Italian Level 1
Learning Italian...in context!
Welcome to your Fluent City Italian class! Here’s a few important things to know before you begin:
1 - Don’t be afraid to “keep it simple” for the next few months. Speaking like a child anytime soon is actually a great
triumph. A 4-year-old child in Italy has spoken and listened to Italy for about 16 hours EVERY day for several years! If you
can do the same after a 20 or 40 hours of class, then you are doing really well.
2 - Learning a new language is never easy, especially if it is your first foreign language. Don’t get discouraged as the going
gets really tough in a few weeks! Even if you are a smart and successful person who is used to “getting” things very
quickly, be aware that it is rare that someone “gets” a foreign language right away. Stick to the basics, come to class each
week, put in as much study time outside of class as possible, and use the resources made available to you to study the
concepts you might be struggling with (and ask for more if you need them). More important than anything is to remain
positive and to stick with it as you move forward each week.
3 - A lot of material is covered in each class session. If you have to miss a class, check out www.fluentcity.com/
missaclass for what to do.
Learning a language should be a fun experience and your teacher will do everything they can to ensure that it is a pleasant
journey, so enjoy the ride!
GOALS
The goal of these first few pages is to introduce you to the main concepts of Italian pronunciation. Focus on the
fundamental concepts and sounds and don’t worry too much as mastery will only come with time.
Use the next few pages to practice pronunciation, including the greetings (which are also a fun way to have a few
phrases to show off to your roommate tonight after class).
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Pronunciation and the Basics
A B C D E F G H I [J] [K] L M N
“ah”
bee
chee
dee
“eh”
O P Q
“oh”
pee
koo
effe
gee
acca
“ee” i lunga
cappa
elle
emme
enne
R S T U V [W] [X] [Y] Z
erre
esse
tee
“ooh”
voo
doppia voo
eeks
ipsilon
zeta
(The letters J, K, W, X, and Y only appear in foreign words, but are fairly common in product names.)
H
S
Z
GN
GL
always silent
hai
--
halloween
“s” when initial, double,
or next to C, F, P, or T
sala
scarpe
“z” when between vowels or next to
B, D, G, L, M, N, or V
Pisa
sbaglio
sometimes “ts”
Firenze
sometimes “dz”
always “ny” (ñ)
lasagna
--
usually “GL” (gla, gle, glo, glu)
Gloria
GLI = “LLYEE”
Hard
zero
bagno
famiglia
Soft
A
CA = “ka”
GA = “ga”
A
CIA=“cha”
GIA= “dja”
O
CO = “ko”
GO = “go”
O
CIO = “cho”
GIO = “djo”
U
CU = “ku”
GU = “gu”
U
CIU = “chu”
GIU = “dju”
E
CHE = “ke”
GHE = “ge”
E
CE = “che”
GE = “dje”
I
CHI = “ki”
GHI = “gi”
I
CI = “chi”
GI = “dji”
Double Consonants
When a consonant is doubled, its sound becomes longer, and the sound of the vowel before it becomes shorter.
For bb, cc, cch, ff, gg, ggh, pp, tt, and zz, the longer
sound feels like holding back the air, making a silent
pause.
single
double
globo
babbo
bacia
faccia
discoteche
macchina
fotografo
buffo
regio
peggio
paghi
agghiacciato
capo
tappo
dato
fatto
romanzo
pizza
For ll, mm, nn, rr, and ss, the sound is just a longer
version of the normal sound. Rr is always rolled.
single
double
tela
bella
poema
mamma
pena
penna
nero
ferro
casa
cassa
Accents
The longest vowel sound in a word is the ‘accented’ syllable. When you learn a new word, put a dot under the longest
vowel to mark the accent. If you have to guess, the second-to-last syllable is accented about 60% of the time. If a
word has a written accent, then that syllable is accented, but is louder (instead of longer) than the rest.
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Saluti (Greetings)
Domande (Questions)
Risposte (Responses)
Ciao./Salve.
Buongiorno.
Buona sera.
Piacere.
Come stai? (i)
Come sta? (f)
Come va?
Sto bene, grazie.
Tutto bene.
Come ti chiami? (i)
Come si chiama? (f)
Mi chiamo...
Di dove sei?
Dove abiti?
Sono di...
Abito a/in...
Quanti anni hai?
Ho __#__ anni.
Che fai?
E tu? E Lei?
Niente.
Saluti (Goodbyes)
Ciao.
Buona giornata.
Buona serata.
Arrivederci.
A presto.
Come ti chiami?
Buongiorno.
Ciao.
Come ti chiami?
Mi chiamo Marco.
Piacere Marco. Mi chiamo Nicoletta.
Piacere.
Incontri un amico nella metro
Ciao, Diego! Come va?
Ciao, Maria. Tutto bene, grazie. E tu?
Tutto bene.
Ecco la mia fermata! Scendi anche tu?
No, vado a Graham Avenue.
Va bene Maria, a presto!
Esercizio A and B: Fill in the blanks with an appropriate “Saluti”
Esercizio A
Esercizio B
F: Ciao, ___ _________ Fabrizio. _____ _______?
P: Ciao Silvia, _________ _______________________?
G: ___ ____________ Giulia. ______________,
S: Sto ________ ____________. ____ _________?
Fabrizio.
P: ______________. Che ______________?
F: ___________... ____________ anni hai?
S: __________________________.
G: Ho ventiquattro anni. ____ __________?
P: __________________________!
F: _________ ventitre ________! A presto, Giulia.
S: Buona ______________, Paolo!
G: Ciao! A presto!
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numeri - numbers
0-9
zero
uno
due
tre
quattro
cinque
sei
sette
otto
nove
10 - 19
dieci
undici
dodici
tredici
quattordici
quindici
sedici
diciassette
diciotto
diciannove
20 - 29
venti
ventuno
ventidue
ventitre
ventiquattro
venticinque
ventisei
ventisette
ventotto
ventinove
0 - 90 (by 10s)
zero
dieci
venti
trenta
quaranta
cinquanta
sessanta
settanta
ottanta
novanta
0 - 900 (by 100s)
zero
cento
duecento
trecento
quattrocento
cinquecento
seicento
settecento
ottocento
novecento
Larger numbers are formed by combining smaller numbers to form one long word:
Esempio:
357 = trecento + cinquanta + sette = “trecentocinquantasette”
When the last digit is 1 or 8, the final -a of the tens digit is dropped to avoid a double vowel:
Esempi:
31 = trenta + uno = “trentuno”
98 = novanta + otto = “novantotto”
The word for “thousand” is “mille”, but for 2000 or greater it changes to “mila”
Esempi:
1000 = “mille” (not “uno mille”)
2012 = “duemiladodici”
Esercizio A: Fill in the grids with random numbers from 1-1000. Play tic-tac-toe with a partner,
but first say the number for each spot you pick!
