Contents

The following Help Topics are available:

Verbs

Articles

Nouns

Pronouns

Adjectives

Adverbs

Quantifiers And Demonstratives

Prepositions

Conjunctions

Interjections

Syntax

The Clock And The Calendar

Cardinal And Ordinal Numbers

Punctuation

Glossary

For Help on Help, Press F1


Verbs

Summary of Tenses

Modal Verbs

Avere and Essere

Idiomatic Use of Fare

Simple Past Tense

Imperfect Tense

Future Tense

Present Tense

Present Conditional

Present Subjunctive

Imperfect Subjunctive

Compound Tenses

Present Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Anterior Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Conditional Perfect

Past Perfect Subjunctive

Passive Voice

Reflexive Verbs

Imperative Forms

Participles

Notes On Piacere


Articles

Definite Article

Indefinite Article


Nouns

Gender

Plural Forms of Nouns

Group Nouns

Compound Nouns

Diminutive and Augmentative Forms


Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

Lei/ Tu

Conjunctive Pronouns

Personal Object Pronouns

Prepositional Pronouns

Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

Interrogative Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns


Adjectives

Adjective Formation

Comparatives

Superlatives

Possessive Adjectives


Quantifiers And Demonstratives

Quantifiers

Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns


Syntax

Clauses

Declarative Sentences

Negation

Object

Predicate

Questions

Subordinate Adjective Clause

Subordinate NounClause

Subjunctive after Impersonal

Non-Grammatical Forms

Title Forms


SUMMARY OF TENSES

Italian verbs have fourteen tenses, seven simple and seven compound.  The changes that a verb undergoes in different tenses and moods are accomplished by use of endings and auxiliaries.  Their systematic arrangement is called conjugation.

Verbs are divided into three classes according to their infinitive endings:

-are	-ere	-ire

giocare	vendere	partire

to play	to sell	to leave

Here is the conjugation model of the verb:giocare:

Italian	English

Present Tenses

Presente dell'Indicativo:	Present:	Present Continuous:

[Io] gioco	I play / I do play	I am playing

Presente del Congiuntivo:	Present Subjunctive:

[che] io giochi	[that] I may play

Past Tenses

Passato Remoto:	Simple Past:

[Io] giocai	I played / I did play

Imperfetto dellIndicativo:	Imperfect:	Past Continuous:

io giocavo	I played / I used to play	I was playing

Congiuntivo Passato:	Past Subjunctive:

[che] io abbia giocato	[that] I may have played

Imperfetto del Congiuntivo:	Imperfect Subjunctive:

[che] io giocassi	[that] I might play

Perfect Tenses

Passato Prossimo:	Present Perfect:	Present Perfect Continuous:

[Io] ho giocato	I have played	I have been playing

Past Perfect Tenses

Trapassato Remoto:	Past Anterior:

[Io] ebbi giocato	I had played

Trapassato Prossimo:	Past Perfect:	Past Perfect Continuous:

Io avevo giocato	I had played	I had been playing

Trapassato

del Congiuntivo:	Past Perfect Subjunctive:

[che] io avessi giocato                            [that] I might have played

Future Tenses

Futuro Semplice:	Future:	Future Continuous:

[Io] giocherò	I will / shall play	I will be playing

I am going to play

Future Perfect Tenses

Futuro Anteriore:	Future Perfect:

[Io] avrò giocato	I shall have played

I will have played

Present Conditional

Condizionale Presente:	Present Conditional:	Conditional Continuous:

Io giocherei

                                                         I would play	I would be playing

Conditional Perfect

Condizionale Passato:	Conditional Perfect:

Io avrei giocato                                     I would have played.


Modal Verbs

The modal verbs may be conjugated with either avere or essere, depending on the infinitive that follows.  If the infinitive is a transitive verb, it is conjugated with avere.  If the infinitive expresses movement and is not transitive, then it is conjugated with essere.

When the modal verb is used in a response, where the infinitive is understood, avere is used as the auxiliary verb.

DOVERE (must) , POTERE (be able to)  and VOLERE (want) are usually followed by an infinitive and are considered irregular verbs since they don't follow the pattern of the regular -ere verbs.

DOVERE

[Io] devo	I must

[Tu] devi	You must

Egli (lui, essa) deve	He (she, it) must

[Noi] dobbiamo                       	We must

[Voi] dovete	You must

Essi [loro] devono	They must

 POTERE

[Io] posso	I can

[Tu] puoi	You can

Egli può	He (she, it) can

[Noi] possiamo	We can

[Voi] potete	You can

Essi [loro] possono	They can

VOLERE

[Io] voglio	I want

[Tu] vuoi	You want

Egli vuole	He (she, it) want

[Noi] vogliamo                     	We want

[Voi] volete	You want

Essi [loro] vogliono	They want

Maria deve finire il compito.
Maria must finish the homework.

Non sono voluti uscire con noi.
They didn't want to go out with us.


Avere/Essere

The Italian Auxiliary verbs "essere" (to be) and "avere" (to have) are irregular. They are called Auxiliary Verbs because they are used in conjunction with other verbs to form compound tenses.

Avere, used by itself, is a transitive verb with the meaning : to own or to have.

Essere, used by itself, is an intransitive verb with the meaning: to exist.

Essere and Avere are conjugated as follows:

                                                           AVERE

Presente dell'Indicativo

[Io] ho	I have

[Tu] hai	You have

Egli ha	He/she has

[Noi] abbiamo	We have

[Voi] avete	You have

Essi [loro] hanno	They have

Imperfetto dell'Indicativo

[Io] avevo	I had

[Tu] avevi	You had

Egli aveva	He/she had

[Noi] avevamo	We had

[Voi] avevate	You had

Essi [loro] avevano	They had

                                  Passato Remoto      (Simple Past or Past Absolute) :

[Io] ebbi	I had

[Tu] avesti	You had

Egli ebbe	He/she had

[Noi] avemmo	We had

[Voi] aveste	You had

Essi [loro] ebbero	They had

                                                    Futuro  (Future) :

[Io] avrò	I will have

[Tu] avrai	You will have

Egli (ella) avrà	He/she will have

[Noi] avremo	We will have

[Voi] avrete	You will have

Essi [loro] avranno	They will have

                                    Condizionale Presente   (Present Conditional) :

[Io] avrei	I would have

[Tu] avresti	You would have

 Egli (ella) avrebbe	He/she would have

 [Noi] avremmo	We would have

 [Voi] avreste	You would have

 Essi [loro] avrebbero	They would have

                                    Presente del Congiuntivo     (Present Subjunctive):

che io abbia	that I have

che tu abbia	that you have

 che egli (ella) abbia	that he/she has

 che noi abbiamo	that we have

 che voi abbiate	that you have

 che essi [loro] abbiano	that they have

                                    Imperfetto del Congiuntivo  (Imperfect Subjunctive):

che io avessi	that I had

che tu avessi	that you had

 che egli (ella) avesse	that he/she had

 che noi avessimo	that we had

 che voi aveste	that you had

 che essi [loro] avessero	that they had

                                       Passato Prossimo  (Present Perfect):

[Io] ho avuto	I have had

[Tu] hai avuto	You have had

 Egli (ella) ha avuto	He/she has had

 [Noi] abbiamo avuto	We have had

 [Voi] avete avuto 	You have had

 Essi [loro] hanno avuto	They have had

                                     Trapassato Prossimo  (Past Perfect):

[Io] avevo avuto	I had had

[Tu] avevi avuto	You had had

 Egli (ella) aveva avuto	He/she had had

 [Noi] avevamo avuto	We had had

 [Voi] avevate avuto 	You had had

 Essi [loro] avevano avuto	They had had

                                  Trapassato Remoto  (Past Anterior):

[Io] ebbi avuto	I had had

[Tu] avesti avuto	You had had

 Egli (ella) ebbe avuto	He/she had had

 [Noi] avemmo avuto	We had had

 [Voi] aveste avuto 	You had had

 Essi [loro] ebbero avuto	They had had

                                    Futuro Anteriore  (Future Perfect):

[Io] avrò avuto	I will have had

[Tu] avrai avuto	You will have had

 Egli (ella) avrà avuto	He/she will have had

 [Noi] avremo avuto	We will have had

 [Voi] avrete avuto 	You will have had

 Essi [loro] avranno avuto	They will have had

                                    Condizionale Passato  (Past Conditional or Conditional Perfect):

[Io] avrei avuto	I would have had

[Tu] avresti avuto	You would have had

 Egli (ella) avrebbe avuto	He/she would have had

 [Noi] avremmo avuto	We would have had

 [Voi] avreste avuto 	You would have had

 Essi [loro] avrebbero avuto	They would have had

                                     Passato del Congiuntivo (Past Subjunctive):

che io abbia avuto	  that I have had

che tu abbia avuto	  that you have had

 che egli (ella) abbia avuto	that he/she has had

 che noi abbiamo avuto	that we have had

 che voi abbiate avuto 	  that you would have had

 che essi [loro] abbiano avuto	  that they would have had

                                    Trapassato del Congiuntivo  (Past Perfect Subjunctive):

che io avessi avuto	  that I had had

che tu avessi avuto	  that you had had

 che egli (ella) avesse avuto     that he/she had had

 che noi avessimo avuto	that we had had

 che voi aveste avuto 	that you had had

 che essi [loro] avessero avuto   that they had had

                                                             ESSERE

 Presente dellIndicativo  (Present Indicative)

[Io] sono	I am

[Tu] sei	You are

Egli è	He/she is

[Noi] siamo	We are

[Voi] siete	You are

Essi [loro] sono	They are

                                  Imperfetto dellIndicativo    (Imperfect)

[Io] ero	I was

[Tu] eri	You were

Egli era	He/she was

[Noi] eravamo	We were

[Voi] eravate	You were

Essi [loro] erano	They were

                                  Passato Remoto      (Simple Past or Past Absolute) :

[Io] fui	I was

[Tu] fosti	You were

Egli fu	He/she was

[Noi] fummo	We were

[Voi] foste	You were

Essi [loro] furono	They were

                                                    Futuro   (Future) :

[Io] sarò	I will be

[Tu] sarai	You will be

Egli (ella) sarà	He/she will be

[Noi] saremo	We will be

[Voi] sarete	You will be

Essi [loro] saranno	They will be

                                    Condizionale Presente   (Present Conditional) :

[Io] sarei	I would be

[Tu] saresti	You would be

 Egli (ella) sarebbe	He/she would be

 [Noi] saremmo	We would be

 [Voi] sareste	You would be

 Essi [loro] sarebbero	They would be

Presente del Congiuntivo Present Subjunctive):

che io sia	that I am

che tu sia	that you are

 che egli (ella) sia	that he/she is

 che noi siamo	that we are

 che voi siate	that you are

 che essi [loro] siano	that they are

                                    Imperfetto del Congiuntivo  (Imperfect Subjunctive):

che io fossi	that I was

che tu fossi	that you were

 che egli (ella) fosse	that he/she was

 che noi fossimo	that we were

 che voi foste	that you were

 che essi [loro] fossero	that they were

                                       Passato Prossimo  (Present Perfect):

          [Io] sono stato	I have been

          [Tu] sei stato	You have been

 Egli (ella) è stato/a                 He/she has been

 [Noi] siamo stati                     We have been

 [Voi] siete stati 	You have been

 Essi [loro] sono stati	They have been

                                     Trapassato Prossimo (Past Perfect):

          [Io] ero stato	I had been

          [Tu] eri stato	You had been

 Egli (ella) era stato/a              He/she had been

 [Noi] eravamo stati                 We had been

 [Voi] eravate stati 	You had been

 Essi [loro] erano stati	They had been

                                  Trapassato Remoto  (Past Anterior):

          [Io] fui stato	I had been

          [Tu] fosti stato	You had been

 Egli (ella) fu stato/a               He/she had been

 [Noi] fummo stati                   We had been

 [Voi] foste stati 	You had been

 Essi [loro] furono stati	They had been

                                    Futuro Anteriore  (Future Perfect):

          [Io] sarò stato	I will have been

          [Tu] sarai stato	You will have been

 Egli (ella) sarà stato/a             He/she will have been

 [Noi] saremo stati                   We will have been

 [Voi] sarete stati 	You will have been

 Essi [loro] saranno stati	They will have been

                                    Condizionale Passato  (Past Conditional or Conditional Perfect):

          [Io] sarei stato	I would have been

          [Tu] saresti stato	You would have been

 Egli (ella) sarebbe stato/a      He/she would have been

 [Noi] saremmo stati               We would have been

 [Voi] sareste stati 	You would have been

 Essi [loro] sarebbero stati	They would have been

                                     Passato del Congiuntivo (Past Subjunctive):

          che io sia stato	that I have been

          che tu sia stato	that you have been

 che egli (ella) sia stato/a        that he/she has been

 che noi siamo stati                 that we have been

 che voi siate stati 	that you would have been

 che essi [loro] siano stati	that they would have been

                                    Trapassato del Congiuntivo  (Past Perfect Subjunctive):

          che io fossi stato	that I had been

          che tu fossi stato	that you had been

 che egli (ella) fosse stato/a    that he/she had been

 che noi fossimo stati              that we had been

 che voi foste stati 	that you had been

 che essi [loro] fossero stati	that they had been

All transitive verbs are conjugated with the auxiliary avere.  In all the forms with the Auxiliary essere the Past Participle always agrees with its subject:

                  Mia sorella è uscita con gli amici.

                  My sister has gone out with friends.

                  Molti palazzi erano stati distrutti.

                  Many buildings had been destroyed.

     Siamo arrivati in ritardo.
     We have arrived late.

     Si sono smarrite.
     They (f.) got lost.

     È venuta mia sorella?
     Has my sister come?

In the active forms with the Auxiliary avere the Past Participle does not inflect unless the direct object is a pronoun.  The past participle must agree in gender and number when the direct object is a pronoun.

Loro hanno usato la mia bicicletta.
They used my bicycle.¤

Loro l'hanno usata.

They used it.

Li ho mangiati tutti.
I ate them all.

Le ho viste ieri.
I saw them yesterday.

Avete letto la rivista?

Have you read the magazine?

Sì, l'abbiamo letta.
Yes, we read it.

There are also some intransitive verbs that are conjugated with avere, although most are conjugated with essere.  The following are conjugated with avere:

camminare	to walk
parlare	to talk
dormire	to sleep
passeggiare	to walk
vivere	to live
viaggiare	to travel
nuotare	to swim
Verbs conjugated with essere:

• Verbs which express movement:

È andato a Roma.
He went to Rome.

• Reflexive verbs:

Questa mattina mi sono alzato tardi.
This morning I woke up late

• Verbs which express a change:

È morto ieri.
He died yesterday

• Impersonal verbs:

Si è parlato in inglese, alla conferenza.
English was spoken at the conference

• Verbs in the passive form:

Il libro è stato pubblicato da Random House.
The book has been published by Random House.


Idiomatic Use of Fare (To do)

Besides its idiomatic uses in expressions of weather, the verb fare, followed by an infinitive, conveys the idea of having something done (the past participle of any verb), or causing someone to do something.  The object pronoun(s), if any, precede(s) the inflected form of fare, and not the infinitive.  For example:

Che tempo fa oggi?
How is the weather today?

Faceva freddo quando uscii.
It was cold when I went out.

Gli ho fatto dire una bugia.
I have made him say a lie.

Me l'ha già fatto ripetere due volte.
He has already made me repeat it twice.

Glielo feci vedere l'altro giorno.
I had him see it yesterday.

Ha fatto chiamare Suo fratello?
Have you sent for your brother?

Glielo farò ammettere, non dubiti.
I will make him admit it, do not doubt it.


PRESENT TENSE (Presente Indicativo)

The Italian Present Tense (Presente dell'Indicativo) is formed by changing the infinitive

-are / -ere / -ire to the following endings for regular verbs:

-are verbs	-ere verbs	-ire verbs

io	-o	-o	-o

tu	-i	-i	-i

egli, ella, lui, lei	-a	-e	-e

noi	-iamo	-iamo	-iamo

voi	-ate	-ete	-ite

essi [loro]	-ano	-ono	-ono

EXAMPLES:

         PARLARE (FIRST CONJUGATION)

[Io] parlo	I speak

[Tu] parli	You speak [fam.]

Egli (lui, essa) parla	He (she, it) speaks

[Noi] parliamo	We speak

[Voi] parlate	You speak [pl., fam.]

Essi [loro] parlano	They speak

        SCRIVERE (SECOND CONJUGATION)

[Io] scrivo	I write

[Tu] scrivi	You write [fam.]

Egli scrive	He (she, it) writes

[Noi] scriviamo	We write

[Voi] scrivete	You write [pl., fam.]

Essi [loro] scrivono	They write

The ire verbs are of several types: two common types are the ones in which the endings are added directly to the stem (as avvertire, partire, aprire etc) and those that insert -isc between the stem and the ending in the first, second and third person singular and third person plural forms of the present indicative, imperative and subjunctive tenses.

APRIRE (THIRD CONJUGATION)

[Io] apro	I open

[Tu] apri	You open [fam.]

Egli apre	He (she, it) opens

[Noi] apriamo	We open

[Voi] aprite	You open [pl., fam.]

Essi [loro] aprono	They open

Type 2 of -ire verbs: finire

        [Io] finisco	I finish

[Tu] finisci	You finish [fam.]

