French & Italian Comparative Tutorial Index _ Learn Two Languages Simultaneously
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Transcript of French & Italian Comparative Tutorial Index _ Learn Two Languages Simultaneously
French & Italian Comparative Tutorial Index : Learn Two Languages Simultaneously
FRENCH & ITALIAN I
Basic Phrases
Pronunciation
Alphabet
Numbers
Articles & Demonstratives
Nouns: Gender & Number
Personal Pronouns
Verbs: Be, Have, Do
Interrogatives / Conjunctions / Adverbs
Days / Months / Seasons
Time / Weather / Directions
Colors & Shapes
Family
Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns
FRENCH & ITALIAN II
Adjectives: Gender & Number
Verbs: Come, Go
Asking Questions
Negatives
Work & School
Countries & Nationalities
Prepositions & Contractions
Verbs: Know
Food & Meals
Verbs: Can, Want, Must
Fruits & Vegetables
There is, are : Il y a / C'e, ci sono
Necessity: Il faut / Bisogna, Occorre, Ci vuole
Partitive
FRENCH & ITALIAN III
Verbs: Present & Past Tenses
Spelling Changes in the Present Tense
Irregular Imperfect Verbs
Pronominal Verbs
Etre sur le point de / Stare per + infinitive
Etre en train de / Stare + gerund
On / Si
Plaire / Piacere
Verbs: Imperative
Verbs: Present Perfect / Past Perfect Tenses
Venir de / Appena
House & Furniture
Buildings & Materials
FRENCH & ITALIAN IV
Comparatives / Superlatives
Clothing & Toiletries
Verbs: Other common irregular verbs
Human Body
Verbs: Future / Conditional
Tenses
Verbs: Would, Should, Could
Y & en / Ci & ne
Verbs: Subjunctive Mood
Animals & Insects
Nature & Geography
Indefinite Pronouns & Adjectives
Relative Pronouns
Verbs: Passive Voice
Faire / Fare Causative
Verbs followed by Prepositions
French & Italian V
Uses of the Infinitive
Post Office & Bank
Sports & Instruments
Hobbies & Tools
Conjunctions
Impersonal Verbs
Car & Gas Station
Travel & Transportation
Adverbs
Farm & Beach
Holidays & Fairy Tales
Verbs: Simple Past Tense
Exclamations & Interjections
French Regions & Cities / Italian States & Cities
OTHER USEFUL LINKS
WordReference English-French Dictionary
WordReference English-Italian Dictionary
French & Italian Comparative Tutorial I: Learn Two Languages Simultaneously
Rocket French | Rocket Italian
BASIC PHRASES
English French Italian
Good day Bonjour Buongiorno
Good evening Bonsoir Buona sera
Good night (going to bed) Bonne nuit Buona notte
Hello / Hi / Bye Salut Ciao
Goodbye Au revoir Arrivederci
Thank you (very much) Merci (beaucoup) Grazie (mille)
You're welcome De rien Prego
Please S'il vous plaît Per favore
How are you? (formal) Comment allez-vous ? Come sta?
How are you? (informal) Ça va? Come stai?
I'm (really) good. Je vais (très) bien. Sto (abbastanza) bene.
I'm ok. Comme ci, comme ça. Cosí cosí.
Bad / not bad Mal / pas mal Male / Non c'è male
What's your name? (f) Comment vous appelez-vous ?
Come si chiama?
What's your name? (in) Tu t'appelles comment ? Come ti chiami?
My name is… Je m'appelle… Mi chiamo…
Where are you from? (f) D'où venez-vous ? Di dov'è Lei?
Where are you from? (in) Tu es d'où ? Di dove sei?
I'm from…. Je suis de… Sono di…
How old are you? (f) Quel âge avez-vous ? Quanti anni ha?
How old are you? (in) Tu as quel âge ? Quanti anni hai?
I'm ___ years old. J'ai ___ ans. Ho ___ anni.
Yes / No Oui / Non Si / No
Do you speak … ? (f) Parlez-vous … Parla…
Do you speak … ? (inf) Est-ce que tu parles … Parli…
I (don't) speak… Je (ne) parle (pas)… (Non) parlo…
I (don't) know Je (ne) sais (pas). (Non) lo so.
Do you understand? (f) Comprenez-vous? Capisce?
Do you understand? (inf) Est-ce que tu comprends ? Capisci?
I (don't) understand Je (ne) comprends (pas). (Non) capisco.
Can you help me? (f) Pouvez-vous m'aider ? Può aiutarmi?
Can you help me? (inf) Est-ce que tu peux m'aider ? Puoi aiutarmi?
Of course. Bien sûr Certamente
I would like… Je voudrais… Vorrei…
Where is / are … ? Où est / sont… ? Dov'è / Dove sono… ?
Excuse me Excusez-moi Con permesso
Pardon me Pardonnez-moi Mi scusi
I'm sorry Je suis désolé(e). Mi dispiace
See you tomorrow A demain A domani
See you later / soon A tout à l'heure / A bientôt A più tardi / A presto
Mister / Misses / Miss Monsieur / Madame / Mademoiselle
Signore / Signora / Signorina
Pleased to meet you. Enchanté(e). Piacere. / Molto lieto.
Pardon? Comment ? Come?
How do you say … ? Comment dit-on … ? Come se dice … ?
What's the matter? Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? Cosa c'è?
What's happening? Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? Che succede?
There is / are… Il y a… C'è / Ci sono…
What is it? Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? Che cosa è?
Right? N'est-ce pas ? Vero?
It doesn't matter. Ça ne fait rien. Non importa
I have no idea. Je n'ai aucune idée Non ho idea
I don't care. Ça m'est égal. Non m'importa
I'm tired / sick. Je suis fatigué(e) / malade. Sono stanco(-a) / malato(-a)
I'm hungry / thirsty. J'ai faim / soif. Ho fame / sete.
I'm cold / hot. J'ai froid / chaud. Ho freddo / caldo.
I'm bored. Je m'ennuie. Mi annoio.
I forgot. J'ai oublié. Ho dimenticato.
I have to go. Je dois y aller. Devo andare.
Welcome! Bienvenue Benvenuti
Let's go! Allons-y ! Andiamo!
Good luck! Bonne chance ! Buona fortuna!
Have fun! (inf) Amuse-toi ! Divertiti!
Bless you! A tes souhaits ! Salute!
Cheers! A la vôtre ! Cincin!
Pay attention! / Be careful! (f)
Faites attention ! Fate attenzione!
Don't worry! (inf) Ne t'en fais pas ! Non ti preoccupare!
Shut up! (f / inf) Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi ! Sta zitto! / Stai zitto!
Congratulations! Félicitations ! Congratulazioni!
Happy New Year Bonne Année Buon Anno
Happy Easter Joyeuses Pâques Buona Pasqua
Merry Christmas Joyeux Noël Buon Natale
Happy Birthday Bon Anniversaire Buon Compleanno
I love you. (singular) Je t'aime Ti amo / Ti voglio bene
I miss you. (singular) Tu me manques Mi manchi
Adjectives in both languages must agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular and plural) with the nouns they describe. For example. if you are a man, you would use je suis fatigué in French and sono stanco in Italian for I am tired. If you are a woman, you would use je suis fatiguée in French and sono stanca in Italian. Vocabulary words are generally given in the masculine form, with the feminine ending in parentheses.(In French, you generally add -e to form the feminine; while in Italian, you change -o to -a). If there is only one form of an adjective given, then it is the same for masculine and feminine (such as malade in French).
There are two ways to say "you" in both languages, formally (f) or informally (inf). The formal you is the polite form and should be used with people you do not know or with people to whom you want to show respect. The informal you should be used with children and animals, and with close friends and family.
Pronunciation
The major difference in pronunciation between the two languages is that French has several silent letters, while every letter must be pronounced in Italian. In addition, French contains four distinctive nasal vowels that do not exist in Italian.
Vowels
Vowels in French are somewhat complex (12). Vowels in Italian are much simpler (7). Vowels that do not exist in English are highlighted.
French Vowels Italian Vowels
English Pronunciation
[i] vie, midi, lit, riz [i] vita meet
[y] rue, jus, tissu, usine ee rounded
[e] blé, nez, cahier, pied [e] vedi wait
[ø] jeu, yeux, queue, bleu ay rounded
[ɛ] lait, aile, balai, reine [ɛ] era bet
[œ] sœur, œuf, fleur, beurre eh rounded
[a] chat, ami, papa, salade [a] kane not
[ɑ] bas, âne, grâce, château
ah longer
[u] loup, cou, caillou, outil [u] uva boot
[o] eau, dos, escargot, hôtel
[o] sole coat
[ɔ] sol, pomme, cloche, horloge [ɔ] modo law
[ə] fenêtre, genou, cheval, cerise
rut
I'm using the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols for the vowels and a rough phonetic transcription for those who do not know the IPA.
French has three front rounded vowels that do not exist in English, but you can learn to pronounce them correctly because their unrounded counterparts do exist in
English. To pronounce [y], round your lips when saying [i]; to pronounce [ø], round
your lips when saying [e]; and to pronounce [œ], round your lips when saying [ɛ]. The
distinction between [a] and [ɑ] continues to disappear in modern French, so don't worry about trying to distinguish these two sounds.
Pronouncing Italian vowels is rather easy. The only problems arise when distinguishing the two e's and o's. If the vowel is stressed, then it is always closed [e]
and [o]. If the vowel is not stressed, it is always open [ɛ] and [ɔ]. This can change according to regional dialects in Italy, of course, but this is the standard rule.
Nasal Vowels, Semi-Vowels/Consonants, & Diphthongs
The four nasal vowels are a distinctive feature of French. There are also three semi-vowels. In Italian, there are two semi-vowels, several diphthongs and a few triphthongs.
French nasal vowels
French semi-vowels
Italian semi-vowels
[ ] gant, banc, dent
[w] oui, Louis [w] quando, uomo
[ɛ ] pain, vin, linge [ɥ] lui, suisse [j]
piano, ieri, piove
[ ] brun, lundi, parfum
[j] oreille, Mireille
[ ] rond, ongle, front
The distinction between the two nasals [ɛ ] and [ ] is disappearing in French. Italian semi-vowels are written ua, ue, uo, ui for [w] and ia, ie, io, iu for [j]. If another vowel precedes u or i, then it is a diphthong: ai, ei, oi, au, eu. The combination iu + another vowel creates a triphthong.
Consonants
French consonants
ex + vowel egz examen, exercice eg-zah-mawn, eg-zehr-sees
ex + consonant
eks exceptionnel, expression
ek-sehp-see-oh-nel, ek-spreh-see-ohn
ch (Latin origin)
sh architecte, archives
ar-shee-tekt, ar-sheev
ch (Greek origin)
k orchestre, archéologie
ohr-kehs-tr, ar-kay-oh-loh-zhee
ti + vowel (except é)
see démocratie, nation day-moh-krah-see, nah-see-ohn
Italian consonant + vowel combinations
c + a, o, u, he, hi
k amica, amico, amiche
ah-mee-kah, ah-mee-koh, ah-mee-keh
c + ia, io, iu, ch bacio, celebre, bah-cho, cheh-leh-breh,
e, i cinema chee-neh-mah
g + a, o, u, he, hi
g gara, gusto, spaghetti
gah-rah, goo-stoh, spah-geh-tee
g + ia, io, iu, e, i
dj Giotto, gelato, magico
djoh-toh, djeh-lah-toh, mah-djee-koh
sc + a, o, u, he, hi
sk scala, scuola, scheda
skah-lah, skoo-oh-la, skeh-dah
sc + ia, io, iu, e, i
sh sciarpa, sciupato, scemo
shar-pah, shoo-pah-toh, sheh-moh
In both languages, s is generally pronounced the same as in English, except when it is between two vowels, then it is pronounced like z. H is always silent.
Double consonants in Italian must be pronounced individually: il nonno (eel nohn-noh) is pronounced differently than il nono (eel noh-noh)
Liaison in French forces a preceding consonant to be pronounced before the following vowel of the next word. Normally, this consonant is silent, but it must be pronounced at the beginning of the next word: très (treh) and heureux (uh-ruh) become treh zuh-ruh when pronounced together. S and x are pronounced as z, d as t and f as v in liaisons.
Stress
In general, stress falls on the last syllable in French and the second-to-last syllable in Italian. If stress falls on the last syllable in Italian, the vowel is written with an accent mark (la città). However, it is also possible for the stress in Italian to fall on the third-to-last syllable (America, telefono) and even the fourth-to-last syllable (telefonano) in third person plural verb conjugations.
ALPHABET
English French Italian
A ah ah
B bay bee
C say chee
D day dee
E uh eh
F eff eff-eh
G zhay zhee
H ahsh ahk-kah
I ee ee
J shee ee loon-gah
K kah kahp-pah
L ell ehl-eh
M emm ehm-eh
N enn ehn-eh
O oh oh
P pay pee
Q kew koo
R air ehr-reh
S ess ehs-seh
T tay teh
U ew oo
V vay voo
W doo-blah-vay dohp-pyah voo
X eeks eeks
Y ee-grek ee greh-kah
Z zed dzeh-tah
NUMBERS
English French Italian English French Italian
zero zéro zero
one un uno first premier (ère) primo (a)
two deux due second deuxième secondo (a)
three trois tre third troisième terzo (a)
four quatre quattro fourth quatrième quarto (a)
five cinq cinque fifth cinquième quinto (a)
six six sei sixth sixième sesto (a)
seven sept sette seventh septième settimo (a)
eight huit otto eighth huitième ottavo (a)
nine neuf nove ninth neuvième nono (a)
ten dix dieci tenth dixième decimo (a)
eleven onze undici eleventh onzième undicesimo (a)
twelve douze dodici twelfth douzième dodicesimo (a)
thirteen treize tredici thirteenth treizième tredicesimo (a)
fourteen quatorze quattordici fourteenth quatorzième quattordicesimo (a)
fifteen quinze quindici fifteenth quinzième quindicesimo (a)
sixteen seize sedici sixteenth seizième sedicesimo (a)
seventeen dix-sept diciassette seventeenth dix-septième diciassettesimo (a)
eighteen dix-huit diciotto eighteenth dix-huitième diciottesimo (a)
nineteen dix-neuf diciannove nineteenth dix-neuvième diciannovesimo
(a)
twenty vingt venti twentieth vingtième ventesimo (a)
twenty-one vingt et un ventuno twenty-first vingt et unième
ventunesimo (a)
twenty-two vingt-deux ventidue twenty-second
vingt-deuxième
ventiduesimo (a)
twenty-three
vingt-trois ventitre twenty-third vingt-troisième
ventitreesimo (a)
thirty trente trenta twenty-fourth
vingt-quatrième
ventiquattresimo (a)
forty quarante quaranta twenty-fifth vingt-cinquième
venticinquesimo (a)
fifty cinquante cinquanta
sixty soixante sessanta one-half une moitié un mezzo
seventy soixante-dix
settanta one-third un tiers un terzo
eighty quatre-vingts
ottanta one-fourth un quart un quarto
ninety quatre-vingt-dix
novanta
hundred cent cento once une fois una volta
hundred one
cent un centuno twice deux fois due volte
two hundred
deux cents duecento three times trois fois tre volte
thousand mille mille
million un million un milione
When writing numbers, switch the use of commas and periods. For example, 4.50 in English would be written as 4,50 in French and Italian. In French, cent has a plural form: cents, but mille is invariable (there is no plural form); while in Italian,cento is invariable and mille has a plural form: mila.
