Italian Online community - Italian forum - Italiano - Beginner http://my.lifeinitaly.com/ Italiano comunicazione tra Italiani o studenti di Italiano a livello avanzato. en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:05:25 GMT vBulletin 30 http://my.lifeinitaly.com/images/styles/italy/misc/rss.jpg Italian Online community - Italian forum - Italiano - Beginner http://my.lifeinitaly.com/ Short italian conversation http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/short-italian-conversation-7051.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:15:26 GMT I was asked to do a short presentation with a friend in italian in class. I was wondering if you would mind correcting the mistakes that you see in... I was asked to do a short presentation with a friend in italian in class. I was wondering if you would mind correcting the mistakes that you see in the text i'll be submitting. I would need it back as soon as possible. Mille grazie!

RECEPTIONNIST: bienvenuo a Atlante Star Hotel.
PASSENGER: Burginorno, avete una camera doppia per il prossimo semiana?
REP: Si, vuole una camera doppia con bagno?
PASSENGER: Si, perferisco un bagno, avete una camera con un frigobar e una cucina?
REP: Si, Una camera doppia con un frigobar, un bagno, e una cucina e più caro.
PASSENGER: quanto costa?
REP: mille euro.
PASSENGER: D'accordo.
REP: Vuole un parcheggio?
PASSENGER: non, non ho una macchina, sono a piedi.
REP: D'accordo, Ha una palestra per fare sport.
PASSENGER: Molto bene.
REP: Bene, e a che nome devo registrare la camera?
PASSENGER: Mi chiamo Santa Maria.
REP: San.....ta.... Mar....i... a.
REP: Ci sono vicino al hotel e una discoteca, ristorante, cinema, liberia, una farmacia, e l'ufficio del turismo.
PASSENGER: Dov'è la chiesa?
REP: hmmm, buona domanda, siamo a cinque minuti dal centro, si poteva andare in Vaticano.
PASSENGER: MOLTO BENE! MILLE GRAZIE! Posso telefono un taxi?
REP: si, 1233412321...... un taxi al hotel Atlante, per favore.
PASSENGER: GRAZIE. Arrivederci.
REP: Arrivederci.

PASSENGER: Taxi!
Portatemi a vatican a Roma, per favore. (...)
Quanto costa andare ci?
TAXI: venti euro.
PASSENGER : Portatemi lì, per favore. (...)

TAXI: come ti chiami?
PASSENGER: Mi chiamo Santa Maria e tu?
TAXI: Milano, e di dove sei?
PASSENGER: Sono italiana, e tu sei italiano?
TAXI: si.

PASSENGER: continua dritto. Gira a sinistra su via del plebiscito. Passare davanti il patheon. Ha una semafora, basta.
TAXI : e ci.
PASSENGER : non, continua ancora, e il patheon, io voglio andare a vatican.
TAXI: ahh si, si.

PASSENGER: E che cosa fa nel tempo libero?
TAXI: Perferisco stare a casa, io guardo la tv spesso, io mangio molti torte e gelato. Io faccio la spesa spesso, y non fare mai sport. Escolto musica mi piacciono le opere di italiano. E lavoro molto.
PASSENGER: Molto interessante! (ironic)
TAXI: e tu?
PASSENGER: Mi piace vigar, parlare, ballare, leggere la biblia, giocare a tennis, passaeggiare, nuotare, ridere con gli amici e pregare molto. Mi piace uscrire con gli amici e andare a prendere un buon cafe in un ristorante. Mi sveglio presto e andare a letto presto.

PASSENGER: Italia e belississimo perche ci sono molte cose interssanti da fare.

(Stop au McDonald)

PASSENGER: La sua qui?
TAXI: Non, c'e un McDonald. Io sono affamato, io voglio patatine fritte con un hamberger e una coca-cola. Vuoi qualcosa?
PASSENGER: NON, voglio andare al vatican. Ho fretta. Io pago.
PASSENGER : Devo stare a Vatican a la una. Ca che ore sono?
TAXI: Sono le due.
PASSENGER: CHE? SONO UNA ORA TARDI?
PASSENGER: Attenzione! A destra a una macchina. Passa dietro. Dio è con noi.
TAXI:


PASSENGER: Il lunedi, ho pregato quatro volte. Devo pregare ora, devo pregare ora. Caro Dio....
TAXI: Stai zitto! /// Non ne voglio proprio sapere! Ho mal di testa.
TAXI : (Takes pills with alcohol.)
PASSENGER: Mi fa specie di te! Che ti passa per la testa? Santa pace.
TAXI: Che cosa? Io non ho acqua, e birra e buona.
TAXI: (puts up the volume of the music %26 takes another sip).
PASSENGER: Caro Dio, ti prego di perdonare l'uomo per i suoi peccati.