16
39
24
7
41
55
11
20
38
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Verbs...in context!
Ok, now that you’ve got some of the basics of pronunciation down, it’s time to start to understand verbs. All Fluent
City professors agree that the verb is the most important part of any sentence, so you can imagine why we want you
to focus on them at all times.
To understand verbs, you need to understand what conjugation is. Because conjugation is often very simple in
English, English speakers are often totally unaware of it. It is definitely more complex in Italian and it is helpful if you
understand how it works in English before you start learning how to do it in Italian on the next page.
Here are some of the major ideas:
-an infinitive of a verb in English includes the word “to”. Examples of some infinitives in English:
to walk
to speak
to work
to buy
to find
to rest
-To conjugate a verb means to taking “to walk” and turning it into: I walk, you walk, he walks, etc. so that it can be
used in a sentence.
Here’s the full conjugation of the verb “to walk” in English:
to walk
I walk
You walk
He walks/She walks/It walks
We walk
You (all) walk*
They walk
*You is plural here as in “you guys” or “y’all” or, in correct/official English, simply “you” just as in singular form.
Note: Notice how the verb for he, she, and it are all conjugated the same way.
-In English, conjugation is simple. You drop the word “to” from the infinitive, and do nothing for “I” and “you”. For
“he”, all you do is add an s. Even if you wanted to continue with more subject pronouns (we, they, etc.) and
conjugations, you’d still have the word “walk” with not much of a change from the infinitive, except for the lack of the
word “to”. Easy, right?
Be careful, though! The spelling and pronunciation changes are much more drastic in Italian as you’ll see on the next
page!
GOALS
The goal of the next two pages is to get you comfortable with how verb conjugation works in Italian. The list on the
left side of the page is a list of infinitives of basic verbs to start with. Look them up in your dictionary and learn them
as “to ____”. That way, it will make sense when you conjugate them with all the subject pronouns (I, you, he, etc.).
Of course, when studying verbs and conjugation, verb tenses come up. Right now, we are only going to introduce
you to the present tense.
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verbi - verbs
Below are the Italian subject pronouns and their English equivalents. Italian verbs are most often used without these
pronouns, so they will appear in parentheses to remind you that they’re usually dropped.
i pronomi di soggetto
-ARE Verbs
abitare____________
amare____________
arrivare____________
ascoltare____________
aspettare___________
camminare__________
ballare____________
cantare____________
chiamare___________
comprare___________
contare____________
costare____________
cucinare____________
desiderare__________
fumare____________
guardare____________
imparare____________
incontrare___________
invitare____________
lavorare____________
mandare____________
parlare____________
pensare ____________
portare____________
usare____________
ritornare____________
suonare____________
-Vocabulary
il coinquilino________
in centro____________
a New York__________
in anticipo___________
in ritardo____________
il lavoro____________
molto____________
il libro____________
con______________
in treno_________
in macchina_________
l’italiano____________
il francese___________
lo spagnolo__________
lo strumento_________
l’amico____________
il film____________
la televisione________
tempo libero_________
SINGULAR
PLURAL
I = io
WE = noi
YOU = tu
YOU ALL = voi
HE = lui
SHE = lei
YOU (f) = Lei
THEY = loro
-ARE verbs
On the left is a list of verbs that end in -are in their dictionary (infinitive) form.
To use a verb in a sentence, you first have to change (conjugate) it to fit the subject.
To conjugate the verbs in this list, just drop the -are, and add the following endings:
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
-o
-i
-a
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
-iamo
-ate
-ano
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
parliamo
parlate
parlano
parlare - to speak
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
parlo
parli
parla
Esercizio A: Use the spaces below to try a verb of your own.
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
Esercizio B: Create 3 questions in the Tu form. Ask a classmate and
report to the class.
Esempi: Fumi?/ Sì, fumo/No, non fumo/ Lui fuma.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
_________________________________ ___________________________________
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-ARE Verbs: Spelling Changes
When the infinitive ends in -iare, the tu and noi endings contain only one -i, not two.
mangiare - to eat
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
mangio
mangi
mangia
-IARE Verbs
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
mangiare______________
comunicare___________
studiare_______________
mangiamo
mangiate
mangiano
-Vocabulary
Esercizio A: Use the spaces below to try a verb of your choice.
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
a casa________
(noi)
(voi)
(loro/Loro)
in biblioteca__________
tutti i giorni__________
il dolce_____________
il formaggio__________
la minestra___________
il gelato____________
gli spaghetti__________
le verdure__________
il piatto_____________
il vitello_____________
Esercizio B: Create 3 questions in the Tu form. Ask a classmate and
report to the class.
Esempi: Mangi carne?/ Sì, mangio carne/No, non mangio carne/ Lui
mangia carne.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
When the infinitive ends in -care/-gare, the tu and noi forms add -h- before the ending.
cercare - to look for
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
cerco
cerchi
cerca
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
cerchiamo
cercate
cercano
CARE/-GARE Verbs
cercare__________________
giocare a_________________
-Vocabulary
Esercizio A: Use the spaces below to try a verb of your own.
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
un buon ristorante_______
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
un buon libro__________
il conto_______________
a pallacanestro_________
Esercizio B: Create 3 questions in the Tu form. Ask a classmate and report to the class.
Esempi: Giochi a tennis?/ Sì, gioco a tennis/No, non gioco a tennis/ Lei gioca a tennis.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
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negazione - negation
To make a verb negative, add non before the conjugated form:
Non sono italiano.
Alessandro non studia il francese.
Non ho una macchina.
Gli americani non mangiano bene.
infiniti - infinitives
When there is more than one verb in the same part of the sentence only the first verb is conjugated.
The remaining verbs stay in the infinitive (dictionary form):
Amo cantare!
Cerco di parlare l’italiano.
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Articles...in context!
The two main articles are a (or an when the next word begins with a vowel) and the.
A is an indefinite article and is used for non-specific things: a book (any old book), a chair (just any chair), an
Olympian (there are many, I’m not talking about a specific one)....
The is a definite article and is used for specific things: the book you were talking about the other day, the chair that
is empty right next to you, the Olympian with the most medals...
In Italian, the usage of definite and indefinite articles is fundamentally the same. When you want to express:
the, you use the definite articles il, lo, la, i, gli, or le.
a/an, you use the indefinite articles un, uno, una, un’, dei, degli, or delle.*
Why six or seven choices for each?
In English, one could say: the chair, the dog, the scene, the chairs, the dogs, the scenes. In Italian, each of these
nouns have a gender (either masculine or feminine) and the article changes based on that AND depending on the
first letter of the noun. There is also a different article for plural nouns in Italian, whereas in English it’s the same
article for the cat and the cats. In Italian, it’s il gatto vs i gatti.
