Italian I

1. Some Basic Phrases

2. Pronunciation

3. Alphabet

4. Articles and Demonstratives

5. Useful Words

6. Subject Pronouns

7. To Be and to Have

8. Question Words

9. Numbers / Ordinals

10. Days of the Week

11. Months of the Year

12. Seasons

13. Directions

14. Color

15. Time

16. Weather

17. Family and Animals

18. To Know People and Facts

19. Formation of Plural Nouns

20. Possessive Adjectives

21. To Do or Make
 22. Work and School

23. Prepositions

24. Prepositional Contractions

25. Countries and Nationalities

26. To / In and From places

27. To Come and to Go

28. Conjugating Regular Verbs

29. Reflexive Verbs

30. Irregularities in Regular Verbs

31. Past Indefinite Tense

32. Irregular Past Participles

33. Essere Verbs

34. Food and Meals

35. Piacere and Servire

36. Fruits, Vegetables, Meats

37. To Take, Eat or Drink

38. Commands

39. More Negatives

40. Holiday Phrases

Italian National Anthem

Italian II

41. Stare

42. Present Participles

43. Imperfect Tense

44. Places

45. Transportation
46. To Want, to Be Able to, to Have to

47. Asking Questions

48. House and Furniture

49. Comparative and Superlative

50. Irregular Forms

51. Clothing

52. To Wear

53. Future Tense

54. Preceding Adjectives

55. Adjectives: Feminine & Plural

56. More Adjectives

57. Position of sempre and anche

58. Sports

59. To Play

60. Nature

61. Object Pronouns

62. Parts of the Body

63. Interrogative Pronouns

64. Relative Pronouns

65. To Read, to Say/Tell, to Laugh

66. Disjunctive Pronouns

67. Ci and Ne

68. Animals

69. Pluperfect

70. Suffixes

Italian III
 71. Adverbs

72. Passive Voice

73. The Impersonal "Si"

74. Post Office and Bank

75. To Give and to Receive

76. Infinitives followed by Prepositions

77. The Beach

78. To Follow

79. Fare Causative

80. Office / School Supplies

81. Conditional Tenses

82. Parts of a Car / Gas Station

83. To Drive

84. Travelling / Airport

85. Directional Words

86. Use of the Infinitive

87. Subjunctive Mood

88. Uses of the Subjunctive Mood

89. Possessive Pronouns

90. The Farm

91. Historical Past

1. Some Basic Phrases

Buongiorno Buona sera/notte

bwon-zhor-no bwoh-nah seh-rah/noht-teh
Hello/Good day Good evening/night

A più tardi A domani

ah pyoo tar-dee ah doh-mahn-ee
See you later See you tomorrow

A presto Arrivederci
ah press-to ah-ree-vuh-dehr-chee
See you soon Goodbye

Per favore Grazie

pehr fah-voh-reh graht-zee-eh
Please Thank you

Prego Mi dispiace
preh-go mee dee-spyah-cheh
You're Welcome Sorry

Mi scusi Andiamo!
mee skoo-zee on-dee-ah-mo
Excuse me Let's go!

Sì/No
see/noh
Yes/No

Come si chiama? Mi chiamo...

koh-meh see kee-ah-mah mee kee-ah-mo
What is your name? My name is...

Signore, Signora, Signorina

seen-yoh-reh, seen-yoh-rah, seen-yoh-reen-ah
Mister, Misses, Miss

Dove abita? Di dov'è?

doh-veh ah-bee-tah dee doh-veh
Where do you live? Where are you from?

Abito negli Stati Uniti. Vengo dagli Stati Uniti.

ah-bee-to neh-lyee stah-tee oo-nee-tee vehn-go dah-lyee stah-tee oo-nee-tee
I live in the United States. I come from the United States.

Come sta? Sto bene.

koh-meh stah stoh beh-neh
How are you? I am fine.

Parla italiano? [Non] parlo...

par-lah ee-tahl-ee-ah-no [non] par-lo
Do you speak Italian? I [don't] speak...

inglese, francese, tedesco, russo, spagnolo

een-gleh-zeh, frahn-chez-eh, teh-des-koh, roo-soh, spahn-yoh-loh
English, French, German, Russian, Spanish
 [Non] capisco. Non so. / Lo so.
[non] kah-pees-koh non soh / low soh
I [don't] understand. I don't know. / I know.