TAXI: siamo arriviamo.
PASSENGER: NON, e il colosseo! Conosce la citta del vaticano?
TAXI: AHHHH, LA CITTA DEL VATICANO.. si, si conscere!
PASSENGR: Alla buon'ora!

PASSENGER: quanto devo?
Taxi : duecento Euro.
PASSENGER: È pazzo! Lasciamo perdere! (gets out of car and leaves the room)

Taxi: MI TEMPO, MI TEMPO, MI TEMPO!!!! (THIEF) ]]> Italiano - Beginner amoridere http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/short-italian-conversation-7051.html imperfect progressive http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/imperfect-progressive-7011.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:18:37 GMT The imperpect progressive is used in order to talk about something that you *were* doing at particular point in time. We can usually translate... The imperpect progressive is used in order to talk about something that you were doing at particular point in time. We can usually translate phrases with the imperfect progressive with the words was or were

Examples: I was speaking. They were listening.

Here is a short lesson on how to form the imperfect progessive.

1. First we need to conjugate the verb "stare" (to be) in the imperfect:

Stavo = I was
Stavi = You were (singular)
Stava = He/She was
Stavamo = We were
Stavate = You were (plural)
Stavano = They were

2. We need to form our present particple

To form a present particple, start with the infinitive (The infinitive is the "are" "ere" or "ire" form of the verb. For a short lesson on infinitves go here: http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f55/what-infinitive-7046.html) Then cut off the last three letters, and add ando if the infinitive ends in "are" or add endo if the verb ends in "ire" or "ere"

parlare ---> parl ---> parlando = speaking
scrivere ---> scriv ---> scrivendo = writing.

Now let's combine numbers one and two in order to make a sentence.

Let's translate We were singing.

1. Find the "We" form of stare (to be) in the imperfect in the above chart. The "we" form is stavamo

2. Now form your present participle. The verb to sing is "cantare". Cut off the last three letters and then add "ando" because we are dealing with an "are" verb. cantare ---> cant ---> cantando

Now put the bold words together and you get Stavamo cantando. = We were singing. ]]> Italiano - Beginner Giacomo http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/imperfect-progressive-7011.html reflexive verbs in the past tense http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/reflexive-verbs-past-tense-6983.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:54:39 GMT Recently, I posted in regards to reflexive verbs in the present tense. This post will deal with reflexive verbs in the past tense. To conjugate a... Recently, I posted in regards to reflexive verbs in the present tense. This post will deal with reflexive verbs in the past tense.

To conjugate a reflexive verb in the past tense (passato prossimo) we need:

1. a subject

The subjects in Italian are:
io = I
tu = you (informal)
lui = he
lei = she
Lei = you (formal)
noi = we
voi = you (plural)
loro = they
Loro = You (plural and formal)

2. a matching reflexive pronoun (each subject has its own matching pronoun)

The subjects with their matching pronouns are
io - mi
tu - ti
lui - si
lei - si
Lei - si
noi - ci
voi - vi
loro - si
Loro - si

3. a form of the verb "essere"

Essere
Io sono = I am
Tu sei = you (informal) are
Lui/Lei è = he/she is
Noi siamo = we are
Loro sono = they are

4. the past participle of the verb

Here is how to form a past particple
To form a past partciple, start from the infinitve form of the verb. Infinitives end in either "are" "ere" or "ire"

If the infinitive ends in "are" then you cut off the "are" and add the letters "ato" parlare ---> parl ---> parlato = spoken

If the infinitive ends in "ere" then you cut off the "ere" and add the letters "uto" vedere ---> ved ---> veduto = seen

If the infinitive ends in "ire" then you cut off the "ire" and add the letters "ito" finire ---> fin ---> finito = finished

__________________________________________________ ______________

Let's say we wanted to translate this sentence: They woke up. The verb to wake up in Italian is svegliarsi

1. Find your subject. The subject is They or Loro in Italian. (see
above chart)

2. Match the subejct with its special reflexive pronoun...Loro always matches
with si (see above chart)

3. Now we must find the proper form of "essere" to match the subject Loro...the "Loro" form of essere is sono (see above chart)

4. now get your past particple: svegilarsi ---> svegli ---> svegliato

5. remember though that when using "essere" in the past tense we must
make the past particple agree in number and gender with the subejct.
Since my subject (Loro) is masculine and plural, I must change svegliato
to svegliati

6. Now put the 4 bold words together:

Loro si sono svegliati. = They woke up


Note: if the subject is masculine and singular then the past particple ends in "o". (svegliato) If the subject is feminine and singular then the past participle ends in "a" (svegliata) If the subject is masculine and plural then the past particple ends in "i' (svegliati) If the subject is feminine and plural then the past participle ends in "e" (svegliate.)

