo a scuola.
In the morning I used to go to school.
In the morning I was going to school.
Use of Imperfetto
Since the word imperfetto means not perfected or not completed, the
imperfetto is used to
 describe a continuing, habitual past action
 express actions, states, feelings which are seen as in progress, not as
completed.
Common adverbial expressions which indicate continuance are often used
with this tense. Here are some:
a volte
mentre
quando
spesso
di solito
ogni giorno
(mese, anno, etc.)
at times (sometimes)
while
when
often
usually
every day
(month, year, etc.)
In other words the imperfetto is used to:
 talk about what used to be, what used to happen
 relate what was going on
 express how you or someone was feeling
Study the following examples
 what used to happen
Durante l’estate nuotavo molto spesso.
During the summer I used to swim very often.
 what used to be
Il mare era sempre calmo.
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The sea was always calm.
 how I was feeling.
Ero molto contento.
I was very happy.
The imperfetto is also used to
 express age in the past
 say what the weather was like
 express states such as being hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, afraid in the past
Study the following examples.
 Age in the past
Avevo sei anni quando...
I was six when...
 Weather conditions in the past
Faceva brutto tempo.
The weather was bad.
In campeggio pioveva sempre e
io avevo fame, sonno, freddo e
avevo tanta paura.
You have already learned a tense to use for events in the past: the passato
prossimo (present perfect).
The imperfetto and the passato prossimo are not interchangeable. In the
next few units you will learn how to use both these tenses appropriately.
Learn the imperfetto of the verbs essere, avere.
(io)
(tu)
(lui, lei, Lei)
essere
avere
ero
eri
era
avevo
avevi
aveva
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(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
eravamo
eravate
erano
avevamo
avevate
avevano
Let us now look at the imperfetto of regular verbs.
To form the imperfetto of regular verbs, drop the final -are, ere and -ire from the infinitive of the verb, then add the
appropriate endings as set out below.
The initial vowel indicating each conjugation is retained
throughout.
Study the following examples.
parlare
parl-
scrivere
scriv-
dormire
dorm-
finire
fin-
(io)
(tu)
(lui, lei, Lei)
parlavo
parlavi
parlava
scrivevo
scrivevi
scriveva
dormivo
dormivi
dormiva
finivo
finivi
finiva
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
palavamo
parlavate
parlavano
scrivevamo
scrivevate
scrivevano
dormivamo
dormivate
dormivano
finivamo
finivate
finivano
Note: the stress in the noi, voi and loro forms: parlavamo parlavate
parlavano.
Now learn the imperfetto of the verb fare (to do, to make).
The stem of the verb fare in the imperfetto is face(io)
(tu)
(lui, lei, Lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
facevo
facevi
faceva
facevamo
facevate
facevano
Study the examples from the texts in this unit.
Chi è quella ragazza che prima era con te?
Who is the girl that was with you earlier?
In Italia ci stavo bene perché avevo tanti amici.
I felt very comfortable in Italy because I had lots of friends.
La mattina andavo a scuola in bicicletta.
In the morning I used to go to school on my bike.
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La sera mi piaceva fare una passeggiata con gli amici.
In the evening I liked to take a walk with my friends.
Cosa facevi ogni giorno quando eri al mare?
What did you do every day when you were at the beach?
Imperfect tense continued
Use the imperfetto when you are referring to the following in the past:
1.
feelings, emotions and mental states
Non avevamo paura di attraversare la strada.
We were not afraid to cross the road.
Quando ero piccolo, avevo sempre fame.
When I was young, I was always hungry.
NB: Use the imperfetto with the espressioms
avere fame / sete / sonno/freddo / caldo / paura.
2.
weather
3.
habitual actions
Quando faceva bel tempo tornavo a casa a piedi.
When the weather was good, I used to walk home.
4.
time
Erano le sette di sera e ancora non era buio.
It was 7pm and it was not yet dark.
5.
age
Avevo sei anni quando ho cominciato la scuola.
I was six when I started school
6.
reminiscing about the past about how things used to be
Mi ricordo quando abitavamo in campagna.
I remember when we used to go to the country.
Da bambina mi piaceva andare in campagna.
When I was a child I liked going o the country.
7.
describing what was, how things were
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Una volta l’aria qui era buona.
Once the air was good here.
Learning to use the imperfetto and passato prossimo.
Note: as you revise the us of the passato prossimo, remember
that this tense is used to express the following, in the past:
• an event which happened once (not repetitively);
• an event which happened in a specific time frame and is now
concluded (what happened).
Think of these actions as a vertical line in the
time continuum.
(action which
happened at a specific
point in time)
Read the following examples:
I miei vicini di casa ci hanno aiutato.
My neighbours helped us.
