Italian Words and Phrases

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Buongiorno! (boo-ohn-johr-noh) (Hello! and Good morning!) Arrivederci! (ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee) (Goodbye!) (Formal) Ciao! (chah-oh) (Hello! and Good-bye!) (Informal) Salve! (sahl-veh) (Hello! and Good-bye!) (Neutral) Buonasera! (boo-oh-nah-seh-rah) (Good afternoon! Good evening!) (Formal) Buonanotte! (boo-oh-nah-noht-teh) (Good night!) (Informal) Mi chiamo(mee kee-ah-moh) (My name is. . .) Come sta? (koh-meh stah) (How are you?) (Formal) Come stai? (koh-meh stah-ee) (How are you?) (Informal) Bene, grazie. (beh-neh grah-tsee-eh) (Fine, thank you.) Per favore? (pehr fah-voh-reh) (Please.) Grazie. (grah-tsee-eh) (Thank you.) Non c' di che. (nohn cheh dee keh) (Youre welcome.) Mi dispiace. (mee dees-pee-ah-cheh) (Im sorry.) Mi scusi. (mee skoo-zee) (Excuse me.) S. (see) (Yes.) No. (noh) (No.) Parla inglese? (pahr-lah een-gleh-zeh) (Do you speak English?) Chi? (kee) (Who?) Cosa? (koh-sah) (What?) Quando? (koo-ahn-doh) (When?) Dove? (doh-veh) (Where?) Perch? (pehr-keh) (Why?) Come? (koh-meh) (How?) Quanto? (koo-anh-toh) (How much?) N.B. The verb 'essere' is also the auxiliary verb Permesso? (pehr-mehs-soh) for itself; the past participle is "stato". Here is the (May I?) full past tense : I was/have been you were he was she was sono stato/a stato stata we were siamo stati/e siete stati/e sono stati/e

sei stato/a you were they were

Notice how the past participle must change to match the gender and number of the subject.

Italian/Abbreviation domenica/do. luned/lun. marted/mar. mercoled/mer. gioved/gio. venerd/ven. sabato/sab.

Pronunciation doh-meh-nee-kah Loo-neh-dee Mahr-teh-dee mehr-koh-leh-dee Joh-veh-dee veh-nehr-dee sah-bah-toh

Translation Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Aiuto! (ah-yoo-toh) (Help!) Emergenza! (eh-mehr-jehn-tsah) (Emergency!) Chiamate la polizia! (chee-ah-mah-teh lah poh-lee-tsee-ah) (Call the police!) Chiamate un'ambulanza! (kee-ah-mah-teh oo-nahm-boo-lahn-tsah) (Call an ambulance!) Ho bisogno di un medico. (oh bee-zoh-nyoh dee oon meh-dee-koh) (I need a doctor.) Dov' l'ospedale? (doh-veh lohs-peh-dah-leh) (Where is the hospital?) Counting in Italian Italian zero uno due tre quattro cinque sei sette otto nove dieci Pronunciation dzeh-roh oo-noh doo-eh treh koo-aht-troh cheen-koo-eh say seht-teh oht-toh noh-veh dee-eh-chee Translation 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

undici dodici tredici quattordici quindici sedici diciassette diciotto diciannove venti ventuno ventidue trenta quaranta cinquanta sessanta settanta ottanta novanta cento cinquecento mille duemila un milione due milioni un miliardo

oon-dee-chee doh-dee-chee treh-dee-chee koo-aht-tohr-dee-chee koo-een-dee-chee say-dee-chee dee-chahs-seht-teh dee-choht-toh dee-chahn-noh-veh vehn-tee vehn-too-noh vehn-tee-doo-eh trehn-tah koo-ah-rah-tah cheen-koo-ahn-tah sehs-sahn-tah seht-than-tah oht-than-tah noh-vahn-tah chehn-toh cheen-koo-eh-chehn-toh meel-leh doo-eh-mee-lah oon mee-lee-oh-neh doo-eh mee-lee-oh-nee oon mee-lee-ahr-doh

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 500 1,000 2,000 1,000,000 2,000,000 1,000,000,000

English Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Hello, my name is John. What is your name? How are you? I am fine. Nice to meet you. Goodbye. See you later. I am lost. Where is the restroom? the hotel the restaurant the airport the American embassy Excuse me. Please. Thank you. I'm sorry. You are welcome (it was nothing). How much does it cost? There are many. Will you buy this? What time is it? How do you say maybe in French? Yes. No. I do not understand. Would you speak slower, please. Who? Why?

Italian Buona mattina. Buon pomeriggio. Buona sera. Ciao, il mio nome John. Come ti chiami? Come stai? Sto benissimo. Piacere. Arrivederci. A presto. Sono perso. Dov' il bagno? l'hotel il ristorante l'aeroporto l'ambasciata americana Mi scusi. Per favore. Grazie. Sono spiacente. Di niente. Quanto costa? Ce ne sono molti. Comprate questo? Che ora e`? Come si dice forse in francese? S. No. Non capisco. Puo` parlare lentamente per piacere? Chi? Perch?

family => la famiglia relatives => il parenti parents => i genitori mother => la madre father => il padre brother => il fratello sister => la sorella son => il figlio daughter => la figlia uncle => lo zio aunt => la zia grandmother => la nonna grandfather => il nonno

grandchildren => nipoti grandson => il nipote granddaughter => la nipote niece => la nipote nephew => il nipote cousin (m/f) => il cugino / la cugina husband => il marito wife => la moglie single => singolo married => sposato divorced => divorziato widow => vedova

office => ufficio city => citt the rent => l'affitto tax => tassa the cost => il costo price => il prezzo bill => fattura estimate => valutazione check => l'assegno balance => totale passport => passaporto luggage/baggage => bagaglio

to pay => pagare to buy => comprare to sell => vendere to cost => costare to rent => affittare to deposit => depositare currency exchange => cambio customs => abitudini entrance => entrata exit => uscita information => le informazioni

Accounting => la contabilit Algebra => l' algebra Art => l'arte Biology => la biologia Business => il commercio Chemistry => la chimica Computer Science => l'informatica Dance => la danza Economics => l'economia Foreign languages => le lingue straniere Geography => la geografia Geometry => la geometria History => la storia Math => la matematica Music => la musica Physical education => l'educazione fisica Physics => la fisica Political Science => le scienze politiche breakfast => la colazione lunch => il pranzo dinner => la cena bowl => la ciotola cup => la tazza fork => la forchetta knife => il coltello plate => il piatto spoon => il cucchiaio

board/chalkboard => la lavagna book => il libro college => l'universit computer => il computer desk => il banco dictionary => il dizionario paper => la carta pencil => la matita pen => la penna professor => il professore / la professoressa school =>la scuola student => lo studente teacher => il maestro / la maestra test/quiz => l'esame (m) university => l' universit to study => studiare to learn => imparare to teach => insegnare bread => il pane pasta => la pasta cereal => i cereali fruit => la frutta apple => la mela banana => la banana orange => l'arancia grapes => l'uva peach => la pesca tomato => il pomodoro

beer => la birra coffee => il caff juice => il succo di frutta milk => il latte tea => il t water => l'acqua wine => il vino desert => il dolce ice cream => il gelato cake/pie => la torta butter => il burro jam => la marmellata sugar => lo zucchero salt => il sale pepper => il pepe broth/soup => il brodo / la zuppa How do we get to ? => Come si arriva a______ Where is _? => Dov'e` il/la_ What time does it leave? => A che ora parte il/la __ Can you draw it for me? => Puo` scriverlo per favore? map => la cartina corner => l'angolo street => la starda city => la citta` downtown => il centro citta` house => la casa apartment => l' appartamento room => la stanza living room => il soggiorno kitchen => la cucina dining room => la sala da pranzo hallway => il corridoio stairs => la scala bathroom => il bagno bathtub => la vasca da bagno shower => l' acquazzone sink => il lavandino roof => il tetto garage => il garage

watermelon => l'anguria meat => la carne chicken => il pollo turkey => il tacchino ham => il prosciutto fish => il pesce egg => l' uovo cheese => il formaggio vegetables => le verdure lettuce => la lattuga broccoli => i broccoli carrot => la carota celery => il sedano cucumber => il cetriolo salad => l'insalata

to accelerate => accelerare to break/stop => fermarsi to go => andare turn left => girare a sinistra turn right => girare a destra go straight => andare diritto

table => la tavola chair => la sedia couch => il divano desk => la scrivania window => la finestra door => la porta wall => la parete / il muro bed => il letto blanket => la coperta television => la televisione radio => la radio refrigerator => il frigorifero stove => la stufa oven => il forno

yard => il prato closet => l'armadio

dishwasher => la lavapiatti microwave => il microonde light => la luce garbage => l' immondizia hat => il capello earrings => gli orecchini shirt => la camicia blouse => la camicetta dress => il vestito pants => i pantaloni jeans => i jeans shorts => i pantaloncini skirt => la gonna sock => il calzino shoe => la scarpa swimsuit => il costume da bagno underwear => la biancheria intima glove => il guanto belt => la cintura coat => il cappotto ring => l' anello My arm hurts. =>Mi fa male il braccio. Are you hurt? => State male? I have a headache. => Ho mal di testa. Do you have aspirin? => Avete un' aspirina? You are hurting me. => Mi fate male. Don't hurt him/her. => No fargli/farle male.