Now here are some common reflexive verbs in Italian:

Addormentarsi
To fall asleep or go to sleep

Alzarsi
To get up

Annoiarsi
To be bored

Asciugarsi
To dry off

Chiamarsi
To be called / named

Divertirsi
To enjoy oneself

Farsi la barba
To shave oneself (beard)

Farsi il bagno
To bathe oneself (take a bath)

Fermarsi
To stop

Lavarsi
To wash oneself

Leggere il giornale
To read the paper

Mettersi
To put on clothing

Mettersi a [+ inf]
To begin / start

Pettinarsi
To comb one's own hair


Preoccuparsi (di)
To worry (about)

Preparasi per [+ inf]
To prepare oneself for

Salutarsi
To greet each other (reciprocal reflexive)

Sentirsi
To feel

Svegliarsi
To wake up

Truccarsi
To put on makeup

Vestirsi
To get dressed ]]> Italiano - Beginner Giacomo http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/reflexive-verbs-past-tense-6983.html Italian tongue twisters http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/italian-tongue-twisters-6961.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:18:01 GMT Tongue twisters are fun and they teach you vocabulario, grammar and naturalmente pronunciation. This is my favorite Italian tongue twister. ... Tongue twisters are fun and they teach you vocabulario, grammar and naturalmente pronunciation.

This is my favorite Italian tongue twister.

Dietro quel palazzo c'è un povero cane pazzo; date
un pezzo di pane a quel povero pazzo cane.

It really just flows once you get it down.

Behind that building there is a poor crazy dog; give
a piece of bread to that poor crazy dog.

dee-EH-troh quel pah-LATZ-zoh che un POH-veh-roh KAH-neh PATZ-zoh; DAH-teh un PETZ-zoh dee PAH-neh ah quel povero pazzo cane.

Look at all the vocabulary you learn: dietro=behind, quel=that, palazzo=building, palace, c'è(cheh)=there is, un=a,
povero=poor, cane=dog, pazzo=crazy, date(DAH-teh)=give(command form), un pezzo di pane=a piece of bread,

Say it over and over again until you know it by heart and can say it in front of your friends, family, neighbors
and anybody else you come across or whoever will listen to you. Also write it over and over until you can write it by memory.

We should do an Italian tongue twister a week. ]]> Italiano - Beginner Villa http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/italian-tongue-twisters-6961.html Past tense with essere http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/past-tense-essere-6935.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:46:13 GMT Most of the time the past tense in Italian is formed by taking the verb "avere" + the past participle. There are however some cases where instead of using "avere" we must use essere + the past particple

Here is the conjugation of "essere"

sono = I am
sei = You are (singular)
è = He/she is
siamo = we are
siete = you are (plural)
sono = they are

We take one of the above forms (depending on which one we want to use) and then we add our past participle.

Just to be sure that you know how to form a past participle here is how:

To form a past partciple, start from the infinitve form of the verb. Infinitives end in either "are" "ere" or "ire"

If the infinitive ends in "are" then you cut off the "are" and add the letters "ato" parlare ---> parl ---> parlato = spoken

If the infinitive ends in "ere" then you cut off the "ere" and add the letters "uto" vedere ---> ved ---> veduto = seen

If the infinitive ends in "ire" then you cut off the "ire" and add the letters "ito" finire ---> fin ---> finito = finished

The above rules do not apply if the past participle is irregular. In that case you would use the past participles that you see in parentheses in the list of verbs below. Example: essere ---> stato

Here are the verbs that take "essere" instead of "avere" irregular past particples are in parenthesis.

to arrive arrivare
to go andare
to go out uscire
to enter entrare
to come venire (venuto)
to be essere (stato)
to leave partire
to stay, be stare (stato)
to disappear sparire
to come back tornare
to be born nascere (nato)
to die morire (morto)
to remain rimanere (rimasto)

So let's try some:

I stayed home

1. Go to the "I am" form of essere which is sono.
2. Find your past participle which is "rimasto"
3. put it together and what to you get?
4. Sono rimasto a casa = I stayed home.

OK simple right......it does get a little harder.