French telephone numbers are ten digits, beginning with zero, and the country code is 33 (Belgium: 32, Switzerland: 41, Canada: 1). Italian telephone numbers are between 8 and 11 digits, most beginning with zero, and the country code is 39.
ARTICLES & DEMONSTRATIVES
Definite and Indefinite Articles
Definite Article (the)
French Italian Indefinite Article (a, an)
French Italian
masculine singular le il masculine singular un un
begins with vowel l' l' begins with vowel un un
begins with s + cons.
lo begins with s + cons.
uno
masculine plural les i masculine plural des dei
plural of l' and lo gli plural: di + gli degli
feminine singular la la feminine singular une una
begins with vowel l' l' begins with vowel une un'
feminine plural les le feminine plural des delle
Articles are slightly more complicated in Italian. The rows in italics only concern Italian and not French. If a masculineItalian noun begins with s + consonant, z, gn, ps, x, or i + vowel, you must use lo as the definite article (instead of il). However, la is still used for all feminine Italian nouns that begin with those same letters. Only il changes to i in the plural, while l' and lo change to gli. Feminine articles are more simple: la and l' change to le in the plural. The plural indefinite article can be expressed as some in English, but it is not always used.
Demonstrative Adjectives
this / these + noun French Italian that / those + noun French Italian
masculine singular ce questo masculine singular ce quel
begins with vowel cet quest' begins with vowel cet quell'
begins with s + cons.
questo begins with s + cons.
quello
masculine plural ces questi masculine plural ces quei
plural of l' and lo questi plural: di + gli quegli
feminine singular cette questa feminine singular cette quella
begins with vowel cette quest' begins with vowel cette quell'
feminine plural ces queste feminine plural ces quelle
In French, ce, cet, and cette can be translated as this or that, while ces can be translated as these or those. If you would like to be precise, you can add -ci to the end of the noun to specify this/these (for what is close to you), and -là to the end of the noun to specify that/those (for what is further away from you). For example, cette chaise-ci means this chair whilecette chaise-là means that chair. In Italian, two distinct forms exist to distinguish between what is close and what is far away: quest- for close, and quel- for far away.
In Italian, demonstrative adjectives (which precede nouns) and demonstrative pronouns (which take the place of nouns) have very similar forms. In French, the demonstrative pronouns have different forms. You can add -ci and -là to the French demonstrative pronouns to specify what is close (this/these) and what is far away (that/those): celui-ci meansthis one, while celui-là means that one.
Demonstrative Pronouns
this / these + verb French Italian that / those + verb French Italian
masculine singular celui questo masculine singular celui quello
masculine plural ceux questi masculine plural ceux quelli
feminine singular celle questa feminine singular celle quella
feminine plural celles queste feminine plural celles quelle
NOUNS: GENDER & NUMBER
There are two genders of nouns in both languages, masculine and feminine, and two numbers, singular and plural. Adjectives agree in gender and number with nouns, so you must learn the gender with each noun in order to form grammatically correct phrases. Usually the last letter of the noun will tell you which gender it is.
Gender In French, masculine singular nouns generally end with a consonant, - age or -ment. Feminine singular nouns generally end with -ure, -sion, -tion, -ence, -ance, -té, and -ette. In Italian, masculine singular nouns generally end with -o or -ore. Feminine singular nouns generally end with -a or -zione. Nouns ending with -e and -ista can be either gender, so you must learn those individually. A few masculine nouns end with -a: il problema, il tema, il teorema, il poeta, il cinema, il programma; and a few feminine nouns end with -o: la mano, la radio, la foto, la moto.
In most cases, the gender of a noun is the same in French and Italian. But there are some cases in which the genders are reversed. (For example, names of cities and letters of the alphabet are masculine in French, but feminine in Italian.)
Masculine in French / Feminine in Italian Feminine in French / Masculine in
Italian
English French Italian English French Italian
air l'air l'aria affair, case l'affaire l'affare
art l'art l'arte tooth la dent il dente
calm le calme la calma oil l'huile l'olio
number/digit le chiffre la cifra limit la limite il limite
couple le couple la coppia sea la mer il mare
Sunday le dimanche la domenica method la méthode
il metodo
summer l'été l'estate minute la minute il minuto
forehead le front la fronte panic la panique il panico
guide le guide la guida period la période il periodo
spring le printemps
la primavera planet la planète il pianeta
sand le sable la sabbia second la seconde
il secondo
evening le soir la sera attempt la tentative
il tentativo
Number In French, singular nouns generally add -s (unless the noun already ends in -s, -z, or -x, then they change nothing for the plural), though nouns ending in -au, -eau, and -eu add -x instead (or change -al/-ail to -aux) to form the plural. (Exceptions:festival, carnaval, bal, pneu, bleu, landau, détail, chandail all add -s) There are also seven nouns ending in -ou that add -x instead of -s: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, pou, joujou, hibou
French Irregular Plurals: l'œil - les yeux (eye-eyes); le ciel - les cieux (sky-skies); le jeune homme - les jeunes gens(young man-young men); and three nouns are masculine in the singular, but feminine in the plural: amour, délice, orgue In Italian, singular nouns that end with -o or -e, whether masculine or feminine, change to -i in the plural. Feminine nouns change -a to -e in the plural. Monosyllabic nouns, nouns that end with an accented letter, with a consonant, and with -i do not change in the plural. Nouns ending in -ca, -go, -ca, and -ga add an -h before the plural ending (as a rule of pronunciation). Nouns that end with -io can either change to -ii in the plural (if the i of -io is stressed), or to -i (if the i of -io is not stressed).
Italian Irregular Plurals: l'uomo - gli uomini (man-men); il dio - gli dei (god-gods); il bue - i buoi (beef); il centinaio - le centinaia (century-centuries); il dito - le dita (finger-fingers); il riso - le risa (laughter); l'uovo - le uova (egg-eggs);l'ala - le ali (wing-wings); l'arma - le armi (weapon-weapons); la mano - le mani (hand-hands)
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
Subject Pronouns Direct Object
Pronouns Indirect Object
Pronouns Disjunctive Pronouns
English French
Italian
English
French
Italian
English
French
Italian
English
French
Italian
I je io me me mi me me mi me moi me
you (s, inf)
tu tu you (s, inf)
te ti you (s, inf)
te ti you (s, inf)
toi te
you (s, f)
vous Lei you (s, f)
vous La you (s, f)
vous Le you (s, f)
vous Lei
he / she
il / elle lui / lei
him / her
le / la lo / la him / her
lui gli / le
him / her
lui /elle
lui / lei
one / we
on si
we nous noi us nous ci us nous ci us nous noi
you (pl, inf/f)
vous voi you (pl, inf)
vous vi you (pl, inf)
vous vi you (pl, inf)
vous voi
they (m/fem)
ils / elles
loro them les li them leur loro them eux / elles
loro
s = singular, pl = plural, inf = informal, f = formal, m = masculine, fem = feminine
There is more than one you in both languages, depending on how many people you are speaking to and how informal or formal you are being. In French, tu is singular and informal (when speaking to one person, such as a family member); while vous is plural, whether informal or formal (when speaking to more than one person) AND singular and formal (when speaking to one person, whom you do not know well or to whom you'd like to show respect). In Italian, tu is informal and singular, while Lei is formal and singular and voi is plural, whether informal or formal. Keep in mind that Leitakes a third person singular form when conjugating verbs (same as for he/she - lui/lei).
On and si are used as an abstract subject meaning one, they, you, we, people in general, etc. There are several translations of this into English where the subject doesn't refer to any person already mentioned: They say it's going to rain today. How are you supposed to do this? What should one do with $10 million? In addition, the French on is very commonly used to mean we instead of nous in everyday conversation. It always take a third person singular form when conjugating verbs, even though it refers to more than one person.
In both languages, if you want to use it to refer to a noun, you must know the gender. For example, il in French can meanhe or it, depending on what noun the pronoun refers to. Il est petit, le garçon. He is small, the boy. Il est petit, le lit. It is small, the bed. Notice that they can also be translated in two ways in French (ils and elles), depending on the gender of the noun.
VERBS: BE, HAVE, DO
Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense
être / essere - to be
suis sono étais ero serai sarò
es sei étais eri seras sarai
est è était era sera sarà
sommes siamo étions eravamo serons saremo
êtes siete étiez eravate serez sarete
sont sono étaient erano seront saranno
avoir / avere - to have
ai ho avais avevo aurai avrò
as hai avais avevi auras avrai
a ha avait aveva aura avrà
avons abbiamo avions avevamo aurons avremo
avez avete aviez avevate aurez avrete
ont hanno avaient avevano auront avranno
faire / fare - to do, make
fais faccio faisais facevo ferai farò
fais fai faisais facevi feras farai
fait fa faisait faceva fera farà
faisons facciamo faisions facevamo ferons faremo
faites fate faisiez facevate ferez farete
font fanno faisaient facevano feront faranno
Past tense here refers to the imperfect, not preterite.
In French, the subject pronoun must always be used before the verb conjugations. When the verb begins with a vowel, jebecomes j' and is connected to the verb (j'ai). In informal speech, the same happens with tu, it becomes t' and is connected to the following verb (t'as). In Italian, you do not have to use the subject pronouns, unless you want to emphasize the subject or to avoid ambiguity.
There are several common and idiomatic expressions with the verbs avoir and avere, which translate to be in English:
to be hungry avoir faim avere fame
to be thirsty avoir soif avere sete
to be warm avoir chaud avere caldo
to be cold avoir froid avere freddo
to be right avoir raison avere ragione
to be wrong avoir tort avere torto
to be sleepy avoir sommeil avere sonno
to be afraid (of) avoir peur (de) avere paura (di)
to be # years old avoir # ans avere # anni
to need avoir besoin de avere bisogno di
to want, feel like avoir envie de avere voglia di
There is another verb in Italian that means to be, stare. But this verb is only used in expressions relating to health and feelings and when expressing the progressive form (be + gerund in English).
Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense
stare - to be
sto stavo starò
stai stavi starai
sta stava starà
stiamo stavamo staremo
state stavate starete
stanno starano staranno
INTERROGATIVES / CONJUNCTIONS / ADVERBS
English French Italian English French Italian
who qui chi because parce que perché
whose de qui di chi and et e
what qu'est-ce que / quoi che cosa / che / cosa or ou o
where où dove but mais ma
where from d'où di dove if si se
why pourquoi perché not pas non
when quand quando very très molto
how comment come also aussi anche
how much combien quanto while pendant mentre
which quel(le) quale since depuis da
that que che although bien que benché
DAYS / MONTHS / SEASONS
English French Italian English French Italian
Monday lundi lunedì January janvier gennaio
Tuesday mardi martedì February février febbraio
Wednesday mercredi mercoledì March mars marzo
Thursday jeudi giovedì April avril aprile
Friday vendredi venerdì May mai maggio
Saturday samedi sabato June juin giugno
Sunday dimanche domenica July juillet luglio
August août agosto
spring le printemps la primavera September septembre settembre
summer l'été (m) l'estate (f) October octobre ottobre
autumn l'automne (m) l'autunno November novembre novembre
winter l'hiver (m) l'inverno December décembre dicembre
The days of the week and months of the year are all masculine in both languages (except domenica in Italian). If you want to express an action that happens habitually on a certain day, use the definite article before the day: le lundi / il lunedì (on Mondays). In a season or a month is translated as en in French (except for in spring, which is au printemps) and in in Italian. When writing the date, use the definite article (le or il) plus the number and then the month: le 5 mai / il 5 maggio. For the first day of a month, you must use premier or primo instead of the number.
TIME / WEATHER / DIRECTIONS
What time is it?
Quelle heure est-il ?
Che ora è? / Che ore sono?
What's the weather like?
Quel temps fait-il ?
Che tempo fa?
At what time?
A quelle heure ?
A che ora? It's nice Il fait bon Fa tempo buono
1:00 Il est une heure
È l'una It's beautiful Il fait beau Fa bel tempo
2:00 Il est deux heures
Sono le due It's hot Il fait chaud Fa caldo
3:10 Il est trois heures dix
Sono le tre e dieci
It's cold Il fait froid Fa freddo
19:50 Il est vingt heures moins dix
Sono le venti meno dieci
It's sunny Il fait du soleil
C'è il sole
18:15 Il est dix-huit heures et quart
Sono le diciotto e un cuarto
It's windy Il fait du vent
Tira vento
7:45
Il est huit heures moins le quart
Sono le otto meno un quarto
It's cool Il fait frais Fa fresco
15:30 Il est quinze heures et demie
Sono le quindici e mezzo
It's bad Il fait mauvais
Fa brutto tempo
noon midi mezzogiorno It's foggy Il fait du brouillard
C'è la nebbia
midnight minuit mezzanotte It's cloudy Il fait nuageux
È nuvoloso
exactly précise in punto It's stormy Il fait orageux
Il tempo è burrascoso
in the morning
du matin di mattina It's raining Il pleut Piove
in the afternoon
de l'après-midi
del pomeriggio It's snowing Il neige Nevica
in the evening
du soir di sera It's freezing Il gèle Fa un freddo gelido
English French Italian English French Italian
afternoon l'après-midi (m)
il pomeriggio sunrise le lever du soleil
il levar del sole
century le siècle il secolo sunset le coucher du soleil
il tramonto
dawn l'aube l'alba time le temps il tempo
day le jour il giorno today aujourd'hui oggi
daybreak le point du jour
la spuntar del giorno
tomorrow demain domani
dusk la tombée de la nuit
il far della notte week la semaine la settimana
evening le soir la sera year l'an (m) l'anno
fortnight la quinzaine la quindicina yesterday hier ieri
holiday la fête la festa last, dernier (ère) ultimo
previous
hour l'heure (f) l'ora next prochain(e) prossimo
half hour une demi-heure
una mezz'ora north nord nord
quarter hour
un quart d'heure
un quarto d'ora south sud sud
hour and half
une heure et demi
un'ora e mezzo east est est
leap year l'année bissextile
l'anno bisestile west ouest ovest
midnight la minuit la mezzanotte northeast nord-est nord-est
minute la minute il minuto northwest nord-ouest nord-ovest
month le mois il mese southeast sud-est sud-est
morning la matin la mattina southwest sud-ouest sud-ovest
night la nuit la notte to/on the left
à gauche a sinistra
noon le midi il mezzogiorno to/on the right
à droite a destra
season la saison la stagione straight tout droit sempre diritto
second la seconde il secondo
COLORS & SHAPES
English French Italian English French Italian
red rouge rosso (-a) square le carré il quadrato
pink rose rosa circle le cercle il cerchio
orange orange arancione triangle le triangle il triangolo
yellow jaune giallo (-a) rectangle le rectangle il rettangolo
green vert(e) verde oval l'ovale l'ovale
blue bleu(e) azzurro (-a)
box la boîte la scatola
purple lila / violet(te)
viola sphere la sphère la sfera
brown brun(e) / marron
marrone cube le cube il cubo
black noir(e) nero (-a) pyramid la pyramide la piramide
white blanc(he) bianco (-a)
cone le cône il cono
gray gris(e) grigio (-a) cylinder le cylindre il cilindro
silver argenté(e) argento (- heart le cœur il cuore
a)
gold dor oro (-a) star l'étoile (f) la stella
diamond le diamant il diamante
crescent le croissant la mezzaluna
Remember that colors are adjectives and they are placed after the noun they modify. In French, add -e to form the feminine; in Italian, change the final -o to -a. Adjectives that already end in -e do not change for the feminine in either language. Adjectives that end in -a (such as lila or viola) tend to be invariable and do not change at all, not even for the plural.