head => la testa brain => il cervello hair => i capelli face => la faccia ear => l'orecchio eye => l'occhio mouth => la bocca nose => il naso neck => il collo shoulder => la spalla chest => il torace stomach => lo stomaco waist => la vita back => la schiena heart => il cuore arm => il braccio elbow => il gomito wrist => polso hand => la mano finger => il dito leg => la gamba thigh => la coscia shin => lo stinco foot => il piede toe => il dito dog => il cane cat => il gatto mouse => il topo bird => l'uccello chicken/rooster => il pollo/gallo cow => la mucca duck => l'anatra goat => la capra horse => il cavallo pig => il maiale sheep => la pecora lion => il leone tiger => la tigre bear => l'orso

forest => la foresta trees => l' albero plant => la pianta flower => il fiore jungle => la giungla ocean => l'oceano river => il fiume pond => lo stagno lake => il lago hill => la collina mountain => la montagna waterfall => la cascata rainbow => l'arcobaleno sky => il cielo cloud => la nube

wolf => il lupo elephant => l'elefante monkey => la scimmia skunk => la puzzola eagle => l'aquila fish => il pesce whale => la balena angel => l'angelo baptism => il battesimo Bible => la Bibbia bishop => il vescovo Buddhism => il Buddismo cathedral => la cattedrale Christianity => cristianita` church => la chiesa faith => la fede God => dio heaven => il cielo archer => il tiratore d'arco armor => l'armatura arrow => la freccia axe => l'ascia bow => l'arco castle => il castello cauldron => il calderone demon => il diavolo devil => il diavolo dragon => il drago dungeon => il castello dwarf => il nano elf => l'elfo fairy => la fata ghost => il fantasma unicorn => l'unicorno wizard => il mago

rain => la pioggia snow => la neve

hell => l'inferno Judaism => il Giudaismo monastery => il monastero Pope => il papa prophet => il profeta Protestant => protestante religion => la religione sermon => il sermone temple => il tempio worship => il culto

giant => il gigante goblin => il nano king => il re knight => il cavaliere lance => la lancia magic => la magia mermaid => la sirena moat => il fossato monster => il mostro mummy => la mummia princess => la principessa queen => la regina shield => lo scudo sword => la spada throne => il trono tower => la torretta

Colors in English Pronunciation in Italian

black white gray brown red orange yellow green blue purple

nero/a bianco/a grigio/a marrone/i rosso/a arancione/i giallo/a verde/i azzurro/a viola

Days of the Week: Sunday => domenica Monday => luned Tuesday => marted Wednesday => mercoled Thursday => gioved Friday => venerd Saturday => sabato Months of the Year: January => gennaio February => febbraio March => marzo April => aprile May => maggio June => giugno July => luglio August => agosto September => settembre October => ottobre November => novembre December => dicembre English a/an (f) a/an (m) a/an (mp) abbey abbot ability able above Italian una un uno abbazia abate abilita' abile sopra

Seasons: Spring => la primavera Summer => l'estate Autumn/Fall => l'autunno Winter => l'inverno Other: day => il giorno today => oggi yesterday => ieri tomorrow => domani week => la settimana next => il prossimo last => l'ultimo month => il mese year => l'anno decade => decennio century => secolo

abundantly abbondantemente abyss abisso academy accademia accent accento accountant ragioniere accounting ragioneria address indirizzo adjustment aggiustamento adorable adorabile after dopo afternoon pomeriggio again ancora agent agente air aria airplane aeroplano airport aeroporto airports aeroporti alcohol alcool algorithm algoritmo alien alieno alive vive alive vivi alive vivo alive viva alloy lega almond mandorla almonds mandorle almost quasi alone solo alphabet alfabeto alphabetic (f) alfabetica alphabetic (fp) alfabetiche alphabetic (m) alfabetico alphabetic (mp) alfabetici alphabets alfabeti alphanumeric (f) alfanumerica alphanumeric (fp) alfanumeriche alphanumeric (m) alfanumerico alphanumeric (mp) alfanumerici already gia'

also alternative alternative always ambassador American anatomy and angel angry animal Ann answer ant Anthony Antoinette appetizer apple approval apricot apricots April apron apropos arm armchair arms arrow art artichoke article ash cenere ashes ceneri at a atlantic atlantico August agosto aunt zia aunts zie author autore authority autorita'

anche alternativo alternativa sempre ambasciatore americano anatomia e angelo arrabbiato animale Anna risposta formica Antonio Antonietta antipasto mela approvazione albicocca albicocche aprile grembiule a proposito braccio poltrona braccia freccia arte carciofo articolo

autumn autunno average media awake sveglio axe ascia backpack zaino bad cattiva bad cattive bad cattivo bad cattivi baggage bagaglio bagpipe cornamusa bagpipes cornamuse ball palla balls palle banana banana bananas banane bank banca bankrupt bancarotta barber barbiere barefoot scalzo basil basilico basket canestro bat pipistrello beach spiaggia beam trave bean fagiolo beans fagioli bear orso beard barba bears orsi beautiful bella beautiful bellissimo beauty bellezza beaver castoro because (a) perche' bed letto bedroom camera da letto bee ape beer birra beers birre

bees bell belt belts Berlin better bible bicycle bicycles big big bill billion bird birds birth birthday biscuit biscuits bishop bison bitch bitter black (f) black (fp) black (m) black (mp) blackbird blackboard blade blind (f) blind (fp) blind (m) blind (mp) blood blouse blue boat bomb bombs

api campana cintura cinture Berlino meglio bibbia bicicletta biciclette grosso grande conto miliardo uccello uccelli nascita compleanno biscotto biscotti vescovo bisonte cagna amaro nera nere nero neri merlo lavagna lama cieca cieche cieco ciechi sangue camicetta blu battello bomba bombe

bone osso bones ossa book libro both ambedue bow fiocco bow arco bowl scodella boy ragazzo boys ragazzi brain cervello brains cervelli branch ramo bread pane breakfast colazione breast seno breathtaking mozzafiato brick mattone bridge ponte brief breve British britannico broom scopa broth brodo brother fratello brown marrone brush pennello brush spazzola building edificio bull toro bullet pallottola bullets pallottole bumper paraurti bus autobus bush cespuglio but ma butler maggiordomo butter burro butterflies farfalle butterfly farfalla button bottone by per

cabbage cabbages cable cage cake cakes camel camomile camping Canadian canal candidate candle candlestick cane canteen car car carnation carnival carrot carving castle cat catholic catholic catholic catholic cause ceiling celery cell cell cement cent centimeter centimeters central cents centuries

cavolo cavoli cavo gabbia torta torte cammello camomilla campeggio canadese canale candidato candela candeliere canna borraccia auto automobile garofano carnevale carota intaglio castello gatto cattolico cattolica cattoliche cattolici causa soffitto sedano cellula cella cemento centesimo centimetro centimetri centrale centesimi secoli

century cereal cereals certain certificate chain chair chalk chandelier check checkup cheerful cheese cherries cherry chess chest chestnut chicken chicken chicory child childhood chin chocolate Christmas church churches cinnamon circle citizen city clam clams clay clay clean clear cliff clock

secolo cereale cereali certo attestato catena sedia gesso lampadario assegno esame allegro formaggio ciliege ciliegia scacchi petto castagna gallina pollo cicoria bambino infanzia mento cioccolata natale chiesa chiese cannella cerchio cittadino citta' vongola vongole creta argilla pulito chiaro scoglio orologio

closed (f) closed (fp) closed (m) closed (mp) closet clothing cloud clouds clouds club coach cocoa cod coffee coffin cold color colors comb comma committee compact compass concept concert conqueror conquest constrain container content contented contents cooked cool copper copybook corner correctly cotton countryside

chiusa chiuse chiuso chiusi armadio abbigliamento nuvola nubi nuvole mazza allenatore cacao merluzzo caffe' bara freddo colore colori pettine virgola comitato compatto bussola concetto concerto conquistatore conquista vincolo recipiente contenuto contento contenuto cotto fresco rame quaderno angolo correttamente cotone campagna

courage court cousin cousins cow cows crab crazy crazy cream crease credit cricket crow cruise cube cup cups curfew customer customers cuttlefish daddy dark dark dashboard daughter dawn day dead dead dead dead deads dear (fs) dear (ms) death December deep deer

coraggio corte cugino cugini mucca mucche granchio matto pazzo crema piega credito grillo corvo crociera cubo tazza tazze coprifuoco cliente clienti seppia babbo oscuro scuro cruscotto figlia aurora giorno morto morta morte morti morti cara caro morte dicembre profondo cervo

definition definizione degree laurea democracy democrazia departure partenza designated (f) designata designated (m) designato desire voglia destiny destino dictionary dizionario difficult difficile digit cifra digits cifre dinner cena dinners cene dirty sporco dish piatto dishwasher lavastoviglie distance distanza ditch fossato ditch fossa doctor medico dog cane dogs cani dollar dollaro dollars dollari dolly bambola dolphin delfino donkey asino door porta doorbell campanello double doppio doubt dubbio dough pasta dove tortora dove colomba dowry dote draftsman disegnatore dragon drago dream sogno dreams sogni

dress drill dry duck during dust eagle eagles ear earl ears earth earthquake east Easter eastern easy echo economy edition eel eggplant eggplants eight eighty election elephant elephants elevator elevators empty end England English engraving enough especially even evening ever

abito trapano secco anatra durante polvere aquila aquile orecchio conte orecchie terra terremoto est pasqua orientale facile eco economia edizione anguilla melanzana melanzane otto ottanta elezione elefante elefanti ascensore ascensori vuoto fine Inghilterra inglese incisione abbastanza soprattutto pari sera sempre

everyone ognuno evil cattivo examination esame example esempio excuse scusa exit uscita eye occhio facade facciata face faccia fair fiera faithful fedele fake finto falls cascata false finto false falso families famiglie family famiglia far lontano fashion moda fast veloce fat grasso father padre fathers padri fear paura feather piuma feathers piume February febbraio feet piedi female femmina fennel finocchio ferocious feroce fiction finzione field campo fifth quinto fifty cinquanta fig fico finger dito fir abete fire fuoco fireflies lucciole

firefly fireplace first fish fisherman fishermen fishes five flame flat flavor flight Florence florist flour flower flute fly fog food foot footstep footwear for force foreigner forest forever fork forks fortune forty four fourth fox frame frames France Frank frantic

lucciola caminetto primo pesce pescatore pescatori pesci cinque fiamma piatto sapore volo Firenze fioraio farina fiore flauto mosca nebbia cibo piede passo calzatura per forza straniero foresta per sempre forchetta forchette fortuna quaranta quattro quarto volpe cornice cornici Francia Franco frenetico

free libero free gratuito freedom liberta' French francese friday venerdi' friend amico friendship amicizia frog rana frogs rane from da fruit frutta full (fp) piene full (fs) piena full (m) pieno full (mp) pieni function funzione fund fondo game gioco garden orto garden giardino garlic aglio gate cancello gate porta geese oche German tedesco Germany Germania gipsy zingaro girl ragazza girls ragazze glass vetro glue colla glutton ghiottone glycerin glicerina goat capra god dio goddess dea godfather padrino godmother madrina gold oro golden dorato