Quanti anni ha? Ho ______ anni.

kwahn-tee ahn-nee ah oh ______ ahn-nee
How old are you? I am _____ years old.

Ti amo.
tee ah-moh
I love you.

2. Pronunciation

Italian Letter(s) English Sound

a ah
e eh
i ee
o oh
u oo
ai eye
au ow
ei ay
ia yah
ie yeh
io yoh
iu yoo
ua wah
ue weh
uo woh
ui wee
ci or ce ch
gi or ge zh
sci sh
sch sk
aia ah-yah
aio ah-yoh
iei ee-yay
uio oo-yoh
uoi oo-oy
ch k
h silent
r trilled
Note: Italian is a very phonetic language, so pronunciation is very easy. Most words are pronounced
exactly like they are spelled.

3. Alphabet

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. Definite and Indefinite Articles and Demonstratives

Definite Article - The

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

Indefinite Articles - A, an, some

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

Note: 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

io ee-oh I noi noy we

tu too you (familiar singular) voi voy you (plural)
lui, lei lwee/lay he, she, you (polite sing.) loro loh-roh they, you (polite pl.)

Note: 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.

6. To Be and to Have

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

Note: You do not have to use the subject pronouns as the different conjugations imply the subject.

Past and 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/it is era they were erano he/she/it 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 and 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/it had aveva they had avevano he/she/it 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 - to be afraid
avere ragione - to be right
avere sonno - to be sleepy
avere bisogno di - to need
avere (number) anni - to be (number) years old

7. Useful Words

and e eh
or o oh
but ma mah
while mentre mehn-treh
if se seh
because perché pehr-kay
although benché behn-kay
there is C'è cheh
there are Ci sono chee soh-noh
there was C'era che-rah
there were C'erano che-rah-no
now adesso, ora ah-deh-so, oh-rah
perhaps, maybe forse for-seh
then allora ahl-loh-rah
here is ecco ehk-koh

8. Question Words

Who Chi 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

Note: When dove, come, and quale are followed by è (is), dove and come contract to dov'è and
com'è; and quale drops its e to become qual è.

9. Numbers / Ordinals

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
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

Note: 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). And be aware that Italian switches the use of commas and decimals.

Ordinal Numbers
first primo (a)

second secondo (a)

third terzo (a)

fourth quarto (a)

fifth quinto (a)

sixth sesto (a)

seventh settimo (a)

eighth ottavo (a)

ninth nono (a)

tenth decimo (a)

eleventh undicesimo (a)

twentieth ventesimo (a)

hundredth centesimo (a)

From eleventh on, just drop the final vowel of the cardinal number and add -esimo. For numbers like
venitrè, 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

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
Today oggi ohd-jee
Tomorrow domani doh-mahn-ee
Day il giorno eel zhor-noh

Note: To say on Mondays, on Tuesdays, etc., use il before lunedì through sabato, and la before
domenica.

11. Months of the Year

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

Note: Days and months are not capitalized. To express the date, use È il (number) (month). May 5th
would be È il 5 or cinque maggio. But for the first of the month, use primo instead of 1 or uno.

12. Seasons

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

Note: 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
 North nord nohrd
South sud sood
East est est
West ovest oh-vest

14. Color

white bianco/a
yellow giallo/a
orange arancione
pink rosa
red rosso/a
light blue azzurro/a
dark blue blu
green verde
brown marrone
grey grigio/a
black nero/a

Note: The first word is the masculine form and the second is the feminine. Ex: Rosso is masculine
and rossa is feminine. Color words go after the noun.

15. Time

What time is it? Che ora è? / Che ore sono? keh oh-rah eh / keh o-reh soh-noh
It's 1:00 È l'una eh loo-nah
noon mezzogiornio med-zoh-zhor-noh
midnight mezzanotte 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
4:50 Sono le cinque meno dieci soh-noh leh cheen-kwah meh-noh dee-ay-chee
8:15 Sono le otto e un quarto soh-noh leh awt-toh eh oon kwar-toh
7:45 Sono le otto meno un quarto soh-noh leh aw-toh meh-noh un kwar-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 del pomeriggio dell poh-mehr-ee-zhee-oh
in the evening di sera dee seh-rah
at night di notte dee noht-teh
16. Weather

What's the weather today? Che tempo fa oggi?