(happened once)
Ho imparato l'italiano in poco tempo.
I learnt Italian in a short time.
(happened within a
specific time frame)
Siamo venuti ad abitare qui due anni fa.
We moved here two years ago.
(happened within a
specific time frame)
Often these actions can be in succession.
e.g. Ieri mi sono alzato, ho fatto colazione e
sono uscito.
(three consecutive
actions which
happened once, and in
a specific time frame)
Now revise the use of the imperfect tense in units 28 and 29. Remember that
this tense is used to express the following, in the past:
• age, time or the weather,
• state of being/feeling in the past,
• an ongoing action (what was happening),
• something which happened regularly/routinely,
• something which used to happen.
66
Think of these actions as a horizontal line.
Read the following exmples:
Ieri faceva caldo, oggi invece fa freddo.
Yesterday it was hot; today, on the other
hand, it is cold.
(weather)
Quando avevo dieci anni, non ero molto alto.
When I was ten years old, I was not very tall.
(age/state of being)
L'anno scorso andavo a scuola alle sette.
Last year I used to go to school at seven.
(expressing 'used to')
Ieri stavo proprio male.
Yesterday I was feeling really sick.
(what was happening)
L'anno scorso mi alzavo sempre tardi.
Last year I wlways got up late.
(routine action in the
past)
On many occasions when expressing actions in the past, it is possible and
desirable to use both the passato prossimo and the imperfetto.
Think of these as actions which interact like a
vertical and a horizontal line.
Read the following examples carefully.
Mentre studiavo, è arrivato il mio amico
Marco.
While I was studying, my friend Marco
arrived.
(one ongoing action
interrupted by one
action at one specific
point in time)
Avevo quindici anni quando siamo venuti ad
abitare qui.
I was fifteen when we came to live here.
(age in the past, action
at one specific point
during that time)
Mentre dormivo, è suonato il telefono.
While I was sleeping, the phone rang.
(ongoing action
interrupted by an
action at one point)
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68
The conditional
In Italian, the present conditional corresponds to the English form would +
verb
(e.g. I would buy)
In general this verb tense is used instead of the present tense to
 soften a statement or a request
e.g. Lo faresti tu?
Would you do it?
 express wishes or preferences
e.g. Preferirei andare a casa.
I would prefer to go home.
 make requests in a polite way
e.g. Vorrei un caffè.
I would like a coffee.
VORREI ...
When asking for things, it’s polite to use
vorrei
I would like
voglio
I want
instead of
These two verb forms come from volere ‘to want’.
69
Vorrei un chilo di mele.
I would like a kilo of apples.
Vorrei un panino al prosciutto.
I would like a roll with ham.
Vorrei un litro di latte.
I would like a litre of milk.
‘I’d like some of this and some of that’
Have you noticed how ‘some’ is expressed in Italian?
Vorrei …
il pane
la mozzarella
lo zucchero
l'olio
i pomodori
le olive
gli spaghetti
del pane
della mozzarella
dello zucchero
dell'olio
dei pomodori
delle olive
degli spaghetti
some bread
some mozzarella
some sugar
some oil
some tomatoes
some olives
some spaghetti
In Italian to express ‘some’, meaning an unspecified amount of something,
you use di and the article of that noun in their combined form.
e.g.
il pane
di + il

del pane
Study this table
di
il
la
i
le
lo
l’
gli
del
della
dei
delle
dello
dell’
degli
essere
avere
potere
dovere
sarei
saresti
sarebbe
saremmo
sareste
sarebbero
volere
avrei
avresti
avrebbe
potrei
potresti
potrebbe
dovrei
dovresti
dovrebbe
vorrei
vorresti
vorrebbe
avremmo
avreste
potremmo
potreste
dovremmo
dovreste
vorremmo
vorreste
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avrebbero
dire
direi
diresti
direbbe
diremmo
direste
direbbero
potrebbero
dovrebbero
vorrebbero
fare
andare
piacere+ verb infinitive
farei
faresti
farebbe
andrei
andresti
andrebbe
mi piacerebbe
ti piacerebbe
gli/le piacerebbe
faremmo
fareste
farebbero
andremmo
andreste
andrebbero
ci piacerebbe
vi piacerebbe
gli piacerebbe
Note:With regular verbs and most verbs you have to drop the final -e from
the infinitive of the verb and add the endings, which are the same for all
verbs.
Regular verbs in -are, such as parlare, change the -are into -ere before
adding the endings.
e.g. parlerei ..............................................................
Verbs in -ire that take -isc in the present tense, do not take it in the
conditional.
e.g. finirei
Learn the following uses of the conditional:
 to soften a statement or a request
Potrei uscire?
Could I go out?
 to express wishes or preferences
Mi piacerebbe studiare arte.