Lei finisce	You finish [formal]

Egli (ella,esso) finisce	He (she, it) finishes

[Noi] finiamo	We finish

[Voi] finite	You finish [pl., fam.]

Essi [loro] finiscono	They finish

Irregular verbs have conjugations of their own that can be easily found in Italian dictionaries.

Irregular verbs: ANDARE

[Io] vado	I go

[Tu] vai	You go [fam.]

Egli (ella) va	He (she, it) goes

[Noi] andiamo	We go

[Voi] andate	You go [pl., fam.]

Essi [loro] vanno	They go

USAGE:

The Present Tense is equivalent to the English Simple Present + Present Continuous (Present Indicative).  It is used to state:

1.	A general fact that is permanently true:

Il sole è la stella più vicina alla terra.

The sun is the closest star to the earth.

2.	A present action or state of being:

[Io] lavoro in ufficio.

I work in the office.

3.	An action that will occur in the near future:

Mi visitano alle tre.

They will visit me at three o'clock.

4.	An habitual action within a specified period of time.

Vado in chiesa tutte le domeniche.

I go to church  every Sunday.

5.	The English Present Continuous (most of the time):

[Io] leggo le istruzioni.

I am reading the instructions.

6.	A sentiment that may extend indefinitely into the past or the future (called the

universal present):

Dio è misericordioso.

God is merciful.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses


Preterite Tense (Passato Remoto)

The preterite tense (passato remoto) expresses an action that was completed in the distant past.

The Simple Past Tense or Preterite Tense (Passato Remoto) of regular verbs is formed by changing the infinitive

-are / -ere / -ire to the following endings after the infinitive ending has been dropped:

-are verbs	-ere verbs                 -ire verbs

io	-ai	-ei                            -ii

tu	-asti	-esti                         -isti

egli, ella	-ó	-é                            -í

noi	-ammo	-emmo                    -immo

voi	-aste	-este                       -iste

Essi [loro]	-arono	-erono                     -irono

EXAMPLES:

        PARLARE

[Io] parlai	I spoke

[Tu] parlasti	You spoke [fam.]

Egli, ella parló	He (she, it) spoke

[Noi] parlammo	We spoke

[Voi]  parlaste	You spoke [fam., pl.]

Essi [loro] parlarono	They spoke

        RIFLETTERE

         [Io] riflettei	I reflected

[Tu] riflettesti	You reflected

Egli, ella riflettè	He (she, it) reflected

[Noi] riflettemmo	We reflected

[Voi]  rifletteste	You reflected

Essi [loro] rifletterono	They reflected

         APRIRE

        [Io] aprii	I opened

[Tu] apristi	You opened

Egli aprì	He (she, it) opened

[Noi] aprimmo	We opened

[Voi] apriste	You opened

Essi [loro] aprirono	They opened

USAGE:

The Simple Past Tense is equivalent to the English Simple Past.  It is used to describe:

1.	An action completed in the past:

Non feci colazione ieri.

I did not eat breakfast yesterday.

Debora andò al ginnasio la settimana scorsa.

Debora went to the gymnasium last week.

2.	An action completed within a definite period of time:

Il film durò piú di due ore.

The movie lasted more than two hours.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Present Tense


Imperfect Indicative (Imperfetto dell'Indicativo)

The imperfect indicative is a past tense.  Because "imperfect" implies incomplete, the imperfect tense describes an action which was continuous in the past but whose state of completion is unknown or ambiguous.

The Imperfect Tense (Imperfetto dellIndicativo) is formed by changing the infinitive -are / -ere / -ire to the following endings:

-are verbs	-ere verbs	-ire verbs

io	-avo	-evo	-ivo

tu	-avi	-evi	-ivi

egli, ella	-ava	-eva	-iva

noi	-avamo	-evamo	-ivamo

voi	-avate	-evate	-ivate

 	Essi [loro]	-avano	-evano	-ivano

EXAMPLES:

[Io] parlavo	I was speaking

[Tu] parlavi	You were speaking [fam.]

Lei parlava	You were speaking [formal]

Egli (ella) parlava	He (she, it) was speaking

[Noi] parlavamo	We were speaking

[Voi] parlavate	You were speaking [pl., fam.]

Loro parlavano	They were speaking

Italian employs it to describe:

• A past state of mind, opinion or emotion:

Sapevo che ai miei amici non piacevano le mie idee.
I knew my friends didn't like my ideas.

• A description of a scene in the past:

Nel parco, il tempo era bello e gli uccelli cantavano.
In the park, the weather was beautiful and the birds were singing.

• An habitual action that took place in the past.

Quando ero al liceo, lavoravo tutti i week-ends.
When I was in college, I worked every weekend.

• Mental, emotional, and physical conditions in the past as well as other past conditions such as weather, time, and age.

L'amava molto.
He loved her very much.

Faceva molto caldo.
It was very hot.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Simple Past Tense


Future Tense (Futuro)

To form the future tense in Italian two things must be done.  For the -ARE verbs, the infinitive ending -are is changed to -er and then -ò, -ai, -à, -emo, -ete, -anno is added.  Both the -ERE and the -IRE verbs are formed as follows.  First, the final e is dropped from the infinitive ending, changing -ere to -er and -ire to -ir.  Next, one of the following future endings is added onto the word, -ò, -ai, -à, -emo, -ete, or -anno.

EXAMPLE:

[Io] parlerò	I will speak

[Tu] parlerai	You will speak [fam.]

Lei parlerà	You will speak [formal]

Egli (ella) parlerà	He (she, it) will speak

[Noi] parleremo	We will speak

[Voi] parlerete	You will speak [pl., fam.]

Essi [loro] parleranno	They will speak

USAGE:

The Future Tense is equivalent to the English Future Tense using will or shall.  It is used to describe actions or states that, it is assumed, will take place at a time future to the present:

Il balletto avrá luogo sabato prossimo.
The ballet will take place next Saturday.

To use the future on present intent or determination.

Andrò a vederlo domani.
I will go to see him tomorrow.

Use of the future after quando (when).  When the main clause is in the future, and the subordinate clause is introduced by quando, the subordinate clause will be in the future:

Lo vedrò quando arriverò.
I will see him when I (will) arrive.

Present probability:

Saranno probabilmente a casa.

They are probably already home.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Future Perfect Tense


Conditional (Condizionale)

Like the indicative, the imperative, and the subjunctive, the conditional is a mood, with its own endings for various tenses.  The root of the verb is the same as the future root.  The -ARE verb ending changes to -er and a conditional ending is added -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero.  The -ERE and -IRE verbs drop their final e before adding one of the following conditional endings, -ei, -esti, -ebbe, -emmo, -este, -ebbero.

EXAMPLE:

[Io] parlerei	I would speak

[Tu] parleresti	You would speak [fam.]

Lei parlerebbe	You would speak [formal]

Egli (ella) parlerebbe	He (she, it) would speak

[Noi] parleremmo	We would speak

[Voi] parlereste	You would speak [pl., fam.]

Essi [loro] parlerebbero	They would speak

The Present Conditional is equivalent to the English construction would + infinitive. It has four major uses:

• To express the result of a hypothetical situation, the verb in the conditional follows the conjunction se plus a verb in the past subjunctive:

Se fossi in te, non lo farei.
If I were you, I would not do it.

• To express a probability in the future:

Andrei in Italia domani.
I would go to Italy tomorrow.

• To express politeness, and in sentences where there is only one verb what is expressed in English by, I would . . .:

Lo farei con piacere.
I'd do that with pleasure.

Vorrei una tazza di caffè.
I would like a cup of coffee.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Present Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Clauses


Present Subjunctive (Congiuntivo Presente)

The subjunctive mood is rarely used in English but is frequently used in Italian.  A verb takes the subjunctive when it is preceded by certain verbs or certain expressions that indicate a subjective situation.

The present subjunctive tense is formed by dropping the final o found at the end of the present indicative and then adding a present subjunctive ending.  For -ARE verbs, add -i, -i, -i, -iamo, -iate, -ino.  For -ERE and -IRE verbs, add -a, -a, -a, -iamo, -iate, -ano.

-are verbs	-ere / -ire verbs

io	-i	-a

tu	-i	-a

egli, ella	-i	-a

noi	-iamo	-iamo

voi	-iate	-iate

Essi [loro]	-ino	-ano

EXAMPLES:

Parlare (To speak - First Conjugation)

[ io] parli	that I may speak

[tu] parli	that you may speak [fam.]

Egli (ella) parli	that he (she, it) may speak

[Noi] parliamo	that we may speak

[Voi] parliate	that you may speak [pl., fam.]

      [Essi, loro] parlino                       that they may  speak

    Scrivere (To write - Second Conjugation)

      [io] scriva	that I may write

[tu] scriva	that you may write [fam.]

Egli (ella) scriva	that he (she, it) may write

[Noi] scriviamo	that we may write

[Voi] scriviate	that you may write [pl., fam.]

      [Essi, loro] scrivano                       that they may  write

Aprire (To open - Third Conjugation)

      [io] apra	that I may open

[tu] apra	that you may open [fam.]

Egli (ella) apra	that he (she, it) may open

[Noi] apriamo	that we may open

[Voi] apriate	that you may open

      [Essi, loro] aprano                       that they may  open

After an expression of personal sentiment (emotion, will, or desire):

Sono contento che voi siate qui.
I am happy that you are here.

Desidero che tu arrivi presto.
I wish that you arrive early.

 After an expression of necessity, doubt or possibility:

È necessario che tu venga con me.
You must come with me.

È possibile che noi andiamo a Parigi.
It is possible that we're going to Paris.

 After verbs of opinion (pensare, credere, sperare, sentire) when they are in the negative or interrogative:

Lei non pensa che sia freddo in Alaska.
She doesn't think it is cold in Alaska.

Le sembra che io sia malato?
Does it seem to you that I am sick?

After certain conjunctive phrases that express the idea of unaccomplished goal or aim:

benchè	so that; in order that
affinchè	so that; in order that
in modo che	so that; in order that
prima che	before (that)
per paura che	out of fear that
a meno che	unless
fino a che	until
benchè	although
After chiunque (whoever), qualunque (whatever), dovunque (wherever):

Chiunque Lei sia . . .	Whoever you are . . .
Qualunque cosa io faccia. . .	Whatever I do . . .
Dovunque si vada . . .	Wherever one goes . . .

After a superlative adjective when there is an idea of doubt, probability, but not certainty:

Tu sei forse il miglior amico che io abbia.
You are maybe the best friend that I have.

In subordinate clauses, following an impersonal expression only when the subordinate clause

contains a subject.

È importante che i bambini mangino la verdura.

It is important that the children eat vegetables.

Impersonal Expressions

è  importante	it's important

è impossibile	it's impossible

è necessario	it's necessary

è possibile	it's possible

è probabile	it's probable, likely

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Present Tense

Clauses

Negation


IMPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE (Congiuntivo Imperfetto)

The past subjunctive is a literary tense whose modern use is rare, even in literature.  It may be used in sentences where the subjunctive is called for but the verb of the main clause is in the past tense or conditional mood.  To form the past subjunctive for -ARE verbs add -assi, -assi, -asse, -assimo, -aste, assero.  For -ERE verbs, add -essi, -essi, -esse, -essimo, -este, -essero.  For -IRE verbs, add -issi, -issi, -isse, -issimo, -iste, -issero.

The imperfect subjunctive:

Volevo che tu lo facessi.
I wanted you to do it.

The present subjunctive:

Voglio che tu lo faccia.
I want you to do it.

EXAMPLES:

Parlare (To speak - First Conjugation)

[Io] parlassi	that I might speak

[Tu] parlassi	that you might speak [fam.]

Egli (ella) parlasse	that he (she, it) might speak

[Noi] parlassimo                         that we might speak

[Voi] parlaste                              that you might speak [pl., fam.]

Essi [loro] parlassero                          that they might speak

      Scrivere (To write - Second Conjugation)

      [io] scrivessi	that I might write

[tu] scrivessi	that you might write [fam.]

Egli (ella) scrivesse	that he (she, it) might write

[Noi] scrivessimo	that we might write

[Voi] scriveste	that you might write [pl., fam.]

      [Essi, loro] scrivessero                       that they might  write

Aprire (To open - Third Conjugation)

      [io] aprissi	that I might open

[tu] aprissi	that you might open [fam.]

Egli (ella) aprisse	that he (she, it) might open

[Noi] aprissimo	that we might open

[Voi] apriste                       	that you might open

      [Essi, loro] aprissero                   that they might  open

USAGE:

The Imperfect Subjunctive expresses uncertainty, possibility, a feeling, or a wish, as does the Present Subjunctive.

The subjunctive must be used in subordinate clauses   in which there is a change of subject and when there is doubt in the mind of the speaker or writer as to the absolute truth or future fulfillment of his statement.

If the verb in the main clause  is in the Imperfect Indicative, Simple Past, Conditional, or Past Perfect, the Imperfect Subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause.

The Subjunctive is used:

1.	In subordinate clauses  that follow verbs of desire, command, emotion, doubt, and uncertainty.

Avevano paura che lui lo facesse.	[change of subject]

They feared that he might do it.

Lei insistì che [io] lo facessi.

She insisted that I do it.

2.	In subordinate clauses that follow an impersonal expression only when the subordinate

clause contains a subject.

Era importante che ascoltassimo i dettagli.

It was important that we listened to the details.

3.	In subordinate clauses, when the noun modified by the subordinate clause does not refer to a specific person or thing.

Volevo parlare con qualcuno che conoscesse bene la Francia.

I wanted to speak with someone who knows France well.

4.	After the subordinating conjunction "come se," to express a contrary-to-fact  condition.

"Come se" always takes the Imperfect Subjunctive.

Parla come se mi conoscesse.

He speaks as if he knew me.

Mi tratta  come se fossi un cretino.

He treats me as if I were a fool.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Imperfect Tense


COMPOUND TENSES

The Compound Tenses   of all verbs are formed from the various tenses of the conjugated auxiliary verb     avere (to have) or essere (to be) plus the past participle of the main verb.

Sono venuti?	Have they come?

Hai visto...?	Have you seen...?

Abbiamo sempre detto...	We have always said...

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Present Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Conditional Perfect

Past Perfect Subjunctive


PRESENT PERFECT TENSE (Passato Prossimo)

The present perfect, or conversational past (passato prossimo):
The present perfect tense, along with the imperfect tense, is the main past tense in Italian.  It is formed with the present tense of the auxiliary verb (avere or essere) plus the past participle of the main verb.

The Past Participle of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive ending -are and adding the ending -ato for regular first conjugation verbs; dropping the infinitive ending -ere and adding -uto for regular second conjugation verbs; and dropping the infinitive ending -ire and adding -ito for regular third conjugation verbs. Look at the following examples of regular past participles:

ballare            ballato

cantare           cantato

avere              avuto

cadere            caduto

sapere            saputo

partire            partito

capire             capito

Study the following model and then look at the examples:

io	ho	         + past participle

tu	hai	         + past participle

egli, ella ,etc               ha	         + past participle

noi	abbiamo	+ past participle

voi	avete         	+ past participle

Essi 	hanno	         + past participle

io	sono	         + past participle

tu	sei	         + past participle

egli, ella ,etc               è	         + past participle

noi	siamo   	+ past participle

voi	siete         	+ past participle

Essi 	sono	         + past participle

EXAMPLES:

[Io] ho parlato	I have spoken

[Tu] hai parlato	you have spoken [fam.]

Egli(ella) ha parlato	he (she, it) has spoken

[Noi] abbiamo parlato	we have spoken

[Voi] avete parlato	you have spoken [pl., fam.]

Essi,loro hanno parlato	they have spoken

      [Io] sono andato	I have gone

[Tu] sei andato	you have gone [fam.]

Egli (ella) è andato/a	he (she, it) has gone

[Noi] siamo andati	we have gone

[Voi] siete andati	you have gone [pl., fam.]

Essi, loro sono andati/e	they have gone

 The present perfect (passato prossimo) has two major uses:

• To express an action or a state of mind, emotion, or opinion at a precise or sudden moment in the past:

Quando mi ha visto, ho avuto paura.
When he saw me, I was afraid.

• To express a completed action, thought, or statement:

Ella ha aperto la porta e io sono entrato.
She opened the door and I entered.

The conjugation of the "passato prossimo" with the present tense of avere or essere depends on whether the following verb is transitive or intransitive.  Transitive verbs are conjugated with avere.  Intransitive verbs are conjugated with essere.

Transitive verbs take a direct object that answers the question what or whom.  The 	object can be a noun or a verb.

Ha mangiato una pizza.
He ate a pizza.

Ha guardato la TV.
He watched TV.

Ha voluto cantare.
He wanted to sing.

Intransitive verbs do not take a direct object or answer the question what.  They usually express movement.

È andato a Roma.
He went to Rome.

Sono partiti ieri.
They left yesterday.

Important!

 Remember that the Past Participle of verbs conjugated with essere must agree in number and gender with the subject of the sentence.

            La ragazza è andata a scuola.

            The girl has gone to school.

            I ragazzi sono andati a scuola.

            The boys have gone to school.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Present Tense

Passive Voice


Past Perfect Tense (Trapassato Prossimo)

The past perfect tense, (trapassato prossimo) may be used in writing to indicate the relationship between two successive past actions. It is a compound tense formed by combining the auxiliary verb (essere or avere) in the imperfect tense with the past participle of the main verb.