***The concept of nouns having gender can be hard to wrap your head around if this is the first foreign language you
are learning and your professor can give you as many tips as possible for how to learn its gender along with a noun,
but when it comes right down it, it just has to be memorized.
Now that you know how to deal with “a” vs “the”, what about when there is no article at all in English? Here are some
examples:
I love math. (not the math, or a math, but math in general)
He is watching TV. (not the tv in the living room, not one of his many tvs)
Those are chairs. (not the chairs that specifically belong in this room, but just “some” chairs)
In the first two examples, math and tv are “big ideas” or general concepts. When we refer to these in English, we
don’t use an article. In Italian, an article is required almost all of the time. In cases where you’re referring to a
“big idea”, use the definite articles il, lo, la, i, gli, and le for the equivalent of the. This is why Italian people tend to
say something like “I study the chemistry” when they are still learning English. The reason is because they use the
equivalent of the in their language for that sentence.
The third example is “chairs”. What is the plural of a chair?. That is a chair, those are...chairs. What is the plural of
“a”? It’s actually “some”, but we usually drop it in English. Again, though, an article is required with a noun at almost
all times in Italian. In this case, you’d use the plural indefinite articles dei, degli, or delle.
When it comes right down to it, though, translating the sentence from English to Italian and using the definite articles
when you would use the in English and the indefinite articles when you’d use a, an, or some in English will get you a
long way in understanding articles and starting to use them correctly.
GOALS
The goal of the next two page is to get you used to the gender of nouns and which article (the equivalent of “a” vs “the”) to use
with each noun. See more about the gender of nouns here: www.fluentcityblog.com/gender
Start with looking up some nouns/words that you use every day. Your dictionary will have a little “m” or “f” next to it or an “nm”
or “nf”, for “noun feminine” or “noun masculine”. Always write the gender next to the word for the noun that you translated into
English. You will quickly learn that knowing the word for “table” for example, in Italian won’t help you use it in a sentence unless
you know its gender.
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articoli - articles
Articles are short words that help show whether a noun is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural.
There are two major types of article: the definite article (the), and the indefinite article (a/an).
To choose between the two types, use the same logic you would use between the and a/an in English.
The only major difference is that in Italian general ideas have to use the definite article:
MASCULINE
Singular
Plural
Definite Articles:
Special
Vowel
Singular
Plural
Definite Articles:
il libro
lo zaino*
l’albero
i libri
gli zaini
gli alberi
Indefinite Articles:
Special
Vowel
FEMININE
la porta
l’anatra
Vowel
le porte
le anatre
Indefinite Articles:
un libro
uno zaino*
un albero
dei libri
degli zaini
degli alberi
una porta
un’anatra
Vowel
delle porte
delle anatre
*masculine words that start with z, ps, gn, or s +
consonant
Esercizio A: FIll in the blank with the appropriate article.
masculine, definite articles
feminine, definite articles
1)
2)
3)
4)
1) _____macchina
2) _____ sorella
3) _____pizza
4) _____donna
5) _____scuola
_____ libro
_____ ragazzo
_____ museo
_____posto
5) _____ zio
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
libri
ragazzi
musei
posti
zii
_____macchine
_____sorelle
_____pizze
_____donne
_____scuole
masculine, indefinite articles
feminine, indefinite articles
6) _____ spazio _____ spazi
7) _____amico _____ amici
8) _____ albero _____ alberi
9) _____ padre _____genitori
10)_____ socio _____ soci
6) _____amica _____amiche
7) _____farfalla _____farfalle
8) _____casa
_____case
9) _____zia
_____zie
10) _____entrata
_____entrate
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Vocabulary
At Fluent City, we leave vocabulary (especially nouns) up to you for the most part as we don’t believe that one can
be “taught” vocabulary. Your professor will, however, make sure that you use and hear lots of these basic words in
class to help make them stick in your brain as you start to learn them. Don’t let the size of this list overwhelm you for
any reason. Look up 10 words a day for a couple of weeks and make note cards or start to memorize them as best
you can. Don’t forget to learn the gender with the noun!
More information about vocabulary can be found
here: www.fluentcityblog.com/vocabulary.
after
maybe/perhaps
almost
museum
GOALS
also
now
apartment
office
Keep your own lists of vocabulary and look up the
app
packet
words that you think you might want to know for
bag
page
everyday topics (food/drink that you consume daily,
band/group
paper
basic clothes-related words, immediate family
bar
park
members and friends, etc.)
bathroom
password
beach
pen
between
question
The trick with vocabulary is to not spend time,
bike
restaurant
energy, and brainpower filling your brain with words
board
roommate
you’d never use as a beginner or intermediate
book
sale
speaker any way.
boss
sentence
building
sheet
You shouldn’t worry about how to say “nailclipper”
buy, pay, sell (verbs)
shopping
for example, when you don’t even know the word for
car
state
“hand”. If you want to build up your vocabulary with
cash
store
body parts, for example, focus on “hand”, “leg”, and
chair
street
“eyes” and not “eyebrow”, “thumb”, and “thigh”.
city
student
class (“course” AND “group of people”)
subway
Therefore, LIMIT YOURSELF with vocabulary. Even
classroom
table
the most ambitious and dedicated students won’t be
club
teacher
able to remember a lot of words that you don’t use
co-worker
television
on an every day basis. Give it time and practice as
computer
“That sucks”
few as 5-10 week, if necessary.
concert
“That's awesome”
conjugation/to conjugate
theater/cinema
credit card
there
desk
To express “there is” or “there are”, one
today
dictionary
uses:
tomorrow
discount
truth
during
until
email
verb
Esercizio A: Cosa c’è?
eraser
with
folder
without
for
Esempi:
yesterday
friend
C’è una tavola in sala.
“How do you say___?”
grocery store
Ci sono delle sedie in sala.
“How do you write/spell__?”
“Happy Birthday”
“What does that mean?”
here
homework
Esercizio B: Write three sentences of things that are (ci sono)
house
if
in your apartment. Make two of them true and one false.
internet
Share with the class and see if they can figure out your lie!
kitchen
________________________________________
like/as
living room
________________________________________
map
marker
c’è / ci sono
________________________________________
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-ERE Verbs
-ERE VERBS
accendere______________
chiedere_______________
conoscere______________
correre_______________
credere_______________
leggere_______________
mettere_______________
perdere_______________
prendere_______________
ridere_______________
ripetere_______________
rispondere______________
scrivere_______________
vedere_______________
vendere_______________
vincere_______________
-Vocabulary
la domanda
persona famosa
nel parco
in palestra
quel
la rivista
il giornale
l’autobus
la metro
la chiave
al giorno
On the left is a list of verbs that end in -ere in the infinitive.