It's nice Fa bel tempo
bad Fa brutto tempo
raining Piove
snowing Nevica
cold Fa freddo
cool Fa fresco
hot Fa caldo
freezing Fa un freddo gelido
cloudy È nuvoloso
foggy C'è la nebbia
sunny C'è il sole
windy Tira vento
humid È umido
muggy È afoso
stormy Il tempo è burrascoso
thundering Tuona

17. Family and Animals

Family la famiglia dog il cane

Parents i genitori cat il gatto
Mother la madre bird il uccello
Father il padre mouse il topo
Son il figlio rabbit il coniglio
Daughter la figlia horse il cavallo
Brother il fratello cow la mucca
Sister la sorella donkey l'asino
Grandfather il nonno goat la capra
Grandmother la nonna sheep la pecora
Grandson/nephew il nipote goose l'oca
Granddaughter/niece la nipote duck l'anatra
Uncle lo zio pig il maiale
Aunt la zia hen la gallina
Cousin (m) il cugino deer il cervo
Cousin (f) la cugina
Husband il marito
Wife la moglie

18. To Know People and Facts

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

Note: 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.

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

Note: Some nouns ending in -co and -go may or may not insert an h before changing the o to i.
There is no gerneral 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

Note: You may leave off the il and la before family relation words in the singular. All other times, you
must use them. Notice that loro does not change.
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

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 (profession) - to be a (profession)

22. Work and 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 parruchiera

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

biology la biologia

chemistry la chimica

economics l'economia
 philosophy la filosofia

physics la fisica

geography la geografia

foreign languages la lingua straniera

mathematics la matematica

medicine la medicina

accounting la ragioneria

history la storia

23. Prepositions

for per
beside accanto
ahead avanti
among fra di
before prima di
against contro
over sopra
under sotto
with con
without senza
across attraverso
after dopo
during durante
except eccetto
toward verso

24. Prepositional Contractions

il lo l' la i gli le
a at, to al allo all' alla ai agli alle
da from, by dal dallo dall' dalla dai dagli dalle
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
 Note: The only contractions for con that are still used nowadays are col and coi. But even these
contractions are optional.

25. Countries and Nationalities

l'Australia Australia australiano Australian

il Canada Canada canadese Canadian
la Cina China cinese Chinese
la Francia France francese French
la Germania Germany tedesco German
l'Inghilterra England inglese English
la Gran Bretagna Great Britain britannico British
l'Italia Italy italiano Italian
il Giappone Japan giapponese Japanese
il Messico Mexico messicano Mexican
la Russia Russia russo Russian
la Spagna Spain spagnolo Spanish
gli Stati Uniti United States statunitense American
la Svizzera Switzerland svizzero Swiss
l'Austria Austria austriaco Austrian
la Polonia Poland polacco Polish
il Belgio Belgium belga Belgian
la Norvegia Norway norvegese Norwegian
la Svezia Sweden svedese Swedish
la Danimarca Denmark danese Danish
i Paesi Bassi Netherlands olandese Dutch
la Finlandia Finland finlandese Finlander

Note: 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.

26. To and From Places

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

27. To Come and to Go

Venire-to come
 vengo vehn-goh veniamo ven-ee-ah-moh
vieni vee-en-ee venite ven-ee-teh
viene vee-en-eh vengono ven-goh-noh

Vengo a scuola in macchina. I come to school by car. (It's a scuola instead of alla scuola because it's an idiom.)

To make a verb negative, add non before it: Non vengo a scuola in macchina. I don't come to
school by car.

Andare-to go
vado vah-doh andiamo ahn-dee-ah-moh
vai vah-ee andate ahn-dah-teh
va vah vanno vahn-noh

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 keep) verbs are conjuaged 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
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
Sample Regular Verb
Parlare-to speak
parlo parliamo
parli parlate
parla parlano

Note: 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.

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

Io mi lavo. I wash myself.

Noi ci alziamo presto. We get up early.

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.

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.

cercare - to look for cominciare - to start

cerco cerchiamo comincio cominciamo
cerchi cercate cominci cominciate
cerca cercano comincia cominciano

31. Past Indefinite Tense

To form the past tense (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) 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 with the past indefinite tense are formed by placing
non in front of the auxiliary verb.

Io ho visitato Roma. I visited Rome.

