Italiano II Il 4 de febrero 2016

It may be a little late in the game for discussing these, but it's still worth covering the topic of question words in Italian and looking at some ways they might be used which aren't immediately apparent.

Che?

The word che in Italian means what, but when asking "what" questions it is preferred to ask che cosa, or "what thing". In fact, this is so common that it is actually possible to omit che and just ask cosa as if it were a question!Che cosa fai?What are you doing?

Cosa hai detto?What did you say?

Chi?

The word chi means who. It can be used to ask and answer question about people.

Chi hai incontrato?Who did you meet?

chi riceve gli ospitihost (the one who receives guests)

Dove?

The word dove is used to ask where questions. Also, one interesting thing to note is that for questions of "how far?", Italians ask fin dove? or "ending where?".Di dove sei?Where are you from?

Fin dove andrai?How far will you go?

Quando?

The Italian word quando means when. It asks and answers "when" questions. When paired with da (from), it can be used to form the present perfect tense.Quando torni?When will you return?

Da quando sei qui?How long have you been here?

Perché?

The word perchè means both why and because.Sono in ritardo perché avevo dimenticato di mettere la sveglia.I an late because I forgot to set my alarm clock.

Dimme perchè.

Tell me why.

Come?

The word come means both how and like. It is capable of both asking and answering "how" questions.Come è vestido?How is he dressed?

È vestido come un poliziotto.He is dressed like a policeman.

It can also be used in the phrase come mai to ask "why" questions (how come).Come mai non sei venuto alla festa?Why didn't you come to the party?

Quanto?

The Italian word quanto translates both as how much and how many, depending on its ending. In English, we have separate words for questions about single or plural quantities. In Italian, you just pluralize the question word as you would any other word.Quanto sono grandi i cani?How big are the dogs?

Quanto anni hai?How old are you?

Quale?

The word quale is the equivalent of the English question word "which".Quale preferisci?Which one do you prefer?

Quale macchina è la tua?Which car is yours?

Meeting people Introducing Yourself in Italian 

When meeting new people in Italy, you will most likely find yourself asking either ‘tu come ti chiami?’ or ‘Lei come si chiama?’ Both mean ‘what is your name’ but the first version is informal, and can be used with people of the same age or younger, and the second version is formal to be used with people of an older age or in a business / formal situation. Tu means you informal and Lei means you formal.If in doubt, use Lei and you may be invited to use Tu with the expression ‘Diamoci del tu?’ (Shall we use the informal with each other?)Male or Female? Gender confusing namesIf asking the name of a male, you may be surprised to hear them answer Andrea or Nicola as these are female names in the UK and US. The pronunciation in Italian is different, however, with the stress on the middle syllable, rather than the first one as it is in English. These are typical male names in Italy, along with others which can be gender confusing to non-Italians such as Gianmaria, Luca, Rosario and Toni (short for Antonio).

Typical expressions

There are some typical expressions we can use in addition to asking someone’s name when we meet them, such as:Ciao - HelloPiacere - Nice to meet youDi dove sei / di dov’è? - Where are you from (informal and formal)?Sono di ... - I am from ...Che lavoro fai / che lavoro fa? What’s your job (informal and formal)?Mi chiamo ... - My name is ...

MEETING PEOPLE more here……

Your handshake should be firm, and don't be surprised if your new friend moves in for a cheek kiss or shoulder slap. When greeting friends, cheek kisses on both sides are as common as shaking hands in Italy. Remember, though, if you're even in Russia or places like Lebanon they'll be expecting three kisses, not two.When you introduce yourself tell someone your name, first and last. For "my name is..." you can say "Io mi chiamo..." or "Il mio nome è...". If you have a nickname or preferred to be called by a shortened version of your name let people know up front.Eating and dining are an important part of Italian culture and one of the main way friends connect with one another. If you meet Italians during your vacation, don't be surprised if you're invited for a long, lazy dinner where conversation and laughter is shared over some good food. What better way to bond and unwind? Here is an example of a conversation that may occur between two people who have just met. The scene is a private home in Naples...YOU: "Ciao, mi chiamo Carlo, Carletto per gli amici, piacere di conoscerti. Come ti chiami?" = "Hi, I'm Carlo, but my friends call me Carletto. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"NEW FRIEND: "Io mi chiamo Claudia." = "I'm Claudia."Y: "Come va?" = "How are you doing?" or "How are you?"NF: "Io sto bene, grazie." = "I'm great, thanks."Y: "Di dove sei?" = "Where are you from?"NF: "Io sono italiano e vivo a Roma, e tu?" = "I'm Italian and I live in Rome and you?"Y: "Io vengo da Sidney." = "I'm from Sydney."NF: "Sei mai stata in Italia?" = "Have you ever been to Italy before?"Y: "No, questa è la prima volta." = "No, this is the first time."

