ITALIAN 1

1. BASIC PHRASES / FRASI SEMPLICI   

Buon giorno Buona sera Buona notte
bwon zhor-no bwoh-nah seh-rah bwoh-nah noht-teh
Hello / Good morning/afternoon Good evening Good night
Ciao Arrivederci ArrivederLa
chow ah-ree-vuh-dehr-chee ah-ree-vuh-dehr-lah
Hi / Hello / Bye (informal) Goodbye Goodbye (formal)
A più tardi A presto / A dopo  A domani
ah pyoo tar-dee ah press-toh / ah doh-poh  ah doh-mahn-ee
See you later See you soon See you tomorrow
Per favore / Per piacere
Grazie (mille) Prego
pehr fah-voh-reh / pehr pee-ah-
graht-zee-eh (mee-leh) preh-goh
cheh-reh
Thank you (very much) You're Welcome
Please
Scusi / Scusa
Mi dispiace Andiamo!
skoo-zee / skoo-zah
mee dee-spyah-cheh on-dee-ah-mo
Excuse me
Sorry Let's go!
(formal / informal)
Come sta? / Come stai? Sto bene. Non c'è male.
koh-meh stah / koh-meh sty stoh beh-neh nohn cheh mah-leh
How are you? (formal / informal) I am fine / well. Not bad.
Abbastanza bene. Così così. Sì / No
ah-bah-stahn-tsah beh-neh koh-zee koh-zee see / noh
Pretty good. So so. Yes / No
Come ti chiami?
Come si chiama? Mi chiamo...
koh-meh tee kee-ah-mee
koh-meh see kee-ah-mah mee kee-ah-mo
What's your name?
What's your name? (formal) My name is...
(informal)
Piacere / Molto lieto.
Signore, Signora, Signorina
pee-ah-cheh-reh / mohl-toh lee-
seen-yoh-reh, seen-yoh-rah, seen-yoh-reen-ah
eh-toh
Mister, Misses, Miss
Pleased / Nice to meet you.
Di dove sei?
Di dov'è? Sono di...
dee doh-veh seh-ee
dee doh-veh soh-noh dee
Where are you from?
Where are you from? (formal) I am from...
(informal)
Quanti anni ha? Quanti anni hai? Ho venti anni.
kwahn-tee ahn-nee ah
How old are you? (formal)
Parla italiano?
par-lah ee-tahl-ee-ah-no
Do you speak Italian? (formal)
Capisce? / Capisci?
kah-pee-sheh / kah-pee-shee
Do you understand?
(formal / informal)
Può aiutarmi? / Puoi aiutarmi?
pwoh ah-yoo-tar-mee / pwoh-ee
ah-yoo-tar-mee
Can you help me?
(formal / informal)
Desidera? / Desideri?
deh-zee-deh-rah / deh-zee-deh-
ree
May I help you?
(formal / informal)
Dov'è / Dove sono...?
doh-veh / doh-veh soh-noh
Where is / Where are... ?
Cosa c'è?
koh-zah cheh
What's the matter? / What's
wrong?
Non ti preoccupare.
nohn tee preh-ohk-koo-pah-reh
Don't worry. (informal)
Ho fame. / Ho sete.
oh fah-meh / oh seh-teh
I'm hungry. / I'm thirsty.
Salute!
sah-loo-teh  kohn-grah-tsoo-lah-tsee-oh-
Bless you!
kwahn-tee ahn-nee ah-ee oh vehn-tee ahn-nee
How old are you? (informal) I am 20 years old.
Parlo italiano. / Non
Parli inglese? parlo inglese.
par-lee een-gleh-zeh par-lo ee-tahl-ee-ah-no /
Do you speak English? non par-lo een-gleh-zeh
(informal) I speak Italian. / I
don't speakEnglish.
[Non] capisco. Non so. / Lo so.
[non] kah-pees-koh non soh / low soh
I [don't] understand. I don't know. / I know.
Certamente / D'accordo.
Come?
cher-tah-mehn-teh / dah-
koh-meh?
kohr-doh
What? / Pardon me?
Sure / OK.
Come si dice "house" in italiano?
koh-meh see dee-cheh "house" een ee-tah-lee-ah-noh
How do you say "house" in Italian?
Ecco / Eccoli... C'è / Ci sono...
eh-koh / eh-koh-lee  cheh / chee soh-noh
Here is / Here are... There is / There are...
Non importa. / Di niente. /
Di nulla. Non m'importa.
nohn eem-por-tah / dee nee- nohn meem-por-tah
ehn-teh / dee noo-lah  I don't care.
It doesn't matter.
Devo andare adesso.
Ho dimenticato.
deh-voh ahn-dah-reh ah-
oh dee-men-tee-kah-toh
des-soh
I forgot.
I have to go now.
Ho freddo. / Ho caldo. Mi annoio.
oh freh-doh / oh kal-doh mee ahn-noh-ee-oh
I'm cold. / I'm hot. I'm bored.
Congratulazioni! Benvenuti!
behn-veh-noo-tee 
nee Welcome!
 Congratulations!
Tocca a me! / Tocca a te!
Buona fortuna! tohk-kah ah meh / tohk-kah Ti amo.
bwoh-nah for-too-nah ah teh tee ah-moh
Good luck! It's my turn! / It's your turn! I love you. (informal)
(informal)
Sta zitto! / Stai zitto!
È pazzo! / Sei pazzo! Va bene!
stah tseet-toh / sty tseet-toh
eh pats-soh / seh-ee pats-soh vah beh-neh
Be quiet / Shut up!
You're crazy! (formal / informal) OK!
(formal / informal)
Notice that Italian has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because
there is more than one meaning to "you" in Italian (as well as in many other
languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals
or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do not
know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for
example.) There is also a plural you, used when speaking to more than one person.
Also, the words pazzo and zitto refer to men. If you are talking to a woman, use pazza
and zitta. If you are talking to more than one person (all men, or a group of men and
women), use pazzi and zitti. If you are talking to more than one person (all women),
use pazze and zitte.

2. PRONUNCIATION / LA PRONUNCIA 
Italian is a very phonetic language, so pronunciation should be easy.  Most words are
pronounced exactly like they are spelled. There are only seven pure vowels, but
several diphthongs and triphthongs. The English samples given are not pronounced
exactly as in Italian because English vowels tend to be diphthongized (there's an extra
yuh or wuh after the actual vowel). Make sure to only say the pure vowel and not the
diphthong when pronouncing Italian.
Italian Vowels English Pronunciation
[i] vita ee as in meet
[e] vedi ay as in bait
[ɛ] era eh as in bet
[a] cane ah as in father
[u] uva oo as in boot
[o] sole oh as in boat
[ɔ] modo aw as in law

 
Semi-Vowels
[w] quando, uomo wuh as in won
 [j] piano, ieri, piove yuh as in yes

In spelling, the letter e is used to represent both [e] and [ɛ]; while the letter o is used
to represent both [o] and [ɔ]. If the vowel is stressed, then the pronunciation is always
closed [e] and [o]. If the vowel is not stressed, it is always open [ɛ]and [ɔ]. This can
change according to regional dialects in Italy, of course, but this is the standard
rule. Italian semi-vowels are always written ua, ue, uo, ui for [w] and ia, ie, io, iu for
[j]. If another vowel precedes u or i, then it is a diphthong: ai, ei, oi, au, eu. The
combination iu + another vowel creates a triphthong.

Italian consonant + vowel combinations 

c + a, o, u, he, hi k amica, amico, amiche
c + ia, io, iu, e, i ch bacio, celebre, cinema
g + a, o, u, he, hi g gara, gusto, spaghetti
g + ia, io, iu, e, i dj Giotto, gelato, magico
sc + a, o, u, he, hi sk scala, scuola, scheda
sc + ia, io, iu, e, i sh sciarpa, sciupato, scemo
ah-mee-kah, ah-mee-koh, ah-mee-
keh
bah-cho, cheh-leh-breh, chee-neh-
mah
gah-rah, goo-stoh, spah-geh-tee
djoh-toh, djeh-lah-toh, mah-djee-
koh
skah-lah, skoo-oh-la, skeh-dah
shar-pah, shoo-pah-toh, sheh-moh

The consonant h is always silent. Double consonants must be pronounced

individually: il nonno (eel nohn-noh) is pronounced differently from il nono (eel noh-
noh).
Stress falls on the second-to-last syllable in Italian. If stress falls on the last syllable,
the vowel is written with an accent mark (la città). However, it is also possible for the
stress to fall on the third-to-last syllable (America, telefono) and even the fourth-to-last
syllable (telefonano) in third person plural verb conjugations.

3.  ALPHABET / L'ALFABETO 
a ah q koo
b bee r ehr-reh
c chee s ehs-seh
d dee t teh
e eh u oo
f eff-eh v voo
g zhee z dzeh-tah
h ahk-kah
 i ee Foreign Letters
l ehl-eh j ee loon-gah
m ehm-eh k kahp-pah
n ehn-eh w dohp-pyah voo
o oh x eeks
p pee y ee greh-kah (or) eep-see-lohn

4.  ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVES / ARTICOLI E DIMOSTRATIVI 

All nouns in Italian have a gender (masculine or feminine) and the articles must agree
with the gender. Masculine words generally end in -o and feminine words generally
end in -a. Words that end in -e may be either, so you will just have to memorize the
gender. Keep in mind that articles are used before nouns or before an adjective + a
noun.

Definite Article - The

Masculine Feminine
il eel sing., before consonants
la lah sing., before consonants
lo low sing., before z, gn, ps, or s + cons.
l' l sing., before vowels l' l sing., before vowels
i ee plural, before consonants
plural, before consonants
plural, before vowels, z, gn, or s + le leh
gli lyee and vowels
cons.

Indefinite Articles - A, an, some

Masculine Feminine
oon-
un oon before consonant or vowel una before consonants
ah
A, An
before z, gn, ps, or s +
uno oon-oh un' oon before vowels
consonant
dei day before consonants
dell- before vowels and
Some deh- before vowels, z, gn, or s + delle
degli eh consonants
lyee cons.

Demonstratives - This, that, these, and those

This and these
This These
Masc. questo questi before a consonant
 quest' questi before a vowel
Fem. questa queste before a consonant
quest' queste before a vowel

That and those

That Those
Masc. quel quei before a consonant
quell' quegli before a vowel
quello quegli before z, gn, or s + consonant
Fem. quella quelle before a consonant
quell' quelle before a vowel

If you use that and those as a subject, use these four forms: quello for masculine

singular, quella for feminine singular,quelli for masculine plural, and quelle for
feminine plural.

5.  SUBJECT PRONOUNS / PRONOMI PERSONALI 

io ee-oh I noi noy we
tu too you (informal singular) voi voy you (informal plural)
lui, lei lwee/lay he, she loro loh-roh they
Lei lay you (formal singular) Loro loh-roh you (formal plural)

The Lei form is generally used for you (singular), instead of tu, unless you're referring
to kids or animals.  Loro can also mean you, but only in very polite situations. If you
need to specify an inanimate object as "it" you can use esso(masculine noun)
and essa (feminine noun), but since subject pronouns are not commonly used in
Italian, these words are somewhat rare.

6. TO BE & TO HAVE / ESSERE & AVERE   

Essere - to be
I am sono soh-noh we are siamo see-ah-moh
you are sei say you are siete see-eh-teh
he/she/it is è eh they are sono soh-noh
You do not have to use the subject pronouns as the different conjugations imply the
subject, but they are included in the recordings.
Past & Future of Essere
I was ero we were eravamo I will be sarò we will be saremo
 you were eri you were eravate you will be sarai you will be sarete
he/she was era they were erano he/she will be sarà they will be saranno
Avere - to have
I have ho oh We have abbiamo ahb-bee-ah-mo
you have hai eye you have avete ah-veh-teh
he/she has ha ah they have hanno ahn-noh
Past & Future of Avere
I had avevo we had avevamo I will have avrò we will have avremo
you had avevi you had avevate you will have avrai you will have avrete
he/she had aveva they had avevano he/she will have avrà they will have avranno

Avere is used with many idioms and expressions that normally use the verb "to be" in
English:

avere fame - to be hungry

avere sete - to be thirsty
avere caldo - to be warm
avere freddo - to be cold
avere fretta - to be in a hurry
avere paura (di) - to be afraid (of)
avere ragione - to be right
avere torto - to be wrong
avere sonno - to be sleepy
avere bisogno di - to need
avere voglia di - to want, to feel like
avere 20 anni - to be 20 years old
When avere is followed a word beginning with a consonant, the final -e is often
dropped: aver ragione

7. USEFUL WORDS / PAROLE UTILE   

and e eh always sempre sehm-preh
or o oh often spesso speh-soh
but ma mah sometimes qualche volta kwal-keh vohl-tah
oo-zoo-al-mehn-
not non nohn usually usualmente
teh
speh-chee-al-
while mentre mehn-treh especially specialmente
mehn-teh
if se seh except eccetto eh-cheh-toh
because perché pehr-kay book il libro lee-broh
very, a lot molto mohl-toh pencil la matita mah-tee-tah
also, too anche ahn-keh pen la penna pehn-nah
although benché behn-keh paper la carta kar-tah
ah-deh-so, oh-
now adesso, ora dog il cane kah-neh
rah
perhaps, maybe forse for-seh cat il gatto gah-toh
ahl-loh-rah,
then allora, poi friend (fem) l'amica ah-mee-kah
poy
there is c'è cheh friend (masc) l'amico ah-mee-koh
there are ci sono chee soh-noh woman la donna dohn-nah
there was c'era che-rah man l'uomo woh-moh
there were c'erano che-rah-no girl la ragazza rah-gat-sah
here is ecco ehk-koh boy il ragazzo rah-gat-soh
C'è can also mean is here, as in Nek's famous song: Laura non c'è - Laura's not here.

