Italian I Tutorial
1. Some Basic Phrases
Buon giorno
bwon zhor-no
Hello / Good morning/afternoon
Buona sera
bwoh-nah seh-rah
Good evening
Buona notte
bwoh-nah noht-teh
Good night
Ciao
chow
Hi / Hello / Bye (informal)
Arrivederci
ah-ree-vuh-dehr-chee
Goodbye
ArrivederLa
ah-ree-vuh-dehr-lah
Goodbye (formal)
A più tardi
ah pyoo tar-dee
See you later
A presto
ah press-toh
See you soon
A domani
ah doh-mahn-ee
See you tomorrow
Per favore / Per piacere
pehr fah-voh-reh / pehr pee-ah-chehreh
Please
Grazie (mille)
graht-zee-eh (mee-leh)
Thank you (very much)
Prego
preh-goh
You're Welcome
Mi dispiace
mee dee-spyah-cheh
Sorry
Scusi / Scusa
skoo-zee / skoo-zah
Excuse me (formal / informal)
Andiamo!
on-dee-ah-mo
Let's go!
Come sta? / Come stai?
koh-meh stah / koh-meh sty
How are you? (formal / informal)
Sto bene.
stoh beh-neh
I am fine / well.
Non c'è male.
nohn cheh mah-leh
Not bad.
Abbastanza bene.
ah-bah-stahn-tsah beh-neh
Pretty good.
Così così.
koh-zee koh-zee
So so.
Sì / No
see / noh
Yes / No
Come si chiama?
koh-meh see kee-ah-mah
What's your name? (formal)
Come ti chiami?
koh-meh tee kee-ah-mee
What's your name? (informal)
Mi chiamo...
mee kee-ah-mo
My name is...
Piacere / Molto lieto.
pee-ah-cheh-reh / mohl-toh lee-ehtoh
Pleased / Nice to meet you.
Signore, Signora, Signorina
seen-yoh-reh, seen-yoh-rah, seen-yoh-reen-ah
Mister, Misses, Miss
Di dov'è?
dee doh-veh
Where are you from? (formal)
Di dove sei?
dee doh-veh seh-ee
Where are you from? (informal)
Sono di...
soh-noh dee
I am from...
Quanti anni ha?
kwahn-tee ahn-nee ah
How old are you? (formal)
Quanti anni hai?
kwahn-tee ahn-nee ah-ee
How old are you? (informal)
Ho ______ anni.
oh ______ ahn-nee
I am _____ years old.
Parla italiano?
par-lah ee-tahl-ee-ah-no
Do you speak Italian? (formal)
Parli inglese?
par-lee een-gleh-zeh
Do you speak English?
(informal)
[Non] parlo...
[non] par-lo
I [don't] speak...
Capisce? / Capisci?
kah-pee-sheh / kah-pee-shee
Do you understand? (formal /
informal)
[Non] capisco.
[non] kah-pees-koh
I [don't] understand.
Non so. / Lo so.
non soh / low soh
I don't know. / I know.
Può aiutarmi? / Puoi aiutarmi?
pwoh ah-yoo-tar-mee / pwoh-ee ah-
Certamente / D'accordo.
cher-tah-mehn-teh / dah-kohr-
Come?
koh-meh?
yoo-tar-mee
Can you help me? (formal / informal)
doh
Sure / OK. What? / Pardon me?
Desidera? / Desideri?
deh-zee-deh-rah / deh-zee-deh-ree
May I help you? (formal / informal)
Come si dice ____ in italiano?
koh-meh see dee-cheh ____ een ee-tah-lee-ah-noh
How do you say ____ in Italian?
Dov'è / Dove sono...?
doh-veh / doh-veh soh-noh
Where is / Where are... ?
Ecco...
eh-koh
Here is / Here are...
C'è / Ci sono...
cheh / chee soh-noh
There is / There are...
Cosa c'è?
koh-zah cheh
What's the matter? / What's wrong?
Non importa. / Di niente.
nohn eem-por-tah / dee neeehn-
teh
It doesn't matter.
Non m'importa.
nohn meem-por-tah
I don't care.
Non ti preoccupare.
nohn tee preh-ohk-koo-pah-reh
Don't worry. (informal)
Ho dimenticato.
oh dee-men-tee-kah-toh
I forgot.
Devo andare adesso.
deh-voh ahn-dah-reh ahdes-
soh
I have to go now.
Ho fame. / Ho sete.
oh fah-meh / oh seh-teh
I'm hungry. / I'm thirsty.
Ho freddo. / Ho caldo.
oh freh-doh / oh kal-doh
I'm cold. / I'm hot.
Mi annoio.
mee ahn-noh-ee-oh
I'm bored.
Salute!
sah-loo-teh
Bless you!
Congratulazioni!
kohn-grah-tsoo-lah-tsee-ohnee
Congratulations!
Benvenuti!
behn-veh-noo-tee
Welcome!
Buona fortuna!
bwoh-nah for-too-nah
Good luck!
Tocca a me! / Tocca a te!
tohk-kah ah meh / tohk-kah ah
teh
It's my turn! / It's your turn!
(informal)
Ti amo.
tee ah-moh
I love you. (informal)
È pazzo! / Sei pazzo!
eh pats-soh / seh-ee pats-soh
You're crazy! (formal / informal)
Sta zitto! / Stai zitto!
stah tseet-toh / sty tseet-toh
Be quiet / Shut up! (formal /
informal)
Va bene!
vah beh-neh
OK!
Notice that Italian has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more
than one meaning to "you" in Italian (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is
used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when
talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show
respect (a professor, for example.) There is also a plural you, used when speaking to more than
one person.
Also, the words pazzo and zitto refer to men. If you are talking to a woman, use pazza and zitta. If
you are talking to more than one person (all men, or a group of men and women), use pazzi and
zitti. If you are talking to more than one person (all women), use pazze and zitte.
2. Pronunciation
Italian Letter(s) English Sound
a ah
e eh
i ee
o oh
u oo
ai eye
au ow
ei ay
ia yah
ie yeh
io yoh
iu yoo
ua wah
ue weh
uo woh
ui wee
ci or ce ch
gi or ge dj
sci or sce sh
sch sk
aia ah-yah
aio ah-yoh
iei ee-yay
uio oo-yoh
uoi oo-oy
ch k
h silent
r trilled
Note: Italian is a very phonetic language, so pronunciation is very easy. Most words are
pronounced exactly like they are spelled.
3. Alphabet
a ah q koo
b bee r ehr-reh
c chee s ehs-seh
d dee t teh
e eh u oo
f eff-eh v voo
g zhee z dzeh-tah
h ahk-kah
i ee Foreign Letters
l ehl-eh j ee loon-gah
m ehm-eh k kahp-pah
n ehn-eh w dohp-pyah voo
o oh x eeks
p pee y ee greh-kah (or) eep-see-lohn
4. Definite and Indefinite Articles and Demonstratives
Articles (a, an, the) are used before nouns, but in Italian, nouns have gender and the articles must
agree with the gender. Masculine words generally end in -o and feminine words generally end in
-a. Words that end in -e may be either, so you will just have to memorize the gender.
Definite Article - The
Masculine Feminine
il eel sing., before consonants
lo low sing., before z, gn, or s + cons.
la lah sing., before consonants
l' l sing., before vowels l' l sing., before vowels
i ee plural, before consonants
gli lyee plural, before vowels, z, gn, or s + cons.
le leh plural, before consonants and vowels
Indefinite Articles - A, an, some
Masculine Feminine
A, An
un oon before consonant or vowel una oonah
before consonants
uno oon-oh before z, gn, or s + consonant un' oon before vowels
Some
dei day before consonants
degli dehlyee
before vowels, z, gn, or s +
cons.
delle dell-eh before vowels and
consonants
Demonstratives - This, that, these, and those
This and these
This These
Masc. questo questi before a consonant
quest' questi before a vowel
Fem. questa queste before a consonant
quest' queste before a vowel
That and those
That Those
Masc. quel quei before a consonant
quell' quegli before a vowel
quello quegli before z, gn, or s + consonant
Fem. quella quelle before a consonant
quell' quelle before a vowel
Note: If you use that and those as a subject, use these four forms: quello for masculine singular,
quella for feminine singular, quelli for masculine plural, and quelle for feminine plural.
5. Subject Pronouns
io ee-oh I noi noy we
tu too you (informal singular) voi voy you (informal plural)
lui, lei lwee/lay he, she, you (formal singular) loro loh-roh they, you (formal plural)
Note: The Lei form is generally used for you (singular), instead of tu, unless you're referring to
kids or animals. Loro can also mean "you," but only in very polite situations.
6. To Be and to Have
Essere - to be
I am sono soh-noh We are siamo see-ah-moh
You are sei say You are siete see-eh-teh
He/she/it is è eh They are sono soh-noh
Note: You do not have to use the subject pronouns as the different conjugations imply the subject.