FAMILY
family la famille la famiglia stepson le beau-fils il figliastro
mother la mère la madre stepsister la belle-sœur
la sorellastra
mom maman mamma stepbrother le beau-frère
il fratellastro
father le père il padre half-sister la demi-sœur
la sorellastra
dad papa papà half-brother le demi-frère
il fratellastro
parents les parents i genitori mother-in-law la belle-mère
la suocera
daughter la fille la figlia father-in-law le beau-père
il suocero
son le fils il figlio daughter-in-law
la belle-fille la nuora
children les enfants i figli son-in-law le gendre il genero
sister la sœur la sorella sister-in-law la belle-sœur
la cognata
brother le frère il fratello brother-in-law
le beau-frère
il cognato
wife la femme / l'épouse
la sposa godmother la marraine la madrina
husband le mari / l'époux
lo sposo godfather le parrain il padrino
grandmother la grand-mère
la nonna girl la jeune fille la ragazza
grandfather le grand-père
il nonno boy le garçon il ragazzo
grandparents les grands- i nonni baby le bébé il bambino
parents
granddaughter la petite-fille
la nipote woman la femme la donna
grandson le petit-fils il nipote man l'homme l'uomo
grandchildren les petits-enfants
i nipoti adult l'adulte l'adulto
cousin (f) la cousine la cugina relatives les parents i parenti
cousin (m) le cousin il cugino twins les jumeaux i gemelli
aunt la tante la zia birth la naissance
la nascita
uncle l'oncle lo zio death la mort la morte
niece la nièce la nipote marriage le mariage il matrimonio
nephew le neveu il nipote divorce le divorce il divorzio
stepmother la belle-mère
la matrigna
single célibataire celibe / nubile
stepfather le beau-père
il patrigno married marié(e) sposato (-a)
stepdaughter la belle-fille la figliastra divorced divorcé(e) divorziato (-a)
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES & PRONOUNS
Possessive Adjectives
French Italian French Italian French Italian French Italian
adjective + noun
masculine singular
masculine plural
feminine singular
feminine plural
my mon il mio mes i miei ma la mia mes le mie
your (s) ton il tuo tes i tuoi ta la tua tes le tue
his / her son il suo ses i suoi sa la sua ses le sue
our notre il nostro nos i nostri notre la nostra
nos le nostre
your (pl) votre il vostro vos i vostri votre la vostra vos le vostre
their leur il loro leurs i loro leur la loro leurs le loro
In Italian, you must always use the definite article before the possessive adjective, except with singular family members that are not modified in any way. However, loro is invariable and always preceded by the definite article. In both languages, you generally use the definite article instead of a possessive adjective when referring to parts of the body (because it is obvious who they belong to).
In Italian, possessive adjectives (which precede nouns) and possessive pronouns (which take the place of nouns) have the same form. However, in French, there are different words for the possessive pronouns.
Possessive Pronouns
French Italian French Italian French Italian French Italian
verb + pronoun
masculine singular
masculine plural feminine singular feminine plural
mine le mien il mio les miens
i miei la mienne
la mia les miennes
le mie
yours (s) le tien il tuo les tiens i tuoi la tienne la tua les tiennes
le tue
his / hers le sien il suo les siens
i suoi la sienne
la sua les siennes
le sue
ours le nôtre
il nostro
les nôtres
i nostri
la nôtre la nostra
les nôtres le nostre
yours (pl) le vôtre
il vostro
les vôtres
i vostri
la vôtre la vostra
les vôtres le vostre
theirs le leur il loro les leurs i loro la leur la loro les leurs le loro
Remember that the forms for her/hers in Italian can also be capitalized and use for the singular formal your/yours: il Suo / i Suoi / la Sua / le Sue.
Go on to French & Italian II →
French & Italian Comparative Tutorial II: Learn Two Languages Simultaneously
Rocket French | Rocket Italian
ADJECTIVES: GENDER & NUMBER
Adjectives are placed after the noun they describe in French and Italian, though there are a few common adjectives that are placed before the noun (adjectives of beauty, age, goodness and size). They also must agree in gender and number with the noun. Most of the rules for changing gender and number in both languages are the same for adjectives as they are for nouns.
Gender In French, add -e to the masculine adjective to form the feminine. If the masculine adjective already ends in -e, then add nothing (the masculine and feminine forms are the same). There are several other rules for forming feminine adjectives inFrench: -x changes to -se, -il, -el, and -eil change to -ille, -elle, and -eille, -et changes to -ète, -en and -on change to -enne and -onne, -er changes to -ère, -f changes to -ve, -c changes to -che, -g changes to -gue, -eur changes to -euse if adjective is derived from verb, -eur changes to -rice if adjective is not same as verb, -eur changes to -eure with adjectives of comparison. Three common adjectives are irregular, and generally precede the noun: beau - belle (beautiful); nouveau - nouvelle (new); vieux - vieille (old). These three adjectives also have an alternate form that is used before masculine adjectives that begin with a vowel: bel, nouvel, vieil.
In Italian, masculine adjectives change -o to -a for the feminine. Adjectives that end in -e can be masculine or feminine.
Number In French, add -s to a singular adjective to form the plural, unless it already ends in -s, -x, or -z (adjectives ending in these letters are the same in the singular and plural).
In Italian, singular masculine adjectives change -o to -i and singular feminine adjectives change -a to -e to form the plural. Adjectives ending in -e (regardless of gender) change to -i for the plural. Same as for nouns, adjectives ending in -ca, -go, -ca, and -ga add an -h before the plural ending. Adjectives that end with -io can either change to -ii in the plural (if the i of -io is stressed), or to -i (if the i of -io is not stressed).
In both languages, when an adjective describes more than one noun of different genders, the adjective will be masculine plural. Mes amis et mes amies sont tous italiens. / I miei amici e le mie amiche sono tutti italiani. My male friends and my female friends are all Italian. However, in Italian, the adjective can also agree with the noun that is closest to it.
nice gentil / gentille gentile ugly laid/e brutto/a
mean méchant/e meschino/a open ouvert/e aperto/a
great / large grand/e grande closed fermé/e chiuso/a
small petit/e piccolo/a wide large largo/a
long long/ue lungo/a narrow étroit/e stretto/a
short (length) court/e corto/a hot chaud/e caldo/a
tall grand/e alto/a cold froid/e freddo/a
short (height) petit/e basso/a dirty sale sporco/a
new nouveau / nouvelle
nuovo/a clean propre pulito/a
young jeune giovane quiet tranquille zitto/a
old vieux / vieille vecchio/a loud bruyant/e rumoroso/a
first premier / première
primo/a thin maigre magro/a
next prochain/e prossimo/a big / fat gros / grosse grasso/a
last dernier / dernière
ultimo/a empty vide vuoto/a
same même stesso/a full plein/e pieno/a
different différent/e differente slow lent/e lento/a
good bon / bonne buono/a fast vide veloce
bad mauvais/e cattivo/a happy content/e felice
beautiful beau / belle bello/a sad triste triste
Remember for adjectives, you add -e to form the feminine in French; while in Italian, you change -o to -a.
VERBS: COME, GO
Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense
venir / venire - to come
viens vengo venais venivo viendrai verrò
viens vieni venais venivi viendras verrai
vient viene venait veniva viendra verrà
venons veniamo venions venivamo viendrons verremo
venez venite veniez venivate viendrez verrete
viennent vengono venaient venivano viendront verranno
aller / andare - to go
vais vado allais andavo irai andrò
vas vai allais andavi iras andrai
va va allait andava ira andrà
allons andiamo allions andavamo irons andremo
allez andate alliez andavate irez andrete
vont vanno allaient andavono iront andranno
Aller and andare can both be used to indicate the future, as does go in English: to be going to + infinitive. In French, aller is followed directly by the infinitive, but in Italian, the preposition a is placed between andare and the infinitive.
Je vais partir. / Vado a partire. I'm going to leave.
ASKING QUESTIONS
Yes / No Questions
The easiest way to form yes/no questions in both languages is to add n'est-ce pas to the end of French statements andnon è vero to the end of Italian statements. These phrases are similar to the tags that English adds to the end of questions, and therefore there are several translations into English.
Tu es une étudiante, n'est-ce pas ? / Sei una studentessa, non è vero? You're a student, aren't you?
You can also change the word order to form yes/no questions. In French, you invert the subject and verb and write them together with a hypen. If the verb ends in a vowel, you must add -t- between the verb and subject for ease of pronunciation. And if there is a subject other than the subject pronoun, you leave the subject at the beginning and invert the subject pronoun and verb. In Italian, you simply add a question mark to the end of the sentence and raise the intonation of your voice. Or if there is a subject, you can move it to the end of the sentence.
Parlez-vous allemand ? / Parlate tedesco? Do you speak German? Le garçon a-t-il faim ? / Ha fame, il ragazzo? Is the boy hungry?
Another way to form yes/no questions in French involves adding est-ce que before the statement: Est-ce que vous parlez allemand ? You can also simply add a question mark and raise the intonation of your voice to form questions inFrench, but this is informal and not advised in writing: Vous parlez allemand ?
Interrogative Questions
For questions that begin with wh- words or phrases in English, you use question word + inversion of subject and verb inFrench and simply the question word + verb in Italian. You can also use question word + est-ce que + subject + verb inFrench if you do not want to use inversion. A third, and informal, way of forming wh- questions in French is to use the question word + subject + verb (no est-ce que and no inversion).
Quelle heure est-il ? / Che ore sono? What time is it?
NEGATIVES
In French, ne and pas are placed around the verb to make the phrase negative. (In everyday spoken French, ne is often dropped, but it must always be written). In Italian, non is placed before the verb.
Il n'est pas triste. / Non è triste. He is not sad. Tu n'es pas parti ? / Non è partito? You haven't left? Je ne joue pas au foot. / Non gioco a calcio. I don't play soccer.
Other negatives use two words in both languages. Ne or non is placed before the verb, and the other word is placed after. Unlike English, it is possible to use two negative words in a sentence.
English French Italian
never ne...jamais non...mai
no longer, no more ne...plus non...più
nothing ne...rien non...niente
nobody ne...personne non...nessuno
neither...nor ne...ni...ni non...nè...nè
WORK & SCHOOL
English French Italian English French Italian
actor l'acteur l'attore lawyer l'avocat l'avvocato
actress l'actrice l'attrice mechanic le mécanicien il meccanico
author l'écrivain l'autore musician le musicien il/ la musicista
baker le boulanger il fornaio nurse l'infirmière l'infermiera
bookseller le libraire il libraio optician l'opticien l'ottico
businessman le commerçant
il commerciante
painter le peintre il pittore
butcher le boucher il macellaio pharmacist le chimiste il chimico
clerk le vendeur il commesso photographer le photographe
il fotografo
cook le cuisinier il cuoco policeman l'agent de police
la guardia
customer le client il cliente postman le facteur il
portalettere
dentist le dentiste il dentista priest le curé il prete
doctor le médecin / docteur
il medico / dottore
publisher l'éditeur l'editore
employee l'employé l'impiegato shoemaker le cordonnier il calzolaio
engineer l'ingénieur l'ingegnere singer le chanteur il cantante
fisherman le pêcheur il pescatore soldier le soldat il soldato
gardener le jardinier il giardiniere student l'étudiant lo studente
hairdresser le coiffeur il parrucchiere surgeon le chirurgien il chirurgo
jeweler le bijoutier il gioielliere teacher l'instituteur il maestro
journalist le journaliste il giornalista typist le dactylographe
il dattilografo
judge le juge il giudice workman l'ouvrier l'operaio
English French Italian English French Italian
accounting le comptabilité
la ragioneria
history l'histoire (f) la storia
architecture
l'architecture l'architettura
law le droit la giurisprudenza
art l'art l'arte (f) linguistics le linguistique la linguistica
astronomy l'astronomie l'astronomia literature la littérature le lettere
biology la biologie la biologia mathematics
les mathématiques
la matematica
business les commerces
il commercio
medicine la médecine la medicina
chemistry la chimie la chimica music la musique la musica
computer science
l'informatique
l'informatica philosophy la philosophie la filosofia
earth science
la science de la terra
la scienza della terra
physical education
l'éducation physique
l'educazione fisica
economics l'économie l'economia physics la physique la fisica
engineering
l'ingénieur l'ingegneria political science
la science politique
le scienze politiche
foreign languages
les langues étrangères
la lingua straniera
psychology la pyschologie la psicologia
geography la géographie
la geografia science la science la scienza
geometry la géométrie la geometria sociology la sociologie la sociologia
In the French school system, foreign languages is referred to as les langues vivantes (living languages).