The spelling of the past participle changes depending on the number and gender of the subject.

so let's take the past particple "rimasto". If the subject is masculine singular, the past participle ends in "o" --- rimasto. If the subject is feminine singular the past particple ends in "a" ---rimasta. If the subject is masculine plural the past particple ends in "i" --- rimasti. If the subject is feminine plural the past participle ends in "e" --- rimaste

So.........

He stayed home = è rimasto a casa.

BUT

She stayed home = è rimasta a casa.

BUT

Laura e Jessica stayed home = Laura e Jessica sono rimaste a casa.

BUT

Jacob e Scott stayed home = Jacob e Scott sono rimasti a casa.

So as you can see, the spelling of the past participle changes depending on the subject. This does not occur with verbs conjugated with "avere"

Now you try:

Michael (He) went to school =

Janet (She) went to school =

Michael e Paolo (They) went to school. =

Janet e Beth (They) went to school. = ]]> Italiano - Beginner Giacomo http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/past-tense-essere-6935.html Questions to test and practice your basic Italian http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/questions-test-practice-your-basic-italian-6898.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:09:26 GMT Domande (possibili per l’esame orale) (Warm up) REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. Ciao - Hello 2. Come ti chiami? - What is your name? 3. Di dove sei? - Where... Domande (possibili per l’esame orale)
(Warm up) REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. Ciao - Hello
2. Come ti chiami? - What is your name?
3. Di dove sei? - Where are you from?
4. Come va? Come stai? - How's it going? How are you?
5. Quanti anni hai? - How old are you?
6. Qual è il tuo numero di telefono? - What is your telephone number?
7. Quando sei nato? (quando sei nata) - When were you born?
8. Quando compi gli anni? - When is your birthday?
9. Quando è il tuo compleanno? - When is your birthday?
10. Cosa fai stasera? - What are you doing this evening?
11. A che ora ti alzi generalmente? - What time do you usually get up?
12. Che cosa ti piace? - What do you like?
13. Che cosa non ti piace? - What do you not like?
14. C’è un bancomat qui vicino? - Is there an ATM near by here?
15. (Domande col passato prossimo e l’imperfetto)
16. Ti è piaciuto il tempo questo fine-settimana? - Did you have a good time this past week-end?
17. Mi è piaciuto o No, non mi è piaciuto. - I liked it. I didn't like it.
18. Ti è piaciuto il film? - Did you like the film?
19. Ti sono piaciuti gli spaghetti? - Did you like the spaghetti?
20. Che cosa hai fatto questo fine-settimana? - What did you do on the week-end?
21. Di che colore è la tua macchina? - What color is your car?
22. La mia macchina è bianca. - My car is white.
23. Qual è il tuo colore preferito? - What is your favorite color?
24. Il mio colore preferito è blu. - My favorite color is blue.
25. Da bambino(bambina) com’eri? - What were you like as a kid?
26. Da bambino ero allegra, brava, dispettosa, agitata, obbediente. - As a kid were you happy, good,
27. Che cosa ti piaceva fare? - What did you like to do?
28. Mi piaceva giocare con le bambole. Mi piaceva andare alla spiaggia. - I liked to play with dolls. I liked to go to the beach.
29. Giocavi molto con le bambole? a nascondino? a calcio? - Did you play a lot with dolls?
30. Che cosa hai fatto ieri? Dove sei andato (a)? - What did you do yesterday? Where did you go? ]]> Italiano - Beginner Villa http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/questions-test-practice-your-basic-italian-6898.html Possessive adjectives http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/possessive-adjectives-6747.html Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:38:00 GMT *_This post is in response to questions asked by Dark Spirit in another forum._* Possessive adjectives refer to the following: My = il mio/la... This post is in response to questions asked by Dark Spirit in another forum.

Possessive adjectives refer to the following:

My = il mio/la mia/i miei /le mie
Your (talking to one person) = il tuo/la tua/i tuoi/le tue
his = il suo/la sua/i suoi/le sue
her = il suo/la sua/i suoi/le sue
our = il nosotro/la nostra/i nostri/le nostre
your (talking to more than one person) = il vostro/la vostra/i vostri/le vostre
their = il loro/la loro/i loro/le loro

In Italian the possessive adjectives are a bit more complicated than they are in English. As you can see above in the chart, there are actually four ways to say each possessive adjective!! How do I know which one of the four to pick? You determine which one to pick based on the number and gender of the noun that is being owned. It has nothing to do with the person who owns the object!!! Let's try some examples:

My house

Well lets look at the four ways to say "my"

il mio (masculine singular)
la mia (feminine singular)
i miei (masculine plural)
le mie (feminine plural)

We have to determine which of the four we are going to pick. Now the word for house is casa. Casa is a feminine word and there is only one house. Therefore, we will pick the feminine singular form of "my" (see above) which is la mia.....my house = la mia casa

my houses

The word for houses is case. Case is feminine plural so I will pick the feminine plural form of "my" which is le mie......my houses = le mie case.

my book

The word for book is libro which is masculine singular. I pick the masculine singular form of "my" which is il mio......il mio libro = my book.

my books

The word for books is libri which is masculine plural. I pick the masculine plural of "my" which is i miei.......i miei libri = my books.