I would like to study Art.
Vorrei andare all’università.
I wish to go to university.
 to make requests in a polite way
Vorrei un tramezzino.
Giving orders
I would like a sandwich.
The imperative
You have already learnt how to give orders in Italian, for instance when
giving street directions.
Prendi la prima a destra.
Take the fist (street) to the right.
singular familiar address
71
Prendete la seconda a sinistra.
(You pl.) take the second (street) on the left.
plural formal/familiar address
The imperative is used to give orders, advice, to tell people what
to do.
NB
The imperative forms of tu, voi and noi are the same as the present
forms, with one exception: the tu form of verbs in –are, which ends
in –a.
tu forms
parlare
scrivere
dormire
finire
Parla!
Scrivi!
Dormi!
Finisci!
Speak!
Write!
Sleep!
Finish!
noi forms
parlare
scrivere
dormire
finire
Parliamo!
Scriviamo!
Dormiamo!
Finiamo!
Lets’ speak!
Let’s write!
Lets’ sleep!
Let’s finish!
voi forms
parlare
scrivere
dormire
finire
Parlate!
Scrivete!
Dormite!
Finite!
Speak!
Write!
Sleep!
Finish!
Study the following examples.
Mangia la minestra!
Spendi poco!
Vieni qui!
Finisci subito!
Impariamo l’italiano!
Ragazzi, ascoltate!
Eat your soup!
Don’t spend too much!
Come here!
Finish immediately!
Let’s learn Italian!
Boys and girls, listen!
The imperative polite (Lei) form
The polite form of the imperative is used extensively. For instance, you use
the polite form when giving street directions to one person, when you tell a
shop assistant what you want, when you make a request in a restaurant or
cafe. Or any other public place or simply in your interactions with people
outside your circle of friends and relatives.
Lei forms
parlare
Parli!
72
Speak!
scrivere
Scriva!
Write!
dormire
Dorma!
Sleep!
finire
Finisca!
Finish!
Remember:
Scusi!
(Excuse me!)
is formal
Scusa!
(Excuse me!)
is familiar
scusare
to excuse
 This is a list of the most common verbs you are likely to use with the
imperative in the Lei (formal) form.
andare
vada
go
Vada a destra!
Go to the right!
fare
faccia
do/make
Faccia attenzione!
Pay attention!
dare
dia
give
Mi dia un etto di
prosciutto!
Give me 100
grams of
prosciutto!
dire
dica
say/speak
Buongiorno, dica!
Can I help you?
(Lit. Speak!)
girare
giri
turn
Giri a sinistral!
Turn left!
prendere
prenda
take
Prenda la prima a
destra!
Take the first to
the right!
scendere
scenda
get off
Scenda alla prossima
fermata!
Get off at the
next stop!
stare
stia
be/stay
Stia tranquillo!
Keep calm!
Do not worry!
venire
venga
come
Venga domani!
Come
tomorrow!
The negative imperative
When you tell a person in the familiar (tu) form not to do something, you
use non and the infinitive of the verb.
Alberto, non fare tanto rumore!
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Alberto, don’t make so much noise!
In the polite (Lei) form, you just use non and the imperative form of the verb.
Non faccia complimenti!
Don’t stand on ceremonies!/Go right ahead!
In the noi and voi forms of the verb, the negative is also formed in the
normal way, with non and the imperative of the verb.
The imperative of reflexive verbs
When using a reflexive verb the reflexive pronoun is attached to the end
of the verb except in the polite (Lei) form, where it goes before the verb.
Study the following examples.
Ciao, Carla, accomodati.
Hello, Carla, come in.
accomodarsi
Prego, Signora, si accomodi,
Please, madam, come in.
Antonio, fermati qui.
Antonio, stop here.
fermarsi
Per favore, si fermi qui.
Please, stop here.
Non preoccuparti, mamma, torno presto.
Do not worry, mum, I’ll be back early.
preoccuparsi
Non si preoccupi, Signore, tra poco è pronto.
Do not worry, Sir, it will be ready soon.
Presto, ragazzi, svegliatevi!
Hurry up, boys and girls, wake up!
svegliarsi
Signore, si svegli, sono le sette.
Sir, wake up, it is seven o’clock.
Alziamoci, è ora di andare.
Let’s get up, it is time to go.
alzarsi
Si alzi, prego, questo posto è occupato.
Get up, please, this place is taken.
Divertitevi, ragazzi!
divertirsi
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Have a good time, boys and girls.
Si diverta, Signora, questa sera a teatro.
Have a good time, Madam, this evening at the theatre.
The imperative with pronouns
We have seen that the following pronouns normally come before the
conjugated verb and after the infinitive.
mi
lo
gli
ti
la
le
ci
li
ne
vi
le
Lo facciamo o no?