COUNTRIES & NATIONALITIES
English French Italian English French Italian
Africa l'Afrique (f) l'Africa Indonesia l'Indonésie (f) l'Indonesia
African africain/e africano/a Indonesian indonésien/ne indonesiano/a
Albania l'Albanie l'Albania Ireland l'Irlande (f) l'Irlanda
Albanian albanais/e albanese Irishman irlandais/e irlandese
America l'Amérique (f)
l'America Israel l'Israël l'Israele
American américain/e americano/a
Israeli israélien israeliano/a
Argentina l'Argentine (f)
l'Argentina Italy l'Italie (f) l'Italia
Argentine argentin/e argentino/a Italian italien/ne italiano/a
Asia l'Asie (f) l'Asia Japan le Japon il Giappone
Asian asiatique asiatico/a Japanese japonais/e giapponese
Australia l'Australie (f)
l'Australia Latvia la Lettonie la Lettonia
Australian
australien/ne
australiano/a
Latvian letton/ne lettone
Austria l'Autriche (f) l'Austria Lithuania la Lituanie la Lituania
Austrian autrichien/ne
austriaco/a Lithuanian lituanien/ne lituano/a
Belgian belge belga Luxembourger
luxembourgeois/e
lussemburghese
Belgium la Belgique il Belgio Luxembourg le Luxembourg il Lussemburgo
Bosnia la Bosnie la Bosnia Macedonia la Macédoine la Macedonia
Bosnian bosniaque bosniaco/a Macedonian macédonien/ne macedone
Brazil le Brésil il Brasile Malta Malte (f) Malta (f)
Brazilian brésilien/ne brasiliano/a Maltese maltais/e maltese
British brittanique britannico/a Netherlands les Pays Bas i Paesi Bassi
Bulgaria la Bulgarie la Bulgaria Dutch néerlandais/e olandese
Bulgarian bulgare bulgaro/a New Zealand la Nouvelle-Zélande
la Nuova Zelanda
Canada le Canada il Canada New Zealander
néo-zélandais/e neozelandese
Canadian canadien/ne canadese Norway la Norvège la Norvegia
China la Chine la Cina Norwegian norvégien/ne norvegese
Chinese chinois/e cinese Poland la Pologne la Polonia
Croatia la Croatie la Croazia Polish polonais/e polacco/a
Croatian croate croato/a Portuguese portugais/e portoghese
Czech tchèque ceco/a Portugal le Portugal il Portogallo
Czech Republic
la République Tchèque
la Repubblica Ceca
Romanian roumain/e romeno/a
Danish danois/e danese Romania la Roumanie la Romania
Denmark le Danemark
la Danimarca
Russia la Russie la Russia
Egypt l'Egypte (f) l'Egitto Russian russe russo/a
Egyptian égyptien/e egiziano/a Scotland l'Ecosse la Scozia
England l'Angleterre (f)
l'Inghilterra Scottish écossais/e scozzese
English anglais/e inglese Serbia la Serbie la Serbia
Estonia l'Estonie l'Estonia Serbian serbe serbo/a
Estonian estonien/ne estone Slovakia la Slovaquie la Slovacchia
Europe l'Europe (f) l'Europa Slovak slovaque slovacco/a
European
européen/ne
europeo/a Slovenia la Slovénie la Slovenia
Finland la Finlande la Finlandia Slovene slovène sloveno/a
Finnish finnois/e finlandese Spain l'Espagne (f) la Spagna
France la France la Francia Spanish espagnol/e spagnolo/a
French français/e francese Swedish suédois/e svedese
German allemand/e tedesco/a Sweden la Suède la Svezia
Germany l'Allemagne (f)
la Germania Switzerland la Suisse la Svizzera
Great Britain
la Grande-Bretagne
la Gran Bretagna
Swiss suisse svizzero/a
Greece la Grèce la Grecia Turkey la Turquie la Turchia
Greek grec/grecque
greco/a Turk turc/turcque turco/a
Hungarian
hongrois/e ungherese Ukrainian ukrainien/ne ucraino/a
Hungary la Hongrie l'Ungheria Ukraine l'Ukraine l'Ucraina
Iceland l'Islande l'Islanda United Kingdom
la Royaume-Uni il Regno Unito
Icelandic islandais/e islandese United States les Etats-Unis gli Stati Uniti
India l'Inde l'India Wales le Pays-de-Galles
Galles
Indian indien/ne indiano/a Welsh gallois/e gallese
The article is not used with Malta in either language.
PREPOSITIONS & CONTRACTIONS
Prepositions are highly idiomatic in any language, so it is always better to learn them in common phrases. Nevertheless, here are the most common prepositions:
English French Italian
to, in, at à a
in, to en / dans in
on sur su
with avec con
without sans senza
for pour per
from, by de da
of de di
over / above au-dessus sopra
under / below au-dessous sotto
in front of devant dietro
behind derrière di fronte a
near près de vicino a
far loin de lontano a
In both languages, possession is shown by using de or di (of) rather than the - 's in English:
le chat de Luca / il gatto di Luca Luca's cat (or the cat of Luca)
In French à and de combine with the definite articles: à + le = au, à + les = aux, de + le = du, de + les = des. Italian has several more contractions involving prepositions and articles:
il lo l' la i gli le
a al allo all' alla ai agli alle
da dal dallo dall' dalla dai dagli dalle
di del dello dell' della dei degli delle
in nel nello nell' nella nei negli nelle
su sul sullo sull' sulla sui sugli sulle
con col collo coll' colla coi cogli colle
Usually no article is used with in before words denoting rooms in a house or buildings in a city. The contractions with conare rarely used nowadays, but you will see them in older writings.
VERBS: KNOW
Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense
savoir / sapere - to know facts
sais so savais sapevo saurai saprò
sais sai savais sapevi sauras saprai
sait sa savait sapeva saura saprà
savons sappiamo savions sapevamo saurons sapremo
savez sapete saviez sapevate saurez saprete
savent sanno savaient sapevano sauront sapranno
connaître / conoscere - to know people, places; to be acquainted with
connais conosco connaissais
conoscevo connaîtrai
conoscerò
connais conosci connaissais
conoscevi connaîtras
conoscerai
connaît conosce connaissait conosceva connaîtra conoscerà
connaissons
conosciamo
connaissions
conoscevamo
connaîtrons
conosceremo
connaissez
conoscete
connaissiez
conoscevate
connaîtrez
conoscerete
connaissent
conoscono
connaissaient
conoscevano
connaîtront
conosceranno
FOOD & MEALS
English French Italian English French Italian
bacon le bacon il lardo lunch le déjeuner il pranzo
beef le bœuf il manzo meal le repas il pasto
beer la bière la birra meat la viande la carne
beverage la boisson la bevanda milk le lait il latte
biscuit le biscuit il biscotto mustard la moutarde
la mostarda
bread le pain il pane mutton le mouton la carne di montone
breakfast le petit déjeuner
la colazione oil l'huile (f) l'olio
butter le beurre il burro omelet l'omelette (f)
la frittata
cake la gâteau la torta pepper le poivre il pepe
candy le bonbon la caramella pie la tarte la torta
cheese le fromage il formaggio pork le porc il maiale
chicken le poulet il pollo rice le riz il riso
chocolate le chocolat il cioccolato roast le rôti l'arrosto
coffee le café il caffè roll le petit pain
il panino
cookie le biscuit il biscotto salad la salade l'insalata
cottage cheese
le fromage blanc
la ricotta salami le salami il salame
cotton candy la barbe à papa
lo zucchero filato
salt le sel il sale
cream la crème la panna sauce la sauce la salsa
dessert le dessert la frutta sausage la saucisse la salsiccia
dinner le dîner la cena soup la soupe la minestra
egg l'œuf (m) l'uovo steak le bifteck la bistecca
fat la graisse il grasso stew la ragoût lo stufato
flour la farine la farina sugar le sucre lo zucchero
ham le jambon il prosciutto supper le souper la cena
hamburger le hamburger l'hamburger tea le thé il tè
honey le miel il miele toast le pain grillé
il pane tostato
hot dog le hot-dog l'hot dog veal la veau la carne di vitello
ice la glace il ghiaccio vegetables le légume il legume
ice cream la glace il gelato vinegar le vinaigre l'aceto
jam la confiture la marmellata water l'eau l'acqua
juice le jus il succo wine le vin il vino
lollipop la sucette il leccalecca yogurt le yaourt lo yogurt
VERBS: CAN, WANT, MUST
Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense
pouvoir / potere - to be able to, can
peux posso pouvais potevo pourrai potrò
peux puoi pouvais potevi pourras potrai
peut può pouvait poteva pourra potrà
pouvons possiamo pouvions potevamo pourrons potremo
pouvez potete pouviez potevate pourrez potrete
peuvent possono pouvaient potevano pourront potranno
vouloir / volere - to want
veux voglio voulais volevo voudrai vorrò
veux vuoi voulais volevi voudras vorrai
veut vuole voulait voleva voudra vorrà
voulons vogliamo voulions volevamo voudrons vorremo
voulez volete vouliez volevate voudrez vorrete
veulent vogliono voulaient volevano voudront vorranno
devoir / dovere - to have to, must
dois devo devais dovevo devrai dovrò
dois devi devais dovevi devras dovrai
doit deve devait doveva devra dovrà
devons dobbiamo devions dovevamo devrons dovremo
devez dovete deviez dovevate devrez dovrete
doivent devono devaient dovevano devront dovranno
FRUITS & VEGETABLES
English French Italian English French Italian
almond l'amande (f) la mandorla lentil la lentille la lenticchia
apple la pomme la mela lettuce la laitue la lattuga
apricot l'abricot (m) l'albicocca lime le citron vert la limetta
artichoke l'artichaut (m) il carciofo melon le melon il melone
asparagus l'asperge (f) l'asparago mint la menthe la menta
avocado l'avocat l'avocado mushroom le champignon il fungo
banana le banane la banana oats l'avoine (f) l'avena
barley l'orge (f) l'orzo olive l'olive (f) l'oliva
bean (broad)
la fève la fava onion l'oignon (m) la cipolla
bean (kidney)
le haricot il fagiolo orange l'orange (f) l'arancia
berry la baie la bacca parsley le persil il prezzemolo
broccoli le brocoli i broccoli pea le petit pois il pisello
cabbage le choux il cavolo peach la pêche la pesca
carrot la carotte la carota pear la poire la pera
cauliflower le chou-fleur il cavolfiore pepper le poivron il peperone
celery le céleri il sedano pine le pin il pino
cherry la cerise la ciliegia pineapple l'ananas (m) l'ananasso
chestnut la châtaigne, le marron
la castagna plum la prune la susina
chives la ciboulette la cipollina potato la pomme de terre
la patata
corn la maïs il granoturco pumpkin le potiron la zucca
cucumber le concombre il cetriolo radish le radis il ravanello
currant la groseille il ribes raspberry la framboise il lampone
cypress le cyprès il cipresso rice le riz il riso
date la datte il dattero rye le seigle la segale
eggplant l'aubergine (f) la melanzana sage la sauge la salvia
fig la figue il fico seed la graine il seme
fruit le fruit la frutta spinach les épinards (m)
gli spinaci
garlic l'ail (m) l'aglio strawberry la fraise la fragola
grapefruit le pamplemousse
il pompelmo tomato la tomate il pomodoro
grapes le raisin l'uva turnip le navet la rapa
hazelnut la noisette la nocciola vine la vigne la vite
herb l'herbe (f) l'erba walnut la noix la noce
horse-radish
le raifort la barbaforte watermelon la pastèque l'anguria
leaf la feuille la foglia wheat le froment il frumento
lemon le citron il limone zucchini le courgette la zucchina
To specify the type of tree that a certain fruit grows on, just make the noun masculine and add -ier to the French fruit / change the last letter of the Italian fruit to -o (sometimes the fruit and the tree will be the same). la pomme / la mela - apple; le pommier / il melo - apple tree
THERE IS, ARE : IL Y A / C'E, CI SONO
Il y a is the French expression for there is or are. C'è is Italian for there is, while ci sono means there are.
il y a une chaise / c'è una sedia there is a chair il y a trois chats / ci sono tre gatti there are three cats
Il y a also means ago in French when it precedes a time period. In Italian, you add fa after the time period.
il y a un mois / un mese fa one month ago
NECESSITY: IL FAUT / BISOGNA, OCCORRE, CI VUOLE
To express necessity, such as must, have to, need (to), require, it's necessary to, etc. French uses il faut + verb or a noun (whether singular or plural). Italian has several more expressions: bisogna + verb; or occorre + verb; occorre + singular noun / occorrono + plural noun; or ci vuole + singular noun / ci vogliono + plural noun. The verbs will always be in the infinitive.
Il faut faire des courses. / Bisogna fare la spesa. You must / It's necessary to go grocery shopping. Il faut acheter du pain. / Occorre comprare pane. You must buy bread. Il faut du lait. / Occorre il latte. We need milk. Il faut des biscuits. / Ci vogliono i biscotti. We need cookies.
PARTITIVE
In French, you must always express some, especially when speaking about food, even though you do not have to do this in English. Partitives are formed by using de (of) + definite article: du, de l', de la and des in the positive; but in the negative, only de or d' are used. The partitive (contractions with di) is not required in Italian. You may use it in positive sentences, but never in negative sentences.
Est-ce que tu prends du vin ou de l'eau ? / Prendi (del) vino o (dell') acqua? Are you having (some) wine or (some) water? J'ai acheté des livres intéressants. / Ho comprato (dei) libri interessanti. I bought (some) interesting books. Je n'ai pas passé de bonnes vacances. / Non ho passato buone vacanze. I didn't have a good vacation.
Go on to French & Italian III →
French & Italian Comparative Tutorial III: Learn Two Languages Simultaneously
VERBS: PRESENT & PAST TENSES
In both languages, there are three types of verbs grouped according to the last letters of the infinitive. In French, there are -er, -re, and -ir verbs; while in Italian, there are -are, -ere, and -ire verbs. The following chart uses aimer/amare (to love);vendre/vendere (to sell); and finir/finire (to finish) as examples for all regular verbs in the present and imperfect tenses.(There is another simple past tense, the preterite, but it is rarely used in modern spoken French or Italian).
French Italian
aimer vendre finir amare vendere finire
Present Tense
aime vends finis amo vendo finisco
aimes vends finis ami vendi finisci
aime vend finit ama vende finisce
aimons vendons finissons amiamo vendiamo finiamo
aimez vendez finissez amate vendete finite
aiment vendent finissent amano vendono finiscono
Imperfect Tense
aimais vendais finissais amavo vendevo finivo
aimais vendais finissais amavi vendevi finivi
aimait vendait finissait amava vendeva finiva
aimions vendions finissions amavamo vendevamo finivamo
aimiez vendiez finissiez amavate vendevate finivate
aimaient vendaient finissaient amavano vendevano finivano
Not all French verbs that end in -ir or all Italian verbs that end in -ire use the above endings. Some -ir / -ire verbs have slightly different endings in the present tense. In French, verbs such as partir, dormir, sortir (to leave, to sleep, to go out) are conjugated thus: for the singular forms, take off the last three letters, and add -s, -s, -t; for the plural forms, take off the last two letters, and add -ons, -ez, -ent. For example, je pars, tu pars, il part, nous partons, vous partez, ils partent. In Italian, verbs such as partire, dormire, aprire (to leave, to sleep, to open) are conjugated without the -isc- before the regular endings. For example, parto, parti, parte, partiamo, partite, partono.
Regular Verbs
to like, love aimer amare to sell vendre vendere
to sing chanter cantare to wait for attendre aspettare
to look for chercher cercare to listen écouter ascoltare
to begin commencer cominciare to lose perdre perdere
to study étudier studiare to answer répondre (à) rispondere (a)
to close fermer chiudere to go down descendre scendere
to live habiter abitare to live vivre vivere
to play jouer giocare to understand comprendre capire
to eat manger mangiare to finish finir finire
to show montrer mostrare to choose choisir scegliere
to speak parler parlare to punish punir punire
to think penser pensare to fill remplir riempire
to work travailler lavorare to obey obéir (à) ubbidire (a)
to find trouver trovare to succeed réussir riuscire
to jump sauter saltare to cure, heal guérir guarire
SPELLING CHANGES IN THE PRESENT TENSE
There are a few spelling changes in regular verbs in the present tense. These changes are made to reflect the pronunciation of the conjugated verb.
