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The Italian Sentence Structure

The Italian Sentence Structure

The Basics of Italian Sentence Structure and Word Order

The Italian sentence structure is similar to English, but with a few key differences. The good news isItalian follows the same sentence order as in English, which is:

SUBJECT + VERB + OBJECT .

We call this pattern SVO, for simplicity. 

The subject  stands for who’s doing the action.

The verb is the action.

The object is who the action is being done to.

For example,

  • Io compro una casa (I buy a house)

Io (I) is the subject, compro (buy) is the verb and casa (house) is the object.

  • Tu parli italiano (you speak Italian)

Tu (you) is the subject, parli (speak) is the verb and italiano (italian) is the object.

Omitting the Subject Pronouns in Italian 

And here’s where Italian differs from English.

The main difference with English is that Italian omits the subject pronouns. 

What are the so-called subject pronouns?

In English, the subject pronouns are: I, you, he, she, it, they, and so on; in Italian, io, tu, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro.

In English, you’re compelled to use the subject pronouns when speaking. 

For example, you would always say, “I work, she buys, we cook, etc.”

In Italian, however, we drop the subject pronouns that act as the subject in a sentence.

For example, in Italian we would say:

  • Compro una casa , ([I] buy a house.) and not io compro una casa 
  • Cucina la pasta ([she/he] cooks the pasta) and not lui cucina la pasta 
  • Prendiamo una birra ([we] have a beer) and not noi prendiamo una birra 

Omitting the subject pronouns is something you can’t do in English (you can’t just say “buy house,” or if you say so, it would simply become a command), but in Italian, it’s perfectly normal to omit the subject pronoun from the sentence.

That’s why we have to conjugate verbs. The conjugation is telling us who’s buying a house or cooking in the past, or, in general, who is carrying out an action in a sentence.

Conjugating a verb properly is the most important part when it comes to sentence building. In fact, the conjugation will give the direction of the sentence and will say who is carrying out the action and when and how the action is carried out (that’s why we have several verb forms).

If you don’t conjugate the verb correctly, it’s unclear who’s doing the action, don’t omit the pronoun. However, if the pronoun is essential to understanding the sentence, you should leave it in.

  • Serena parla Italiano – Serena speaks Italian 

The Position of Adjectives in Italian

Another main difference between English and Italian is that adjectives are placed before the noun in English, while in Italian they come after the noun. This means that when constructing sentences, it is important to remember to switch the word order.

For example,

  • blu rose – rosa blu
  • big house – grande case
  • small table – piccolo tavolo 

How to Make a Negative Sentence

To make a negative sentence in Italian, you can add the word “non” before the verb. For example, “parlo italiano” becomes “non parlo italiano” (I don’t speak Italiano).

The non is always placed at the beginning of a sentence.

 For example,

  •  Non mangio carne – I don’t eat meat
  • Non sono italiano – I’m non Italian
  • Non mi piace – I don’t like it

How to Ask Questions in Italian

Where’s the station? How much is the coffee Where are you from? What’s time does the train leave?

These are all questions that you’ll likely need to ask when you are in Italy or speaking Italian, and so you’re going to need to understand the basics of how to ask questions.

In English, when it comes to asking a question, you either invert the verb and the subject or introduce the auxiliary Do, Did, Does at the beginning of the question. These patterns signal you’re asking a question and not making a regular statement.

  • Are you from Rome? [inversion of the verb and subject]
  • Do you live here? [questions starting with “do”]

In Italian, the way we ask questions is slightly different. First of all, we don’t invert the order of verb and subject, and we don’t have Do/Did/Does (so these bits are not translatable in Italian).

To ask a question in Italian, we simply raise the pitch of our voice toward the end and the order of the words in the questions is the same as in a regular statements 

S+ V + O = subject + verb + object 

For example,

  • Do they speak Italian →  [loro] parlano italiano?
  • Do you come to dinner? – [tu] vieni a cena?
  • Is she married? – [lei] è sposata?

Again, it’s crucial to conjugate the verbs correctly to get the direction of a question and to omit the subject object pronouns. 

Asking Questions with the Interrogative Words

Sometimes we would introduce a question with an interrogative words such as Who/ What / When, etc..

In this case, we usually place the subject of the question at the end of the question. The pattern of this type of questions  would be:

Interrogative word + Verb + Subject

For example, 

  • Com’è il cappuccino? – How is the cappuccino?
  • A che ora parte il treno? – What time does the train leave?
  • Quanto costa il biglietto? – How much is the ticket?

Common Italian Question Words

  • Chi?- Who? Whom?
  • Che?/Cosa?- What?
  • Quando?- When?
  • Dove?- Where?
  • Perché?- Why?
  • Come?- How?
  • Qual/Quali?- Which?
  • Quanto/a/i/e?- How much?

Master the Italian Word Order 

What is a simple way to remember the order of sentence structure in Italian?

# 1 Keep in mind the S+V+O pattern. 

# 2 Conjugate the verbs correctly; this is especially important for beginners. Real-life Italian sounds more complex than that, which is probably true, and the SVO is a simplified pattern of that language. All Italian sentences, though, have this structure, so if you choose the right verbs—even just those—your message will be understood. Other parts of the phrases run the risk of becoming redundant if the conjugation is incorrect because we are unsure of who is doing the action and who is receiving it. 

#3 Read, read, read. Use Italian short stories or similar learning content. Reading will greatly improve your ability to construct sentences when speaking. Why? Easy Italian readers will expose you to the natural and fluid structure of words, verbs, and prepositions.

My recommended textbooks and tools for drilling on your conjugations and Italian sentence structure: 

        
How to master the Italian Imperfetto

How to master the Italian Imperfetto

The Italian Imperfect Tense 

First things first..

What’s The Imperfect Tense? 

The imperfect (or imperfetto, in Italian) is a past tense. We mainly use the imperfect tense to talk about past actions that happened as a habit, to describe the context of past actions or events, and in a few other cases.