Shall we do it or not?
Voglio vederti.
I want to see you.
 In the imperative tu, noi and voi forms these pronouns are always
attached to end of the verb.
 In the polite (Lei) form, the pronouns go before the verb.
Per favore, lo faccia Lei!
Please do it!
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Some irregular imperatives
The following verbs have irregular tu forms of the imperative.
Study the imperative tu forms below.
andare
va’
Va’ avanti!
Go ahead!
dare
da’
Da’ pure a me!
Give (it/them) to me!
fare
fa’
Fa’ pure!
Go ahead, do it!
stare
sta’
Sta’ fermo!
Keep still!
dire
di’
Di’ la verità!
Tell the truth!
When pronouns are attached at the end of these irregular imperatives, the
first letter of the pronoun is doubled (gli is the exception).
Valle incontro!
Go and meet her!
Dallo a lui, per favore!
Give it to him, please.
Fammi un favore.
Do me a favour.
Stacci a sentire.
Listen to us.
Digli che siamo qui.
Tell him that we are here.
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Il futuro
The future tense
To express the future in English, you need several words, e.g. they will go, I
shall learn.
In Italian you only need one word.
Learn how to make the future tense of regular verbs and of essere and
avere.
parlare
to speak
prendere
to take
io parlerò
tu parlerai
lui/lei/Lei parlerà
I will speak
you will speak
he/she/You (polite)
will speak
we will speak
you will speak
they will speak
prenderò
prenderai
prenderà
I will take
you will take
he/she/You (polite)
will take
we will take
you will take
they will take
noi parleremo
voi parlerete
loro parleranno
prenderemo
prenderete
prenderanno
finire
to finish
finirò
finirai
finirà
I will finish
you will finish
he/she/You (polite) will
finish
we will finish
you will finish
they will finish
finiremo
finirete
finiranno
essere
to be
avere
to have
I will be
I will have
avrò
you will be
you will have
avrai
he/she/You (polite) will avrà
he/she/You (polite) will
be
have
we will be
we will have
saremo
avremo
you will be
you will have
sarete
avrete
they will be
they will have
saranno
avranno
Have you noticed a pattern in the way the future tense is formed?
sarò
sarai
sarà
 All verbs, regular and irregular, have the same endings,
e.g. parlerai, prenderai, finirai, sarai, avrai
 Verbs in –are and –ere conjugate in exactly the same way,
e.g. parlerai, prenderai
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 Verbs in –ire have the vowel i appearing right through the future tense,
e.g. finirai, finirò, spediremo, spediranno, dirò, direte
 Notice the accent in the io and the lui/lei forms
(io form) finirò, sarò, parlerò
(lui/lei form) finirà, sarà, parlerà
Use of the future tense in Italian
Do you remember that when talking of the past you need to use expressions
such as ieri
la settimana scorsa
l’anno passato
tre mesi fa, etc.?
Similarly, when talking about the future you need to use expressions that
have a future meaning,
such as domani
il mese prossimo
tra un anno
alla fine dell’anno
dopo gli esami
You can also use dates or other time expressions
such as a Natale
per le vacanze
mercoledì
il 4 maggio
per il mio compleanno
However, Italians often use the present tense when referring to events in the
future, when there is the idea of certainty about those events.
e.g. Domenica vado alla partita. (I am sure about it.)
The future expresses intention, more than certainty.
e.g. Domenica andrò alla partita. (This is my
intention.)
The future tense translates the English progressive tense of
to go, when it means a future event and not a movement.
e.g. Quando tornerete?
to return?
When are you going
The future tense can be used to express probability or
conjecture in the present.
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e.g. Chi sarà?
Quanti anni avrà?
be?
Who can it be?
How old can he/she
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Verbs with prepositions (di, da, a)
Chiedere a… Chiedere di … Dire a … Dire di …
Carefully read the following examples.
chiedere a
to ask someone
Chiediamo a un passante dov’è la Fontana di Trevi.
Let’s ask a passer-by where the Trevi Fountain is.
chiedere di
to ask for someone
Sai dov’è Pino? C’è una persona al telefono che chiede di lui.
Do you know where Pino is? There is someone on the phone asking for him.
dire a
to tell someone
Non ha detto a nessuno dove è andato.
He did not tell anyone where he went.
dire di sì/no
to say yes/no
Perché dici sempre di no?
Why do you always say no?
dire di …
to tell ... (to)
Gli abbiamo detto di non venire.
We told him not to come.
Summing up
chiedere a
to ask someone
chiedere di
to ask for someone
dire a
to tell someone
dire di + infinitive to tell someone + infinitive
Adverbs
Import from VSL pages 23 - 26
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