golf golf good buono good-bye arrivederci goose oca gourmet buongustaio government governo grandfather nonno grandfathers nonni grandma nonna grandmother nonna grandmothers nonne grandpa nonno grape uva graveyard cimitero gray grigio great grandfather bisnonno great grandfathers bisnonni great grandmother bisnonna great grandmothers bisnonne greedy avido green verde grill griglia grove boschetto growth crescita guard guardia guide guida guitar chitarra guitars chitarre gulch burrone gutter grondaia hair capelli hairdresser parrucchiere half mezzo ham prosciutto hammer martello hand mano handful manciata handkerchief fazzoletto hands mani happy felice

happy (m) harbor hard hare harp harps hat hawk hay hazelnut he head heart heat heat heaven hedgehog height Helen helicopter hello help hen her here here here hi hiccup high hill him hole hole holiday home homework honey honor honored

contento porto duro lepre arpa arpe cappello falco fieno nocciola egli testa cuore calore caldo paradiso porcospino altezza Elena elicottero salve aiuto gallina ella qua qui qui ciao singhiozzo alto collina egli buco foro festa casa compito miele onore onorato

hook hope horn horse (f) hot (f) hot (fp) hot (m) hot (mp) hotel hour house how hug hunger hurricane hurricanes husband hyacinth hybrid I I drink ice idea if ill impossible income incongruous inconsistent inflation inhabitant injury inlay inquest instead insurance interesting international intimacy invasion

gancio speranza corno cavalla calda calde caldo caldi albergo ora casa come abbraccio fame uragano uragani marito giacinto ibrido io bevo ghiaccio idea se malato impossibile rendita incongruo incongruente inflazione abitante ferita intarsio inchiesta invece assicurazione interessante internazionale intimita' invasione

Irish irlandese iron ferro island isola Italian italiano Italy Italia jade giada jaguar giaguaro January gennaio Japan Giappone jasmine gelsomino jellyfish medusa job mestiere John Giovanni Joseph Giuseppe judge giudice Juliette Giulietta July luglio June giugno kaleidoscope caleidoscopio key tasto key chiave keyboard tastiera keys chiavi keys tasti kick calcio kidney rene kindergarten asilo king re kiss bacio kitchen cucina kite aquilone kites aquiloni kitten micetto knee ginocchio knife coltello knight cavaliere knights cavalieri knives coltelli knob maniglia knob manopola

knot nodo labyrinth labirinto lace merletto lack carenza lagoon laguna lake lago lakes laghi lamb agnello landscape paesaggio language linguaggio languages linguaggi lantern lanterna last ultimo lathe tornio laugh risata laundry lavanderia Lausanne Losanna lavender lavanda law legge lawyer avvocato laxative lassativo layer strato lead piombo leaf foglia league lega leaves foglie left sinistra leg gamba legs gambe lemon limone lemonade limonata length lunghezza leopard leopardo less meno lesson lezione letter lettera level livello liberty liberta' library biblioteca lie bugia

life vita light luce light (f) chiara light (m) chiaro lights luci lily giglio line linea lion leone lioness leonessa lip labbro lips labbra lipstick rossetto lives vite lobster aragosta lobsters aragoste London Londra long lungo loss perdita lost (f) persa lost (fp) perse lost (m) perso lost (mp) persi lottery lotteria Louis Luigi love amore lover amante luck fortuna lullaby ninnananna lunch pranzo lung polmone lungs polmoni luxury lusso magazine rivista magic magico maid cameriera mail posta majority maggioranza man uomo manager gerente manager gestore

mandrel manuscript many marble March market marvel marvelous mass massage master match matrix May meat medal medicine meeting meeting melody member men menu mercy mermaid merry message metal method Mexico mice midday middle midnight Milan milk million mind mine (fs) mine (ms)

mandrino manoscritto molti marmo marzo mercato meraviglia meraviglioso messa massaggio padrone fiammifero matrice maggio carne medaglia medicina riunione incontro melodia membro uomini menu' pieta' sirena allegro messaggio metallo metodo Messico topi mezzogiorno mezzo mezzanotte Milano latte milione mente mia mio

mint menta minus meno misleading fuorviante mist nebbia model (f) modella model (m) modello mom mamma monday lunedi' money denaro monkey scimmia month mese monthly mensile moon luna moose alce more piu' morning mattino Moscow Mosca mother madre mount monte mountain montagna mourning lutto mouse topo mouth bocca movie theater cinema much molto mud fango mule mulo music musica mussel cozza mussels cozze my (fs) mia my (ms) mio nail unghia nail chiodo naked (f) nuda naked (m) nudo nap pisolo nap pisolino napkin tovagliolo Naples Napoli

narrow nation national nations near necklace need needle nephew (m) nest net never new news newspaper nice (f) nice (fs) nice (m) nice (ms) nicotine niece (f) night nights nine ninety no noble nobody noon north nose nothing November now number nun nuns nymph nymphs oasis

stretto nazione nazionale nazioni vicino collana bisogno ago nipote nido rete mai nuovo notizie giornale carina simpatica carino simpatico nicotina nipote notte notti nove novanta no nobile nessuno mezzogiorno nord naso niente novembre adesso numero suora suore ninfa ninfe oasi

October odd offense oil ointment old olive one one hundred one hundred and thirty one thousand onion onions only or orange orange oranges orchid original ornament ostrich outrage outside owl oxygen oyster pacific page painter painting pair paio palm palma palms palme pamphlet opuscolo pan padella pancake frittella pans padelle pants pantaloni paper carta

ottobre dispari offesa olio unguento vecchio oliva uno cento centotrenta mille cipolla cipolle solo o arancione arancia arance orchidea originale ornamento struzzo oltraggio fuori gufo ossigeno ostrica pacifico pagina pittore dipinto

parachute paradox paragraph parakeet parcel parent parents Paris parish park parking lot parking lot parrot parrots parsley parson party passport pasta paste payment pea peace peach peach tree peaches peacock peak peanut peanuts pear pearl pears peas pen pencil penguin people people pepper

paracadute paradosso paragrafo parrocchetto pacco genitore genitori Parigi parrocchia parco parcheggio posteggio pappagallo pappagalli prezzemolo parroco partito passaporto pasta pasta pagamento pisello pace pesca pesco pesche pavone cima arachide arachidi pera perla pere piselli penna matita pinguino gente popolo pepe

percent percento permission permesso pharmacy farmacia physics fisica physique fisico piano pianoforte picture fotografia picture quadro pig maiale pigeon piccione pigs maiali pin spillo pincers tenaglie pinch pizzico pinch pizzicotto pine pino pink rosa pioneer pioniere pirate pirata pizza pizza plane aereo planet pianeta planets pianeti plaster gesso plate piatto platypus ornitorinco pleasure piacere pliers pinze point punto poison veleno pole palo police polizia pollution inquinamento pomegranate melagrana poor povero Pope Papa portal portone postcard cartolina pot pentola potato patata

potatoes patate power potere precious prezioso presence presenza present regalo pressure pressione pretty bello pretty (f) carina pretty (m) carino price prezzo pride orgoglio priest prete priest sacerdote prince principe princess principessa prison prigione problem problema proceeding procedimento professional professionale progress progresso pronunciation pronuncia property proprieta' prophecy profezia prophet profeta proposal proposta proud (f) orgogliosa proud (m) orgoglioso public pubblico pudding budino pumpkin zucca pumpkins zucche puppet burattino purple viola purse borsa pyramid piramide quail quaglia quality qualita' quantity quantita' quartz quarzo queen regina

queens quiet rabbit raccoon radio rain rainbow rainbows rat rate rather ray recent recipe rectangle red reform refrigerator regret regret reindeer relative relatives religion rent research restaurant rhubarb rich right right ring ripe risk river road rock Rome roof room

regine tranquillo coniglio procione radio pioggia arcobaleno arcobaleni ratto tasso piuttosto raggio recente ricetta rettangolo rosso riforma frigorifero pentimento rammarico renna parente parenti religione affitto ricerca ristorante rabarbaro ricco destra giusto anello maturo rischio fiume strada roccia Roma tetto stanza

rooster gallo root radice rope corda rose rosa rosemary rosmarino rotten marcio round rotondo ruler riga Russian russo sad triste saint santo salad insalata salary salario salt sale sand sabbia sapphire zaffiro saturday sabato school scuola scientist scienziato scissors forbici scissors forbice Scotland Scozia Scottish scozzese screw vite screwdriver caccivite sea mare seagull gabbiano seal sigillo seaweed alga secluded appartato seclusion isolamento secluted isolato second secondo secretary (f) segretaria secretary (m) segretario sector settore security sicurezza seed seme September settembre seven sette

seventy sex shame shark shark sharks she sheep sheet shell shepard ship shirt shoe shop short short shot shower shower Sicily sick side sides signature silent (f) silent (fp) silent (m) silent (mp) silver simple sin sincere singer sink sinner (f) sinner (m) sinners (fp) sinners (mp) sins

settanta sesso smacco pescecane squalo pescecani ella pecora lenzuolo conchiglia pastore nave camicia scarpa negozio corto basso sparo acquazzone doccia Sicilia ammalato lato lati firma zitta zitte zitto zitti argento semplice peccato sincero cantante lavandino peccatrice peccatore peccatrici peccatori peccati

sir sister six sixty skeleton skin skirt sky sleigh slice slipper slow slowly small smoke snake snow snowfall soap soap bar sober soccer sock socks soldier soldiers sole some something son song soul sound south souvenir space Spain Spanish sparrow speech

signore sorella sei sessanta scheletro pelle gonna cielo slitta fetta pantofola lento adagio piccolo fumo serpente neve nevicata sapone saponetta sobrio calcio calza calze soldato soldati sogliola qualche qualcosa figlio canzone anima suono sud ricordo spazio Spagna spagnolo passero discorso

spider spider web spiders spoon spoons spot spring spring spy square squid squirrel stadium stain star starry (fp) starry (fs) starry (mp) starry (ms) stars start station statue steel stem stink stomach stone stool store storm straight strawberry street street strength stress stripe strong stubborn

ragno ragnatela ragni cucchiaio cucchiai macchia molla primavera spia quadrato calamaro scoiattolo stadio macchia stella stellate stellata stellati stellato stelle partenza stazione statua acciaio gambo puzza stomaco pietra sgabello negozio tempesta diritto fragola via strada forza tensione striscia forte ostinato