8. QUESTION WORDS   
Who Chi kee
Whose Di chi dee kee
What Che cosa keh koh-sah
Why Perché pehr-keh
When Quando kwahn-doh
Where Dove doh-veh
How Come koh-meh
How much Quanto kwahn-toh
Which Quale kwah-leh

 When dove, come, and quale are followed

by è (is), dove and come contract to dov'è and com'è; and quale drops
itse to become qual è.

9. CARDINAL & ORDINAL NUMBERS     

0 zero dzeh-roh
1 uno oo-noh
2 due doo-eh
3 tre treh
4 quattro kwaht-troh
5 cinque cheen-kweh
6 sei say
7 sette seht-teh
 8 otto aw-toh
9 nove naw-vay
10 dieci dee-ay-chee
11 undici oon-dee-chee
12 dodici doh-dee-chee
13 tredici treh-dee-chee
14 quattordici kwaht-tohr-dee-chee
15 quindici kween-dee-chee
16 sedici seh-dee-chee
17 diciassette dee-chahs-seht-teh
18 diciotto dee-choht-toh
19 diciannove dee-chahn-noh-veh
20 venti vehn-tee
21 ventuno vehn-too-noh
22 ventidue vehn-tee-doo-eh
23 ventitrè vehn-tee-treh
30 trenta trehn-tah
40 quaranta kwah-rahn-tah
50 cinquanta cheen-kwahn-tah
60 sessanta sehs-sahn-tah
70 settanta seht-tahn-tah
80 ottanta oh-tahn-tah
90 novanta noh-vahn-tah
100 cento chehn-toh
101 centouno chehn-toh-oo-noh
110 centodieci chehn-toh-dee-ay-chee
200 duecento doo-eh-chehn-toh
1,000 mille mee-leh
2,000 duemila doo-eh-mee-lah
million un milione mee-lee-oh-neh
billion un miliardo mee-lee-ar-doh

If a number ends in -tre, you need to add an accent: -trè. When you have a word that
ends in a vowel, like venti, and another word that begins with a vowel, like uno; the
first word loses its vowel when putting the two words together.  Venti(20) and uno (1)
make ventuno (21).  One exception is cento; it does not lose its vowel.  Cento (100)
and uno (1) make centouno (101).  Notice that cento does not have a plural form,
but mille does (mila). And be aware that Italian switches the use of commas and
decimals.
 Ordinal Numbers
first primo / prima
second secondo / seconda
third terzo / terza
fourth quarto / quarta
fifth quinto / quinta
sixth sesto / sesta
seventh settimo / settima
eighth ottavo / ottava
ninth nono / nona
tenth decimo / decima
eleventh undicesimo / undicesima
twentieth ventesimo / ventesima
hundredth centesimo / centesima

From eleventh on, just drop the final vowel of the cardinal number and add -esimo.
For numbers like ventitrè, trentatrè, add -esimo but do not drop the final e.  Ordinal
numbers are adjectives and must agree with the nouns they modify; -o is the
masculine ending, -a is the feminine ending.

10. DAYS OF THE WEEK / GIORNI DELLA SETTIMANA   

Monday lunedì loo-neh-dee
Tuesday martedì mahr-teh-dee
Wednesday mercoledì mehr-koh-leh-dee
Thursday giovedì zhoh-veh-dee
Friday venerdì veh-nehr-dee
Saturday sabato sah-bah-toh
Sunday domenica doh-men-ee-kah
yesterday ieri yer-ee
day before yesterday avantieri / l'altroieri (m) ah-vahn-tyee-ree
last night ieri sera yer-ee seh-rah
today oggi ohd-jee
tomorrow domani doh-mahn-ee
day after tomorrow dopodomani doh-poh-doh-mahn-ee
day il giorno eel zhor-noh
 To say on Mondays, on Tuesdays, etc., use il before lunedì through sabato,
and la before domenica.

11. MONTHS OF THE YEAR / MESI DELL'ANNO   

January gennaio jehn-nah-yoh
February febbraio fehb-brah-yoh
March marzo mar-tsoh
April aprile ah-pree-leh
May maggio mahd-joh
June giugno joo-nyoh
July luglio loo-lyoh
August agosto ah-goh-stoh
September settembre seht-tehm-breh
October ottobre oht-toh-breh
November novembre noh-vehm-breh
December dicembre dee-chem-breh
week la settimana lah sett-ee-mah-nah
month il mese eel meh-zeh
year l'anno lahn-noh

Days and months are not capitalized.  To express the date, use È il (number)

(month).  May 5th would be È il 5 (orcinque) maggio.  But for the first of the month,
use primo instead of 1 or uno. To express ago, as in two days ago, a month ago, etc.,
just add fa afterwards. To express last, as in last Wednesday, last week, etc., just
add scorso (for masculine words) or scorsa (for feminine words) afterwards.
una settimana fa - a week ago
la settimana scorsa - last week
un mese fa - a month ago
l'anno scorso - last year

12. SEASONS / STAGIONI 

Summer l'estate leh-stah-teh
Fall l'autunno low-toon-noh
Spring la primavera lah pree-mah-veh-rah
Winter l'inverno leen-vehr-noh
To say in the (season), just use in.  In estate is in the summer, in primavera is in
spring.  D'estate and d'inverno can also be used instead of in estate or in inverno.

13. DIRECTIONS / DIREZIONI 

right destra
left sinistra
straight diritto
North nord nohrd
South sud sood
East est est
West ovest oh-vest

14. COLORS & SHAPES / COLORI E FORME   

white bianco/a square il quadrato
yellow giallo/a circle il cerchio
orange arancione triangle il triangolo
pink rosa rectangle il rettangolo
red rosso/a oval l'ovale
light blue azzurro/a cube il cubo
dark blue blu sphere la sfera
green verde cylinder il cilindro
brown marrone cone il cono
grey grigio/a octagon l'ottagono
black nero/a box la scatola

Colors are adjectives and must agree with the nouns they modify; -o is the masculine
ending, -a is the feminine ending. For example, rosso is masculine and rossa is
feminine.  Color words always go after the noun they describe:
una casa gialla - a yellow house
il cubo rosso - the red cube
 
To ask the color of something: (not yet recorded)
Di che colore è il cielo? What color is the sky?
Di che colore sono i tuoi occhi? What color are your eyes?

15. TIME / IL TEMPO   

 What time is it? Che ora è? / Che ore sono? keh oh-rah eh / keh o-reh soh-noh
At what time? A che ora? ah keh oh-rah
It's 1:00 È l'una eh loo-nah
at 1:00 all'una ahl-loo-nah
(at) noon (a) mezzogiorno (ah) med-zoh-zhor-noh
(at) midnight (a) mezzanotte (ah) med-zah-noh-teh
2:00 Sono le due soh-noh leh doo-eh
3:10 Sono le tre e dieci soh-noh leh treh eh dee-ay-chee
soh-noh leh cheen-kwah meh-noh dee-
4:50 Sono le cinque meno dieci
ay-chee
8:15 Sono le otto e un quarto soh-noh leh awt-toh eh oon kwar-toh
soh-noh leh aw-toh meh-noh un kwar-
7:45 Sono le otto meno un quarto
toh
1:30 È l'una e mezza eh loo-nah eh med-zah
6:30 Sono le sei e mezzo soh-noh leh say-ee eh med-zoh
sharp in punto een poon-toh
in the morning di mattina dee maht-teen-ah
in the afternoon di pomeriggio dee poh-mehr-ee-zhee-oh
in the evening di sera dee seh-rah
at night di notte dee noht-teh

16. WEATHER / IL TEMPO ATMOSFERICO   

What's the weather today? Che tempo fa oggi?
It's nice Fa bel tempo / È bello
bad Fa brutto tempo / È brutto
raining Piove / Sta piovendo
thundering Tuona
snowing Nevica / Sta nevicando
hailing Grandina / Sta grandinando
cold Fa freddo
cool Fa fresco
hot Fa caldo
freezing Fa un freddo gelido
foggy C'è nebbia
sunny C'è sole / È assolato
windy C'è vento / È ventoso / Fa vento
cloudy È nuvoloso
humid È umido
 muggy È afoso
stormy È burrascoso

17. FAMILY & ANIMALS / FAMIGLIA E ANIMALI     

family la famiglia relatives i parenti dog il cane
parents i genitori father-in-law il suocero cat il gatto
mother la madre mother-in-law la suocera bird l'uccello
father il padre son-in-law il genero mouse il topo
daughter-in-
son il figlio la nuora rabbit il coniglio
law
daughter la figlia brother-in-law il cognato horse il cavallo
brother il fratello sister-in-law la cognata cow la mucca
sister la sorella stepfather il patrigno donkey l'asino
grandfather il nonno stepmother la matrigna goat la capra
step/half
grandmother la nonna il fratellastro sheep la pecora
brother
grandson/nephew il nipote step/half sister la sorellastra goose l'oca
granddaughter/niece la nipote married sposato duck l'anatra
uncle lo zio divorced divorziato pig il maiale
aunt la zia separated separato hen la gallina
cousin (m) il cugino single (man) celibe deer il cervo
cousin (f) la cugina single (woman) nubile
husband il marito bachelor lo scapolo
wife la moglie widow la vedova
man l'uomo widower il vedovo
woman la donna godfather il padrino
boy il ragazzo godmother la madrina
i gemelli / le
girl la ragazza twins
gemelle

18. TO KNOW PEOPLE & FACTS   

conoscere-to know, be acquainted with sapere-to know (facts)
conosco conosciamo so sappiamo
conosci conoscete sai sapete
conosce conoscono sa sanno

Conoscere is used when you know people and places.  It is conjugated regularly.
Sapere is used when you know facts.Sapere followed by an infinitive means to know
how. In addition, the object must be expressed in Italian when using sapere. You
cannot simply say I know as in English, but rather I know it: Lo so.
Io conosco Mario. I know Mario.
Voi conoscete la Francia. You know (have visited) France.
Tu sai nuotare. You know how to swim.
Loro sanno cantare. They know how to sing.

19. FORMATION OF PLURAL NOUNS 

If a word is masculine singular, change the last letter to an i.  If a word is feminine
singular, change the last letter to an e if it ends in a, or if it ends in e, change it to an i.
Singular to Plural Nouns
Masculine
-o -i
-a -i
-e -i
Feminine
-a -e
-e -i

Words ending in -io can either change the o to i, or just simply drop the o to form the
plural. When the -i of -io isstressed, the plural is -ii; however, most words ending in
-io do not stress the -i, and so their plurals are formed by dropping the o. Compare: lo
zio - gli zii and il figlio - i figli.
Some nouns ending in -co and -go may or may not insert an h before changing the o
to i.  There is no general rule for it.  All nouns ending in -ca and -ga insert an h before
changing the a to e.  Nouns ending in an accented vowel do not change for the plural.
(la città (city) becomes le città)  There are some masculine nouns that end -a, and
these nouns change the -a to -i in the plural: il programma, il poeta, il pianete, il pilota,
il poema, il sistema.  The plural of l'uomo(man) is gli uomini, while the plural of la
mano (hand) is le mani.

20. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES   

Masc. Sing. Fem. Sing. Masc. Pl. Fem. Pl.
my il mio la mia i miei (myeh-ee) le mie
your il tuo la tua i tuoi (twoh-ee) le tue
his/her il suo la sua i suoi (swoh-ee) le sue
our il nostro la nostra i nostri le nostre
your il vostro la vostra i vostri le vostre
 their il loro la loro i loro le loro

Italian 2
21. TO DO OR MAKE 
fare - to do / make
faccio fah-cho facciamo fah-chah-moh
fai fah-ee fate fah-teh
fa fah fanno fahn-noh

Che cosa fa? What do you do (as a profession)?

Io faccio il contabile. I'm an accountant. 
Che facoltà fa? What's your major?
Faccio architettura. I'm studying/majoring in architecture.
Idomatic expressions used with fare:
fare una domanda - to ask a question
fare un viaggio - to take a trip
fare un bagno - to take a bath
fare una passeggiata - to take a walk
fare attenzione - to pay attention
fare un piacere - to do a favor
fare una conferenza - to give a lecture
fare l'attrice / il cantante - to be an actress / a singer 
fare l'università - to study at university / be in college
Notice than in English we use the indefinite article (a or an) when talking about
professions, but in Italian, you must use the definite article.