In French, verbs that end in -ger will use -geons as the first person singular form (nous mangeons); while verbs that end in -cer will use -çons as the first person singular form (nous commençons). Verbs that end in -yer change the y to i in all forms except nous and vous (j'essaie, tu essaies, nous essayons). Some verbs add an accent grave to the letter e to all forms except nous and vous (j'achète, il achète, vous achetez). Some verbs double the consonant before the verb endings in all forms except nous and vous (tu appelle, elle appelle, vous appelez).
In Italian, verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h before the -i of the second person singular and first person pluralforms (tu and noi). Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare do not add an extra -i before the tu and noi forms.
IRREGULAR IMPERFECT VERBS
In French, there is only one verb in the imperfect that is irregular, être. It uses the stem ét- and the regular imperfect endings.
être
étais étions
étais étiez
était étaient
In Italian, the stem of essere becomes er- for io, tu, lui/lei and loro, and it does not take the v, while the stem for noi and voi is era- and it does take the v. The stems for bere, dire and fare are derived from the old Latin infinitives, and arebeve-, dice-, and face-. They also take the regular endings of the imperfect.
essere bere dire fare
ero eravamo bevevo bevevamo dicevo dicevamo facevo facevamo
eri eravate bevevi bevevate dicevi dicevate facevi facevate
era erano beveva bevevano diceva dicevano faceva facevano
PRONOMINAL VERBS
Pronominal verbs are conjugated like regular verbs, but have an extra pronoun before them that agrees with the subject of the verb. Most of these verbs indicate a reflexive action - that reflects back on the subject. You can translate the pronouns as myself, yourself, etc. but we rarely use these words in English. Some other verbs indicate a reciprocal action, translated by each other in English.
myself me mi
yourself te ti
himself/herself/itself se si
ourselves nous ci
yourselves vous vi
themselves se si
Reflexive verbs
to break (arm, leg, etc.)
se casser rompersi to fall asleep s'endormir addormentarsi
to hurry se dépêcher sbrigarsi to get dressed
s'habiller vestirsi
to relax se détendre rilassarsi to get married
se marier sposarsi
to rest se reposer riposarsi to get up se lever alzarsi
to get along s'entendre avec
intendersi con
to have a good time
s'amuser divertirsi
to train/practice s'entraîner allenarsi to remember to
se souvenir de
ricordarsi di
to be interested in
s'intéresser à
interessarsi di
to shave (the face)
se raser farsi la barba
to be bored s'ennuyer annoiarsi to stop (oneself)
s'arrêter fermarsi
to be called s'appeler chiamarsi to wake up se réveiller svegliarsi
to complain about
se plaindre lamentarsi di
to wash up se laver lavarsi
Notice in French that the reflexive pronoun precedes the infinitive, whereas in Italian, it is connected to the end of the infinitive.
When conjugating verbs, the reflexive pronoun is always placed before the conjugated verb in both languages. However, in sentences where the pronominal verb remains in the infinitive, the reflexive pronoun must agree with the subject of the main verb in the sentence.
Nous nous levons à 8h chaque matin. / Ci alziamo alla 8 ogni mattina. We get up at 8 am every morning. Il s'appelle Michael. / Si chiama Michael. He's called Michael. Vous allez vous amuser ce soir. / Andate a divertirvi stasera. You're going to have fun tonight.
ETRE SUR LE POINT DE / STARE PER + INFINITIVE
If you want to express to be about to do something, French uses être sur le point de + infinitive and Italian uses stare per + infinitive. You can use these expressions in the present and imperfect, just as in English.
J'étais sur le point de réussir. / Stavo per riuscire. I was about to succeed. On est sur le point de manger. / Stiamo per mangiare. We're about to eat. Vous êtes sur le point de finir. / State per finire. You are about to finish.
ETRE EN TRAIN DE / STARE + GERUND
To translate that an action is currently happening (the progressive form in English: be + gerund), French uses the phraseêtre en train de + infinitive, while Italian uses stare + gerund. Remember that être and stare can be conjugated in other tenses besides the present or imperfect. To form the gerund in Italian, just replace the verb endings: -are becomes-ando, -ere becomes -endo, and -ire also becomes -endo. There are three irregular forms: fare - facendo, dire -dicendo, bere - bevendo.
Je suis en train de lire. / Sto leggendo. I am reading. / I'm busy reading. / I'm in the middle of reading. Il était en train de parler. / Stava parlando. He was talking. Elles sont en train de partir. / Stanno partendo. They are leaving.
ON / SI
To translate you, we, they, the people (in general, abstract terms), French uses on + 3rd person singular conjugationwhereas Italian uses si + 3rd person conjugation (which agrees with the subject for number). However, on in French is a regular subject pronoun while si is not in Italian. It is actually a reflexive pronoun normally used with pronominal verbs. But this should not cause many problems as you rarely use the subject pronouns in Italian anyway. The subject for the Italian expression is placed after the verb and the verb agrees with it - singular or plural.
En France, on boit beaucoup de café. / In Francia, si beve molto caffè. In France, they drink a lot of coffee. / In France, a lot of coffee is drunk. En Italie, on mange beaucoup de glaces. / In Italia, si mangiano molti gelati. In Italy, they eat a lot of ice cream. / In Italy, a lot of ice cream is eaten.
French uses this same construction (reflexive pronoun + 3rd person conjugation) for the impersonal form and as a subsitute for the passive mood. For example, in the French Le pain s'achète à la boulangerie the verb is constructed the same as in the Italian Al panificio si compra il pane. It's just the word order that is slightly different. Both sentences mean Bread is bought at the bakery, but the French construction is not used as often because active expressions withon are more common: On achète le pain à la boulangerie.
PLAIRE / PIACERE
Because the verbs aimer and amare means to like and to love, it would be better to use the verbs plaire and piacere when talking about things that you like. The construction of these verbs can be confusing though because the word order is
different from English. In French, the word order is subject + indirect pronoun + plaire. In Italian, the word order is indirect pronoun + piacere + subject. You can think of these verbs as meaning to please rather than to like. Note that the verbs are only conjugated for third person singular and plural, because they agree with the subjects, and not the indirect pronouns.
Le football me plaît. Mi piace il calcio. I like soccer.
Le ski te plaît. Ti piace lo sci. You like skiing.
Les pommes lui plaisent.
Gli / Le piacciono le mele.
He / she likes apples.
Le sport nous plaît. Ci piace lo sport. We like sports.
Les films vous plaisent. Vi piacciono i film. You like films.
La natation leur plaît. A loro piace il nuoto. They like swimming.
VERBS: IMPERATIVE
The imperative is the command form of the verb. The subject (you) is implied and doesn't need to be expressed. You can also use the we form of verbs to express Let's... The imperative conjugations are very similar to the present tense conjugations in both languages.
Imperatives in French are slightly easier to form. The you singular form is identical to the tu conjugations, except -er verbs drop the -s. The you singular formal / you plural and we forms are identical to the vous and nous conjugations. To form the negative of an imperative, just place ne before the verb and pas after. For pronominal verbs, the affirmative imperative is formed connecting the reflexive pronoun to the verb with a hyphen (te becomes toi in imperatives). To form the negative pronominal imperative, the reflexive pronoun is once again placed before the verb and ne is placed before the pronoun and verb, and pas is placed after the verb.
Reste là. Stay there. Finis ton travail. Finish your work. Ecoutez le professeur. Listen to the teacher. Commençons. Let's begin. Ne fume pas. Don't smoke. Ne parlez pas. Don't speak. Dépêche-toi. Hurry. Ne vous levez pas. Don't get up.
Italian imperatives are not quite as similar to the present tense conjugations. The you singular form is -a for -are verbs and -i for -ere/-ire verbs. The you singular formal (the Lei form) is the opposite: -i for -are verbs and -a for -ere/-ire verbs. The you plural and we forms are identical to the voi and noi conjugations (just as in French). To make a command negative, just add non before the verb; except for you singular imperatives, where you use non + the infinitive. Pronominal verbs form the imperative by placing the reflexive pronoun after the verb, and they are written together as one word. Negative imperatives for pronominal verbs just add non before the verb; except for you singular pronominal verbs, which use non + the infinitive. However, the reflexive pronoun attached to this infinitive must still agree with the subject, so it will be -ti and not -si.
Resta lì. Stay there. Finisci il tuo lavoro. Finish your work. Ascoltate il professore. Listen to the teacher. Cominciamo. Let's begin. Non fumare. Don't smoke. Non parlate. Don't speak. Sbrigati. Hurry. Non alzatevi. Don't get up.
French Irregular
Imperatives Italian Irregular Imperatives
être avoir savoir andare venire fare dare dire essere
avere stare
you singular
sois aie sache va' vieni fa' da' di' sii abbi sta'
you sing. formal
soyez ayez sachez
vada venga faccia dia dica sia abbia stia
you plural
soyez ayez sachez
andate venite fate date dite siate abbiate
state
Let's…
soyons
ayons
sachons
andiamo
veniamo
facciamo
diamo
diciamo
siamo
abbiamo
stiamo
In Italian, dare is to give and dire is to tell.
VERBS: PRESENT PERFECT / PAST PERFECT TENSES
The perfect tenses in French and Italian are formed with to have or to be as auxiliary verbs and a past participle. (In English, to have is always the auxiliary verb.) To have or to be are in the present tense for the present perfect, and in the imperfect tense for the past perfect. The majority of verbs will use to have as the auxiliary verb; however, all prononimal/reflexive verbs in both languages use to be as the auxiliary. To form the past participle of a verb, use the following endings:
French Italian
-er / -are
-é -ato
-ir / -ire
-i -ito
-re / -ere
-u -uto
Verbs using to have (avoir/avere) as an auxiliary Verbs that can take a direct object use to have as an auxiliary. Word order is simply present/imperfect form of have + past participle. In the negative, word order becomes ne + present/imperfect of have + pas + past participle for French, and non + present/imperfect of have + past participle for Italian. There is no agreement with the past participle in gender or number unless there is a preceding
direct object. Follow the same rules for agreement as you do with nouns and adjectives: add -e for feminine and -s for plural in French; change -o to -a for feminine, -o to -i for masculine plural, and -o to -e for feminine plural in Italian.
French Italian English
Positive Tu as mangé la pomme.
Hai mangiato la mela.
You ate the apple.
Negative Tu n'as pas mangé la pomme.
Non hai mangiato la mela.
You didn't eat the apple.
Preceding Direct Object
Tu ne l'as pas mangée. Non la hai mangiata.
You didn't eat it.
Verbs using to be (être/essere) as an auxiliary Verbs that cannot take a direct object (i.e. intransitive verbs), as well as all pronominal verbs, generally use to be as an auxiliary. Word order is present/imperfect form of be + past participle for intransitive verbs and reflexive pronoun + present/imperfect form of be + past participle for prononimal verbs. In the negative, word order becomes ne + reflexive pronoun + present/imperfect of be + pas + past participle for French, and non + reflexive pronoun + present/imperfect of be + past participle for Italian. The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject for all verbs using to be as an auxiliary.
French Italian English
Positive Elle est allée à la poste. E andata alla posta.
She went to the post office.
Negative Elle n'est pas allée à la poste.
Non è andata alla posta.
She didn't go to the post office.
Positive Pronominal
Nous nous sommes lavé(e)s.
Ci siamo lavati/e.
We washed ourselves.
Negative Pronominal
Nous ne nous sommes pas lavé(e)s.
Non ci siamo lavati/e.
We didn't wash ourselves.
The verbs that require to be (être) as an auxiliary in French are: aller-to go, sortir-to go out, venir-to come, mourir-to die, arriver-to arrive, partir-to leave, devenir-to become, monter-to go up, entrer-to enter, tomber-to fall, revenir-to come back, rester-to stay, rentrer-to return home, retourner-to return, naître-to be born, passer-to go by (pass),descendre-to go down. Only a few of these verbs have irregular past participles: venir-venu, devenir-devenu, revenir-revenu, mourir-mort, and naître-né. And five of these verbs (monter, descendre, sortir, rentrer, andpasser) can sometimes be conjugated with avoir if they are followed by a direct object.
Some verbs that require to be (essere) as an auxiliary in Italian are: arrivare-to arrive, andare-to go, uscire-to go out,entrare-to enter, costare-to cost, venire-to come, essere-to be, partire-to leave, stare-to stay/be, sparire-to disappear, tornare-to come back, nascere-to be born, morire-to die. Five of these verbs have irregular past participles: venire-venuto, essere-stato, stare-stato, nascere-nato, and morire-morto.
Note that avoir and être both use avoir as an auxiliary in French, but that avere uses avere and essere uses essere as an auxiliary in Italian! And
remember that the past participle agrees with a preceding direct object when the auxiliary is to have; but the past participle agrees with the subject when the auxiliary is to be.
VENIR DE / APPENA
To express that something has just happened, use a form of venir + de + infinitive in French, and a form of the correct auxiliary verb + appena + past participle in Italian.
Le train vient de partir. / Il treno è appena partito. The train just left.