To conjugate them, drop the -ere, and add the following endings:
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
-Vocabulary
la finestra_______________
il libro_______________
a mezzanotte____________
il treno_______________
il volo_______________
l’autobus_______________
oggi_______________
domani_______________
questo pomeriggio _______
in un mese_______________
la gente_______________
la corrente_______________
la musica_______________
i podcast_______________
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
-iamo
-ete
-ono
perdo
perdi
perde
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
perdiamo
perdete
perdono
perdere - to lose
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
Esercizio A: Use the spaces below to try a verb of your own.
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
Esercizio B: Create 3 questions in the Tu form. Ask a classmate and
report to the class.
Esempi: Corri di mattina?/ Sì, corro di mattina/No, non corro./ Lui corre
di mattina.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
_________________________________ ___________________________________
-IRE VERBS
aprire_______________
dormire_______________
partire_______________
seguire_______________
sentire_______________
-o
-i
-e
-IRE Verbs
On the left is a list of verbs that end in -ire in the infinitive.
To conjugate them, drop the -ire, and add the following endings:
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
-o
-i
-e
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
-iamo
-ite
-ono
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
partiamo
partite
partono
partire - to depart
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
parto
parti
parte
Esercizio A: Use the spaces below to try a verb of your own.
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
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Esercizio B: Create 3 questions in the Tu form. Ask a classmate and report
to the class.
Esempi: Dormi a mezzanotte?/ Sì, dormo a mezzanotte./ No, non dormo a
mezzanotte./ Lui dorme a mezzanotte.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
_________________________________ ___________________________________
-IRE Boot Verbs
Many -IRE verbs add -isc- before the ending in the boot (the io, tu, lui/lei and loro forms)
capire - to understand
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
capisco
capisci
capisce
(noi)
(voi)
(loro/Loro)
capiamo
capite
capiscono
Esercizio A: Use the spaces below to try a verb of your own.
(io)
(noi)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
-ISC- VERBS
finire__________________
preferire____________
pulire__________________
(voi)
(loro/Loro)
Esercizio A: Use the spaces below to try a verb of your
own.
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
-Vocabulary
i compiti_____________
il bagno_____________
i piatti_______________
il vino o la birra_______
Esercizio B: Create 3 questions in the Tu form. Ask a classmate and
report to the class.
Esempi: Preferisci ballare o cantare?/ Preferisco ballare./ Lui preferisce
ballare.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
_________________________________ ___________________________________
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in cerca d’amore
Your friend Giulia has had a tough time on the dating scene in the past few months. She’s
decided to try out an online dating site, but her Italian is a bit rusty. Help her write her profile by
providing the correct conjugations for the -ARE verbs below.
Ciao! Mi (chiamare) ________________ Giulia.
(abitare) _______________ a Roma, e (studiare)
_________ l’italiano all’università. Nel mio tempo libero, (passare) _______________ molto tempo con i miei amici.
Loro (fumare) ____________ molto peró io non_______________. (guardare, noi) ______________ spesso dei
film, perché (cercare) ________________ di migliorare il nostro italiano.
La mia coinquilina Sara (cucinare)
_________________ molto bene, e quindi non (mangiare) ___________ quasi mai al ristorante. Mandare una mail
se (desiderare) ___________ conoscere una ragazza bella, divertente, e intelligente. Tanto meglio se tu (ballare)
___________ o (cantare) ___________ bene, perché (amare) ___________ la musica. (sperare) ___________
d’incontrare il vero amore!
After Giulia posted her ad, she met Carlo, who at age 30 still lives with his mother. After a few
months, he turned out to be a bit too clingy, and now Giulia needs to let him down easy. Help
her write the breakup email by filling in the missing -ERE and -IRE verbs below.
Caro Carlo,
Non (capire) ________________ le tue azioni. Perché (continuare) _________________ a chiamare se io
non (rispondere) _______________? Perché (scrivere) ________________ 200 SMS al giorno che io non
(leggere) _____________________? Tutta questa roba (sprecare) ____________ il mio tempo.
Tra un mese io (partire) _____________ per gli Stati Uniti, e tu (ripetere) ________________ che desideri
venire con me. Tu (pensare) _________________ troppo al passato. La nostra storia (finire) ________________
qui. Io non (chiedere) ____________ niente a te, e non (promettere) _____________ di cambiare.
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domande - questions
Questions in Italian have two main forms:
• To ask a yes/no question, just take any statement and change the intonation.
Esempio:
Do you live in New York?
=
(Tu) abiti a New York?
• To ask an open-ended question, start with a question word, then put the subject after the verb.
Esempi:
Where does she work?
=
Dove lavora (lei)?
When does the train leave?
=
Quando parte il treno?
parole interrogative - question words
Che ? / Cosa ?
=
What ?
Quale x ? / Quali x ?
=
Which x ?
Come ?
=
How ?
Perché ?
=
Why ?
Dove ?
=
Where ?
Quando? / A che ora?
=
When ? / At what time ?
Quanto x ? / Quanta x ?
=
How much x ?
Quanti x ? / Quante x ?
=
How many x ?
Chi ?
=
Who ?
Esercizio A: Fill in the blanks with the correct question word.
1. __________ arrivano loro ? Arrivano alle 19.
2. __________ abiti tu ? Abito a New York.
3. __________ costa quel computer ? Costa 350 euro.
4. __________ studi l’italiano ? Studio l’italiano perché la mia fidanzata è italiana.
5. __________ arrivi alla classe ? Arrivo alla classe in metro.
6. __________ parte il nostro volo ? Parte domani.
7.
__________ lavora tuo fratello ? Lavora in centro.
8. __________ capisce l’italiano ? Noi capiamo l’italiano.
9. __________ film guardi in un mese ? Guardo almeno 2 film.
10. __________ stai mangiando ? Sto mangiando una pizza
11. __________ squadra di baseball preferisci ? Preferisco gli Yankees.
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domande
Try some of these questions with a classmate. We haven’t covered all of the verbs or nouns
used here yet, so chip away at this list over time.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
Do you walk to Italian class?
When do you arrive at work?
Do you try to finish everything?
Do you hope to travel next summer? Where?
Do you speak French?
What time do you get home?
With whom do you travel?
Where does your boyfriend/girlfriend live?
Do you listen to music on the subway?
Do you smoke?
Do your parents/siblings smoke?
What sports teams do you watch?
Do you help your mom in the kitchen?
Where do your parents live?
Do you sing in public?
Do you sing well?
Do you use a dictionary in class?
Do your friends send you letters or emails?
Do you spend a lot of money on alcohol?
Do you call your parents every day? Every week?
How many pens to you bring to class?
How many hours of T.V. do you watch in a week?
