2013 notes

Contents
Interesting words ................................................................................................................................ 2 Other rules .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Different ways of saying please ........................................................................................................ 5 The meaning of pero ........................................................................................................................... 6 Lessons from penpals.......................................................................................................................... 7 Months, days, seasons ........................................................................................................................ 8 Using questo, questa, questi and queste (posted) ........................................................................... 10 A list of reflexive verbs ...................................................................................................................... 11 Asking for something or asking someone for something ............................................................. 13 When the Italian translation ignores the little words we use in English ........................................ 14 Practising using piacere quantified by quantities ......................................................................... 15 Personal object pronouns ................................................................................................................. 16 Where do the pronuns go in the sentence ....................................................................................... 18 Pronouncing ABITARE (to live)....................................................................................................... 20 Qualche volta: sometimes, occasionally ........................................................................................... 21 Talking on the telephone! ................................................................................................................. 22 Using Mancare: to miss..................................................................................................................... 23 Articles the and a in Italian ......................................................................................................... 25 The congintivo/subjunctive spider ................................................................................................... 26 THE IMPERATIVE ............................................................................................................................... 27 Holiday vocab .................................................................................................................................... 29 Shops a list of vocabulary............................................................................................................... 30 THE MANY USES OF FARE .............................................................................................................. 34 A list of other common phrases using fare ....................................................................................... 34 When the Italian translation ignores the little words we use in English ........................................ 37

2013 notes Interesting words

pi in grande lupus in fabula Ironia della sorte Di farci un salto scippato on a larger scale, as opposed to pi grande, which would simply mean bigger speak of the devil ironically to drop by robbed. Lo scippo is hit and run robbery, mainly carried out by somebody riding by on a scooter and snatching ones handbag or purse taroccati Seccare vs secco imitations of well known brands, the most common being Louis Vuittons bags when talking about plants we use secco (dry) and seccare (to dry) to mean morto (dead) or morire (to die), e.g. quellalbero secco (that tree is dead) siamo rimasti delusi Ironia della sorte sto / sta / sti / ste togliere le castagne dal fuoco cogliere in castagna passare entri credo di si/no credo di passare alcuni giori a ad | ed andare a trovare a due passi da qui Che ne dici? Discretamente Tutti e due/Tutti e tre un giorno qualunque in piedi cos presto diamoci del tu Cosa fa di bello stasera? Fare Quattro chiacchiere stufo/a di fra cui (noun, e.g. lItalia) qualcosa da sfruttare di (oggeti da sfruttare) come spesso accade ancora tutta in salita we were disappointed ironically short for questo / questa / questi / queste (this / these) (lit. to take the chestnuts out of the fire) means saving or solving ones problem (the English equivalent of to save someones bacon (literally to pick in chestnut) or to catch someone red-handed. to spend (time) enter - subjunctive (polite) I believe so/dont believe so I think Ill spend a few days at/in... = a / e before a word beginning with a vowel add the D meet up (friends) very near here How about it? (lit. what do you say about it?) fairly well/average, when referring to ones level of Italian both/all three an ordinary day up so early Lets use tu (as opposed to talking on formal Lei terms) Are you doing anything interesting tonight? to have a chat fed up with including (Italy) to take advantage of (something/one) (e.g. objects to exploit) as often happens still an uphill struggle

2013 notes
rinunciare + a 10 e passa anni potr pagare in 30 rate mensili give up more than 10 years (s)he will be able to pay in 30 monthly instalments

2013 notes Other rules

keeping hard pronunciation in some plural words by adding a h at the end, e.g. amica/amiche the verb giocare: followed by a, e.g. gioco a tennis = I play tennis. o to play at game = giocare a

CHE + bello/pecatto/guaio etc = an EXCLAMATION (how lovely/what a pit/nuisance) COME/COME + verb = AN EXCLAMATION (e.g. Com grande!/Come sono eleganti PI: when placed before an adjective/adverb adds er to the word. o o o Pi tardi/presto Pi grande/piccolo Pi caro

ARRIVEDERCI between friends but FORMAL version = ARRIVEDERLA A can be used to mean away when referring to distances o o o A due passi da qui = very near here A dieci chilometri da Roma = 10km away from Rome A due chilometri dallautostrada = 2km (away) from the motorway

(non) ci sono + ne = (NON) CE NE SONO (or (non) ce n) ci becomes ce. Andare + infinitive = to go ....ing o o o o Vado a nuotare = I go swimming Andiamo a sciare = We go skiing Vado a fare il biglietto = Im going to buy the ticket Vado a mangiare = Im going to eat

Difference between in estate and destate? Nessuno/a = not.any o o always singular before a noun is used likfe un, uno, una nessun libro, nessuno sbaglio, nessuna professione

2013 notes Different ways of saying please

Ive encountered four different ways of saying please: Per favore Per piacere Per cortesia Di grazia

The one you will be taught to use is per favore but it seems that if you were a native Italian youd probably use per piacere, just like it seems we non-native speakers are taught to use qui to mean here but the Italians use qua! Just something to remember if you want to sound a little bit more native and less like a tourist. Notes GENERAL SPOKEN NATIVE FORMAL OLD-FASHIONED per favore "per piacere "per cortesia" "di grazia" you might hear/read it used but you probably wont use it yourself (like the gli/a loro distinction with piacere see my post) The qua to qui (here) see my separate post

2013 notes The meaning of pero

Although 'pero' typically means 'but' it is a very flexible word that can be used in a variety of situations. The various meanings BUT The foremost meaning but gen. one would use 'ma' to mean but. Use 'pero' when you want to emphasise or stress something. Unlike 'ma', which can only be placed at the beginning of a sentence, 'pero' can be moved around and still maintain its meaning.