22. WORK & SCHOOL 

architect  l'architetto  teacher (m)  il maestro 
author  l'autore  teacher (f)  la maestra 
banker  il banchiere  professor (m)  il professore 
waiter  il cameriere  professor (f)  la professoressa 
waitress  la cameriera  hair stylist (m)  il parrucchiere 
saleswoman  la commessa  hair stylist (f)  la parrucchiera 
salesman  il commesso  secretary (m)  il segretario 
accountant  il contabile  secretary (f)  la segretaria 
doctor (m)  il dottore  soldier  il soldato 
doctor (f)  la dottoressa  journalist  il/la giornalista 
musician  il/la musicista  office worker (m)  l'impiegato 
barber  il barbiere  office worker (f)  l'impiegata 
When stating your job or profession, use the verb fare + the definite article: Faccio il
professore. I'm a professor.

biology  la biologia  architecture l'architettura

chemistry  la chimica  business il commercio
economics  l'economia  law la giurisprudenza
philosophy  la filosofia  engineering l'ingegneria
physics  la fisica  literature le lettere
geography  la geografia  political science le scienze politiche
foreign languages  le lingue straniere  sociology la sociologia
mathematics  la matematica  astronomy l'astronomia
medicine  la medicina  dramatic arts l'arte drammatica
accounting  la ragioneria  computer science l'informatica
la scienza della
history  la storia  communication
comunicazioni
psychology  la psicologia  physical education l'educazione fisica
When talking about your major or specialization, use the verb fare without the definite
article: Faccio geografia. I study geography.

course, class il corso oral exams gli orali

department la facoltà written exams gli scritti
il semestre /
subject la materia semester / trimester
trimestre
Listen Ascoltate Correct! Giusto!
Read Leggete Wrong! Sbagliato!
Repeat Ripetete All together! Tutti insieme!
Answer Rispondete One more time. Ancora una volta.
Come si
Write Scrivete How do you pronounce...?
pronuncia...?
Open your books Aprite i libri. How do you write...? Come si scrive...?
Close your books Chiudete i libri. How do you say...? Come si dice...?
Do the exercise Fate l'esercizio What does ... mean? Cosa vuol dire...?
Attention! Attenzione! Repeat, please. Ripeta, per favore.
Very good! Molto bene / Benissimo! OK. Va bene.

23. PREPOSITIONS & ADVERBS OF PLACE   Words in italics are not yet
recorded.
at, to a over / above sopra
 in in under / below sotto
on / up su inside dentro
from, by da around intorno a
of di between tra
with  con among  fra
without  senza near vicino a
for   per far lontano da
next to accanto a before  prima (di)
behind dietro after  dopo (di)
in front of davanti a against  contro
across  attraverso toward  verso
Down giù outside fuori

24. PREPOSITIONAL CONTRACTIONS 

il lo l' la i gli le
a at, to al allo all' alla ai agli alle
from,
da dal dallo dall' dalla dai dagli dalle
by
di Of del dello dell' della dei degli delle
in In nel nello nell' nella nei negli nelle
su On sul sullo sull' sulla sui sugli sulle
con With col collo coll' colla coi cogli colle
 
The only contractions for con that are still used nowadays are col and coi, but even
these contractions are optional.
→ Usually no article is used with in before words denoting rooms in a house or
buildings in a city.
→ Di is also used when showing possession. Italian does not have the -'s construction
that English uses, so you must say that whatever is possessed is of the person.

Questo cane è di Marco. This dog is Marco's. / This is Marco's dog. (Literally: This
dog is of Marco.)

If the adjective is referring to a language, it will always be the masculine form. If the
adjective is referring to a woman instead of a man, then the adjectives ending in -o
change to end in -a. The adjectives ending in -e do not change for gender. Also, the
adjective americano usually refers to someone living anywhere in the American
continent, but many people do use it to mean a person from the United States, instead
of statunitense.
When talking about your country of origin, it is more common in Italian to use the
adjective of nationality. For example, instead of saying She is from Denmark, you
would say She is Danish.

26. TO AND FROM PLACES 

To From
Country (singular) in da (+ contraction)
Country (plural) negli da (+ contraction)
City a da

Vado in Francia. I'm going to France.

Vengo dalla Francia. I come from France.
Vado negli Stati Uniti. I'm going to the United States.
Vengo dagli Stati Uniti. I come from the United States.
Vado a Parigi. I'm going to Paris.
Vengo da Parigi. I come from Paris.

27. TO COME AND TO GO 

 
Venire - to come Andare - to go
ven-ee-ah- ahn-dee-ah-
vengo vehn-goh veniamo vado vah-doh andiamo
moh moh
vieni vee-en-ee Venite ven-ee-teh vai vah-ee andate ahn-dah-teh
ven-goh-
viene vee-en-eh vengono va vah vanno vahn-noh
noh

→ To make a verb negative, add non before it:  

Non vengo a scuola in macchina.  I don't come to school by car.
→ If andare is followed by another infinitive, then a must be used before the infinitive:
Vado a mangiare adesso. I'm going to eat now.
Other verbs conjugated in the same pattern as venire are:
avvenire - to happen, to occur
convenire - to convene
divenire - to become
provenire - to come from, to proceed
sovvenire - to help
svenire - to faint
Tenere (to hold, keep) verbs are conjugated very similarly to venire too, except the voi
form ends in -ete instead of -ite:
appartenere - to belong
contenere - to contain
intrattenere - to entertain
mantenere - to maintain
ottenere - to obtain
ritenere - to retain
sostenere - to sustain, to support
trattenere - to withhold, to detain

28. CONJUGATING REGULAR VERBS 

To conjugate regular verbs, take off the last three letters (-are, -ere, or -ire) and add
these endings to the stem:
Regular Verb Endings
-are -ere 1st -ire 2nd -ire
-o -iamo -o -iamo -o -iamo -isco -iamo
-i -ate -i -ete -i -ite -isci -ite
-a -ano -e -ono -e -ono -isce -iscono

Verbi Regolari / Regular Verbs

-are 1st -ire
parlare to speak dormire to sleep
cantare to sing partire to leave
arrivare to arrive sentire to hear
abitare to live aprire to open
amare to love offrire to offer
ascoltare to listen (to) servire to serve
cominciare to begin
domandare to ask
giocare to play (a game/sport)
guardare to look (at)/watch
imparare to learn
insegnare to teach
lavorare to work
mangiare to eat
pensare to think
 studiare to study
-ere 2nd -ire
scrivere to write finire to finish
vedere to see capire to understand
credere to believe preferire to prefer
conoscere to know/be acquainted with colpire to hit
leggere to read costruire to build
mettere to put pulire to clean
perdere to lose sparire to disappear
prendere to take
rispondere to answer
scendere to go down/get off
vendere to sell
vivere to live
correre to run
dipingere to paint
ricevere to receive
Sample Regular Verb
Parlare-to speak
Parlo parliamo
Parli parlate
Parla parlano
→ The present tense and the preposition da may be used to describe an action which
began in the past and is still continuing in the present.  The present perfect tense is
used in English to convey this same concept.
Da quanto tempo Lei studia l'italiano?  How long have you been studying Italian?
Studio l'italiano da due anni.  I've been studying Italian for two years.
→ Proprio can be used to emphasize something and it translates as really or just.
Ho proprio sonno. I'm really sleepy.
Arrivo dalla banca proprio adesso. I just now got back from the bank.

29. REFLEXIVE VERBS 

Reflexive verbs express actions performed by the subject on the subject.  These
verbs are conjugated like regular verbs, but a reflexive pronoun precedes the verb
form.  This pronoun always agrees with the subject.  In the infinitive form, reflexive
verbs have -si attached to them with the final e dropped.  Lavare is to wash,
therefore lavarsi is to wash oneself.  (Note that some verbs are reflexive in Italian, but
not in English.)
 Reflexive Pronouns
Mi ci
Ti vi
Si si
Common reflexive verbs:
to graduate (from
to be satisfied with accontentarsi di laurearsi
college)
to fall asleep addormentarsi to wash up lavarsi
to get up alzarsi to put on mettersi
to be bored annoiarsi to get organized organizzarsi
to get angry arrabbiarsi to make a reservation prenotarsi
to be called chiamarsi to remember to ricordarsi di
to forget to dimenticarsi di to make a mistake sbagliarsi
to graduate (from high
diplomarsi to feel (well, bad) sentirsi (bene, male)
school)
to have a good time divertirsi to specialize specializzarsi
farsi la barba /
to shave (the face) to get married sposarsi
radersi
to stop (oneself) fermarsi to wake up svegliarsi
to complain about lamentarsi di to get dressed vestirsi
Io mi lavo. I wash myself.
Noi ci alziamo presto.  We get up early.
Si sveglia alle sette. She wakes up at seven.
The plural reflexive pronouns (ci, vi, si) can also be used with non-reflexive verbs to
indicate a reciprocal action.  These verbs are called reciprocal verbs and are
expressed by the words each other in English. 

to embrace abbracciarsi to run into incontrarsi

to help aiutarsi to fall in love with innamorarsi
to kiss baciarsi to greet salutarsi
to understand capirsi to write to scriversi
to meet conoscersi to phone telefonarsi
to exchange gifts farsi regali to see vedersi
to look at guardarsi  
Ci scriviamo ogni settimana.  We write to each other every week.
Vi vedete spesso?  Do you see each other often?

30. IRREGULARITIES IN REGULAR VERBS 

Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h before the -i and -iamo endings to keep the
hard sound.  Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare do not repeat the i in front of the -
i ending. Notice that these verbs are only slightly irregular in spelling, while the
pronunciation still follows the normal conjugation pattern.
cercare - to look for cominciare - to start
cerco cerchiamo comincio cominciamo
cerchi cercate cominci cominciate
cerca cercano comincia cominciano

31. PRESENT PERFECT (PASSATO PROSSIMO) 

The present perfect tense is used to express something that happened in the past,
and which is completely finished (not habitual or continuous). To form this compound
tense, which can translate as something happened, something has happened, or
something did happen, conjugate avere or sometimes essere and add the past
participle.  To form the past participle, add these endings to the appropriate stem of
the infinitives:
-are -ato
-ere -uto
-ire -ito
Verbs that can take a direct object are generally conjugated with avere.  Verbs that do
not take a direct object (generally verbs of movement), as well as all reflexive verbs,
are conjugated with essere and their past participle must agree in gender and number
with the subject. Avere uses avere as its auxiliary verb, while essere uses essere as
its auxiliary verb.  Negative sentences in the present perfect tense are formed by
placing non in front of the auxiliary verb. Common adverbs of time are placed between
avere/essere and the past participle.
Io ho visitato Roma.  I visited Rome.
Tu non hai visitato gli Stati Uniti.  You didn't visit the United States.
Abbiamo conosciuto due ragazze.  We met two girls.
Maria è andata in Italia.  Maria went to Italy.  (Note the agreement of the past
participle with the subject.) 
Ho sempre avuto paura dei cani. I've always been afraid of dogs.
Hai già finito di studiare? Have you already finished studying?
→ In addition, some verbs take on a different meaning in the present
perfect: conoscere means to meet and saperemeans to find out (or to hear).
Reflexive Verbs in the Present Perfect Tense
Since all reflexive verbs use essere as the auxiliary verb, the past participle must
agree with the subject. The word order is reflexive pronoun + essere + past participle.
Mi sono divertita. I had fun.
Si è sentito male. He felt bad.

32. IRREGULAR PAST PARTICIPLES Part 1:   Part2: 

The following verbs all take avere as the auxiliary:
 
to turn on Accendere acceso to hide nascondere nascosto
to admit Ammettere ammesso to offend offendere offeso
to hang (up) Appendere appeso to offer offrire offerto
to open Aprire aperto to lose perdere perso / perduto
to drink Bere bevuto to permit permettere permesso
to ask Chiedere chiesto to cry piangere pianto
to close Chiudere chiuso to put, place porre posto
to grant, award Concedere concesso to take prendere preso
to conclude Concludere concluso to promise promettere promesso
to know (people) Conoscere conosciuto to suggest proporre proposto
to correct Correggere corretto to laugh ridere riso
to decide Decider deciso to solve, resolve risolvere risolto
to disappoint Deludere deluso to respond, answer rispondere risposto
to defend Difendere difeso to break rompere rotto
to say, tell Dire detto to choose scegliere scelto
to direct, run Dirigere diretto to write scrivere scritto
to discuss Discutere discusso to suffer soffrire sofferto
to distinguish Distinguere distinto to turn off spegnere spento
to destroy Distruggere distrutto to spend spendere speso
to divide Divider diviso to push spingere spinto
to exclude Escludere escluso to translate tradurre tradotto
to express Esprimere espresso to draw, pull trarre tratto
to do Fare fatto to kill uccidere ucciso
to insist Insistere insistito to see vedere visto / veduto
to read Leggere letto to win vincere vinto
to put Mettere messo      
 
 Sample Avere Verb: avere - to
have
(io) ho avuto (noi) abbiamo avuto
(tu) hai avuto (voi) avete avuto
(lei) ha avuto (loro) hanno avuto
Ho avuto can mean I have, I have had, or I did have.

33. ESSERE VERBS

In general, intransitive and reflexive verbs, as well as impersonal verbs and verbs
describing a change of state or an evolution of some sorts, take essere as the
auxiliary verb in the passato prossimo. These past participles must agree with the
subject in gender and number by changing the final vowel.  Irregular past participles
are highlighted.
to go  andare andato
to arrive   arrivare arrivato
to suffice, be enough bastare bastato
to be necessary bisognare bisognato
to cost  costare costato
to depend dipendere dipeso
to regret, upset dispiacere dispiaciuto
to become, grow, turn diventare diventato
to last durare durato
to enter  entrare entrato
to exist esistere esistito
to be  essere stato
to arrive / to succeed giungere giunto
to get old invecchiare invecchiato
to die morire morto
to be born nascere nato
to be necessary occorrere occorso
to leave  partire partito
to be pleasing [to like] piacere piaciuto
to rain piovere piovuto
to stay, remain restare restato
to go/come back in, return rientrare rientrato
to remain, stay rimanere rimasto
to return ritornare ritornato
to succeed riuscire (a) riuscito
to seem sembrare sembrato
to serve, be of use servire servito
to disappear  sparire sparito
to stay, be  stare stato
to happen succedere successo
to come back/return  tornare tornato
to go out  uscire uscito
to be worth valere valso
to come venire venuto
Sono nato a Torino nel 1965. I was born in Turin in 1965.
Cosa è successo? What happened?
Lei è stato malata ma niente di grave. She was sick, but it was nothing serious.
→ There are also a few verbs (some with irregular past participles) that use essere as
an auxiliary when they are intransitive (no direct object), but avere when they are
transitive (with a direct object):
to change, exchange cambiare cambiato
to begin, start cominciare cominciato
to run correre corso
to grow (up), increase cresciere cresciuto
to diminish, decrease diminuire diminuito
to explode esplodere esploso
to finish, end, stop finire finito
to ripen, mature maturare maturato
to improve migliorare migliorato
to move muovere mosso
to pass, pass through/over passare passato
to worsen peggiorare peggiorato
to go up, rise salire salito
to descend, go down scendere sceso
to live (be alive) vivere vissuto
L'inverno è finito. Winter is finished.
Abbiamo finito di guardare il film. We finished watching the film.
 
