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1 Like their counterparts in many other languages, the Italian verbs essere
(to be) and avere (to have) are irregular. Here are the forms of the present
tense:
Essere
(io) sono
(tu) sei
(lui/lei)
(noi) siamo
(voi) siete
(loro) sono
To be
I am
you [sing.] are
he/she/it is
we are
you [pl.] are
they are
Sono medico.
Siamo cugini.
Siete stranieri.
Paola e Anna sono alte.
Claudio mio fratello.
Ho un cellulare.
Hai il mio indirizzo.
Hanno un esame.
Anna ha una chitarra nuova.
Avere
(io) ho
(tu) hai
(lui/lei) ha
(noi) abbiamo
(voi) avete
(loro) hanno
To have
I have/have got
you [sing.] have/have got
he/she/it has/has got
we have/have got
you [pl.] have/have got
they have/have got
Im a doctor.
We are cousins.
You are foreigners.
Paola and Anna are tall.
Claudio is my brother.
Ive got a mobile phone.
You have my address.
They have an exam.
Annas got a new guitar.
As shown in the examples, it is not usually necessary to use the subject pronouns before the verb since the forms for the dierent persons are di erent
sei can only be second person singular (tu), siete can only be second person
plural (voi), etc. Even with sono, the context always shows whether it means I
am or they are.
The pronoun is only required for emphasis, or to mark a contrast:
Unit 4 29
Subject pronouns
2 The Italian subject pronouns are:
Person
1st
2nd
3rd
3rd
1st
2nd
3rd
Singular
io
tu
lui
lei
Plural
noi
voi
loro
I
you
he
she
we
you
they
For the third person, the following pronouns can still be found in some texts,
but are not normally used in contemporary Italian:
egli [m], esso [m]
ella [f], essa [f]
essi [m], esse [f]
Lui (third person singular pronoun) replaces a masculine noun (like the English he); lei replaces a feminine noun (like the English she).
Lui, lei and loro are only used to refer to persons. In referring to objects,
Italian normally avoids using the obsolete forms esso, essa, essi, esse, and
omits the pronoun altogether:
Lui Paolo, lei Anna.
Cos? una chiave.
la chitarra di Anna.
Sono i libri di Paolo.
Interrogative form
3 The interrogative is formed by adding a question mark at the end of the
sentence:
Sei pronto?
Siete stranieri?
Hai il mio indirizzo?
Avete amici italiani?
Hanno un esame?
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Unit 4
Negative form
4 The negative is formed by putting non (i.e. not) before the verb:
Claudio is not my brother.
Were not Italian.
Arent you foreigners?
Havent you got my address?
They dont have an exam.
We havent got any Italian friends.
I havent the slightest idea what to
give Paola.
Formal form
5 In Italian there is a formal way of addressing people which is used with
people we do not know, or when some degree of formality is required. When
the formal form is required, the pronoun used for the singular, for both men
and women, is Lei (third person singular); the pronoun used for the plural is
normally Voi, but in situations when a high degree of formality is required
Loro can be used:
6 There are some spelling mistakes involving essere and avere which are
commonly made by learners; be careful to remember the following
dierences:
(he/she/it is)
ho (I have)
hai (you have)
ha (he/she/it has)
hanno (they have)
e (and)
o (or)
ai (to the)
a (to)
anno (year)
Unit 4
to be hot
to be hungry
to be cold
to be afraid
to be right
to be thirsty
to be sleepy
to be wrong
to be in a hurry
Abbiamo fame.
Avete ragione!
Marina ha fretta.
(Lei) ha sete, Signora?
Non hai freddo, Claudia?
We are hungry.
Youre right!
Marina is in a hurry.
Are you thirsty(, Madam)?
Arent you cold, Claudia?
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32
Unit 4
C and ci sono
10 The verb essere is used in the expressions c (there is) followed by a
singular noun, and ci sono (there are) followed by a plural noun:
Theres a letter for you.
Theres little/not much time.
Theres plenty of time!
Theres a problem.
There are two entrances.
There are a lot of customers in the shop.
11 Note that c and ci sono are not usually emphatic. So, in the English
sentences in paragraph 10, the voice stress does not fall on there, but on the
noun that follows it (i.e. on letter, little/plenty of time, problem, etc.).
Thus c and ci sono sometimes do not correspond to there is or there are,
as in the following examples:
C Luisa al telefono. [i.e. she has
just rung]
Ci sono i tuoi amici che ti aspettano.
[i.e. they have just arrived]
There is no time.
There is no class tomorrow.
There arent any customers.
Unit 4
Non c tempo?
Non ci sono clienti?
Non c nessuno.*
Is there no time?
Arent there any customers?
There is nobody.*
Exercise 1
Complete the following sentences using the correct form of essere.
Example:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Alberto a Roma:
(noi) italiani.
(tu) scozzese?
(io) non felice.
Gli studenti in
biblioteca.
(voi) molto gentili.
Lei medico?
La cena pronta.
I libri sulla
scrivania.
Tu e Jim amici.
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Paolo e io giovani.
Gli impiegati gentili.
(voi) simpatici.
Enrico non biondo.
Gli italiani allegri.
(tu) amica di Giulia?
Laura magra.
Lesercizio dicile.
(io) straniero.
Tu e Billy stranieri.
(Lei) stanca, Signora?
Exercise 2
Complete the following sentences using the correct form of avere.
Example:
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34
Unit 4
Unit 4
7 Il professore
Exercise
5 molti
15 (tu) lindirizzo di
studenti.
Luca?
8 (tu) il libro?
16 Carlo non la
Imagine the things in the oce; using all the words in the list, write sentences
9 Marco e io sete.
televisione.
using c or ci sono.
10 Quanti anni (tu) ?
17 I nostri amici dei
11 (voi) il biglietto?
problemi.
scrivania:un
Nellucio c 18
una(tu)
scrivania;
quattro
sedie:
12Examples:
Domenicouna
molto
lavoro.
fratello.Nellucio ci sono quattro sedie. 19 (io) 16 anni.
13 (noi) un esame.
20 Professore, tempo?
14 (loro) non gli.
1 una sedia; 2 due poltrone; 3 tre computer; 4 una stampante; 5 un telefono; 6 la fotocopiatrice; 7 due radiatori; 8 una porta; 9 tre nestre
Exercise
Exercise 63
Imagine
what
is ininthe
using all
the words
the list,and
make
a rmative
Taking the
words
thevillage;
two columns
below,
write in
negative
interrogative
or
negativeusing
sentences,
paying
sentences
the verb
avere.attention to the negative form (non ci sono +
plural noun).
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Example: tu
fretta: Non hai fretta; Hai fretta?
Example:
tabaccaio, tabaccai: In questo paese c un tabaccaio, ci sono
tre tabaccai, non ci sono tabaccai.
io
ragione
il professore
caldo
1lamuseo,
musei;
2 discoteca, discoteche;
3 panetteria, panetterie; 4 cinema,
Signorina
Berti
sete
cinema;
5 biblioteca, biblioteche;
6 scuola, scuole; 7 u cio postale, u ci
Lei [formal]
sonno
postali;
voi 8 libreria, librerie; 9 giardino
paura pubblico, giardini pubblici; 10 ristorante,
loro ristoranti
freddo
Carla e Andrea
fame
Exercise 4
Taking the words in the two columns below, write armative and negative
sentences using the verb essere.
Example:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
io
io
tu
il dottore
la professoressa
Lei [formal]
noi
voi
le tue amiche
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