Tu non hai visitato gli Stati Uniti. You didn't visit the United States.
Abbiamo consciuto 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.)

32. Irregular Past Participles

fare fatto
aprire (to open) aperto
bere (to drink) bevuto
chiedere (to ask) chiesto
chiudere (to close) chiuso
conoscere conosciuto
coprire (to cover) coperto
dare dato
dire detto
leggere letto
mettere (to put) messo
offrire (to offer) offerto
perdere (to lose) perso (or perduto)
prendere preso
rispondere (to answer) risposto
scrivere (to write) scritto
soffrire (to suffer) sofferto
spendere (to spend) speso
vedere (to see) visto (or veduto)
vivere (to live) vissuto
scendere (to go down) sceso
rompere (to break) rotto
Sample Avere Verb
Avere-to have
ho avuto abbiamo avuto
hai avuto avete avuto
ha avuto hanno avuto

Note: Ho avuto means I have, I have had, or I did have.

33. Essere Verbs

arrivare arrive
andare go
uscire go out
 entrare enter
costare cost
venire (venuto) come
essere (stato) be
partire leave
stare (stato) stay, be
sparire disappear
tornare come back/return

These verbs that are conjugated with essere must agree with the subject. Irregular past participles are
in parentheses.

Sample Essere Verb

Andare-to go
sono andato/a siamo andati/e
sei andato/a siete andati/e
è andato/a sono andati/e

Note: Sono andato means 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.

34. Food and Meals

breakfast la prima colazione tea il tè

lunch la colazione bread il pane
dinner il pranzo salt il sale
fork la forchetta pepper il pepe
spoon il cucchiaio steak la bistecca
knife il coltello cake la torta
plate il piatto chicken il pollo
napkin la salvietta coffee il caffè
cup la tazza fish il pesce
glass il bicchiere french fries la patate fritte
ice il ghiaccio soup il brodo
saucer il piattino jam la marmellata
dessert il dolce rice il riso
ice cream il gelato salad l'insalata

35. Piacere and Servire

Piacere - to like and Servire - to need

 piaccio piacciamo servo serviamo
piaci piacete servi servite
piace piacciono serve servono

Piacere (a) literally means "to be pleasing," 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)

So to say I like something, use Mi piace if it is singular and Mi piacciono if it is plural.

Mi piace il calcio. I like soccer.

Mi piacciono i treni. I like trains.

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.

Ti servono della frutta? Do you need any fruit? (Literally: By you is needed some fruit?)
Il pane serve a Marco. Marco needs the bread. (Literally: The bread is needed by Marco.)

36. Fruits, Vegetables and Meats

fruit la frutta cucumber il cetriolo

apricot l'albicocca onion la cipolla

pineapple l'ananasso bean il fagiolo

watermelon l'anguria (il cocomero) mushroom il fungo

orange l'arancia lettuce (salad) l'insalata

banana la banana eggplant la melanzana

cherry la ciliegia olive l'oliva

strawberry la fragola potato la patata

 raspberry il lampone celery il sedano

lime la limetta spinach gli spinaci

lemon il limone zucchini gli zucchini

apple la mela meat la carne

pear la pera lamb l'agnello

peach la pesca goat il capretto

plum la prugna (la susina) rabbit il coniglio

grape l'uva liver il fegato

vegetables i legumi pork il maiale

broccoli i broccoli beef il manzo

carrot la carota bacon la pancetta

cauliflower il cavolfiore ham il prosciutto

cabbage il cavolo veal il vitello

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

Note: You must express some in Italian even though we leave it out in English. Use the proper
contractions from the top of the page. Or you can use un po' di, which literally means a little bit. Bere
is only used to mean to drink when it is used in the general sense, as is mangiare - to eat.

38. Commands

-are -ere -ire

tu form (sing. fam.) -a -i -i/-isci
Lei form (sing. pol.) -i -a -a/-isca
voi form (pol. pl.) -ate -ete -ite
noi form (Let's ...) -iamo -iamo -iamo
 Note: To make a command negative, add non before the command. Except for the singular familiar
commands, when you use non and the infinitive.

