The verb MANCARE explained
The verb MANCARE explained If you want to say “I miss” in Italian, you should say “mi manca” and not “manco”. Why so? What does the “mi” in front stand for? The verb “mancare” The mi is an indirect pronoun and it’s used because mancare doesn’t follow a regular conjugation pattern, but it has the […]
The 3 ways of saying TIME in Italian – ORA/TEMPO/VOLTA
ORA/TEMPO/VOLTA: What’s the difference? Ora, tempo, volta all express, in different ways, the idea of time in English. However, they can’t be used interchangeably and there’s a stark difference between all of them. So, what’s the difference between these three words? When ORA means time Ora (or ore, in the plural form ) is used to ask […]
How to succeed at the CILS B1 for Citizenship – My best strategies
How to succeed at the CILS B1 for Citizenship – My best strategies If you are here, you need to pass the Italian certification test to get your citizenship. In this post, I will expand on the CILS B1 for Citizenship test (CILS B1 cittadinanza). For the sake of thoroughness, I must say there are […]
Essere and Esserci: The Difference
Essere and Esserci: The Difference Essere vs. esserci Essere and esserci are different verbs. Essere is the infinitive verb (the stem verb) meaning “to be”. Esserci is the infinitive verb of the common forms “c’è” and “ci sono“, which state the presence and existence of something or someone. They express the idea of being in place. For […]
The Complete Guide to Conjugating Verbs in Italian
The Complete Guide to Conjugating Verbs in Italian If you’ve ever taken a formal Italian class, I’m sure your teachers required you to spend a significant amount on verb conjugation drills. parlo, parli, parla ho parlato, hai parlato, ha parlato parlerò, parlerai, parlerà etc. I understand that this is not a simple or easy task, […]
Italian Adjectives & Expressions to talk about someone’s Personality
Italian Adjectives & Expressions to Describe Someone’s Personality Describing someone’s personality in one’s native language is difficult enough, let alone in a language we don’t know well. Adjectives are commonly used to describe someone’s personality. I’ve created a list of some of the most basic Italian adjectives to use when discussing personality, as well as some […]