Past and Future of Essere
I was ero we were eravamo I will be sarò we will be saremo
you were eri you were eravate you will be sarai you will be sarete
he/she/it is era they were erano he/she/it will be sarà they will be saranno
Avere - to have
I have ho oh We have abbiamo ahb-bee-ah-mo
You have hai eye You have avete ah-veh-teh
He/she has ha ah They have hanno ahn-noh
Past and Future of Avere
I had avevo we had avevamo I will have avrò we will have avremo
you had avevi you had avevate you will have avrai you will have avrete
he/she/it had aveva they had avevano he/she/it will have avrà they will have avranno
Avere is used with many idioms and expressions that normally use the verb "to be" in English:
avere fame - to be hungry
avere sete - to be thirsty
avere caldo - to be warm
avere freddo - to be cold
avere fretta - to be in a hurry
avere paura (di) - to be afraid (of)
avere ragione - to be right
avere torto - to be wrong
avere sonno - to be sleepy
avere bisogno di - to need
avere voglia di - to want, to feel like
avere (number) anni - to be (number) years old
7. Useful Words
and e eh always sempre sehm-preh
or o oh often spesso speh-soh
but ma mah sometimes qualche volta kwal-keh vohl-tah
not non nohn usually usualmente oo-zoo-al-mehn-teh
while mentre mehn-treh especially specialmente speh-chee-al-mehn-teh
se seh except eccetto eh-cheh-toh
because perché pehr-kay book il libro lee-broh
very, a lot molto mohl-toh pencil la matita mah-tee-tah
also, too anche ahn-keh pen la penna pehn-nah
although benché behn-keh paper la carta kar-tah
now adesso, ora ah-deh-so, oh-rah dog il cane kah-neh
perhaps, maybe forse for-seh cat il gatto gah-toh
then allora, poi ahl-loh-rah, poy friend (fem) l'amica ah-mee-kah
there is c'è cheh friend (masc) l'amico ah-mee-koh
there are ci sono chee soh-noh woman la donna dohn-nah
there was c'era che-rah man l'uomo woh-moh
there were c'erano che-rah-no girl la ragazza rah-gat-sah
here is ecco ehk-koh boy il ragazzo rah-gat-soh
8. Question Words
Who Chi kee
Whose Di chi dee kee
What Che cosa keh koh-sah
Why Perché pehr-keh
When Quando kwahn-doh
Where Dove doh-veh
How Come koh-meh
How much Quanto kwahn-toh
Which Quale kwah-leh
Note: When dove, come, and quale are followed by è (is), dove and come contract to dov'è and
com'è; and quale drops its e to become qual è.
9. Numbers / Ordinals
0 zero dzeh-roh
1 uno oo-noh
2 due doo-eh
3 tre treh
4 quattro kwaht-troh
5 cinque cheen-kweh
6 sei say
7 sette seht-teh
8 otto aw-toh
9 nove naw-vay
10 dieci dee-ay-chee
11 undici oon-dee-chee
12 dodici doh-dee-chee
13 tredici treh-dee-chee
14 quattordici kwaht-tohr-dee-chee
15 quindici kween-dee-chee
16 sedici seh-dee-chee
17 diciassette dee-chahs-seht-teh
18 diciotto dee-choht-toh
19 diciannove dee-chahn-noh-veh
20 venti vehn-tee
21 ventuno vehn-too-noh
22 ventidue vehn-tee-doo-eh
30 trenta trehn-tah
40 quaranta kwah-rahn-tah
50 cinquanta cheen-kwahn-tah
60 sessanta sehs-sahn-tah
70 settanta seht-tahn-tah
80 ottanta oh-tahn-tah
90 novanta noh-vahn-tah
100 cento chehn-toh
Note: When you have a word that ends in a vowel, like venti, and another word that begins with a
vowel, like uno; the first word loses its vowel when putting the two words together. Venti (20) and
uno (1) make ventuno (21). One exception is cento; it does not lose its vowel. Cento (100) and
uno (1) make centouno (101). And be aware that Italian switches the use of commas and
decimals.
Ordinal Numbers
first
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
eighth
ninth
tenth
eleventh
twentieth
hundredth
primo (a)
secondo (a)
terzo (a)
quarto (a)
quinto (a)
sesto (a)
settimo (a)
ottavo (a)
nono (a)
decimo (a)
undicesimo (a)
ventesimo (a)
centesimo (a)
From eleventh on, just drop the final vowel of the cardinal number and add -esimo. For numbers
like ventitrè, trentatrè, add -esimo but do not drop the final e. Ordinal numbers are adjectives and
must agree with the nouns they modify; -o is the masculine ending, -a is the feminine ending.
10. Days of the Week
Monday lunedì loo-neh-dee
Tuesday martedì mahr-teh-dee
Wednesday mercoledì mehr-koh-leh-dee
Thursday giovedì zhoh-veh-dee
Friday venerdì veh-nehr-dee
Saturday sabato sah-bah-toh
Sunday domenica doh-men-ee-kah
yesterday ieri yer-ee
last night ieri sera yer-ee seh-rah
today oggi ohd-jee
tomorrow domani doh-mahn-ee
day il giorno eel zhor-noh
Note: To say on Mondays, on Tuesdays, etc., use il before lunedì through sabato, and la before
domenica.
11. Months of the Year
January gennaio jehn-nah-yoh
February febbraio fehb-brah-yoh
March marzo mar-tsoh
April aprile ah-pree-leh
May maggio mahd-joh
June giugno joo-nyoh
July luglio loo-lyoh
August agosto ah-goh-stoh
September settembre seht-tehm-breh
October ottobre oht-toh-breh
November novembre noh-vehm-breh
December dicembre dee-chem-breh
week la settimana lah sett-ee-mah-nah
month il mese eel meh-zeh
year l'anno lahn-noh
Note: Days and months are not capitalized. To express the date, use È il (number) (month). May
5th would be È il 5 (or cinque) maggio. But for the first of the month, use primo instead of 1 or
uno.
To express ago, as in two days ago, a month ago, etc., just add fa afterwards. To express last, as
in last Wednesday, last week, etc., just add scorso (for masculine words) or scorsa (for feminine
words) afterwards. Un mese fa means a month ago and l'anno scorso means last year.
12. Seasons
Summer l'estate leh-stah-teh
Fall l'autunno low-toon-noh
Spring la primavera lah pree-mah-veh-rah
Winter l'inverno leen-vehr-noh
Note: To say in the (season), just use in. In estate is in the summer, in primavera is in spring.
D'estate and d'inverno can also be used instead of in estate or in inverno.
13. Directions
North nord nohrd
South sud sood
East est est
West ovest oh-vest
14. Color
white bianco/a square il quadrato
yellow giallo/a circle il cerchio
orange arancione triangle il triangolo
pink rosa rectangle il rettangolo
red rosso/a oval l'ovale
light blue azzurro/a cube il cubo
dark blue blu sphere la sfera
green verde cylinder il cilindro
brown marrone cone il cono
grey grigio/a octagon l'ottagono
black nero/a box la scatola
Note: Colors are adjectives and must agree with the nouns they modify; -o is the masculine
ending, -a is the feminine ending. For example, rosso is masculine and rossa is feminine. Color
words always go after the noun they describe.
15. Time
What time is it? Che ora è? / Che ore sono? keh oh-rah eh / keh o-reh soh-noh
At what time? A che ora? ah keh oh-rah
It's 1:00 È l'una eh loo-nah
at 1:00 all'una ahl-loo-nah
(at) noon (a) mezzogiornio (ah) med-zoh-zhor-noh
(at) midnight (a) mezzanotte (ah) med-zah-noh-teh
2:00 Sono le due soh-noh leh doo-eh
3:10 Sono le tre e dieci soh-noh leh treh eh dee-ay-chee
4:50 Sono le cinque meno dieci soh-noh leh cheen-kwah meh-noh dee-ay-chee
8:15 Sono le otto e un quarto soh-noh leh awt-toh eh oon kwar-toh
7:45 Sono le otto meno un quarto soh-noh leh aw-toh meh-noh un kwar-toh
1:30 È l'una e mezza eh loo-nah eh med-zah
6:30 Sono le sei e mezzo soh-noh leh say-ee eh med-zoh
sharp in punto een poon-toh
in the morning di mattina dee maht-teen-ah
in the afternoon del pomeriggio dell poh-mehr-ee-zhee-oh
in the evening di sera dee seh-rah
at night di notte dee noht-teh
16. Weather
What's the weather today? Che tempo fa oggi?
It's nice Fa bel tempo
bad Fa brutto tempo
raining Piove
snowing Nevica
cold Fa freddo
cool Fa fresco
hot Fa caldo
freezing Fa un freddo gelido
cloudy È nuvoloso
foggy C'è la nebbia
sunny C'è il sole
windy Tira vento
humid È umido
muggy È afoso
stormy Il tempo è burrascoso
thundering Tuona
17. Family and Animals
family la famiglia relatives i parenti dog il cane
parents i genitori father-in-law il suocero cat il gatto
mother la madre mother-in-law la suocera bird l'uccello
father il padre son-in-law il genero mouse il topo
son il figlio daughter-in-law la nuora rabbit il coniglio
daughter la figlia brother-in-law il cognato horse il cavallo
brother il fratello sister-in-law la cognata cow la mucca
sister la sorella stepfather il patrigno donkey l'asino
grandfather il nonno stepmother la matrigna goat la capra
grandmother la nonna step/half brother il fratellastro sheep la pecora
grandson/nephew il nipote step/half sister la sorellastra goose l'oca
granddaughter/niece la nipote married sposato duck l'anatra
uncle lo zio divorced divorziato pig il maiale
aunt la zia separated separato hen la gallina
cousin (m) il cugino single (man) celibe deer il cervo
cousin (f) la cugina single (woman) nubile
husband il marito bachelor lo scapolo
wife la moglie widow la vedova
man l'uomo widower il vedovo
woman la donna
boy il ragazzo
girl la ragazza
18. To Know People and Facts
Conoscere-to know, be acquainted with Sapere-to know (facts)
conosco conosciamo so sappiamo
conosci conoscete sai sapete
conosce conoscono sa sanno
Note: Conoscere is used when you know people and places. It is conjugated regularly. Sapere
is used when you know facts. Sapere followed by an infinitive means to know how.
19. Formation of Plural Nouns
If a word is masculine singular, change the last letter to an i. If a word is feminine singular, change
the last letter to an e if it ends in a, or if it ends in e, change it to an i.
Singular to Plural Nouns
Masculine
-o -i
-a -i
-e -i
Feminine
-a -e
-e -i
Note: Some nouns ending in -co and -go may or may not insert an h before changing the o to i.