HOWEVER/THEREFORE

It can have this meaning particularly in informal spoken contexts. (stick with 'quindi' in written Italian as this shows a higher linguistic register)

A CONTEXTUAL MARKER/ALTHOUGH

Can link phrases together or stall for time as you are thinking about something in the way. When used in this way, it can roughly be translated as 'although'. E.g. ho fatto i miei compiti PERO troppo in ritardo

YET WELL (in surprise)

E.g. pero si accorgereranno che hai ragione tu (yet they will come to realise that you are right) E.g. pero, non mi aspettava che ci riuscisse! (well, I never expected you to succeed!)

2013 notes Lessons from penpals

1. Commedia (Posted) My pen-pal wrote: "un film italiano, una commedia" I asked: "commedia finisce sempre con 'a' a dispetto di 'un' film?" My pen-pal answered: "S, commedia finisce sempre con "a"... un film generico (a movie) ma una commedia un genere di film a comedy."

2. "Insieme a + person" vs "con + person" My pen-pal wrote: "sono andata insieme a mio marito" I asked: "Is it better to use 'insieme a' instead of con? Do they mean the same thing?" What not insieme al? My pen-pal answered: "insieme a mio marito" corretto, ma corretto anche " con mio marito" (in questo caso togli la parola "insieme")

3. Passare a trovare My penpal said Mia cugina passata a trovarmi My pen-pal answered: la frase " passata a trovarmi" means "she visited me" - the sentence has meaning that she came to my house to visit to me. I didnt really understand this and so asked what it meant.

Passare a trovare/salutare + person means to drop in on someone

For some other ways to use passare in idiomatic phrases see here: http://dictionary.reverso.net/italian english/passare Conoscere vs Vedersi This reminded me of something I had learned a couple of years ago: When meeting someone, we usually use vedersi. This is why we say ci vediamo when referring to see you soon when parting company. However, when meeting someone for the very first time, it is okay to use conoscere. Hence, e.g ieri ho conosciuto il fratello di Veronica or Pietro ed io, ci siamo conosciuti pi di 20 anni fa. But if you just met Veronica a for coffee, Veronica ed io ci siamo viste ieri.

2013 notes Months, days, seasons

Days of the Week I giorni della settimana NOTE: the days of the are not capitalized in Italian. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday il luned il marted il mercoled il gioved il venerd il sabato la domenica Note the accent on the i'

What day is... today tomorrow day after tomorrow yesterday two days ago

che giorno .. oggi domani dopodomani ieri due giorni fa

Seasons le stagioni NOTE: the names of seasons are not capitalized in Italian. la primavera lestate lautunno linverno Spring Summer Autumn Winter

Months I mesi NOTE: months are not spelt with capital first letters in Italian. January February March April May June August September October November December gennaio febbraio marzo aprile maggio giugno luglioJuly agosto settembre ottobre novembre dicembre

Writing a date (posted) Si scrive (one writes: NOTE: to express the date the article il or la must be used before the day.

2013 notes
Examples My birthday is on the 10th st May the 1 th Today is the 20 Il mio compleanno il dieci Maggio primo Maggio oggio il venti

Times of the day il giorno lalba prendre la prima colazione la giornata day sunrise have breakfast the whole day e.g. buon giornata is used to wish someone a good day when parting Morning Midday lunch / to have lunch afternoon of the day time e.g. la lucertola un animale diurno (the lizard is a day time creature) an afternoon nap e.g. fare un pisolino (take a nap) (afternoon) snack sunset twlight sun going down dusk dinner / to have dinner the evening e.g. buon serata means have a good evening night midnight of the night e.g. il gufo un animale notturno (the owl is a nocturnal animal)

la mattina mezzogiorno il pranzo / pranzare il pomeriggio / dopopranzo diorno/a/i/e (adjective)

un pisolino pomeridiano la merenda / lo spuntino il tramonto crepuscolo calare del sole limbrunire la cena / cenare la sera / la serata la notte mezzonotte notturno/a/i/e (adjective)

2013 notes Using questo, questa, questi and queste (posted)

In Italian, the spelling of this or these depends on the plural ity and gender of the article. Questa Questo Questi Queste feminine, singular masculine, singular masculine, plural (or a group of mixed gender individuals) feminine, plural

Examples Non toccare questi libri! Sono tutti molto rari e preziosi rare and precious Non possiamo credere a questa storia. troppo fantasiosa! Affronteremo questo problema (Note: masc, irregular) quando sar il momento Non vogliamo uscrire con questi ragazzi. Sono antipatici Susanna, questa volta non posso aiutarti, mi dispiace molto proporio necessario comprare tutti questi vestiti nuovi? Abbiamo conosciuto questa ragazza in una scuola di lingua Il professore had detto che dobbiam tradurre questo articolo In questi giorni non sono andata a scuola, perch ero malata Non posso capire queste frasi (Note: fem, ending in e in sing.). Sono troppo difficili per me Dove hai comprato questi belle scarpe? In quale negozio? Questa fotografia ha vinto un importante premio lanno scorso Parliamo daltro. Tutti questi discorsi non mi interessano affatto. Durante queste ultime settimane non ho potuto studiare molto. Questa transmission sulla vita degli animali molto interessante. Francesca dice che questo corso di italiano non molto difficile per lei. In questa discoteca incontro sempre i ragazzi del mio corso. Questo partito politico non pu vincere le prossime elezioni Dont touch those books! They are very all very