Irregular Commands
andare venire fare dare dire essere avere stare (to be, stay)
sing. fam. va' vieni fa' da' di' sii abbi sta'
sing. pol. vada venga faccia dia dica sia abbia stia
plural andate venite fate date dite siate abbiate state
Let's andiamo veniamo facciamo diamo diciamo siamo abbiamo stiamo

39. More Negatives

non...mai never
non...più no longer, no more
non...niente nothing
non...nessuno nobody
non...neanche not even
non...nè...nè neither...nor

Note: The non goes before the verb and the second part goes after. I have nothing. Non ho niente.

40. Holiday Phrases

Buon Anno! Happy New Year!

Buona Pasqua! Happy Easter!
Buon Compleanno! Happy Birthday!
Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!
Buone Feste! Happy Holidays!

The Italian National Anthem: Inno di Mameli

by Goffredo Mameli

Fratelli d'Italia, l'Italia s'è desta,

Dell'elmo di Scipio s'è cinta la testa.
Dov'è la vitoria? Le porga la chioma,
Ché schiava di Roma Iddio la creò.

Stringiamci a coorte, siam pronti alla morte,

siam pronti alla morte, l'Italia chiamò. Sì!

Italian brothers, Italy has arisen,

Has put on the helmet of Scipio,
Where is victory?
Created by God
The slave of Rome,
She crowns you with glory.
Let us unite,
We are ready to die,
Italy calls.
41. Stare

Stare-to stay, be
sto stiamo
stai state
sta stanno

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, such as Come stai? How are you? Sto bene. I'm
fine.

And 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.

42. Present Participles

Present participles are formed by dropping the ending of the verb, and adding the following endings to
the stem:

Present Participles
-are -ando
-ere -endo
-ire -endo

Conjugate stare and form the present participle, and you have a progressive action. Sto parlando
italiano is I am speaking Italian. (As opposed to Parlo italiano I speak Italian.) There are only a few
irregular present participles: fare-facendo (doing), dare-dando (giving), dire-dicendo (say/telling), and
bere-bevendo (drinking).

43. 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 occuring 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 the past
indefinite 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 the singular endings, and it does not take the v, while the stem for the plural endings
is era- and it does take the v. The stems for bere, dire and fare are derived from the old Latin
infinitives, and are beve-, dice-, and face- and they take the regular endings of the imperfect.

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.

44. Places

market il mercato
restaurant il ristorante
hotel l'albergo
square la piazza
store il negozio
library la biblioteca
stadium il stadio
movie theater il cinema
church la chiesa
museum il museo
beach la spiaggia
park il parco
hospital l'ospedale
post office l'ufficio postale
bakery il panificio
pharmacy la farmacia

45. Transportation

bus l'autobus
automobile l'automobile
car la macchina
train il treno
ship la nave
 airplane l'aeroplano
boat la barca
motorcycle la motocicletta
on foot a piedi

Note: To say by bus, car, etc., use in and leave off the il, la, and l'.

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 (debbo) dobbiamo
vuoi volete puoi potete devi dovete
vuole vogliono può possono deve devono (debbono)

47. Asking Questions

The easiest way to ask a question is to simply add a question mark to the end of the statement.

You can also put the subject at the end of the sentence. Il ragazzo mangia la pizza becomes Mangia
la pizza, il ragazzo?

Or, if you're speaking to a Sardinian, you can put the verb at the end of the sentence. Parla
francese? can become Francese parla? Does he/she speak French?

48. House and Furniture

house la casa
roof il tetto
kitchen la cucina
room la stanza
bathroom il bagno
dining room la sala da pranzo
terrace la terrazza
balcony il balcone
table la tavola
wall la parate/il muro
door la porta
chair la sedia
telephone il telefono
television la televisione
window la finestra
 sofa il divano
living room il soggiorno
hallway il corridoio
garden il giardino
bedroom la camera
bed il letto
closet l'armadio
bathtub la vasca da bagno
sink l'acquiao
staircase la scala
toilet il bagno
refrigerator il frigorifero
curtains le tende
clock l'orologio
bookshelf lo scaffale
lamp la lampada
armchair la poltrona
bathroom sink il lavandino
wastebasket il cestino
mirror lo specchio
nightstand il comodino
vase il vaso
dresser il cassettone
rug lo scendiletto

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 prepostion 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 ottimamente very well
male badly peggio worse (il) peggio (the) worst pessimamente 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

jacket la giacca
belt la cintura
earrings gli orecchini
necklace la collana
scarf la sciarpa
dress il vestito
swimsuit il costume da bagno
blouse la camicetta
raincoat l'impermeabile
sock il calzino
sandals i sandali
purse la borsa
shirt la camicia
shoe la scarpa
skirt la gonna
umbrella l'ombrello
 tie la cravatta
pants i pantaloni
hat il capello
stocking la colza
sweater la maglia
glove il guanto
coat il cappotto

Note: Portare means to wear, but it also means to bring. So use mettersi for to wear or put on
clothing.