Using the preterite perfect tense:

 Non eravamo usciti perché già avevamo comprato i regali.
 We had not gone out because we had already bought the presents.

AVERE

io	avevo	+ past participle

tu	avevi	+ past participle

egli, ella	aveva	+ past participle

noi	avevamo	+ past participle

voi	avevate	+ past participle

Essi, loro	avevano	+ past participle

ESSERE

      io	ero	+ past participle

tu	eri	+ past participle

egli, ella	era	+ past participle

noi	eravamo	+ past participle

voi	eravate	+ past participle

Essi, loro	erano	+ past participle

EXAMPLES:

     [Io] avevo parlato	I had spoken

     [Tu] avevi parlato	you had spoken

     Egli(ella) aveva parlato	he (she, it) had spoken

     [Noi] avevamo parlato	we had spoken

     [Voi] avevate parlato	you had spoken

     Essi, loro avevano parlato	they had spoken

      [Io] ero andato	I had gone

[Tu] eri andato	you had gone [fam.]

Egli (ella) era andato/a	he (she, it) had gone

[Noi] eravamo andati	we had gone

[Voi] eravate andati	you had gone [pl., fam.]

Essi, loro erano andati/e	they had gone

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Preterite Tense (Passato Remoto)

Imperfect Indicative (Imperfetto dell'Indicativo)

CLAUSES


Preterite Perfect Tense (Trapassato Remoto)

The preterite perfect tense, (trapassato remoto) like the preterite tense, is limited in modern Italian to literary or historical contexts.  It may be used in writing to indicate the relationship between two successive past actions.  The preterite perfect is generally found in a subordinate clause, introduced by a conjunction Conjunction of time:  appena, quando.  It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb (essere or avere) in the perfect tense with the past participle of the main verb.

The Italian Preterite Perfect Tense is used to express an action that occurred in the past before another past action.

Using the preterite perfect tense:

Quando il re ebbe finito, fece un discorso.
After the king had finished, he gave a speech.

io	ebbi	+ past participle

tu	avesti	+ past participle

egli, ella	ebbe	+ past participle

noi	avemmo	+ past participle

voi	aveste	+ past participle

Essi, loro	ebbero	+ past participle

     io	fui	+ past participle

tu	fosti	+ past participle

egli, ella	fu                + past participle

noi	fummo	+ past participle

voi	foste	+ past participle

Essi, loro	furono	+ past participle

EXAMPLES:

      [Io] ebbi parlato	I had spoken

[Tu] avesti parlato	you had spoken [fam.]

Egli(ella) ebbe parlato	he (she, it) had spoken

[Noi] avemmo parlato	we had spoken

[Voi] aveste parlato	you had spoken [pl., fam.]

Essi, loro ebbero parlato	they had spoken

      [Io] fui andato	I had gone

[Tu] fosti andato	you had gone [fam.]

Egli (ella) fu andato/a	he (she, it) had gone

[Noi] fummo andati	we had gone

[Voi] foste andati	you had gone [pl., fam.]

Essi, loro furono andati/e	they had gone

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Simple Past Tense

Imperfect Tense

Clauses


Future Perfect Tense (Futuro Anteriore)

The future perfect tense is a compound tense formed with the future of the auxiliary (avere or essere) plus the past participle of the verb you have in mind.  In Italian and in English, this tense is used to express a future action that will happen before another future action.  In English, this tense is formed by using shall have or will have plus the past participle of the verb you have in mind.

io	avrò	+ past participle

tu	avrai	+ past participle

egli ella	avrà	+ past participle

noi	avremo	+ past participle

voi	avrete	+ past participle

Essi, loro	avranno	+ past participle

Auxiliary essere

       io	sarò	+ past participle

 tu	sarai	+ past participle

 egli ella	sarà	+ past participle

 noi	saremo	+ past participle

 voi	sarete	+ past participle

 Essi, loro	saranno	+ past participle

  EXAMPLES:

          [Io] avrò parlato	I will have spoken

[Tu] avrai parlato	you will have spoken

Egli(ella) avrà parlato	he (she, it) will have spoken

[Noi] avremo parlato	we will have spoken

[Voi] avrete parlato	you will have spoken

Essi, loro avranno parlato	they will have spoken

      [Io] sarò andato	I will have gone

[Tu] sarai andato	you will have gone

Egli(ella) sarà andato	he (she, it) will have gone

[Noi] saremo andati	we will have gone

[Voi] sarete andati	you will have gone

Essi, loro saranno andati	they will have gone

USAGE:

The Future Perfect Tense is used to express a simple action in the future completed before another future action:

Quando Lei avrà terminato, me lo dirà.
When you (will) have finished, you'll tell me.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Future Tense

Passive Voice


Conditional Perfect (Condizionale Passato)

The conditional perfect is formed with the conditional of the auxiliary verb (essere or avere) plus the past participle of the main verb.  It is used to express the result of a hypothetical condition or supposition in the past.  Only the auxiliary is conjugated.

-are / -ere / -ire verbs

io	avrei	+ past participle

tu	avresti	+ past participle

egli ella	avrebbe     + past participle

noi	avremmo	+ past participle

voi	avreste	+ past participle

Essi, loro	avrebbero	+ past participle

Auxiliary essere

       io	sarei	+ past participle

 tu	saresti	+ past participle

 egli ella	sarebbe     + past participle

 noi	saremmo	+ past participle

 voi	sareste	+ past participle

 Essi, loro	sarebbero	+ past participle

EXAMPLES:

          [Io] avrei parlato	I would have spoken

[Tu] avresti parlato	you would have spoken [fam.]

Lei avrebbe parlato	you would have spoken [formal]

Egli(ella) avrebbe parlato	he (she, it) would have spoken

[Noi] avremmo parlato	we would have spoken

[Voi] avreste parlato	you would have spoken [pl., fam.]

Essi, loro avrebbero parlato	they would have spoken

      [Io] sarei andato	I would have gone

[Tu] saresti andato	you would have gone

Egli(ella) sarebbe andato	he (she, it) would have gone

[Noi] saremmo andati	we would have gone

[Voi] sareste andati	you would have gone

Essi, loro sarebbero andati	they would have gone

USAGE:

The conditional perfect is only used when the other verb is in the past perfect (trapassato prossimo).

The Conditional Perfect is used to express an action that would have occurred if something else had been possible.

      Se voi foste venuti, noi saremmo stati molto contenti.

If you had come, we would have been very happy.

Saremmo usciti più presto se avessimo saputo che i negozi chiudevano presto.

We would have left earlier if we had known (that) the stores closed early.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Present Conditional

Present Perfect Tense

Clauses


Present Perfect Subjunctive (Passato del Congiuntivo)

The present perfect subjunctive tense (congiuntivo passato) is formed by using the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verb (essere or avere) plus the past participle of the main verb.  It is used when the action in the subordinate clause has come before the action in the main clause (and all other conditions requiring the use of the Present Subjunctive are met).

Use the present perfect subjunctive when the subordinate action precedes the main action:

Non credo che Lei abbia pagato il ragazzo per i fiori.
I don't believe you have paid the boy for the flowers.

Sono contento che siano venuti a trovarmi.
I am glad that they came to see me.

-are / -ere / -ire verbs

      io	abbia	         + past participle

tu	abbia	         + past participle

egli, ella ,etc               abbia	         + past participle

noi	abbiamo	+ past participle

voi	abbiate         	+ past participle

Essi 	abbiano       + past participle

io	sia	         + past participle

tu	sia	         + past participle

egli, ella ,etc               sia                + past participle

noi	siamo   	+ past participle

voi	siate         	+ past participle

Essi 	siano    	+ past participle

USAGE:

The Indicative is used to state a fact, and the Subjunctive is used to express uncertainty, possibility, a feeling, or a wish.

The Subjunctive must be used in subordinate clauses in which there is a change of subject and when there is doubt in the mind of the speaker or writer as to the absolute truth or outcome of the situation his statement describes.

Sono felice che Maria sia venuta.   (Notice the agreement of the Past Participle with its             	subject).

I am happy that Maria has come.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Present Subjunctive


PAST PERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE (Trapassato del 	Congiuntivo)

The past perfect subjunctive tense is a tense reserved for literary contexts.  It is similar in use to the imperfect subjunctive, and consists of the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb followed by a past participle.  Modern usage exists only in the third person.

Using the pluperfect subjunctive:

Ero contento che Maria fosse arrivata.
I was happy that Mary had arrived.

The Subjunctive  (Trapassato del Congiuntivo) of the auxiliary verbs avere or essere is used in a subordinate clause when the verb in the main clause   is in a past tense and the action in the subordinate clause has already taken place.

The Past Perfect Subjunctive is formed with the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary avere

(to have) or essere (to be) + past participle   of the main verb.

-are / -ere / -ire verbs

      io	avessi	         + past participle

tu	avessi	         + past participle

egli, ella ,etc               avesse	         + past participle

noi	avessimo	+ past participle

voi	aveste         	+ past participle

Essi 	avessero       + past participle

io	fossi	         + past participle

tu	fossi	         + past participle

egli, ella ,etc               fosse             + past participle

noi	fossimo   	+ past participle

voi	foste         	+ past participle

Essi 	fossero	+ past participle

EXAMPLES:

[Io] avessi parlato	I might have spoken

[Tu] avessi parlato	you might have spoken [fam.]

Egli(ella) avesse parlato	he (she, it) might have spoken

[Noi] avessimo parlato	we might have spoken

[Voi] aveste parlato	you might have spoken [pl., fam.]

Essi, loro avessero parlato	they might have spoken

      [Io] fossi andato	I might have gone

[Tu] fossi andato	you might have gone [fam.]

Egli (ella) fosse andato/a	he (she, it) might have gone

[Noi] fossimo andati	we might have gone

[Voi] foste andati	you might have gone [pl., fam.]

Essi, loro fossero andati/e	they might have gone

USAGE:

The Indicative is used to state a fact, and the Subjunctive is used to express uncertainty, possibility, a feeling, or a wish.

The Subjunctive must be used in  subordinate clauses

in which there is a change of subject and when there is doubt in the mind of the speaker or writer as to the absolute truth or outcome of the situation his statement describes.

Non era possibile che tutti avessero comprato i biglietti.

It was not possible that everyone had bought the tickets.

Il datore di lavoro dubitò che gli impiegati avessero completato il progetto.

The boss doubted that the employees had completed the project.

Related Topics:

Summary Of Tenses

Present Subjunctive


PASSIVE VOICE

The Active Voice is a construction in which the subject performs the action described by the verb.  In the Passive Voice, the  subject receives the action of the verb.  The person or entity

performing the action is called the agent.  The Passive Voice always involves an action that is

being done to the subject.

Active Voice:	L'università concederà una borsa di studio.

The university will grant a scholarship.

Passive Voice:	Una borsa di studio sarà concessa dall'università.

A scholarship will be granted by the university.

In Italian the Passive Voice construction parallels that of English.  The past participle agrees with the subject  in gender and number.

Subject	+ essere	+ Past Participle + PREPOSITIONS 	+Agent

            La canzone	     fu	                             scritta	da	Lucio Battisti.

The song	   was	                            written	by	Lucio Battisti.

Il presidente era rispettato da tutti.

The president was respected by everyone.

             La posta è stata distribuita dal postino.

             The mail has been delivered by the mailman.

The impersonal they may be used as an alternate to the true Passive Voice:

Dicono che fumare fa male alla salute.

It is said (they say) that smoking is dangerous to the health.

When the doer of the action is not stated, Italian forms the passive voice by using the reflexive pronoun si with the third-person singular or plural form of the verb.

Si pensa che la casa sia stata venduta un anno fa.

It is thought that the house was sold  a year ago.

            Qui si parla italiano.

            Italian is spoken here.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Reflexive Verbs


Imperative Forms

The imperative mood expresses commands, strong advice and calls to action.  In Italian, there are forms of the imperative mood for formal and familiar discourse.

Familiar imperative:
The familiar imperative uses the tu or voi forms of the present indicative.
Scrivi la lettera!
Write the letter!

Finite il compito!
Finish the homework!

The second person singular, familiar (tu) form of regular verbs with infinitives in ARE uses the third person singular, indicative verb ending.
Mangia la frutta!
Eat the fruit!

Four short verbs with infinitives in ARE have frequently-used irregular tu imperative forms: andare, dare, fare, and stare.
Va' con lui!
Go with him!

Da' il libro a Maria!
Give the book to Maria!

Fa' il lavoro oggi!
Do the work today!

Sta' a casa questa settimana!
Stay home this week!

Dire has just one familiar imperative form: di'.
Di' la storia ai ragazzi!
Tell the story to the boys!

Formal imperative:
The Italian formal (Lei/Loro) imperative uses the same verb forms as the third person present subjunctive mood.  If a verb is irregular in the subjunctive, it will also be irregular in the formal imperative.
Finisca di leggere!
Finish reading!

Paghi in contanti, per favore!
Pay in cash, please!

Dica la verità al professore!
Tell the truth to the teacher!

First person plural imperative:
Italian has an imperative form corresponding to the English let's.  It is identical to the first person plural, indicative inflection of the Italian verb.
Andiamo al cinema!
Let's go to the movies!

Negative imperative:
To negate any Italian verb in the imperative mood, simply precede the imperative with non.  To negate the tu imperative, use non followed by the infinitive of the verb.
Non andiamo al cinema stasera!
Let's not go to the movies tonight!

Non dormite in quel letto!
Don't sleep in that bed!

Non parlare mentre la professoressa parla!
Don't talk while the teacher is talking!

Related Topic:

Summary of Tenses


Definite Article

Italian articles exist in both masculine and feminine, singular and plural, and definite and indefinite forms.

The definite article has seven forms, used as follows:

Masculine		Singular	Plural
	Before "pure" consonant	il	i
	Before "impure" consonant	lo	gli
	Before vowel	l'	gli
Feminine
	Before consonant	la	le
	Before vowel	l'	le
An "impure" consonant is an s followed by another consonant (sb, sc, sp, st), z, ps or gn.  Examples:
lo stato                gli stati
the state              the states

lo zio                  gli zii
the uncle            the uncles

lo psicologo        gli psicologi
the psychologist  the psychologists

lo gnosticismo     gli gnosticismi
agnosticism        agnosticisms

A pure consonant is any other consonant or group of consonants.

The Italian definite article is used with all general or abstract nouns.  Examples:
I libri sono importanti.
Books are important.

L'amore fa bene a tutti.
Love is good for everyone.

The definite article must be used with titles when talking about someone. The article is omitted, however, in direct address.
La signora Savorelli abita a Roma

but

Buona sera, signora Savorelli

The definite article is usually used with the following geographical names:
• continents
• countries
• islands
• regions.

Note, however, that the definite article is omitted when the name of the continent, country, island, or region is preceded by the preposition di or in, unless the name of the country is masculine. The article is also omitted if the name of the continent, country, island or region is modified in any way.

NAMES OF COUNTRIES & CITIES

The definite article is used with names of certain countries:

l Argentina	il Giappone

il Brasile	la Repubblica di Panama

il Canada	il Paraguay

la Cina	il Perú

l Ecuador	il Salvador

l India	l Uruguay

Related Topics:

Indefinite Article


INDEFINITE ARTICLE

The Italian indefinite article has four forms, as follows:

Masculine
	Before "pure" consonant	un
	Before "impure" consonant	uno
	Before vowel	un
Feminine
	Before consonant	una
	Before vowel	un'
Examples:
un treno
a train

uno specchio
a mirror

un ufficio
an office

una donna
a woman

un'eccezione
an exception

The use of the Italian indefinite article is similar to the English indefinite article a/an.

OCCUPATION / RACE / NATIONALITY / SOCIAL STATUS /

RELIGIOUS OR POLITICAL BELIEFS

If the speaker intends to classify the subject according to occupation, race, nationality, social status, religious or political beliefs, the indefinite article is omitted.

Antonio non è italiano, è boliviano.

Anthony is not Italian, he is Bolivian.

Essere cattolico o protestante.

To be a Catholic or a Protestant.

Related Topics:

Definite Article

Nouns


PLURAL AND GENDER

All Italian nouns occur in either masculine or feminine gender and have both singular and plural forms.

Most Italian nouns are inflected according to one of the five following patterns

Pattern	Singular	Plural	Example
1	-o	-i	ragazzo, ragazzi (boy)
2	-o	-a	uovo, uova (egg)
3	-a	-e	sorella, sorelle (sister)
4	-a	-i	turista,turisti (tourist)
5	-e	-i	cane, cani (dog)
When a noun ending in -co, -go, -ca or -ga forms its plural by adding -i or -e and there is no change in the pronunciation of the "hard" -c or -g of the stem, the plural is spelled with -chi, -ghi, -che or -ghe respectively to retain the hard sound.  Examples:
albergo (m. sg.)
hotel

alberghi (m. pl.)
hotels.