There is no general rule for it. All nouns ending in -ca and -ga insert an h before changing the a
to e. Nouns ending in an accented vowel do not change for the plural. (la città (city) becomes le
città) There are some masculine nouns that end -a, and these nouns change the -a to -i in the
plural: il programma, il poeta, il pianete, il pilota, il poema, il sistema. The plural of l'uomo (man)
is gli uomini, while the plural of la mano (hand) is le mani.
20. Possessive Adjectives
Masc. Sing. Fem. Sing. Masc. Pl. Fem. Pl.
my il mio la mia i miei (myeh-ee) le mie
your il tuo la tua i tuoi (twoh-ee) le tue
his/her il suo la sua i suoi (swoh-ee) le sue
our il nostro la nostra i nostri le nostre
your il vostro la vostra i vostri le vostre
their il loro la loro i loro le loro
Note: You may leave off the il and la before family relation words in the singular. All other times,
you must use them. Notice that loro does not change.
21. To Do or Make
Fare-to do / make
faccio fah-cho facciamo fah-chah-moh
fai fah-ee fate fah-teh
fa fah fanno fahn-noh
Che cosa fa? What do you do (as a profession)?
Che facoltà fa? What's your major?
Faccio l'architettura. I'm studying/majoring in architecture.
Idomatic expressions used with fare:
fare una domanda - to ask a question
fare un viaggio - to take a trip
fare un bagno - to take a bath
fare una passeggiata - to take a walk
fare attenzione - to pay attention
fare un piacere - to do a favor
fare una conferenza - to give a lecture
fare (profession) - to be a (profession)
22. Work and School
architect
author
banker
waiter
waitress
saleswoman
salesman
accountant
doctor (m)
doctor (f)
musician
barber
l'architetto
l'autore
il banchiere
il cameriere
la cameriera
la commessa
il commesso
il contabile
il dottore
la dottoressa
il/la musicista
il barbiere
teacher (m)
teacher (f)
professor (m)
professor (f)
hair stylist (m)
hair stylist (f)
secretary (m)
secretary (f)
soldier
journalist
office worker (m)
office worker (f)
il maestro
la maestra
il professore
la professoressa
il parrucchiere
la parrucchiera
il segretario
la segretaria
il soldato
il/la giornalista
l'impiegato
l'impiegata
biology
chemistry
economics
philosophy
physics
geography
foreign
languages
mathematics
medicine
accounting
history
psychology
la biologia
la chimica
l'economia
la filosofia
la fisica
la geografia
la lingua
straniera
la matematica
la medicina
la ragioneria
la storia
la psicologia
architecture
business
law
engineering
literature
political
science
sociology
astronomy
dramatic arts
computer
science
communication
phsyical
education
l'architettura
il commercio
la giurisprudenza
l'ingegneria
le lettere
le scienze politiche
la sociologia
l'astronomia
l'arte drammatica
l'informatica
la scienza della
comunicazioni
l'educazione fisica
course, class il corso oral exams gli orali
department la facoltà written exams gli scritti
subject la materia semester / trimester il semestre /
trimestre
Listen Ascoltate Correct! Giusto!
Read Leggete Wrong! Sbagliato!
Repeat Ripetete All together! Tutti insieme!
Answer Rispondete One more time. Ancora una
volta.
Write Scrivete How do you
pronounce...?
Come si
pronuncia...?
Open your
books Aprite i libri. How do you write...? Come si
scrive...?
Close your
books Chiudete i libri. How do you say...? Come si
dice...?
Do the
exercise Fate l'esercizio What does ... mean? Cosa vuol
dire...?
Attention! Attenzione! Repeat, please. Ripeta, per
favore.
Very good! Molto bene /
Benissimo! OK. Va bene.
23. Prepositions
for per
beside accanto
ahead avanti
among fra di
before prima di
against contro
over sopra
under sotto
with con
without senza
across attraverso
after dopo
during durante
except eccetto
toward verso
24. Prepositional Contractions
il lo l' la i gli le
a at, to al allo all' alla ai agli alle
da from, by dal dallo dall' dalla dai dagli dalle
di of del dello dell' della dei degli delle
in in nel nello nell' nella nei negli nelle
su on sul sullo sull' sulla sui sugli sulle
con with col collo coll' colla coi cogli colle
Note: The only contractions for con that are still used nowadays are col and coi. But even these
contractions are optional.
Usually no article is used with in before words denoting rooms in a house or buildings in a city.
Di is also used when showing possession. Italian does not have the -'s construction that English
uses, so you must say that whatever is possessed is of the person.
Questo cane è di Marco. This dog is Marco's. / This is Marco's dog. (Literally: This dog is of
Marco.)
25. Countries and Nationalities
Africa l'Africa African africano
Australia l'Australia Australian australiano
Canada il Canada Canadian canadese
China la Cina Chinese cinese
France la Francia French francese
Germany la Germania German tedesco
England l'Inghilterra English inglese
Great Britain la Gran Bretagna British britannico
Ireland l'Irlanda Irish irlandese
Italy l'Italia Italian italiano
Japan il Giappone Japanese giapponese
China la Cina Chinese cinese
Korea la Corea Korean coreano
Mexico il Messico Mexican messicano
Russia la Russia Russian russo
Spain la Spagna Spanish spagnolo
United States gli Stati Uniti American statunitense
Switzerland la Svizzera Swiss svizzero
Austria l'Austria Austrian austriaco
Poland la Polonia Polish polacco
Belgium il Belgio Belgian belga
Norway la Norvegia Norwegian norvegese
Sweden la Svezia Swedish svedese
Denmark la Danimarca Danish danese
Netherlands i Paesi Bassi Dutch olandese
Finland la Finlandia Finnish finlandese
Notes: If the adjective is referring to a language, it will always be the masculine form. If the
adjective is referring to a woman instead of a man, then the adjectives ending in -o change to end
in -a. The adjectives ending in -e do not change for gender. Also, the adjective americano usually
refers to someone living anywhere in the American continent, but many people do use it to mean a
person from the United States, instead of statunitense.
When talking about your country of origin, it is more common in Italian to use the adjective of
nationality. So, for example, instead of saying She is from Denmark, you would say She is Danish.
26. To and From Places
To From
Country (sing) in da (+ contraction)
Country (plural) negli da (+ contraction)
City a da
27. To Come and to Go
Venire - to come Andare - to go
vengo vehn-goh veniamo ven-ee-ah-moh vado vah-doh andiamo ahn-dee-ah-moh
vieni vee-en-ee venite ven-ee-teh vai vah-ee andate ahn-dah-teh
viene vee-en-eh vengono ven-goh-noh va vah vanno vahn-noh
To make a verb negative, add non before it: Non vengo a scuola in macchina. I don't come to
school by car.
If andare is followed by another infinitive, then a must be used before the infinitive. Vado a
mangiare adesso. I'm going to eat now.
Other verbs conjugated in the same pattern as venire are:
avvenire - to happen, to occur
convenire - to convene
divenire - to become
provenire - to come from, to proceed
sovvenire - to help
svenire - to faint
Tenere (to keep) verbs are conjugated very similarly to venire too, except the voi form ends in -ete
instead of -ite:
appartenere - to belong
contenere - to contain
intrattenere - to entertain
mantenere - to maintain
ottenere - to obtain
ritenere - to retain
sostenere - to sustain, to support
trattenere - to withhold, to detain
28. Conjugating Regular Verbs
To conjugate regular verbs, take off the last three letters (-are, -ere, or -ire) and add these endings
to the stem:
Regular Verb Endings
-are -ere 1st -ire 2nd -ire
-o -iamo -o -iamo -o -iamo -isco -iamo
-i -ate -i -ete -i -ite -isci -ite
-a -ano -e -ono -e -ono -isce -iscono
Regular Verbs
-are 1st -ire
parlare to speak dormire to sleep
cantare to sing partire to leave
arrivare to arrive sentire to hear
abitare to live aprire to open
amare to love offrire to offer
ascoltare to listen (to) servire to serve
cominciare to begin
domandare to ask
giocare to play (a game/sport)
guardare to look (at)/watch
imparare to learn
insegnare to teach
lavorare to work
mangiare to eat
pensare to think
studiare to study
-ere 2nd -ire
scrivere to write finire to finish
vedere to see capire to understand
credere to believe preferire to prefer
conoscere to know/be acquainted with colpire to hit
leggere to read costruire to build
mettere to put pulire to clean
perdere to lose sparire to disappear
prendere to take
rispondere to answer
scendere to go down/get off
vendere to sell
vivere to live
correre to run
dipingere to paint
ricevere to receive
Sample Regular Verb
Parlare-to speak
parlo parliamo
parli parlate
parla parlano
The present tense and the preposition da may be used to describe an action which began in the
past and is still continuing in the present. The present perfect tense is used in English to convey
this same concept.
Da quanto tempo Lei studia l'italiano? How long have you been studying Italian?
Studio l'italiano da due anni. I've been studying Italian for two years.
Proprio can be used to emphazie something and it translates as really or just.
Ho proprio sonno. I'm really sleepy.
Arrivo dalla banca proprio adesso. I just now got back from the bank.
29. Reflexive Verbs
Reflexive verbs express actions performed by the subject on the subject. These verbs are
conjugated like regular verbs, but a reflexive pronoun precedes the verb form. This pronoun
always agrees with the subject. In the infinitive form, reflexive verbs have -si attached to them with
the final e dropped. Lavare is to wash, therefore lavarsi is to wash oneself. (Note that some
verbs are reflexive in Italian, but not in English.)