Smart tip 

As the name says, the action described by this tense is “imperfect,” so we can say that, as a rule of thumb, we use it when we can’t apply a time reference  to the past action we want to talk about. You should picture the imperfect tense as the frame of a picture or the background to the main event. The frame is the context (descriptions, feelings, ongoing actions). The picture is of you or a specific event.

Example,

  • Quando siamo arrivati (event), pioveva (background, frame) [When we arrived, it was raining] 
  • Quando andavano all’università (background, context), ho vinto (even) una borsa di studio. [When I was in school, I got a scholarship]

Most non-romance languages don’t have an “imperfetto,” so using the imperfetto correctly in Italian can be confusing. Reading and listening to Italian will help you naturally develop a good understanding of how and when to use the imperfect. Learning the rules, as always, is just the first step.

 

Italian vs.English 

In English, the imperfect tense in usually translate with: 

I used to: 

  • I used to live in that area – Vivevo in quel quartiere 

I was -ing:

  • I  was feeling sick yesterday, so I didn’t go to work – Mi sentivo male ieri, così non too andata a lavoro. 

Sometimes, though, the imperfetto can be translated with the regular English past tense ending in – ed. 

How to Conjugate the Imperfect Tense in Italian 

I have some great news for you. The imperfect is the most regular Italian verb.

It just adds the imperfect endings –avo, -avi, -ava, -avamo, -avate, -avano to the stem of the verb. The conjugation is the same for all the verbs, no matter what group they belong to.

Irregular Verbs  

There are just four irregular imperfect verbs in Italian, which are super easy to remember.

  • Fare → facevo, facevi, faceva, facevamo, facevate, facevano
  • Bere → bevevo, bevevi, beveva, bevevamo, bevevate, bevevano
  • Dire → dicevo, dicevi, diceva, dicevamo, dicevate, dicevano
  • Essere → ero, eri, era, eravamo, eravate, erano
     

When Do You Use the Imperfect tense in Italian?

Since there is not a straightforward translation in English when it comes to the Italian imperfetto, using this verb in Italian is one of the most complex aspects of the language. However, there are some rules you can look at when deciding whether to use the imperfetto or not.

We use the imperfetto to describe your life as it used to be.

Common word prompts: prima, una volta, nel passato, negli anni “X”, quando + imperfect tense 

  • Negli anni 90, vivevo a Londra e facevo il barista nei weekend – In the 90s I was living in London and I would work as bartender over the weekends.

We use the imperfetto to make a comparison between “before and nowadays”.

Common word prompts: prima…adesso.

  • Prima i bambini giocavano in strada, adesso giocano al cellulare – Before children used to play in the streets, today the play on their phones.

We use the imperfetto to talk about the weather in the past.

  • Ieri faceva caldo – Yesterday it was hot.
  • Ieri nevica – It snowed yesterday.
  • Ieri c’era una bella giornata di sole – Yesterday, it was a sunny day.

 We use the imperfetto to give a description of a situation, a place or a thing in the past.

  • La mia città era diversa quando ero piccola: c’erano meno macchine e il traffico era più lieve – My city was very different was I was little: there were less cars and traffic.
  • Il mio primo appartamento era molto luminoso e si trovava nel centro città – My first apertamente was very bright and was in the city center.

We use the imperfetto to talk about your childhood.

Common word prompts: da piccolo/a, quando avevo + your age / Quando ero piccolo/a 

  • Quando ero piccola, mi piaceva preparare le torte con mia madre – When I was little I liked to bake with my mum.
  • Quando ero piccolo, passavo le estati a casa dei miei nonni – When I was a child, I used to spend my summers at my grandparent’s house.

We use the imperfetto to describe the context or background of a specific event.

Common prompt words: mentre 

  • Mentre passeggiavo al mare, ho ricevuto una chiamata importante – While I was walking on the beach,  I got an important phonecall 

We use the imperfetto to describe how people state of mind or health in the past.

  • Ieri sera avevo mal di testa – Last night I had a headache.
  • Ieri mattina stavo male – Yesterday morning I felt sick. 
  • Al liceo, ero innamorata di Marcello – In high school, I was in love with Marcello.

We use the imperfetto to describe the personality traits or other characteristics of people in the past.

  • Mio nonno era molto saggio – My grandfather was very wise
  • La mia insegnate d’inglese era molto preparata – My English teacher in middle school was knowledgeable

We use the imperfetto to say what people knew or meant in the past.

  • Non sapevo cosa pensare – I didn’t know what to think.
  • Non volevo dire quello – I didn’t want to say that 
  • Non sapevo che Marco e Maria stavano insieme  – I didn’t know Marco and Maria were together 

We use the imperfetto to translate the English pattern “I used to do…”

  • Vivevo a Roma quando studiavo all’università – I used to live in Rome when I was in school. 
  • Viaggiavo molto prima di avere bambini – I used to travel a lot before having children.

More Uses of the Imperfect Tense in Italian

We use the imperfetto to express a polite request in place of the present conditional (vorrei) 

  • Volevo/Vorrei chiederti una cosa – I wanted to ask you something.
  • Volevo/Vorrei chiederti un favore – I wanted to ask you for a favore
  • Volevo/Vorrei farti una domanda – I wanted to ask you a question 

We use the imperfetto if two actions happen at the exact same moment in the past, we use the imperfect.

  • Mentre scrivevo il mio diario, mio figlio disegnava nella sua camera – While I was writing in my journal, my child was drawing in his room.

We use the imperfetto if one action interrupts an ongoing action, we use the imperfect tense for the ongoing action and the passato prossimo for the interruption.

  • Mentre dormivo [ongoing action], mi hanno chiamato al telefono [interruption] e mi sono svegliata – While I was sleeping, someone called and I woke up.

Passato Prossimo vs. Imperfetto: The Difference 

When to use the imperfect tense instead of the passato prossimo?

Passato prossimo 

The Italian passato prossimo indicates an event that occurred at some point in the past, at a specific moment. To put it another way, we know when the event started, and when it ended. The passato prossimo often appears in combination with time expressions.