52. To Wear

Mettersi-to wear, put on (clothing)

mi metto ci mettiamo
ti metti vi mettete
si mette si mettono

Note: 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 is 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:

avere avr-
essere sar-
dare dar-
fare far-
stare star-
andare andr-
dovere dovr-
vedere vedr-
sapere sapr-
potere potr-
bere berr-
 venire verr-
volere vorr-

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. Pl.
-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

facile easy
difficile difficult
semplice simple
complicato comlicated
interessante interesting
noioso boring
lungo long
corto short
giusto correct
sbagliato mistaken/wrong
caro expensive/dear
economico economical/cheap
moderno modern
antico old/ancient
aperto open
chiuso closed
alto tall
basso short
felice happy
triste sad
simpatico nice
antipatico unpleasant
buono good
cattivo bad
grande big/large
piccolo small
giovane young
vecchio old
intelligente intelligent
stupido stupid
elegante elegant
inelegante inelegant
ricco rich
povero poor
magro skinny/thin
grosso fat
sincero sincere
timido shy
forte strong
gentile gentle/kind
 generoso generous
pigro lazy

57. Position of Sempre and Anche

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.

58. Sports

golf il golf
soccer il calcio
volleyball la palla a volo
football il foot-ball americano
basketball la pallacanestro
baseball il base-ball
bowling il birilli
swimming il nuoto
tennis il tennis
bicycling il ciclismo
boxing il pugilato
skating il pattinaggio
skiing lo sci
car racing l'automobilismo

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

Note: Most sports use giocare a (sport) to mean to play a sport. They play basketball would be
Giocano a pallacanestro.

60. Nature
 fields i campi
flowers i fiori
forests le foreste
hills le colline
meadows i prati
mountains le montagne
plants le piante
waterfalls le cascate
woods i boschi
farms le fattorie
villages i villaggi
vineyards le vigne
beach la spiaggia
bridge un ponte
castle un castello
lake un lago
pond uno stagno
river un fiume

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 in front of the verb, except loro, which always follows
the verb.
3. With infinitives or participles, the pronoun (except loro) follows it and is written as one word.
This also is true of commands, except for Lei or Loro.
4. When you have more than one pronoun, the indirect comes before the direct.
5. The i of mi, ti, ci, and vi changes to an e before lo, la, li and le.
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 lo, la, li, le; 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 sentencs, pronouns go before the entire verb as well, but after the non.

I haven't eaten it. Non lo ho mangiato.

62. Parts of the Body

hand la mano mouth la bocca

foot il piede finger il dito

ear l'orecchio fingernail l'unghia

eye l'occhio elbow il gomito

tongue la lingua arm il braccio

face la faccia knee il ginocchio

hair i capelli leg la gamba

nose il naso head la testa

tooth il dente neck il collo

lip il labbro shoulder la spalla

stomach lo stomaco throat la gola

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.

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 has 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 abia fudicia. You are the only person whom I trust.
È une 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 cìo che are 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 tresoro. One who finds a friend, finds a treasure.
Non capisco quello che dice. I don't understand what he's saying.
Cìo che scrivi è sbagliato. What you're writing is wrong.

65. To Read, to Say/Tell, to Laugh

leggere - to read dire - to say/tell ridere - to laugh

leggo leggiamo dico diciamo rido ridiamo
leggi leggete dici dite ridi ridete
legge leggono dice dicono ride ridono

66. Disjunctive Pronouns

Disjunctive pronouns are used independently of the verb. They are the pronouns which follow
prepositions, or show emphasis. They can also be found in exclamations.
 me noi
te voi
lui / lei loro

Vengo con te. I'll come with you.

Amo te, non lui. I love you, not him.
Fortunati voi! Lucky you!

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 that begin with in, on, to, at, under, etc.
and ne will replace phrases that begin with some or a number.