student student sugar suit suitable summer sun sunday supermarket surgeon surname sustained swamp swan sweat sweater sweet swimming pool swindle symbol symphony synthetic system table tablecloth tail tails talk tall tan tangerine target targets tariff taste tea teacher (f) teacher (m) teachers (fp) teachers (mp)

scolaro studente zucchero abito adatto estate sole domenica supermercato chirurgo cognome sostenuto palude cigno sudore maglione dolce piscina truffa simbolo sinfonia sintetico sistema tavolo tovaglia coda code parlare alto abbronzatura mandarino bersaglio bersagli tariffa gusto te maestra maestro maestre maestri

tear tears teeth telephone television temperature temple ten tender tenderness tense tepid test thank you the (f) the (fp) the (m) the (m) the (mp) the (mp) theater then theory therapy there there these (f) these (m) they they thief thing third thirty this (f) this (m) three throne thumb thumbs

lacrima lacrime denti telefono televisione temperatura tempio dieci tenero tenerezza teso tiepido esame grazie la le il lo i gli teatro allora teoria terapia la' li' queste questi loro essi ladro cosa terzo trenta questa questo tre trono pollice pollici

thunder thursday tie tiger tights tile time tired to to abolish to abuse to accuse to achieve to adjust to adore to announce to announce to annoy to answer to applaud to ask to avoid to awake to bark to believe to boil to bring to build to buy to call to can to carve to cause to choose to choose to clean to close to come to compact to contain

tuono giovedi' cravatta tigre calzamaglia mattonella tempo stanco a abolire abusare accusare compiere aggiustare adorare annunziare annunciare infastidire rispondere applaudire chiedere evitare svegliare abbaiare credere bollire portare costruire comprare chiamare potere intagliare causare sceliere scegliere pulire chiudere venire compattare contenere

to convince to cook to create to cross to cry to cut to dance to deceive to deliver to depart to desacrate to designate to desire to die to do to dream to drink to drive to dry to earn to eat to enchant to enclose to end to engrave to excuse to fail to faint to fall to feel to find to finish to fish to fit to fly to forget to forgive to gnaw to go to grow

convincere cucinare creare attraversare piangere tagliare ballare ingannare recapitare partire profanare designare desiderare morire fare sognare bere guidare asciugare guadagnare mangiare incantare accludere finire incidere scusare fallire svenire cadere sentire trovare finire pescare aggiustare volare dimenticare perdonare rodere andare crescere

to guess to happen to have to hear to hear to help to hide to honor to hope to hug to hunt to ignite to ignore to inlay to invent to invite to judge to jump to kill to kiss to know to know to laugh to leave to lie to lift to light to like to listen to live to look to lose to love to make to manage to manage to massage to mold to oblige to open

indovinare accadere avere sentire udire aiutare nascondere onorare sperare abbracciare cacciare infiammare ignorare intarsiare inventare invitare giudicare saltare uccidere baciare sapere conoscere ridere partire mentire sollevare accendere piacere ascoltare vivere guardare perdere amare fare gestire dirigere massaggiare plasmare obbligare aprire

to paint to pass to pay to perturb to phone to pinch to play to play to poison to pray to press to print to process to pull to put to rain to read to receive to reimburse to rent to respond to resume to ridicule to run to search to seat to see to select to sell to send to shake to shape to shine to shine to sign to sing to sleep to slip to smoke to snow

dipingere passare pagare perturbare telefonare pizzicare suonare giocare avvelenare pregare premere stampare trattare tirare mettere piovere leggere ricevere rimborsare affittare rispondere riprendere deridere correre cercare sedere vedere selezionare vendere mandare tremare plasmare risplendere brillare firmare cantare dormire scivolare fumare nevicare

to solve to speak to spurt to squeeze to squirt to stink to stop to study to sustain to swear to sweat to swim to take to thank to think to threaten to train to travel to tremble to understand to understand to upset to use to ventilate to visit to vote to walk to walk to want to wash to wet to whistle to win to wish to work to write tobacco today tomato tomatoes

risolvere parlare spruzzare spremere schizzare puzzare fermare studiare sostenere giurare sudare nuotare prendere ringraziare pensare minacciare allenare viaggiare tremare capire comprendere sconvolgere usare ventilare visitare votare passeggiare camminare volere lavare bagnare fischiare vincere desiderare lavorare scrivere tabacco oggi pomodoro pomodori

tomorrow tongue tonight too tooth top torpedo tourism tourist town toy toy toys trace train trainer training trains transfusion translate trap trapeze trash trash treasure tree triangle trigger trip triumph trophy tropic trousers trout true trumpet truth tuesday tuna Turin

domani lingua stanotte anche dente trottola siluro turismo turista paese balocco giocattolo balocchi traccia treno allenatore allenamento treni trasfusione tradurre trappola trapezio immondizia spazzatura tesoro albero triangolo grilletto viaggio trionfo trofeo tropico pantaloni trota vero tromba verita' martedi' tonno Torino

turkey turtle twenty twins two two hundred and fifty type typewriter ugliness ugly umbrella uncle uncles under underneath unfair unfortunately United States unthinkable until until us use useful useless vacant vacant vacation vacation (p) vacation (s) varnish vast veal vegetable vegetables vegetables vegetables Venice verb verdict

tacchino tartaruga venti gemelli due duecentocinquanta tipo macchina da scrivere bruttezza brutto ombrello zio zii sotto sotto ingiusto sfortunatamente Stati Uniti impensabile fino a fino noi uso utile inutile vuoto vacante ferie vacanze vacanza vernice vasto vitello ortaggio verdure verdura ortaggi Venezia verbo verdetto

vertical vessel vessel vice Vincent vinegar vineyard violin virgin virtue virus vise vitamin vocal voice void void vote vowel wagon waiter waitress Wales wallet war warrior warriors washable watch water wave waves wax we weak weather wedding wednesday week weeks

verticale vaso vascello vizio Vincenzo aceto vigna violino vergine virtu' virus morsa vitamina vocale voce inutile vuoto voto vocale carro cameriere cameriera Galles portafoglio guerra guerriero guerrieri lavabile orologio acqua onda onde cera noi debole tempo matrimonio mercoledi' settimana settimane

weight well well west western whale whales what wheel when where which while whim whistle white (f) white (fp) white (m) who why (q) wide width wife wig will wind window windows windshield wine wing wings winter wish witch witches without wizard wolf woman

peso pozzo bene ovest occidentale balena balene cosa ruota quando dove quale mentre capriccio fischio bianca bianche bianco chi perche' largo larghezza moglie parrucca voglia vento finestra finestre parabrezza vino ala ali inverno desiderio strega streghe senza mago lupo donna

women wonder wonderful wood woods wool word words work worker workers wound wrong year yeast yes yesterday yolk you you young yours (f) yours (m) zebra zero zeroes zip

donne meraviglia meraviglioso legno bosco lana parola parole lavoro lavoratore lavoratori ferita sbagliato anno lievito si' ieri tuorlo voi tu giovane tua tuo zebra zero zeri cerniera

parlare-to speak/talk, vedere-to see, vendere-to sell, mandare-to send, volere-to want, dire-to tell, aspettare-to wait, domandare-to ask a question, piacere-to like, amare-to love, odire-to hate, viaggiare-to travel, mangiare-to eat, guadare-to watch, camminare-to walk, correre-to run, andare-to go, provare-to try, nascere-to be born, morire-to die,cercare-to look for, vestirsi-to get dressed, mettere-to put, divertirsi-to have fun, essere-to be, avere-to have, cambiare-to change, chiamarsi-to be named/called, telefonare-to call, cambiare a casa-to move, cultivare-to grow, piantere-to plant, avere bisogno di-to need, dovere-to must/have to, dipingere-to paint, disegnare-to draw, insegnare-to teach, imparare-to learn, scrivere- to write, leggere-to read, cantare-to sing, ballare-to dance, fare la spesa-to go shopping, fare pipi`-to pee, fare-to do or make, fare una doccia- to take a shower, prendere-to take, diventare-to become, spiegare-to explain, capire-to understand, pulire-to clean, passare l'aspirapolvere- to vaccum, polvere-to dust, credere-to believe, giocare-to play, partire-to leave, ascoltare-to listen, sentire-to hear/feel, rimanere-to stay, restare-to rest, piovere-to rain, avere paura di-to be afraid of, avere fame-to be hungry, avere sonno-to be sleepy, avere sete-to be thirsty, piangere-to cry, toccare-to touch, traddure-to translate, alzarsi-to get up, lavarsi/lavare-to wash, tenere-to keep, cucinare-to cook, lavorare-to work. some of the verbs i gave you are irregular, some are regular

GRAMMAR

Nouns (and how to make them plural)Italian nouns are divided into two genders: masculine and feminine. Italian nouns end in 3 possible ways: -A like pizza, pasta, casa -O -E like bambino, minuto, disegno like ristorante, studente, ospedale

Words borrowed from another language like sport, weekend, jogging, film are masculine and have no plural form. 1. Nouns which end in -A are nearly always feminine; to make them plural change -A to -E: e.g. casa = house ; houses = case pizza = pizza ; pizzas = pizze porta = door ; doors = porte 2. Nouns which end in -O are nearly always masculine; to make them plural change -O to -I: e.g. ragazzo = boy ; boys = ragazzi gelato = ice cream ; ice creams = gelati tempo = time ; times = tempi 3. Nouns which end in -E can be either masculine or feminine and you have to learn the gender when you learn the word; to make these nouns plural change -E to -I :e.g. ristorante = restaurant ; restaurants = ristoranti notte = night ; nights = notti studente = student ; students = studenti Notes: 1. Many nouns in Italian end in -it (note the grave accent on the final -a). These nouns do not have a plural form. Nor does the noun citt (city). 2. Look at these two masculine nouns: zio (plural zii) and occhio (plural occhi). You will only find two 'i's if the 'i' in the singular carries the stress of the word. 3. Spelling: Nouns ending in -ca and -ga are spelt -che and -ghe in the plural: e.g. banca = bank ; banks = banche riga = line ; lines = righe Nouns ending in -co and -go are spelt -chi and -ghi in the plural: e.g. fico = fig ; figs = fichi fungo = mushroom ; mushrooms = funghi Exercise 1: Turn all the nouns below into the plural. (This is not an interactive exercise; you'll have to use paper and check your answers) porta ; finestra ; gatto ; cane ; ombrello ; ospedale ; cerimonia ; opportunit ; film ; posto ; lago ; unione ; spiaggia ; giacca ; albergo ; sbaglio ; sacco ; universit ; sport ; citt. N.B. THIS IS NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE SET OF RULES: THERE ARE SOME IRREGULAR NOUNS WHICH ARE NOT DEALT WITH HERE. LEARN THEM AS YOU MEET THEM!