We cant believe this story, its too fantastical Well deal with this probmel when its time We dont want to go out with this boys. Theyre not nice Susanna, this time I cant help you, Im sorry Is it really necessary to buy all these new clothes? I met this girl at language school The teacher has said that we must translate this article Those days I didnt go to school because I was ill I cant understand those sentences. Theyre too difficult for me. Where did you buy those lovely shoes? In which shop? This photo won an important prize last year Can we talk about something else. These discussions dont interest me at all. During the(se) last few weeks I couldnt study much. This programme on the life of animals is very interesting. Francesa says that this Italian course isnt very difficult for her. Im always meeting people from my course in this nightclub. This political party cant win the next election

2013 notes

A list of reflexive verbs

Verb alzarsi mettersi vestersi arrabbiarsi truccarsi farsi la barba tagliarsi i capelli addormentarsi divertersi guardarsi allo specchio svegliarsi pettinarsi English to get up to put something on to get dressed to get angry to put on makeup shave beard cut ones hair to fall aslepp to have fun look at oneself in the mirror to wake up to comb ones hair Io mi alzo mi metto mi vesto mi arrabbio mi trucco mi faccio la barba mi tagio i capelli mi addormento mi diverto mi guardo allo specchio mi sveglio mi pettino Tu ti alzi ti metti ti vesti ti arrabbi ti trucchi ti fai la barba ti tagli i capelli ti addormenti ti diverti ti guardi allo specchio ti svegli ti pettini Lei si alza si mette si veste si arrabbia si trucca si fa la barba si taglia i capelli si addormenta si diverte si guarda allo specchio si sveglia si pettina Ci ci alziamo ci mettiamo ci vestiamo ci arrabbiamo ci trucchiamo ci facciamo le barbe ci tagliamo i capelli ci addormentiamo ci divertimento ci guardiamo allo specchio ci svegliamo ci pettiamo Voi vi alzate vi mettete vi vestite vi arrabbiate vi truccate vi fate le barbe vi tagliate i capelli vi addormentate vi divertite vi guardate allo specchio vi svegliate vi pettinate Loro si alzano si mettono si vestono si arrabbiano si truccano si fanno le barbe si tagliano i capelli si addormentano si divertono si guardano allo specchio si svegliano si pettinano

2013 notes
farsi il bagno lavarsi le mani asciugarsi annoiarsi chiamarsi fermarsi preoccuparsi preparsi per (+inf) sentirsi (bene/male /libero/ansioso) sentirsi di take a bath/bathe oneself to wash ones hands to dry off to be bored to call oneself to stop oneself to worry oneself to prepare oneself to to feel (e.g. well) mi faccio il bagno mi lavo le mani mi asciugo mi annoio mi chiamo mi fermo mi preoccupo mi preparo per + mi sento ti fai il bagno ti lavi le mani ti asciughi ti annoi ti chiami ti fermi ti preoccupi ti prepari per + ti senti si f ail bagno si lava le mani si asciuga si annoia si chiama si ferma si preoccupa si prepara per + si sente ci facciamo il bagno ci laviamo le mani ci asciughiamo ci annoiamo chi chiamiamo ci fermiamo ci preoccupiamo ci perpariamo per + ci sentiamo vi fate il bagno vi lavate le mani vi asciugate vi annoiate vi chiamate vi fermate vi preoccupate vi preparate per + vi sentite si fanno il bagno si lavano le mani si asciugano si annoiano si chiamano si fermano si preoccupano si preparano per + si sentono

to feel up to

mi sento di

ti senti di

si sente di

ci sentiamo di

vi sentite di

si sentono di

2013 notes Asking for something or asking someone for something

How do you say you have asked for something in Italian, for example if you want to tell the waiter that you have already asked for some water but it has not arrived? So dont translate literally: abbiamo gia chiesto per una brocca daqua del gabbineto

RULE: Italian doesnt translate the for in asked for RULE: Italians ASK SOMETHING, rather than for something BUT RULE: if ASKING SOMETHING OF SOMETHING, Italians ask to (translated as a) something

CORRECT TRANSLATION: abbiamo gia chiesto una brocca dacqua del rubinetto (weve already asked for a jug of tap water) Example abbiamo gi chiesto il preventivo ad un muratore ha chiesto aiuto ho chiesto a Luca abbiamo chiesto al muratore weve already asked a builder for a quote. he asked for help. I asked Luca we asked the builder.