Common time expressions that trigger the use of the passato prossimo:

  • Due giorni fa, un anno fa – two days ago, one year ago 
  • Ieri – yesterday 
  • L’anno scorso – last year 
  • Questa mattina – this morning 
  • Ieri sera – last night 
  • L’estate scorsa, giovedì scorso and similar phrases 
  • Ultimamente – lately 
  • L’altro ieri – the other day

If one of the above time expressions is used, we always use the passato prossimo. We would also use the passato prossimo if we didn’t say one of the above expressions, but they were still implied in the conversation.

For example,

  • Ho mangiato troppo ieri sera 
  • Due anni fa sono andato in Sud Africa
  • Ho comprato una macchina la scorsa settimana 

The imperfetto (the imperfect tense) 

The imperfect indicates an event that repeatedly occurred in the past, and we don’t know when it started or when it ended. It was an ongoing action for some time. The imperfect often appears in combination with time expressions indicating a routine or a habitual activity.

Common time expressions used with the imperfect tense

  • Normalmente – typically 
  • Di solito – usually
  • Mentre – while 
  • Ogni volta che – every time that 
  • Da piccola/da piccolo – when I was little
  • Tutto il tempo – all the time

For example,

  • Di solito andavo in quel caffè a studiare – Typically, I would go to that caffè for studying 
  • Ogni volta che andavo a Roma, andavo a trovare i miei amici – Every time I would go to Rome, I would visit my friends 

Notice that if you say, “Ho comprato una macchina” and you don’t mention the time expression, I would still understand that the action happened at the specific moment in the past. Using the imperfetto and saying “compravo una macchina” would also sound weird, as the act of buying a car is never ongoing. Saying “compravo una macchina” would sound in English like “I used to buy a car.”

The imperfect continuous in Italian [advanced topic]

This is a more advanced grammar topic. If you’re a beginner or intermediate student, you can skip it for now. The Italian imperfect continuous is a combination of the imperfect of “stare” and the gerund from. It is used to describe what was going on at a specific time in the past.
 
  • Cosa stavi facendo ieri alle 3? – What were you doing yesterday at 3? 
  • Mi stavo rilassando sul divano con I miei amici, quando i miei amici sono arrivati – I was relaxing on the couch yesterday when my friends arrived. 
The Possessive Adjectives in Italian

The Possessive Adjectives in Italian

What Are Possessive Adjectives in Italian?

The possessive adjectives are those words that translate from the English: “my, your, her, his, our, their”. They denote ownership between two objects.

For example,

  • La mia cassa → my house
  • Il suo cane → his dog
  • Il nostro lavoro → our job 

In Italian, a possessive adjective in always used before a noun and preceded by a definite article, as in the examples given above. Because they are adjectives, it’s important to remember that you’ll need to modify them according to the gender and number of the noun they are preceding. 

For example,

The Italian possessive “Mio” becomes

  • Mia in front of a singular feminine noun [la mia casa] 
  • Miei in front of plural masculine nouns [i miei amici]
  • Mie in front of plural feminine nouns [le mie amiche]
Edit
Masc. Sing. Fem. Sing. Masc. Plur. Fem. Plur.
il mio la mia i miei le mie
il tuo la tua i tuoi le tue
il suo la sua i suoi le sue
il nostro la nostra i nostri le nostre
il vostro la vostra i vostri le vostre
il loro la loro i loro le loro
 

In short, unlike English, “my” has four different forms and is always preceded by a definite article.

Italian vs. English 

#1 The use of the articles 

The Italian possessive adjectives are always accompanied by articles (except in some cases, which I will touch upon below). In English, instead, they are never used with articles.

For example

  • La mia borsa – my bag
  • Il nostro libro – our book
  • La sua ragazza – his girlfriend 
  • Il suo gatto – her cat

#2 The us of his/her 

Another significant difference between English and Italian is that the Italian possessive adjectives must agree in gender and number with the object which is “owned” and not with “the owner”.  

For example, let’s assume Maria has a dog. In English, we would refer to it as, her dog.” We would use “her” in reference to Maria. In Italian, however, we would say “il suo cane” (rather than “la sua cane”).

Why?

Because, in Italian, the possessive adjectives have to match the object that is “owned” and not the “owner.”

In the above example, “suo” refers to the dog and not to Maria; hence, it is masculine, because the word “cane”, in Italian, is masculine.

Il suo cane could both mean his or her dog in English.

Il suo amico could both mean his or her friend in English.

 

The Italian Possessive Adjectives With Family Members 

The possessive adjectives must always be preceded by an article, as was previously mentioned, with one major exception. 

The use of possessive adjectives with family members.

The article is omitted when referring to family members in the singular (such as madre, padre, sorella, zio, cugino, etc.). No wonder, this is one of the most recurring mistakes Italian learners make.

Examples,

  • Mia madre – my mother
  • Mia moglie – my wife
  • Mio marito  – my husband 
  • Mio padre – my father
  • Mia sorella – my sister
  • Mio fratello – my brother 
  • Mio zio – my uncle 
  • Mio cugino – my cousin 
  • Mio nonno – my grandfather 
  • Mia nonna – my grandmother 
  • Mio cognato – my brother-in-law

Nevertheless, the article is always used:

#1 When referring to more than one relative

  • Le mie sorelle – my sisters 
  • I suoi fratelli – her/his brothers 
  • I miei cugini – my cousins 
  • I nostri zii – our uncles
  • I loro nonni – their grandparents 

#2 When an adjective is used to describe the relative

  • La mia amata madre – my beloved mother
  • Il mio caro padre – my dear father
  • Il mio carissimo zio – my beloved uncle

3# With the possessive adjective loro:

  • La loro madre – their mother
  • Il loro padre – their father
  • Le loro sorelle – their sisters

Remember that the possessive “loro” is always the same and that the article before it determines the gender and number.