Reflexive Pronouns
mi ci
ti vi
si si
Common reflexive verbs:
to be satisfied with accontentarsi
di
to graduate (from
college) laurearsi
to fall asleep addormentarsi to wash up lavarsi
to get up alzarsi to put on mettersi
to be bored annoiarsi to get organized organizzarsi
to get angry arrabbiarsi to make a
reservation prenotarsi
to be called chiamarsi to remember to ricordarsi di
to forget to dimenticarsi di to make a mistake sbagliarsi
to graduate (from high
school) diplomarsi to feel (well, bad) sentirsi (bene,
male)
to have a good time divertirsi to specialize specializzarsi
to shave (the face) farsi la barba to get married sposarsi
to stop (oneself) fermarsi to wake up svegliarsi
to complain about lamentarsi di to get dressed vestirsi
Io mi lavo. I wash myself.
Noi ci alziamo presto. We get up early.
Si sveglia alle sette. She wakes up at seven.
The plural reflexive pronouns (ci, vi, si) can also be used with non-reflexive verbs to indicate a
reciprocal action. These verbs are called reciprocal verbs and are expressed by the words each
other in English.
to embrace abbracciarsi to run into incontrarsi
to help aiutarsi to fall in love
with innamorarsi
to kiss baciarsi to greet salutarsi
to understand capirsi to write to scriversi
to meet conoscersi to phone telefonarsi
to exchange
gifts farsi regali to see vedersi
to look at guardarsi
Ci scriviamo ogni settimana. We write to each other every week.
Vi vedete spesso? Do you see each other often?
30. Irregularities in Regular Verbs
Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h before the -i and -iamo endings to keep the hard sound.
Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare do not repeat the i in front of the -i ending.
cercare - to look for cominciare - to start
cerco cerchiamo comincio cominciamo
cerchi cercate cominci cominciate
cerca cercano comincia cominciano
31. Past Indefinite Tense (Passato Prossimo)
To form this compound tense (something happened, something has happened, or something did
happen), conjugate avere or sometimes essere and add the past participle. To form the past
participle, add these endings to the appropriate stem of the infinitives:
-are -ato
-ere -uto
-ire -ito
Verbs that can take a direct object are generally conjugated with avere. Verbs that do not take a
direct object (generally verbs of movement) are conjugated with essere and their past participle
must agree in gender and number with the subject. Avere uses avere as its auxiliary verb, while
essere uses essere as its auxiliary verb. Negative sentences with the past indefinite tense are
formed by placing non in front of the auxiliary verb. Common adverbs of time are placed between
avere/essere and the past participle.
Io ho visitato Roma. I visited Rome.
Tu non hai visitato gli Stati Uniti. You didn't visit the United States.
Abbiamo conosciuto due ragazze. We met two girls.
Maria è andata in Italia. Maria went to Italy. (Note the agreement of the past participle with the
subject.)
Ho sempre avuto paura dei cani. I've always been afraid of dogs.
In addition, some verbs take on a different meaning in the past indefinite tense. Consocere means
to meet and sapere means to find out (or to hear) when used in the past indefinite.
32. Irregular Past Participles
fare to do / make fatto done / made
aprire to open aperto opened
bere to drink bevuto drunk
chiedere to ask chiesto asked
chiudere to close chiuso closed
conoscere to know (people) conosciuto known
coprire to cover coperto covered
dare to give dato given
dire to tell/say detto told / said
leggere to read letto read
mettere to put messo put
offrire to offer offerto offered
perdere to lose perso / perduto lost
prendere to take preso taken
rispondere to answer risposto answered
scrivere to write scritto written
soffrire to suffer sofferto suffered
spendere to spend speso spent
vedere to see visto / veduto seen
vivere to live vissuto lived
scendere to go down sceso gone down
rompere to break rotto broken
Sample Avere Verb
Avere-to have
ho avuto abbiamo avuto
hai avuto avete avuto
ha avuto hanno avuto
Note: Ho avuto means I have, I have had, or I did have.
33. Essere Verbs
arrive arrivare
go andare
go out uscire
enter entrare
cost costare
come venire (venuto)
be essere (stato)
leave partire
stay, be stare (stato)
disappear sparire
come back/return tornare
be born nascere (nato)
die morire (morto)
These verbs that are conjugated with essere must agree with the subject. Irregular past participles
are in parentheses.
Sample Essere Verb
Andare-to go
sono andato/a siamo andati/e
sei andato/a siete andati/e
è andato/a sono andati/e
Note: Sono andato can mean I went, I was going, or I did go. Remember that -o is masculine and
-a is feminine. The -i ending indicates all males or males and females; whereas the -e ending
indicates only females.
34. Food and Meals
breakfast la colazione (iced) tea il tè (freddo)
lunch il pranzo bread il pane
dinner la cena salt il sale
fork la forchetta pepper il pepe
spoon il cucchiaio steak la bistecca
knife il coltello cake la torta
plate il piatto chicken il pollo
napkin la salvietta / il tovagliolo coffee il caffè
cup la tazza fish il pesce
glass il bicchiere french fries le patatine fritte
ice il ghiaccio soup il brodo / la zuppa
bottle la bottiglia jam la marmellata
dessert il dolce rice il riso
ice cream il gelato salad l'insalata
water l'acqua (minerale) lemon il limone
soft drink la bibita honey il miele
juice il succo sugar lo zucchero
chocolate la cioccolata peanuts le noccioline
wine il vino olives le olive
cream la panna potato chips la patatine
pastries le paste snacks i salatini
35. Piacere and Servire
Piacere - to like and Servire - to need
piaccio piacciamo servo serviamo
piaci piacete servi servite
piace piacciono serve servono
Piacere (a) literally means "to be pleasing," so to form a sentence you have to invert the word
order. You must also use the prepositional contractions with a.
Maria piace a Giovanni. John likes Mary. (Literally: Mary is pleasing to John)
Gli studenti piacciono ai professori. The teachers like the students. (Literally: The students are
pleasing to the teachers).
The most common forms are the third person singular and plural when used with object
pronouns. The object pronouns that are used with these two verbs are somewhat similar to the
reflexive pronouns:
mi I (to me) ci we (to us)
ti you (to you) vi you (to you)
gli / le he / she (to him / her) gli they (to them)
So to say I like something, use Mi piace if it is singular and Mi piacciono if it is plural. Piaciuto is
the past participle and it is used with essere. However, it always agrees with the subject (what is
liked) instead of the person.
Mi piace cucinare. I like to cook.
Mi piacciono i treni. I like trains.
Mi è piaciuta la bistecca. I liked the steak.
Non mi sono piaciuti gli spaghetti. I didn't like the spaghetti.
Servire has the same construction as piacere. It is also used primarily in the third person singular
and plural forms and takes an indirect object.
Ti servono della frutta? Do you need any fruit? (Literally: By you is needed some fruit?)
Il pane serve a Marco. Marco needs the bread. (Literally: The bread is needed by Marco.)
Mancare can be used in the same way as piacere and servire to mean to miss or to lack. If used
in the regular way, it means to be missing or absent.
Mi manchi. I miss you.
Chi manca? Who is missing?
36. Fruits, Vegetables and Meats
fruit
apricot
pineapple
watermelon
orange
banana
cherry
strawberry
raspberry
lime
lemon
apple
pear
peach
plum
grape
vegetables
broccoli
la frutta
l'albicocca
l'ananas
l'anguria (il cocomero)
l'arancia
la banana
la ciliegia
la fragola
il lampone
la limetta
il limone
la mela
la pera
la pesca
la prugna (la susina)
l'uva
i legumi / le verdure
i broccoli
cucumber
onion
bean
mushroom
lettuce (salad)
eggplant
olive
potato
celery
spinach
zucchini
meat
lamb
goat
rabbit
liver
pork
beef
il cetriolo
la cipolla
il fagiolo
il fungo
l'insalata
la melanzana
l'oliva
la patata
il sedano
gli spinaci
gli zucchini
la carne
l'agnello
il capretto
il coniglio
il fegato
il maiale
il manzo
carrot
cauliflower
cabbage
la carota
il cavolfiore
il cavolo
bacon
ham
veal
la pancetta
il prosciutto
il vitello
37. To Take, Eat or Drink
Prendere - to take, eat or drink and Bere - to drink
prendo prendiamo bevo beviamo
prendi prendete bevi bevete
prende prendono beve bevono
Past participle: preso Past participle: bevuto
Note: You must express some in Italian even though we leave it out in English. Use the proper di
contractions from the top of the page. Or you can use un po' di, which literally means a little bit.
Bere is only used to mean to drink when it is used in the general sense, as is mangiare - to eat.
38. Commands
-are -ere -ire
tu form (sing. fam.) -a -i -i/-isci
Lei form (sing. pol.) -i -a -a/-isca
voi form (pol. pl.) -ate -ete -ite
noi form (Let's ...) -iamo -iamo -iamo
Note: To make a command negative, add non before the command. Except for the singular
familiar commands, when you use non and the infinitive.
Irregular Commands
andare venire fare dare dire essere avere stare (to be, stay)
sing. fam. va' vieni fa' da' di' sii abbi sta'
sing. pol. vada venga faccia dia dica sia abbia stia
plural andate venite fate date dite siate abbiate state
Let's andiamo veniamo facciamo diamo diciamo siamo abbiamo stiamo
39. More Negatives
non...mai never
non...più no longer, no more
non...niente nothing
non...nessuno nobody
non...neanche not even
non...nè...nè neither...nor
Note: The non goes before the verb and the second part goes after. Non ho niente. I have
nothing.
40. Holiday Phrases
Buon Anno! Happy New Year!
Buona Pasqua! Happy Easter!
Buon compleanno! Happy Birthday!
Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!
Buone feste! Happy Holidays!
Buona vacanza! Have a good holiday!
Buon divertimento! Have a good time!
Buon viaggio! Have a good trip!
The Italian National Anthem: Inno di Mameli
by Goffredo Mameli
Fratelli d'Italia, l'Italia s'è desta,
Dell'elmo di Scipio s'è cinta la testa.
Dov'è la Vittoria? Le porga la chioma,
Ché schiava di Roma Iddio la creò.