HOUSE & FURNITURE
English French Italian English French Italian
alarm clock
le réveil la sveglia hook le crochet l'uncino
armchair le fauteuil la poltrona house la maison la casa
ashtray le cendrier il portacenere iron (flat) le fer á repasser
il ferro da stiro
attic le grenier la soffitta kerosene le pétrole il petrolio
balcony le balcon il balcone key la clef la chiave
basement le sous-sol il sottosuolo kitchen la cuisine la cucina
basket la corbeille la cesta ladder l'échelle (f) la scala
bathroom le bain il bagno lamp la lampe la lampada
bathtub la baignoire la vasca da bagno
lawn la pelouse il prato
batteries la pile le pile light bulb l'ampoule la lampadina
bed le lit il letto living room
le living il soggiorno
bedroom la chambre la camera lock la serrure la serratura
bell (door) la sonnette il campanello mailbox la boîte á lettres
la cassetta postale
blanket la couverture la coperta matches les allumettes i fiammiferi
blinds le store la persiana mattress le matelas il materasso
bookcase le bibliothèque
la libreria microwave oven
le four á micro-ondes
il forno microonde
box la boître la scatola mirror le miroir lo specchio
broom le balai la scopa oven le four il fornello
bucket le seau il secchio pantry le garde-manger
la dispensa
camcorder
la caméra la telecamera picture le tableau il quadro
camera l'appareil-photo (m)
la macchina fotografica
pillow l'oreiller (m) il cuscino
candle la bougie la candela pipe la pipe la pipa
carpet le tapis il tappeto pipe (water)
le tuyau il condotto
cassette la cassette la cassetta poker le tisonnier l'attizzatoio
CD player la lecteur de CD
il lettore CD radio le radio la radio
ceiling le plafond il soffito record le disque il disco
chair la chaise la sedia refrigerator
le réfrigerateur
il frigorifero
chimney la cheminée il camino roof le toit il tetto
cigar le cigare il sigaro room la pièce la stanza
cigarette la cigarette la sigaretta rug le tapis il tappeto
clock la pendule l'orologio sheet le drap il lenzuolo
closet le placard l'armadio shelf l'étagère lo scaffale
compact disc
le CD il compact disc
shovel la pelle la pala
computer l'ordinateur (m)
il computer shower la douche la doccia
corner le coin l'angolo sideboard le buffet la credenza
cupboard l'armoire (f) l'armadio sink l'évier il lavandino
curtain le rideau la cortina / tenda
sink (bathroom)
le lavabo il lavandino
cushion le coussin il cuscino sitting room
le salon il salotto
desk le bureau la scrivania smoke la fumée il fumo
dining room
la salle á manger
la sala da pranzo
sofa le canapé il sofà
door la porte la porta stairs l'escalier (m) la scala
drawer le tiroir il cassetto steps les marches lo scalino
dresser la commode il comò story l'étage (m) il piano
driveway l'allée il viale d'accesso
stove le poêle la stufa
DVD player
le lecteur de DVD
il lettore DVD study le cabinet de travail
lo studio
fence le portail / clôture
lo steccato switch le commutateur
l'interruttore
film la pellicule il rullino table la table la tavola
fire le feu il fuoco tap (faucet)
le robinet il rubinetto
flame la flamme la fiamma telephone le téléphone il telefono
flashlight la lampe de poche
la pila tascabile
television la télévision il televisore
flat l'appartement (m)
l'appartamento
toaster le grille-pain il tostapane
floor la plancher il pavimento toilet (WC) le cabinet il gabinetto
floor (levels)
l'étage (m) il piano towel la serviette la salvietta
flower la fleur il fiore vacuum cleaner
l'aspirateur (m)
l'aspiratore (m)
freezer la congélateur
il congelatore vase le vase il vaso
front walk la promenade
la passeggiata VCR la magnétoscope
il videoregistratore
furniture les meubles (m)
i mobili wall (house)
le mur il muro
garage le garage il garage wall (room)
la paroi la parete
garden le jardin il giardino window la fenêtre la finestra
ground floor
le rez-de-chaussée
il pianterreno yard le jardin il giardino
hearth la cheminée il caminetto
BUILDINGS & MATERIALS
English French Italian English French Italian
airport l'aéroport l'aeroporto port le port il porto
bakery la boulangerie la panetteria prison la prison la prigione
bank le banc la banca restaurant le restaurant il ristorante
bar le bar il bar road le chemin / la route
il cammino / la via
barn le grange il granaio school l'école la scuola
barracks la caserne la caserma sidewalk le trottoir il marciapiede
bench le banc la panchina square la place la piazza
bridge le pont il ponte stable l'écurie (f) la stalla
bookstore le librairie la libreria stadium le stade lo stadio
building le bâtiment l'edificio stop sign le stop lo stop
butcher's la boucherie la macelleria store le magasin il negozio
castle le château il castello street la rue la strada
cathedral la cathédrale il duomo suburb la banlieue il sobborgo
cemetery le cimetière il cimitero theater le théâtre il teatro
church l'église la chiesa tower la tour la torre
cinema le cinéma il cinema town la ville la città
consulate le consulat il consolato town hall la mairie il municipio
corner le coin l'angolo traffic light
le feu de circulation
il semaforo
courtyard la cour il cortile university l'université l'università (f)
crosswalk le passage pour piétons
il passaggio pedonale
village le village il villaggio
dock le bassin il bacino alloy l'alliage (m) la lega
dry cleaner's
le pressing la tintoria brass le laiton l'ottone (m)
embassy l'ambassade (f)
l'ambasciata brick la brique il mattone
factory l'usine (f) la fabbrica cement le ciment il cemento
farm la ferme la fattoria chalk la craie la creta
fire hydrant
la bouche à incendie
l'idrante clay l'argile (f) l'argilla
fountain la fontaine la fontana coal le charbon il carbone
garage le garage il garage concrete le béton il calcestruzzo
grocery store
l'épicerie la drogheria copper le cuivre il rame
hospital l'hôpital (m) l'ospedale (m) cork le liège il sughero
hotel l'hotel l'albergo (m) glass le verre il vetro
house la maison la casa gold l'or (m) l'oro
hut la hutte la capanna iron le fer il ferro
inn l'auberge (f) l'osteria lead le plomb il piombo
lane / alley la ruelle il vicolo leather le cuir il cuoio
library la bibliothèque la biblioteca lime la chaux la calce
market le marché il mercato marble le marbre il marmo
ministry le ministère il ministero mercury le mercure il mercurio
monument le monument il monumento metal le métal il metallo
museum le musée il museo rubber le caoutchouc
la gomma
palace le palais il palazzo silver l'argent (m) l'argento
path le sentier il sentiero steel l'acier (m) l'acciaio
pavement le trottoir il marciapiede stone la pierre la pietra
pharmacy la pharmacie la farmacia tar le goudron il catrame
pier la jetée il molo tin l'étain (m) lo stagno
police station
le commisariat il commissariato
wood le bois il legno
Go on to French & Italian IV →
French & Italian Comparative Tutorial IV: Learn Two Languages Simultaneously
COMPARATIVES / SUPERLATIVES
Comparatives of Superiority, Inferiority, and Egality
English French Italian
more ... than plus ... que / plus de ... que più ... che / più ... di
less ... than moins .... que / moins de... que meno ... che / meno ... di
as ... as aussi ... que / autant de ... que così... come / tanto ... quanto
French comparatives are less complicated than Italian comparatives. Plus... que, moins... que, and aussi... que are used with adjectives, while plus de... que, moins de... que and autant de... que are used with nouns. In Italian, più...che and meno... che are used when comparing two qualities of the same thing, and with adjectives, verbs or adverbs; while più... di and meno... di are used when comparing two different things. Così... come and tanto... quanto are used interchangeably with adjectives, but tanto...quanto can also compare two quantities (in which case, the words agree in gender and number with the noun they describe).
Marc a plus d'amis que d'amies. / Marco ha più amici che amiche. Mark has more male friends than female friends. Paul est plus grand que Franco. / Paolo è più alto di Franco. Paul is taller than Frank. Paris est aussi belle que Rome. / Parigi è così bella come Roma. Paris is as beautiful as Rome.
Superlatives
Use the correct form of the definite article if using an adjective, or just the masculine singular form if using an adverb, andplus / moins or più / meno. The preposition de / di (plus contractions, if needed) means in with all superlatives.
If the adjective follows the noun, you must repeat the definite article before the superlative form in French, but not in Italian.
C'est la ville la plus riche d'Italie. / È la città più ricca d'Italia. It's the richest city in Italy.
Irregular Forms
English French Italian
adjective - comparative - superlative
good - better - best bon - meilleur/e - le/la meilleur/e
buono - migliore - il/la migliore
bad - worse - worst mauvais - pire - le/la pire cattivo - peggio - il/la peggiore
little - less - least petit - moindre - le/la moindre piccolo - minore - il/la minimo
adverb - comparative - superlative
well - better - best bien - mieux - le mieux bene - meglio - il meglio
badly - worse - worst
mal - pis - le pis male - peggio - il peggio
little - less - least peu - moins - le moins poco - meno - il meno
much - more - most beaucoup - plus - le plus molto - più - il più
CLOTHING & TOILETRIES
English French Italian English French Italian
apron le tablier il grembiale silk la soie la seta
barrette la barrette il fermaglio skirt la jupe la gonna
bathrobe le peignoir l'accappatoio sleeve la manche la manica
belt la ceinture la cintura slippers les pantoufles
la pantofola
blouse le chemisier la camicetta soap le savon il sapone
boot la botte lo stivale sock les chaussettes
il calzino
bra le soutien-gorge
il reggiseno stocking le bas la calza
bracelet le bracelet il braccialetto suit (men / women)
le costume / le tailleur
l'abito / il vestito
brush la brosse la spazzola per capelli
sunglasses les lunettes de soleil
gli occhiali da sole
buckle la boucie la fibbia suspenders les bretelles le bretelle
button le bouton il bottone sweater le pull-over il maglione
cap la casquette il berretto swimsuit le maillot de bain
il costume da bagno
clothes les vêtements
i vestiti thread le fil il filo
coat le manteau il cappotto tie la cravate la cravatta
collar le col il colletto T-shirt le t-shirt la maglietta
comb le peigne il pettine umbrella le parapluie l'ombrello
contact lens les lentilles (f)
le lenti a contatto
underwear les sous-vêtements
le mutandine
cotton le coton il cotone waistcoat le gilet il panciotto
dress la robe il vestito watch la montre l'orologio
earmuffs le cache-oreilles
il paraorecchie
wool la laine la lana
earrings la boucle d'oreille
l'orecchino toothbrush la brosse à dents
lo spazzolino
fashion la mode la moda toothpaste le dentifrice il dentifricio
glasses les lunettes gli occhiali makeup le maquillage
il trucco
glove les gants il guanto lipstick le rouge il rossetto
handbag le sac à main la borsa nail polish le vernis à ongles
lo smalto per unghie
handkerchief
le mouchoir il fazzoletto nail polish remover
le dissolvant
l'acetone (m)
hat le chapeau il cappello mascara le mascara il mascara
jacket la veste / le blouson
la giacca blush le blush il fard
jeans le jean jeans eyeliner l'eyeliner lo spazzolino per unghie
mittens les moufles le manopole eyeshadow l'ombre à paupière
l'ombretto
necklace le collier la collana foundation le fond de teint
il fondotinta
needle l'aiguille (f) l'ago lotion la lotion la lozione
nightgown la chemise de nuit
la camicia da notte
shampoo le shampooing
lo sciampo
outfit l'ensemble il corredo conditioner l'après-shampooing
il balsamo
overcoat le pardessus il soprabito shaving cream
la mousse à raser
la crema da barba
pajamas le pyjama il pigiama razor le rasoir il rasoio
pants le pantalon i pantaloni tweezers les pinces à épiler
le pinzette
pin l'épingle (f) lo spillo nail clippers le coupe-ongles
le forbicine
pocket la poche la tasca nail file la lime la lima
purse la bourse la borsetta floss le fil dentaire
il filo interdentale
raincoat l'imperméable
l'impermeable
curling iron le fer à friser
il ferro arricciacapelli
ribbon le ruban il nastro straightening iron
le lisseur la piastra stiracapelli
ring la bague l'anello hairspray la laque la lacca
sandals les sandales i sandali hairdryer le sèche-cheveux
l'asciugacapelli
scarf l'écharpe la sciarpa powder la poudre la polvere
shirt la chemise la maglia perfume le parfum il profumo
shoe la chaussure la scarpa cologne le cologne la colonia
shoelace le lacet il laccio suntan lotion
la lotion solaire
l'emulsione solare
shorts le short i pantaloncini sponge l'éponge (f) la spugna
VERBS: OTHER COMMON IRREGULAR VERBS
Other irregular verbs to memorize in French in the present tense:
mettre - to wear vivre - to live lire - to read dire - to say voir - to see
mets vis lis dis vois
mets vis lis dis vois
met vit lit dit voit
mettons vivons lisons disons voyons
mettez vivez lisez dites voyez
mettent vivent lisent disent voient
croire - to believe écrire - to write recevoir - to receive
suivre - to follow mourir - to die
crois écris reçois suis meurs
crois écris reçois suis meurs
croit écrit reçoit suit meurt
croyons écrivons recevons suivons mourons
croyez écrivez recevez suivez mourez
croient écrivent reçoivent suivent meurent
Other irregular verbs to memorize in Italian in the present tense:
dare - to give bere - to drink dire - to say, tell salire - to go up uscire - to go out
do bevo dico salgo esco
dai bevi dici sali esci
dà beve dice sale esce
diamo beviamo diciamo saliamo usciamo
date bevete dite salite uscite
danno bevono dicono salgono escono
HUMAN BODY
English French Italian English French Italian
ankle la cheville la caviglia mouth la bouche la bocca
arm le bras il braccio muscle le muscle il muscolo
artery l'artère l'arteria nail l'ongle (m) l'unghia
back le dos il dorso neck le cou il collo
beard la barbe la barba nerve le nerf il nervo
belly le ventre il ventre pain la douleur il dolore
bladder la vessie la vescica nose le nez il naso
blood le sang il sangue palm la paume la palma
body le corps il corpo pulse le pouls il polso
bone l'os (m) l'osso rib la côte la costola
brain la cervelle il cervello shin / tibia
le tibia la tibia
breast le sein il seno shoulder l'épaule (f) la spalla
breath la haleine l'alito skeleton le squelette lo scheletro
calf le mollet il polpaccio skin la peau la pelle
cheek la joue la guancia skull le crâne il cranio
chest la poitrine il petto sole la plante la pianta
chin le menton il mento spine l'épine dorsale (f)
la spina dorsale
coccyx le coccyx il coccige stomach l'estomac (m) lo stomaco
cold le rhume il raffreddore tear la larme la lacrima
complexion le teint la carnagione temple la tempe la tempia
cough la toux la tosse thigh la cuisse la coscia
disease la maladie la malattia throat la gorge la gola
ear l'oreille (f) l'orecchio thumb le pouce il pollice
elbow la coude il gomito toe l'orteil (m) il dito del piede
eye l'œil l'occhio tongue la langue la lingua
eyebrow le sourcil il sopracciglio tooth la dent il dente
eyelid la paupière la palpebra vein la veine la vena
face le visage / la figure
la faccia / il viso
wound la blessure la ferita
fever la fièvre la febbre waist la taille la vita
finger le doigt il dito wrist le poignet il polso
fist le poing il pugno
flesh la chair la carne see voir vedere
foot le pied il piede hear entendre udire
forehead le front la fronte smell sentir annusare
gum la gencive la gengiva taste goûter assaggiare
hair les cheveux i capelli touch toucher toccare
hand la main la mano
head la tête la testa enamel l'émail lo smalto
headache le mal de tête il mal di testa filling le plombage l'otturazione
health la santé la salute crown la couronne la corona
heart le cœur il cuore gum la gencive la gengiva
heel le talon il tallone bone l'os l'osso
hip la hanche l'anca root la racine la radice
intestine l'intestin (m) l'intestino nerve la nerf il nervo
jaw la mâchoire la mascella iris l'iris l'iride
kidney le rein il rene cornea la cornée la cornea
knee le genou il ginocchio pupil la pupille la pupilla
leg la jambe la gamba retina la rétine la retina
lip la lèvre il labbro optic nerve
le nerf optique
il nervo ottico
liver la foie il fegato lens le cristallin la lente
lung le poumon il polmone
moustache la moustache i baffi
VERBS: FUTURE / CONDITIONAL TENSES
Rather than using auxiliary verbs before the infinitive to form the future and conditional tenses (will and would in English), French and Italian add different endings to the infinitives. There are several irregular stems, but these stems are used to form both the future and conditional tenses.
You must drop -e from -re verbs in French and drop -e from all infinitives in Italian, as well as change -ar to -er, before adding the endings. For example, you add the endings to parler-, partir-, and prendr- in French and to parler-, partir-, and prender- in Italian.