However, you ought to know the following: A. These nouns are masculine although they end in -a: 1. il cinema 2. Nouns ending in -ma which are Greek in origin. il clima il diploma il problema il programma il tema (theme) B. Nouns ending in -ista correspond to English nouns ending in -ist; they denote people who do things and can be masculine or feminine; the plural can be -isti or -iste depending on the gender. C. The noun mano is feminine even although it end in -o: la mano and the plural is le mani. D. Some masculine nouns have strange plurals: singular plural il braccio (arm) le braccia il dito (finger) le dita l'osso (bone) le ossa il labbro (lip) le labbra l'uovo (egg) le uova il paio (pair) le paia E. These two nouns are irregular! singular l'uomo (man) la moglie (wife) plural gli uomini le mogli

L'articolo determinativo The Definite Article This is the grammatical name for the English word the. 1 Feminine nouns easy.If the feminine noun is singular, use LA (or abbreviate it to L'if the noun begins with a vowel). If the feminine noun is plural useLE and never abbreviate it, even if the noun begins with a vowel. For example: singular la ragazza la casa l'ora plural le ragazze le case le ore

l'erba la chiave la notte l'opinione l'opportunit

le erbe le chiavi le notti le opinioni le opportunit

2 Masculine nouns tricky.There is only one word for "the" for feminine nouns, but before a masculine noun you need to choose between IL and LO. You make the choice depending on how the masculine noun begins. You should find that you choose IL most of the time. Here are the rules: 1. Use IL and its plural I when the masculine noun begins with a consonant. 2. Use LO and its plural GLI when the masculine noun begins with a vowel, or z or impure s i.e. the letter s followed by another consonant. LO can be abbreviated to L' before a word beginning with a vowel. 3. Remember that any nouns borrowed from another language are masculine and have no plural. This table summarises all you need to know about masculine nouns and there articles: singular il ragazzo il ristorante l'albergo lo sbaglio lo zio l'ufficiale lo sport il film plural i ragazzi i ristoranti gli alberghi gli sbagli gli zii gli ufficiali gli sport i film

If you can master how to change words from singular to plural a huge amount of Italian grammar will become very easy. It is vital that you try very hard to master this piece of grammar before you move on. If you can master the definite article, you will be able to understand and use correctly some necessary but rather tricky pieces of Italian grammar, so try to master this before you move on.

L'articolo indeterminativo The Indefinite Article This is the grammatical name for the English word a. 1 Feminine nouns easy.The word for a before a feminine noun is una which can be abbreviated to un' if the noun begins with a vowel.

2 Masculine nouns less easy.The usual word is un which is used before all masculine nouns (including those which begin with a vowel) except those which begin with z or s impure. Study the following table which should explain it all. masculine un ragazzo un amico un ospedale uno sconto uno specchio uno zingaro un salmone un trattore feminine una ragazza un'amica un'intezione una scarpa una specie una zingara una salsiccia una trattoria

Exercise 2 : Put the Definite Article (il/lo/l'/la/l') in front of each of the following singular nouns; if you are not immediately sure of the gender of the noun, check in a dictionary. 1) ..... paesino 6) .... madre 2) ..... stanza 7) .... padre 3) ..... stato 8) .... umidit 4) ..... acqua 9) .... zucchero 5) .....occhio 10) .... insalata Exercise 3: Put the Indefinite Article (un/uno/una/un') in front of each of the following nouns; if you are not immediately sure of the gender of the noun, check in a dictionary. 1) ..... paesino 6) .... madre 2) ..... stanza 7) .... padre 3) ..... stato 8) .... orecchio 4) ..... 9) .... zero opinione 5) .....occhio 10) .... insalata Exercise 4: change all the following phrases into the plural: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. la sera la stazione l'uva l'idea il libro il dente lo strumento lo studente

9. l'ospedale 10.l'uccello The Partitive Article Il Partitivo

This is the grammatical name for the English word "some" or "any".There are several ways that this can be translated into Italian but you must master the firstmethod so that you can use the two irregular adjectives bello and quello which follow the same pattern. 1 The commonest word for "some" is del. This word is a combination of the word di and the various forms of the definite article as shown in the table below. If you're not sure about all the various forms of the definite article revise it again here. masc. sing. Definite Article Partitive Article il del lo l' dello dell' fem. sing. la l' masc. plur. i gli degli fem. plur. le delle

della dell' dei

Master this word before you move on. The form you need is the one which corresponds to the definite article which would be used with the noun: for example: 1. Suppose you want to say "some wine"; 'the' wine is il vino, so 'some' wine is del vino. 2. Suppose you want to say "some friends" ; 'the' friends is gli amici, so 'some' friends is degli amici. You will see that to handle this word correctly you must understand the definite article. Revise it again if you have to but it won't get any easier if you pretend that it will go away if you ignore it. Exercise 1 Here is a shopping list; translate the items into Italian. (Use a dictionary for the nouns) 1. some wine 2. some bread 3. some cheese 4. some apples 5. some fruit 6. some biscuits 7. some mineral water 8. some oil 9. some vinegar 10.some garlic 11.some spaghetti (N.B. this word is masc. plur.) 12.some lasagne (N.B. this word is fem. plur.) 13.some sugar 14.some onions 15.some courgettes (courgette = zucchino) Exercise 2 Use a dictionary to help you translate these sentence into Italian, using the correct part of del. N.B. "there is" = c' ; "there are" = ci sono. 1. Is there any bread? 2. Are there any rolls?

3. Is there any butter? 4. Is there any oil? 5. There are some nice strawberries in the garden (nel giardino) 6. There is some wine downstairs. 7. There are some houses 8. Are there any shops? 9. Is there any fresh milk? 10.There are some mistakes. Master the word del before you go any further. The adjectives bello and quello follow the same pattern; learn it thoroughly. Here are the other ways of saying "some" : Look carefully at the conditions under which they can be used. 2 alcuni ; alcune [only used with a plural noun; it agrees with its noun] e.g. I invited some friends = Ho invitato alcuni amici I spent a few hours in Rome = Ho passato alcune ore a Roma 3 qualche [invariable; followed by a singular noun in Italian, but its meaning is plural] This is a good one to use in higher writing. e.g. I invited some friends = Ho invitato qualche amico I spent a few hours in Rome = Ho passato qualche ora a Roma. I have been leaninng Italian for a few weeks = Imparo l'italiano da qualche settimana. I would like to spend some days in Rome = Vorrei passare qualche giorno a Roma. 4 un po' di = a little; a bit of ; some [invariable] e.g. I need a bit of peace = Ho bisogno di un po' di pace. I take a little milk in my coffee = prendo un po' di latte nel caffe. 5 NOT USED IN A NEGATIVE SENTENCE IN ITALIAN: e.g. I don't have any problems = Non ho problemi There's no more milk = Non c pi latte. 6 nessun ; nessuno ; nessuna ; nessun' = not any [double negative! sing.only] e.g. I didn't prepare any special dishes = Non ho preparato nessun piatto speciale. I don't have any idea = Non ho nessun'idea. Exercise 3 Here are some sentences in English which have been partially translated into Italian. You have to supply the missing words, but be careful, not all the gaps require a word look at 5 above! 1. I bought some pasta = Ho comprato ______ pasta. 2. Some friends invited me to a party. = ___________ amici mi hanno invitato a una festa.

3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

I met some nice people = Ho conosciuto ___________ persone simpatiche. There were some long tables = C'erano ________ lunghi tavoli. On the tables there were some bottles of beer = Sui tavoli c'era _________ bottiglia di birra. There were also a few plates of cheese. = C'erano anche ________ piatti di formaggio. There wasn't any more sparkling wine nor any brandy. = Non c'era pi _______ spumante e neanche ______ cognac. 8. I drank a few glasses of red wine = Ho bevuto _______ bicchiere di vino rosso. 9. I ate some salad, and some olives = Ho mangiato _______ insalata e ________ olive. 10.Maria left with some students. = Maria partita con ________ studenti.

ADJECTIVES

Aggettivi

This page is divided into 4 sections dealing with: regular adjectives irregular adjectives possessive adjectives comparative and superlative adjectives

1. REGULAR ADJECTIVES Adjectives in Italian must match the noun they describe in gender and number. This means that if the noun is feminine, the adjective must be feminine, and if the noun is plural, the adjective must be plural.Gender means making the adjective masculine or feminine to agree with the noun. Number means making the adjective singular or plural to agree with the noun. Adjectives make their plurals in the same way that nouns make their plurals, so go back and revise the page about nouns if you are not sure. In Italian, adjectives usually come after the noun they are describing but a few always stand before their noun; these are as follows:1. 2. 3. 4. possessive adjectives (my, your, his/her etc.) which are dealt with below. demonstrative adjectives (this/that) also dealt with below. the adjectives "molto" (much) and "troppo" (too much) some adjectives denoting size can come before or after their noun.

In dictionaries, adjectives are always given in the masculine singular and this may not be the form in which you need the adjective and you may have to change it.

There are only 3 irregular adjectives which you need to know; they are dealt with at the end of this page.

Italian adjectives are of two basic types: piccolo and grande i.e. they either end in o or they end in -e. If the adjective ends in -o, it has four possible endlings: piccolo (masc. sing.) piccola (fem. sing.)piccolo (masc. sing.) piccoli (masc. plur.) Now compare an adjective that ends in -e grande (masc. sing.) grandi (masc. plur.) grande (fem. sing.) grandi (fem. plur.) piccola (fem. sing.) piccole (fem. plur.)

This type of adjective has no feminine form; it only has a plural form which is both masculine and feminine. Spelling: Be careful when changing some adjectives because you may need to make a spelling change to preserve the sound of the consonant before the ending: for example: stanco (masc. sing.) stanchi (masc. plur.) lungo (masc. sing.) lunghi (masc. plur.) drammatico (masc. sing.) drammatici (masc. plur.) stanca (fem. sing.) stanche (fem. plur.) lunga (fem. sing.) lunghe (fem. plur.) drammatica (fem. sing.) drammatiche (fem. plur.)