Sample Essere Verb: andare - to go
sono andato / sono andata siamo andati / siamo andate
sei andato / sei andata siete andati / siete andate
è andato / è andata sono andati / sono andate
 
Sono andato can mean I went, I was going, or I did go.  Remember that -o is
masculine and -a is feminine.  The -i ending indicates all males or males and females;
whereas the -e ending indicates only females.

La merenda refers to the snack that children have around 10 or 11 AM while at

school, but it can also mean afternoon snack. You can also use uno spuntino to refer
to a snack in general.
35. PIACERE & SERVIRE
Piacere - to like / Servire - to need
piaccio piacciamo servo serviamo
piaci piacete servi Servite
piace piacciono serve Servono
Past participle:
  Past participle: servito  
piaciuto

Piacere (a) literally means to be pleasing (to) so to form a sentence you have to invert
the word order. You must also use the prepositional contractions with a.
Maria piace a Giovanni.  John likes Mary. (Literally: Mary is pleasing to John)
Gli studenti piacciono ai professori.  The teachers like the students. (Literally:  The
students are pleasing to the teachers).
The most common forms are the third person singular and plural when used with
object pronouns. The object pronouns that are used with these two verbs are
somewhat similar to the reflexive pronouns:
mi I (to me) ci we (to us)
ti you (to you) vi you (to you)
gli / le he / she (to him / her) gli they (to them)

→ To say I like something, use Mi piace if it is singular and Mi piacciono if it is

plural. Piaciuto is the past participle and it is used with essere. However, it always
agrees with the subject (what is liked) instead of the person.
Mi piace cucinare. I like to cook. (Literally:  To me is pleasing to cook.) 
Gli piacciono i treni.  He likes trains. (Literally:  To him are pleasing the trains.)
Ci è piaciuta la bistecca. We liked the steak. (Literally:  To us was pleasing the
steak.) 
Non le sono piaciuti gli spaghetti. She didn't like the spaghetti. (Literally:  Not to her
was pleasing the spaghetti.)
→ Stressed forms also exist for the object pronouns. They are nearly identical to the
subject pronouns, except me and teare used for me and you (familiar). They are
always preceded by the preposition a.
A me non piace sciare. I don't like to ski. (Literally:  To me not is pleasing to ski.) 
A loro piace viaggiare? Do they like to travel? (Literally:  To them is pleasing to
travel.)
→ Servire has the same construction as piacere.  It is also used primarily in the third
person singular and plural forms and takes an indirect object. When it takes a direct
object, it simply means to serve.
Ti serve della frutta?  Do you need any fruit? (Literally:  By you is needed some
fruit?)
Il pane serve a Marco.  Marco needs bread.  (Literally:  The bread is needed by
Marco.)
→ Mancare can be used in the same way as piacere and servire to mean to
miss or to lack. If used in the regular way, it means to be missing / absent.
Mi manchi. I miss you. (Literally:  To me you are missing.)
Chi manca? Who is missing?

37. TO TAKE, EAT OR DRINK

Prendere - to take, eat or drink and Bere - to drink
prendo prendiamo bevo Beviamo
prendi prendete bevi Bevete
prende prendono beve Bevono
Past participle: preso Past participle: bevuto
 
Bere is only used to mean to drink when it is used in the general sense, as
is mangiare - to eat. The rest of the time you simply use prendere when referring to
eating or drinking, similar to how we can use the verb have in English.

38. COMMANDS
-are -ere -ire
tu form (singular familiar) -a -i -i / -isci
Lei form (singular polite) -i -a -a / -isca
voi form (plural polite) -ate -ete -ite
noi form (Let's ...) -iamo -iamo -iamo

To make a command negative, add non before the command, except for

the tu (singular familiar) commands, when you use non and the infinitive.
  tu form Lei form voi form
Answer! Rispondi! Risponda! Rispondete!
Don't Non Non Non
answer! rispondere! risponda! rispondete!
 
Irregular Commands
andare - venire - to fare - to dare - dire - to essere - avere - to stare -to
to go come do to give say / tell to be have be / stay
 sing.
va' vieni fa' da' di' sii Abbi sta'
fam.
sing.
vada venga faccia Dia dica sia Abbia stia
pol.
plural andate venite fate Date dite siate Abbiate state
Let's andiamo veniamo facciamo diamo diciamo siamo Abbiamo stiamo
The words avanti, dai and su can accompany commands to give emphasis, similar
to come on! in English. If pure is used with a command, it softens the intensity.

39. MORE NEGATIVES

non...mai never
non...più no longer, no more
non...niente / nulla nothing
non...nessuno nobody, no one
non...neanche not even
non...né...né neither...nor

The non goes before the verb and the second part goes after.  
Non ho niente. I have nothing.  
Nessuno and niente can also be subjects. In this case, non is not used.
Nessuno è venuto. No one came.

40. HOLIDAY PHRASES

Buon Anno! Happy New Year!
Buona Pasqua! Happy Easter!
Buon compleanno! Happy Birthday!
Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!
Buone feste! Happy Holidays!
Have a good
Buona vacanza!
vacation!
Buon divertimento! Have a good time!
Buon viaggio! Have a good trip!
Tanti auguri! Best wishes!
 
Babbo Natale is Santa Claus and il panettone or il pandoro are the traditional cakes
eaten at Christmas. For Easter, the traditional cake is called la colomba. Be careful
with the difference between ferie and feriale: le ferie or i giorni di ferie are holidays
when most places of business are closed; the opposite is un giorno feriale, or a
weekday/working day.

Italian 3

41. IMPERFECT TENSE

The imperfect tense is also called the past descriptive tense and corresponds to was
doing or used to do in English. The imperfect is used to describe a continued or
habitual action in the past, or to describe an action that was occurring in the past,
while something else happened.  Time, age, weather conditions as well as mental and
physical conditions are all expressed in the imperfect rather than the passato
prossimo tense. 
The imperfect in Italian has the same ending for all three verb groups.  It is formed by
dropping the -re of the infinitive and adding the following endings:
-vo -vamo
-vi -vate
-va -vano
 
Avere is regular in the imperfect, but essere, bere, dire and fare are irregular.  The
stem of essere becomes er- for io, tu, lui/lei and loro, and it does not take the v, while
the stem for noi and voi is era- and it does take the v.  The stems for bere, dire, fare,
porre and tradurre are slightly irregular: beve-, dice-, face-, pone-, and traduce- but
they take the regular endings of the imperfect. 
essere - to be bere - to drink dire - to say / tell
ero eravamo Bevevo bevevamo dicevo dicevamo
eri eravate Bevevi bevevate dicevi dicevate
era erano Beveva bevevano diceva dicevano
           
fare - to do porre - to put / place tradurre - to translate
facevo facevamo Ponevo ponevamo traducevo traducevamo
facevi facevate Ponevi ponevate traducevi traducevate
faceva facevano Poneva ponevano traduceva traducevano
 
Avevo fame.  I was hungry.
Era tardi.  It was late.
Non diceva niente.  He wasn't saying anything.
Aspettavamo in fila.  We were waiting in line.
Prendevo sempre l'autobus.  I always take the bus.
42. TO BE/STAY AND TO GIVE
stare - to be / stay dare - to give
sto Stiamo do diamo
stai State dai date
sta Stanno dà danno
Past participle: stato Past participle: dato
 
Stare means to be when used in progressive tense.  If you use it with a present
participle, it translates to something is happening, not something happens as with the
present indicative.   Stare is also used in many health expressions.
Come stai?  How are you?  
Sto bene.  I'm fine.
→ Stare per plus an infinitive means "to be about to" do something.  
Stavo per uscire.  I was about to go out.  
Stiamo per mangiare.  We're about to eat.
→ Dare un esame means to take an exam rather than to give an exam.

43. GERUNDS
Gerunds are formed by dropping the ending of the infinitive, and adding the following
endings to the stem:
Gerunds
-are -ando
-ere -endo
-ire -endo
 
To express a progressive or continuous action, conjugate stare and add the gerund.
Sto parlando italiano is I am speaking Italian.  (As opposed to Parlo italiano I speak
Italian.)  There are only a few irregular gerunds: fare - facendo(doing), dare
- dando (giving), dire - dicendo (say/telling), bere - bevendo (drinking), porre
- ponendo (putting, placing) and tradurre - tradunendo (translating).
Che cosa stai facendo? What are you doing?
Dove stanno andando? Where are they going?
Stava dicendo la verità. He was telling the truth.

44. PLACES / AROUND TOWN

airport l'aeroporto library la biblioteca
alley il vicolo market il mercato
avenue la viale ministry il ministero
bakery la panetteria / il panificio monument il monumento
bank la banca mosque la moschea
bar il bar museum il museo
barn il granaio palace il palazzo
barracks la caserma park il parco
bench la panchina path / way il sentiero / il cammino
bridge il ponte pharmacy la farmacia
bookstore la libreria pier il molo
police station / il commissariato / la
building l'edificio
headquarters questura
butcher's la macelleria post office l'ufficio postale
cafe il caffé port il porto
castle il castello prison la prigione
cathedral il duomo restaurant il ristorante
cemetery il cimitero river il fiume
church la chiesa road la via
cinema il cinema school la scuola
consulate il consolato sidewalk il marciapiede
corner l'angolo synagogue la sinagoga
courtyard il cortile square la piazza
crosswalk il passaggio pedonale stable la stalla
dock il bacino stadium lo stadio
downtown il centro station la stazione
dry cleaner's la tintoria store il negozio
embassy l'ambasciata street la strada
factory la fabbrica suburb il sobborgo
farm la fattoria supermarket il supermercato
fire hydrant l'idrante temple il tempio
fountain la fontana theater il teatro
garage il garage tower la torre
grocery store la drogheria town / city la città
hospital l'ospedale (m) town hall il municipio
hostel (youth) l'ostello della gioventù traffic light il semaforo
hotel l'albergo (m) university l'università (f)
house la casa village il villaggio
hut la capanna zebra crossing le strisce
inn l'osteria zoo lo zoo
Words denoting buildings in a city, as well as open spaces, do not use the article
after in.
Sono in ufficio, non in biblioteca. I'm in the office, not in the library.
Non mi piace vivere in città. Preferisco vivre in campagna. I don't like living in the
city. I prefer to live in the countryside.

45. TRANSPORTATION & VEHICLES

airplane l'aeroplano motorcycle il motociclo
ambulance l'ambulanza on foot a piedi
automobile l'automobile (f) pickup truck il camion
bicycle la bicicletta semi-truck il camion con rimorchio
boat la barca ship il bastimento
bus l'autobus (m) streetcar il tram
car la macchina taxi il taxi
ferry il traghetto tow truck il carro attrezzi
fire engine l'autopompa tractor il trattore
minivan la monovolume trailer il rimorchio
moped il motorino train il treno
 
To say by bus, car, etc., replace the article with in.

46. TO WANT, TO BE ABLE TO, TO HAVE TO

volere - to want potere - to be able to, can dovere - to have to, must
voglio vogliamo posso possiamo devo dobbiamo
vuoi volete puoi Potete devi dovete
vuole vogliono può Possono deve devono
Past participle: voluto Past participle: potuto Past participle: dovuto
In the passato prossimo, these three verbs can use either avere or essere as the
auxiliary verb, depending on what auxiliary the main verb in the sentence takes.
Abbiamo potuto parlare. We could/were able to talk.
Sono dovuto partire presto. I had to leave early. 
Lucy è voluta venire con noi. Lucy wanted to come with us.
Use of these verbs in the passato prossimo indicates that it is certain that the action
did happen, whereas in the imperfect the result of the action remains unclear and
uncertain.

47. ASKING QUESTIONS

 Yes / No Questions:
→ The easiest way to ask a question is to simply add a question mark to the end of
the statement and using rising intonation.
Hai molto tempo libero? Do you have a lot of free time?
→ Add non è vero? / è vero? / vero? or simply no? to the end of the statement. This
literally translates as it is not true, and can have several meanings in English, such as
isn't it/he/she, aren't you/they, doesn't it/he/she, don't you/they, etc.
Sei una studentessa, non è vero? You're a student, aren't you?
→ If using a subject pronoun (or name), put it at the end or after the verb.
Viene a casa Marco? Is Marco coming home?
Mangia la pizza il ragazzo? Is the boy eating the pizza?
Wh- Questions:
→ Interrogatives are followed by the verb. Remember that quale agrees in gender
and number with the noun it precedes.
Quando vai in vacanza? When are you going on vacation?
Di chi è questo libro? Whose book is this?
Che cosa fai oggi? What are you doing today? 