Nouns ending in -io with a stressed -i form a regular plural, that is the final -o is replaced by -i.  Example:
zio	zii
uncle    uncles

Nouns ending in -io with an unstressed -i, lose the -i of the root.  Example:
bacio     baci
kiss         kisses

occhio	occhi
eye       eyes

Almost all nouns not belonging to Patterns 1 - 5 above are invariable in the plural, including:
• nouns ending in a stressed vowel
la città
the city

le città
the cities

• nouns of one syllable
il re
the king

i re
the kings

• nouns ending in -i
la crisi
the crisis

le crisi
the crises

• nouns ending in a consonant
l'autobus
the bus

gli autobus
the buses

• abbreviations
l'auto
the car

le auto
the cars

• family names
i Marcenaro
the Marcenaro's

• foreign loan-words
lo sport
the sport

gli sport
the sports

The gender of Italian nouns cannot be determined based on either morphology or meaning, except that all nouns of PATTERN 2 above are masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural (e.g. il ginocchio the knee, le ginocchia the knees) and nouns in PATTERN 4 are masculine (l'artista the artist, gli artisti the artists). Most nouns in pattern 1 are masculine (except for la mano the hand, le mani the hands). Nouns ending in -e in pattern 5 are about equally distributed between masculine and feminine.

Many masculine nouns ending in -o or -e have a corresponding feminine form ending in -a.  Examples:
zio
uncle
zia
aunt

signore
gentleman
signora
lady

Certain nouns have a special form for the feminine.  Examples:
attore
actor
attrice
actress

dottore
doctor
dottoressa (female)
doctor

eroe
hero
eroina
heroine

Most nouns ending in o are masculine and most ending in a are feminine.

Masculine	English	Feminine	English

il  gatto                cat            	la blusa	blouse

il pollo	chicken	la camicia	shirt

il formaggio	cheese	la candela	candle

il cappello	hat	la casa	house

il telefono	telephone	la gonna	skirt

il lavoro	work	la donna	female

il tempio	temple	la lotteria	lottery / raffle

il maestro	teacher	la maestra	teacher

il ragazzo	boy	la ragazza	girl

il denaro	money	la moneta	coin

EXCEPTIONS

A few nouns that end in o are feminine:

la mano	hand

la foto	photo	(abbreviation of la fotografia)

Some nouns ending in a are masculine.  Some frequently used nouns belonging to this group are:

             il programma	program

       il pianeta	   planet

Many nouns ending in ma are masculine:

il clima	climate	il dramma	drama

il sistema	system	il tema	theme / subject

il poema	poem	il problema	problem

      il teorema	theorem

However, the following common words ending in ma are always feminine:

la forma	form

la trama	plot / scheme

la vittima	victim

INFINITIVES AS NOUNS

Where the infinitive is used as a noun it is always masculine:

il viaggiare	traveling	il contribuire	contributing

il camminare	walking	il pensare	thinking

NOUNS ENDING IN -zione

Nouns ending in -zione are always feminine:

la benedizione	blessing

la cauzione	warning

la costituzione	constitution

la funzione	function

la liberazione       liberation

NOUNS ENDING IN -tá

Nouns ending in -tá always feminine.  Note the correlation between Italian -tá and English -ty:

la libertá	liberty

la bontá	goodness	la malvagitá	wickedness

la caritá	charity	la cittá	city

la comunitá	community	la santitá	holiness

la difficoltá	difficulty

      la vanitá	vanity

Note that these nouns are invariable in the Plural.

NOUNS DENOTING PERSONS / ANIMALS

Nouns denoting persons or animals can be masculine or feminine and are formed by adding o or a to a common stem:

il nonno	grandfather	la nonna	grandmother

lo sposo	bridegroom	la sposa	bride

il gatto	cat	la gatta	cat

NOUNS DENOTING PROFESSION / SOCIAL POSITION

Nouns denoting a person's profession or social position often end in -ista, -ante, or -ente.  Gender is indicated by the article preceding the noun and the noun endings do not change:

l'artista	artist	la artista	artist

il cantante	singer	la cantante	singer

il dentista	dentist	la dentista	dentist

Gender for some common-stem nouns is indicated only by their articles.  Note the meanings of common-stem nouns may not be related.

il capitale	capital (money)	la capitale	capital city

il fronte	military front	la fronte	forehead

Related Topics:

Definite Article

Indefinite Article


GROUP NOUNS

The masculine plural form can include both the female and male members of a group:

i bambini	=	boys / boy + girl / boys + girls / children

i figli	=	sons / son + daughter / sons + daughters

I signori	=	gentlemen / Mr. and Mrs.

Related Topics:

Nouns

Compound Noun


COMPOUND NOUNS

The article preceding some compound nouns changes from singular to plural to indicate a change in number, but the  noun itself does not change its ending.  Compound nouns are always masculine.

Singular	Plural

il lavapiatti	dishwasher	i lavapiatti	dishwashers

il giradischi	record player	i giradischi	record players

Related Topics:

GROUP NOUNS

Nouns


DIMINUTIVE AND AUGMENTATIVE FORMS

Diminutive in Italian convey an idea of lesser size. The most common diminutive suffixes are:

Masculine	Feminine
-ino	-ina
-etto	-etta

        un ragazzo            un ragazzino

         a boy                      a little boy

        una donna               una donnina

         a woman                 a little woman

        un libro                    un libretto

          a book                     a little book

         una casa                  una casetta

          a house                    a little house

A diminutive may be used to convey an idea of affection as in the examples above and in the following:

-ello, ella	asino, asinello	little donkey
-olo, -ola	figlio, figliolo	dear son
-uccio, -uccia	bocca, boccuccia	pretty little mouth

The ending -ONE is added to nouns to make them augmentative.

Feminine Nouns generally become masculine when made augmentative:

   un ragazzo             un ragazzone

     a boy.                       a big boy.

  una caserma                un casermone

   barracks                       big barracks

Alternatively, a deprecative diminutive may convey an idea of something undesirable, ugly or hateful.  Some examples:

-accio, -accia	libro, libraccio	horrible book
-astro, -astra	poeta, poetastro	terrible poet
-onzolo, -onzola	medico, mediconzolo	awful doctor
-ucolo, -ucola	paese, paesucolo	horrible little town
Related Topics:

Interjection

Nouns


Personal Pronouns

Like their English counterparts, Italian personal pronouns exist in singular and plural forms for the first, second, and third persons. Unlike English, Italian personal pronouns include both formal and informal forms of the second person pronouns.  As do many European languages, Italian distinguishes between a formal (Lei) and informal (tu) second person pronoun. The use of one or the other is determined by the social relations between the speakers.

Subject forms
	Singular	Plural
First Person	io (I)	noi (we)
Second Person	tu (you)	voi (you pl.)
Third Person (m. or f.)		loro (they)
	lui, egli, esso (he)	essi (they, m)
	lei, ella, essa (she)	esse (they, f)
Formal	Lei (you)	Loro (you pl.)

In modern spoken Italian lui, lei and loro are most frequently used for he, she, they.  In Italian the verb ending indicates the subject, and for this reason it is very common to drop the subject pronoun.

SUBJECT PRONOUNS FOR EMPHASIS

The adjective stesso (-a), self, is used with the subject pronouns to add emphasis:

io stesso -a	I myself

tu stesso -a	you yourself (thou thyself)

lui stesso	he himself

lei stessa	she herself

noi stessi -e	we ourselves (masc. and fem.)

voi -stessi -e	you yourselves (masc. and fem.)

loro stessi -e	they themselves (masc.and fem.)

Io stessa aggiustai la macchina.

I, myself, repaired the car.

Labbiamo detto noi stessi.

We have said it ourselves.

Related Topics:

Personal Object Pronouns

Conjunctive Pronouns


Lei/Tu

There are more pronouns in Italian for the expression of the subject you than in English, because Italian observes a distinction between styles of direct address that does not now exist in English.

Tu is second person form of the verb, and is employed when the relationship between speaker and person spoken to is intimate or familiar (close friends and family).  Lei is used when the relationship is more formal and requires the verb in third person.

    FAMILIAR

     Tu hai molti figli, vero?

     You have many children, true?

   FORMAL

     Lei ha molti figli, vero?

     You have many children, true?

Related Topics:

Personal Pronouns

Personal Object Pronouns


Conjunctive Pronouns

Italian has a group of pronouns, called conjunctive pronouns, used only in conjunction with verbs.  These pronouns follow imperative, infinitive and participle forms and are written together with the verb form. In the first and second person, singular and plural, the pronoun has the meaning of both direct and indirect object. In the third person, the pronouns have different forms for direct and indirect objects.

	Singular	Plural
First Person	mi (me; to me)	ci (us; to us)
Second Person	ti (you; to you)	vi (you; to you)
Third Person	lo (him; it)	li (them, m)
	gli (to him; to it)
	la (her; it)	le (them, f)
	le (to her; to it)
Formal	La (you, m)	Li (you,f)
	Le (to you, f)
	La (you, f)	Le (you, f)
	Le (to you, f)
Note that lo and la are contracted to l' before a verb beginning with a silent h or a vowel.

Italian has no third person plural indirect conjunctive pronoun for to them or to you (formal, plural). In their place, loro (to them) and Loro (to you formal plural) are used.  This is not a conjunctive pronouns and, therefore, does not precede the verb.

Direct object pronouns may be placed after the verb for emphasis, in this case the following forms are used:

	Singular	Plural
First Person	me (me)	noi (us)
Second Person	te (you)	voi (you pl.)
Third Person	lui (him)	loro (them)
	lei (her)	loro (them)
Formal	Lei (you)	Loro (you pl.)
Related Topics:

Personal Pronouns

Personal Object Pronouns


Personal Object Pronouns

	Direct Object	Indirect Object
Singular:	mi me	mi to me
	ti you	ti you
	lo him, it	gli to him, to it
	la her, it	le to her, to it
	La you (m,f)	Le to you
Plural:	ci us	ci to us
	vi you	vi to you
	li them (m)	loro to them
	le them (f)
	Li you (m)
	Le you (f)	Loro to you
Note:  The final vowel of mi, ti, lo, la, La may be elided before a vowel.  Ci and vi lose their i only before another i.

Order of personal object pronouns:
Two personal pronouns used as the objects of the same verb have the following order:  indirect-direct.

• Mi, ti, ci and vi and the reflexive si change respectively to me, te, ce, ve and se when followed by lo, la, li, le and ne (of it, of them, any, some, about it, about them).

• Gli and le(Le) change to glie before lo, la, li, le, and ne are written as one word.

• Me lo, te lo, ce lo, etc. are written as one word when joined to a verb form.

• Loro always follows the verb, but is not joined to it.

Examples:

Me lo farà sapere.
He will let me know (it).

Glielo porterò io.
I shall bring it to him (her, you).

Se la farà mandare.
He will have it sent (to himself).

Me ne parlerà più tardi.
He will speak to me about it later.

Vuole darcene un po?
Will you give us some?

Ve lo manderò domani.
I shall send it to you tomorrow.

Non me ne vuole dare.
He won't give me any.

Related Topics:

Personal Pronouns

Prepositional Pronouns


Prepositional Pronouns

The personal pronouns used as objects of prepositions are as follows:

Singular	Plural
me	me	noi	us
te	thee (you)	voi	you
lui, esso	him	loro, essi	them (masc)
lei, essa	her	loro, esse	them (fem.)
Lei	you	Loro (m,f)	you
Reflexive = sè

Examples:

Non lo farebbe per sè, e molto meno per te.
He would not do it for himself and much less for you.

Per me non è mai in casa.
He is never at home to me.

Parla a lui, non a Lei.
He is speaking to him, not to you.

Notes:
• The forms esso, essa, essi, esse, are used for both persons and things, though not commonly.

• For the sake of emphasis, prepositional pronouns are used instead of the direct object form.  Lo disse a me is more emphatic than Me lo disse.

Parlo a voi, Signore.
I am speaking to you, Sir.

• To show contrast, prepositional pronouns are used in the objective case after the verb:

Interrogherò Lei, non lui.
I shall question you, not him.

Related Topics:

Personal Pronouns

Personal Object Pronouns


Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Possessives are sometimes referred to in traditional grammar as pronouns or possessive adjectives.  They convey a sense of ownership, or inherent quality and occur in both simple and emphatic forms corresponding to the personal pronouns.  The possessive adjectives agree in both number and gender with the following noun or noun phrase.  The possessive pronouns agree in gender and number with the noun or noun phrase they represent.

	m. sg.	m.pl.	f. sg.	f. pl.
first person sing.	mio	miei	mia	mie
second person sing.	tuo	tuoi	tua	tue
third person sing.	suo	suoi	sua	sue
third person sing. Formal	Suo	Suoi	Sua	Sue
first person pl.	nostro	nostri	nostra	nostre
second person pl.	vostro	vostri	vostra	vostre
third person pl.	loro	loro	loro	loro
third person pl. Formal	Loro	Loro	Loro	Loro
Note that the role of the third person plural (their and your plural formal) possessive adjective is filled by the possessive pronoun loro and Loro respectively.  This shows no gender or number variation.

Unlike English, the Italian possessive is preceded by a definite article, an indefinite article, a demonstrative, a quantifier which also agrees in number and gender with the following noun or noun phrase.  The possessive may also be preceded by a cardinal number, but this is invariable.  Examples:
il mio libro
my book

la nostra casa
our house

i vostri libri
your (plural) books

le loro scuole
their schools

la mia amica
my friend

una mia amica
a friend of mine

questa mia amica
this friend of mine

tre mie amiche
three friends of mine

alcune mie amiche
some friends of mine

But,

Questo è il mio, quello il Suo.
This one is mine, that one yours.

In the case of the possessive adjective, for a small group of nouns indicating a family relationship the definite article is omitted under the following conditions:
• the noun is singular
• the noun is unmodified
• the noun has no suffixes (diminutives etc.)
• the possessive adjective is not loro

Examples:
mio padre
my father

tua cognata
your sister-in-law

nostro padre
our father

i miei fratelli
my brothers

la mia cugina francese
my French cousin

il nostro fratellino
our little brother

il loro padre
their father

The emphatic form of the possessive pronoun behaves in the same way as the simple form with regard to the article.  Examples:
Questo è il mio
This is mine (sing. masc. noun)

Ho perso le mie
I've lost mine (fem. pl. noun)

It is important to remember that, in Italian, the number and gender agreement is determined by the noun or noun phrase that is modified or represented by the possessive.  The possessive forms tell the listener or reader nothing about the gender of the possessor involved.

Related Topics:

Personal Pronouns

Prepositional Pronouns


Relative Pronouns

The relative pronouns are:  che, cui, il quale.  Che refers to persons and things and is used as the subject and the object of verbs.  It is never omitted in Italian.

Il libro che è sulla tavola.
The book that is on the table.

Il denaro che ho ricevuto.
The money (that) I received.

Sono io che l'ho fatto.
It is I who did it.

È tuo padre che voglio vedere.
It is your father whom I wish to see.

Cui is used chiefly as the object of prepositions:

Il signore a cui parlo.
The gentleman to whom I speak.

But we can also say:

           Il signore al quale parlo.

           The gentleman to whom I speak.

The two forms are interchangeable.

English whose, is il (la,etc.) cui or del (della, etc.) quale, both forms being inflected.

È un uomo il cui ingegno tutti ammirano.
He is a man whose intelligence all admire.

È un uomo del quale tutti ammirano l'ingegno.
He is a man whose intelligence all admire.

Il quale and its inflected forms la quale, i (le) quali, are used instead of che when clearness demands it.  They are used as subjects of verbs and objects of prepositions.

Il fratello di Anna, il quale venne a vedermi, è un bravo giovanotto.
Anna's brother who came to see me, is a fine young man.

He who (without an antecedent) is generally rendered by chi.  Those who is rendered by quelli (quelle) che.  The one which and those which by quello (quella) che and quelli (quelle) che respectively.

Chi l'ha detto non sa nulla.
He who said it knows nothing.

Quello che ho io è migliore del suo.
The one I have is better than his.

Preferisco quelli che ho visto ieri.
I prefer the ones I saw yesterday.

Related Topics:

Interrogative Pronouns

Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns


Interrogative Pronouns

The interrogative pronouns for direct and indirect questions are:

Chi?	who, whom?
Che? che cosa? cosa?	What?
Quale (quali)?	Which one(s)?
Examples:

Chi mi stava cercando?
Who was looking for me?

Non so chi voglia dire.
I do not know who he means.

Che cosa vuole che gli dica?
What do you wish me to tell him?

Chi? is never used as a subject in the plural except with the verb essere.

Chi sono costoro?
Who are these fellows?

Che? is used as the object of verbs and prepositions, and refers to things only.

Che vuol fare, signore?
What do you wish to do, Sir?

Di che parla quell'uomo?
What is that man talking about?

Note:  In an indirect question che (what) is used as the object of a dependent infinitive.

Non saprei che dire.
I would not know what to say.

Quale (quali) as pronouns, are used as the subjects and objects of both verbs and prepositions, and refer to persons and things.

Quale delle due è preferibile?
Which one of the two is preferable?

Quale dei due arrivò primo?
Which of the two arrived first?

Quale desidera?
Which do you desire?

Interrogative whose is rendered by di chi?

Di chi è quella bella casa?
Whose beautiful house is that?

Interrogative adjectives:
The interrogative adjectives are che and quale (quali).  They precede the noun and modify both persons and things.

Che modo di agire è questo?
What kind of behavior is this?

Quale barca preferisce, Lei?
Which boat do you prefer?

Quale maestro vuol dire, Lei?
Which teacher do you mean?