Stringiamci a coorte, siam pronti alla morte,
siam pronti alla morte, l'Italia chiamò. Sì!
Italian brothers, Italy has arisen,
Has put on the helmet of Scipio,
Where is victory?
Created by God
The slave of Rome,
She crowns you with glory.
Let us unite,
We are ready to die,
Italy calls.
41. To Be/Stay and to Give
Stare - to be/stay Dare - to give
sto stiamo do diamo
stai state dai date
sta stanno dà danno
Past participle: stato Past participle: dato
Stare means to be when used in progressive tense. If you use it with a present participle, it
translates to something is happening, not something happens as with the present indicative.
Stare is also used in many health expressions, such as Come stai? How are you? Sto bene. I'm
fine.
Stare per plus an infinitive means "to be about to" do something. Stavo per uscire. I was about
to go out. Stiamo per mangiare. We're about to eat.
And dare un esame means to take an exam rather than to give an exam.
42. Present Participles
Present participles are formed by dropping the ending of the verb, and adding the following
endings to the stem:
Present Participles
-are -ando
-ere -endo
-ire -endo
Conjugate stare and form the present participle, and you have a progressive action. Sto
parlando italiano is I am speaking Italian. (As opposed to Parlo italiano I speak Italian.) There
are only a few irregular present participles: fare-facendo (doing), dare-dando (giving), diredicendo
(say/telling), and bere-bevendo (drinking).
Che cosa stai facendo? What are you doing?
Dove stanno andando? Where are they going?
43. Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense is also called the past descriptive tense and corresponds to was doing or
used to do in English. The imperfect is used to describe a continued or habitual action in the past,
or to describe an action that was occurring in the past, while something else happened. Time,
age, weather conditions as well as mental and physical conditions are all expressed in the
imperfect rather the past indefinite tense.
The imperfect in Italian has the same ending for all three verb groups. It is formed by dropping the
-re of the infinitive and adding the following endings:
-vo -vamo
-vi -vate
-va -vano
Avere is regular in the imperfect, but essere, bere, dire and fare are irregular. The stem of essere
becomes er- for io, tu, lui/lei and loro, and it does not take the v, while the stem for noi and voi is
era- and it does take the v. The stems for bere, dire and fare are derived from the old Latin
infinitives, and are beve-, dice-, and face- and they take the regular endings of the imperfect.
essere bere dire fare
ero eravamo bevevo bevevamo dicevo dicevamo facevo facevamo
eri eravate bevevi bevevate dicevi dicevate facevi facevate
era erano beveva bevevano diceva dicevano faceva facevano
Avevo fame. I was hungry.
Era tardi. It was late.
Non diceva niente. He wasn't saying anything.
Aspettavamo in fila. We were waiting in line.
Prendevo sempre l'autobus. I always take the bus.
44. Places
market il mercato airport l'aeroporto
restaurant il ristorante bank la banca
hotel l'albergo school la scuola
square la piazza station la stazione
store il negozio university l'universitá
library la biblioteca street la via
stadium lo stadio road la strada
movie theater il cinema zoo lo zoo
church la chiesa bar il bar
museum il museo cafe il caffé
beach la spiaggia city la cittá
park il parco on the left a sinistra
hospital l'ospedale on the right a destra
post office l'ufficio postale straight ahead diritto
bakery il panificio near, nearby vicino, qui vicino
pharmacy la farmacia far lontano
Although in is one of the prepositions that forms contractions with the following articles, the article
is not used with words denoting rooms in a house. Dormiamo in camera e mangiamo in sala da
pranzo. We sleep in the bedroom and we eat in the dining room.
45. Transportation
bus l'autobus
automobile l'automobile
car la macchina
train il treno
ship la nave
airplane l'aeroplano
boat la barca
bicycle la bicicletta
motorcycle la motocicletta
on foot a piedi
Note: To say by bus, car, etc., use in and leave off the il, la, and l'.
46. To Want, to Be Able to, to Have to
volere-to want potere-to be able to, can dovere-to have to, must
voglio vogliamo posso possiamo devo (debbo) dobbiamo
vuoi volete puoi potete devi dovete
vuole vogliono può possono deve devono (debbono)
Past participle: voluto Past participle: potuto Past participle: dovuto
47. Asking Questions
The easiest way to ask a question is to simply add a question mark to the end of the statement.
You can also put the subject at the end of the sentence. Il ragazzo mangia la pizza becomes
Mangia la pizza, il ragazzo? Is the boy eating the pizza?
Or add non è vero to the end of the statement. This literally translates as "it is not true", and can
have several meanings in English, such as isn't it/he/she, aren't you/they, doesn't it/he/she, don't
you/they, etc. Sei una studentessa, non è vero? You're a student, aren't you?
Or, if you're speaking to a Sardinian, you can put the verb at the end of the sentence. Parla
francese? can become Francese parla? Does he/she speak French?
48. House and Furniture
house la casa bed il letto
roof il tetto closet l'armadio
kitchen la cucina bathtub la vasca da bagno
room la stanza sink l'acquaio
bathroom il bagno staircase la scala
dining room la sala da pranzo toilet il bagno
terrace la terrazza refrigerator il frigorifero
balcony il balcone curtains le tendine
table la tavola clock l'orologio
wall la parete / il muro bookshelf lo scaffale
door la porta lamp la lampada
chair la sedia armchair la poltrona
telephone il telefono bathroom sink il lavandino
television la televisione wastebasket il cestino
window la finestra mirror lo specchio
sofa il divano nightstand il comodino
living room il soggiorno vase il vaso
hallway il corridoio dresser il cassettone
garden il giardino rug lo tappeto
bedroom la camera desk la scrivania / il banco
Just like the rooms of a house, words denoting buildings in a city do not use the article after in.
Sono in ufficio, non in biblioteca. I'm in the office, not in the library.
49. Comparative and Superlative
Comparisons are expressed as follows:
più... di / che
meno... di / che
così... come
tanto... quanto
more... than
less... than
as... as
as... as
Più and meno can be used with di or che. Di is used when comparing two different things, while
che is used when the comparison is between two qualities of the same thing.
Le ciliege sono più buone delle fragole. Cherries are better than strawberries.
La mela è più verde che rossa. The apple is more green than red.
Franco è così alto come me. Frank is as tall as me.
The Relative Superlative compares two or more things and expresses the greatest or the least
degree. It is formed by placing the article before the comparative form of the adjective, or in front
of the noun. And instead of the preposition in, di (and its contractions), is always used with the
superlative.
Le mele sono la frutta meno costosa del mondo. Apples are the least expensive fruit in the
world.
L'oro è il più prezioso dei metalli. Gold is the most precious metal.
Questo è il palazzo più alto di Napoli. This is the tallest building in Naples.
The Absolute Superlative expresses an extreme degree or absolute state of something without
comparison. This can be expressed in several ways in Italian.
Drop the last vowel of the adjective and add -issimo, -issima, -issimi, or -issime.
Le fragole sono dolcissime. Strawberries are very sweet.
Place the words molto, troppo, or assai before the adjective.
Questa arancia è molto buona. This orange is very good.
Repeat the adjective or adverb.
Lei parla piano piano. She speaks very softly.
50. Irregular Forms
Some adverbs have irregular comparative, relative superlative, and absolute superlative forms.
The most common are:
Adverb Comparative Relative Superlative Absolute Superlative
bene
male
molto
poco
well
badly
much
little
meglio
peggio
più
meno
better
worse
more
less
(il) meglio
(il) peggio
(il) più
(il) meno
(the) best
(the) worst
(the) most
(the) least
benissimo
pessimo
moltissimo
pochissimo
very well
very badly
very much
very little
51. Clothing
jacket la giacca
belt la cintura
earrings gli orecchini
necklace la collana
scarf la sciarpa
dress il vestito
swimsuit il costume da bagno
blouse la camicetta
raincoat l'impermeabile
sock il calzino
sandals i sandali
purse la borsa
shirt la camicia
shoe la scarpa
skirt la gonna
umbrella l'ombrello
tie la cravatta
pants i pantaloni
hat il capello
stocking la calza
sweater la maglia
glove il guanto
coat il cappotto
Note: Portare means to wear, but it also means to bring. So use mettersi for to wear or put on
clothing.
52. To Wear
Mettersi-to wear, put on
(clothing)
mi metto ci mettiamo
ti metti vi mettete
si mette si mettono
Past participle: si messo
Note: You don't use possessive pronouns when referring to parts of the body or clothing, but you
do use the definite article. Mi metto la maglia is I'm wearing my sweater.
53. Future Tense
The future of regular verbs is formed by dropping the final -e of the infinitive and adding the
following endings. For -are verbs, the a is changed to an e.
-ò
-ai
-à
-emo
-ete
-anno
Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h after the c and g in the in order to retain the hard sounds.
Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare drop the i from their stems in the future.
Many verbs use irregular stems in the future tense, but they still use the regular endings from
above:
avere
essere
dare
fare
stare
andare
dovere
vedere
sapere
potere
avrsardarfarstarandrdovrvedrsaprpotrbere
venire
volere
berrverrvorr-
The future tense is commonly used after quando, appena, dopo che, and se even though the
present tense is often used in English. In addition to expressing the future, this tense in Italian can
also express probability; but in English, the words probably, can or must are used.
Non vedo Maria da molto tempo. Dove sarà? I haven't seen Maria in a long time. Where could
she be?
Sarà ammalata o in vacanza. She must be sick or on vacation.
The future perfect is formed with the future of avere or essere plus a past participle. The
translation in English is will have + past participle.
Alle sei, avremo già mangiato. By six, we will have eaten already.
54. Preceding Adjectives
Only a few adjectives go before the noun, the rest are placed right after it. Bello-beautiful,
buono-good, grande-large, and brutto-ugly are the most common preceding adjectives, even
though they don't have to go before the noun. Bello and buono have alternate forms when they
precede a noun.