Endings for Future and Conditional Tenses for all verbs
Future Conditional
French Italian French Italian
-ai -ò -ais -ei
-as -ai -ais -esti
-a -à -ait -ebbe
-ons -emo -ions -emmo
-ez -ete -iez -este
-ont -anno -aient -ebbero
Irregular Stems for Future and Conditional
French Stems Italian Stems
aller ir- avere avr-
avoir aur- andare andr-
courir courr- bere berr-
devoir devr- cadere cadr-
envoyer enverr- dare dar-
être ser- dovere dovr-
faire fer- essere sar-
falloir faudr- fare far-
mourir mourr- porre porr-
pleuvoir pleuvr- potere potr-
pouvoir pourr- rimanere rimarr-
recevoir recevr- sapere sapr-
savoir saur- stare star-
tenir tiendr- tenere terr-
valoir vaudr- tradurre tradurr-
venir viendr- vedere vedr-
voir verr- venire verr-
vouloir voudr- volere vorr-
For the past future and past conditional tenses, you use the future or conditional of the auxiliary verb (to have or to be) + past participle.
Future Tense Conditional Tense Future Tense Conditional Tense
avoir avere avoir avere être essere être essere
aurai avrò aurais avrei serai sarò serais sarei
auras avrai aurais avresti seras sarai serais saresti
aura avrà aurait avrebbe sera sarà serait sarebbe
aurons avremo aurions avremmo serons saremo serions saremmo
aurez avrete auriez avreste serez sarete seriez sareste
auront avranno auraient avrebbero seront saranno seraient sarebbero
Agreement of Tenses
Clauses beginning with if (si / se) require different tenses in French and Italian.
In French, if is followed by the present tense, and the verb in the following clause is in the future tense. In Italian, both verbs must be in the future tense:
Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai chez toi. / Se avrò il tempo, verrò a casa tua. If I have the time, I will go to your place.
The conditional is used after if in both languages; however, if the verb in the main clause is in a past tense, then the Italian verb in the subordinate clause must be in the past conditional. French can use either the present or past conditional in this case.
Je ne sais pas s'il pourrait le faire. / Non so se lo potrebbe fare. I don't know if he would be able to do it.
Je savais que tu ne viendrais pas / Sapevo che non saresti venuto. I knew that you wouldn't come.
VERBS: WOULD, COULD, SHOULD
The conditional tenses are used in translating would, could, and should in both French and Italian. Would is slightly different from the others in that would + main verb is one word and would have + main verb is only two words, thanks to the Romance languages conjugation patterns. I have used the verb do (faire / fare) as an example below, but remember that sometimes you may need to use essere as the
auxiliary instead of avere in Italian depending on what the main verb is. (Using avere as the auxiliary for all verbs is acceptable in conversational or colloquial Italian.) In addition, for could have and should have, I've listed the formation as conditional of have + past participle instead of past conditional to make it easier to remember that three different words are needed. For example, conditional of avoir + pu is the same as past conditional of pouvoir. Also notice for could have and should have that the past participle is used in English (done), while the infinitive is used in French and Italian (faire / fare).
English French Italian
WOULD + infinitive conditional of verb conditional of verb
I would do je ferais farei
you would do tu ferais faresti
he would do il ferait farebbe
we would do nous ferions faremmo
you would do vous feriez fareste
they would do ils feraient farebbero
WOULD HAVE + past participle
conditional of avoir + past participle of verb
conditional of avere + past participle of verb
I would have done j'aurais fait avrei fatto
you would have done tu aurais fait avresti fatto
he would have done il aurait fait avrebbe fatto
we would have done nous aurions fait avremmo fatto
you would have done vous auriez fait avreste fatto
they would have done ils auraient fait avrebbero fatto
COULD + infinitive conditional of pouvoir + infinitive
conditional of potere + infinitive
I could do je pourrais faire potrei fare
you could do tu pourrais faire potresti fare
he could do il pourrait faire potrebbe fare
we could do nous pourrions faire potremmo fare
you could do vous pourriez faire potreste fare
they could do ils pourraient faire potrebbero fare
COULD HAVE + past participle
conditional of avoir + pu + infinitive
conditional of avere + potuto + infinitive
I could have done j'aurais pu faire avrei potuto fare
you could have done tu aurais pu faire avresti potuto fare
he could have done il aurait pu faire avrebbe potuto fare
we could have done nous aurions pu faire avremmo potuto fare
you could have done vous auriez pu faire avreste potuto fare
they could have done ils auraient pu faire avrebbero potuto fare
SHOULD + infinitive conditional of devoir + infinitive
conditional of dovere + infinitive
I should do je devrais faire dovrei fare
you should do tu devrais faire dovresti fare
he should do il devrait faire dovrebbe fare
we should do nous devrions faire dovremmo fare
you should do vous devriez faire dovreste fare
they should do ils devraient faire dovrebbero fare
SHOULD HAVE + past participle
conditional of avoir + dû + infinitive
conditional of avere + dovuto + infinitive
I should have done j'aurais dû faire avrei dovuto fare
you should have done tu aurais dû faire avresti dovuto fare
he should have done il aurait dû faire avrebbe dovuto fare
we should have done nous aurions dû faire avremmo dovuto fare
you should have done vous auriez dû faire avreste dovuto fare
they should have done ils auraient dû faire avrebbero dovuto fare
Y & EN / CI & NE
Y and ci are pronouns used to replace a prepositional phrase beginning with any preposition except de / di, and they translate as it or there in English.
J'y pense. / Ci penso. I'm thinking about it. J'y suis allé. / Ci sono andato. I went there. N'y pense pas. / Non pensarci. Don't think about it.
En and ne are pronouns used to replace a prepositional phrase beginning with de / di, da or to replace the noun following a number, and they translate as about it/them or of it/them in English.
J'en ai quatre. / Ne ho quattro. I have four (of them). Parles-en. / Parlane. Talk about it. Je n'en doute pas. / Non ne dubito. I don't doubt it.
In French, y and en are placed before a conjugated verb and between a conjugated verb and infinitive, but after an imperative (and connected to it by a
hypen). In Italian, ci and ne are placed before a conjugated verb, but after an imperative, infinitive or gerund (and they are written together as one word).
VERBS: SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
Present Subjunctive of Regular Verbs
Add these endings to the ils/elles present tense stem of French (ils boivent; boiv-) and the regular verb stem (parlare; parl-) in Italian:
French Italian
all verbs -are -ere / -ire 2nd -
ire
-e -i -a -isca
-es -i -a -isca
-e -i -a -isca
-ions -iamo -iamo -iamo
-iez -iate -iate -iate
-ent -ino -ano -iscano
Present Subjunctive of Common Verbs
All of the following Italian verbs are irregular, but only a few of the French verbs are considered irregular. Notice that in both languages, if the verb has a stem change in the subjunctive, it is usually only the singular forms and the third person plural that is affected.
French Italian French Italian French Italian French Italian
être essere / stare
avoir avere faire fare aller andare
sois sia / stia aie abbia fasse faccia aille vada
sois sia / stia aies abbia fasses faccia ailles vada
soit sia / stia ait abbia fasse faccia aille vada
soyons siamo / stiamo
ayons abbiamo fassions facciamo allions andiamo
soyez siate / stiate
ayez abbiate fassiez facciate alliez andiate
soient siano / stiano
aient abbiano fassent facciano aillent vadano
venir venire vouloir volere pouvoir potere devoir dovere
vienne venga veuille voglia puisse possa doive debba
viennes venga veuilles voglia puisses possa doives debba
vienne venga veuille voglia puisse possa doive debba
venions veniamo voulions vogliamo puissions possiamo devions dobbiamo
veniez veniate vouliez vogliate puissiez possiate deviez dobbiate
viennent vengano veuillent vogliano puissent possano doivent debbano
savoir sapere boire bere dire dire donner dare
sache sappia boive beva dise dica donne dia
saches sappia boives beva dises dica donnes dia
sache sappia boive beva dise dica donne dia
sachions sappiamo buvions beviamo disions diciamo donnions diamo
sachiez sappiate buviez beviate disiez diciate donniez diate
sachent sappiano boivent bevano disent dicano donnent diano
sortir uscire poser porre rester rimanere monter salire*
sorte esca pose ponga reste rimanga monte salga
sortes esca poses ponga restes rimanga montes salga
sorte esca pose ponga reste rimanga monte salga
sortions usciamo posions poniamo restions rimaniamo montions saliamo
sortiez usciate posiez poniate restiez rimaniate montiez saliate
sortent escano posent pongano restent rimangano montent salgano
* The verb scegliere in Italian follows this same pattern.
Some impersonal verbs in French have irregular subjunctive forms: pleuvoir - il pleuve, falloir - il faille, valoir - il vaille
Uses of Subjunctive
The subjunctive mood must be used in subordinate clauses when the verb in the dependent clause expresses want, wish, doubt, fear, necessity, feelings, etc. for both French and Italian.
Italian also requires the subjunctive after verbs of hope and opinion, while French uses the indicative after these verbs (however, verbs of opinion in the negative or interrogative do in fact use the subjunctive in French).
Je veux que Paul me réponde. / Voglio che Paolo mi risponda. I want Paul to answer me. Il faut que Giacomo visite le centre. / Bisogna che Giacomo visiti il centro. Giacomo must visit the center. Je suis triste qu'il parte. / Sono triste che lui parta. I'm sad that he's leaving. Je pense qu'elle comprend l'allemand. / Penso che lei capisca il tedesco. I think that she understands German.
The subjunctive must also be used after certain impersonal phrases and conjunctions:
il est (im)possible que / è (im)possibile che it's (im)possible that il est probable que / è probabile che it's probable that il est utile que / è utile che it's useful that il est juste que / è giusto che it's right that il suffit que / basta che it's enough that bien que / benché, sebbene, nonostante although
pourvu que, à condition que / purché, a condizione che, a patto che provided that afin que / affinché so that pour que / perché in order that à moins que / a meno che unless sans que / senza che without avant que / prima che before
The imperfect subjunctive is rarely used nowadays in French, but it is still very common in Italian.
Imperfect Subjunctive of Regular Verbs
French uses the il/elle form of the simple past to form the stem for the imperfect subjunctive; while Italian uses the regular stem.
French Italian
all verbs -are -ere -ire
-sse -assi -essi -issi
-sses -assi -essi -issi
-^t -asse -esse -isse
-ssions -assimo -essimo -issimo
-ssiez -aste -este -iste
-ssent -assero -assero -issero
The third person singular in French should also add a circonflexe accent over the vowel that occurs before the t.
Imperfect Subjunctive of Irregular Verbs
Verbs that are irregular in the imperfect indicative are also irregular in the imperfect subjunctive in Italian.
essere avere bere dare dire fare stare
fossi avessi bevessi dessi dicessi facessi stessi
fossi avessi bevessi dessi dicessi facessi stessi
fosse avesse bevesse desse dicesse facesse stesse
fossimo avessimo bevessimo dessimo dicessimo facessimo stessimo
foste aveste beveste deste diceste faceste steste
fossero avessero bevessero dessero dicessero facessero stessero
Agreement of tenses is stricter in Italian, so you must use the imperfect sujunctive in a subordinate clause if the dependent clause is in a past indicative or conditional tense. Furthermore, the imperfect subjunctive is required in Italian after come se (as if) and se (if) in hypothetical sentences (with verbs that require the subjunctive); whereas the imperfect indicative is used in French.
Il parle comme s'il était italien. / Parla come se fosse italiano. He speaks as if he were Italian.
Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais un palais. / Se fossi ricco, comprerei un palazzo. If I were rich, I would buy a palace. J'ai pensé qu'il me comprenait. / Ho pensato che lui mi capisse. I thought that he understood me.