Although in is one of the prepositions that forms contractions with articles, the article is
not used with words denoting rooms in a house.
Dormiamo in camera e mangiamo in sala da pranzo. We sleep in the bedroom and
we eat in the dining room.

49. COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE

Comparisons are expressed as follows:
più... di / che more... than
meno... di / che less... than
così... come as... as
tanto... quanto as... as
Più and meno can be used with di or che.  Di is used when comparing two different
things, while che is used when the comparison is between two qualities of the same
thing.
Le ciliege sono più buone delle fragole.  Cherries are better than strawberries.
La mela è più verde che rossa.  The apple is more green than red.
Franco è così alto come me.  Frank is as tall as me.
→ The Relative Superlative compares two or more things and expresses the greatest
or the least degree.  It is formed by placing the article before the comparative form of
the adjective, or in front of the noun.  And instead of the preposition in, di (and its
contractions), is always used with the superlative.
Le mele sono la frutta meno costosa del mondo.  Apples are the least expensive
fruit in the world.
L'oro è il più prezioso dei metalli.  Gold is the most precious metal.
Questo è il palazzo più alto di Napoli.  This is the tallest building in Naples.
→ The Absolute Superlative expresses an extreme degree or absolute state of
something without comparison.  This can be expressed in several ways in Italian.
Drop the last vowel of the adjective and add -issimo, -issima, -issimi, or -issime.
Le fragole sono dolcissime.  Strawberries are very sweet.
Place the words molto, troppo, or assai before the adjective.
Questa arancia è molto buona.  This orange is very good.
Repeat the adjective or adverb.
Lei parla piano piano.  She speaks very softly.

50. IRREGULAR FORMS

Some adverbs have irregular comparative, relative superlative, and absolute
superlative forms.  The most common are:
Adverb Comparative Relative Superlative Absolute Superlative
bene well meglio better (il) meglio (the) best benissimo very well
male badly peggio worse (il) peggio (the) worst pessimo very badly
molto much più more (il) più (the) most moltissimo very much
poco little meno less (il) meno (the) least pochissimo very little

51. CLOTHING & TOILETRIES

apron il grembiale skirt la gonna
barrette il fermaglio sleeve la manica
bathrobe l'accappatoio slippers la pantofola
belt la cintura soap il sapone
blouse la camicetta sock il calzino
bomber jacket il giubbotto stocking la calza
boot lo stivale suit l'abito / il vestito
bra il reggiseno sunglasses gli occhiali da sole
bracelet il braccialetto suspenders le bretelle
brush la spazzola per capelli sweater il maglione
buckle la fibbia sweatshirt la felpa
button il bottone swimsuit il costume da bagno
cap il berretto thread il filo
clothes gli abiti tie la cravatta
coat il cappotto T-shirt la maglietta
collar il colletto tracksuit la tuta
comb il pettine umbrella l'ombrello
contact lens le lenti a contatto underpants le mutande
cotton il cotone underwear / panties (women) le mutandine
dress il vestito waistcoat il panciotto
earmuffs il paraorecchie watch l'orologio
earrings l'orecchino wool la lana
fashion la moda toothbrush lo spazzolino
glasses gli occhiali toothpaste il dentifricio
glove il guanto makeup il trucco
handbag la borsa lipstick il rossetto
handkerchief il fazzoletto nail polish lo smalto per unghie
hat il cappello nail polish remover l'acetone (m)
jacket la giacca mascara il mascara
jeans i jeans blush il fard
mittens le manopole eyeliner lo spazzolino per unghie
necklace la collana eyeshadow l'ombretto
needle l'ago foundation il fondotinta
nightgown la camicia da notte lotion la lozione
outfit il corredo shampoo lo sciampo
overcoat il soprabito conditioner il balsamo
pajamas il pigiama shaving cream la crema da barba
pants i pantaloni razor il rasoio
Pin lo spillo tweezers le pinzette
pocket la tasca nail clippers le forbicine
purse la borsetta nail file la lima
raincoat l'impermeable floss il filo interdentale
ribbon il nastro curling iron il ferro arricciacapelli
ring l'anello straightening iron la piastra stiracapelli
sandals i sandali hairspray la lacca
scarf la sciarpa hairdryer l'asciugacapelli
shirt la maglia powder la polvere
shoe la scarpa perfume il profumo
shoelace il laccio cologne la colonia
shorts i pantaloncini suntan lotion l'emulsione solare
silk la seta sponge la spugna
Portare means to wear, but it also means to bring. You can use indossare or the
reflexive verb mettersi for to wear / put on clothing.

52. TO WEAR
mettersi - to wear, put on (clothing)
mi metto ci mettiamo
ti metti vi mettete
si mette si mettono
Past participle: si è messo
 
You don't use possessive pronouns when referring to parts of the body or clothing, but
you do use the definite article.  
Mi metto la maglia. I'm wearing my sweater. 

53. FUTURE TENSE

The future of regular verbs is formed by dropping the final -e of the infinitive and
adding the following endings.  For -are verbs, the a is changed to an e.
-ò -emo
-ai -ete
-à -anno
Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h after the c and g in the in order to retain the
hard sounds.  Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare drop the i from their stems in the
future.
Many verbs use irregular stems in the future tense, but they still use the regular
endings from above:
to be essere sar- to remain, stay rimanere rimarr-
to have avere avr- to drink bere berr-
to be, stay stare star- to put, place porre porr-
to give dare dar- to come venire verr-
to make fare far- to translate tradurre tradurr-
to go andare andr- to hold tenere terr-
to fall cadere cadr- to draw, pull trarre trarr-
to have to,
dovere dovr- to explain spiegare spiegher-
must
to be able to,
potere potr- to pay pagare pagher-
can
to know (facts) sapere sapr- to look for cercare cercher-
to see vedere vedr- to forget dimenticare dimenticher-
 to live (be
vivere vivr- to eat mangiare manger-
alive)
to want volere vorr- to begin cominciare comincer-

→ The future tense is commonly used after quando (when), appena (as soon

as), dopo che (after), and se (if) even though the present tense is often used in
English. In addition to expressing the future, this tense in Italian can also express
probability; but in English, the words probably, can or must are used.
Non vedo Maria da molto tempo. Dove sarà? I haven't seen Maria in a long time.
Where could she be?
Sarà ammalata o in vacanza. She must be sick or on vacation.
→ Notice that Italian uses the future tense after se in hypothetical statements,
whereas in English the present tense is used.
Se domani farà bel tempo, andrò alla spiaggia. If the weather is good tomorrow, I'll
go to the beach.
→ The future perfect (futuro composto) is formed with the future of avere or essere
plus a past participle. The translation in English is will have + past participle. It must
be used when there are two actions in the future that do not happen at the same time.
Alle sei, avremo già mangiato. By six, we will have eaten already.
Farà un viaggio dopo che avrà superato gli esami. He will go on a trip after he will
have passed his exams.

54. PRECEDING ADJECTIVES

Only a few adjectives go before the noun, the rest are placed right after it.  Bello -
beautiful, buono - good, grande - large, and brutto - ugly are the most common
preceding adjectives, even though they don't have to go before the noun.  Bello and
buono have alternate forms when they precede a noun.
Buono e Bello
Singular Plural Before a:
Masculine
buono z, s + consonant
buoni
buon vowel or consonant
Feminine
buona consonant
buone
buon' vowel
Masculine
bello z, s + consonant
begli
bell' vowel
bel bei consonant
 Feminine
bella consonant
belle
bell' vowel

If they go after the noun, then they can be formed in the usual way.  The above forms
are only for when they go before the noun.  Be aware that grande can have alternate
forms before nouns too.  Grande can become gran before masculine or feminine
nouns beginning with a consonant.  Or it could contract to grand' before masculine or
feminine nouns beginning with a vowel.  But you do not have to use the alternate
forms, whether or not you place the adjective before or after the noun.

55.  ADJECTIVES: FEMININE AND PLURAL

Masculine to Feminine and Singular to Plural
Masc. Fem.
-o -a
-e -e
Sing. Plural
-o, -e -i
-a -e
 
Some adjectives have two forms, others have four.  Francese (french) has two:
francese and francesi.  Nuovo (new) has four: nuovo, nuova, nuovi, and nuove.

56. MORE ADJECTIVES

unpleasant antipatico anxious Ansioso
good buono angry Arrabbiato
simple semplice bad cattivo stingy Avaro
complicated complicato big / large grande calm Calmo
interesting interessante small piccolo disappointed Deluso
boring noioso young giovane depressed Depresso
old vecchio entertaining Divertente
short (length) corto intelligent intelligente excited Eccitato
correct giusto stupid stupido enthusiastic Entusiasto
mistaken / wrong sbagliato elegant elegante generous Generoso
unfashionabl
expensive / dear caro inelegante kind Gentile
e
economical/cheap economico rich ricco nervous Nervosa
modern moderno poor povero good, able Bravo
old/ancient antico skinny / thin magro worried Preoccupato
grosso /
open aperto fat (un)satisfied (in)soddisfatto
grasso
closed chiuso sincere sincero alone / lonely Solo
shy timido tired Stanco
strong forte stressed Stressato
narrow / tight stretto gentle / kind gentile (in)sensitive (in)sensibile
wide / baggy largo generous generoso serious Serio
scuro /
(un)happy (in)felice dark lazy Pigro
bruno
vivacious /
blond biondo Vivace
bright
luminoso /
nice simpatico light (color) sporty Sportive
chiaro
light
cheerful allegro leggero classical Classic
(weight)
(un)comfortable (in)comodo heavy / thick pesante ready / quick Pronto
 
Pronto also means hello when answering the telephone.

57. ADVERBS
 
Most adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the
adjective.  Adjectives ending in -le or -re drop the final -e before adding -mente, if the l
or r is preceded by a vowel.
Adjective (feminine
Adverb
form)
recente recentemente recently
comoda comodamente comfortably
finale finalmente finally
regolare regolarmente regularly
Note that the adverbial form of buono (good) is bene, and cattivo (bad) is male. 
The adverb sempre (always) usually follows the verb.  Anche (also, too) always
precedes the noun, pronoun or infinitive to which it refers.  When it precedes io, it
becomes anch'.
Noi studiamo sempre.  We always study.
Vuole anche questo libro.  He wants that book, too.
Anch'io devo studiare.  I have to study too.
59. TO PLAY
Giocare-to play
gioco joh-koh giochiamo joh-kee-ah-moh
giochi joh-kee giocate joh-kah-teh
gioca joh-kah giocano joh-kahn-oh
Past participle: giocato
 
Most sports use giocare a (sport) without the prepositional contractions to mean to
play a sport.  
Giocano a pallacanestro. They play basketball.
Mi piace giocare a calcio. I like to play soccer.
Che cosa fai nel tempo libero? What do you do in your free time?
Di solito faccio sport. Usually I play sports.

60. NATURE & GEOGRAPHY

air l'aria (f) rain la pioggia
archipelago l'arcipelago (m) rainbow l'arcobaleno (m)
bank la riva river il fiume
bay la baia rock lo scoglio
barn la stalla root la radice
beach la spiaggia rose la rosa
branch il ramo sand la sabbia
bridge il ponte sea il mare
bud il bocciolo shadow l'ombra
bush l'arbusto (m) sky il cielo
cape il capo / il promontorio snow la neve
cave la caverna soil il terreno
city la città south il sud
climate il clima spring (water) la sorgente
cloud la nube / nuvola star la stella
coast la costa stem il gambo
comet la cometa storm il temporal
constellation la costellazione strait lo stretto
country il paese stream il ruscello
country(side) la campagna street la strada
current la corrente sun il sole
daffodil il narciso sunflower il girasole
daisy la margherita thaw il disgelo
darkness l'oscurità (f) thunder il tuono
desert il deserto tornado il turbine
dew la rugiada tree l'albero
dust la polvere trunk il tronco
earth la terra tulip il tulipano
east l'est (m) valley la valle
farm la tenuta view la vista
field il campo water l'acqua
flower il fiore fresh water l'acqua dolce
foam la schiuma salt water l'acqua salata
fog la nebbia watering can l'annaffiatoio
foliage il fogliame waterfall la cascata
forest il bosco / la foresta wave l'onda (f)
frost il gelo weather il tempo
grass l'erba (f) west l'ovest (m)
gulf il golfo wind il vento
hail la grandine world il mondo
hay il fieno  
high tide l'alta marea North Pole il Polo Nord
hill la collina South Pole il Polo Sud
ice il ghiaccio Northern Hemisphere l'emisfero settentrionale
island I'isola (f) Soutern Hemisphere l'emisfero meridionale
isthmus l'istmo (m) Arctic Circle il circolo polare artico
jungle la giungla equator l'equatore (m)
lake il lago Arctic Ocean l'Oceano Artico
leaf la foglia Atlantic Ocean l'Oceano Atlantico
light la luce Pacific Ocean l'Oceano Pacifico
lightning il fulmine / lampo Indian Ocean l'Oceano Indiano
lily il giglio Caribbean Sea il Mar dei Caraibi
low tide la bassa marea Mediterranean Sea il Mar Mediterraneo
meadow il prato North Sea il Mare del Nord
moon la luna Red Sea il Mar Rosso
mountain la montagna Black Sea il Mar Nero
mountain range la catena montuosa  
mouth (river) l'imboccatura Mercury Mercurio
mud il fango Venus Venere
nature la natura Earth Terra
 north il nord Mars Marte
peninsula la penisola Jupiter Giove
plain il piano / la pianura Saturn Saturno
planet il pianeta Uranus Uranio
plant la pianta Neptune Nettuno
pond lo stagno Pluto Plutone
pot (for plants) il vaso da fiori    