Do you travel for work?
Do your parents travel a lot?
Do we learn French in this class?
Do you run in a park? Which park?
Do you believe in Santa Claus?
Do you eat seafood?
Do we understand Italian?
Do you always respond to missed calls?
Do your friends write poems?
Do you live in Brooklyn or Manhattan?
Do you open doors for others?
How many SMS do you receive in a day?
Do you make (use “prepare”) dinner every day?
Do you smile at strangers?
When do you eat lunch?
When do you return from lunch?
What time do you go to bed?
Do you take planes often? Where to?
Do you understand Italian?
Do you always close the door?
When do you begin work?
Do you lose things often?
Is it better to live in Brooklyn or Manhattan?
Do you drive fast?
Are your parents nice?
How are you?
How’s it going?
Do I look good today?
Where are we?
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
Are the lights in your apartment off?
Are you tired right now?
Do you have brothers or sisters?
Are you hot?
Do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?
Is your boyfriend or girlfriend shy?
Are you hungry?
Are you sleepy?
Do you eat in restaurants often?
Is it good or bad weather today?
When do you eat lunch?
Do you tell long stories?
How much does Italian class cost?
When do you return home?
What time do you go to sleep?
Can you speak Italian?
Can your best friend dance well?
Can elephants fly?
Do you understand Italian?
Do you always close the door?
When do you begin work?
How often do you lose things?
Do you prefer to speak to your mom or your dad?
Do you ask for help?
Who laughs more, men or women?
Where do they serve good food around here?
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avverbi - adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs and adjectives in more detail. Adverbs always come right after the verb, which means their
position is often very different than in English.
She speaks English well.
Lei parla bene inglese.
We always eat lunch at 2pm.
Noi pranziamo sempre alle 14.
abbastanza
forse
mai
quasi
adesso
forte
molto
sempre
anche
già
piano
solo
ancora
lentamente
più
tardi
bene
male
poco
troppo
così
meno
presto
velocemente
Esercizio A: Create 3 questions in the Tu form. Ask a classmate and report to the class.
Esempi: Cammini velocemente?/ Sì, cammino velocemente/No, non cammino velocemente/Lui
cammina velocemente.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
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Regular vs. Irregular Verbs...in context!
You now can make a lot of simple sentences in Italian using basic vocabulary and regular (and slightly irregular) are, -ere and -ire verbs. It’s time to understand what an irregular verb is.
Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs aren’t conjugated according to a firm pattern or formula. When it comes right
down to it, you have to learn the conjugations individually.
The absolute most important irregular verbs in Italian to start to get comfortable with are:
to be
to have
to do/to make (it’s the same verb in Italian)
to go
to want
to can (to be able to)
and, to know
to
to
to
to
to
stay
drink
come
go out (with friends)
say
Use a verb conjugation book (such as Barron’s 501 Italian Verbs) to look up the spelling/conjugation of a certain
verb. A dictionary will only give you the infinitive and you’ll need to be able to conjugate the verb correctly in
sentences. Knowing that “andare” is to go, for example, won’t help you if you want to say “I go to that store every
day after work.” because you’d only be able to say “I to go to that store...” if you didn’t know the conjugation of
andare with io.
Irregular verbs exist in English as well and cause as much frustration for beginner students of English as ones in
Italian will for you. Someone learning English can pretty quickly get that to walk is I walk, you walk, he walks
and that to sing, to dance, to stay, and most other verbs in English are conjugated the same (I sing, you sing, he
sings...I dance, you dance, he dances...I stay, you stay, he stays, etc.). All of a sudden, though, to be is extremely
irregular. To be is conjugated as I am, you are, and he is.
The same extreme differences exist in Italian and, when it really comes down to it, you just have to use the verb in
lots of sentences enough to remember it.
GOALS
The goal of the next two pages is to start to get comfortable with two specific irregular verbs: essere (to be) and
avere (to have) so that you can stop avoiding them in sentences. By getting familiar with these two specific verbs,
hopefully you will start to also get comfortable with the idea of irregular verbs, especially as compared to regular
verbs.Don’t worry if it takes a while before you get good at spitting out the conjugations of these two verbs. The
conjugation of any one specific rrregular verb definitely takes time to master and there are a lot of them, so don’t
let yourself get overwhelmed!
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essere - to be
(io) sono
(tu) sei
(lui/lei/Lei) è
(noi) siamo
(voi) siete
(loro) sono
Essere is mainly used to identify or describe people and things, and also to talk about
time, date, and location:
“Pronto.” “Chi parla?” “Sono Diego.”
Sono di Milano, ma abito a Brooklyn. Tu di dove sei?
Siamo stanchi perché lavoriamo troppo.
Che ore sono? Sono le 5.
*NOTE* With the verb essere, an article is usually not used with nationalities and religions.
Cos’è?
Esercizio A: What are these things? Use the verb ESSERE to define each thing. #1 is done as an example.
1. “Law & Order” è un programma_______________.
8. Mickey e Minnie _________________________.
2. “Single Ladies” _______________________________.
9. McDonald’s _____________________________.
3. L’italiano ____________________________________.
10. Corona _________________________________.
4. Nicoletta ____________________________________.
11. CNN.com _____________________________.
5. Io _______________________________________.
12. “Come ti chiami?” ______________________.
6. I libri “Harry Potter”____________________________.
13. Roma e Napoli _____________________.
7. FC Milano _____________________________________.
14. Noi __________________________.
Esercizio B: Describe a celebrity using essere and adjectives. Read it aloud for the class to try to
guess who it is!
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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aggettivi - adjectives
Adjectives must change forms to match (agree with) the person or thing being described. Adjectives in general
come AFTER the noun. There are two major categories of adjectives, those with 4 forms, and those with 2.
4 forms:
2 forms:
un ragazzo timido
un ragazzo intelligente
-o (masc. singular)
-a (fem. singular)
-i (masc. plural)
-e (fem. plural)
-e (m./f. singular)
-i (m./f. plural)
una ragazza timida
due ragazzi timidi
una ragazza intelligente
due ragazzi intelligenti
due ragazze timide
due ragazze intelligenti
some adjectives with 4 forms
alto
buono
italiano
primo
americano
contento
lento
secondo
basso
costoso
noioso
simpatico
bello
delizioso
nuovo
stanco
bravo
economico
piccolo
timido
brutto
famoso
perfetto
vecchio
some adjectives with 2 forms
difficile
felice
importante
regionale
divertente
giovane
intelligente
triste
facile
grande
interessante
veloce
Esercizio A: Fill in an adjective of your choice, using the correct form:
1. una casa ________________
8. uno studio _______________
15.un grattacielo _______
2. degli spaghetti ___________
9. una macchina ____________
16.cinque sedie ________
3. un cane _________________
10.delle bambine ____________
17.un attore ___________
4. un libro _________________
11.tre americani ____________
18.una giornata ________
5. dei libri __________________
12. una serata ______________
19.dei momenti ________
6. una canzone _____________
13. degli studenti ____________
20.un esercizio ________
7. un castello _______________
14.una storia _______________
21.un treno ___________
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avere - to have
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
ho
hai
ha
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
abbiamo
avete
hanno
Mi dispiace carissima. Ho dei fiori per te.