Always remember that adjectives must agree in number and gender with the noun they modify.

See if you can translate these short phrases:

his telephone =

our books =

their car =

my telephones =

your (talking to one person) cars =

Write the answers in another post and I will correct them for you. :) ]]> Italiano - Beginner Giacomo http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/possessive-adjectives-6747.html Important: Links to Italian Grammar Threads http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/important-links-italian-grammar-threads-6705.html Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:06:34 GMT In this thread you'll find links to all the grammar threads I could find in the Italiano section.
I have tried to select the threads with rule and examples.
It can be helpful to have them all together without having to look for a single rule through all the threads regarding something else.
Many thanks to Giacomo and Villa, and everyone else who contributed to the threads! If I forgot a thread, or you've just made a new one you'd like to see included, send me a PM with the link please.
In addition, here is the Learn Italian section of the main site, in which you can find a lot of help to learn Italian.
Enjoy! :)


BASIC:
Basic words and sentences
Saluti e presentazioni (Greetings and introductions)

VERBS:
Past Tense Verb Essere - Passato del verbo essere
Reflexive Verbs Past Tense - Passato dei Verbi Riflessivi
Imperfect Progressive - Imperfetto Progressivo
Past tense with verb Avere (to have)
Verbs conoscere and sapere
Presente progressivo (Present progressive)
Imperfetto (Imperfect tense)
Passato remoto and Passato prossimo (Preterit and Present Perfect)
Passato Prossimo (Present Perfect)
Imperativo (Imperative)
Top 50 most used Italian verbs
Verbi riflessivi (Reflexive verbs)
Verbi riflessivi 2 (Reflexive verbs 2)
Coniugazioni in -are -ere -ire (Conjugations with -are -ere -ire)
Verbo "dovere"
Gerundio (Gerund)

PRONOUNS:
Pronomi Oggetto Diretto (Direct Object Pronouns)
Pronomi (Pronouns)
Il pronome "ne" (The pronoun "ne")

MISC:
Possessive Adjectives - Aggettivi Possessivi
Genere maschile/femminile (male/female gender)
Various rules
Consonanti doppie (Double consonants)
Esclamazioni (Exclamatory words)
Come dire che ti piace qualcosa (How to say you like something)
Connettivi (Connectives)
Molto and troppo ]]> Italiano - Beginner Zidanie5 http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/important-links-italian-grammar-threads-6705.html The imperfect tense http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/imperfect-tense-6697.html Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:39:11 GMT The imperfect tense is probably one of the easiest tenses to form in Italian since it has very few irregular verbs. We use the imperfect tense to... The imperfect tense is probably one of the easiest tenses to form in Italian since it has very few irregular verbs. We use the imperfect tense to describe past tense events that are ongoing or have no definite end. This tense many times corresponds to the English expressions "was" "were" and "used to". When we use these expressions we are talking about an event in the past that never really stopped. Here are some examples:

When I was young I used to go to the movies all the time.

They were listening to the radio when........

My mother always used to make frittata for me as a child.

In the above situations, the action doesn't have a definite end. If I were to say, "Yesterday, I made a frittata" that sentence would NOT be in the imperfect because the action clearly stopped at some point in time.

The imperfect is used to describe many different things in the past such as:

your age (when I was 12)
the weather (it was raining)
describing a scene (It was a cold and dark night)
what you were doing ( I was eating when)
what you used to do ( I used to go there all the time)
what time it was (It was 5:00 when.......)
what somebody looked like (he was short and mean looking)

The formation of the imperfect is rather simple:

If you have a verb that ends in "are" suche as parlare (to speak):

1. take away the "are" at the end of the verb: parlare ---> parl
2. add the appropriate ending according to the subject

io = I - avo
tu = you (informal) - avi
lui/lei = he/she - ava
noi = we - avamo
voi = you (plural) - avate
loro = they - avano

so for example if I want to say: "We used to speak Italian":

1. find your infinitive "to speak" = parlare
2. cut off thr "are" parlare -- parl
3. look at the above chart and find the ending for "we" = avamo
4. add avamo to parl
5 now you have parlavamo = we used to speak or we were speaking.
6. Parlavamo italiano = We used to speak Italian///We were speaking Italian.