Buono e Bello
Singular Plural Before a:
Masculine
buono
buon
buoni
z, s + consonant
vowel or consonant
Feminine
buona
buon'
buone
consonant
vowel
Masculine
bello
bell'
begli
z, s + consonant
vowel
bel bei consonant
Feminine
bella
bell'
belle
consonant
vowel
If they go after the noun, then they can be formed in the usual way. The above forms are only for
when they go before the noun. Be aware that grande can have alternate forms before nouns too.
Grande can become gran before masculine or feminine nouns beginning with a consonant. Or it
could contract to grand' before masculine or feminine nouns beginning with a vowel. But you do
not have to use the alternate forms, whether or not you place the adjective before or after the
noun.
55. Adjectives: Feminine and Plural
Masculine to Feminine and Singular to Plural
Masc. Fem.
-o -a
-e -e
Sing. Pl.
-o, -e -i
-a -e
Some adjectives have two forms, others have four. Francese (french) has two: francese and
francesi. Nuovo (new) has four: nuovo, nuova, nuovi, and nuove.
56. More Adjectives
easy facile unpleasant antipatico anxious ansioso
difficult difficile good buono angry arrabbiato
simple semplice bad cattivo stingy avaro
complicated complicato big/large grande calm calmo
interesting interessante small piccolo disappointed deluso
boring noioso young giovane depressed depresso
long lungo old vecchio entertaining divertente
short corto / basso intelligent intelligente excited eccitato
correct giusto stupid stupido enthusiastic entusiasta
mistaken/wrong sbagliato elegant elegante generous generoso
expensive/dear caro inelegant inelegante kind gentile
economical/cheap economico rich ricco nervous nervoso
modern moderno poor povero good, able bravo
old/ancient antico skinny/thin magro worried preoccupato
open aperto fat grosso (un)satisfied (in)soddisfatto
closed chiuso sincere sincero alone, lonely solo
tall alto shy timido tired stanco
short basso strong forte stressed stressato
(un)happy (in)felice gentle/kind gentile (n)sensitive (in)sensibile
sad triste generous generoso serious serio
nice simpatico lazy pigro cheerful allegro
blond biondo dark bruno ready, quick pronto
Note: Pronto also means hello when answering the telephone.
57. Position of Sempre and Anche
The adverb sempre (always) usually follows the verb. Anche (also, too) always precedes the
noun, pronoun or infinitive to which it refers. When it precedes io, it becomes anch'.
Noi studiamo sempre. We always study.
Vuole anche questo libro. He wants that book, too.
Anch'io devo studiare. I have to study too.
58. Sports
golf il golf
soccer il calcio / pallone
volleyball la pallaavolo
football il foot-ball americano
basketball la pallacanestro
baseball il base-ball
bowling il bowling
swimming il nuoto
tennis il tennis
bicycling il ciclismo
boxing il pugilato
skating il pattinaggio
skiing lo sci
car racing l'automobilismo
59. To Play
Giocare-to play
gioco joh-koh giochiamo joh-kee-ah-moh
giochi joh-kee giocate joh-kah-teh
gioca joh-kah giocano joh-kahn-oh
Past participle: giocato
Note: Most sports use giocare a (sport) to mean to play a sport. They play basketball would be
Giocano a pallacanestro.
60. Nature
fields i campi
flowers i fiori
forests le foreste
hills le colline
meadows i prati
mountains le montagne
plants le piante
waterfalls le cascate
woods i boschi
farms le fattorie
villages i villaggi
vineyards le vigne
beach la spiaggia
bridge il ponte
castle il castello
lake il lago
pond lo stagno
river il fiume
61. Object Pronouns
Subject Direct Indirect Object of Prepositions
io I mi me mi to me me me
tu you (s.i.) ti you ti to you te you
lui he/it lo him/it gli to him/it lui him/it
lei she/it/you (s.p.) la her/it/you le to her/it/you lei her/it/you
noi we ci us ci to us noi us
voi you (p.i.) vi you vi to you voi you
loro they/you (p.p.) li/le them/you loro to them/you loro them/you
1. S.i. means singular informal, s.p. means singular polite, p.i. means plural informal, and
p.p. means plural polite. For you (s.p.) and you (p.p.) they are capitalized to set them
apart from the other meaning. (Lei instead of lei and Loro instead of loro.)
2. Direct and Indirect pronouns go directly in front of the verb, except loro, which always
follows the verb.
3. With infinitives or participles, the pronoun (except loro) follows it and is written as one
word. This also is true of commands, except for Lei or Loro.
4. When you have more than one pronoun, the indirect comes before the direct.
5. The i of mi, ti, ci, and vi changes to an e before lo, la, li and le.
6. Gli and le become glie before lo, la, li, and le; and are written as one word connected with
the other pronoun (glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele).
If you use lo, la, li, le; the past participle must agree with them.
Hai mangiato il panino? Did you eat the bun?
Lo ho mangiato. I ate it.
Hai mangiato la pasta? Did you eat the pastry?
La ho mangiata. I ate it.
In negative sentences, pronouns go before the entire verb as well, but after the non.
I haven't eaten it. Non lo ho mangiato.
The following verbs are always used with indirect pronouns or nouns:
to give dare to bring portare
to
say/tell dire to prepare preparare
to ask domandare to give (as a
gift) regalare
to lend imprestare to return, give
back rendere
to teach insegnare to bring back riportare
to send mandare to answer rispondere
to show mostrare to write scrivere
to offer offrire to
call/telephone telefonare
62. Parts of the Body
hand
foot
ear
eye
tongue
face
hair
nose
tooth
lip
stomach
la mano
il piede
l'orecchio
l'occhio
la lingua
la faccia
i capelli
il naso
il dente
il labbro
lo stomaco
mouth
finger
fingernail
elbow
arm
knee
leg
head
neck
shoulder
throat
la bocca
il dito
l'unghia
il gomito
il braccio
il ginocchio
la gamba
la testa
il collo
la spalla
la gola
You can use the expressions Ho mal di + body part or Mi fa male + definite article and the body
part to say that something hurts. If the noun is plural, you have to use mi fanno male instead of mi
fa male.
Ho mal di testa. My head hurts. / I have a headache.
Mi fa male il dito. My finger hurts.
Mi fanno male gli occhi. My eyes hurt.
63. Interrogative Pronouns
Most of the question words are invariable (they don't have to agree with the noun), but quale
(which) and quanto (how much/many) must agree. Note that these words do not require a noun
to follow them.
Before singular nouns, quale is used, and before plural nouns, quali is used.
Quale camicetta compri? Which blouse are you buying?
Quali maglioni compri? Which pullovers are you buying?
Quali compri? Which ones are you buying?
Quanto has four forms that follow the regular adjective pattern. Quanto is masculine singular,
quanta is feminine singular, quanti is masculine plural and quante is feminine plural.
Quanto denaro hai? How much money do you have?
Quante camicette compri? How many blouses are you buying?
Quanto costa? How much does it cost?
64. Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns connect a dependent clause and a main clause together in a sentence. An
antecedent is the noun or pronoun that the relative pronoun refers back to. The relative pronouns
in English are that, what, which, whom, and whose. The relative pronouns in Italian are che, cui, il
quale (and its forms), chi, quello che, quel che, and ciò che.
When the antecedent is a definite person, animal or thing, che, cui or a form of il quale is used.
Che is invariable and never used with a preposition. Cui is also invariable, but it is always used
with a preposition. Il quale and its forms can be used with articles or articles plus prepositions. It
is mainly used in formal speech, writing and for clarity, and rarely in casual conversation.
La ragazza che vedi è mia sorella. The girl whom you see is my sister.
Per le pillole di cui has bisogno ci vuole la ricetta. The pills (of) which you need require a
prescription.
Lei è la sola persona nella quale (or in cui) io abbia fiducia. You are the only person whom I
trust.
È une medicina la quale (or che) non fa male allo stomaco. It's medicine that doesn't upset
your stomach.
When the antecedent is unknown or indefinite, chi is used when referring to people. It is invariable
and means "he/she who," "whoever," "the one who" and takes a verb in the third person singular
form. Quello che, quel che, and cìo che are all invariable and interchangeable. They refer to
things only and mean "what" or "that which."
Chi sta bene non va dal dottore. He who feels well doesn't go to the doctor.
Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro. One who finds a friend, finds a treasure.
Non capisco quello che dice. I don't understand what he's saying.
Cìo che scrivi è sbagliato. What you're writing is wrong.
65. To Read, to Say/Tell, to Go Out, to Laugh
leggere - to read dire - to say/tell uscire - to go out ridere - to laugh
leggo leggiamo dico diciamo esco usciamo rido ridiamo
leggi leggete dici dite esci uscite ridi ridete
legge leggono dice dicono esce escono ride ridono
Past participle: letto Past participle: detto Past participle: uscito Past participle: riso
66. Disjunctive Pronouns
Disjunctive pronouns are used independently of the verb. They are the pronouns which follow
prepositions, or show emphasis. They can also be found in exclamations.
me
te
lui / lei
noi
voi
loro
Vengo con te. I'll come with you.
Amo te, non lui. I love you, not him.
Fortunati voi! Lucky you!
67. Ci and Ne
Ci (there, it, about it, of it) and ne (some, of them, of it) are both pronouns that go before the verb
and they replace prepositional phrases. Ci will replace phrases that begin with in, on, to, at,
under, etc. and ne will replace phrases that begin with some or a number.
Example Sentences
I live in Paris. Vivo a Parigi.
I live there. Ci vivo.
I have some apples. Ho delle mele.
I have some (of them). Ne ho.
I have five sisters. Ho cinque sorelle.
I have five (of them). Ne ho cinque.
Quante caramelle hai mangiato? How many candies did you eat?