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.

Quante caramelle hai mangiato?How many candies did you eat?

Ne ho mangiate quattro.I ate four of them.

68. Animals

giraffe la giraffa

elephant l'elefante

zebra la zebra

lion il leone

leopard il gattopardo

parrot il pappagallo

rhinoceros il rinoceronte

koala il koala

snake il serpente
 chimpanzee lo scimpanzé

polar bear l'orso bianco

tiger la tigre

bull il toro

fox la volpe

monkey la scimmia

wolf il lupo

turtle la tartaruga

69. Pluperfect Tense

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
(whicheer auxiliary verb the main verb takes in the past indefinite 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 Sanremo. They had already been in Sanremo.

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. 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 Adverb
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.

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.

Passive L'affito è pagato dai miei genitori. The rent is paid by my 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'affito sarà pagato dai miei genitori. The rent will be payed by my parents.

73. The Impersonal "Si"

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 peron
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.
74. Post Office and Bank

post office la posta bank la banca

mailbox la cassetta delle lettere file cabinet la schedario
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 i biglietti
letter la lettera coins le monete
address l'indirizzo deposit slip il modulo per i depositi
postal worker l'impiegata postale pen la penna
newspaper il giornale check l'assegno
magazine la rivista bank teller il cassiere

75. To Give and to Receive

dare - to give ricevere - to receive

do diamo ricevo riceviamo
dai date ricevi ricevete
dà danno riceve ricevono

76. Infinitives followed by Prepositions

The following verbs require a or di when followed by another infinitive, although the preposition is not
always translated into English.

Verb + a + another infinitive Verb + di + another infinitive

aiutare to help aspettare to wait for
andare to go cercare to look for
cominciare to begin cessare to cease
continuare to continue chiedere to ask
correre to run comandare to command
imparare to learn credere to believe
insegnare to teach decidere to decide
invitare to invite dimenticare to forget
mandare to send dire to say, tell
passare to stop by domandare to ask
pensare to think of finire to finish
preparare to prepare offrire to offer
provare to try permettere to permit
risuscire to succeed promettere to promise
servire to be good for sapere to know
stare to stay, stand sognare to dream
tornare to return sperare to hope
venire to come tentare to try, attempt
77. The Beach

beach la spiaggia clam l'ostrica

island l'isola sand castle il castello di sabbia
lighthouse il faro fins le pinne
pier il molo goggles la maschera subacquea
lifeguard il bagnino palm tree la palma
coconut il cocco beach towel l'asciugamano
seashore il litorale oar il remo
surfboard la tavoletta da surf rowboat la barca a remo
sand la sabbia sea gull il gabbiano
lounge chair la sedia a sdraio seal la foca
beach umbrella l'ombrellone sea lion l'otaria
picnic il picnic wave l'onda
suntan lotion la crema abbronzante sailboat la barca a vela
beach ball il pallone waterskiing lo sci nautico
sea shell la conchiglia ocean liner la nave
seaweed l'alga marina hut la capanna

78. To Follow

seguire - to follow
sèguo seguiamo
sègui seguite
sègue seguono

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 quelle 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.

80. Office / School Supplies

 chalkboard la lavagna
eraser il cancellino
chalk il gesso
desk il banco
pencil la matita
book il libro
notebook il quaderno
paper la carta
page la pagina
pen la penna
backpack lo zaino
mistake lo sbaglio
exam l'esame (m)
clock l'orologio
student (m) lo studente
dictionary il dizionario

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.

To form the present conditional, use the future stem and these endings for the three types of verbs.
(The verbs that have irregular future forms are also irregular in the conditional tense.)

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

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.

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.

Dovere, potere, and volere all have irregular forms in the present conditional:

dovere potere volere

dovrei dovremmo potrei potremmo vorrei vorremmo
dovresti dovreste potresti potreste vorresti vorreste
dovrebbe dovrebbero potrebbe potrebbero vorrebbe vorrebbero

The past conditional expresses the same basic idea as the present conditional. It is used to express
unfulfilled requests, situations that did not occur, or events which had the possibility to fulfill
themselves, but didn't. It is formed by using the present conditional of avere or essere and the past
participle of the main verb. One difference between English and Italian usage of the past conditional is
that when expressing a future action from the viewpoint of the past, Italian uses the past conditional
whereas English uses the present conditional.