Italian 4

61. OBJECT PRONOUNS

Subject Direct Indirect Object of Prepositions
io I mi me mi to me me me
tu you (s.i.) ti you ti to you te you
lui he/it lo him/it gli to him/it lui him/it
lei she/it/you (s.p.) la her/it/you le to her/it/you lei her/it/you
noi we ci us ci to us noi us
voi you (p.i.) vi you vi to you voi you
loro they/you (p.p.) li/le them/you loro to them/you loro them/you
1. S.i. means singular informal, s.p. means singular polite, p.i. means plural
informal, and p.p. means plural polite.  For you (s.p.) and you (p.p.) they are
capitalized to set them apart from the other meaning.  (Lei instead of lei and
Loro instead of loro.)  
2. Direct and indirect pronouns go directly before the conjugated verb OR they are
attached to the infinitive at the end (minus the final -e of the infinitive); except
loro, which always follows the verb: Lo voglio comprare. = Voglio
comprarlo. I want to buy it.
3. With commands, the pronoun (except loro) is attached to the end and written as
one word: Parlatemi! Talk to me!
With one syllable commands, the consonant of the pronoun is doubled before
adding it to the end of the command: di' + mi = dimmi! tell me! 
However, with negative commands, the pronoun may either be placed at the
end as with positive commands, or they can be placed between non and the
verb: Non andarci! = Non ci andare! Don't go there!
4. When you have more than one pronoun, the indirect comes before the direct.
5. Mi, ti, ci, and vi change to me, te, ce, and ve before lo, la, li and le. 
Also notice the insertion of ce before a pronoun + avere in constructions such
as: Ce l'ho. I have it. Non ce le ho. I don't have them.
 6. Gli and le become glie before lo, la, li, and le; and are written as one word
connected with the other pronoun:glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele
If you use the direct object pronouns lo, la, li, le in the present perfect tense, the past
participle must agree with them.
Hai mangiato il panino? Did you eat the bun?
Lo ho mangiato. I ate it.
Hai mangiato la pasta? Did you eat the pastry?
La ho mangiata. I ate it.
 
In negative sentences, pronouns go before the entire verb as well, but after the non.
I haven't eaten it. Non lo ho mangiato.
 
The following verbs are always used with indirect pronouns or nouns:
to give dare to bring portare
to say/tell dire to prepare preparare
to ask domandare to give (as a gift) regalare
to lend imprestare to return, give back rendere
to teach insegnare to bring back riportare
to send mandare to answer rispondere
to show mostrare to write scrivere
to offer offrire to call/telephone telefonare

finger il dito wrist il polso

fist il pugno  
flesh la carne see vedere
foot il piede hear udire
forehead la fronte smell annusare
gum la gengiva taste assaggiare
hair i capelli touch toccare
hand la mano  
head la testa enamel lo smalto
headache il mal di testa filling l'otturazione
health la salute crown la corona
heart il cuore gum la gengiva
heel il tallone bone l'osso
hip l'anca root la radice
intestine l'intestino nerve il nervo
jaw la mascella iris l'iride
kidney il rene cornea la cornea
knee il ginocchio pupil la pupilla
leg la gamba retina la retina
lip il labbro optic nerve il nervo ottico
liver il fegato lens la lente
lung il polmone    
moustache i baffi    

You can use the expressions Ho mal di + body part or Mi fa male + definite article
and the body part to say that something hurts.  If the noun is plural, you have to use
mi fanno male instead of mi fa male.
Ho mal di testa.  My head hurts. / I have a headache.
Mi fa male il dito.  My finger hurts.
Mi fanno male gli occhi.  My eyes hurt.
To talk about hair and eyes:
Ha i capelli corti / lunghi. S/he has short / long hair. 
Ha i capelli biondi / bruni / neri / rossi. S/he has blond / brown / black / red hair. 
Ha gli occhi azzurri / marroni / grigi / verdi. S/he has blue / brown / gray / green
eyes.

63. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

Most of the question words are invariable (they don't have to agree with the noun),
but quale (which) and quanto (how much/many) must agree.  Note that these words
do not require a noun to follow them.
Before singular nouns, quale is used, and before plural nouns, quali is used.

Quale camicetta compri?  Which blouse are you buying?

Quali maglioni compri?  Which pullovers are you buying?
Quali compri?  Which ones are you buying? 
Quanto has four forms that follow the regular adjective pattern.  Quanto is masculine
singular, quanta is feminine singular, quanti is masculine plural and quante is
feminine plural.

Quanto denaro hai?  How much money do you have?

Quante camicette compri? How many blouses are you buying?
Quanto costa?  How much does it cost?

64. RELATIVE PRONOUNS

Relative pronouns connect a dependent clause and a main clause together in a
sentence.  An antecedent is the noun or pronoun that the relative pronoun refers back
to. The relative pronouns in English are that, what, which, whom, and whose. The
relative pronouns in Italian are che, cui, il quale (and its forms), chi, quello che,
quel che, and ciò che.
When the antecedent is a definite person, animal or thing, che, cui or a form of il
quale is used.  Che is invariable and never used with a preposition.  Cui is also
invariable, but it is always used with a preposition.  Il quale and its forms can be used
with articles or articles plus prepositions.  It is mainly used in formal speech, writing
and for clarity, and rarely in casual conversation.
La ragazza che vedi è mia sorella.  The girl whom you see is my sister.
Per le pillole di cui hai bisogno ci vuole la ricetta.  The pills (of) which you need
require a prescription.
Lei è la sola persona nella quale (or in cui) io abbia fiducia.  You are the only
person whom I trust.
È una medicina la quale (or che) non fa male allo stomaco.  It's medicine that
doesn't upset your stomach.
When the antecedent is unknown or indefinite, chi is used when referring to people.  It
is invariable and means "he/she who," "whoever," "the one who" and takes a verb in
the third person singular form.  Quello che, quel che, and ciò cheare all invariable
and interchangeable.  They refer to things only and mean "what" or "that which."
Chi sta bene non va dal dottore.  He who feels well doesn't go to the doctor.
Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro.  One who finds a friend, finds a treasure.
Non capisco quello che dice.  I don't understand what he's saying.
Ciò che scrivi è sbagliato.  What you're writing is wrong.

65. TO READ, TO SAY/TELL, TO GO OUT, TO LAUGH

leggere - to read dire - to say/tell uscire - to go out ridere - to laugh
leggo leggiamo Dico diciamo esco usciamo rido ridiamo
leggi leggete Dici dite esci uscite ridi ridete
legge leggono Dice dicono esce escono ride ridono
Past participle: letto Past participle: detto Past participle: uscito Past participle: riso

The verb dire is also used in the expression:

Che ne dici di + infinitive? How about / Do you want to + infinitive?

When uscire is followed by a place, the preposition da plus any contractions must be

used, except in the idiom uscire di casa.
Esco dall'università alle 5.30. I leave the university at 5:30.

66. INDEFINITE ADJECTIVES & PRONOUNS

 
Adjectives
 masculine masculine feminine
feminine singular
singular plural plural
any / some alcuno alcuna alcuni Alcune
as much / many altrettanto altrettanta altrettanti Altrettante
other Altro altra altri Alter
some Certo certa certi Certe
a lot of Molto molta molti Molte
several parecchio parecchia parecchi Parecchie
few Poco poca pochi Poche
such a / such Tale tale tali Tali
so much / many Tanto tanta tanti Tante
too much / many troppo troppa troppi Trope
all Tutto tutta tutti Tutte
various / several Vario varia vari Varie
not one / not any nessuno nessuna (no plural form)
 
Invariable Adjectives
Ogni
Qualche
qualsiasi
qualunque
 
67. CI AND NE
Ci (there, it, about it, of it) and ne (some, of them, of it) are both pronouns that go
before the verb and they replace prepositional phrases.  Ci will replace phrases
indicating locations that begin with in, on, to, at, under, etc. and ne will replace
phrases that are usually preceded by some or a number and that indicate quantities.
Example Sentences
I live in Paris. Vivo a Parigi.
I live there. Ci vivo.
I have some apples. Ho delle mele.
I have some (of them). Ne ho.
I have five sisters. Ho cinque sorelle.
I have five (of them). Ne ho cinque.
Do you buy books often? Compri spesso libri?
I buy many (of them). Ne compro molte.
 
Similar to other pronouns, ci and ne go directly before the conjugated verb or they are
attached to the infinitive at the end (minus the final -e of the infinitive).
Ci voglio andare. = Voglio andarci. I want to go there.
Ne posso spendere molti. = Posso spenderne molti. I can spend a lot.
 
In the perfect tenses, the past participle must agree with the noun that ne refers to,
the same way that it must agree with the direct object preceding it:
Quante caramelle hai mangiato? How many candies did you eat?
Ne ho mangiate quattro. I ate four of them.
 
Other Uses of Ci
The particle ci is also used in the verbs volerci and metterci. Both of these verbs
translate to take when referring to how much time is needed to do something. In
addition, volerci translates to need, be required when there is no reference to time
and it is often used in the impersonal sense (general you or we; is + past participle). 
Per fare un tavolo ci vuole il legno. To make a table, you need wood / wood is
required.
Ci vogliono fatti e non teorie. We need facts and not theories.
Ci metto 30 minuti per andare al lovoro. It takes me 30 minutes to get to work.
Non ci metti molto a finirlo. It doesn't take me a lot of time to finish it.

69. PAST PERFECT TENSE (TRAPASSATO PROSSIMO)

The pluperfect or past perfect tense corresponds to the English "had + past participle."
It indicates an event that happened prior to another event in the past.  It consists of
the imperfect of avere or essere (whichever auxiliary verb the main verb takes in the
present perfect tense) and a past participle.
L'avevo già notato.  I had already noticed it.
Ero andato ad un suo concerto.  I had been to one of his concerts.
Non avevo avuto ancora occasione.  I hadn't had the opportunity yet.
Erano già stati a San Remo.  They had already been to San Remo.

70. SUFFIXES
Suffixes may be attached to nouns, adjectives or adverbs.  The final vowel of the word
should be dropped before adding the suffixes.  The endings -ino, -ina, -ello, -ella,
-etta, -etta, -uccio, and -uccia are diminutives that express smallness.  The endings
-one and -ona are augmentatives and express largeness.  The endings -ino and
-uccio also express endearment.  The endings -aacio, -accia, -astro, -astra, -azzo,
and -azza imply ugliness or poor quality.
 letter lettera small letter letterina
parcel pacco large parcel paccone
boy ragazzo bad boy ragazzaccio

Tesorino mio!  My sweetheart!

Amoruccio mio!  My sweet love!

71. CONJUNCTIONS
and e because Ché
or o because, so that perché
otherwise, or oppure so that, in order that affinché
and yet, still eppure since poiché
nevertheless tuttavia as soon as siccome
now ora given that dato che
but, however ma if Se
but, however però until Finché
neither… nor né…né up to, until fino a
therefore, then dunque though benché
in fact infatti although sebbene
so, therefore quindi although nonostante
what, that che although quantunque
when quando before prima que
while mentre as soon as appena
 

72. PASSIVE VOICE

In passive sentences, the subject receives the action of the verb.  In active sentences,
the subject does the action.  However, the meaning of both sentences is the same.
The passive form is only possible with transitive verbs and is much more common in
English than in Italian.  The passive form consists of the verb essere plus the past
participle of the main verb followed by da (by) and its contractions.  Essere should be
in the same tense as the verb in its corresponding active sentence.  The past
participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
Active I miei genitori pagano l'affitto. My parents pay the rent.
L'affitto è pagato dai miei The rent is paid by my
Passive
genitori. parents.

I contratti sono firmati dalle ragazze.  The contracts are signed by the girls.
La stanza è stata arredata da Carlo.  The room was decorated by Carlo.
L'affitto sarà pagato dai miei genitori.  The rent will be paid by my parents.

73. IMPERSONAL EXPRESSIONS

Si can be used as a reflexive pronoun, but it can also be used as an impersonal
pronoun.  It corresponds to "one, you, we, the people in general, or they" in English
and always use the third person form of the verb (either singular or plural depending
on the object).
Qui si vende carta da lettere.  We sell writing paper here. / Writing paper is sold
here.
Si vendono anche matite?  Do you also sell pencils?
Qui non si parla francese.  We don't speak French here. / French is not spoken
here.
→ To avoid si si with reflexive verbs in an impersonal use, use ci si instead:
Ci si diverte molto. One has a lot of fun.
→ To avoid the use of si in impersonal statements, replace it with uno:
Si mangia bene qui. = Uno mangia bene qui. One eats well here.
→ Other impersonal expressions, which are followed by infinitives, include:
Bisogna - it is necessary, one must
È necessario - it is necessary 
È possibile -it is possible 
È meglio - it is better 
È facile / difficile - it is easy / difficult 
È utile / inutile - it is useful / useless

74. POST OFFICE AND BANK

post office la posta bank la banca
la cassetta delle
mailbox file cabinet lo schedario
lettere
mail carrier il postino guard il custode
mailbag il sacco della posta safe la cassaforte
price il prezzo safety deposit box la cassetta di sicurezza
scale la bilancia checkbook il libretto degli assegni
package il pacchetto credit card la carta di credito
stamp il francobollo bills le banconote
letter la lettera coins le monete
la distinta di
address l'indirizzo deposit slip
versamento
postal worker l'impiegata postale pen la penna
 newspaper il giornale check l'assegno
magazine la rivista bank teller il cassiere

75. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS 

Non ne posso più! I can't take it anymore!