  • Il loro amico – their friend (m.)
  • La loro amica – their friend (f.)
  • I loro amici  – their friends 

Interesting uses of the possessive adjectives 

(If you’re a beginner or intermediate Italian learner, you can skip this for now)

The Italian possessive adjective is always placed before the noun. However, in some cases, when it follows the noun, it is used to emphasize or stress the emotional meaning of the sentence.

  • Mamma mia!
  • Questa è casa mia! – 

In certain idiomatic expressions, the possessives are used as nouns.

  • I miei – My parents
  • I tuoi – Your parents
  • Alla nostra! – Cheers

Finally, when the possessive is used as a pronoun (not attached to a noun, but replacing a noun), the articles are often omitted.

  • Di chi è questa borsa? E’ mia / Whose bag is this? It’s mine
  • Di chi è questa casa? E’ sua / Whose house is this? It’s hers

Also note that in Italian, the possessive adjectives and pronouns have the same identical form. Italian does not make the difference between “my” and “mine” (mio/a/i/e) or “our” and “ours” (nostro/a/i/e).

 For example,

  • It’s mine = è mio
  • It’s hers = suo
  • It’s our = è nostro
  • It’s theirs = è loro

Exercice

Conoscere and Sapere: The Difference Explained

Conoscere and Sapere: The Difference Explained

Conoscere and Sapere: The Difference Explained

What’s the difference between “sapere” and “conoscere”? 

If you came across this page, it’s because you have been confused by using the Italian verbs sapere and conoscere. Fair enough.

English (and other languages) uses only one verb, the verb “to know,” to cover knowledge’s meaning in all possible forms.

Instead, Italian uses two different verbs: sapere and conoscere.

Sapere and conoscere are rarely interchangeable, and they express a different form of knowledge.

Let’s see now how to use the Italian verbs sapere and conoscere and what the difference between the two of them is. 

How To Use Conoscere

Conoscere means to be acquainted with something or someone: a topic, a person, a place, or a subject. It’s used with people, places or things and means having good knowledge of something or someone because you have previously experienced it.

If you are still not sure whether to use sapere or conoscere, try this:

Conoscere is always followed by a noun.

You will never see conoscere used with another verb (which instead, is likely to happen with sapere).

Examples:

  • Conosco la geografia italiana molto bene – I know Italian geography (topic/subject) very well.
  • Conosci Luciana? – Do you know Luciana? (person)
  • Conosci un buon ristorante a Roma? – Do you know a good restaurant in Roma? (place)
  • Conosciamo molto bene la città di Lucca – We know Lucca very well (place)
  • Conosci un buon dentista in città? Do you know a good dentist (place) in town?
  • Lucia conosce la grammatica molto bene – Lucia knows grammar (topic) very well

How To Use Sapere 

The counterpart of “conoscere” is sapere. Sapere means to be aware of something. It means knowing a fact, an event, or a piece of information.

It’s usually used to ask for a piece of information or report it. That’s why sapere would often appear in conjunction with the chunks che / a che ora / quando / come / dove / se / perché.

For example,

  • Sai che Maria si è sposata? – Do you know that Maria got married?
  • Sai che Marco ha avuto un bambino? – Do you know that Marco had a baby?
  • Sai che ore sono? – Do you know what time it is?
  • Sai quando parte il treno? – Do you know at what time the train is leaving?
  • Sapete dov’è Maria? – Do you (guys) know where Maria is?
  • Non so come cucinare questo piatto? – I don’t know how to cook this dish
Sapere as a modal verb (sapere vs. potere)

Sapere is also used as a modal verb when an infinitive verb accompanies it. In this case, it is used to say that you know how to do something, that you have an ability or a skill.

  • So parlare molto bene italiano, ma non so cucinare – I can speak Italian, but I can’t cook!
  • Sai suonare la chitarra? – Can you play the guitar?
  • Sai nuotare? – Can you swim?

As you can see from the examples, English uses the verb “can” in these types of sentences, which often leads native English speakers to use the verb “potere” when they translate into Italian. This is wrong. Saying puoi parlare has a different meaning from sai parlare. 

Let’s have a look at it

  • Puoi parlare in Italiano? means that you’re asking someone to speak in Italian
  • Sai parlare italiano? means that you’re asking someone if he speaks Italian 
  • Puoi cucinare? means that you’re asking someone to cook
  • Sai cucinare? means that you’re asking someone if he can cook. 

More uses of sapere 

Sapere also covers other meanings in Italian colloquial expressions. 

You can use sapere to:

  • tell the taste of something with the expression “sapere di” 
  • tell an opinion with the expression “mi sa che…” 
Sapere di…
  • Questo drink non sa di niente – this drink tastes like nothing
  • Questo dolce sa di cannella – this cake tastes like cinnamon 
Mi sa che…
  • Mi sa che rimango a casa stasera – I think I’ll stay home tonight
  • Mi sa che non cucino oggi, sono troppo stanca – I think I won’t cook today, I’m too tired.

“Mi sa” is an invariable chunk. In fact, we CAN’T use it with different pronouns.

You can practice the difference between conoscere and sapere and other difficult grammar topics with these excellent textbooks.

         

Exercices

 

The Definite Articles (gli articoli determinativi)

The Definite Articles (gli articoli determinativi)

How to Use the Definite Articles in Italian (articoli determinativi)

Building solid foundations is key in every foreign language you learn. Mastering the nitty-gritty of the basics will be your pathway to fluency, I promise. That’s why today we’ll cover the Italian definite articles (gli articoli determinativi) and especially when to use them and when not, and the key differences with the use of the English definite article, the.

Gli Articoli Determinativi (the definite articles)

The so-called articoli determinativi, or definite articles, are expressed in English as the. Unlike in English, in Italian the article the takes different forms depending on the gender and number of the noun it precedes.

For example, we say…

  • Il gatto – the cat
  • La casa – the house
  • I giardini – the gardens
  • Gli amici – the friends

In Italian, all nouns (with a few exceptions) have articles before them. It’s a general rule.

Articles can be masculine or feminine, singular or plural and take different forms depending on the noun they are preceding.