Ne ho mangiate quattro. I ate four of them.
68. Animals
giraffe
elephant
zebra
lion
leopard
parrot
rhinoceros
koala
snake
chimpanzee
polar bear
tiger
bull
fox
monkey
wolf
turtle
la giraffa
l'elefante
la zebra
il leone
il gattopardo
il pappagallo
il rinoceronte
il koala
il serpente
lo scimpanzé
l'orso polare
la tigre
il toro
la volpe
la scimmia
il lupo
la tartaruga
69. Pluperfect Tense
The pluperfect or past perfect tense corresponds to the English "had + past participle." It indicates
an event that happened prior to another event in the past. It consists of the imperfect of avere or
essere (whichever auxiliary verb the main verb takes in the past indefinite tense) and a past
participle.
L'avevo già notato. I had already noticed it.
Ero andato ad un suo concerto. I had been to one of his concerts.
Non avevo avuto ancora occasione. I hadn't had the opportunity yet.
Erano già stati a San Remo. They had already been in San Remo.
70. Suffixes
Suffixes may be attached to nouns, adjectives or adverbs. The final vowel of the word should be
dropped before adding the suffixes. The endings -ino, -ina, -ello, -ella, -etta, -etta, -uccio, and
-uccia are diminutives that express smallness. The endings -one and -ona are augmentatives and
express largeness. The endings -ino and -uccio also express endearment. The endings -aacio,
-accia, -astro, -astra, -azzo, and -azza imply ugliness or poor quality.
letter
parcel
boy
lettera
pacco
ragazzo
small letter
large parcel
bad boy
letterina
paccone
ragazzaccio
Tesorino mio! My sweetheart!
Amoruccio mio! My sweet love!
71. Adverbs
Most adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective.
Adjectives ending in -le or -re drop the final -e before adding -mente, if the l or r is preceded by a
vowel.
Adjective (fem. form) Adverb
recente
comoda
finale
regolare
recentemente
comodamente
finalmente
regolarmente
recently
comfortably
finally
regularly
Note that the adverbial form of buono (good) is bene, and cattivo (bad) is male.
72. Passive Voice
In passive sentences, the subject receives the action of the verb. In active sentences, the subject
does the action. However, the meaning of both sentences is the same. The passive form is only
possible with transitive verbs and is much more common in English than in Italian. The passive
form consists of the verb essere plus the past participle of the main verb followed by da (by) and
its contractions. Essere should be in the same tense as the verb in its corresponding active
sentence. The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Active I miei genitori pagano l'affitto. My parents pay the rent.
Passive L'affitto è pagato dai miei genitori. The rent is paid by my parents.
I contratti sono firmati dalle ragazze. The contracts are signed by the girls.
La stanza è stata arredata da Carlo. The room was decorated by Carlo.
L'affitto sarà pagato dai miei genitori. The rent will be paid by my parents.
73. The Impersonal "Si"
Si can be used as a reflexive pronoun, but it can also be used as an impersonal pronoun. It
corresponds to "one, you, we, the people in general, or they" in English and always use the third
person form of the verb (either singular or plural depending on the object).
Qui si vende carta da lettere. We sell writing paper here./Writing paper is sold here.
Si vendono anche matite? Do you also sell pencils?
Qui non si parla francese. We don't speak French here./French is not spoken here.
74. Post Office and Bank
post office
mailbox
mail carrier
mailbag
price
scale
package
stamp
letter
address
postal worker
newspaper
magazine
la posta
la cassetta delle lettere
il postino
il sacco della posta
il prezzo
la bilancia
il pacchetto
il francobollo
la lettera
l'indirizzo
l'impiegata postale
il giornale
la rivista
bank
file cabinet
guard
safe
safety deposit box
checkbook
credit card
bills
coins
deposit slip
pen
check
bank teller
la banca
la schedario
il custode
la cassaforte
la cassetta di sicurezza
il libretto degli assegni
la carta di credito
le banconote
le monete
la distinta di versamento
la penna
l'assegno
il cassiere
75. Useful Expressions
Non ne posso più! I can't take it anymore!
Lasciame perdere! Forget about it!
Che bello! How nice!
Per forza! No wonder!
Non è così semplice! It's not that easy!
Chissà? Who knows?
Ti pelano! They make you pay too much!
Non vedo l'ora di... I can't wait to...
Siamo messe male. We are in bad shape. (not
physically)
Che senso ha? What's the point?
Magari! I wish!
Non ne voglio proprio
sapere! I really don't want to know about it!
Fai bene! Good for you!
Non ce la faccio da sola! I can't do it by myself!
Meglio ancora! Even better!
76. Infinitives followed by Prepositions
The following verbs require a or di when followed by another infinitive, although the preposition is
not always translated into English.
Verb + a + another infinitive Verb + di + another infinitive
aiutare
andare
cominciare
continuare
correre
imparare
insegnare
invitare
mandare
passare
pensare
preparare
provare
riuscire
servire
stare
tornare
venire
to help
to go
to begin
to continue
to run
to learn
to teach
to invite
to send
to stop by
to think of
to prepare
to try
to succeed
to be good for
to stay, stand
to return
to come
aspettare
cercare
cessare
chiedere
comandare
credere
decidere
dimenticare
dire
domandare
finire
offrire
permettere
promettere
sapere
sognare
sperare
tentare
to wait for
to look for
to cease
to ask
to command
to believe
to decide
to forget
to say, tell
to ask
to finish
to offer
to permit
to promise
to know
to dream
to hope
to try, attempt
77. The Beach
beach
island
lighthouse
pier
lifeguard
coconut
seashore
surfboard
sand
lounge chair
beach umbrella
picnic
suntan lotion
beach ball
sea shell
seaweed
la spiaggia
l'isola
il faro
il molo
il bagnino
il cocco
il litorale
la tavoletta da surf
la sabbia
la sedia a sdraio
l'ombrellone
il picnic
la crema abbronzante
il pallone
la conchiglia
l'alga marina
clam
sand castle
fins
goggles
palm tree
beach towel
oar
rowboat
sea gull
seal
sea lion
wave
sailboat
waterskiing
ocean liner
hut
l'ostrica
il castello di sabbia
le pinne
la maschera subacquea
la palma
l'asciugamano
il remo
la barca a remo
il gabbiano
la foca
l'otaria
l'onda
la barca a vela
lo sci nautico
la nave
la capanna
78. Problem Verbs
There are four verbs in Italian that correspond to the verb to leave in English. Lasciare means to
leave a person or thing behind. Partire means to leave, to depart, to go away on a trip. Uscire
means to go out (of a place) or to go out socially. Andare via means to go away (opposite of to
stay.)
There are three verbs that correspond to the verb to tell. Dire means to tell or say, parlare means
to speak or talk, and raccontare means to tell, in the sense of narrating.
79. Fare Causative
The verb fare can be followed by an infinitive to express the idea of having someone do something
or having something done. If the object is a noun, it follows the infinitive; but if the object is a
pronoun, it precedes the verb fare. (Unless the object pronoun is loro, then it always follows the
infinitive.) Note that farsi can also be used in a causative construction when one is having
something done to oneself.
Abbiamo fatto fare quelle sedia. We had that chair made.
Faccio studiare i ragazzi. I make the boys study.
Li faccio studiare. I make them study.
Mi faccio tagliare i capelli. I'm having my hair cut.
When a causative sentence has two objects, the person being made to do something becomes the
indirect object. In Italian, the indirect object is introduced by a.
Il maestro fa leggere lo studente. The teacher makes the student read.
Il maestro fa leggere la lettura allo studente. The teacher makes the student read the passage.
To avoid ambiguity with the indirect object, the preposition da instead of a can be used. The
sentence Abbiamo fatto mandare il pacco a Maria can mean two things: 1) We had Mary send
the package or 2) We had the package sent to Mary. If the first meaning is intended, then da can
replace a.
80. Office / School Supplies
chalkboard la lavagna
eraser il cancellino
chalk il gesso
desk il banco
pencil la matita
book il libro
notebook il quaderno
paper la carta
page la pagina
pen la penna
backpack lo zaino
mistake lo sbaglio
exam l'esame (m)
clock l'orologio
student (m) lo studente
dictionary il dizionario
81. Conditional Tenses
The conditional tense expresses "would" and is used with requests and doubts. It is also used in
hypothetical situations with "if" clauses or with events or actions that may occur in the future, but
probably won't.
To form the present conditional, use the future stem and these endings for the three types of verbs.
(The verbs that have irregular future forms are also irregular in the conditional tense.)
-ei
-esti
-ebbe
-emmo
-este
-ebbero
Gli parlerei, ma non è a casa. I would talk to him, but he's not at home.
Prendereste un caffè? Would you like some coffee?
Sarei più contenta. I would be happier.
As in the future tense, verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h after the c or g for pronunciation.
Verbs endings in -ciare and -giare drop the final i in all forms of the present conditional.
Dovere, potere, and volere all have irregular forms in the present conditional:
dovere potere volere
dovrei
dovresti
dovrebbe
dovremmo
dovreste
dovrebbero
potrei
potresti
potrebbe
potremmo
potreste
potrebbero
vorrei
vorresti
vorrebbe
vorremmo
vorreste
vorrebbero
The past conditional expresses the same basic idea as the present conditional. It is used to
express unfulfilled requests, situations that did not occur, or events which had the possibility to
fulfill themselves, but didn't. It is formed by using the present conditional of avere or essere and
the past participle of the main verb. One difference between English and Italian usage of the past
conditional is that when expressing a future action from the viewpoint of the past, Italian uses the
past conditional whereas English uses the present conditional.
Ha detto che sarebbe venuto. He said that he would come.