NF: "Prego, accomodati!" = "Please, take a seat!"NF: "Vorresti un caffè o qualcosa altro da bere?" = "Would you like a coffee or something else to drink?"Y: "Si, grazie un caffè." = "Yes, thank you, a coffee."NF: "Ti stai divertendo qui?" = "Are you having a good time here?"Y: "Si certamente." = "Yes, of course."NF: "Cosa hai fatto di bello oggi?" = "What did you do today?"Y:  "Oggi sono andata al Maschio Angioino e ho fatto delle belle foto." = "Today I went to the Maschio Angioino and I took some beautiful pictures."NF: "Napoli è una bella città, e penso che valga la pena vederla una volta nella vita." = "Naples is a amazing city, I think it's worth seeing it once in a lifetime."Y: "Non molto tempo fa ho pensato a questo viaggio in Italia alla scoperta del paese natio di mio nonno." = "Not too long ago I decided to make this trip to explore the country where my grandfather was born."NF: "Che bella idea! Ricercare le tue radici è interessante. Dove vuoi andare precisamente?" = "What a great idea! Discovering your roots is very interesting. Where would you like to go, exactly?"Y: "Mio nonno era di Caserta, e domani vado là." = "My grandfather was born in Caserta and tomorrow I'm going there."NF: "Dal momento che non conosci bene la strada, posso procurarti una cartina." = "Given that you're not familiar with the area I can get you a map."Y: "Grazie, molto gentile." = "Thank you, that's very kind of you."NF: "Ad ogni modo se vuoi stare qui a lungo, mi piacerebbe farti fare un giro qui attorno." = "By the way, if you want to stay here longer, I would love to show you around."Y: "Grazie, sarebbe bello!" = "Thanks, that would be great!"NF: "Allora, fa' buon viaggio!" = "Well, then, have a great trip!"Y: Grazie per la tua ospitalità = "Thanks for your hospitality." This is only an example about what can be talked about when you meet someone

Nouns and articles in ItalianItalian Definite ArticleIn English the definite article (l'articolo determinativo) has only one form: the. In Italian, l’articolo determinativo has different forms according to the gender, number, and first letter of the

noun or adjective it precedes.

i ragazzi e le ragazze (the boys and girls)il quaderno e la penna (the notebook and pen)

Here are some rules for using definite articles:

1. Lo (pl. gli) is used before masculine nouns beginning with s + consonant or z.

2. Il (pl. i) is used before masculine nouns beginning with all other consonants.

3. L’ (pl. gli) is used before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel.

4. La (pl. le) is used before feminine nouns beginning with any consonant.

5. L’ (pl. le) is used before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel.

The article agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies and is repeated before each noun.

la Coca–Cola e l’aranciata (the Coke and orangeade)

gli italiani e i giapponesi (the Italians and the Japanese)

le zie e gli zii (the aunts and uncles)

The first letter of the word immediately following the article determines the article’s form. Compare the following:

il giorno (the day)l’altro giorno (the other day)lo zio (the uncle)il vecchio zio (the old uncle)i ragazzi (the boys)gli stessi ragazzi (the same boys)l’amica (the girlfriend)

la nuova amica (the new girlfriend)

In Italian, the definite article must always be used before the name of a language, except when the verbs parlare (to speak) or studiare (to study) directly precede the name of the language; in those cases, the use of the article is optional.Studio l’italiano. (I study Italian.)

Parlo italiano. (I speak Italian.)Parlo bene l’italiano. (I speak Italian well.)

The definite article is used before the days of the week to indicate a repeated, habitual activity.

Domenica studio. (I’m studying on Sunday.)

Marco non studia mai la domenica. (Marco never studies on Sunday)

The Italian indefinite article (l'articolo indeterminativo)

corresponds to English a/an and is used with singular nouns. It also corresponds to the number one.