In the following charts you can see the various forms the article “the” takes in Italian. 

Exercice

Italian uses articles in front of most of nouns, however, there are few exceptions (noun used without any articles). 

When articles are not used in Italian

(If you’re a beginner you should skip this part for now). 
 

We don’t use articles in front of the names of cities.

  • Palermo, Napoli, Roma, Venezia 

We don’t use definite articles in front of singular nouns of family members, preceded by possessive adjectives (for example, my brother). However, they are used before family members when in the plural form (e.g., my brothers).

  • mio fratello – i miei fratelli
  • mia cugina – le mie cugine
  • mio zio – i miei zii 

We don’t use definite articles before the names of people (Anna, Maria, Marco). However, in the North of Italy, it’s common to use them in a colloquial form of Italian.

  • Anna (standard Italian)
  • La Anna (colloquial northern Italian, northern dialects) 

We don’t use definite articles in front of the names of famous people. 

  • Dante è padre fondatore della lingua italiana 

We don’t use articles in front of small islands. Instead, but we do use them in front of big islands or groups of islands.

  • Capri (small island)
  • Malta (small island)
  • La Sicilia (big island)
  • La Sardegna (big island)
  • Le Eolie (the Aeolian Islands)
  • Le Canarie (the Canary Islands)

When definite articles are used in Italian but NOT in English 

Unlike in English, we use articles with possessive adjectives: 

  • la mia famiglia – my family
  • la mia casa – my house
  • il mio cane – my dog 

Unlike in English, Italian uses articles in front of abstract nouns.

  • l’amore – love
  • l’amicizia – friendship
  • la pace – peace 

Unlike in English, definite articles are used with titles.

  • La Professoressa Rossi – Professor Rossi
  • Il signor Franchi – Mr. Franchi

However, you should omit the article if you are speaking directly to someone. For instance,

  • Buongiorno, Dottor Rossi!

Unlike in English, we use definite articles when saying the time.

  • sono le 8 e mezza – it’s 8.30 

Unlike English, we use articles for clothes and parts of the body, and use the definite article if a reflexive verb precedes the noun.

  • Mi pettino i capelli – I brush my hair 
  • Mi metto le scarpe – I put on shoes 

In Italian we can’t say “mi pettino i miei capelli”;  we have to say mi pettino i capelli, which in English is directly translated as “I brush myself the hair”. 

Unlike in English, Italian uses the definite articles in dates.

  • Oggi è il 14 aprile 2021 – today is April 14th 

However, we don’t use it if we mention the day of the week 

  • Oggi è mercoledì 14 aprile 2021 

Unlike in English, Italian uses the definite article in front of geographic terms such as countries, islands, seas, lakes, mountains, volcanos, or rivers. 

  • L’Italia – Italy 
  • La Sicilia – Sicily 
  • Il Lago di Como – Lake Como
  • L’Etna – Etna Mt.
  • Il Monte Bianco – Mont Blanc
  • Il Tevere – the Tiber

However, definite articles are omitted when the prepositions IN or DI precede the name of the country, or islands, or the likes. You should also omit the article if you are using the verb “andare” with the names of places. 

  • Abito in Sicilia and NOT abito in la Sicilia  
  • Vado in Italia and NOT vado in la Italia

Use these excellent books to improve your Italian grammar at your own pace

         

How to say in Italian: “How long have you been doing something?”

How to say in Italian: “How long have you been doing something?”

How to say in Italian: “How long have you been doing something?”

To ask how long someone has been doing something, Italian uses the present tense (and not the present perfect, like in English).

These types of questions are introduced by “da quando” or “da quanto tempo”, meaning how long + the presente indicativo.

For example, 

  • Da quanto tempo studi Italiano?  – How long have you been studying italian?
  • Da quanto tempo insegni italiano? – How long have you been teaching Italian?
  • Da quanto tempo lavori in questa azienda? – How long have you worked in this company?
  • Da quanto tempo abiti in Sicilia? – How long have you lived in Sicily?

To answer these types of questions in Italian, we use the presente indicativo + da  (meaning for) + a period of time. For example:

  • Studio italiano da tre anni – I’ve been learning Italian for three years 
  • Insegno italiano da 10 anni – I’ve been teaching italian for ten years 
  • Lavoro in questa azienda da tanti anni – I’ve been working at this company for many years
  • Abito in Italia da cinque anni – I’ve been living in Italy for five years.

Let’s recap:

Question

[ENG] How long have you been studying (present perfect continuous ) Italian? 

[IT] Da quanto tempo (or da quando) studi (presente indicativo) italiano? 

Answers

[ENG] I’ve been studying  (present perfect continuous) Italian for 2 years.  

[IT] Studio (presente indicativo) italiano da 2 anni. 

[ENG] I’ve been studying (present perfect continuous) Italian since 2020.

[IT] Studio (presente indicativo) italiano dal 2020.

Important: 

Notice that in English, in contrast to Italian, the same question is asked and answered using  the present perfect or the present perfect continuous tense. This often leads to confusion and mistakes can arise when English speakers are led astray by the apparent similarities in form between the English present perfect and the Italian passato prossimo, and as a result try to use the passato prossimo to refer to an action or situation that began in the past and continues into the present (for which they would use the present perfect or the present perfect continuous in English). This is wrong. The presente indicativo is the correct form to use to refer to such actions/situations — NOT the passato prossimo. 

Exercice

The Italian Present Tense

The Italian Present Tense

How To Use The Italian Present Tense 

What’s the present indicative tense in Italian?

The Italian present tense is used to describe what is happening now or to talk about a general truth (e.g. gli Italiani parlano italiano). It’s also used to say how long you’ve been doing something.

English vs. Italian  

In Italian, the present tense can translate both the English simple present (e.g.I speak) and the English present continuous (e.g.I am speaking). So, if the forms appear hard, remember that the one tense will do two jobs for you.  

How do you conjugate the Italian present tense?

In Italian, unlike in English, there is a concept known as “conjugation.” It’s when the ending of a verb changes based on the subject of the action (e.g. the subject of an action can be I, you, she, etc.). Verbs in English are not conjugated since they must always be used with subjects.