82. Parts of a Car / Gas Station
gas pump
gas cap
gas can
trunk
roof
seat
door
tire
license plate
bumper
headlight
hood
windshield wiper
steering wheel
oil can
radiator
battery
jumper cables
screwdriver
hammer
wrench
nut
screw
wheel
tires
air pump
flat tire
la pompa di benzina
il coperchio del serbatoio
il bidone per la benzina
il bagagliaio
il tetto
il sedile
lo sportello
la gomma
la targa
il paraurti
il fanale
il cofano
il tergicristallo
il volante
il oliatore
il radiatore
la batteria
i cavi per l'avviamento
il cacciavite
il martello
la chiave inglese
il dado
la vite
la ruota
le gomme
la pompa pneumatica
la gomma a terra
83. To Drive
condurre - to drive
conduco conduciamo
conduci
conduce
conducete
conducono
Past participle: condotto
84. Travelling / Airport
Where is... Dov'è... doh-veh
the bank? la banca? lah bahn-kah
the bathroom? la toilette? lah twah-let-tah
an automatic cash machine? un bancomat? oon bahn-koh-maht
the car rental? l'autonoleggio? low-toh-no-led-joh
the taxi stand? il posteggio dei taxi? eel poh-stehd-joh day taks-see
the phone? il telefono? eel teh-leh-foh-noh
the ticket office? la biglietteria? lah bee-lyeht-teh-ree-ah
the train station? la stazione? lah stah-zee-oh-neh
the bus stop? la fermata dell'autobus? la fair-mah-tah dell ow-toh-boos
the subway? la metropolitana? lah meh-tro-poh-lee-tah-nah
the airport? l'aeroporto? lah-eh-roh-por-toh
the currency exchange? l'ufficio cambio? loo-fee-choh kahm-byoh
the information booth? l'ufficio informazioni? loo-fee-choh een-for-maht-zee-ohn-ee
the lost baggage office? l'ufficio oggetti smarriti? loo-fee-choh ohd-jeht-tee smahr-ree-tee
the entrance? l'entrata? lehn-trah-tah
the exit? l'uscita? loo-shee-tah
ticket il biglietto
flight il volo
reservation la prenotazione
round-trip ticket il biglietto di andata e ritorno
smoking fumatori
non smoking non fumatori
baggage il bagaglio
suitcase la valigia
passport il passaporto
gate l'uscita
boarding pass la carta d'imbarco
Lira lire
85. Directional Words
straight ahead sempre diritto
to the right a destra
to the left a sinistra
down there laggiù
behind dietro
in front of davanti a
next to accanto a
across from dirimpetto a
after dopo
near vicino a
far from lontano da
86. Use of the Infinitive
The infinitive can be used after certain prepositions, such as per, prima di and senza; whereas in
English, the gerund form is usually used.
Siamo pronto per uscire. We are ready to go out.
Prima di partire. Before leaving.
Senza dire niente. Without saying anything.
The past infinitive may be used after senza and dopo. It is formed with the auxiliaries essere or
avere and the past participle of the verb. The final -e of the auxiliary verb is commonly dropped.
Sono venuti senza aver telefonato. They came without having telephoned.
È ritornata dopo aver comprato i biglietti. She returned after having bought the tickets.
The infinitive may also function as a noun. In this case, the English translation is also the gerund
form.
Viaggiare stanca. Travelling is tiring.
Letting, seeing or hearing someone do something is expressed by the forms of lasciare, vedere
and sentire plus the infinitive.
Ho sentito cantare Teresa. I heard Teresa sing.
Ho veduto dormire i bambini. I saw the children sleep.
87. Subjunctive Mood
The Subjunctive mood expresses doubt, uncertainty, hope, fear, possibility, opinions, etc. and is
used much more frequently in Italian. It is mainly used in dependent clauses (sentences
introduced by a conjunction that do not have a complete meaning) that are introduced by che.
The present subjunctive of regular verbs is formed by dropping the normal endings, and adding
these new endings:
-are -ere 1st -ire 2nd -ire
-i
-i
-i
-iamo
-iate
-ino
-a
-a
-a
-iamo
-iate
-ano
-a
-a
-a
-iamo
-iate
-ano
-isca
-isca
-isca
-iamo
-iate
-iscano
Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h before all endings of the present subjunctive. Verbs
ending in -ciare and -giare drop the i from their stems.
Many common verbs have irregular present subjunctive forms:
avere essere andare bere dare dire
abbia
abbia
abbia
abbiamo
abbiate
abbiano
sia
sia
sia
siamo
siate
siano
vada
vada
vada
andiamo
andiate
vadano
beva
beva
beva
beviamo
beviate
bevano
dia
dia
dia
diamo
diate
diano
dica
dica
dica
diciamo
diciate
dicano
dovere fare potere sapere
debba
debba
debba
dobbiamo
dobbiate
debbano
faccia
faccia
faccia
facciamo
facciate
facciano
possa
possa
possa
possiamo
possiate
possano
sappia
sappia
sappia
sappiamo
sappiate
sappiano
stare uscire venire volere
stia
stia
stia
stiamo
stiate
stiano
esca
esca
esca
usciamo
usciate
escano
venga
venga
venga
veniamo
veniate
vengano
voglia
voglia
voglia
vogliamo
vogliate
vogliano
The present perfect subjunctive is formed with the present subjunctive of avere or essere and the
past participle of the main verb.
88. Uses of the Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive is used after verbs expressing hope, wish, desire, command or doubt such as
sperare - to hope, desiderare - to desire, volere - to want, and dubitare - to doubt. But verbs
that express certainty or fact used in the affirmative sense (and not negative) require the indicative,
such as essere sicuro - to be sure, essere certo - to be certain, and sapere - to know. And if the
subject of both verbs in the sentence is the same, use di with the infinitive instead of the
subjunctive.
Dubito che loro vengano. I doubt that they're coming.
Spero che lei vinca. I hope that she wins.
Non so se i musei siano aperti. I don't know if the museums are open.
So che i musei sono aperti. I know that the museums are open.
Non credo di averlo perso. I don't think that I lost it.
The subjunctive is also used after impersonal expressions, usually essere and an adjective or
adverb, unless they state a fact. Some common expressions are è necessario - it's necessary, è
meglio - it's better, è possibile - it's possible, and è probabile - it's probable. The indicative is
used after these expressions of certainty: è certo - it's certain, è sicuro - it's sure, and è vero - it's
true.
Certain conjunctions require the subjunctive as well, such as sebbene - even though, benché -
although, affinché - so that, prima che - before, purché - provided that, as long as and nel caso
che - in the event that. The subjunctive is also used after a relative superlative che, and after il
primo.. che, l'ultimo..che, and il solo...che.
89. Possessive Pronouns
The possessive pronouns replace a noun, and they have the same forms as the possessive
adjectives. They always require an article, unless the possessive pronoun follows the verb essere,
in which case it is omitted.
Non parlo a tua madre. Parlo alla mia. I'm not talking to your mother. I'm talking to mine.
Questa macchina è mia. This car is mine.
90. The Farm
farm
windmill
barn
cottage
hay
corral
stable
barrel
lasso
saddle
stool
la fattoria
il mulino a vento
il granaio
il villino
il fieno
il recinto
la stalla
il barile
il laccio
la sella
lo sgabello
hoe
rake
pitchfork
shovel
tractor
silo
loft
chicken coop
farmhouse
la zappa
il rastrello
il forcone
la pala
il trattore
il silo
il fienile
il pollaio
la cascina
91. Historical Past
The historical past or past absolute is used to indicate a completed action, and is used mainly in
writing and rarely in speech. It is not a compound tense, and is formed by dropping the regular
stems of the verbs and adding these endings:
-are -ere -ire
-ai
-asti
-ò
-ammo
-aste
-arono
-ei
-esti
-è
-emmo
-este
-erono
-ii
-isti
-ì
-immo
-iste
-irono
Avere and essere and many other verbs are irregular in the historical past:
avere essere fare dire
ebbi
avesti
ebbe
avemmo
aveste
ebbero
fui
fosti
fu
fummo
foste
furono
feci
facesti
fece
facemmo
faceste
fecero
dissi
dicesti
disse
dicemmo
diceste
dissero
dare bere stare
diedi
desti
diede
demmo
deste
diedero
bevvi
bevesti
bevve
bevemmo
beveste
bevvero
stetti
stesti
stette
stemmo
steste
stettero
The following verbs are irregular only in the io, lui/lei and loro forms. The verbs are all either -ere
or -ire verbs, so use the irregular stem for these three forms and add these endings: -i, -e, -ero.
Use the regular stem and regular endings for the other three forms.
infinitive irregular stem infinitive irregular stem
chiedere
chiudere
conoscere
decidere
leggere
mettere
nascere
prendere
chieschiusconobbdecislessmisnacqupresrispondere
sapere
scegliere
scrivere
vedere
venire
vivere
volere
risposseppscelsscrissvidvennvissvoll-
The past perfect of the historical past is formed the same way as the past perfect of the indicative.
Just add the past participle to the historical past of avere or essere.
Regions of Italy
Italian Region English Translation Capital City English Translation
Abruzzo Abruzzo L'Aquila L'Aquila
Valle d'Aosta Aosta Valley Aoste Aosta
Puglia Apulia Bari Bari
Basilicata Basilicata Potenza Potenza
Calabria Calabria Catanzaro Catanzaro
Campania Campania Napoli Naples
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna Bologna Bologna
Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friuli-Venezia Giulia Trieste Trieste
Latium Lazio Roma Rome
Liguria Liguria Genova Genoa
Lombardia Lombardy Milano Milan
Marches Marche Ancona Ancona
Molise Molise Campobasso Campobasso
Piemonte Piedmont Torino Turin
Sardegna Sardinia Cagliari Cagliari
Sicilia Sicily Palermo Palermo
Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Trento Trento
Toscana Tuscany Firenze Florence
Umbria Umbria Perugia Perugia
Veneto Veneto Venezia Venice
newlife4me