2013 notes When the Italian translation ignores the little words we use in English
Translation into Italian often cuts out little words such as for or any which appear in English sentences. For example, Italian Non ho spiccioli Non ha amici italiani? Quant? Cento euro English I dont have any change Dont you have any Italian friends? How much is it? A hundred euros I have asked for the bill (in a restaurant) Lesson In negative sentences in the plural, any is not unexpressed. When giving a price/number the indefinite article a or the number one before hundred/million is not expressed. The word for is not expressed after chiedere/ask, instead simply the article + noun/persons name. When asking for something, in Italian sometimes you use the definite article (the), where in English we say a/an. The word on is not expressed in Italian when referring to dates. The word of is not expressed in Italian when saying the date. The word for is not used after waiting. Lit. I wait Anna. Italians say in meeting not in a meeting

Ho chiesto il conto

Ha il passaporto/la patente/la macchina? Ci vediamo il tre agosto Il primo maggio Dove aspetti Anna? Il signore Fini in riunione

Do you have a passport/a driving licence/a car? See you on the 3rd of August The first of May Where are you waiting for Anna? Mr Fini is in a meeting

2013 notes Practising using piacere quantified by quantities

A while ago I wrote about how to use piacere, shocked when a lot of my seasoned classmates had no idea how to conjugate the verb beyond mi piace or mi piacciono. I have come across a rispondi alle domande exercise I did in 2008. It uses to two ways of referring to what you like: (1) a me/le/lui etc; and (2) mi/ci piace. Ti piacciono queste scarpe (molto) Ti piace questa macchina (abbastanza) Guarda questa borsa. Piace a Roberta? Signora Rossi, Le piacciono questi occhiali? A Giorgio piace questo film? Ti piacciono questi pantaloni? Che bel vestiti. Ti piace? A Claudio piace questo libro? Ti piacciono i quadri di Picasso? Mi piacciono molto Mi piace abbastanza quella macchina No, a lei/Roberta non piace molto/No, non le piace molto Mi piacciono moltissimo No, a lui non piace affatto. Mi piacciono quei pantaoloni abbastanza. No, non mi piace molto. Si, a lui/gli piace moltissimo. Mi piacciono i quadri di Picasso abbastanza.

The difference between mi piace etc and a me...piace etc Atoni me/ti/le (non) mi piace... (non) ti piace... (non) Le piace... Tonici a me/a te/a Lei a me (non) piace... a te (non) piace)... a Lei (non piace)...

Some rules 1. Mi/ti/Le and a me/a te/a Lei are always before the verb. 2. Non is before the pronouns me/ti/le but after a me/a te/a Lei 3. A me etc is used when one wants to emphasise an action.

2013 notes Personal object pronouns

I was trying to understand when I should use Roberto piace la campagna (Roberto likes the countryside) instead of A Roberto piace la campagana. This lead me down a difficult path which involves understanding the difference between atone pronouns and toniche pronouns. Deep breath as I try to summarise where to put pronouns in a sentence and how to spell the pronouns depending on the type of sentence. What is a pronoun? It is a word you use instead of a noun, when you do not need or want to name someone or something directly, e.g. it, you, me, somebody. In Italian, personal object pronouns replace direct objects and indirect objects (that is, those preceded by a preposition). They have toniche (tonic) and atone (atonic) forms. Toniche = form with a strong emphasis in the sentence: a me che Carlo si riferisce. It's me that Charles is referring to. Voglio vedere te e non tuo fratello. I want to see you and not your brother.

Atone = weak forms w/o particular significance & may depend on the adjacent word Ti telefono da Roma. I'll phone from Rome. Ti spedir la lettera al pi presto. I'll send the letter as soon as possible. Scrivimi presto! Write to me soon! Non voglio vederlo. I do not want to see it. Credendolo un amico gli confidai il mio segreto. Thinking he was a friend, I confided in him my secret.

NOTE: when verbal forms are truncated the consonant of the pronoun is doubled. English fa' a mefammi di' a leidille Indirect personal pronoun (toniche) Mi Ti Gli/Lei Si Ci Vi Reflexive pronoun Mi Ti Gli Si Ci Vi When combo. with direct object pronoun (lo, la, li, le) Me Te Glie (*yes, used for fem. & masc.) Se Ce Ve

Me You(inf) He/She/Formal him/her You (formal) We You (pl)

2013 notes

English

Indirect personal pronoun (atone) Mi Ti Gli Le Si Ci Vi gli/ loro *usually

me to you(inf) to him to her you (formal) to us to you (pl.) to them Definitions Pronome personale indiretto = = = = Forme toniche = =

used when the personal pronoun is not doing the action indirect receiver of the action preceded by one of a prepositions: a, di, da, in, con, su, per, tra, fra | e.g. a me/te/lui/lei/noi/voi/loro two different forms: forme toniche (accented forms) & and forme atone gen. after the verb stressed, helping to give them more emphasis in the sentence. used w/o any preposition in idiomatic exclamations, e.g. Beato te! (lucky you!); povero me! (poor me!); contento lui, contenti tutti! (If he is happy, everybody is happy!). atone form gen used with piacere but to emphasize the pronouns, forme toniche used, e.g. a me piace il mare, ma a lei piace la montagna (I like the sea, but she likes the mountain). more common than forme toniche preceded by the preposition a gen. used with piacere, e.g. mi piace il mare (I like the sea) Because of their lack of stress gen = immed. before the verb, but sometimes joined onto the end of the verb: 1. after an infinitive: siamo venuti per parlarvi (We have come to talk to you); 2. after a gerund: non voglio offendere Giorgio dicendogli questo (I dont want to offend Giorgio by telling him this); 3. after the imperative: non ditele nulla (do not tell her anything); parlami! (talk to me!);

Forme atone

= = =

Cannot be used in the following situations: 1. with di, da, in, con, su, per, tra / fra; 2. in comparisons after come (like/as) or quanto (as much as), e.g. a Gianna piace il gelato al cioccolato come a me (Gianna likes chocolate ice cream like me); 3. after anche (also, too), neanche (not even, neither), pure (even), and neppure / nemmeno (not even),

2013 notes
e.g. Mario: mi piace il mare. Luca: Anche a me (Mario: I like the sea. Luca: me too), Mario: Non mi ha dato il libro Luca: Neanche a me (Mario: He didnt give me the book. Luca: He didnt give it to me either).