The Italian present tense is formed by simply adding different endings to the verb’s stem. The stem of the verb is the part of the verb that remains after the classical ends of the infinitive *, which are, -ere, and -ire, are removed.

For example,

In English, you say: I speak. The verb (speak) doesn’t change, but the subject “I” defines who is carrying out the action. 

In Italian, we say parlO. The “o” ending is a first-person marker that indicates the subject of the action, which is “I” in this case.T

The 3 Conjugations of Italian Verbs 

The infinitive form of a verb can be found by looking it up in the dictionary. The infinitive of many Italian verbs will end in the letters –are (the most common), -ere, or -ire. As a result, we may say that Italian has three groups of verbs, each with three different conjugations:

  • 1st group verbs, the verbs ending in – ARE  (pensare, cucinare, imparare, parlare)
  • 2nd group verbs, the verbs ending in – ERE (leggere, scrivere, ripetere)
  • 3rd group verbs, the verbs ending – IRE (dormire, aprire, sentire)

Note that the first-person forms all end in -o, which is the first person marker. The tu forms always end in -i; the noi forms always end in –iamo.

6 Tips for Using the Italian Present Tense Correctly

1. Understanding the subject object pronouns
The subject pronouns are io, tu, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro. 

Important: the subject pronouns in Italian are almost always omitted. That’s why it’s crucial to choose the proper ending, the proper marker, if you want to get the right message across.

Io stands for I 

Parlo italiano (I speak Italian)

Tu stands for You or Do you? used to address on person in a question or statement 

Parli italiano? (Do you speak Italian?)

Lui / Lei stands for he, she or it (used when referring to a person, an animal or an object)

Lei parla italiano  (She speaks Italian)

Noi stands for we (I and someone else)

Io e mio marito (implied “noi”) parliamo italiano  (My wife and I speak Italian)

Voi stands for you all, used to address two or more people in a question or statement 

Parlate italiano?  (Do you guys speak Italian?)

Loro stands for they  

Maria e Luigi (implied “they”) parlano italiano  (Maria and Luigi speak Italian)

2. How to make a negative sentence in Italian 

One way to ask questions in Italian is to add a question mark to the end of the sentence in writing and to raise the pitch of the voice at the end of the sentence. The English helping verb “do” is not translated. 

Examples

  • Non parlo italiano – I don’t speak Italian
  • Non abito in Italia – I don’t live in Italy 

As you can see, the subject pronouns (io, tu, lui, etc..) are still omitted. 

3. How to ask a question in Italian 

To ask a question in Italian, add a question mark at the end of the sentence and raise the pitch of your voice at the end of the sentence. The English helping verb “do” is not translated (Do?, Does?, Did? can’t be translated).

Examples

  • Abiti in Italia? (Do you live in Italy?)
  • Parli italiano? (Do you speak Italian?)

4.Using the Present to Express the Future

The present tense in Italian can be used to express a future happening if it’s used together with an expression of the future (e.g. domani, il mese prossimo, tra una settimana).

  • Lui va a New York tra una settimana – He’s going to New York in a week
  • Domani non lavoro – I don’t work tomorrow

5. Irregular verbs 

In Italian, just like in English, we have the concept of “irregular verbs”. These  are verbs that do not follow the rules of conjugation for regular verbs. 

The verbs “essere – to be” and “avere – to have” are the most frequent irregular verbs in the present tense. There are also a number of other irregular verbs that are rather prevalent. 

A list of common Italian irregular verbs in the present tense

  • Dire – to say, to tell
  • Dare – to give 
  • Venire – to come
  • Andare – to go
  • Volere – to want 
  • Potere – can
  • Dovere – must
  • Uscire – to go out, to leave
  • Rimanere – to remain 

Most common irregular verbs in Italian 

6. The Italian courtesy form 

The Italian courtesy form is used to express politeness to the other person in a conversation. Though it’s not a required form of speech, it is considered an important part of the language. 

The Italian courtesy form is similar to the English “please” and “thank you.” We use the courtesy form, or “you polite” in Italian, when we consider it important to show respect to people we don’t know or don’t know well, older people, or people with a title (doctors, professors, etc..). The courtesy form is generally used in formal settings too. 

The Italian courtesy form is made with the subject pronoun “Lei”, the third person singular. 

Examples

  • Parla italiano? – Do you speak Italian, Sir or Madame? [formal setting, use of the “you polite”], 
  • Parli italiano? – Do you speak Italian? [informal setting, use of the “regular you”] 
  • Vuole un caffè? – Would you like a coffee? [formal setting, use of the “you polite”], 
  • Vuoi un caffè? – Would you like a coffee? [informal setting, use of the “regular you”] 

How speak politely in Italian: LEI or TU?

Common Irregular Verbs

Common Irregular Verbs

13 Most Irregular Common Italian Verbs

What is an irregular verb?

One of the most common difficulties for learners is learning and remembering irregular Italian verbs.

The irregular verbs are those that do not follow the standard conjugation rules, such as the verbs ending in -are, -ere, or -ire (see my blog post here). There are some in every language. The verbs to be, can, or may are common irregular verbs in English. However, there are even more in Italian. It is important to learn and memorize the irregular verbs in Italian because they are the most commonly used verbs in everyday conversation.

Everything You Need to Know About the Italian Present Tense

How to learn Italian irregular verbs 

Make a list of the most common Italian irregular verbs in your notebook or flashcards to help you remember them. Drills, too. Exercises can be found virtually anywhere, both online and offline. I recommend these fantastic resources for those who enjoy working on their Italian through textbooks.

      

List of the most common irregular verbs

The following list includes a list of the most common Italian irregular verbs in the present tense, so you can start practicing them in order to make your Italian even more fluent.