Note:  In exclamations che means what a...! and quale simply means what...!.  Examples:

Che bella giornata!
What a beautiful day!

Quale avvenire sarebbe stato il suo!
What future his would have been!

Related Topics:

Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Relative Pronouns


Reflexive Pronouns

	Singular	Plural
First Person	mi (myself)	ci (ourselves)
Second Person	ti (yourself)	vi (yourselves)
Third Person	si (himself, herself, itself)	si (themselves)
Formal	si (you)	si (yourselves)

USAGE

Italian uses Reflexive Pronouns when the action of the verb is reflected back on the subject.

EXAMPLES:

      Mi lavo.                                                Ci laviamo.

      I wash myself.                                       We wash ourselves.

     Ti lavi.                                                   Vi lavate.

     You wash yourself.                                You wash yourselves.

     Si lava.                                                  Si lavano.

     He/she washes himself/herself.     They wash themselves.

Note that reflexive structures are more commom in Italian than in English since they sometimes express ideas that are not commonly expressed in English with reflexive structures.

  Mario si siede.                                       Mi alzo alle otto.

  Mario sits down.                                      I get up at eight.

In the Present Perfect Tense (Passato Prossimo) Reflexive Verbs always take the auxiliary essere, therefore the Past Participle agrees with the subject.

 Le ragazze si sono lavate.                            I bambini si sono svegliati alle sette.

 The girls havent washed themselves.             The children have woken up at seven.

In sentences like: I like to wash myself the reflexive pronoun attaches to the infinitive:

                            Mi piace lavarmi.

Related Topics:

Relative Pronouns

Subject Pronouns


Adjective Formation

Most Italian adjectives are regularly formed, and follow the model of alto (tall):

	Masculine	Feminine
Singular	alto	alta
Plural	alti	alte
Other common models are:
• Adjectives ending in -e (masculine and feminine forms the same)

	Masculine	Feminine
Singular	elegante	elegante
Plural	eleganti	eleganti
• Adjectives ending in -ista (masculine and feminine forms the same)

	Masculine	Feminine
Singular	communista	communista
Plural	communista	communista
Most adjectives regularly form their comparatives with più and their superlatives with the appropriate article and più:
Questo ragazzo è alto.
This boy is tall

Questo ragazzo è più alto degli altri.
This boy is taller than the others

Questo ragazzo è il più alto della famiglia.
This boy is the tallest in the family

Related Topics:

ADVERBS

Nouns


Comparatives

The comparative degree of adjectives:

The comparative degree of adjectives is formed by placing più (meaning more) and meno (meaning less) before the adjective. Example :

The following adjectives, in addition to the regular comparative degree, have an irregular one:

alto	high
più alto or superiore	higher
basso	low
più basso or inferiore	lower
buono	good
più buono or migliore	better
cattivo	bad
più cattivo or peggiore	worse
grande	big
più grande or maggiore	bigger
piccolo	small
più piccolo or minore	smaller
The forms maggiore, minore, superiore, inferiore are rarely used except to mean older, younger, superior, and inferior respectively.  Migliore and peggiore are preferable to più buono and più cattivo.

Related Topics:

Adjective Formation

Superlatives


Superlatives

The superlative degree of adjectives:
The superlative degree is formed by placing the definite article before the comparative.  For example  :

Note:  When the superlative immediately follows the noun, the article is omitted.  For example:

Napoli è la città più popolosa d'Italia.
Naples is the most crowded city in Italy.

English in after a superlative is expressed by di.

Il più bello di tutto il mondo.
The most beautiful in the whole world.

By dropping the final vowel from an adjective and adding the suffix -issimo (inflected), we get a form that is an emphasis of an adjective in English.  The same meaning results from prefixing the adverbs molto or assai (both mean very) to the adjective.  This is called absolute superlative (superlativo assoluto) , since it does not involve any idea of comparison.

È un bravissimo ragazzo.
Or:  È un ragazzo molto bravo.
He is a very fine boy.

The word than is expressed in the following three ways:
By che before an adjective, an infinitive, an adverb and after piuttosto (meaning rather).  For example:

Sono più furbi che intelligenti.
They are shrewder than smart.

Meglio tacere che dire troppo.
Better to keep still than say too much.

Meglio tardi che mai.
Better late than never.

Prendo questo piuttosto che quello.
I take this rather than that.

By di before a numerical expression, a noun, or a pronoun.

Ne ha fatto più di venti.
He has made more than twenty.

Lo so fare meglio di Lei.
I can do it better than you.

Come cibo, il pane è migliore del cavolo.
As food, bread is better than cabbage.

By di quello che (than, that, which), before an inflected verb.

Spende più di quello che guadagna.
He spends more than he earns.

Some very common adjectives have irregular comparative and superlative forms.  These include:

buono	migliore	il migliore

grande	maggiore	il maggiore

Unlike English, Italian adjectives usually follow the noun or noun phrase which they modify.  A few adjectives, commonly buono, grande and bello, may also occur before the noun or noun phrase, often with a slight change of meaning.  Such adjectives often require special endings for the masculine singular which parallel the definite or indefinite article.

The substitution of an adjective for a noun referring to a person or object with a particular quality is more widespread in Italian than in English.
La vecchia voleva comprare del latte.
The old woman wanted to buy some milk.

Il giovane è bello.
The young man is handsome.

Related Topics:

Adjective Formation

Comparatives


Quantifiers

In Italian, as in English, there are three major types of quantifiers: cardinal numbers, ordinal numbers and general quantifiers.

Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal or counting numbers (uno, due, tre etc.)  may either stand alone or before a following noun or noun phrase
Dieci e dieci fanno venti
Ten and ten are twenty

Ci sono tre ragazzi sulla strada
There are three boys in the street

They are invariable in form with several exceptions:
The final vowel of venti, trenta, quaranta etc. is dropped when uno and otto are added, giving trentuno, quarantotto etc.  Note too that tre becomes accented when added to a multiple of ten, giving sessantatré etc.

The final -o of compound numbers ending in uno (ventuno, sessantuno) is usually dropped before nouns.

Examples:
ventun ragazzi
twenty-one boys

ottantun libri
eighty-one books

The word cento is invariable and the compounds of cento are attached (seicento, settecento). Mille, milione, miliardo on the other hand, do have plural forms and the compounding element is not attached.  Examples:
tre milioni
quattro miliardi

Note too that one hundred and one thousand in Italian are cento and mille respectively, never un cento or un mille.  In the higher numbers milione and miliardo, un is used, giving un milione and un miliardo respectively.

Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal or ordering numbers (primo, secondo, terzo etc.) stand before a following noun or noun phrase, and agree in both number and gender.
il primo cane
the first dog

la terza volta
the third time

From the number undici (eleven) and up the final vowel of the cardinal number is dropped and the suffix -esimo is added.  Examples:

dodici	dodicesimo	twelfth
ottanta	ottantesimo	eightieth
All compound cardinal numbers ending in tré are an exception to this rule, as they simply drop the accent and add the suffix  -esimo.  Example:

ventitré	ventitreesimo	twenty-third

General Quantifiers
The program may classify as general quantifiers words such as all, some, and last which carry a quantifying or ordering meaning.

Related Topics:

Contents

THE CLOCK AND THE CALENDAR


Demonstrative Adjectives And Pronouns

Demonstrative adjectives agree in gender and number with their nouns, and demonstrative pronouns with their antecedents.

Singular	Plural
Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
questo	questa	questi	queste	this, these
quello	quella	quelli	quelle	that, those
Questo and questa are usually written quest' before a vowel.

Quest'uomo    this man

Quest'aria      this air

Quello (as an adjective) is inflected as follows:

quel	before a noun beginning with any consonant except z, s impure, ps and gn
quello	before z and s impure, ps and gn
quei	the plural of quel
quegli	the plural of quello
Ciò (this, that), represents a whole idea and not a single word.

Ciò si capisce.
That is understood.

Ciò è chiaro.
That is clear.

When what may logically be rendered by that which, use quello che or ciò che:

Ciò che Le dico è la pura verità.
What I tell you is the pure truth.

That which may be omitted in English, but never in Italian:

Non è tutto oro quello che luccica.
Not all that glitters is gold.

Tutto quello che disse si è avverato.
Everything (that) he said has come true.

This man is translated by questi; that man is translated by quegli.  These two forms are invariable, refer only to a person, and are used in the subjective case exclusively.

English former and latter are rendered by quegli and questi respectively when referring to a person; otherwise by quello and questo.

That of, those of, are frequently omitted in English, but never in Italian:

Il mio e quello di Roberto.
Mine and Robert's

La mia casa e quella di tuo fratello.
My house and your brother's.

The forms costui (this man), costei (this woman) costoro (these people), are used, if not to express contempt, certainly indifference and aloofness:

Chi è costui?
Who is this fellow?

Che ardire hanno costoro!
What boldness these people have!

Related Topics:

Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Articles


ADVERBS

Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular of the corresponding adjective.  Adjectives ending in -le and -re drop final e before adding -mente.  For example:

franco	frank
francamente	frankly
debole	feeble
debolmente	feebly
facile	easy
facilmente	easily
maggiore	greater
maggiormente	more greatly
Adverbs are compared like adjectives.  For example:

facilmente
più facilmente
il più facilmente

The following adverbs, however, have an irregular comparison:

bene	well
male	badly
meglio	better
peggio	worse
il meglio	the best
il peggio	the worst
molto	much
poco	little
più	more
meno	less
il più	the most
il meno	the least
Adverbs not ending in -mente may add -issimo after dropping the final vowel, and the result is the superlative equivalent of molto (very) + adverb.  For example:

bene	well
molto bene	very well
benissimo	very well
piano	softly
molto piano	very softly
pianissimo	very softly
Adverbs generally follow the verb.  Non, however, always precedes.  In compound tenses the adverb invariably follows the past participle, except that già (already), mai (ever, never), più (more) and sempre (always) are usually placed between the auxiliary and the past pariciple.  For example:

Ha già finito?
Have you already finished?

Sono sempre stato così.
I have always been that way.

Vi è mai stato?
Have you ever been there?

Non ha più voluto saperne.
He hasn't wanted to hear of it any more.

Non ha mai voluto ascoltarmi.
He has never wanted to listen to me.

NOUN + con AS ADVERB

Adverbs are frequently formed by using the prepositional phrase con + the singular form of

the noun.

con + noun	-mente	English

con ansietà      ansiosamente  	anxiously

con gusto	gustosamente	gladly

con affetto	affettuosamente lovingly

con pazienza	pazientemente	patiently

con rapidità	rapidamente	rapidly

USAGE

ADVERBS THAT MODIFY ADJECTIVES + OTHER ADVERBS

Adverbs such as molto, poco, abbastanza, and troppo are used to convey intensity.  Adverbs that express degree include relativamente, straordinariamente, enormemente, estremamente, and realmente.

Words such as poco, molto, and abbastanza can be used as both adverbs and adjectives. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.  Adverbs never change their form.  Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns and must agree with the words they modify in number and, if possible, in gender.

Adverbs do not change form.

Studio troppo rapidamente.	I study too rapidly.

Loro studiano troppo rapidamente.	They study too rapidly.

Adjectives change form.

Tengo troppe riviste.	I have too many magazines.

Comprai troppi vestiti.	I bought too many dresses.

MODIFICATION OF ADVERBS BY OTHER ADVERBS

Affirmative

Disegna molto, molto bene.	He (she) draws very, very well.

Canta veramente bene.	He (she) sings really well.

Corre abbastanza male.	He (she) runs quite badly.

Negative

Anna non parla proprio bene.	Anna does not speak at all well.

Paolo non canta molto bene.	Paul does not sing very well.

MODIFICATION OF ADJECTIVES BY ADVERBS

Roberto è abbastanza alto.	Roberto is quite tall.

Maria si sente troppo stanca.	Mary feels too tired.

Related Topics:

ADVERBS

Adjective Formation


PREPOSITIONS

The simple prepositions in Italian are:

a	at, to	mediante	through

con	with	meno	except, but

contro	against	di	of, from

per	for, by	da	from, since

durante	during	in	in, to, at, on

senza	without	tra	among, between

su	on, about	eccetto	except

dopo	after

VERB + PREPOSITION

Prepositions complete the meaning of verbs in different ways:

pensare	think, intend

pensare di	to think of, have an opinion about

pensare a	to think of, meditate on

PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

Some commonly used prepositional phrases   include:

a causa di	on account of

al fine di	at the end of

a forza di	by dint of

al punto di	about to

davanti a	in front of

invece di	instead of

The preposition a means to or at in English. But when used in front of the name of a town can mean in.

Related Topics:

Adjective Formation

Adverbs


CONJUNCTIONS

The simple conjunctions uniting coordinate clauses are:

e	and

o	or

nè	nor

però	but nevertheless

ma	but

The simple conjunctions introducing  subordinate clauses     are:

come	as, as soon as

quando	when

mentre	while

che	that

se	if

PERÒ

Però means but or nevertheless:

Questa medicina è cattiva però fa bene.

This medicine tastes bad, but it is good for the health.

MA

Ma is more rhetorical than però and is sometimes used for euphony:

È un libro difficile, ma interessante.

It is a difficult book, but it is interesting.

CHE

Che serves as a conjunction and is required after affirmations or oaths and before adverbs and clauses, though redundant in English:

Dubito che venga.	I doubt that he will come.

Credo che non sia vero.	I believe (that) it is not true.

Related Topics:

PREPOSITIONS

Clauses


INTERJECTIONS

Interjections are more numerous and important in Italian than in English:

Divine names as exclamations are common and are not usually regarded as profane:

Dio!	God!

Per Dio!	For goodness' sake!

Dio mio!	Dear me!

Oh Dio mio!	Oh dear me!

Mamma mia!	Oh Dear!

Nouns and adjectives  may become interjections:

Bravo!	Good!

Attenzione!	Take care!  Look out!

Al Fuoco!	Fire!

Aiuto!	Help!

Related Topics:

Imperative Form

Negative Statements


Participles

The Infinitive, Past Participle  and Present Participle are grouped together for functional reasons. These verb forms do not inflect for person and number in the same way as all the other tenses.

Related Topics:

Adjectives

Nouns

SUMMARY OF TENSES


Past Participles

The Past Participle of regular verbs is formed by dropping the infinitive ending -are and adding the ending -ato for regular first conjugation verbs; dropping the infinitive ending -ere and adding -uto for regular second conjugation verbs; and dropping the infinitive ending -ire and adding -ito for regular third conjugation verbs. English equivalents are formed by adding -ed, -t, -en, etc. (i.e., parked, kept, frozen).  They are used in the compound tenses and in passive voice and they can also stand alone as adjectives.

Look at the following examples of regular past participles:

ballare            ballato

cantare           cantato

avere              avuto

cadere            caduto

sapere            saputo

partire            partito

capire             capito

EXAMPLE:	Il pollo era stato cucinato.

The chicken had been cooked.

Related Topics:

SUMMARY OF TENSES

Present Participles


Present Participles

The Present Participle  (equivalent to the English "ing" form) is called so because it participates in the sentence assuming the functions of the adjective, in which case it must agree in number and gender with the noun(s) they modify.

:

  Le squadre concorrenti alla coppa dei campioni.

  The teams competing for the championship.

It has two forms: Participio Presente (Present Participle) and Participio Passato (Past Participle). The Present Participle is formed by dropping the ending: -are and adding -ante (for first conjugation verbs) and for -ere and -ire verbs adding the suffix -ente.

Infinitive 	amare	(to love)

Present Participle	amante	(loving)

            Past Participle	amato	(loved)

EXAMPLES:

una poesia commovente  (commuovere)

a moving poem

una conversazione stimolante (stimolare)

a stimulating conversation

delle notizie sorprendenti (sorprendere)

some surprising news

Gerunds:

            In Italian the gerund (also equivalent to the English -ing form) expresses an action that 	 	is linked to another through a causal  relationship:

                      Lo incontrai andando al teatro.

                      I met him (while) going to the theatre.

                     Mi divertivo cantando.

                     I had fun (while) singing.

It has two forms: present (cantando) and past (avendo cantato).

Related Topics:

Past Participles

SUMMARY OF TENSES


NOTES ON PIACERE

The literal translation of piacere is to be pleasing, but the English meaning is to like.  Piacere is almost always used with the indirect object pronouns, mi, ti, le, gli, ci, vi, and a loro.

Mi piace il caffè.

Coffee is pleasing to me.	=	I like coffee.

Ti piacciono  i fiori.

Flowers are pleasing to you.	=	You like flowers.

A loro piace sciare.

Skiing is pleasing to them.	=	They like skiing (to ski).

Notice that the pattern is Indirect Object (mi), Verb (piacere), Subject (caffè) instead of the common one: Subject, Verb, Direct Object.

PIACERE + INFINITIVE

When the subject is an infinitive, piacere is always singular even if more than one infinitive  is included:

Le piace pescare e nuotare.

Fishing and swimming are pleasing to her.

She likes fishing and swimming.

Related Topics:

VERB SEQUENCE

SUMMARY OF TENSES


DECLARATIVE SENTENCES

ACTIVE VOICE

The active voice is a construction in which the subject performs the action described by the

verb.  In both English and Italian, sentences in the active voice are constructed in the

subject-verb-object pattern.