Where do the pronuns go in the sentence

Order Comb. pronouns (gen) precede the verb pronoun (1) pronoun (spelling changed) me, te se, glie, ce, ve pronoun (2) direct object pronoun (lo, la, li, le, ne) direct object pronoun (3)

If si impersonale is used

si impersonale

Other rule

glie (he/she) hooks onto the direct object to become glielo, gleila, glieli, gliele

This is my attempt to consolidate a lot of notes Ive found on the internet. I still dont fully understand it all (probably my bad grammar when it comes to English) nor some of the references Ive found to egli. I think I will have to revisit this again the future. Examples of difference between forme atone and forme toniche Forme atone gli ho dato il libro (I gave him the book) Gianni: Ti assicuro che tutto vero! Luca: Va bene, ti credo Examples of toniche Te, Me, Se, Ce, Ve Gli Hai visto la nuova macchina di Marco? Glielhanno regalata i suoi genitori per la laurea Questo il pane per Maria. Glielo dai tu? Vuole parlare col direttore? Certamente Signor Bianchi, glielo chiamo subito Ti serve una penna? Te la presto io Hai fatto delle foto durante le vacanze? Me le fai vedere? Non conoscete i Signori Rossi? Ecco, ve li presento Il vino? Doveva portarlo Mario, ma se lo scordato Ti piacciono i miei capelli? Me li sono tagliati ieri Quante sedie servono? Ce ne servono ancora tre Forme toniche ho dato il libro a lui (I gave the book to him). Gianni: A chi credi, a me o a Bruno? Luca: Va bene, credo a te

2013 notes
Si Te lo si legge in faccia (its written all over your face. Lit. to you one reads it in your face) Simona era molto sconvolta, glielo si leggeva in faccia (Simona was very upset, you could see it in her face) Non ce lo si pu permettere (we/one cant afford it. Lit. to oneself one cannot allow it) Andate ancora a Roma in macchina tutte le settimane? No, fra costo della benzina e pedaggio dellautostrada non ce lo si pu pi permettere (Do you still drive to Rome every week? No, what with the cost of the fuel and the toll on the motorway its not affordable anymore)

Examples of atone Giovanna, vieni con me al mercato? Ho comprato questo regalo per voi Ho dato il libro a loro Il direttore ha fiducia in te the manager has confidence in you

2013 notes Pronouncing ABITARE (to live)

I am guilty of mispronouncing abitare. Conjugation in the present tense io tu lei/lui/Lei noi voi loro Pronunciation I have made the mistake of making the i sound too long. MY MISTAKE: CORRECT ah-bee-toh ab-e-toh abito abiti abita abitiamo abitate abitano

Try listening to Google Translate : http://translate.google.co.uk/#it/en/abitiamo Have you been mispronouncing it too?

2013 notes Qualche volta: sometimes, occasionally RULE Qualche means a few or some and IT IS ALWAYS FOLLOWED BY A SINGULAR NOUN, WHICH MUST BE COUNTABLE
Examples Vengo con qualche amico Ho qualche libro sullItalia Guarda spesso la televisione? La guardo qualche volta Ill come along with some friends Ive got some books on Italy Do you often watch television I watch it occasionally

This is one of those little rules (the singular noun bit) that I often forget!

2013 notes Talking on the telephone!

Learning how to: ask to speak to someone on the phone ask someone to repeat themselves/speak louder ask whether you have the wrong number ask whether someone is in and answer accordingly ask whether you can leave a message or call back later

Italian Pronto?/Dica! Chi parla? Sono[name]/Sono io Vorrei parlare con C Luisa? Si, c /Giorgio non c Le passo X Le telefono dopo Un momento! Le do il numero di telefono di Giorgio Ho sbagliato numero? Posso lasciare un messaggio? Dovrei/posso richiamare pi tardi

English Hello a greeting when answering the phone With whom am I speaking its [name]/its me speaking! I would like to speak with Is Luisa there? yes, Giorgio is here/Giorgio isnt here Ill pass you (over to) X Ill call you later One moment. Ill give you Giorgios number Have I called the wrong number? Can I leave a message? Should/can I call back later?

Ieri ho prenotato una camera a Milan. Ho mandato un email allalbergo in Italiano ma ho ricevuto una risposta in Inglese. Che cavolo! Forse la prossima volta usero il telefono!