The last adjective above "drammatico" shows you something which regularly happens with adjectives ending in "-ico", i.e.the masculine plural is -ici while the feminine plural is -iche. Similarly, adjectives ending in "-igo" have the masculine plural -igi, and the feminine plural -ighe. Remember the rules for making nouns and adjectives plural: singular plural ends in -a change to -e ends in -o change to -i ends in -e change to -i Now try a couple of exercises to see if you have mastered the idea of plurals of nouns and agreement of adjectives: Exercise 1 : Change the following phrases into the plural. If you have not met the definite article yet, don't try to make the first word in each phrase plural. If you need to revise the article, do that before you try this exercise.

1. la bella ragazza 2. il nuovo metodo 3. il bravo studente 4. il vecchio amico scozzese 5. il giovane ragazzo 6. la prima lezione francese 7. il formaggio francese 8. lo studente tedesco 9. il nuovo sport popolare 10.la grande citt industriale 11.il vino magnifico italiano 12.l'attore famoso. Exercise 2 Change the following phrases into the plural. Be careful about the spelling of some of the adjectives in the plural. You don't need to know the definite article for this exercise. 1. capello lungo e biondo 2. occhio castano e lucido 3. tifoso fanatico 4. via larga 5. vecchia fiaba fantastica 6. giacca sporca 7. strada lunga e serpeggiante 8. famiglia ricca e importante 9. giovane americano ricco 10.esercizio grammaticale

2. IRREGULAR ADJECTIVES There are only 3 irregular adjectives:1. buono (good) 2. bello (beautiful, nice) 3. quello (that) When these adjectives are put in front of their noun, they follow their own rules: 1. buono has two forms for the masculine singular, so it looks like this: buon or buono (masc. sing.) buona (fem. sing.) buoni (masc. plur.) buone (fem. plur.) Use the form buon where you would use the indefinite article un i.e. before a masculine noun beginning with a vowel or consonant or most groups of consonants BUT use buono where you would use the indefinite article uno i.e. before a masculine noun beginning with z or s+consonant. You'll see that the rest of this adjective is normal.

2. bello and quello have all the possible forms of the word del (the partitive article) If you have not met the word del yet go and study it now because these two adjectives follow the same pattern and you need to know it. Go to the page on the Partitive Article. For those of you who have already met the Partitive Article, here are all the possible forms of bello and quello: masc. sing. del dello quel quello fem. sing. dell' masc. plur. fem.pl. dei degli delle

dell' della

quell quell quella quei quegli quelle ' '

Exercise 4. Insert the correct part of buono, bello or quello in these phrases: 1. una [buono] idea. 2. in [quello] casa, con [quello][bello] giardino. 3. un [bello] parco. 4. [quello][bello] appartamento. 5. [bello] isola 6. in [quello] zona di [quello] piccolo paese. 7. un [buono]strumento]. 8. un [buono] amico. 9. una [buono] amica. 10.[quello] [buono] vino. Exercise 5: Turn all the phrases in Exercise 3 into the plural.

3. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES: my, your, his, her, our, their.IMPORTANT RULE: In Italian you must put the definite article in front of these adjectives. Make yourself familiar with the table below: Singular masc. my your his/her our your their il mio il tuo il suo il nostro il vostro il loro fem. la mia la tua la sua la nostra la vostra la loro masc. i miei i tuoi i suoi i nostri i vostri i loro Plural fem. le mie le tue le sue le nostre le vostre le loro

Pay particular attention to the boxes which have been given a different colour and notice 2 things: 1. mio, tuo and suo behave like normal adjectives except in the masculine plural. 2. loro does not make any changes at all, it is invariable.

REMEMBER! These adjectives require the definite article UNLESS you are referring to members of the family, when they are not used. REMEMBER too, they take the gender of the noun following them, not the gender of the possessor. Exercise 3: Translate the following phrases which use possessive adjectives into Italian: 1. my house 2. your name 3. my mother 4. our friends 5. his car 6. her father 7. their holidays 8. his father 9. my parents 10.her eyes 11.their tickets 12.our family

4. COMPARATIVE and SUPERLATIVE and STRUCTURES.Very basically, comparative adjectives are words like taller, older, more intelligent. Superlative adjectives are words like tallest, oldest, most intelligent. In Italian there is no equivalent to the English suffixes -er and -est; instead, Italian uses the adverb pi = more.

COMPARATIVES: Comparative of Inequality:1. Examine carefully the following sentences: 1. Maria is tall. = Maria alta. 2. Angela is taller. = Angela pi alta. 3. Angela is taller than Maria = Angela pi alta di Maria Sentence 3 show a structure called the comparative of inequality. Use pi with the adjective to make the comparative form, and di to translate the English word than. Use it whenever you want to say someone or something is bigger than/ older than/ better than/ faster than/ someone or something else. Now have a careful look at the following sentences, which show another type of comparison: 1. Marco is intelligent = Marco intelligente. 2. Giorgio is less intelligent. = Giorgio meno intelligente. 3. Giorgio is less intelligent than Marco = Giorgio meno intelligente di Marco. Sentence 3 shows another type of comparative of inequality when you want to say someone/something is lessold/interesting/exciting than someone/something else; use meno for the English word less and di to translate the English wordthan.

Comparative of Equality:

This is when you say something like Edinburgh is as lively as Glasgow, or Hearts are as good as Hibs Here is how you would say that in Italian: 1. Edinburgh is as lively as Glasgow = Edimburgo cos vivace come Glasgow. 2. Hearts are as good as Hibs = Gli Hearts sono cos bravi come gli Hibs.Alternatively, you can express as .....as by using tanto ...... quanto (like the correlative construction in Latin). So you could translate the two sentences above this way:

1. Edinburgh is as lively as Glasgow = Edimburgo tanto vivace quanto Glasgow. 2. Hearts are as good as Hibs = Gli Hearts sono tanto bravi quanto gli Hibs. SUPERLATIVES. In English we can use the suffix -est to create the superlative form of the adjective, producing words likeoldest, weakest, fastest etc. There is no equivalent in Italian. Instead you use the definite article (il/la/i/le) plus pi or meno and the adjective.Some examples should make this clear. Read carefully the following English sentences and their translation into Italian: 1. The most beautiful churches in Tuscany are in Florence. = Le chiese pi belle della Toscana sono a Firenze. 2. The oldest houses in the city are being restored. = Le case pi vecchie della citt sono in restauro. 3. Milan is the richest city in the country. = Milano la citt pi ricca del Paese. 4. They are the fastest cars in the world. = Sono le macchine pi veloci del mondo. N.B. Notice how, in Italian, the phrases in Tuscany, in the city etc. are translated with the preposition di.

THE ABSOLUTE SUPERLATIVE This is the grand name for the suffix -issimo (which you must have seen many times if you are a musician). To make it, drop the final vowel of the simple adjective and add -issimo, e.g.: 1. bello (beautiful) bellissimo (very beautiful) or you could say molto bello 2. veloce (fast) velocissimo (very fast) or you could say molto veloceBe careful! sometimes you will have to insert the letter h to preserve the sound of the consonant; e.g.: 1. lungo (long) lunghissimo (very long) = molto lungo 2. simpatico (nice) simpatichissimo (very nice) = molto simpatico 3. fresco (fresh) freschissimo (very fresh) = molto fresco Use this form of the word if you want to say, for example:

1. Venice is a very beautiful city. = Venezia una citt bellissima. 2. Italian women are always very elegant. = Le donne italiane sono sempre elegantissime. Finally, a few adjectives have kept their comparative and superlative forms from Latin: simple buono (good) cattivo (bad) basso (low) alto (high) piccolo (small) grande (big) comparative migliore (better) peggiore (worse) inferiore (lower) superiore (higher) minore (smaller) maggiore (bigger) superlative ottimo (best) pessimo (worst) infimo (lowest) supremo (highest) minimo (smallest) massimo (biggest)

However, you can also say pi buono and il pi buono and buonissimo, and similarly with the others in the table. The last structure you should know is how you say in Italian phrases like as long as possible , as warm as possible In Italian the equivalent is: il pi lungo possibile and il pi caldo possibile.

Prepositions are words which stand before a noun or pronoun to create a phrasewhich can show place, time, or manner, e.g.: 1. under the table = sotto la tavola 2. at midnight = a mezzanotte 3. with great care = con grande cura. There are a few common simple prepositions which you should know and their basic meanings are given below. Learn them! a to ; at ; in

da from ; at the house of .. su on in in ; on di of These prepositions combine with the various forms of the definite article (il, lo, la, l', i, gli, le) to form a single word. This is a fundamental part of Italian grammar and you must know it. The table below shows you what happens when these words combine. In combination with the article, these simple prepositions are called articulated prepositions preposizioni articolate. masculine sing. fem. sing. masc. plur. fem. pl..

il a da su in di al dal sul nel del

lo, l' allo, all' dallo, dall' sullo, sull' nello, nell' dello, dell'

la, l' alla, all' dalla, dall' sulla, sull' nella, nell' della, dell'

i ai dai sui nei dei

gli agli dagli sugli negli degli

le alle dalle sulle nelle delle

N.B. Be particularly careful with the preposition in which has unusual forms when combined with the article. N.N.B Learn thoroughly the preposition di in its various combinations because this word is also the partitive article which is equivalent to the English word some. It is also the pattern for the two irregular adjectives bello and quello which, instead of having just the usual four forms, have all the possible forms of the word del. What the table above means is that instead of saying a le ragazze (to the girls), you say alle ragazze. Similarly, you do not say in il giardino (in the garden), but nel giardino. Now try this exercise: Exercise 1. Translate into English: 1. sulla tavola 2. dalla scuola 3. alla porta della chiesa 4. nel centro della citt 5. sui tetti delle case 6. il nome dello studente 7. negli alberghi 8. sul pavimento 9. al cinema 10.sulla sedia nella cucina Exercise 2. Translate into Italian: 1. on the chair 2. on the table in the kitchen 3. in the bathroom 4. from the boys 5. to the hotels 6. in the drawer of the table 7. the names of the students 8. at the window of the bedroom 9. in the pupils' books i.e. "in the books of the pupils" 10.at the end of the day Prepositions are awkward because they often do not correspond exactly with the equivalent propisition in the other language. There is no easy way to master them; you must simply try to remember the way they are used in Italian. It would take up too much space to give you a definitive list

of the various usages which are not the same as in English, but here are a few usages which you must know:

I. The preposition a.1. The preposition a already has three basic meanings (to, at, in) but you must know the following usages: Abito a Edimburgo = I live in Edinburgh [use a if you are referring to a town, otherwise use in] C' un programma alla televisione = There is a programme on television. Non possibile andare a piedi = It's not possible to go on foot. Passo le vacanze al mare = I spend my holidays at the seaside. Vorrei andare all'estero = I would like to go abroad.