Lasciamo perdere! Forget about it!
Che bello! How nice!
Per forza! No wonder!
Non è così semplice! It's not that easy!
Chissà? Who knows?
Ti pelano! They make you pay too much!
Non vedo l'ora di... I can't wait to...
Siamo messe male. We are in bad shape. (not physically)
Che senso ha? What's the point?
Magari! I wish!
Non ne voglio proprio sapere! I really don't want to know about it!
Fai bene! Good for you!
Non ce la faccio da sola! I can't do it by myself!
Meglio ancora! Even better!
Che ne dici di ... ? What about ... ? (when inviting someone to do something)
Figurati! Don't mention it! / No problem! (informal)
Accidenti (a te)! / Mannaggia! Darn (you)!
Uffa! / Che rabbia! What a nuisance!
Che peccato! What a pity!
Mi va di... I feel like...
Faccia pure! Go ahead!
Te la cavi bene. You manage it well. (speaking a language, for example)

76. INFINITIVES FOLLOWED BY PREPOSITIONS

The following verbs require di or a when followed by another infinitive, although the
preposition is not always translated into English. The preposition a can be changed
to ad when the following verb begins with a vowel.
verb + di + infinitive verb + a + infinitive
accettare di to accept  abituarsi a to get used to 
aspettare di to wait for aiutare a to help
avere bisogno di to need andare a to be going to
avere il piacere di to have the pleasure cominciare a to begin
avere intenzione di to intend continuare a to continue
avere paura di to be afraid convincere a to convince 
avere voglia  di to feel like  correre a to run
cercare di to try  imparare a to learn
cessare di to cease insegnare a to teach
chiedere di to ask invitare a to invite
comandare di to command mandare a to send
credere di to believe passare a to stop by
decidere di to decide pensare a to think of
dimenticare di to forget preparare a to prepare
dire di to say, tell provare a to try
domandare di to ask riuscire a to succeed
finire di to finish servire a to be good for
offrire di to offer stare a to stay, stand
pensare di to plan  stare attento a to be careful 
permettere di to permit tornare a to return
promettere di to promise venire a to come
ricordare di to remember 
sapere di to know
smettere di to stop, cease 
sognare di to dream
sperare di to hope
tentare di to try, attempt

coconut la noce di cocco farm la fattoria

fins le pinne farmhouse la cascina
la maschera
goggles hay il fieno
subacquea
hut la capanna hoe la zappa
island l'isola lasso il laccio
lifeguard il bagnino loft il fienile
lighthouse il faro pitchfork il forcone
lounge chair la sedia a sdraio rake il rastrello
oar il remo saddle la sella
ocean liner la nave shovel la pala
palm tree la palma silo il silo
picnic il picnic stable la stalla
pier il molo stool lo sgabello
rowboat la barca a remi tractor il trattore
sailboat la barca a vela windmill il mulino a vento
sand la sabbia
 sand castle il castello di sabbia
sea gull il gabbiano
sea lion l'otaria
sea shell la conchiglia
seal la foca
seashore il litorale
seaweed l'alga marina
suntan lotion la crema abbronzante
surfboard la tavoletta da surf
waterskiing lo sci nautico
wave l'onda

78. PROBLEM VERBS

There are four verbs in Italian that correspond to the verb to leave in English:
Lasciare means to leave a person or thing behind. 
Partire means to leave, to depart, to go away on a trip. 
Uscire means to go out (of a place) or to go out socially. 
Andare via means to go away (opposite of to stay.)
There are three verbs that correspond to the verb to tell:
Dire means to tell or say. 
Parlare means to speak or talk. 
Raccontare means to tell, in the sense of narrating.

79. FARE CAUSATIVE

The verb fare can be followed by an infinitive to express the idea of having someone
do something or having something done.  If the object is a noun, it follows the
infinitive; but if the object is a pronoun, it precedes the verb fare.  (Unless the object
pronoun is loro, then it always follows the infinitive.)  Note that farsi can also be used
in a causative construction when one is having something done to oneself.
Abbiamo fatto fare quella sedia.  We had that chair made.
Faccio studiare i ragazzi.  I make the boys study.
Li faccio studiare.  I make them study.
Mi faccio tagliare i capelli.  I'm having my hair cut.
When a causative sentence has two objects, the person being made to do something
becomes the indirect object.  In Italian, the indirect object is introduced by a.
Il maestro fa leggere lo studente.  The teacher makes the student read.
Il maestro fa leggere la lettura allo studente.  The teacher makes the student read
the passage.
To avoid ambiguity with the indirect object, the preposition da instead of a can be
used.  The sentence Abbiamo fatto mandare il pacco a Maria can mean two things:
1) We had Mary send the package or 2) We had the package sent to Mary.  If the first
meaning is intended, then da can replace a.

Italian 5

81. CONDITIONAL TENSES

The conditional tense expresses "would" and is used with requests and doubts.  It is
also used in hypothetical situations with "if" clauses or with events or actions that may
occur in the future, but probably won't. You will also see it in headlines of newspapers
to indicate that something has not yet been proven to be true. To form
the present conditional, use the future stem and these endings for all verbs.

-ei -emmo
-esti -este
-ebbe -ebbero

As in the future tense, verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h after the c or g
for pronunciation.  Verbs endings in -ciare and -giare drop the final i in all forms of
the present conditional. The verbs that have irregular future stems are also irregular
in the conditional tense:

to be essere sar- to remain, stay rimanere rimarr-

to have avere avr- to drink bere berr-

to be, stay stare star- to put, place porre porr-

to give dare dar- to come venire verr-

to make fare far- to translate tradurre tradurr-

to go andare andr- to hold tenere terr-

to fall cadere cadr- to draw, pull trarre trarr-

to have to, must dovere dovr- to explain spiegare spiegher-

to be able to, can potere potr- to pay pagare pagher-

to know (facts) sapere sapr- to look for cercare cercher-

 to see vedere vedr- to forget dimenticare dimenticher-

to live (be alive) vivere vivr- to eat mangiare manger-

to want volere vorr- to begin cominciare comincer-

Gli parlerei, ma non è a casa.  I would talk to him, but he's not at home.
Prendereste un caffè?  Would you like some coffee?
Sarei più contenta.  I would be happier.

→ The past conditional expresses the same basic idea as the present conditional. It is

formed by using the presentconditional of avere or essere and the past participle of
the main verb.  If the main clause is in the present tense, then the subordinate clause
will either be in the present or past conditional in Italian.

Non so se lo potrebbe fare. I don't know if he would be able to do it.

However, if the main clause is in the past tense, then the subordinate clause MUST
be in the past conditional in Italian:

Ha detto che sarebbe venuto.  He said that he would come.

83. TO DRIVE & TO TRANSLATE

condurre - to drive   tradurre - to translate

conduco conduciamo traducco traduciamo

conduci conducete   traduci traducete
conduce conducono traduce traducono

Past participle: condotto   Past participle: tradotto

Other verbs that are conjugated similarly include: produrre (to produce)

and ridurre (to reduce)

84. AIRPORT & TRAIN STATION

airport l'aeroporto luggage cart il carrello

arrival l'arrivo luggage rack la reticella portabagagli

ATM il bancomat luggage tag l'etichetta del bagaglio

baggage allowance la franchigia bagaglio non smoking non fumatori

baggage carousel il nastro trasportatore one-way ticket il biglietto di sola andata

baggage check il controllo dei bagagli passenger il passegiere

baggage return il ritiro bagagli passport il passaporto

baggage/luggage il bagaglio platform la piattaforma

bathroom la toilette railroad car il bagagliaio

boarding pass la carta d'imbarco railroad coach/car la carrozza / il vagone

border la frontiera railway la ferrovia

bus stop la fermata dell'autobus reservation la prenotazione

il biglietto di andata e
canceled cancellato round-trip ticket
ritorno

car rental l'autonoleggio seat il posto

checked baggage il bagaglio da registrare security gates i varchi di sicurezza

compartment lo scompartimento sleeping car la vettura letto

connection la coincidenza smoking fumatori

currency exchange l'ufficio cambio stop la fermata

customs la dogana subway la metropolitana

delayed ritardato suitcase la valigia

departure la partenza taxi stand il posteggio dei taxi

dining car il vagone ristorante telephone il telefono

entrance l'entrata ticket il biglietto

excess baggage il bagaglio eccedente ticket collector il controllore

exit l'uscita ticket office la biglietteria

flight il volo time table l'orario

gate l'uscita to validate (ticket) convalidare

hand luggage/carry on il bagaglio a mano train il treno

information booth l'ufficio informazioni train station la stazione

il deposito bagagli
left luggage lockers visa il visto
automatico

lost and found office l'ufficio oggetti smarriti waiting room la sala d'aspetto

85. LOCATION & DIRECTION

above sopra here qui / qua

abroad all'estero in in

across from di fronte a in front of davanti a

against contro in the middle of in mezzo a

along lungo inside dentro

among tra / fra near vicino a

anywhere / wherever dovunque next to / beside accanto a

around intorno a nowhere in nessun

at / to a of di

at home in casa on su

at the end of in fondo a on the left a sinistra

at the top of in cima a on the right a destra

backward indietro on top sopra

behind dietro outside fuori

below / downstairs giù / abbasso over sopra

between tra / fra over there collà, laggiù

beyond oltre since / for da

by per somewhere in qualche luogo

down there laggiù straight sempre diritto

downward in giù there lì, là

elsewhere altrove through / across attraverso / per

everywhere dappertutto / dovunque towards verso

except tranne under sotto

far (from) lontano da underneath disotto

for per until fino a

forward avanti up / upstairs sopra

from da upward insù

86. USE OF THE INFINITIVE

The infinitive can be used after certain prepositions, such as per, prima di and senza;
whereas in English, the gerund form is usually used.

Siamo pronti per uscire.  We are ready to go out.

Prima di partire.  Before leaving.
Senza dire niente.  Without saying anything.

The past infinitive may be used after senza and dopo.  It is formed with the auxiliaries
essere or avere and the past participle of the verb.  The final -e of the auxiliary verb is
commonly dropped.

Sono venuti senza aver telefonato.  They came without having telephoned.

È ritornata dopo aver comprato i biglietti.  She returned after having bought the
tickets.
The infinitive may also function as a noun.  In this case, the English translation is also
the gerund form.

Viaggiare è stanca.  Travelling is tiring.

Letting, seeing or hearing someone do something is expressed by the forms

of lasciare, vedere and sentire plus the infinitive.

Ho sentito cantare Teresa.  I heard Teresa singing.

Ho veduto dormire i bambini.  I saw the children sleeping.

87. SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD: PRESENT & PRESENT PERFECT

The subjunctive mood expresses doubt, uncertainty, hope, fear, possibility, opinions,
etc. and is used very frequently inItalian.  It is mainly used in dependent clauses
(sentences introduced by a conjunction that do not have a completemeaning) that
are introduced by che.

The present subjunctive of regular verbs is formed by dropping the normal endings,

and adding these new endings:

-are -ere 1st -ire 2nd -ire

-i -iamo -a -iamo -a -iamo -isca -iamo

-i -iate -a -iate -a -iate -isca -iate
-i -ino -a -ano -a -ano -isca -iscano

Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h before all endings of

the present subjunctive.  Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare drop the i from their stems.

Many common verbs have irregular present subjunctive forms:

avere essere andare bere dare dire

abbia abbiamo sia siamo vada andiamo beva beviamo dia diamo dica diciamo
abbia abbiate sia siate vada andiate beva beviate dia diate dica diciate
abbia abbiano sia siano vada vadano beva bevano dia diano dica dicano

dovere fare potere sapere

debba dobbiamo faccia facciamo possa possiamo sappia sappiamo
debba dobbiate faccia facciate possa possiate sappia sappiate
debba debbano faccia facciano possa possano sappia sappiano

stare uscire venire volere

stia stiamo esca usciamo venga veniamo voglia vogliamo

stia stiate esca usciate venga veniate voglia vogliate
stia stiano esca escano venga vengano voglia vogliano

Penso che lui abbia ragione. I think that he's right.

Voglio che tu prenda una decisione. I want you to make a decision.

→ The present perfect subjunctive is formed with the present subjunctive of avere or

essere and the past participle of the main verb.

Credo che abbiano fatto sciopero. I think they went on strike.

88. USES OF THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD

The subjunctive is used after verbs expressing hope, wish, desire, command or doubt
such as sperare - to hope,desiderare - to desire, volere - to want, and dubitare - to
doubt.  But verbs that express certainty or fact used in the affirmative sense (and not
negative) require the indicative, such as essere sicuro - to be sure, essere certo - to
be certain, and sapere - to know.  And if the subject of both verbs in the sentence is
the same, use di with the infinitive instead of the subjunctive.

Dubito che loro vengano.  I doubt that they're coming.

Spero che lei vinca.  I hope that she wins.
Non so se i musei siano aperti.  I don't know if the museums are open.
So che i musei sono aperti.  I know that the museums are open. (expresses
certainty, so no subjunctive) 
Non credo di averlo perso.  I don't think that I lost it. (same subject, so simply use di)

→ The subjunctive is also used after impersonal expressions, usually essere and an

adjective or adverb, unless they state a fact.  Some common expressions are è
necessario - it's necessary, è meglio - it's better, è possibile - it's possible, and è
probabile - it's probable.  The indicative is used after these expressions of certainty: è
certo - it's certain, è sicuro - it's sure, and è vero - it's true.