2013 notes Using Mancare: to miss

Mi Manca lopportunita parlare litaliano. Certo, potrei andare a trovare con un gruppo dei stranieri chi vogliono parlare litaliano. Ma per adesso, non ne ho voglio. Ma, lezioni, di quei non ho paura. Infatti, lunedi comincio un corso breve ma intensive. Quindi, durante gli ultimi mesi volevo cominciare a consultare ai miei appunti dagli ultimi anni. Oggi ho scoperto una lista di frasi che usano mancare, un verbo comune nella lingua Italiana. Meaning to be lacking in to be missing

Uses

To miss someone/something To miss a target/goal References to time To express not physically having something To not want to do something To not be present

Mancanza

a lack, absence or shortage or something

To miss someone or something Italian Mi manca la mia famiglia Mi mancano i giorni caldi dellestate Non ti manca lInghilterra? Ti mancano i tuoi? Mi manchi To miss a target or goal Italian Ha mancato la rete Ho mancato il bersaglio per un pelo English He missed the goal I missed the target by a hair English I miss my family I miss the hot summer days Dont you miss England? Do you miss your parents? I miss you Literally My family is missing for me Hot summer days are missing for me Isnt England missing for you? Arent your parents missing for you? You are missing for me

2013 notes
Others Italian Quanto manca alla partenza? Mancano dieci minuti Che ore sono? mancano cinque minuti alle dieci Mi mancano le chiavi Ci manca il latte we havent got any milk left mancata la corrente there was a power failure Oggi mi manca la voglia di pulire la casa Alla riunione mancava solo Giovanni English How long before we leave? There are ten minutes left What time is it? its five to ten I havent got my keys with me the milk is lacking to us the current was lacking I dont have the will to clean the house today Only Giovanni wasnt at the meeting Today the will to clean the house is lacking for me At the meeting there was missing only Giovanni Literally How much time is lacking before the departure?) Ten minutes are lacking Five minutes are lacking before ten My keys are lacking to me

Mancanza Expresses a lacking, absence or shortage of someone/thing Sento la sua mancanza Ha dimostrato una mancanza di tatto Durante la guerra cera sempre una mancanza di cibo I miss his/feel his absence He showed a lack of tact there was always a lack of food during the war

2013 notes Articles the and a in Italian

General rules words ending in -a are feminine; words ending in -o are masculine; words ending in -e can be either feminine or masculine except where the word is foreign the word will nearly always be masculine; pay attention when a word is short for a longer complete word (e.g. foto= fotographia or moto = motocicletta) , then its the last letter of

This matters because it alters how the and a are written. The table Single Masculine Regular Begins with z, x, gn, ps, pn, y, s+consonant the a the a Begins with vowel the a il un lo uno l un gli gli Plural i

Single Feminine Regular Begins with vowel the a the a la una l un

Plural le

le

Quick table for changing single endings to plural M F M/F -O -A -E -I -E -I

2013 notes The congintivo/subjunctive spider

Note to self: dont assume that +CHE always introduced the subjunctive. This will generally be where something is certain, so there is certain knowledge. Examples Vedo che hai portato la bici So che la lezione termina alle 1930

Ipotesi (opinions) suppongo/suppose ritengo/reckon credo/believe penso/think immagino/imagine mi sembra Conguintivo (all followed by + che) Aspettavia (expectations) Ho paura/Im afraid Temo/I fear Mi auguro/I hope Spero/I hope Mi aspetto/I expect

Volont (will or disinclination) voglio/want preferisco/prefer importante/it is important cruciale/it is crucial fondamentale/it is fundamental

Ignoranza (ignorance) indirect questions Mi domando/I wonder No so se/che / I dont know if/that Non sono sicuro se /Im not sure if Ignoro/I dont know

2013 notes THE IMPERATIVE

When used Rules Lei & Tu "Back to front rule" for present form endings on are verbs o o ARE verbs: tu parla - Lei parli Conversely IRE/ERE verbs: tu prendi - Lei prenda to give orders (to do or not to do something); to give advice; to urge strongly; or to exhort.

Only used in present tense.

Gen, imperative isn't used with Lei: it goes against the grain to tell someone who you refer to as Lei (i.e. someone with authority or who is a stranger) what to do; there are exceptions to the Lei rule e.g. with excuse me: "Scusi" (but technically this is probably a use of the subjunctive (i.e. being polite));

Note: for Lei and Loro the imperative conjugates the same as the subjunctive. Noi Conjugates in same way as present tense, but see exceptions below. General conjugation : positive i.e. you should do this REGULAR ARE verbs ERE verbs IRE verbs ISCO TU A I I ISCI LEI I A A ISCA VOI ATE ETE ITE ITE NOI IAMO IAMO IAMO IAMO LORO INO ANO ANO ISCANO

TU you informal (regular verbs) REGULAR ARE verbs ERE verbs IRE verbs ISCO REFLEXIVE ENDING A I I ISCI ATI (arsi) ITI (ersi) ITI (irsi) INFINITIVE cantare/scusare scrivere/ripetere dormire/partire finire alzarsi sedersi vestirsi-pulirsi TU Canta/Scusa Mangi/ripeti Dormi/parti Finisci alzati siediti vestiti-pulisciti

2013 notes
LEI you formal (regular verbs) REGULAR ARE verbs ERE verbs IRE verbs ISCO REFLEXIVE ENDING I A A ISCI si ...i (arsi) si ...a (ersi) si ...a (irsi) INFINITIVE cantare scrivere dormire finire alzarsi sedersi vestirsi TU Canta Mangi Dorma Finisci si alzi si sieda si vesta

VOI you plural (regular verbs) REGULAR ARE verbs ERE verbs IRE verbs ISCO verbs ENDING ATE ITE ATE ITE INFINITIVE cantare scrivere pulire finire VOI Cantate Pulite Parlite Finite