EXAMPLE:

Il meccanico / ripara / la macchina.  The mechanic repairs (is repairing) the car.

subject	verb	object

SUBJECT

The subject of a sentence can be a noun, pronoun, proper name, or a noun phrase.  A clause, gerund, gerund phrase, or infinitive phrase can also function as the subject.  The simple subject is a noun or pronoun, whereas the complete subject consists of the noun or pronoun plus all its modifiers.  A compound subject consists of two or more nouns, pronouns, or noun phrases.

POSITION OF SUBJECT

In Italian, the subject does not always occur before the verb as it does in English.  A variety of constructions is therefore possible, including complete omission of the subject:

Subject at end:

Comincia la lezione.

The lesson begins.

Subject (egli / he) omitted:

Riparó la macchina.

He repaired the car.

The subject is often placed at the end of a sentence when it contains new information, as in answer to the question  Chi?

• Chi riparò la macchina? ·	Who repaired the automobile?

La riparò un buon meccanico.	A good mechanic repaired it.

INFINITIVE AS SUBJECT

When the subject is an infinitive (or more than one), the verb is always singular:

Gli piace pescare e nuotare.

He likes  fishing and swimming.

Related Topics:

VERB SEQUENCE

SUMMARY OF TENSES


PREDICATE

A predicate consists of a verb or verbal phrase, including any complements, objects, and modifiers of a sentence or clause.  The predicate always contains a verb and can consist of a verb and complement (nouns, pronouns, prepositional phrases, adjectives, and verb phrases).  The predicate can either be an inflected verb form or a combination of inflected auxiliary and past participle or infinitive verb forms.

A sentence can include more than one verb, object, or complement.

Related Topics:

VERB SEQUENCE

Subject


OBJECT

The object of a sentence can be a noun, pronoun, proper name, or a noun phrase.

A subordinate clause may also function as an object.

POSITION OF OBJECT

The Object usually directly follows the verb:

     Il ragazzo mangia la pizza.

     The boy eats the pizza.

But, in some cases can also be preceeded by the partitive article di:

       Ho mangiato della pizza.

       I have eaten some pizza.

To avoid the risk of confusion between the direct object with similar constructions, it is sufficient to verify that it answers the question: who? what?

TWO OBJECT PRONOUNS

When two object pronouns are used with the same verb, the indirect object pronoun occurs first.

Me lo diede.	He gave it to me.

Dammelo.	Give it to me.

TWO THIRD-PERSON PRONOUNS

When two pronouns of the third person occur together, the indirect object pronouns lo and gli assume the form glielo.

Mandai un regalo a mio padre.	I sent a present to my father.

Gli mandai un regalo.	I sent him a package.

Lo mandai a mio padre.	I sent it to my father.

Glielo mandai.	I sent it to him.

Related Topics:

Personal Object Pronouns

Prepositional Pronouns


VERB SEQUENCE

Whenever a  subordinate clause occurs after a main verb in a past tense, the verb of the subordinate clause must be put in the Imperfect Subjunctive.  However, meaning can also dictate that the Present Perfect Tense and the Conditional be followed by a present tense.

Main Clause	Subordinate Clause

Present	Present Subjunctive

Future	Present Subjunctive

Present Conditional	Present or Imperfect Subjunctive

Present Perfect	Present or Imperfect Subjunctive

Imperfect	Imperfect Subjunctive or Past Perfect Subj.

Past	Imperfect Subjunctive or Past Perfect Subj.

EXAMPLES:

Sono felice che vadano.

present	present subj.

I am happy that they are going.

 Giocherei con loro se mi invitassero.

conditional	present subj.

I would play with them if they invited me.

Volevo che John venisse al concerto con noi.

imperfect	imperfect subj.

I wanted John to come to the concert with us.

Related Topics:

QUESTIONS

SUMMARY OF TENSES

Syntax


REFLEXIVE VERBS

Verbs that are intransitive in English are often expressed in Italian by the reflexive:

sposare	to marry (off), join in marriage	sposarsi	to get married, marry

lavare	to wash (something or someone)	lavarsi	to get washed, wash (oneself)

sedere	to seat (somebody)	sedersi	to sit down

vestire	to dress (somebody)	vestirsi	to get dressed, dress (onself)

The reciprocal reflexive is used to indicate that two or more persons are doing the action to each other:

Ci scriviamo spesso.

We often write to each other from time to time.

Si amano molto.

They love each other a lot.

Related Topics:

Contents

Reflexive Pronouns


NEGATION

The negative non is always placed directly before the verb, except in sentences that contain a reflexive verb and/or object pronoun.

Parlo italiano.	Non parlo italiano.

I speak Italian.	I don't speak Italian.

Si lavano le mani.	Non si lavano le mani.

They are washing their hands.	They are not washing their hands.

In sentences containing an object pronoun, non precedes the object pronoun.

        Lo chiamo.	Non lo chiamo.

        I call him.	I don't call him.

In Reflexive verb constructions, non precedes the reflexive pronoun.

        Mi lavo.	Non mi lavo.

        I wash myself. 	I don't wash myself.

       Ci alziamo.	Non ci alziamo.

       We get up.	We don't get up.

The position of non in the sentence can vary. When the negative word (in this case mai) precedes the verb, non is omitted.

mai - never

 Non parliamo mai.	      We never speak.

 Mai parliamo.

Notice that when a verb appears in a compound tense (ex. Past Participle) mai can appear between the auxiliary and the past participle of the verb.

Non abbiamo mai parlato.                                  We never spoke.

Mai abbiamo parlato.

Negatives other than non may be also be placed before the verb.

Nessuno

The italian adjective Nessuno (equivalent to the English no / none / not any / not one / neither) is declined as follows:

SINGULAR

Masculine	Feminine

_________________________________________

nessuno	nessuna

NOTE:  The adjective nessuno has no plural form.

Nessun

Nessuno drops the final o when it modifies a masculine noun:

Non hai nessun motivo per criticarlo.

You dont have any reason to criticize him.

Nessun(o) (no one, none, nobody) is invariable when used as a pronoun.  When used as an adjective, it is inflected and means no, not...any.

Nessuno l'avrebbe fatto così.
No one would have done it that way.

Nessuno l'ha visto
Nobody saw him.

Nessun aiuto mi gioverà.
No help will do me any good.

Nessuna spiaggia è più pittoresca di questa.
No beach is more picturesque than this.

            	Nessuno andò con lei.

            	Nobody went with her.

Niente and nulla are synonymous.  They mean nothing, not....anything.  The rule for their position is the same as for nessuno.

Non desidero nulla, grazie.
I do not want anything, thank you.

Nulla è buono per Lei.
Nothing is good for you.

Non vuole nulla, Lei?  No, grazie.
Don't you want anything?  No thanks.

Vuole nulla, Signore? Sì.
Do you want anything, Sir?  Yes.

NÉ

né	not even

né...né	neither...nor

non...né	neither...nor

Né questo, né quello.

Neither this nor that.

Non lo disapprovo né lo giustifico.

I neither disapprove of it nor I justify it.

Related Topics:

Punctuation

Negative Statements


QUESTIONS

In Italian a statement can be changed into a question by placing a question mark at the end of it.

In spoken language it is sufficient to change the intonation.

 Question	Statement

John ha due figli? 	John ha due figli.

Does John have two children?	John has two children.

Sometimes questions are asked in Italian by placing the verb before the subject.  The subject may be placed directly after the verb or at the end of the question.

Question	Statement

Viene a casa Roberto? 	Roberto viene a casa.

Is Robert coming?	Robert is coming.

                                             OR

Question	Statement

Viene Roberto a casa? 	Roberto viene a casa.

Is Roberto coming?	Robert is coming.

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS

Affirmative and negative statements may be turned into questions by adding a question word or phrase at the end.

Vuoi accompagnarmi, vero?

You want to accompany me, right?

Non sei andato al concerto, vero?

You didn't go to the concert, right?

Ti piacciono i dolci, no?

You like pastries, right?

Related Topics:

Interrogative Pronouns

Punctuation


CLAUSES

A sentence may consist of a main clause  containing, at a minimum, subject

and a predicate.

È piccante.

It is spicy.

Or it may consist of a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.

Mi piace anche se è piccante.

I like it although it is spicy.

MAIN CLAUSES

A main clause may begin with the subject of the sentence, one of the objects, an adverb / adverbial phrase, or a subordinate clause.  The first position in the sentence is generally one of emphasis.

SUBORDINATE CLAUSES

By definition, a subordinate clause is always dependent on a main clause and cannot stand by itself.  The statement made in a subordinate clause does not have the same weight as that made in the main clause.

Subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by commas.

Se il mio bilancio lo permettesse, mi comprerei una casa in campagna.

If my budget permitted, I would buy a house in the country.

Related Topics:

QUESTIONS

Subjunctive/Noun Clauses

Subjunctive/Adjective Clauses


Subjunctive/Noun Clauses

The verb of a noun clause (introduced by che) is in the subjunctive in the following two cases:
• After the verbs or expressions that imply doubt, denial, probability, possibility, and the like.  For example:

Dubito che sia vero.
I doubt that it is true.

Non posso ammettere che sappia farlo.
I cannot admit that he can do it.

È probabile che l'abbia ricevuto.
It is probable that he has received it.

È possible che se ne sia andato?
Is it possible that he has gone away?

• After verbs of thinking and believing when doubt or uncertainty is implied.  For example:

Veramente non credo che abbia ragione.
I really do not think that he is right.

Credi che me ne importi?
Do you think I care?

Note:  The future, however, is used when there is no uncertainty.

Credo che mi ascolterà.
I believe he will listen to me.

Related Topics:

Subjunctive/Adjective Clauses

Subordinate Clause


Subjunctive/Adjective Clauses

The verb of an adjective clause is in the subjunctive in the following two cases:

• After a relative pronoun the antecedent of which is indefinite.  For example:

Me ne dia un altro che non sia troppo caro.
Give me another that is not too expensive.

Cerco qualcuno che sia capace di farlo.
I am looking for someone who can do it.

But,

Ne ho visti parecchi che sono a buon mercato.
I have seen several that are cheap.

Ho trovato un individuo che sa fare qualunque cosa.
I have found a person who can do anything.

• After a superlative or one of the following adjectives having a superlative force:  primo, ultimo, solo, unico (first, last, only, only).  For example:

È il più antico che esista.
It is the oldest one there is.

Sono stati i primi che l'abbiano fatto.
They have been the first to do it.

È l'unico che non sia riuscito.
He is the only one who has not succeeded.

Related Topics:

Subjunctive/Noun Clauses

Subordinate Clause


Subjunctive After Impersonal

The verbs of a subordinate clause, introduced by che, after impersonal verbs or expressions implying possibility, probability, necessity, usefulness, uselessness, right, wrong, fairness, seeming, and the like, are in the subjunctive.  For example:

È probabile che non ne sappia nulla.

He probably knows nothing about it.

È possible che me lo dia.
It is possible that he may give it to me.

Bisogna (è necessario) che Lei agisca subito.
It is necessary that you act at once.

È inutile che gliene parli
It is useless for me to talk to him about it.

Non è giusto che anche Lei s'incomodi.
It is not proper that you too should inconvenience yourself.

Sembra che si sia deciso.
He seems to have made up his mind.

È giusto che ognuno riceva la sua parte.
It is fair that each receive his share.

E facile che ci faccia questo favore.
Very likely he will do us this favor.

This rule does not apply, however, to affirmative impersonal expressions such as è vero, si vede, è chiaro, è perchè, etc., in which the indicative is used.  For example:

È chiaro che non ha voglia di fare nulla.
It is clear that he has no desire to do anything.

È perchè lo dico io.
It is because I say so.

È vero che lo disse.
It is true that he said it.

The infinitive is used when the subordinate clause has no expressed subject.  For example:

È possible farlo.
It is possible to do it.

È inutile proseguire.
It is useless to continue.

Bisogna parlare chiaramente.
We (one, they) must speak clearly.

Related Topics:

Summary of Tenses

Imperfect Subjunctive

Reflexive Verbs


THE CLOCK AND THE CALENDAR

TIME OF DAY

The third person forms of essere are used to indicate time of day:

Following are some common expressions dealing with time.

Che ora è?
What time is it?

È l'una.
It is one o'clock.

Sono le due.
It is two (o'clock).

Sono le sei e dieci.
It is ten after six.

Sono le otto meno venti.
It is twenty to eight.

Sono le tre e mezzo.
It is half past three.

The names of the days, months, and seasons are usually not capitalized.

DAYS OF THE WEEK

lunedì	Monday	venerdì	Friday

martedì	Tuesday	sabato	Saturday

mercoledì	Wednesday	domenica	Sunday

giovedì	Thursday

The definite article is required before expressions of time that are modified by an adjective.

la settimana scorsa...	il prossimo sabato...

last week...	next Saturday...

In expressions of time the definite article appears where English uses the preposition "on":

il venerdì...	i giovedì...

on Friday...	on Thursdays...

L' aereo parte il quattordici.

The plane leaves on the fourteenth.

l'ultimo giorno del mese...

on the last day of the month...

MONTHS OF THE YEAR

gennaio	January	luglio	July

febbraio	February	agosto	August

marzo	March	settembre	September

aprile	April	ottobre	October

maggio	May	novembre	November

giugno	June	dicembre	December

SEASONS OF THE YEAR

la primavera	spring	l'autunno	autumn

l'estate	summer	l'inverno	winter

DIVISIONS OF THE DAY

la mattina	morning

il giorno	day

di giorno	by day

la notte	night, evening

il pomeriggio	afternoon

ieri notte	last night

l'altro ieri	the day before yesterday

ieri	yesterday

stanotte	tonight

oggi	today

domani                                                  tomorrow

domani mattina                                     tomorrow morning

REPETITION

Repetition is expressed using volta (one time) and per, alla, or the definite article. It answers the question "How often?".

Quante volte alla settimana, al giorno, all'anno?...

How often a week, a day, a year?...

una volta	once

una volta che	once, as soon as, when

due volte	twice

a volte	at times, sometimes, occasionally

alla volta	at the same time, simultaneously

a sua volta	in turn; in his turn; for his, her, or one's part

qualche volta	occasionally, once in a while, sometimes

due volte più grande	twice as big

ogni volta	each time

quante volte	how often

una volta e per tutte	once and for all

una volta ogni tanto	from time to time

c'era una volta	once upon a time

la prima volta	the first time

molte volte	many times, often

poche volte	seldom, rarely

rare volte	seldom

Related Topics:

Contents

Syntax


CARDINAL & ORDINAL NUMBERS

CARDINAL NUMBERS

The cardinal numbers are:

0	=	zero	10	=	dieci

1	=	uno 	11	=	undici

2	=	due	12	=	dodici

3	=	tre	13	=	tredici

4	=	quattro	14	=	quattordici

5	=	cinque	15	=	quindici

6	=	sei	16	=	sedici

7	=	sette	17	=	diciassette

8	=	otto	18	=	diciotto

9	=	nove	19	=	diciannove

20	=	venti

21	=	ventuno

22	=	ventidue

30	=	trenta

40	=	quaranta

50	=	cinquanta

60	=	sessanta

70	=	settanta

80	=	ottanta

90	=	novanta

100	=	cento

1000	=	mille

2000	=	duemila

100.000	=	centomila

200.000	=	duecentomila

ORDINAL NUMBERS

The ordinal numbers are:

1st	=	primo -a

2d	=	secondo -a

3d	=	terzo -a

4th	=	quarto -a

5th	=	quinto -a

6th	=	sesto -a

7th	=	settimo -a

8th	=	ottavo

9th	=	nono -a

10th	=	decimo -a

11th	=	undicesimo -a

12th	=	dodicesimo -a

13th	=	tredicesimo -a

14th	=	quattordicesimo -a

15th	=	quindicesimo-a

16th	=	sedicesimo -a

17th	=	diciassettesimo -a

18th	=	diciottesimo -a

19th	=	diciannovesimo -a

20th	=	ventesimo -a

21st	=	ventunesimo -a

22d	=	ventiduesimo -a

30th	=	trentesimo -a

40th	=	quarantesimo -a

50th	=	cinquantesimo -a

60th	=	sessantesimo -a

70th	=	settantesimo -a

80th	=	ottantesimo -a

90th	=	novantesimo -a

100th	=	centesimo -a

101st	=	centunesimo -a

111th	=	centoundicesimo -a

121st	=	centoventunesimo -a

200th	=	duecentesimo, -a

300th	=	trecentesimo, -a

400th	=	quattrocentesimo -a

500th	=	cinquecentesimo, -a

600th	=	seicentesimo, -a

700th	=	settecentesimo, -a

800th	=	ottocentesimo, -a

900th	=	novecentesimo, -a

1000th	=	millesimo -a

2000th	=	duemillesimo-a

100,000th	=	centomillesimo -a

200,000th	=	duecentomillesimo -a

FRACTIONS

Fractional numerals:

one half	=	un mezzo

one third	=	un terzo

two thirds	=	due terzi

one fourth	=	un quarto

three fourths	=	tre quarti

one fifth	=	un quinto

one sixth	=	un sesto

one seventh	=	un settimo

one eighth	=	un ottavo

one ninth	=	un nono

one tenth	=	un decimo

Fractional numerals above decimo are formed by adding -esimo to the cardinals.  The final i of a cardinal (except those containing sette and nove) may be dropped before -esimo.

one eleventh	=	un undicesimo

one twelfth	=	un dodicesimo

one thirteenth	=	un tredicesimo

one fourteenth	=	un quattordicesimo

one fifteenth	=	un quindicesimo

one sixteenth	=	un sedicesimo

one seventeenth	=	un diciassettesimo

one eighteenth	=	un diciottesimo

one nineteenth	=	un diciannovesimo

one twentieth	=	un ventesimo

one thirtieth	=	un trentesimo

one hundredth	=	un centesimo

one thousandth	=	un millesimo

Fractional numerals are also commonly formed with the feminine form of the ordinals modifying the word parte:

third	=	terza parte

twentieth	=	ventesima parte

The numerator of a fraction is a cardinal:

two-ninths	=	2/9	= due noni

fourteen-thirtieths	=	14/30	= quattordici trentesimi

NUMERICAL NOTATION

WHOLE NUMBERS

The period is used to divide whole numbers:

10.000	=	ten thousand

DECIMALS

The comma is used for the decimal point:

1,2	=	one and two-tenths

Related Topics:

THE CLOCK AND THE CALENDAR

Adjectives


PUNCTUATION

The Italian names of the marks of punctuation are:

.	punto	...	puntini sospensivi	¨	dieresi

,	virgola	?	punto interrogativo	<< >>	virgolette

;	punto e virgola	!	punto esclamativo	-	trattino

:	due punti	( )	parentesi

The period is used to divide whole numbers and the comma is used for the decimal point:

10.000	=	ten thousand (10,000)

1,4	=	one and four tenths (1.4)

Related Topics:

CARDINAL & ORDINAL NUMBERS

Contents


Non-Grammatical Forms

The term, Non-Grammatical, is applied to words and expressions that do not fit into any other lexical category.  Non-grammaticals do not inflect for gender, number, person or tense.  Common Italian non-grammaticals are: sì, no and grazie.