Please note that "Parlavamo italiano" means We used to speak Italian or We were speaking Italian. Pretty much any verb in the imperfect tense has two translations in English. Other examples: Guidavo la macchina = I used to drive the car or I was driving the car.

here is the entire conjugation for parlare:
Parlavo = I used to talk,
Parlavi = You (informal) used to talk
Parlava = He/she used to talk
Parlavamo = We used to talk
Parlavate = You (plural) used to talk
Parlavano = They used to talk

If your verb ends in "ere" such as vedere (to see) follow the same rules: cut off the "ere" and add the correct ending. The endings however will be a little different:


io = I - evo
tu = you (informal) - evi
lui/lei = he/she - eva
noi = we - evamo
voi = you (plural) - evate
loro = they - evano

Vedevo
Vedevi
Vedeva
Vedevamo
Vedevate
Vedevano

If the verb ends in "ire" such as dormire (to sleep) here are the endings:

io = I - ivo
tu = you (informal) - ivi
lui/lei = he/she - iva
noi = we - ivamo
voi = you (plural) - ivate
loro = they - ivano

Dormivo
Dormivi
Dormiva
Dormivano
Dormivate
Dormivano

There are some verbs that are irregular in the imperfect

ESSERE = to be
ero (I was)
eri
era
eravamo
eravate
erano

fare = to do

facevo
facevi
facevia
facevamo
fecevate
fecavano


Bere = to drink

bevevo
bevevi
beveva
bevevamo
bevevate
bevevano


dire = to say

dicevo
dicevi
diceva
dicevamo
dicevate
dicevano ]]> Italiano - Beginner Giacomo http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/imperfect-tense-6697.html The Preterit vs Present Perfect Tense - Attention people from southern Italy http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/preterit-vs-present-perfect-tense-attention-people-southern-italy-6671.html Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:28:41 GMT Two verb tenses are used in colloquial as well as written Italian to express past events. They are the preterit(passato remoto) and the present... Two verb tenses are used in colloquial as well as written Italian to express past events.
They are the preterit(passato remoto) and the present perfect(passato prossimo). The
preterit is a simple tense, expressed by a single verb: parlai(I spoke)(yo hablè in Spanish),
cantasti(you sang) etc. It is used mostly in narrative writing to describe events that
occurred in the remote past. It is also called the historical past. In speech and informal
writing, however, the preterit has been replaced by the present perfect.

The present perfect is a compound tense, made up of two verbs: the present of the auxiliary
avere or essere and the past participle of the verb: ho parlato(I spoke, I have spoken),(Yo
he hablado), ho cantato(I sang, I have sung), sono andato(I went, I have gone, etc. The
present perfect is preferred in colloquial or standard Italian by those living in northern Italy,
while people in southern and central Italy still prefer using the preterit, even when speaking
about recent events.

Remember the preterit tense is used mostly in the southern part of Italy and in literature and history
or when telling a story written or otherwise.(?)

People from southern Italy. Do you agree with this. Seems everybody in Italy is using the passato
remoto in speech now. E vero o non è vero?

Italian
In Italian, the preterite is called passato remoto (literally "remote past"). It is a past tense that indicates an action taken once and completed far in the past (mangiai, "I ate"). This is opposed to the imperfetto tense, which refers to a repeated, continuous, or habitual past action (mangiavo, "I was eating" or "I used to eat") and to the passato prossimo (literally "close past"), which refers to an action completed recently (ho mangiato, "I have eaten").

Colloquially, the use of passato remoto increases going from North to South of Italy. While Northern speakers tend to use passato prossimo in any perfective situation, Southern ones tend to use passato remoto even for recent events.

Typical conjugations:

-are verbs (parlare) [Regular] -ere verbs (credere)* [Irregular] -ere verbs (prendere)* -ire verbs (finire)
io -ai (parlai) -ei (credei) -i (presi) -ii (finii)
tu -asti (parlasti) -esti (credesti) -esti (prendesti) -isti (finisti)
lui -ò (parlò) -é (credé) -e (prese) -ì (finì)
noi -ammo (parlammo) -emmo (credemmo) -emmo (prendemmo) -immo (finimmo)
voi -aste (parlaste) -este (credeste) -este (prendeste) -iste (finiste)
loro -arono (parlarono) -erono (crederono) -ero (presero) -irono (finirono)

*Many -ere verbs in Italian have stem alternations in the 1st person singular, 3rd person singular and 3rd person ]]> Italiano - Beginner Villa http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/preterit-vs-present-perfect-tense-attention-people-southern-italy-6671.html Bossing people around in Italian (the imperative) http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/bossing-people-around-italian-imperative-6655.html Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:40:48 GMT Turn off the light (please). Turn on the light. Go to your room. Sing me a song. Stand up! Sit down! Fight, fight fight! Be nice. Roll over! Kiss me.... Turn off the light (please). Turn on the light. Go to your room. Sing me a song. Stand up! Sit down! Fight, fight fight! Be nice. Roll over! Kiss me. Make love to me. Shut up! etc. etc. These are all examples of what we call imperatives or commands.