La Famiglia
i nonni
il nonno
i genitori
il padre
(papá)
la madre
(mamma)
il marito
la moglie
i figli
il figlio
il fratello
i parenti
lo zio
il nipote
il cugino
la nonna
Remember, one has a certain number of
years as opposed to being a certain number
of years old, so use avere to tell how old
you are!
la figlia
la sorella
Quanti anni hai?
Ho 9 anni.
Quanti anni ha lui?
Ha 99 anni.
la zia
la nipote
la cugina
A lot of expressions that use avere use “to be” in English:
avere fame
avere caldo
avere sete
avere ragione
avere freddo
avere bisogno di...
Esercizio A: Choose the correct form of AVERE to fill in the blanks
Antonio vive in un appartamento al centro di Roma. Lui lavora in un ristorante vicino a casa. Abita con sua moglie. Si
chiama Ana. Lavora nella scuola. Loro ________due figli. Un figlio __________tre anni, e la bambina__________18
mesi. Loro mangiano tutto il giorno. ____________ sempre fame. Antonio cucina molto per la sua famiglia e per i
clienti del ristorante. A volte, Antonio_________________bisogno di mangiare in un ristorante diverso. Di solito
mangiano al ristorante d’Antonio. Ana dice* che il suo cibo è migliore. Lei ____________ragione!
*dice = ‘She says’
Esercizio B: Create 2 questions in the Tu form. Ask a classmate and report to the class.
Esempi: Hai una bicicletta?/Ho una bicicletta. / Lui ha una bicicletta.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
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i possessivi-possessives
Like other adjectives, possessives change endings according to what they are describing. Possessives usually need
the definite article (il/la/i/le), except if alone after essere, or when referring to a family member in the singular.
These exceptions don’t apply to the loro form, which always needs an article.
Masculine
Feminine
Singular
Plural
Singular
Plural
My
il mio gatto
i miei gatti
la mia casa
le mie case
Your (Familiar)
il tuo gatto
i tuoi gatti
la tua casa
le tue case
His, Her, its,
your(formal)
Our
il suo gatto
i suoi gatti
la sua casa
le sue case
il nostro gatto
i nostri gatti
la nostra casa
le nostre case
il vostro gatto
i vostri gatti
la vostra casa
le vostre case
il loro gatto
i loro gatti
la loro casa
le loro case
Your (plural and
familiar)
Their, Your(plural
and formal)
Esercizio A: Fill in the blank with the appropriate possessive article.
1. ____________ casa è grande. (my)
8. ____________ macchina è piccola. (his)
2. Gianni,________ macchina è verde? (your)
9. ____________ figli sono irritanti (their)
3. No,___________libri non sono gialli! (my)
10. ___________ amiche sono belle. (my)
4. ____________ padre abita a Boston. (my)
11.____________ amici sono italiani (our)
5. ______________ professori sono simpatici. (our)
12. ___________ bicicletta è nuova. (his)
6. ______________ sorella è giovane. (y’all’s)
13. ___________ bicicletta è vecchia (her)
7. _______________ libri sono vecchi. (her)
14. Questa è _____________ penna? (y’all’s)
Esercizio B: Create 4 questions using the possessive pronouns. Ask a classmate and report to the
class.
Esempi: Tuo padre ha una bicicletta nuova?/Mio padre ha una bicicletta nuova./Suo padre ha una
bicicletta nuova.
Question:
Their answer in 3rd person:
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
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andare - to go
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
vado
vai
va
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
andiamo
andate
vanno
Unlike English, In Italian the verb “to go” can be used to express the future only when
the subject is physically going to DO something: “We’re going to work tomorrow.” The
future is normally expressed by just using the present tense: “Domani guardiamo un
film.”
andare
andare
andare
andare
via
d’accordo con
in vacanza
a letto
Esercizio A: Fill in the Blank with the correct form of ANDARE.
1. (io) ______________ a lavorare in Italia.
2. (noi) ______________ al matrimonio di ostra figlia.
3. (io) ______________ a teatro a vedere il dramma di Shakespeare.
4. (tu) ______________ al cinema tutti i sabati sera?
5. (io) ______________ a comprare il giornale.
6. Laura ______________ in un viaggio scolastico con la sua classe.
7. (Loro) ______________ a sciare l'inverno prossimo.
8. Voi, a che ora ______________ per una bevanda?
9. Oggi, (noi)______________ a comprare una macchina nuova.
10. Le ragazze______________ alla festa di fine anno
Esercizio B: Write out where you’re going this weekend and where you’re going for your next
vacation. Ask the questions below to learn about your partner’s plans.
Dove vai questo weekend?
Dove vai in vacanza?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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preposizioni - prepositions
Prepositions are often the hardest part about learning a new language. Prepositions in Italian don’t always
match up perfectly with their English counterparts. When you learn a new verb, use a verb book to see
how it uses prepositions!
The verbs ascoltare and cercare for example, do not take a preposition. The “to” or “for” that we use
after the verbs “to listen” and “to look” in English is already included in the Italian verb itself.
Ascolto la radio.
Cerchi un nuovo appartamento?
Sometimes you will even encounter verbs that take a preposition that doesn’t seem logical in English, such as
the verb giocare taking a after it.
Nicoletta gioca a basket. (Word for word, this would be translated Nicoletta plays at basketball.)
When they appear before a definite article, many Italian prepositions combine with the article to create one word.
Michele va a il cinema stasera
[a + il]
Michele va al cinema stasera.
il
lo
l’
la
i
gli
le
a = to (at/in)
al
allo
all’
alla
ai
agli
alle
da = from
dal
dallo
dall’
dalla
dai
dagli
dalle
in = in (to/at/by)
nel
nello
nell’
nella
nei
negli
nelle
di = of
del
dello
dell’
della
dei
degli
delle
su = on
sul
sullo
sull’
sulla
sui
sugli
sulle
* TRA (between/amongst) and PER (for/to) do not contract.
Esercizio A and B: Fill in the blank with the correct Combination of Article and preposition.
Esercizio A:
1. su – Gli ingredienti sono __________ etichetta.
2. di – Questi sono i libri __________ studenti.
Esercizio B
1. a – Spedite delle lettere __________ vostre
amiche.
3. in – __________ zaino ho una penna.