Related Topics:

Contents

Title Forms


Title Forms

Common Italian titles applied to persons are Signore, Signora, signorina, and their associated abbreviations.  These words typically occur before proper nouns and have certain restrictions concerning co-occurance with articles. In Italian, the definite article is always used with titles, with the exception of direct address:

Il dottor Rossi è bravo.

Doctor Rossi is good.

Direct address:

Buongiorno dottor Rossi.

Good morning Doctor Rossi.

Titles ending in -e such as dottore, professore, signore, drop the -e when followed by proper names:

 Il professore spiega la lezione.

The teacher explains the lesson.

Il professor Bianchi spiega la lezione.

Professor Bianchi explains the lesson.

Related Topics:

Non-Grammatical Forms

Nouns


GLOSSARY

Adjectives	Diminutive Endings	Noun	Pronoun

Adverbs	Direct Object	Object of a Preposition	Reflexive Pronoun

Augmentative Endings	Gerund	Object Pronoun	Reflexive Verb

Auxiliary Verb	Imperative Form	Participial Adjective	Relative Clause

Clause	Passive Voice	Relative Pronouns

Comparative Form	Indicative	Past Participles	Simple Tenses

Compound Noun	Indirect Object	Personal Pronouns	Stem-Changing Verbs

Compound Tenses	Indirect Speech	Possessive Adjectives	Subject

Conditional Clause	Infinitive	Possessive Pronouns	Subject Complement

Conditional Mood	Infinitive Clause	Predicate	Subject Pronouns

Conjugated	Inflected Verb	Predicate Adjective	Subjunctive Mood

Conjunction	Interjection	Predicate Noun	Subordinate Clause

Continuous Tenses	Intransitive Verb	Preposition	Superlative

Contraction	Irregular Verbs	Prepositional Phrase	Syntax

Contrary-to-Fact Statement	Main Clause	Prepositional Pronouns	Transitive Verb

Coordinating Conjunctions	Present Participle	Verb

Demonstrative Adjectives

ADJECTIVES describe or qualify nouns.  They answer the question "What sort of...?".  Italian adjectives always agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify.  Unlike English, Italian adjectives can be placed before or after the noun for special emphasis or meaning.

ADVERBS describe or qualify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb and answer the questions "How...?", "When...?",

"Where...?", or "In what manner...?".  In Italian, most "how" adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective.

An AUXILIARY VERB helps in the conjugation of a main verb.  The Italian auxiliary verbs avere (to have) and essere (to be) are used to form the compound tenses.

EXAMPLES:	Ho parlato con la professoressa.

I have spoken with the teacher.

                                                 Sono andato a scuola.

                                                I have gone to school.

A CLAUSE is a phrase or group of words that includes at least a subject and a verb and forms part of a larger sentence.  Italian uses relative pronouns to introduce clauses.

EXAMPLE:	La donna che vende  fiori  venne qui oggi.

The woman who sells flowers came by here today.

The COMPARATIVE FORM indicates a difference in degree or quality (e.g., more than, less than).  In English, the comparative is formed by adding the ending -er to the adjective.  In Italian, it is formed by placing più (more) or meno (less) before the adjective.

EXAMPLE:	Descriptive	Comparative

il libro interessante	un libro più interessante

A COMPOUND NOUN is a noun that consists of two or more independent elements.  In Italian, the article preceding some compound nouns changes in number, but the noun does not.  Compound nouns are always masculine.

EXAMPLE:	cavatappi (corkscrew)	                      il cavatappi	i  cavatappi

                                                  accallappiacani                                l'accallappiacani             gli accallappiacani

                                                    (dog-catcher)

Note:	cavare = to extract	il tappo = cork

                                                 accallappiare = to catch         il cane = dog

COMPOUND TENSES consist of a conjugated auxiliary verb plus the past participle of the main verb.  They occur in the Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Past Anterior, Future Perfect, as well as the Conditional Perfect, Past Subjunctive, and Past Perfect Subjunctive.

EXAMPLE:	Appena ebbero terminato il progetto, uscirono.

As soon as they had finished the project, they left.

A CONDITIONAL CLAUSE is a phrase or group of words that states the condition under which the action described by the main clause may be realized.

EXAMPLE:	Se avessi una macchina, potrei andare in Messico.

If I had a car, I could drive to Mexico.

The CONDITIONAL MOOD uses the construction "If...then...."  It expresses the hypothetical, unreal, or speculative, and states the condition under which another action or event may be realized.

A verb is CONJUGATED when it is listed according to person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular / plural), tense (present, past, future, etc.), and/or conditional or subjunctive mood.

A CONJUNCTION serves as a link between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.

                   EXAMPLE:	Mio padre e mia madre.

                                 My father and my mother.

CONTINUOUS TENSES are used in English and Italian to indicate that an action or condition is in progress or ongoing, or that an action was in progress when another one took place.  They occur in the Present, Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and Future Tenses, and the Conditional Mood.  In Italian, alternate continuous tenses may be formed using the auxiliaries andare, venire, or stare + present participle.

EXAMPLES:	Ho parlato  con la professoressa.

I have spoken with the teacher.

Venne correndo...

He came running...

A CONTRACTION is formed by omitting and/or combining some of the sounds of longer words.  In Italian, a + il is contracted to al; di + il becomes del, su +il becomes sul.

EXAMPLES:	Andammo al mare.	We went to the beach.

Andammo a casa  del Sr. Rossi	We went to Mr. Rossi's house.

 A CONTRARY-TO-FACT STATEMENT describes a condition or set of conditions that do not actually exist.  It includes a second clause in which these conditions are described as fulfillable.

 EXAMPLE: 	Se l'automobile non fosse così cara, potremmo comprarla.

If the automobile were not so expensive, we could buy it.

COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS link two independent clauses in a sentence.

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES point to a definite person or object.  English uses this, these, that, and those. A demonstrative is either an adjective or a pronoun and must agree with the noun it modifies.  Italian uses:

Singular	Plural

Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.

questo	questa	this (near me)	questi	queste	these

quello	quella	that (over there)	quelli	quelle	those

DIMINUTIVE ENDINGS are added to nouns to imply a smaller form or lesser quality.  They can also express affection or endearment.  The most common diminutive endings are -ino(a), -etto(a), -ello(a), and -uccio(a).

EXAMPLES:	la casa / la casetta

the house / the little house

                                                 la bocca / la boccuccia

                                                the mouth / the little mouth

The DIRECT OBJECT is the person, place, or thing that is the direct recipient of the action described by a verb.

EXAMPLE:	Lesse la poesia.	He read the poem.

 In English, a GERUND is a noun that is formed from a verb and ends in -ing.  In Italian, the infinitive serves as the gerund.

 EXAMPLE:	          Fumare  fa male alla salute.

                                                            Smoking is bad for the health.

The IMPERATIVE FORM of a verb is used to give a command or make a suggestion.  These forms are short and derived from the verb stem.  Their spellings vary.

 EXAMPLES:	Va a casa!	Go home!

Dammi  il quaderno!	Give me the notebook!

The INDICATIVE is the mood of the verb used in objective statements or questions.  By contrast, the conditional mood indicates that a person would do something if something else were possible or that he would have done something if something else had been possible.  The subjunctive mood expresses a request, a supposition, or an emotion such as a wish, a fear, a joy, etc.  The imperative mood expresses a command or polite request.

An INDIRECT OBJECT is the person or thing "to whom" or "for whom" an action is performed.

 EXAMPLE:	John  le regaló un vestito.

John gave her a dress.

INDIRECT SPEECH is the reporting of the words of an unknown speaker.  Italian uses the pronoun si with the third person singular verb form to express "it is...," "people...," "they...," and "one...."

EXAMPLES:

 Indirect Speech:	Lui dice che il progetto è  terminato.

He believes that (says that.... / knows that...) the project is

completed.

Indirect Speech with "si":	Si crede che...	It is believed that...	People believe that...

They believe that...	One believes that...

...the project is completed.

Si dice che...	It is said that...	People say that...

They say that...	One says that...

...the project is completed.

Si sa che...	It is known that...	People know that...

They know that...	One knows that...

...the project is completed.

An INFINITIVE is the basic form of a verb.  It reflects no person, number, or tense.  There are three infinitive endings

in Italian: -are, -ere, and -ire.

 An INFINITIVE CLAUSE with per (in order to) indicates purpose or intent.

 EXAMPLE:	Conservo i soldi per comprare una casa.

I am saving money (in order) to buy a house.

An INFLECTED VERB is one that has been identified as singular or plural and assigned endings for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.

EXAMPLE:	viaggia	(sing., 3rd person, Present Tense)

(he) travels

An INTERJECTION briefly expresses an emotional reaction to a situation, e.g., concern, approval, surprise, etc.

 EXAMPLES:	 Attenzione!            Watch out!

 Poverino!	Poor little thing!

                                                   Mamma mia!         Oh dear!

An INTRANSITIVE VERB does not describe an action, but merely expresses a state of affairs, change, or natural process.  It therefore does not take an object.

 EXAMPLE:	Cammina tutti i giorni.

he walks every day.

IRREGULAR VERBS show deviations from the usual pattern of inflection (spelling) in the stem as well as the endings.

                   EXAMPLE:	ANDARE (To go)

                                                  Vado a casa.

 I go home.

A MAIN CLAUSE is the independent or principal clause in a sentence.  It does not depend on another clause for its meaning and can stand on its own as a full sentence.

 EXAMPLE:	Quando viene, ti avviso.

When he comes, I will let you know.

A NOUN names a person, place, or thing.

The OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION is a noun that follows a preposition.

 EXAMPLE:	Questo libro è per Giacomo.

This book is for Giacomo.

An OBJECT PRONOUN receives the action of the verb.  A pronoun can also be the object of a preposition.  The preposition di is repeated before each proper name and object pronoun in a series.

   	 EXAMPLES:	Ci visitarono.	Vennero con me.

They visited us.	They came with me.

A PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVE is an adjective derived from a verb.  It must agree in number with the noun it modifies.

 EXAMPLE:

Serviamo la salsa piccante.

We serve hot sauce.

In PASSIVE VOICE, the order of subject and object are reversed, i.e., the subject receives the action of the verb.  Passive voice conveys a sense of anonymity or objectivity.  There are two passive constructions in Italian:  (1) the impersonal subject si, and (2) essere + past participle.

 EXAMPLES:	Active:	Lui terminò il contratto.	He ended the contract.

Passive:	Si terminò il contratto.	The contract was ended.

Passive:	Il contratto fu terminato.	The contract was ended.

PAST PARTICIPLES are formed by adding -ato or -ito to the present perfect stem of the verb.  English equivalents are formed by adding -ed, -t, -en, etc. (i.e., parked, kept, frozen).  They are used in the compound tenses and in passive voice and they can also stand alone as adjectives.

 PAST PARTICIPLES  are used in the compound tenses and in passive voice and they can also stand alone as adjectives.

EXAMPLE:	Il pollo era stato cucinato.

The chicken had been cooked.

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES modify nouns and answer the question "Whose...?".  They must be repeated before each noun they modify.

EXAMPLE:	mio padre e mia madre...

my father and mother...

A POSSESSIVE PRONOUN is a pronoun that answers the question "Whose...?".

 EXAMPLE:	Usiamo la mia macchina o la tua?

Will we use my car or yours?

A PREDICATE modifies a subject and includes the verbs, objects, or phrases governed by the verb.  It can also be a verb or linking verb (essere = "to be") that connects the elements of a sentence.

 EXAMPLE:	Carmen / guidava la macchina.

Carmen / drove the car.

subject / predicate

A PREDICATE ADJECTIVE describes the subject of a predicate.

EXAMPLE:	Lui è molto  bello.	He is very handsome.

A PREDICATE NOUN is equivalent in meaning to the subject and is linked to it by a predicate.

EXAMPLE:	Lui è ingegnere.	He is an engineer.

A PREPOSITION introduces a noun, pronoun, adverb, infinitive, or present participle and can indicate spatial or temporal relationships.  Italian prepositions include the "personal a," per, di, con, su, sopra, prima di,

and others.

 EXAMPLE:	Si presentó davanti al giudice.

He appeared before the judge.

A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE consists of a preposition and its object and modifies the subject or verb.  Prepositional phrases are often used instead of adverbs of manner.

 EXAMPLE:	Il libro fu scritto da Umberto Eco.

The book was written by Umberto Eco.

In English, a PRESENT PARTICIPLE is a verb form ending in -ing.  It may also be used as an adjective or a noun.  In Italian, present participles end in -ando or -endo.  They may only be used as verbs.

                                 Stavano parlando del terremoto.

They were talking about the earthquake.

Avendo ricordato il suo indirizzo, cominciai a scriverle una lettera.

Having remembered her address, I started writing her a letter.

A PRONOUN can substitute for a noun.  Like Italian nouns, pronouns have gender and number.

A REFLEXIVE PRONOUN is the object of a verb or preposition and refers back to the subject as "myself,"

"yourself," "himself," etc.

A REFLEXIVE VERB is accompanied by the pronoun se, which refers back to the subject, i.e., the subject is also the object of the verb.

 EXAMPLES:	Si ruppe il braccio.

He broke his arm.

Mi lavo le mani.

I am washing my hands.

A RELATIVE CLAUSE is a subordinate clause introduced by a relative pronoun that describes or qualifies the subject or object of a sentence.  It answers the question "What sort of...?".  The relative clause can contain a subject, verb, and/or object(s).

 EXAMPLES:	La ragazza che vedi è mia sorella.

The girl, whom you see, is my sister.

Indossò il vestito che comprò recentemente

She put on the hat that she recently bought.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS introduce relative clauses.  Italian relative pronouns include:

chi	who, whom, the ones who

che	who, that, which, whom

il quale (i quali)	the one(s) which

la quale (le quali)	the one(s) which

dove	where

"Chi" means "who," "whom," and occasionally "the one(s) who."

"Che," the most frequently used relative pronoun, means "who," "that," or "which," and, as direct object

of a verb, "whom."  It refers to both persons and things, singular and plural, and its form is invariable.

                   EXAMPLE:

Vedemmo l'uomo che ci visitò la settimana scorsa.

We saw the man who visited us last week.

SIMPLE TENSES consist of a conjugated main verb only.  They occur in the Present, Imperfect, Past, Future, Present Conditional, Present Subjunctive, and Imperfect Subjunctive.

STEM-CHANGING VERBS are regular and irregular verbs that take spelling changes in the stem when conjugated.

The SUBJECT of a sentence performs the action described by the verb.

 A SUBJECT COMPLEMENT is a word or words used after a verb to complete a predicate.  It modifies the noun, noun phrase, or pronoun in a sentence or clause.

                      EXAMPLES:

                     	Loro avevano fretta.

They were in a hurry.

Ci piace camminare per il vicinato.

We like to walk through the neighborhood.

SUBJECT PRONOUNS refer to the person or thing that makes up the subject.  The subject pronoun is expressed by the verb ending.  The forms io, tu, egli (o lui), ella (o lei) , noi, voi, loro (o essi)  are therefore usually required only for emphasis.

EXAMPLES:	Avevo fretta.	I was in a hurry.

Io avevo fretta.	I was in a hurry.

Lui è professore, e lei è ragioniera.

He is a teacher, but she is an accountant.

The SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD is used in subordinate clauses in which there is a change of subject and indicates that a situation is hypothetical, unreal, wished or hoped for, or somehow speculative in nature.  The subjunctive mood is used in direct commands (except familiar) in which third persons are usually introduced by che.  Italian uses special verb forms to indicate the subjunctive (Present, Past, Imperfect, and Past Perfect Subjunctives). The Future Subjunctive is used in clauses implying a supposition and is found only in legal style or antiquated phrases.