Italian Imperative or commands

It’s easy to form the imperative especially with “tu” and “Lei”, you just need to switch them in the case of (~are) verbs, for example in the present tense we say:
“tu parli” informal of (you speak) and (Lei parla) formal of (you speak), in the imperative you just need to switch them.
“parla!” means “speak!” informal, “parli!” means “speak!” formal.
For (~ere, ~ire) the affirmative second person singular is identical to the second person singular form of the present tense.
For all conjugations (are/ere/ire), the second person plural (voi) is identical to the second person plural form of the present tense.

So the formation of the imperative in Italian follows a sort of backward rulefor the tu and Lei forms. In other words, parlare generates tu parla and Lei parli which is the opposite of the present form. Samething for ere and ire Italian verbs.

Check out the table below, it will explain it all:

Italian Imperative

parlare vendere aprire

tu parla vendi apri (Normally in present tense you would say Lei parla, tu parli, Lei venda, tu vendi etc.

Lei parli venda apra

Negative commands are usually expressed in Italian with non followed by the infinitive verb. For example:
Don't eat! (non mangiare!)
No smoking! (non fumare!)

Commands for class lessons.

Vada alla porta. Dove sei andata? Sono andata alla porta. Go to the door. Where did you go? I went to the door.

Apra la porta. Che cosa hai fatto? Ho aperto la porta. Open the door. What did you do? I opened the door.

Chiuda la porta. Che cosa hai fatto? Ho chiuso la porta. Shut the door. What did you do? I shut the door.

Apra la finestra. Che hai fatto? Ho aperto la finestra/window.

Spenga la luce. Che ha fatto? Ho spento la luce. Turn the light off. What did you do? I turned off the light.

Accenda la luce. Che hai fatto? Ho accceso la luce. Turn on the light. What did you do? I turned on the light. ]]> Italiano - Beginner Villa http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/bossing-people-around-italian-imperative-6655.html Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei. http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/dimmi-con-chi-vai-e-ti-dir-chi-sei-6650.html Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:25:25 GMT Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei.
DEM-me cone key vie eh tee dee-ROH key say.
Tell me with whom you go and I'll tell you who you are. You're like the people you hang around. Birds of a feather flock together.
This is a nice little Italian proverb to memorize so you can remember tu vai and tu sei.
You have tu vai of the verbo andare and tu sei of the verbo essere.
Have this proverb or saying memorized by Tuesday. Grazie.

Dimmi con chi tu vai e ti dirò chi tu sei.
Dime con quien vas y te diré quien eres.

Andare - to go

io vado - I go - andrò - I will go
tu vai -you informal go - andrai - You will go
lei va - He, she or you formal go - andrà - she, he, you will go
noi andiamo - we go - andremo - we will go
voi andate - you go plural - You all go - andrete - You plural will go
loro vanno - They go - andranno - They will go

Essere - to be

io sono - I am - sarò - I will be
tu sei - you are informal - sarai - You will be
lei è - He, she is and you formal are - sarà - He, she, you will be
noi siamo - we are - saremo - We will be
voi siete - you plural are - sarete - You plural will be
loro sono - they are - sarrano - They will be

Also you have the verb dire(to tell) from dimmi and dirò(I will tell you)
which is the future tense of dire.

Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei. and con=with - chi=who plus ti has in ti amo(I love you+
There is a whole language lesson there in that on little proverb.

dire - future tense - to say
io dirò - I will tell(say)
tu dirai - You will say
lei dirà - She will say
noi diremo - We will say
voi direte - You all will say
loro diranno - They will say

dire - present tense
io dico
tu dici
lei dice
noi diciamo
voi dite
loro dicono ]]> Italiano - Beginner Villa http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/dimmi-con-chi-vai-e-ti-dir-chi-sei-6650.html translation please help! http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/translation-please-help-6627.html Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:08:15 GMT hi there i am lookin to get a tattoo in italian and have a translation but am really lookin to double check could someone please reply in italian the... hi there i am lookin to get a tattoo in italian and have a translation but am really lookin to double check could someone please reply in italian the following-