2. su – C’è qualcosa __________ scrivania.
4. per – Il treno __________ Svizzera passa
3. tra – Roma è __________ più belle città del
__________ montagne.
mondo.
5. da – Domani vado __________ farmacista.
4. di – Il quadro è __________ settecento.
6. in – L’architetto è __________ studio.
5. in – C’è sempre rumore __________ negozi.
7. da – Il treno parte __________ stazione.
6. a – Compra il biglietto __________ sportello.
8. da – Riceve molte lettere __________ suoi amici.
7. da – I pomodori arrivono __________ America.
9. a – Chiediamo un’informazione __________
8. su – Sta camminando __________ tetto.
responsabile.
9. in – I turisti cenano __________ osteria.
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fare - to do / to make
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
faccio
fai
fa
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
facciamo
fate
fanno
Cosa fate dopo la lezione?
I miei amici non fanno mai i compiti!
Ci sono molte espressioni con fare:
fare gli auguri (a)
fare un viaggio
fare i compiti
fare attenzione (a)
fare una domanda
fare una passeggiata
fare bella/brutta figura
fare la spesa
fare male
One often uses fare to talk about the weather (il tempo):
Che tempo fa oggi?
fa caldo
fa bel tempo
fa freddo
fa brutto tempo
For snowing and raining there are specific verbs instead:
piovere piove
nevicare nevica
Che fai stasera?
Esercizio A: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of the irregular verbs.
Cornelius :
Ciao Diego, che ____________________ (are you doing) stasera ?
Diego :
Io ______________ (do my homework), e dopo spero di ____________________ (take a walk).
Cornelius :
Stasera noi ________________ (say happy birthday) a Carolina per il suo compleanno.
Diego :
No, preferisco ________________ (to do my homework) e andare a letto presto.
Cornelius :
Ma daaaai! Un po’ di festa ___________________ (can’t hurt) !
Diego :
Va bene, se ____________________ (it’s nice weather), allora sì.
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“Monday” = “lunedì”
“on Mondays = “il lunedì”
“on Sundays = “la domenica”
The 1st = il primo
il primo gennaio
mesi e giorni: months and days
i mesi
gennaio
febbraio
marzo
aprile maggio
giugno
luglio agosto
settembre ottobre
novembre dicembre
The 8th = l‘otto
l’otto settembre
i giorni della settimana
The 11th = l’undici
l’undici febbraio
le date
le stagioni
la primavera
l’autunno
il # month (year)
lunedì martedì
l’estate
l’inverno
mercoledì giovedì
venerdì sabato domenica
Dates are always in the following format, and days and months are never capitalized:
Esempio: Che data è oggi? Oggi è il sei luglio 2012.
Esercizio B: Write your birthday (compleanno) below. Write out the year in full.
____________________________________________________________________________________.
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chi manca?
Fill in what is missing from the following 4 verb charts using what is there to figure out the missing pieces.
Remember that the infinitive, or the translation of the infinitive, may also be missing.
fare
essere
to be
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei) è
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
(io)
(tu) fai
(lui/lei/Lei)
andare
to go
to have
(io) ho
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
(noi) facciamo
(voi)
(loro)
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
(noi)
(io) vado
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
(voi)
(loro) vanno
Scegliere il verbo giusto
Esercizio A: In the following phrases, fill in the blank by choosing one of the « big 4 » verbs
(essere, avere, andare, fare) and conjugate it properly.
1. Tu ______________ un Mac o un PC?
8. _____________ caldo oggi.
2. Noi _____________ la spesa da Eataly.
9. I ravioli ___________ deliziosi.
3. Voi _____________ degli studenti bravissimi.
10. Io ________ in Italia quest’estate.
4. Noi _____________ i nostri compiti.
11. Noi _____________ al cinema o all’opera?
5. Voi _____________ ragione.
6. Che _____________ ? Giocano a frisbee.
7. Tu __________ molto bella.
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domande
Ask and respond to these questions. We might not have covered all of the
verbs or nouns used here yet, so chip away at this list over time.
-ESSERE QUESTIONS
1. Are your parents friendly?
2. Are you artistic?
3. How are you?
4. What color are my shoes?
5. Where are we?
6. Are the lights in your apartment off?
7. What color is the table?
-AVERE QUESTIONS
1. Do you have brothers or sister?
2. Are you hot?
3. Do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?
4. Is our teacher lucky because we are his/her students?
5. Are you hungry?
6. Are you sleepy?
-ANDARE QUESTIONS
1. Do you go to the movies often?
2. Do you go to work by bus or by subway?
3. Where do you go after work?
4. Do you go to restaurants often?
5. Do you and your friends go to clubs on the weekends?
6. Where are you going next summer?
7. Where are you going after class?
8. Do you go to the movies often?
9. Do you go to work by bus or by subway?
10. Where do you go after work?
11. Do your friends go to New Jersey frequently?
12. Do you and your friends go to clubs?
13. Where are you going next summer?
-FARE QUESTIONS
1. Do you always do your homework?
2. Do and your friends take trips out of the city often?
3. Is it good or bad weather today?
4. Is it cold outside?
5. Do you shop at Whole Foods?
6. Does your mom shop at Whole Foods?
7. Is it hot out?
8. Do you always do your homework?
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Your teacher may cover material from
the following pages in this packet, so
they are included just in case.
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piacere
the way to express “to like”
The mechanics of piacere are very different from the straightforward verb in English, “to like.” Basically, instead
of saying “I like cats,” one says: “Cats please me”. The subject is the person or thing that pleases us.
Since the subject of the verb is the thing we like, in practice there are just two main forms of piacere:
piace (for singular people / things)
piacciono (for plural people / things)
In front of the verb, we add a pronoun that indicates who is pleased:
mi piace (it pleases me)
ci piace (it pleases us)
ti piace (it pleases you)
vi piace (it pleases y’all)
gli piace (it pleases him)
gli piace (it pleases them)
le piace (it pleases her)
Just to make things a little more confusing, the order of the sentence usually puts the subject at the end:
I cani mi piacciono.
Esempi:
Mi piacciono i cani.
I like cats.
I gatti mi piacciono.
Mi piacciono i gatti.
We like the president.
Il presidente ci piace.
Ci piace il presidente.
She likes to dance.
A Lei piace ballare.
Le piace ballare.
Note: The pronoun is
not used if the person is
mentioned.
Esempi:
Ai gatti piace il latte.
Esercizio A: Try to Translate the following sentences.
1. I like music.
1. Do they like pizza?
2. He likes to smoke.
2. Do y’all like soccer?
3. Do you like dogs?
6. Do we like them?
Esercizio B: You are preparing a dinner for friends and trying to decide what to make. Fill in the blanks with the
correct form of piacere and the correct pronouns.