→ Certain conjunctions require the subjunctive as well, such as a meno che... non -

unless, sebbene - even though,benché / per quanto - although, affinché / perché -
so that, prima che - before, senza che - without, a condizione che / purché -
provided that, and nel caso che - in the event that.  The subjunctive is also used
after il primo.. che,l'ultimo..che, and il solo...che as well as in dependent clauses
beginning with an indefinite: chiunque - whoever,comunque - however, dovunque -
wherever, qualunque - whatever.

89. SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD: IMPERFECT & PAST PERFECT

The imperfect subjunctive is formed by adding the same set of endings to all
infinitives, minus -re. The stem vowel of the infinitive must be kept (either a, e or i).

all verbs

-ssi -ssimo
-ssi -ste
-sse -ssero

Some common verbs have irregular imperfect subjunctive forms:

essere stare dare

fossi fossimo stessi stessimo dessi dessimo

fossi foste stessi steste dessi deste
fosse fossero stesse stessero desse dessero

fare dire bere

facessi facessimo dicessi dicessimo bevessi bevessimo

facessi faceste dicessi diceste bevessi beveste
facesse facessero dicesse dicessero bevesse bevessero

→ The imperfect subjunctive is often used after come se (as if).

Parla come se sapesse tutto. He talks as if he knew everything.

→ When the verb of the main clause is in a past tense or the conditional, then the
verb in the dependent clause will be in the imperfect subjunctive if that action took
place at the same time or later than the action in the independent clause.

Non c'era nessuno che mi capisse. There was no one who understood me.

→ The past perfect subjunctive is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of avere or

essere plus the past participle of the main verb.

Speravo che avessero capito. I was hoping that they had understood.

→ When the verb of the main clause is in a past tense or the conditional, then the
verb in the dependent clause will be in the past perfect subjunctive if that action took
place before the action in the independent clause.

Era il più bello film che io avessi mai visto. It was the most beautiful film I had ever
seen.

→ The imperfect subjunctive is used in hypothetical clauses beginning with se (if),

when the verb of the main clause is in the conditional tense. In English, the simple
past tense is used instead; however, in both languages either the se clause or the
main clause can begin the sentence.

Andrei al cinema se avessi tempo. I would go to the movies if I had money.

Se avessi tempo, andrei al cinema. If I had money, I would go to the movies.

90. MORE IRREGULAR VERBS IN THE PRESENT TENSE

morire-to die porre-to put, place rimanere-to remain salire-to go up

muoio moriamo pongo poniamo rimango rimaniamo salgo saliamo

muori morite poni ponete rimani rimanete sali salite

muore muoiono pone pongono rimane rimangono sale salgono

scegliere-to choose spegnere-to turn off sedere-to sit trarre-to obtain

scelgo scegliamo spengo spegniamo siedo sediamo traggo traiamo

scegli scegliete spegni spegnete siedi sedete trai traete

sceglie scelgono spegnere spengono siede siedono trae traggono

Verbs that have the same root suffix will be conjugated the same:

porre → proporre (to propose, suggest), esporre (to expose, display) 

scegliere → togliere (to take off, remove), cogliere (to gather), raccogliere (to
collect, harvest)
trarre → distrarre (to distract), attrarre (to attract)

Non parlo a tua madre. Parlo alla mia.  I'm not talking to your mother.  I'm talking to
mine.
Questa macchina è mia.  This car is mine.

The expressions a friend of mine, of yours, of his, etc. is translated without the of in
Italian:

un amico mio a friend of mine

92. HISTORICAL PAST (PASSATO REMOTO)

The historical past or past absolute is used to indicate a completed action, and is used
mainly in writing and rarely in speech (except in southern Italy and Sicily).  It is not a
compound tense, and is formed by dropping the regular stems of the verbs and
adding these endings:

-are -ere -ire

-ai -ammo -ei -emmo -ii -immo

-asti -aste -esti -este -isti -iste
-ò -arono -è -erono -ì -irono

Avere and essere and many other verbs are irregular in the historical past:

avere essere fare dire

 ebbi avemmo fui fummo feci facemmo dissi dicemmo
avesti aveste fosti foste facesti faceste dicesti diceste
ebbe ebbero fu furono fece fecero disse dissero

dare bere Stare

diedi demmo bevvi bevemmo stetti stemmo

desti deste bevesti beveste stesti steste
diede diedero bevve bevvero stette stettero

The following verbs are irregular only in the io, lui/lei and loro forms.  The verbs are all
either -ere or -ire verbs, so use the irregular stem for these three forms and add these
endings: -i, -e, -ero.  Use the regular stem and regular endings for the other three
forms.

chiedere chies- rispondere rispos-

chiudere chius- sapere sepp-

conoscere conobb- scegliere scels-

decidere decis- scrivere scriss-

leggere less- vedere vid-

mettere mis- venire venn-

nascere nacqu- vivere viss-

prendere pres- volere voll-

The present perfect of the historical past is formed the same way as the present
perfect of the indicative.  Just add the past participle to the historical past of avere or
essere.

 
94. HOLIDAYS

Halloween Halloween Christmas Eve la vigilia di Natale

bat il pipistrello Christmas il Natale

candy le caramelle angel l'angelo

cat il gatto bell la campana / la campanella

ghost il fantasma candle la candela

skeleton lo scheletro card il biglietto di auguri

skull il cranio carol il canto

spider il ragno elf l'elfo

web la ragnatela fireplace il camino

witch la strega garland la ghirlanda

Thanksgiving Giorno del Ringraziamento holly l'agrifoglio

apple la mela lights i luci natalizie

corn il granturco log il ceppo di Natale

cornucopia il corno di abbondanza mistletoe il vischio

cranberry l'ossicocco nativity la natività

crow la cornacchia North Pole il Polo Nord

hat il capello present il regalo

hay il fieno reindeer la renna

leaf la foglia Santa Claus Babbo Natale

pie il pasticcio sleigh la slitta

pumpkin la zucca star la stella

rake il rastrello stocking la calza

roll il filoncino toy il giocattolo

scarecrow lo spaventapasseri tree l'albero di natale

turkey il tacchino New Year's Eve il San Silvestro

yam l'igname New Year's Day il Capodanno

95. HOBBIES

chess scacchi lens l'obiettivo

checkers la dama negative il negativo

board game i giochi da tavolo print la copia

dartboard il bersaglio    

darts le freccette videogame il videogioco

bullseye il centro comic strip il fumetto

dice i dadi cinema il cinema

deck of cards il mazzo di carte adventure film un film d'avvenura

dominoes il domino comedy una commedia

backgammon il tric tac horror film un film dell'orrore

spy film un film di spionaggio

do-it-yourself il fai da te romantic film un film sentimentale

handicrafts l'artigianato historical film un film storico

embroidery il ricamo detective film un film poliziesco

cross-stitch il punto croce western un film western

sewing il cucito science-fiction film un film di fantascienza

sewing machine la macchina da cucire war film un film di guerra

needle l'ago cartoons i cartoni animati

thread il filo documentary un documentario

thimble il ditale political film un film politico

pin lo spillo

pin cushion il puntaspilli tent la tenda

tape measure il metro map la mappa

scissors le forbici compass la bussola

knitting il lavoro a maglia sleeping bag il sacco a pelo

yarn la lana hiking boots le scarpe da escursionismo

knitting needle il ferro da calza backpack lo zaino

woodworking la falegnameria water bottle la borraccia

pottery le ceramiche paddle la pagaia

drawing il designo canoe la canoa

cooking la cucina flashlight la torcia

gardening il giardinaggio campfire il fuoco

painting la pittura    

photography la fotografia    

camera la macchina fotografica    

97. ADVERBS OF TIME & MANNER

after dopo / in seguito about circa / verso

again ancora / di nuovo above all sopratutto

ago fa actually infatti

already già a little un poco

always sempre almost quasi

as soon as possible il più possibile aloud ad alta voce

at first dapprima also, too anche

at last finalmente / alla fine as (like) come

at once subito as it were per così dire

at present adesso / ora as much tanto

at the latest al più tardi at least almeno

at the same time allo stesso tempo at most tutt'al più

qualche volta /
at times / sometimes badly male
talvolta

before prima di besides / moreover inoltre

daily ogni giorno by all means ad ogni modo

early di buon'ora by no means in nessun modo

ever (at all times) sempre by chance a caso

ever (at any time) mai by heart a memoria

finally finalmente by the way a volo / a proposito

formerly altre volte certainly certamente

from ... to ... da ... a ... chiefly principalmente

from time to time di quando in quando completely completamente

from now on d'ora innanzi directly direttamente

in / in (+ future time) in / fra enough assai

in the evening di sera even perfino

in the future per l'avvenire evidently evidentemente

in the morning di mattina exactly giusto

in time in tempo extremely estremamente

last night ieri sera first prima / in primo luogo

last week la settimana passata for instance per esempio

late tardi fortunately per fortuna

lately recentemente hardly appena

meanwhile frattanto hastily in fretta

monthly al mese indeed davvero

never mai in general generalmente

next week la settimana prossima in vain invano

no longer non... più less and less de meno in meno

not yet non ancora little poco

now ora / adesso little by little poco a poco

now and then di quando in quando more and more di più in più

nowadays oggigiorno more or less più o meno

often spesso mostly per lo più

per day al giorno much molto

namely / that is to
previously innanzi cioè
say

recently recentemente not non

repeatedly a più volte not at all niente affato

seldom / rarely raramente not even neanche / neppure

since da of course naturalmente / si capisce

soon (shortly) fra poco only soltanto / nonche

soon after poco dopo on purpose apposta

still, yet anche / tuttora partly in parte

the day after tomorrow dopodomani perhaps forse

the day before yesterday avantieri probably probabilmente

the other day l'altro giorno quickly presto

then (after that) poi rather (preferably) piuttosto

then (at that time) allora slowly lentamente / pian piano

this evening stasera so (so much) tanto

this morning stamattina so (thus) così

three weeks ago tre settimana fa somewhat alquanto

improvvisamente / d'un
today oggi suddenly
tratto

tomorrow domani together insieme

tomorrow evening domani sera too, too much troppo

tomorrow morning domattina unfortunately per sfortuna

tonight stasera very molto

week from today oggi a otto well bene

weekly settimanalmente willingly volentieri

yearly annualmente    

yesterday ieri    

within / from now until / up

entro    
until
until / up to this time fino a    

98. GRAMMATICAL TERMS 

adjective l'aggettivo masculine maschile

adverb l'avverbio feminine femminile

noun il nome singular singolare

pronoun il pronomo plural plurale

conjunction il congiunziono formal formale

preposition il preposiziono informal informale

verb il verbo comparative il comparativo

infinitive infinito superlative il superlativo

present presente article l'articolo

past passato definite determinativo

future futuro indefinite indeterminativo

present perfect passato prossimo possessive possessivo

past perfect trapassato prossimo demonstrative il dimostrativo

future perfect futuro anteriore subject il soggetto

imperfect imperfetto object l'oggetto

preterite passato remoto direct diretto

subjunctive congiuntivo indirect indiretto

conditional condizionale relative relativo

present participle participio presente affirmative affermative

past participle participio passato negative negativo

imperative imperativo interrogative interrogativo

regular regolare sentence la frase

irregular irregolare phrase l'espressione

reflexive riflessivo word la parola

reciprocal reciproco spelling l'ortografia

passive la forma passiva punctuation la punteggiatura

99. REVIEW OF AGREEMENT OF VERB TENSES

Whenever a sentence has two clauses, one independent (can exist on its own as a
sentence) and one subordinate (depends on another clause to be complete and is
introduced by a subordinate conjunction), the verb tenses used must be in agreement.
There is much more flexibility in English with regards to which verb tense can be
used, but in Italian, these agreements must be respected. Also notice that English can
omit that (che) but it must be used in Italian.

→ Present + Present

Torno verso mezzanotte se vado alla festa. I'll come home around midnight if I go to

the party.

→ Future + Future

Farò il bagno se andrò al mare. I'll go swimming if I go to the sea.

→ Present + Conditional

So che lo potrebbe fare. I know that he can do it.

→ Past + Past Conditional

Sapevo che non sarebbe servito a nulla. I knew that it would be useless.

Subjunctive (Hypothetical)
→ Present Indicative + Present Subjunctive

Non penso che sia una buon'idea. I don't think it's a good idea.

→ Past Indicative (any past tense) + Imperfect Subjunctive

Pensavo che Luca fosse contabile. I thought Luca was an accountant.

Comparisons

→ More/Less + Subjunctive or Imperfect Subjunctive

Più facile di quanto creda. / Più facile di quanto credesse. Easier than he thinks. /

Easier than he thought.

→ come se + Imperfect subjunctive

Lo ama come se fosse suo figlio. She loves him as if he were her son.

100. INTERJECTIONS

Accidenti! Darn! / Damn!

Ahimé! Alas!

Aiuto! Help!

Altroche! Absolutely!

Attento! Look out!

Basta! Enough!

Bravo! Well done!

Coraggio! Chin up!

Diamine! / Come no! Of course!

Dio moi! My goodness!

 Forza! Come on!

Guai! Watch out!

Macché! Of course not!

Magari! I wish! / if only!

Mamma mia! Good gracious!

Pazienza! Nevermind!

Peggio per lui! Too bad for him!

Per carità! God forbid!

Piano! Softly! / Gently! / Quietly!

Presto! Quickly!

Voce! Talk louder!

Zitto! Be quiet! / Shut up!

Attento, bravo and zitto are only used when talking to a man. If you are talking to a
woman, say attenta, brava, and zitta.