Reflexive verbs general In the affirmative imperative the pronoun (mi, ti, vi, si) hooks on to the end of the word, except with loro, which is always separate. Example tu lui, lei, Lei noi voi loro, Loro

mettiti si metta mettiamoci mettetevi si mettano

Irregular verbs INFINITIVE andare (to walk) avere (to have) dare (to give) dire (to say, tell) essere (to be) fare (to make) sapere (to know) stare (to stay) TU Va'/Vai Abbi Da'/Dai Di' Sii Fa'/Fai Sappi Sta'/Stai LEI Vada Abbia Dia Dica Sia Faccia Sappia Stia VOI Andate Abbiate Date Dite Siate Fate Sappiate State NOI Andiamo Abbiamo Diamo Diciamo Siamo Facciamo Sappiamo Stiamo LORO Vadano Abbiano Diano Dicano Siano Facciano Sappiano Stiano

2013 notes Holiday vocab

Shopping un francobollo LESSON: per la Svizzera/lInghilterra ecc. lestero quanto costa/costano?/quant? che taglia/che numero lo posso provare? Di qua, prego Questo/a va bene lo/a/e/i prendo si figuri! molto gentile gli spiccioli/la moneta il resto il denaro/I soldi a che ora apre/aprono/chiude/chiudono...? Travelling la multa un blocchetto limpiegato da che/quale binario? l in fondo a che ora parte/arriva...? lorario dei treni Hotels Dica!/Prego mezza pensione/pensione completa camera a un letto camera a due letti camera matrimoniale d (from dare) fare il bagno sedia a sdraio Yes/Can I help half board/full board single room twin-bedded room double bedroom looks out over, e.g. una camera d sul mare/room with a sea view to bathe, go swimming deck chair fine (which youll get if you dont stamp your train ticket before boarding or park in the wrong place) book of ten bus/metro tickets booking clerk (in a train station ticket office) from which (train) platform? down there at what time does (it) leave/arrive? the train timetable stamp Dont forget the article before the country name when asking for stamps! abroad how much does it/they cost/it come to? what size? (clothes/shoes) can I try it on? this way, please this one fits (clothes) Ill take (buy) it/them not at all all! very kind of you change (loose coins) change (out of what is paid) cash/money At what time do/es . open/close?

Dove vai in vacanza quest'anno? In Italia? Si? Poi, forse questa lista sar utile a te?

2013 notes

Shops a list of vocabulary

Note: often Italians use the name of a vendor rather than the name of a shop & when using the vendors name dont forget to use da see my separate post on this i.e. vado dal farmacista vado in farmacia

Common shops where Italians refer to the shopkeeper rather than the shop Farmacista Panettiere Macellaio Pasticciere Pescivendolo Fruttivendolo chemist baker butcher confectioner fishmonger grocer Farmacia Panettieria Macelleria Pasticceria Pescheria chemists bakers butchers cake shop fish shop

Shops ENGLISH antique shop art gallery bakery barber shop beauty parlor bookshop butcher shop candy store chemist ITALIAN lantiquario la galleria darte il panificio il barbiere il parrucchiere la libreria la macelleria la pasticceria farmacista (vado dal farmacista) famacia (vado in farmacia china shop cigar store cobbler shop cosmetic salon dairy department store drug store dry cleaners electrical shop il negozio di porcellane la tabaccheria il calzolaio il salone di bellezza la latteria il grande magazzino la drogheria la tintoria il negozio di apparecchi elettrici

2013 notes

fashion boutique fish market flower shop fruit/verdura market furrier grocery store delicatessen haberdashery hairdresser hat shop ice cream shop jewelry store laundromat laundry leather goods store lingerie shop liquor store music store newsdealer optician perfume shop pet shop photo shop photographers studio real estate agency record store secondhand shop selfservice shoe store souvenir store sporting goods store stationery store supermarket tailor shop textile store toy store travel agency

la boutique la pescheria il fioraio il mercato fruttaverdura/il fruttivendolo la pellicceria il negozio di generi alimentari il salumiere labbigliamento maschile il parrucchiere la cappelleria geleteria la gioelleria la lavanderia a gettone la lavanderia la pelletteria il negozio di biancheria il negozio di liquori il negozio di musica il giornalaio lottico la profumeria il negozio di animali domestici il fotografo lo studio fotografico lagenzia immobiliare il negozio di dischi la libreria dantiquariato il selfservice il negozio di scarpe il negozio di souvenir gli articoli sportivi la cartoleria il supermercato il sarto il negozio di abbigliamento il negozio di giocattoli lagenzia di viaggio

2013 notes

watchmakers shop wine shop

lorologiaio il negozio di vini

Some negotiating tools for shopping troppo grande/largo/stretto/lungo/corto chiara/scura di pello vero o di plastica? caro buon economico lo/la compro Di che colore? Quanto costa/no? in vetrina Its too big, baggy/tight/long/short light/dark Is it made of real leather or plastic? expensive good value/cheap Ill buy it What colours? How much does it/they cost? in the (shop) window

Weights and measures when shopping for food Ill never forget the story of someone in my 2nd year Italian class. He was learning Italian because he owned a house in Tuscany, plus he worked as a food buyer for a major supermarket and often found himself in Italy buying lovely foodie things. However, he didnt know how to say 100g and for about 5 years hed only ever bought half a kilo of something. Thats a lot of cheese! un etto di/due etti un kilo di mezzo kilo di una fetta una fetta sottile (sottile) una dozina un litro una bottiglia una scatola dei/delle/del/della/degli 100g of/200g 1kg of kilo of slice a thin slice (adding the adjective x2 = very thin) a dozen a litre a bottle tin (can) some... / any e.g. ha delluva = do you have any grapes?