AVERE (to have)

io ho

tu hai

lui ha

noi abbiamo

voi avete

loro hanno

ESSERE (to be)

io sono

tu sei

lui, lei è

noi siamo

voi siete

loro sono

ANDARE (to go)

io vado

tu vai

lui, lei va

noi andiamo

voi andate

loro vanno

USCIRE (to leave, to go out)

io esco

tu esci

lui, lei esce

noi usciamo

voi uscite

loro escono

VENIRE (to come)

io vengo

tu vieni

lui, lei viene

noi veniamo

voi venite

loro vengono

FARE (to do, to make)

io faccio

tu fai

lui, lei fa

noi facciamo

voi fate

loro fanno

DARE (to give)

io do

tu dai

lui, lei da

noi diamo

voi date

loro dano

DIRE  (to say, to tell)

io dico

tu dici

lui, lei dice

noi diciamo

voi dite

loro dicono

SCEGLIERE  (to chose)

io scelgo

tu scegli

lui, lei sceglie

noi scegliamo

voi scegliete

loro scelgono

RIMANERE  (to remain)

io rimango

tu rimani

lui, lei rimane

noi rimaniamo

voi rimate

loro rimangono

VOLERE (to want)

io voglio

tu vuoi

lui, lei vuole

noi vogliamo

voi volete

loro vogliono

POTERE (can, may) 

io posso

tu puoi

lui, lei può

noi possiamo

voi potete

loro possono

DOVERE (to need, must / to have to)

io devo

tu devi

lui, lei deve

noi dobbiamo

voi dovete

loro devono

The irregular verbs in the present tense tend to be irregular when they are conjugated in the other tenses (past, future) and moods (conditional, subjective).

Irregular Italian Verbs Ending in “-IRE”

A number of verbs in the third conjugation are considered semi-irregular. They are the -ire verbs’ irregular verbs. This category includes some very common verbs, such as capire (to understand), finire (to finish), or pulire (to clean). These verbs add the chunk-isc to all persons except the first and second person plural (noi e voi), as shown in the example.

FINIRE (to finish) 

io fin -isc- o

tu fin -isc- i

lui, lei fin -isc- e

noi finiamo

voi finite

loro fin -isc- ono

More verbs adding the chunk “isc”: capire (to understand) , costruire (to build), pulire (to clean), preferire (to prefer), restituire (to return something), spedire (to send, to ship). 

The “isc” conjugation of Italian verbs 

Exercise

How to Use the Verb Servire in Italian

How to Use the Verb Servire in Italian

How to Use the Verb Servire in Italian

What does “servire” mean?

First, let’s focus on the meaning and use of servire and how it differs from the other verbs expressing need, like dovere or avere bisogno di.

Servire means to need something. You ought to use servire with a noun (a thing or a person) and never with a verb (an action). When using servire, you imply that a thing or person is necessary or useful for you.

For example,

  • Mi servono quattro uova per fare la torta di mele – I need for eggs to make the apple pie
  • Ti serve il mio aiuto? –  Do you need my help?

 

The difference between: servire / dovere / avere bisogno di 

In Italian, there are two other verbs that express “need”

  • dovere
  • avere bisogno 

Dovere is used when you need to do something, so with a verb (an action)

  • devo studiare per l’esame – I need to study for the test 
  • dobbiamo comprare dei vestiti nuovi per la bambina – we need to buy new clothes for the baby
  • ho dovuto portare il cane dal veterinario  – I had to take my dog to the vet 

Avere bisogno means “to need something“ too, but is more emphatic than servire. We say “ho bisogno di” to emphasize the need for something. By using “avere bisogno di”, you are pointing out that you really need that thing. For example,

  • ho bisogno di una vacanza al più presto – I need a vacation (it’s urgent for me)
  • ho bisogno di una pausa da questo lavoro – I need break (it’s urgent for me= 

 

How to conjugate servire

As you might already have noticed, servire (and a few other verbs that I will list at the end of this post) does not follow a regular conjugation, and it’s used differently from its equivalent in English — I need. 

Servire is conjugated with indirect pronouns and works similarly to the verb piacere. 

The Italian translation for “I need” is NOT “io servo,” but mi serve or mi servono. 

The literal translation of “mi serve” is “it is necessary for me”.

Servire is always conjugated in the 3rd person plural and singular. The person who needs something is denoted with an indirect object pronoun (mi, ti, gli/le, ci, vi, gli) and not with the regular subject pronouns (io, tu, lui, etc..)

The verb “servire” in the present tense 

mi servemi servono I need (something)
ti serve ti servonoyou need (something)
gli servegli servonohe needs (something)
le servele servonoshe needs (something)
ci serveci servonowe need (something)
vi servevi servonoyou need (something)
gli servegli servonothey need (something)

What’s the difference between “serve” and “servono”?

Serve is used when the thing we need is a singular entity

  • Mi serve una penna  – I need a pen 
  • Ti serve questo documento? – do you need this file? 
  • Ci serve un un armadio nuovo  – we need a new closet 

Servono is used when the things or people need is a plural entity

  • Mi servono delle penne – I need some pens
  • Ti servono questi documenti? – Do you need these files?
  • Ci servono due nuovi armadi – We need two new closets 

Let’s recap…

When you say mi serve in Italian, what you say in English is “something” is needed for me/to you/to him, etc.…

  • Mi serve / mi servono = I need → it’s necessary for me 
  • Ti serve / ti servono =  you need/ Do you need?→ it’s necessary for you, etc..

So, mi serve del pane means some bread is necessary for me or I need some break 

Why do we say “a MARIA serve…?” 

When the person who needs something is denoted by a noun (and not by a pronoun), the noun must be preceded by the preposition a:

  • A Maria serve un tappetino da yoga – Maria needs a yoga mat  
  • A Lucia non sono serviti quei documenti  – Lucy didn’t need those files

Servire in the passato prossimo

Like in the present tense, servire takes a different conjugation with the passato prossimo (and the other verbs). 