INDEFINITE ARTICLES

MASCHILE FEMMINILE

uno zio (uncle) una zia (aunt)

un cugino (cousin, m.)

una cugina (cousin, f.)

un amico (friend, m.) un’amica (friend, f.)

Uno is used for masculine words beginning with z or s + consonant;

un is used for all other masculine words.

Una is used for feminine words beginning with a consonant;

un’ is used for feminine words beginning with a vowel.

un treno e una biciclettaun aeroplano e un’automobileuno stadio e una stazione

Italian Vocabulary Things in a classroom

Vocabolario italiano - Italian vocabularyGLI OGGETTI IN UN'AULA - CLASSROOM OBJECTS

Italiano English

l'aula f classroom

il blocchetto per appunti notepad

la borsa bag

il cancellino board eraser

la carta paper

la cartella folder

la classe class

l'evidenziatore m highlighter pen

un foglio di carta a sheet of paper

il gessetto piece of chalk

la gomma eraser (US), rubber (GB)

la lavagna blackboard

la lavagna bianca whiteboard

il lettore di cassette tape player

il libro book

il libro di esercizi workbook

la matita pencil

il pastello crayon

il pennarello board pen, felt-tip pen

la perforatrice hole punch

il portafogli briefcase

il registratore tape recorder

il righello ruler

la scrivania desk

la scuola school

la sedia chair

il taccuino notebook

il temperamatite, il temperino pencil sharpener

alzare la mano to raise one's hand

aprire/chiudere il libro to open/close the book

ascoltare una cassetta to listen to a tape

cancellare la lavagna to clean the board

condividere il libro to share a book

fare una domanda to ask a question

guardare un video to watch a video

lavorare a coppie to work in pairs

lavorare a gruppi to work in groups

parlare col tuo compagno to talk to your partner

scambiare i posti to swap places

ENGLISHItalian School Words INGLESE 

ItalianoA B C D E F G

H IJ K L M N O

P QR S T U V W

X Y Z

ALPHABET

ARTl'arte

BACKPACK

BELLil

campanello

BOOKil libro

l'alfabeto lo zaino

BOOKCASElo scaffale

CALCULATOR

la calcolatriceCLOCKl'orologio

COMPUTER

il computer

DESKla scrivania

DICTIONARY

il dizionario

EASELil cavalletto

ERASERla gomma

EXAMl'esame

GLOBEil

mappamondo

INKl'inchiostro

KEYBOARDla tastiera

LEARNimparare

A B C D E F G H I

J K L M N O P Q R

S T U V W X Y Z

LETTERSl'alfabeto

LUNCHil pranzo

MAGNETla calamita

MAPla mappa,la cartina

MEDALla medaglia

MOUSEil mouse

RULERla riga

SCISSORS STAPLER

SCALEla bilancia

SCHOOLla scuola

SCHOOL BUS

l'autobus della scuola

le forbici la cucitrice

TEACHinsegnare

TEACHERl'insegnante, professore, maestro/a

THINKpensare

Italian Adjectives INGLESE Italiano

ALIKEsimile

ANGRYarrabbi

atoBIG

grandeCLEANpulito

CLOSEDchiuso/chiu

sa

COLDfreddo

CUTEcarino

DIRTYsporco

2 x

DOUBLEdoppio

EARLY

presto

EMPTYvuoto

FASTveloce

FATgrasso

FIRSTprimo FULL

pieno

HAPPYfelice

HEALTHYsano

HOTcaldo

HUNGRYaffamato

LARGEgrande

LASTultimo

LITTLE

piccolo

LOUDrumoroso NARROW

stretto OPENaperto

QUIETsilenzioso

SADtriste SHORT

bassoSHUT

chiuso/chiusa

SICKmalato

SLOWlento SMALL

piccoloTALL

altoTHINmagro

UNHAPPYtriste

WIDElargo

YOUNG

giovane

Adjectives of nationality

djectives of nationality in ItalianTo find out somebody's nationality and where he or she comes from, we can ask the question:

Di dove sei (tu)? / Where are you from?

  - (Io) Sono di Buenos Aires. / I'm from Buenos Aires.   - (Io) Sono argentina. / I'm Argentinian.

Di che nazionalità è lui? / What nationality is he?

  - Lui è giapponese. / He's Japanese.

(Voi) Siete inglesi? / Are you English?

  - Sì. / Yes.   - No, (noi) siamo americani. / No, we are American.