2013 notes
And some of the vocab for making the transaction Cosa desidera, singnore/signora? Quanto vuole? Desidera altro? Non mi piace/piacciono mia/affatto Ha delle cipolle? Mi dispiace. Non ne ho. Le dispiace tornare domani? degli spiccioli il resto What would you like? How much (do you want)? Would you like anything else? I dont like it/them at all Have you got any onions? Sorry, I havent any Do you mind coming back tomorrow? some small change (coins) change (from a large note)

2013 notes THE MANY USES OF FARE

io tu Lei noi voi loro faccio fai fa facciamo fate fanno

Fare, meaning to make is used in many contexts, some major players being: having breakfast (fare colazione, not avere la colazione) weather (oggi fa caldo) buying a ticket job titles (e.g. mio padre fa il fornaio) doing something (e.g. doing homework) making something (e.g. constructing a table) to express how something makes you feel (e.g. mi fa pena vedere queste scene) tidy up (e.g. mi facendo la stanza, c.f. mettere in ordine) take an educational course (e.g. faccio lezione di inglese) when putting petrol in a vehicle (e.g. fa pieno, per favore (fill it up please)) do the shopping (fare la spesa/le spese) to ask a question (fare una domanda) take a picture (fare una foto)

A list of other common phrases using fare

fare equitazione andare a fare un giro in bicicletta o in moto andare a fare un giro in macchina andare a fare una passeggiata andare a fare una scappata andare a prendere; a fare aver fatto meglio a fare qcs. aver fatto meglio a fare qcs. avere a che fare con avere altro da fare avere cose migliori da fare avere facilit di fare qcs. a mente avere lo stomaco di fare qs loc avere molto a che fare con avere una probabilit di fare qcs. bravo a fare qcs, bravo in qcs go horse-riding go for a ride go for a drive go for a walk pop out go and get had rather had better have to do with have other things to do have better things to do head for have the guts to do sth loc have a lot to do with have a chance at good at sth

2013 notes

camminare con fare predatorio v ce la pu fare c' poco da fare che ci posso fare? che te lo dico a fare chi ce/me lo fa fare? fare cenno a un taxi fare il capo fare lo spelling fare lo stupido con chi credi di avere a che fare? con fare scettico, con fare dubbioso con poco si pu fare molto fare la conoscenza di continuare a fare qualcosa fare da paravento a qualcuno vi cosa fare/non fare cose da fare fare il gioco di qualcuno darsi da fare darsi da fare per darsi la pena di fare qualcosa darsi troppo da fare v datti da fare fare la spia fare a brandelli fare a gara con fare a maglia v fare a mano v fare a meno di fare a meno di qualcosa fare a pugni fare alla romana fare castelli in aria fare colazione fare fingere fare forca fare i compiti fare il biglietto fare il pieno fare la fila/la coda

prowl can hack it there's not much one can do, what can i do about it? expr why do i even bother? expr what on earth am i doing this for? hail a taxi call the shots spell out clown about who do you think you're dealing with? doubtfully a little can go a long way get acquainted with (qualcuno) go on with cover up for dos and don'ts things to do play into someomes trap/hands play the field (relationships) struggle worth the trouble to do something overexert exert yourself tell on tear to shreds race with knit craft do without do without something mix it up to split the check to daydream to have breakfast to pretend, make believe to skive to do one's homework to purchase a ticket to fill up the petrol tank stand on line / wait on line

2013 notes

fare la spesa fare le spese fare male fare un capello in quattro fare una domanda fare una fotografia fare una passeggiata fare vedere farsi in la farsi la barba mi fa pena mi fa pensare non fa niente

to go grocery shopping to go shopping (general) to be painful, to ache to split hairs to ask a question to take a picture to take a walk to show someone something to step to one side to shave it makes me sad it makes me think it doesnt matter

Proverbs using fare Fare e disfare tutt'un lavorare Chi la fa l'aspetti Chi fa da s fa per tre Non fare agli altri ci che non vorresti fosse fatto a te Tutto fa brood Chi non sa fare, non sa comandare See more here: See more here: It's all go, it's a hard life You will get as good as you gave If you want something done, do it yourself Do as you would be done by Every little bit helps A bad worker is a bad master

http://www.wordreference.com/definizione/fare http://www.wordreference.com/iten/fare

2013 notes When the Italian translation ignores the little words we use in English
Translation into Italian often cuts out little words such as for or any which appear in English sentences. For example, Italian Non ho spiccioli Non ha amici italiani? Quant? Cento euro English I dont have any change Dont you have any Italian friends? How much is it? A hundred euros I have asked for the bill (in a restaurant) Lesson In negative sentences in the plural, any is not unexpressed. When giving a price/number the indefinite article a or the number one before hundred/million is not expressed. The word for is not expressed after chiedere/ask, instead simply the article + noun/persons name. When asking for something, in Italian sometimes you use the definite article (the), where in English we say a/an. The word on is not expressed in Italian when referring to dates. The word of is not expressed in Italian when saying the date. The word for is not used after waiting. Lit. I wait Anna. Italians say in meeting not in a meeting

Ho chiesto il conto

Ha il passaporto/la patente/la macchina? Ci vediamo il tre agosto Il primo maggio Dove aspetti Anna? Il signore Fini in riunione

Do you have a passport/a driving licence/a car? See you on the 3rd of August The first of May Where are you waiting for Anna? Mr Fini is in a meeting