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

82. Parts of a Car / Gas Station

gas pump la pompa di benzina

gas cap il coperchio del serbatoio
gas can il bidone per la benzina
trunk il bagagliaio
roof il tetto
seat il sedile
door lo sportello
tire la gomma
license plate la targa
bumper il paraurti
headlight il fanale
hood il cofano
windshield wiper il tergicristallo
steering wheel il volante
oil can il oliatore
radiator il radiatore
battery la batteria
jumper cables i cavi per l'avviamento
screwdriver il cacciavite
hammer il martello
wrench la chiave
nut il dado
screw la vite
wheel la ruota
tires le gomme
air pump la pompa pneumatica
flat tire la gomma a terra

83. To Drive

condurre - to drive
conduco conduciamo
conduci conducete
conduce condúcono

84. Travelling / Airport

Where is... Dov'è... doh-veh

the bank? la banca? lah bahn-kah
the bathroom? la toilette? lah twah-let-tah
an automatic cash machine? un bancomat? oon bahn-koh-maht
the car rental? l'autonoleggio? low-toh-no-led-joh
 the taxi stand? il posteggio dei taxi? eel poh-stehd-joh day taks-see
the phone? il telefono? eel teh-leh-foh-noh
the ticket office? la biglietteria? lah bee-lyeht-teh-ree-ah
the train station? la stazione? lah stah-zee-oh-neh
the bus stop? la fermata dell'autobus? la fair-mah-tah dell ow-toh-boos
the subway? la metropolitana? lah meh-tro-poh-lee-tah-nah
the airport? l'aeroporto? lah-eh-roh-por-toh
the currency exchange? l'ufficio cambio? loo-fee-choh kahm-byoh
the information booth? l'ufficio informazioni? loo-fee-choh een-for-maht-zee-ohn-ee
the lost baggage office? l'ufficio oggetti smarriti? loo-fee-choh ohd-jeht-tee smahr-ree-tee
the entrance? l'entrata? lehn-trah-tah
the exit? l'uscita? loo-shee-tah
ticket il biglietto
flight il volo
reservation la prenotazione
round-trip ticket il biglietto di andata e ritorno
smoking fumatori
non smoking non fumatori
baggage il bagaglio
suitcase la valigia
passport il passaporto
gate l'uscita
boarding pass la carta d'imbarco
Lira lire

85. Directional Words

straight ahead sempre diritto

to the right a destra
to the left a sinistra
down there laggiù
behind dietro
in front of davanti a
next to accanto a
across from dirimpetto a
after dopo
near vicino a
far from lontano da

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 pronto 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 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 sing.

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

87. Subjunctive Mood

The Subjunctive mood expresses doubt, uncertainty, hope, fear, possibility, opinions, etc. and is used
much more frequently in Italian. It is mainly used in dependent clauses (sentences introduced by a
conjunction that do not have a complete meaning) 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
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'll come.

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.
Non credo di averlo perso. I don't think that I lost it.

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

sebbene - even though, benché - although, affinché - so that, prima
che - before, purché - provided that, as long as and nel caso che -
in the event that. The subjunctive is also used after a relative
superlative che, and after il primo.. che, l'ultimo..che, and il
solo...che.

89. Possessive Pronouns

The possessive pronouns replace a noun, and they have the same
forms as the possessive adjectives. They always require an article,
unless the possessive pronoun follows the verb essere, in which case
it is omitted.
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.

90. The Farm

farm la fattoria
windmill il mulino a vento
barn il granaio
cottage il villino
hay il fieno
corral il recinto
stable la stalla
barrel il barile
lasso il laccio
saddle la sella
stool lo sgabello
hoe la zappa
rake il rastrello
pitchfork il forcone
shovel la pala
tractor il trattore
silo il silo
loft il fienile
chicken coop il pollaio
farmhouse la cascina

91. Historical Past

The historical past or past absolute is used to indicate a completed

action, and is used mainly in writing and rarely in speech. 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.

infinitive irregular stem infinitive irregular stem

chiedere chies- rispondere rispos-
chiudere chius- sapere sepp-
conscere conobb- scegliere scels-
decidere decis- scrivere scriss-
leggere less- vedere vid-
mettere mis- venire venn-
nascere nacqu- vivere viss-
prendere pres- volere voll-

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