2. The preposition a also links certain verbs to a following infinitive, such as: andare a to go to ... aiutare a to help to ... cominciare a to start/begin to imparare a to learn to ... incoraggiare a to encourage to ... insegnare a to teach to ... mettersi a to start/begin to ... pensare a to think about .... provare a to try to ... riuscire a to manage to venire a to come to ... 3. The preposition a also links certain adjectives to a following infinitive, such as: abituato a attento a pronto a accustomed to ... careful to ... ready to ...

II The preposition da.1. The preposition da has the same meaning as the preposition chez in French: Rosaria abitava dalla nonna = Rosaria used to live at her grandmother's . Ho comprato del dentifricio dal farmacista. = I bought some toothpaste at the chemist's. C'era una festa da Franco. = There was a party at Franco's house. 2. Da is used to make an expression of time (with a verb in the present tense in Italian) to show actions or circumstances that began in the past and continue into the present: e.g. Carla impara l'italiano da un anno = Carla has been learning Italian for a year. Ti aspetto da un'ora = I have been waiting for you for an hour.

3. Da specifies the agent in a passive sentence, e.g.: L'inglese parlato da quasi tutti = English is spoken by nearly everyone. Marcovaldo un libro scritto da Calvino = "Marcovaldo" is a book written by Calvino. 4. Da can indicate what something is used for, e.g.: un campo da calcio = a football pitch un campo da golf = a golf course scarpe da sci = ski boots. 5. Da can be followed by an infinitive in expressions like: Non c' niente da fare. = There is nothing to do. Cosa c' da mangiare? = What is there to eat?

III The preposition su ascoltavo un dibatito sulla politica = I was listening to a discussion about politics. ho letto sul giornale. = I read in the newspaper.

IV The preposition in1. In is used with the names of countries, states, or regions to show place, e.g.: Abito in Scozia = I live in Scotland. Molti scozzesi sono emigrati in Canada = Many Scots emigrated to Canada. 2. In is used with all methods of transport: in macchina in aereo in moto in bicicletta in barca in treno in autobus in pullman by car... by plane by scooter by bicycle by boat by train by bus by coach

V The preposition di1. Di shows possession, e.g.: Hai visto gli occhiali di Lucia? = Have you seen Lucia's glasses? Di chi sono queste scarpe? = Whose shoes are these? 2. Di shows what something is made of, e.g: una cravatta di seta = a silk tie scarpe di cuoio = leather shoes 3. Di is used to make time phrases, e.g.:

di sera in the evenings di mattina in the mornings di solito usually di nuovo again di rado rarely 4. Di is used after some verbs like parlare, discutere, trattare to indicate the topic of discussion, e.g.: Non mi piace parlare di religione = I don't like talking about religion. Questo libro tratta del problema della droga = This book deals with the problem of drugs. 5. Di is used in expressions making comparisons, e.g.: Giovanni pi intelligente del fratello = Giovanni is more intelligent then his brother. Tu parli italiano meglio di me. = You speak Italian better than I do. 6. Di is used with the verb essere to indicate origin, e.g.: La mia famiglia di Bologna = My family are from Bologna. Tu sei di qui? = Are you from here? 7. Di is also used after certain adjectives to link them to an infinitive verb, e.g.: capace di capable of ... contento di happy to ... desideroso di eager to ... felice di happy to ... incapace di ... incapable of sicuro di sure of ... soddisfatto di satisfied to ... spiacente di sorry to ... stanco di tired of ... triste di sad to ... 8. Di is also used after several verbs to link to a following infinitive, e.g.: accorgersi di cercare di chiedere di consigliare di decidere di dimenticare di domandare di essere in grado di fingere di finire di immaginare di lamentarsi di offrire di to realise; be aware to try to ... to ask to ... to advise to ... to decide to ... to forget to ... to ask ... to be in a position to ... to pretend to ... to finish to imagine to complain about to offer

pensare di permettere di proibire di rendersi conto di ricordarsi di scegliere di smettere di sperare di tentare di trattare di vietare di 9. Di also acts as the partitive article.

to think of to allow to forbid to realise; be aware to remember to choose to ... to stop to hope to ... to attempt to ... to be about; deal with to forbid

VERBS I VERBI

Italian verbs are arranged into three groups or conjugations depending on the vowel in the infinitive: 1. parlare: ending in -are 2. vedere: ending in -ere 3. finire: ending in -ire You need to know the type of verb you are dealing with so that you can make the tenses correctly. Some verbs are irregular in that they seem to have an infinitive which fits into the scheme above but they make some of their tenses in a different way. there are very few of these verbs and the best thing to do is learn them when you are learning or revising a particular tense. There is only one verb which is irregular in nearly all its tenses and that is essere (to be). Some verbs have infinitives which are shortened versions of their original forms and this is why they seem to be irregular, in fact it is the infinitive which is slightly irregular. the common ones are: dire, shortened from dicere fare, shortened from facere bere, shortened from bevere porre, shortened from ponere -durre, shortened from -ducere

PRESENT TENSE TEMPO PRESENTE In English this tense looks like "he runs", "they live", "she is working", "we are talking" These four examples all have pronouns he, they, she, we, but in Italian the pronouns are not necessary because the verb always has an ending to indicate what personal pronoun we want. the four English examples above would each be one single word in Italian. Italian does have personal pronouns; you won't see them very often, but here they are: io tu lui lei Lei I you he she you noi voi loro we you they

The pronoun Lei (with a capital L) means you. It is different from the pronoun tu because Lei is formal: you would use it when politely addressing a stranger; if you speak to someone using a formal title like signore/signorina you should use Lei and even if you don't use the pronoun, the verb should be in the 3rd person singular. Italian verbs fall into 3 types, depending on the vowel in the infinitive. The grammatical name is not type but conjugation and that's the name I'm going to use. Conjugation 1 contains verbs with an infinitive ending in -ARE Conjugation 2 contains verbs with an infinitive ending in -ERE Conjugation 3 contains verbs with an infinitive ending in -IRE 1 PARLARE 1st pers. sing. I 2nd pers. sing. you 3rd pers. sing. he, she, it 1st pers. plur. we 2nd pers. plur. you 3rd pers. plur. they parlo parli parla parliamo parlate parlano 2 SCRIVERE 3 DORMIRE 3 CAPIRE scrivo scrivi scrive scriviamo scrivete scrivono dormo dormi dorme dormiamo dormite dormono capisco capisci capisce capiamo capite capiscono

Don't let a table like this put you off; look for all the similarities, not the differences; for example: All verbs use the ending -o for the first person singular i.e. if you want to say I do something. All verbs use the ending -i for the second person singular i.e. if you want to say you do something. All verbs use the ending -iamo for the first person plural i.e. if you want to say we do something. English has three forms of the present tense and Italian has only one. In English we can say I speak or I am speaking but in Italian there is only the form parlo. To ask a question in English we would use the phrase do you speak? but in Italian you can only indicate a question by the tone of your voice or by writing a question mark parli? You'll see that there are two examples of a 3rd conjugation verb, dormire and capire and they behave differently. Most verbs behave like dormire but a small number insert the syllable -isc- before the

personal endings. There is no rule about which do and which don't, you just have to learn as you meet them. The commonest ones which insert -isc- are:finire (to finish) preferire (to prefer) pulire (to clean) punire (to punish) spedire (to send) IRREGULAR VERBS There are very few verbs which do not fit into the scheme shown in the table above, but two which are very important are the verb avere (to have) and the verb essere (to be) because as well as being very common verbs in their own right, they are also the auxiliary verbs which help to make the past tense (passato prossimo). Here they are: avere 1 ho 2 hai 3 ha 1 abbiamo 2 avete 3 hanno to have essere to be I am you are he/she /it is

I have sono you have sei

he/she /it has we have you have they have

siamo we are siete sono you are they are

There are twelve common verbs which are irregular in their present tense. They are in the table below. You have to learn them because you will not be able to find these forms in a dictionary. avere = to have ho hai ha abbiamo avete hanno essere = to be sono sei siamo siete sono venire = to come vengo vieni viene veniamo venite vengono uscire = to go out esco esci esce usciamo uscite escono andare = to go dare = to give vado vai va andiamo andate vanno do dai d diamo date danno

fare= to do; make faccio fai fa facciamo fate fanno

sapere = to know so sai sa sappiamo sapete sanno

stare = to stay; potere = can dovere = must volere = to want be sto stai sta stiamo state stanno posso puoi pu possiamo potete possono devo devi deve dobbiamo dovete devono voglio vuoi vuole vogliamo volete vogliono

THE FUTURE TENSE IL FUTURO The future tense in English is a compound (i.e. more than a single word) tense, made with the auxiliary verbs "shall" and "will". In Italian, the future tense is a simple (i.e. single word) tense, made by adding six ending to the present infinitive: singular - = I shall ... -ai = you will ... plural -emo = we shall... -ete = you will ...

- = he/she will... -anno = they will... These ending are attached to the present infinitive which loses the final -e. Look at the table below: parlare parler parlerai parler parleremo parlerete parleranno scrivere scriver scriverai scriver scriveremo scriverete scriveranno partire partir partirai partir partiremo partirete partiranno

Please note three things: 1. Verbs like parlare change the vowel in their infinitive from -a- to -e2. There are accents written on the First Person Singular and Third Person Singular in all verbs. 3. You will have to be careful with the spelling of some verbs when you put them into the Future Tense in order to preserve the sound in their infinitive. This will happen with verbs ending in -care and -gare, e.g. pagare (to pay) I'll pay = pagher cercare (to look for) I'll look for = cercher This will also happen with verbs ending in -ciare and -giare, e.g.

cominciare (to begin) I'll begin = comincer viaggiare (to travel) I'll travel = viagger IRREGULAR VERBS: A few verbs don't quite follow the pattern above. You need to learn what they do: The Future Tense of avere and essere is: avere avr avrai avr avremo avrete avranno essere sar sarai sar saremo sarete saranno

There are another ten common verbs which you need to learn: andare andr andrai andr andremo andrete dare dar darai dar darete fare far farai far farete stare star starai star starete sapere sapr saprai sapr saprete dovere dovr dovrai dovr dovrete potere potr potrai potr potremo potrete volere vorr vorrai vorr vorremo vorrete vedere vedr vedrai vedr vedrete venire verr verrai verr verrete

daremo faremo staremo sapremo dovremo

vedremo verremo

andranno daranno faranno staranno sapranno dovranno potranno vorranno vedranno verranno Apart from the verb essere, only two verbs, volere and venire, are awkward and need careful attention.