ANIMALS & INSECTS
English French Italian English French Italian
animal l'animal (m) l'animale (m)
lark l'alouette (f) l'allodola
ant la fourmi la formica lion le lion il leone
antelope l'antilope l'antilope (f) lizard le lézard la lucertola
antenna l'antenne l'antenna lobster (spiny)
la langouste l'aragosta
antler la ramure le corna louse le pou il pidocchio
badger le badger il tasso mackerel la maquereau lo sgombro
bat la chauve-souris
il pipistrello mole la taupe la talpa
beak le bec il becco monkey le singe la scimmia
bear l'ours (m) l'orso mosquito la moustique la zanzara
bee l'abeille (f) l'ape (f) moth le papillon de nuit
la falena
beetle la scarabée lo scarabeo mouse la souris il topo
bird l'oiseau (m) l'uccello mule le mulet il mulo
blackbird le merle il merlo mussel la moule il pidocchio
bull le taureau il toro nest le nid il nido
butterfly le papillon la farfalla nightingale le rossignol l'usignolo
calf le veau il vitello octopus la pieuvre il polpo
carp la carpe la carpa ostrich l'autruche lo struzzo
cat le chat il gatto owl le hibou il gufo
caterpillar le chenille il bruco ox le bœuf il bue
cheetah le guépard il ghepardo oyster l'huître (f) l'ostrica
chicken le poulet il pollo parrot le perroquet il pappagallo
chimpanzee le chimpanzé
lo scimpanzé
partridge la perdrix la pernice
claw la griffe l'artiglio paw la patte la zampa
cockroach le cafard lo scarafaggio
penguin le pingouin il pinguino
cod la morue il merluzzo pig le cochon il porco
cocoon le cocon il bozzolo pigeon le pigeon il piccione
cow la vache la vacca pike le brochet il luccio
crab le crabe il granchio pony le poney il pony
crayfish l'écrevisse (f)
il gambero rabbit le lapin il coniglio
crocodile le crocodile il coccodrillo
raccoon le raton laveur il procione
crow le corbeau il corvo rat le rat il ratto / il sorcio
deer le cerf il cervo rooster le coq il gallo
dog le chien il cane salmon le saumon il salmone
donkey l'âne (m) l'asino scale l'écaille (f) la squama
dragonfly la libellule la libellula scorpion le scorpion lo scorpione
duck le canard l'anitra sea gull la mouette il gabbiano
eagle l'aigle (m) l'aquila seahorse l'hippocampe (m)
il cavalluccio marino
eel l'anguille (f) l'anguilla seal le phoque la foca
egg l'œuf l'uovo shark le requin lo squalo
elephant l'éléphant (m)
l'elefante (m)
sheep la mouton la pecora
feather la plume la penna shrimp la crevette il gamberetto / il gambero
fin la nageoire la pinna skin le peau la pelle
fish le poisson il pesce slug la limace la lumaca
flea la puce la pulce snail l'escargot (m) la chiocciola
fly la mouche la mosca snake le serpent / la couleuvre
il serpente / la biscia
fox le renard la volpe sole la sole la sogliola
frog la grenouille
il ranocchio sparrow le moineau il passero
fur la fourrure la pelliccia spider l'araignée (f) il ragno
gill la branchie la branchia squid le calmar il calamaro
giraffe la girafe la giraffa squirrel l'écureuil (m) la scoiattolo
goat la chèvre la capra starfish l'étoile de mer la stella di mare
goose l'oie (f) l'oca stork la cigogne la cicogna
gorilla le gorille il gorilla swallow l'hirondelle (f) la rondine
grasshopper la sauterelle la cavalletta swan le cygne il cigno
hamster le hamster il criceto tadpole le têtard il girino
hare le lièvre la lepre tail la queue la coda
hedgehog le hérisson il riccio tiger le tigre la tigre
hen la poule la gallina toad le crapaud il rospo
heron le héron l'airone (m) trout la truite la trota
herring la hareng l'aringa tuna le thon il tonno
hoof le sabot lo zoccolo turkey le dindon il tacchino
horn la corne il corno turtle la tortue la tartaruga
horse le cheval il cavallo wasp la guêpe la vespa
hummingbird le colibri il colibrì weasel la belette la donnola
iguana l'iguane l'iguana whale la baleine la balena
insect l'insecte (m) l'insetto wing l'aile (f) l'ala
jellyfish la méduse la medusa wolf le loup il lupo
kitten le chaton il gattino worm le ver il verme
ladybug la coccinelle
la coccinella
zebra le zèbre la zebra
lamb l'agneau (m)
l'agnello
NATURE & GEOGRAPHY
English French Italian English French Italian
air l'air (m) l'aria (f) rain la pluie la pioggia
archipelago l'archipel l'arcipelago (m)
rainbow l'arc-en-ciel (m)
l'arcobaleno (m)
bank la rive la riva river la fleuve il fiume
bay la baie la baia rock le rocher lo scoglio
barn la grange la stalla root la racine la radice
beach la plage la spiaggia rose la rose la rosa
branch la branche il ramo sand le sable la sabbia
bridge le pont il ponte sea la mer il mare
bud le bouton il bocciolo shadow l'ombre (f) l'ombra
bush le buisson l'arbusto (m) sky le ciel il cielo
cape le cap il capo / promontorio
snow la neige la neve
cave la caverne la caverna soil la terre il terreno
city la ville la città south le sud il sud
climate le climat il clima spring (water) la source la sorgente
cloud le nuage la nube / nuvola
star l'étoile la stella
coast la côte la costa stem la tige il gambo
comet la comète la cometa storm l'orage (f) / la tempête
il temporale
constellation la constellation
la costellazione
strait le détroit lo stretto
country le pays il paese stream le ruisseau il ruscello
country(side)
la campagne la campagna street la rue la strada
current le courant la corrente sun le soleil il sole
daffodil la jonquille il narciso sunflower le tournesol il girasole
daisy la marguerite la margherita thaw la fonte il disgelo
darkness l'obscurité l'oscurità (f) thunder le tonnerre il tuono
desert le désert il deserto tornado la tornade il turbine
dew la rosée la rugiada tree l'arbre l'albero
dust la poussière la polvere trunk le tronc il tronco
earth la terre la terra tulip la tulipe il tulipano
east l'est (m) l'est (m) valley la vallée la valle
farm la ferme la tenuta view la vue la vista
field le champ il campo water l'eau (f) l'acqua
flower la blume il fiore fresh water l'eau douce l'acqua dolce
foam l'écume (f) la schiuma salt water l'eau salée l'acqua salata
fog le brouillard la nebbia watering can l'arrosoir l'annaffiatoio
foliage le feuillage il fogliame waterfall la cascade la cascata
forest la forêt il bosco / la foresta
wave la vague / l'onde (f)
l'onda (f)
frost la gelée il gelo weather le temps il tempo
grass l'herbe (f) l'erba (f) west l'ouest (m) l'ovest (m)
gulf la golfe il golfo wind le vent il vento
hail la grêle la grandine world le monde il mondo
hay le foin il fieno
high tide la marée haute
l'alta marea North Pole le pôle Nord il Polo Nord
hill la colline la collina South Pole le pôle Sud il Polo Sud
ice la glace il ghiaccio Northern Hemisphere
l'hémisphère nord
l'emisfero settentrionale
island I'île (f) I'isola (f) Soutern Hemisphere
l'hémisphère sud
l'emisfero meridionale
isthmus l'isthme l'istmo (m) Arctic Circle la cercle polaire
il circolo polare artico
jungle la jungle la giungla equator l'équateur (m)
l'equatore (m)
lake le lac il lago Arctic Ocean l'océan Arctique
l'Oceano Artico
leaf la feuille la foglia Atlantic Ocean
l'océan Atlantique
l'Oceano Atlantico
light la lumière la luce Pacific Ocean l'océan Pacifique
l'Oceano Pacifico
lightning l'éclair (m) il fulmine / Indian Ocean l'océan l'Oceano
lampo Indien Indiano
lily le lis il giglio Caribbean Sea
la mer des Antilles
il Mar dei Caraibi
low tide la marée basse
la bassa marea
Mediterranean Sea
la Méditerranée
il Mar Mediterraneo
meadow le pré il prato North Sea la mer du Nord
il Mare del Nord
moon la lune la luna Red Sea la mer Rouge
il Mar Rosso
mountain la montagne la montagna Black Sea la mer Noire il Mar Nero
mountain range
la chaîne de montagnes
la catena montuosa
mouth (river) l'embouchure (f)
l'imboccatura
Mercury Mercure Mercurio
mud la vase il fango Venus Vénus Venere
nature la nature la natura Earth Terre Terra
north le nord il nord Mars Mars Marte
peninsula la péninsule la penisola Jupiter Jupiter Giove
plain la plaine il piano / la pianura
Saturn Saturne Saturno
planet la planète il pianeta Uranus Uranus Uranio
plant la plante la pianta Neptune Neptuno Nettuno
pond l'étang (m) lo stagno Pluto Pluton Plutone
pot (for plants)
le pot à fleurs
il vaso da fiori
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS & ADJECTIVES
English French Italian English French Italian
each chacun ciascuno / ognuno
some quelque alcuno
each / every chaque ogni as much / many
autant de altrettanto
everyone tout le monde tutti other autre altro
everything tout tutto some / certain
certain certo
everywhere partout dappertutto / ovunque
a lot of beaucoup de
molto
someone quelqu'un qualcuno not one / none
aucun nessuno
something quelque chose qualcosa several plusieurs parecchio
somewhere quelque part da qualche few peu de poco /
parte pochi
no one personne nessuno some quelque(s) qualche
nothing rien niente / nulla such a tel tale / tali
nowhere nulle part da nessuna parte
so much/many
tant de tanto
whoever n'importe qui / quiconque
chiunque too much trop de troppo
which/whatever n'importe quel / quelconque
qualunque / qualsiasi
everything tout tutto
wherever n'importe où dovunque various différents vario / vari
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
Relative pronouns are slightly easier to learn in Italian than French.
French Italian
who / that (subject) qui che
who / that (object) que che
about which / whom dont di cui
whose dont il/la/i/le cui
from where d'où da cui
preposition + whom prep. + qui prep. + cui
preposition + which prep. + form of lequel prep. + cui
Notice that cui remains invariable at all times; however, when translating whose in Italian, you must change the article before cui to agree with the noun and not the antecedent. Il quale can always replace cui, but it does agree with the gender and number of its antecedent (comparable to how lequel agrees in French). Plus you have to remember to use the prepositional contractions with the article before quale, so in general, it is easier to just use cui in everyday speech. Il quale is preferred in formal writing.
Forms of lequel and il quale
French Italian
masc. sing. lequel il quale
fem. sing. laquelle la quale
masc. plural lesquels i quali
fem. plural lesquelles le quali
Sample Sentences
La fille qui parle est sympathique. La ragazza che parla è simpatica.
The girl who is talking is nice.
La femme que je rencontre s'appelle Lorenza. La donna che incontro si chiama Lorenza.
The woman that I'm meeting is named Lorenza.
Les livres dont je parle sont d'Elsa. I libri di cui parlo sono di Elsa.
The books about which I'm talking are Elsa's.
L'homme dont les cheveux sont blancs est mon grand-père. L'uomo i cui capelli sono bianchi è mio nonno.
The man whose hair is white is my grandfather.
Les personnes à qui je pense sont loin. Le persone a cui penso sono lontane.
The people about whom I'm thinking are far away.
La maison dans laquelle je vis est très grande. La casa in cui vivo è grande. = La casa nella quale vivo è grande.
The house in which I live is very big.
VERBS: PASSIVE VOICE
Only verbs that can take a direct object can be made passive in French and Italian. The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent in the passive sentence (expressed by par in French and da + contractions in Italian), and the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The verb becomes a form of be (in the same tense as in the active sentence) + a past participle, which agrees with the subject of the passive sentence. Remember that you can avoid the passive voice by using on / si as explained earlier (especially for verbs that only take indirect objects). The passive voice is used more often in English than in French or Italian, and it is usually best to avoid it in formal writing.
Active Passive
English
The cat eats the mouse. (present) The cat ate the mouse. (past) The cat has eaten the mouse. (pres. perf.) The cat will eat the mouse. (future)
The mouse is eaten by the cat. The mouse was eaten by the cat. The mouse has been eaten by the cat. The mouse will be eaten by the cat.
French
Le chat mange la souris. Le chat mangeais la souris. Le chat a mangé la souris. Le chat mangera la souris.
La souris est mangée par le chat. La souris étais mangée par le chat. La souris a été mangée par le chat. La souris sera mangée par le chat.
Italian
Il gatto mangia il topo. Il gatto mangiava il topo. Il gatto ha mangiato il topo. Il gatto mangerá il topo.
Il topo é mangiato dal gatto. Il topo era mangiato dal gatto. Il topo é stato mangiato dal gatto. Il topo sará mangiato dal gatto.
FAIRE / FARE CAUSATIVE
You can use the verbs faire / fare + an infinitive to the express the idea of having or getting something done or having or making someone do something (instead of doing it yourself.) If the object of the verb is a noun, it is placed after the infinitive. If it is a pronoun, then it is placed before faire or fare (except for loro, which is always placed after the infinitive).
In the present perfect tense, the past participle does not agree with the preceding direct object as it normally would in French, but it does in Italian.
Je fais réparer la voiture. / Faccio riparare la macchina. I'm having the car fixed. Je la fais réparer. / La faccio riparare. I'm having it fixed.
Je l'ai fait réparer. / La ho fatta riparare. I had it fixed. [No agreement with preceding direct object in French only.]
The reflexive verbs se faire / farsi can also be used in this way when expressing having something done or made for oneself. Remember that être / essere are used as the auxiliary verb in compound tenses.
Je me fais couper les cheveux. / Mi faccio tagliare i capelli. I'm getting my hair cut. Je me suis fait couper les cheveux. / Mi sono fatto tagliare i capelli. I got my hair cut.
Italian only:
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 sentenceAbbiamo 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.
VERBS FOLLOWED BY PREPOSITIONS BEFORE AN INFINITIVE
Many verbs require the prepositions à / a or de / di before an infinitive. In French, de contracts to d' before an infinitive beginning with a vowel. In Italian, a becomes ad before infinitives beginning with a-. Before infinitives beginning with other vowels, either a or ad may be used.
French verbs + à + infinitive Italian verbs + a + infinitive
aider à to help abituarsi a to get used to
apprendre à to learn aiutare a to help
arriver à to manage andare a to be going to
chercher à to look for apprendere a to learn
commencer à to begin aspettare a to wait
consister à to consist cominciare to begin
continuer à to continue consentire a to agree
demander à to ask to continuare a to continue
donner à to give convincere a to convince
encourager à to encourage correre a to run
enseigner à to teach dare a to give
hésiter à to hesitate decidersi a to decide
inciter à to incite divertirsi a to have fun
insister à to insist esitare a to hesitate
inviter à to invite fare bene a to do well
obliger à to force to fare in tempo a to be on time
parvenir à to succeed fare meglio a to be better off
persister à to persist in fare presto a to hurry up
pousser à to push forzare a to force
provoquer à to provoke giocare a to play
renoncer à to give up godere a to enjoy
réussir à to succeed imparare a to learn
s'acharner à to be bent on insegnare a to teach
s'amuser à to have fun invitare a to invite
s'appliquer à to apply oneself to mandare a to send
s'apprêter à to prepare to mettersi a to begin to
s'attacher à to become attached passare a to go on
s'attendre à to expect to pensare a to think of
se décider à to decide persuadere a to persuade
se mettre à to begin to preparare a to prepare
se plaire à to enjoy procedere a to proceed
se préparer à to get ready provare a to try
se refuser à to refuse to restare a to stay
se résigner à to resign oneself to rimanere a to remain
se résoudre à to resolve to rinunciare a to give up
se risquer à to risk ritornare a to come back
s'employer à to use riuscire a to succeed
servir à to be useful for salire a to go up
s'exercer à to practice/learn scendere a to come down
s'habituer à to get used to seguitare a to keep on
s'obstiner à to insist servire a to be good for
songer à to consider stare a to stay, stand
tarder à to be slow to stare attento a to be careful
tendre à to tend to tardare a to be late
tenir à to be anxious to temere a to be afraid to
veiller à to look after tornare a to return
viser à to aim venire a to come to
French verbs + de + infinitive
Italian verbs + di + infinitive
accepter de to accept
accettare di to accept
arrêter de to stop
ammettere di to admit
avoir envie de to feel like
aspettare di to wait for
avoir honte de to be ashamed
aspettarsi di to expect
avoir peur de to be afraid
augurare di to wish
avoir raison de to be right
avere bisogno di to need
avoir tort de to be wrong
avere il piacere di to have the pleasure
cesser de to stop
avere intenzione to intend
di
choisir de to choose
avere paura di to be afraid
conseiller de to advise
avere voglia di to feel like
convenir de to agree upon
avvertire di to warn, caution
craindre de to fear
cercare di to try
décider de to decide
cessare di to cease
défendre de to forbid
chiedere di to ask
demander de to ask
comandare di to command
désespérer de to despair
credere di to believe
dire de to say
decidere di to decide
dissuader de to dissuade
dimenticare di to forget
empêcher de to prevent
dire di to say, tell
entreprendre de to undertake
dispensare di to excuse
envisager de to contemplate
domandare di to ask
essayer de to try
dubitare di to doubt
être heureux de to be happy
fingere di to pretend
être obligé de to be required
finire di to finish
éviter de to avoid
lamentarsi di to complain
finir de to finish
mancare di to lack
interdire de to forbid
minacciare di to threaten
menacer de to threaten
offrire di to offer
négliger de to neglect
ordinare di to order
oublier de to forget
pensare di to plan
permettre de to permit
permettere di to permit
persuader de to persuade
proibire di to prevent, prohibit
prier de to beg
promettere di to promise
promettre de to promise
rendersi conto di to realize
recommander de
to recommend
ricordare di to remember
refuser de to refuse
sapere di to know
regretter de to regret
sbagliare di to make a mistake
remercier de to thank
scrivere di to write
reprocher de to reproach
scusarsi di to apologize
rêver de to dream
smettere di to stop, cease
risquer de to risk
sognare di to dream
se dépêcher de to hurry up
sperare di to hope
se garder de to keep oneself
suggerire di to suggest
s'étonner de to astonish
tentare di to try, attempt
s'excuser de to apologize
tratarre di to bargain
venir de to have just