Listen to these dialogues:

Nazionalità e ProvenienzaThere aren't any rules to create adjectives of nationality. Usually they come from the same word as the country.One exception is for the country Germania, where the adjective is tedesco.

N.B: We use a small letter for the first letter of the adjective.

CountryAdjective of nationality 

-ano/aItalia

AmericaAustralia

EgittoMessico

ColombiaBrasileCorea

italiano/aamericano/aaustraliano/a

egiziano/amessicano/acolombiano/abrasiliano/acoreano/a

-eseInghilterra

IrlandaOlanda

FinlandiaNorvegia

CinaFrancia

PortogalloCanada

ingleseirlandeseolandese

finlandesenorvegese

cinesefrancese

portoghesecanadese-ense

Stati Uniti d'AmericaPanama

statunitensepanamense

-ino/aArgentina

AlgeriaTunisia

argentino/aalgerino/atunisino/aeno/a

IraqCile

iracheno/acileno/a-o/a

RussiaGrecia

russo/agreco/a

-eLettoniaEstonia

lettoneestone

Adjectives of nationality with other suffixes:

-ita vietnamita

-egno ecuadoregno/a

-ota keniota

-acco polacco/aslovacco/a

The adjective for Romania, so as not to confuse it with "romano" (from Rome), is rumeno/a.

For some nations, there is no corresponding adjective and so to indicate nationality we say abitante di / cittadini di(inhabitant of / citizen of) plus the name of the country.

Examples:

Io sono abitante del Bangladesh. / I am an inhabitant of Bangladesh. Loro sono cittadini del Botswana. / They are citizens of Botswana.

The adjectives for the continents are as follows:

Continent AdjectiveAmerica

(Oceania) AustraliaAsia

AfricaEuropa

americano/aaustraliano/a

asiatico/aafricano/aeuropeo/a

COGNATE ADJECTIVES

Content/a

Difficile

Onesto

Disonesto

Importante

Indipendente

Intelligente

Interessante

Lungo

Nervosa

Serio

Sincero

Socievole

Studioso

Timido e tranquillo

Other common Adjectives

Antipatico

Bello

Bravo

Buono

Cattivo

Divertente

Facile

Felice

Noioso

Pigro

Simpatico

Triste

La pizza e’ buona.

L’insegnante e’ brava!

E’ un libro noioso.

Sono ragazzi studiosi.

Che ore sono? Che ora e’ ?

Telling TimeTelling time in Italian

You've got to know the time if you want to see those Botticelli paintings at the Uffizi in Florence. Luckily, there are two ways to ask "What time is it?" in Italian: Che ora è? andChe ore sono? If the time is one o'clock, noon, or midnight, the answer is in the singular; for all other hours, it is plural. Note that the phrase "o'clock" has no direct equivalent in Italian.

Che ora è? (What time is it?)Che ore sono? (What time is it?)È l'una. (It's one o'clock.)È mezzogiorno. (It's noon.)È mezzanotte. (It's midnight.)Sono le tre e quindici. (It's 3:15.)È mezzo giorno e dieci. (It's 12:10.)

COMMON TERMS RELATED TO TELLING TIMEmorning di mattinonoon mezzogiornoafternoon del pomeriggioevening di seramidnight mezzanottea quarter un quartoa quarter after/past e un quartohalf past e mezzoa quarter to/before meno un quartosharp in punto

Store hours, TV timetables, performance listings, and other time references are written differently in Italy. When telling time, commas replace colons. For example, 2:00 becomes 2,00; 2:30 becomes 2,30; 2:50 becomes 2,50.

The following table shows how you would tell the time from 5:00 to 6:00.

TELLING TIME 5:00-6:005,00 Sono le cinque.5,10 Sono le cinque e dieci.5,15 Sono le cinque e un quarto.5,20 Sono le cinque e venti.5,30 Sono le cinque e mezzo.5,40 Sono le sei meno venti.5,45 Sono le sei meno un quarto.5,50 Sono le sei meno dieci.6,00 Sono le sei.

As in most of Europe, Italy uses the so-called "official time" (equivalent to "military time" in the United States) in train schedules, performances, movie timetables, radio, TV, and office hours. Between friends and in other informal situations, Italians may use the numbers from 1 to 12 to indicate time, and the context of the conversation will usually be sufficient. After all, La Scala doesn't have performances at eight in the morning!

Fine parte I