The Conditional Il Modo Condizionale: condizionale presenteThe Conditional is a mood of the verb for expressing hopes, wishes and aspirations. In English, the equivalent is the tense/mood made with the the auxiliary very would: e.g. I would take a holiday if I had the time. I'm sure that you would enjoy the party, even if your parents are there too.

This mood of the verb is made up like the future tense, by adding endings to the infinitive. The endings are: singular -ei = I would ... -esti = you would ... -ebbe = he/she would... plural -emmo = we would... -este = you would ... -ebbero = they would...

These ending are attached to the present infinitive which loses the final -e. Look at the table below: parlare parlerei parleresti parlerebbe parleremmo parlereste parlerebbero scrivere scriverei scriveresti scriverebbe scriveremmo scrivereste scriverebbero partire partirei partiresti partirebbe partiremmo partireste partirebbero

Please note that as with the Future Tense, verbs like parlare change the vowel in their infinitive from a- to -e- and also the spelling changes for the Future Tense which affect verbs ending -care, -gare, -ciare and -giare also apply to this tense. IRREGULAR VERBS: The verbs which were irregular in their Future Tense, are also irregular in the Conditional, but all you need to do is change the endings: The Conditional of avere and essere is: avere avrei avresti avrebbe avremmo avreste avrebbero essere sarei saresti sarebbe saremmo sareste sarebbero

There are the other ten common verbs which you need to learn: andare andrei andresti andrebbe andreste dare darei daresti darebbe dareste fare farei faresti farebbe fareste stare starei staresti starebbe stareste sapere saprei sapresti saprebbe sapreste dovere dovrei dovresti dovrebbe dovreste potere potrei potresti potrebbe potreste volere vorrei vorresti vorrebbe vorreste vedere vedrei vedresti vedrebbe vedreste

ven verrei

verrest

verreb

andremmo daremmo faremmo staremmo sapremmo dovremmo potremmo vorremmo vedremmo verrem

verrest

andrebbero darebbero farebbero starebbero saprebbero dovrebbero potrebbero vorrebbero vedrebbero verreb So, once you have learned how this mood is formed,you need to be clear about when it is used. Here is a list: 1. to express wishes, hopes, desires, aspirations: I would enjoy spending a year abroad. Mi piacerebbe passare un anno all'estero. 2. to express a request politely:

I would like an ice-cream vorrei un gelato. Could you help me, please? Potresti aiutarmi, per favore? (informal) Potrebbe aiutarmi, per favore?(formal) 3. to express doubt: I don't think that he would earn much money. Non penso che guadagnerebbe molti soldi. Mum doesn't think it would be a good idea. La mamma non crede che sarebbe una buon'idea. 4. to express personal opinions: I would say that it should be possible to do it. direi che dovrebbe essere possibile farlo. 5. to repeat rumours, hearsay and other people's opinions: According to press, they will probably get divorced: Secondo la stampa, si divorzierebbero.

The modal verbs: potere (can), dovere (must/ have to), and volere (want) need a bit of care: potrei = I could dovrei = I should vorrei = I would like For Example: 1. Sandra could learn Italian but she's too lazy. Sandra potrebbe imparare l'italiano me troppo pigra. 2. They should write to you soon. Dovrebbero scriverti presto. 3. Giorgio would like to accompany you. Giorgio vorrebbe accompagnarti.

The Past Conditional Il Condizionale PassatoIn English the equivalent tense/mood is made with the auxiliaries would have: e.g. I would have gone, if I had been invited. He would have earned more money in the States.

In Italian this is a compound tense (i.e.made with more than one word). It is made with the present conditional tense of the auxiliary verb (avere or essere) and the past participle of the verb. Study the table below:

parlare avrei parlato avresti parlato

finire avrei finito avresti finito

arrivare sarei arrivato/a sarebbe arrivato/a saremmo arrivati/e sarebbero arrivati/e

partire sarei partito/a

vestirsi mi sarei vestito/a

saresti arrivato/a saresti partito/a ti saresti vestito/a sarebbe partito/a si sarebbe vestito/a saremmo partiti/e sarebbero partiti/e ci saremmo vestiti/e si sarebbero vestiti/e

avrebbe parlato avrebbe finito avremmo parlato avreste parlato avrebbero parlato avremmo finito avreste finito avrebbero finito

sareste arrivati/e sareste partiti/e vi sareste vestiti/e

So, when do you use it? 1. to express a past intention or wish that can no longer be fulfilled: I would have booked the hotel last week; now it's too late. Avrei prenotato l'albergo la settimana scorsa; adesso troppo tardi. Maria would have come to the party but she is ill. Maria sarebbe venuta alla festa ma sta male. 2. to express "the future in the past" i.e. in reported speech to express a future action from a point of view in the past: e.g. She said yesterday that she would come. Lei ha detto ieri che sarebbe venuta. I knew that it would be difficult. Ho saputo che sarebbe stato difficile. My father promised that he would buy me a car for my birthday. Mio padre ha promesso che mi avrebbe comprato una macchina per il mio compleanno. The "future in the past" is a difficult piece of grammar but you might want to use it in Higher writing. In essence you use the past conditional when the clause introduced by "that" in English, or "che" in Italian follows a verb in the past tense. In English the verb in the "that" clause sounds like a conditional, but in Italian it has to be past conditional. The modal verbs: potere (can), dovere (must/ have to), and volere (want) need a bit of care: avrei potuto = I could have avrei dovuto = I should have avrei voluto = I would have liked to For Example:

1. Claudia could sit her exams next week; she could have sat them all last week. Claudia potrebbe fare gli esami la settimana prossima; avrebbe potuto farli la settimana scorsa. 2. You should go to the doctor's; you should have gone yesterday Dovresti andare dal medico; avresti dovuto andare ieri. 3. Giorgio would have liked to accompany you. Giorgio avrebbe voluto accompagnarti.

The Perfect Tense Il Passato Prossimo1. This is a compound tense i.e. composed of two words auxiliary verb and past participle. 2. This tense corresponds to two different tenses in English: The Simple Past: e.g. I visited Italy last year. The Present Perfect: e.g. She has gone on holiday for a month. N.B. This means that the English "I went" and "I have gone" are the same in Italian. To make this tense you need the present tense of avere followed by the past participle of the verb you want. You already know the present tense of avere, so you now need you learn how to make the past participle. The table below explains how: Present Infinitive parlare vedere finire Past Participle parlato veduto finito

So, to say in Italian "I have finished" you say Ho (I have) finito (finished); if you want to say "I finished" it is also Ho finito. It is important that you understand that you can only make the past tense in Italian in two words auxiliary verb and a past participle. Here is the full past tense of the verb vedere (to see) : ho veduto I saw; I have seen abbiamo veduto hanno veduto we saw; we have seen you saw; you have seen they saw; they have seen

hai veduto you saw; you have seen avete veduto ha veduto he/she saw; has seen

Note that the past participle does not change when the auxiliary verb is avere. If you have learned French you will see that the system is exactly the same. The vast majority of verbs make their past participle by following the pattern in the table above, but some do not follow the general rule; they are called strong verbs. You have to learn them as you meet them but listed below you will find some of the most common verbs. Learn them now!

infinitive aprire bere chiedere chiudere dire fare leggere mettere prendere rispondere scegliere scoprire scrivere smettere vedere vincere vivere

meaning to open to drink to ask to close to say; to tell to make; to do to read to put to take to answer to choose to discover to write to stop to see to win to live

past participle aperto bevuto chiesto chiuso detto fatto letto messo preso risposto scelto scoperto scritto smesso visto vinto vissuto

You will see that the verb vedere (to see) has two past participles: veduto and visto; choose whichever you like.

Verbs which require the verb essere as the auxiliary:Intransitive verbs (usually verbs of motion) and all the reflexive verbs require essere as the auxiliary verb, not avere. This means that you use the present tense of essere and the past participle. N.B. When essere is the auxiliary, the past participle agrees with the subject of the verb. For example: The girls have left = Le ragazze sono partite. The boys arrived late = I ragazzi sono arrivati in ritardo. The children woke up early = I bambini si sono svegliati presto.Listed below are the commonest verbs which require essere as their auxiliary; learn them now be careful to learn the strong past participles. Infinitive andare venire Meaning to go to come Past Participle andato venuto

partire arrivare entrare uscire salire nascere morire tornare cadere rimanere succedere essere diventare

to leave to arrive to enter to go out to get into to be born to die to return to fall to remain to happen to be to become

partito arrivato entrato uscito salito sceso nato morto tornato caduto rimasto successo stato diventato

scendere to get out of

This is a very important tense: you must be able to use it for both Standard Grade and Higher. Try the following exercises. Exercise 1. Translate into English: 1. Ho mangiato troppo. 2. Non ho mai visitato Roma. 3. Hai fatto i compiti? 4. Dove hai passato le vacanze? 5. Non ho fatto niente durante le vacanze. 6. Ho letto un libro interessante la settimana scorsa. 7. Hai visto quel film ieri sera? 8. Mariella ha chiuso la porta quando ha lasciato la casa. 9. La mamma ha comprato del pane al mercato. 10.Cosa hai preso da mangiare oggi? Exercise 2. Translate into English: 1. La famiglia andata a Roma. 2. Tutti sono arrivati in treno. 3. La mia amica partita ieri sera. 4. L'uomo salito in macchina. 5. Roberto si svegliato molto presto. 6. Le ragazze si sono alzate alle sette. 7. I miei genitori sono venuti qui anni fa. 8. La principessa Diana nata in Inghilterra ma morta a Parigi. 9. Sono rimasti dieci giorni a Bologna. 10.Dopo la guerra gli uomini sono tornati a casa.

Exercise 3 Translate into Italian: [transitive verbs use avere as the