A SUBORDINATE CLAUSE is a secondary clause.  Its meaning depends on the independent or main clause.

 EXAMPLE:	Volevo ritornare all'università per finire gli studi.

I wanted to return to the university in order to finish my degree.

A SUPERLATIVE is an adjective or adverb that expresses the third and highest level of comparison (e.g., most, least).  In English it is formed by adding the ending est to the adjective. In Italian, it is formed by placing il più (the most) before the adjective.

EXAMPLES:	l'edificio più alto...	the tallest  building...

il più alto...	the tallest...

SYNTAX is the order in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences.

A TRANSITIVE VERB expresses an action that directly affects someone or something.  It therefore takes a direct object.

EXAMPLE:	Le regaló dei fiori per il suo compleanno.

For her birthday, he gave her some flowers.

A VERB is a word that expresses an action.

Related Topics:

Contents

GLOSSARY


Adjectives

ADJECTIVES describe or qualify nouns.  They answer the question "What sort of...?".  Italian adjectives always agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify.  Unlike English, Italian adjectives can be placed before or after the noun for special emphasis or meaning.


Adverbs

ADVERBS describe or qualify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb and answer the questions "How...?", "When...?",

"Where...?", or "In what manner...?".  In Italian, most "how" adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective.


Augmentative Endings

AUGMENTATIVE ENDINGS on nouns imply a larger form or greater quality.  They can also express disrespect or scorn.  The most common augmentative endings  are  -one and -accio(a).

EXAMPLE:

                                                il libro / il librone

                                                the book / the big book

                                                il libro / il libraccio

the book / the ugly book


Auxiliary Verb

 An AUXILIARY VERB helps in the conjugation of a main verb.  The Italian auxiliary verbs avere (to have) and essere (to be) are used to form the compound tenses.

EXAMPLES:	Ho parlato con la professoressa.

I have spoken with the teacher.

                                                 Sono andato a scuola.

                                                I have gone to school.


Clause

A CLAUSE is a phrase or group of words that includes at least a subject and a verb and forms part of a larger sentence.  Italian uses relative pronouns to introduce clauses.

EXAMPLE:	La donna che vende  fiori  venne qui oggi.

The woman who sells flowers came by here today.


Comparative Form

The COMPARATIVE FORM indicates a difference in degree or quality (e.g., more than, less than).  In English, the comparative is formed by adding the ending -er to the adjective.  In Italian, it is formed by placing più (more) or meno (less) before the adjective.

EXAMPLE:	Descriptive	Comparative

il libro interessante	un libro più interessante


Compound Noun

A COMPOUND NOUN is a noun that consists of two or more independent elements.  In Italian, the article preceding some compound nouns changes in number, but the noun does not.  Compound nouns are always masculine.

EXAMPLES:	cavatappi (corkscrew)	                      il cavatappi	i  cavatappi

                                                  accallappiacani                                laccallappiacani             gli accallappiacani

                                                    (dog-catcher)

Note:	cavare = to extract	il tappo = cork

                                                 accallappiare = to catch         il cane = dog


Compound Tenses

COMPOUND TENSES consist of a conjugated auxiliary verb plus the past participle of the main verb.  They occur in the Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Past Anterior, Future Perfect, as well as the Conditional Perfect, Past Subjunctive, and Past Perfect Subjunctive.

EXAMPLE:	Appena ebbero finito di mangiare, uscirono.

As soon as they had finished the meal, they left.


Conditional Clause

A CONDITIONAL CLAUSE is a phrase or group of words that states the condition under which the action described by the main clause may be realized.

EXAMPLE:	Se avessi una macchina,  potrei andare in Messico.

If I had a car,  I could drive to Mexico.


Conditional Mood

The CONDITIONAL MOOD uses the construction "If...then...."  It expresses the hypothetical, unreal, or speculative, and states the condition under which another action or event may be realized.


Conjugated

A verb is CONJUGATED when it is listed according to person (1st, 2nd, 3rd), number (singular / plural), tense (present, past, future, etc.), and/or conditional or subjunctive mood.


Conjunction

A CONJUNCTION serves as a link between words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.

     EXAMPLE:	Mio padre e mia madre.

My father and my mother.


Continuous Tenses

CONTINUOUS TENSES are used in English and Italian to indicate that an action or condition is in progress or ongoing, or that an action was in progress when another one took place.  They occur in the Present, Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and Future Tenses, and the Conditional Mood.  In Italian, alternate continuous tenses may be formed using the auxiliaries andare, venire, or stare + present participle.

EXAMPLES:	Sta parlando con la professoressa.

He is talking with the teacher.

Venne correndo...

He came running...


Contraction

A CONTRACTION is formed by omitting and/or combining some of the sounds of longer words.  In Italian, a + il is contracted to al; di + il becomes del, su + il becomes sul.

EXAMPLES:	Andammo al mare.	We went to the beach.

Andammo a casa  del Sr. Rossi	We went to Mr. Rossi's house.


Contrary-to-Fact Statement

A CONTRARY-TO-FACT STATEMENT describes a condition or set of conditions that do not actually exist.  It includes a second clause in which these conditions are described as fulfillable.

EXAMPLE: 	Se la macchina non fosse così costosa, potremmo comprarla.

If the car were not so expensive, we could buy it.


Coordinating Conjunctions

COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS link two independent clauses in a sentence.


Demonstrative Adjectives

DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVES point to a definite person or object.  English uses this, these, that, and those. A demonstrative is either an adjective or a pronoun and must agree with the noun it modifies.  Italian uses:

Singular	Plural

Masc.	Fem.	Masc.	Fem.

questo	questa	this (near me)	questi	queste	these

quello	quella	that (over there)	quelli	quelle	those


Diminutive Endings

DIMINUTIVE ENDINGS are added to nouns to imply a smaller form or lesser quality.  They can also express affection or endearment.  The most common diminutive endings are -ino(a), -etto(a), -ello(a), and -uccio(a).

EXAMPLE:	la casa / la casetta

the house / the little house

                                                 la bocca / la boccuccia

                                                the mouth / the little mouth


Direct Object

The DIRECT OBJECT is the person, place, or thing that is the direct recipient of the action described by a verb.

EXAMPLE:	Lesse  la poesia.	He read the poem.


Gerund

In English, a GERUND is a noun that is formed from a verb and ends in -ing.  In Italian, the infinitive serves as the gerund.

EXAMPLE:	          Fumare  fa male alla salute.

                                                            Smoking is bad for the health.


Imperative Form

The IMPERATIVE FORM of a verb is used to give a command or make a suggestion.  These forms are short and derived from the verb stem.  Their spellings vary.

EXAMPLES:	Va' a casa!	Go home!

Dammi  il quaderno!	Give me the notebook!


Indicative

The INDICATIVE is the mood of the verb used in ordinary, objective statements or questions.  By contrast, the conditional mood indicates that a person would do something if something else were possible or that he would have done something if something else had been possible.  The subjunctive mood expresses a request, a supposition, or an emotion such as a wish, a fear, a joy, etc.  The imperative mood expresses a command or polite request.


Indirect Object

An INDIRECT OBJECT is the person or thing "to whom" or "for whom" an action is performed.

EXAMPLE:	John  le regaló un vestito.

John gave her a dress.


Indirect Speech

INDIRECT SPEECH is the reporting of the words of an unknown speaker.  Italian uses the pronoun si with the third person singular verb form to express "it is...," "people...," "they...," and "one...."

EXAMPLES:

Indirect Speech:	Lui dice che il progetto è  terminato.

He believes that (says that.... / knows that...) the project is

completed.

Indirect Speech with "si":	Si crede che...	It is believed that...	People believe that...

They believe that...	One believes that...

...the project is completed.

Si dice che...	It is said that...	People say that...

They say that...	One says that...

...the project is completed.

Si sa che...	It is known that...	People know that...

They know that...	One knows that...

...the project is completed.


Infinitive

An INFINITIVE is the basic form of a verb.  It reflects no person, number, or tense.  There are three infinitive endings

in Italian: -are, -ere, and -ire.


Infinitive Clause

An INFINITIVE CLAUSE with per (in order to) indicates purpose or intent.

EXAMPLE:	Conservo i soldi per comprare una casa.

I am saving money (in order) to buy a house.


Inflected Verb

An INFLECTED VERB is one that has been identified as singular or plural and assigned endings for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.

EXAMPLE:	viaggia          (third person, Present Tense)

(he) travels


Interjection

An INTERJECTION briefly expresses an emotional reaction to a situation, e.g., concern, approval, surprise, etc.

EXAMPLES:	Attenzione!            Watch out!

Poverino!	Poor little thing!

                                                 Mamma mia!         Oh dear!


Intransitive Verb

An INTRANSITIVE VERB does not describe an action, but merely expresses a state of affairs, change, or natural process.  It therefore does not take an object.

EXAMPLE:	Cammina tutti i giorni.

he walks every day.


Irregular Verbs

IRREGULAR VERBS show deviations from the usual pattern of inflection (spelling) in the stem as well as the endings.


Main Clause

A MAIN CLAUSE is the independent or principal clause in a sentence.  It does not depend on another clause for its meaning and can stand on its own as a full sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Quando viene, ti avviso.

When he comes, I will let you know.


Noun

A NOUN names a person, place, or thing.


Object of a Preposition

The OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION is a noun that follows a preposition.

EXAMPLE:	Quesro libro è per Giacomo.

This book is for Giacomo.


Object Pronoun

An OBJECT PRONOUN receives the action of the verb.  A pronoun can also be the object of a preposition.  The preposition di is repeated before each proper name and object pronoun in a series.

EXAMPLES:	Ci visitarono.	Vennero con me.

They visited us.	They came with me.


Participial Adjective

A PARTICIPIAL ADJECTIVE is an adjective derived from a verb.  It must agree in number with the noun it modifies.

EXAMPLE:

Serviamo la salsa piccante.

We serve hot sauce.


Passive Voice

In PASSIVE VOICE, the order of subject and object are reversed, i.e., the subject receives the action of the verb.  Passive voice conveys a sense of anonymity or objectivity.  There are two passive constructions in Italian:  (1) the impersonal subject si, and (2)  essere + past participle.

EXAMPLES:	Active:	Lui terminó il contratto.	He ended the contract.

Passive:	Si terminó il contratto.	The contract was ended.

Passive:	Il contratto fu terminato.	The contract was ended.


Past Participles

PAST PARTICIPLES  are used in the compound tenses and in passive voice and they can also stand alone as adjectives.

EXAMPLE:

                                                  ll pollo era stato cucinato.

The chicken had been cooked.


Personal Pronouns

PERSONAL PRONOUNS take the place of nouns.  They usually accompany a verb and can be either the subject or the object of the verb.


Possessive Adjectives

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES modify nouns and answer the question "Whose...?".  They must be repeated before each noun they modify.

EXAMPLE:	mio padre e mia madre...

my father and mother...


Possessive Pronoun

A POSSESSIVE PRONOUN is a pronoun that answers the question "Whose...?".

EXAMPLE:	Usiamo la mia macchina o la tua?

Will we use my car or yours?


Predicate

A PREDICATE modifies a subject and includes the verbs, objects, or phrases governed by the verb.  It can also be a verb or linking verb (essere = "to be") that connects the elements of a sentence.

EXAMPLE:	Carmen / guidava la macchina.

Carmen / drove the car.

subject / predicate


Predicate Adjective

A PREDICATE ADJECTIVE describes the subject of a predicate.

EXAMPLE:	Lui  è intelligente.	He is intelligent


Predicate Noun

A PREDICATE NOUN is equivalent in meaning to the subject and is linked to it by a predicate.

EXAMPLE:	John è dottore.	He is a doctor.


Preposition

A PREPOSITION introduces a noun, pronoun, adverb, infinitive, or present participle and can indicate spatial or temporal relationships.  Italian prepositions include a, per, di, da, con, in, su, davanti a, and others.

EXAMPLE:	Si presentó davanti al giudice.

He appeared before the judge.


Prepositional Phrase

A PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE consists of a preposition and its object and modifies the subject or verb.  Prepositional phrases are often used instead of adverbs of manner.

EXAMPLE:	Il libro fu scritto da Umberto Eco.

The book was written by Umberto Eco.


Prepositional Pronouns

PREPOSITIONAL PRONOUNS follow prepositions.  Except for the first, second, and third persons singular

(me, te, and se), the prepositional pronouns are the same as the subject pronouns.


Present Participle

In English, a PRESENT PARTICIPLE is a verb form ending in -ing.  It may also be used as an adjective or a noun.  In Italian, gerunds  end in -ando or -endo.  They may only be used as verbs.

                                 Stavano parlando del terremoto.

They were talking about the earthquake.

Avendo ricordato il suo indirizzo, cominciai a scriverle una lettera.

Having remembered her address, I started writing her a letter.


Pronoun

A PRONOUN can substitute for a noun.

Singular	Plural

               io	I	noi	we

tu	you (familiar)	voi	you (familiar)

Lei	you (formal)	Loro	you (formal)

egli (ella)	he/she	Essi	they (masculine)

                                                                                                   Esse                          they (feminine)


Reflexive Pronoun

A REFLEXIVE PRONOUN is the object of a verb or preposition and refers back to the subject as "myself,"

"yourself," "himself," etc.


Reflexive Verb

A REFLEXIVE VERB is accompanied by the pronoun(s) mi, ti, si, ci vi, which refers back to the subject, i.e., the subject is also the object of the verb.

EXAMPLES:	Si ruppe il braccio.

He broke his arm.

Mi lavo le mani.

I am washing my hands.


Relative Clause

A RELATIVE CLAUSE is a subordinate clause introduced by a relative pronoun that describes or qualifies the subject or object of a sentence.  It answers the question "What sort of...?".  The relative clause can contain a subject, verb, and/or object(s).

EXAMPLES:	La ragazza che vedi è mia sorella.

The girl, whom you see, is my sister.

Indossò il vestito che comprò recentemente

She put on the hat that she recently bought.


Relative Pronouns

RELATIVE PRONOUNS introduce relative clauses.  Italian relative pronouns include:

chi	who, whom, the ones who

che	who, that, which, whom

il quale (i quali)	that which, those which

la quale (le quali)	that which, those which

dove	where

"Chi" means "who," "whom," and occasionally "the one(s) who."

"Che," the most frequently used relative pronoun, means "who," "that," or "which," and, as direct object

of a verb, "whom."  It refers to both persons and things, singular and plural, and its form is invariable.

EXAMPLES:

Vedemmo luomo che ci visitò la settimana scorsa.

We saw the man who visited us last week.


Simple Tenses

SIMPLE TENSES consist of a conjugated main verb only.  They occur in the Present, Imperfect, Past, Future, Present Conditional, Present Subjunctive, and Imperfect Subjunctive.


Stem-Changing Verbs

STEM-CHANGING VERBS are regular and irregular verbs that take spelling changes in the stem when conjugated.


Subject Complement

A SUBJECT COMPLEMENT is a word or words used after a verb to complete a predicate.  It modifies the noun, noun phrase, or pronoun in a sentence or clause.

EXAMPLES:	Loro avevano fretta.

They were in a hurry.

Ci piace camminare per il vicinato.

We like to walk through the neighborhood.


Subject Pronouns

SUBJECT PRONOUNS refer to the person or thing that makes up the subject.  The subject pronoun is expressed by the verb ending.  The forms io, tu, egli (o lui), ella (o lei) , noi, voi, loro (o essi)  are therefore usually required only for emphasis.

EXAMPLES:	Avevo fretta.	I was in a hurry.

Io avevo fretta.	I was in a hurry.

Lui è professore, e lei è ragioniera.

He is a teacher, but she is an accountant.


Subjunctive Mood

The SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD is used in subordinate clauses in which there is a change of subject and indicates that a situation is hypothetical, unreal, wished or hoped for, or somehow speculative in nature.  The subjunctive mood is used in direct commands (except familiar) in which third persons are usually introduced by che.  Italian uses special verb forms to indicate the subjunctive (Present, Past, Imperfect, and Past Perfect Subjunctives). The Future Subjunctive is used in clauses implying a supposition and is found only in legal style or antiquated phrases.


Subject

The SUBJECT of a sentence performs the action described by the verb.


Subordinate Clause

A SUBORDINATE CLAUSE is a secondary clause.  Its meaning depends on the independent or main clause.

EXAMPLE:	Volevo ritornare alluniversità per finire gli studi.

I wanted to return to the university in order to finish my degree.


Superlative

A SUPERLATIVE is an adjective or adverb that expresses the third and highest level of comparison (e.g., most, least).  In English it is formed by adding the ending est to the adjective. In Italian, it is formed by placing il più (the most) before the adjective.

EXAMPLES:	il palazzo più alto...	the tallest building...

il più alto...	the tallest...


Syntax

SYNTAX is the order in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences.


Transitive Verb

A TRANSITIVE VERB expresses an action that directly affects someone or something.  It therefore takes a direct object.

EXAMPLE:	Le regalò dei fiori per il suo compleanno.

For her birthday, he gave her some flowers.


Verb

A VERB is a word that expresses an action.