"Family. The ones you can depend on"

many thanks for the help ]]> Italiano - Beginner weeman08 http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/translation-please-help-6627.html Hai passato bene il fine settimana? Hai passato un buon fine settimana? http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/hai-passato-bene-il-fine-settimana-hai-passato-un-buon-fine-settimana-6604.html Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:22:09 GMT The Present Perfect Tense. Il Passato Prossimo Hai passato bene il fine settimana? How was your week-end? Hai passato un buon fine settimana? Did... The Present Perfect Tense. Il Passato Prossimo

Hai passato bene il fine settimana? How was your week-end?
Hai passato un buon fine settimana? Did you have a good week-end?
Che cosa hai fatto questo fine settimana? What did you do this week-end?
Che cosa hai visto? What did you see?

Dove sei andata? Where did you go?

Sono andata al cinema. (CHEE-ne-ma) I went to the movies.
Sono andata al parco. I went to the park.
Sono andata in chiesa. (key-EH-sa) I went to church.
Sono andata alla spiaggia. I went to the beach.
Sono andata al mare. I went to the sea. (ocean, seashore)
Sono andata alla festa. I went to a party.
Sono andata al ristorante. I went to the restaurant.
Sono andata al ballo. I went to the dance.
Sono andata al concerto. (con-CHER-to) I went to the concert.
Sono andata al mercato. I went to the market.
Sono andata in biblioteca. I went to the library.
Sono andata in libreria. I went to the bookstore.
Sono andata al museo. I went to the museum.
Sono andata in piazza. I went to the square.
Sono andata in banca. I went to the bank.
Sono andata in ufficio. I went to the office.
Sono andata all'ospedale. I went to the hospital.
Sono andata all'aeroporto. I went to the airport.
Sono andata all'università. I went to the university.

Use IN when you say you went to countries, states and counties.
Use A when you say you went to cities.

Sono andata a Las Vegas. I went to Las Vegas.
Sono andata in Nevada. I went to Nevada.
Sono andata a Roma. I went to Rome.
Sono andata in Italia. I went to Italy.

È andata alla spiaggia Maria? Did Maria go to the beach? Sì, Maria è andata alla spiaggia. Yes, Maria went to the beach.
È andata al cinema Norma? Did Norma go to the movies? No, Norma non è andata al cinema.
È andata in chiesa Guillermina questo fine settimana? Sì, Guillermina é andata in chiesa questo fine settimana.

Commands and questions:

Vada alla porta. Dove sei andata? Sono andata alla porta. Go to the door. Where did you go? I went to the door.
Sei andata alla porta. Sì, sono andata alla porta. Did you go to the door? Yes, I went to the door.
È andata alla porta Dalila? Sì, Dalila è andata alla porta. Did Dalila go to the door? Yes, Dalila went to the door. ]]> Italiano - Beginner Villa http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/hai-passato-bene-il-fine-settimana-hai-passato-un-buon-fine-settimana-6604.html Easy Italian conversation http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/easy-italian-conversation-6595.html Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:44:30 GMT *Rosa: Ciao, come stai? Paolo: Benissimo, e tu? Rosa: Abbastanza bene. Paolo: Scusa, come ti chiami? Rosa: Io? Mi chiamo Rosa e tu? ... Rosa: Ciao, come stai?
Paolo: Benissimo, e tu?
Rosa: Abbastanza bene.

Paolo: Scusa, come ti chiami?
Rosa: Io? Mi chiamo Rosa e tu?

Paolo: Io sono Paolo.
Rosa: Ah, ecco Enrico! Enrico, ti presento
Paolo, Paolo questo e Enrico.

Enrico: Piacere.
Paolo: Buona sera, come stai?
Enrico: Cosi, cosi, e tu?
Paolo: Io sto bene, Grazie.
Enrico: Tu parli l'italiano?
Paolo: No, mi dispiace, solo un poco.
Tu sei americano?
Enrico: No, io non sono americano io sono
italiano. Ma tu studi l'italiano, non e vero?
Paolo: Si, estudio con il professor Rosso.
Enrico: E tu anche, Rosa, sei una studentessa
d'italiano, non e vero?
Rosa: Si, io sono in la classe con Paolo, ma e
tardi! Ho un appuntamento, ciao ragazzi.

Paolo: A domani in classe, Rosa.
Erico: Buona notte, Rosa.
Arriverderci Paolo, Ciao.




 ]]> Italiano - Beginner Villa http://my.lifeinitaly.com/f31/easy-italian-conversation-6595.html