Tu: Benedetta, ___ ________ le lumache?
Benedetta: Sì, ___ ________.
Tu: A Marco e a Alissa piacciono le lumache?
Benedetta: No, non ___ ________.
Tu: Hmm...(voi), ___ ________ la minestra?
Benedetta: Sì ___ ________.
Tu: Va bene, (voi) ___ ________ il pesce?
Benedetta: A me sì, però (loro), non ___ ________.
Tu: Hmm, faccio spaghetti.
Benedetta: Buon’idea! (tutti noi) ___ ________.
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reflexive verbs
A verb is reflexive if the subject doing the action also receives the action, as in lavarsi (to wash oneself). Italian has
many more reflexives than English, so don’t expect every example to translate neatly with “oneself”. Memorize each
reflexive along with its English translation, and don’t worry if the idea doesn’t “seem” reflexive to you. Just follow the
formula and you’ll be fine!
In the infinitive, reflexive verbs end in -si. To conjugate, move the -si in front of the verb and change it as follows:
vestir si - to get (oneself) dressed
(io)
mi
vesto
(noi)
ci
vestiamo
(tu)
ti
vesti
(voi)
vi
vestite
(lui/lei)
si
veste
(loro)
si
vestono
All of the following verbs follow this pattern. Move the -si, then conjugate them as regular -are/-ere/-ire verbs.
alzarsi
ricordarsi
farsi la doccia
annoiarsi
svegliarsi
lavarsi
chiamarsi
truccarsi
prepararsi
divertirsi
una mattinata tipica
Esercizio B: In the following phrases, fill in the blank by conjugating the reflexive verb in the parenthesis according to
the subject provided.
Ogni giorno (svegliarsi, io) _________________ alle 6:45, e poi (alzarsi) ___________________ alle 7:00.
Ho bisogno di aspettare un po’, mentre mia moglie (prepararsi) _________________________
___________________ davanti allo specchio.
e (truccarsi)
Io (farsi) __________________ la doccia mentre lei (vestirsi)
__________________. Faccio colazione, (lavarsi) _________________ i denti, e partiamo insieme per il lavoro. Vado
a scuola dove insegno l’italiano. I miei studenti non (annoiarsi) ________________ mai, invece (divertirsi, noi)
__________________ molto durante la lezione. Ma guai se non (ricordarsi) _________________ di fare i compiti!
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stare - to stay
(io)
(tu)
(lui/lei/Lei)
sto
stai
sta
(noi)
(voi)
(loro)
Stare fermo
stiamo
state
stanno
Stare attento
Stare zitto
Although stare means “to remain”, it can also mean “to be doing’” when talking about general well being, as in
Come stai? / sto bene / sto male. It can also mean “to look” when talking about general appearance.
Another use of stare is to make the present progressive (-ing) form of another verb.
To make this tense, we conjugate stare and then use another verb, with the following endings:
-ARE
stare
+
---> -ando
Sto mangiando = I am eating
State camminando = Y’all are
Some irregulars:
bere: bevendo
fare: facendo
walking
-ERE/-IRE
---> -endo
Perché stai ridendo? = Why are
you laughing?
Marta sta finendo i compiti =
Marta is finishing the homework.
Esercizio A: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of STARE and the gerand form of the verb in
the parenthesis.
1. Maria (fare)______________ ____________________ una torta per il compleanno di Claudia.
2. Gianni e Paolo (bere)______________ ____________________ molta birra.
3. Loro (mangiare) ______________ ____________________ la colazione.
4. Mauro (lavorare)______________ ____________________ molto in banca.
5. I bambini (bere)______________ ____________________ un cioccolato caldo.
6. Tommaso (portare)______________ ____________________ un po’ di vino.
7. Noi(portare)______________ ____________________ i bambini in piscina.
8. Tua figlia (parlare)______________ ____________________bene!
9. (io) Non (capire)______________ ____________________ niente!
10. Tu (partire)______________ già ____________________?!
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uses of prepositions
A
IN
DI
DA
to/in/at (cities and smaller):
Abito a New York. Sono a Manhattan. C’è una mostra al museo.
to (communication):
Parlo a mia madre. Scrivo un’email a mio padre.
after some verbs (+infinitive):
aiutare, cominciare, continuare, imparare, provare, riuscire
to/in (regions, countries):
Andiamo in Italia. Abito in Francia. Siamo negli Stati Uniti.
to/in/at (stores with -ia):
Compro il prosciutto in maccelleria. Sono in libreria.
to/in/at (certain places):
banca, chiesa, discoteca, palestra, centro, albergo, campagna
by (mode of transit):
Vado al lavoro in bici. Viaggio a Roma in treno.
of (possession):
La macchina di Giulia è bella. Mi piacciono le scarpe di Francesco.
of (categorization):
Mi piace la classe di francese. Ho bisogno di un chilo di prosciutto.
from (place of origin):
Queste arancie sono di Sicilia. Io sono di New York.
after some verbs (+infinitive):
cercare, credere, decidere, dimenticare, finire, pensare, sperare
from (movement / sender):
A che ora arrivi dal lavoro? Ricevo molti regali dal mio fidanzato.
at the house / place of:
Stasera ceniamo da Marco. Studio l’italiano da Fluent City.
to (purpose / obligation):
Ho molti compiti da finire per domani. Quel ristorante è da provare!
Esercizio A: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate preposition.
1.
Palermo è __________ Sicilia.
2.
Vado al lavoro __________ metro.
3.
Speriamo __________ arrivare a tempo!
4.
Non diciamo* niente __________ Angela – è una sorpresa!
5.
Provo __________ parlare italiano
6.
Ho __________ finire i compiti __________ matematica.
7.
Sabato sera andiamo tutti __________ discoteca.
8.
Non c’è niente __________ mangiare.
9.
Comprano dei salumi __________ macelleria.
10.
Mio padre pensa __________ avere sempre ragione.
11.
Abitano __________Brooklyn ma vengono __________ Minneapolis.
12.
Adesso sono __________ chiesa ma dopo pranzo __________ (at the place of) Gianni.
13.
L’anno prossimo vado _____ Italia _____ Venezia nell’appartamento _____ Giorgio.
14.
Ho moltissimo whiskey _______ bere.
*We Say
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PIACERE QUESTIONS
1. Do you like parties?
2. Do you like Italian class?
3. Do your parents like to talk to you every day?
4. Do you and your friends like beer?
5. Do you like soccer?
6. Do you like museums?
7. Do you like to swim?
8. Does our teacher like cats?
-Reflexive Verb QUESTIONS
1. What time do you wake up in the morning?
2. Do you get up immediately after you wake up?
3. How many times a day do you brush your teeth?
4. Do you enjoy yourself in Italian class?
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