The Italian for I needed is mi è servito/a or mi sono serviti/e

As you can see from the list, the past tense combines three elements:

the corresponded indirect pronouns + the auxiliary essere + the past participle of servire (servito/a/i/e)

  • Mi sono serviti due giorni interni per completare questo lavoro – I needed to entire days to finish this work 

The auxiliary and the past participles always agree in terms of gender and number with the thing that is being needed. So, if the entity being liked is a feminine noun, you will need to make sure that the participle makes the correct agreement with the subject, for example:

  • Ti è servito il consiglio? – Was my advice useful to you? [did you need my advice? lit.] 
  • Ti sono serviti i miei consigli? → Were my tips useful to you? [did you need my tips? lit.] 

The conjugation of “servire” with the passato prossimo

  • Mi è servito/a – mi sono serviti/e 
  • Ti è servito/a – ti sono serviti/e 
  • Gli-le è servito/a – gli-le sono serviti/e 
  • Ci è servito/a – ci sono serviti/e 
  • Vi è servito/a – vi sono serviti/e 
  • Gli è servito/a – gli sono serviti/e 

The conjugation of “servire” with the imperfetto

  • Mi serviva / mi servivano 
  • Ti serviva / ti servivano
  • Gli-le serviva / gli-le servivano
  • Ci serviva / ci servivano
  • Vi serviva / vi servivano
  • Gli serviva / gli servivano

The conjugation of “servire” with the future simple 

  • Mi servirà / mi serviranno 
  • Ti servirà / ti serviranno 
  • Gli-le servirà / gli-le serviranno 
  • Ci servirà / ci serviranno 
  • Vi servirà / vi serviranno 
  • Gli servirà / gli serviranno 

The conjugation of “servire” with the present conditional 

  • Mi servirebbe / mi servirebbero 
  • Ti servirebbe / ti servirebbero 
  • Gli-le servirebbe / gli-le servirebbero 
  • Ci servirebbe / ci servirebbero 
  • Vi servirebbe / vi servirebbero 
  • Gli servirebbe / gli servirebbero 

 The conjugation of “servire” with the present subjunctive

  • Mi serva / mi servano
  • Ti serva / ti servano
  • Gli-le serva / gli-le servano
  • Ci serva / ci servano
  • Vi serva / vi servano
  • Gli serva / gli servano

 

Other verbs working similarly to servire

Severe is not the only verb using a different conjugation (also known as impersonal conjugation). There are several verbs used in conversational Italian working just like servire. For example, the very common verb piacere, but also mancare (to miss) , interessare (to be interested in), bastare (to be enough), succedere (to happen), sembrare (to seem), infastidire (to bother), rattristare (to sadden), innervosire (to make nervous).

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The Italian Present Conditional

The Italian Present Conditional

The Present Conditional in Italian: How To Use It 

The conditional is a verb form that is the equivalent of the English pattern ” would + any verb”, when it’s used to express a wish or possibility. In other words, the conditional is used to express what you would do if, ask something politely, make requests seem less assertive, or make suggestions in a way that is more polite. 

For example:

  • Viaggerei di più se avessi più tempo libero – I would travel more if I had more free time
  • Al posto tuo, cambierei lavoro – In your place, I would change jobs 
  • Dovresti studiare di più  – You should study more 

Italian vs. English

While in English the conditional form is expressed by two entities (the auxiliary “would” + verb), the same idea is expressed by only one word in Italian.

For example:

  • I would do → Farei
  • We would travel → Viaggeremmo
  • They would go → Andrebbero 
  • I would be → Sarei 

The regular conjugation of the present conditional

"ARE" verbs "ERE" verbs "IRE" verbs
parler-ei ripeter-eidormir-ei
parler-estiripeter-esti dormir-esti
parler-ebberipeter-ebbedormir-ebbe
parler-eremmoripeter-emmedormir-emmo
parler-ereste ripeter-erestedormir-este
parler-erebbero ripeter-ebbero dormir-ebbero

The irregular conjugation of the present conditional

andare, andr -ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
essere, sar -ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
vedere, vedr-ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
avere, avr - ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
dovere, dovr - ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
fare, far - ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
sapere, sapr - ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
rimanere, rimar - ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
bere, berr-ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero
volere, vorr- ei, esti, ebbe, emmo, este, ebbero

Common mistakes 

One of the most frequent errors I observe in my classes is that students automatically translate the simple form “would” using the verb vorrei. However, the translation of vorrei is “I would like,” not “would.” Vorrei is the only conditional form of the verb “volere.”

  • Vorrei → I would like
  • Vorrei viaggiare → I would like to travel
  • Viaggierei → I would travel

 

Vorrei, Potrei, Dovrei: 3 very important conditional forms 

There are verbs whose conditional forms are very common, which are the conditional forms of the modal verbs volere, potere, and dovere. 

The conditional form of volere is 

Vorrei, vorresti, vorrebbe, vorremmo, vorreste, vorrebbero 

This is a verb that is translated as “I would like, you would like, etc.” or “I wish, you wish, etc..“

It’s also a form to use when we want to make an invitation.

For example:

  • Vorresti venire a cena domani?  – Would you like to come to dinner tomorrow? 
  • Vorreste fare un viaggio in Africa con noi?  – Would you like to travel to Africa with us?

The conditional form of potere is

Potrei, potresti, potrebbe, potremmo, potreste, potrebbero 

This verb is translated as ” I could” or “I would be able“

This form of the conditional is especially used to ask something politely or make a request less assertive.

  • Potreste ripetere? – Could you repeat?
  • Potresti mandarmi un’ email? – Could you send me an email? 

The conditional of dovere, which is

Dovrei, dovresti, dovrebbe, dovremmo, dovreste, dovrebbero 

This verb corresponds to the English “I should, you should, etc.”  and it’s used especially to give suggestions.  

  • Dovresti dormire di più – You should sleep more 
  • Non dovresti mangiare così tanti dolci – You shouldn’t eat so many sweets 

All of these verbs are followed by infinitive verbs (non conjugated verbs). 

The present conditional in an “if clause”

The present conditional in also used in the  “if clauses” together with the subjunctive forms.  

For example,

  • Se avessi più tempo, studierei di più – If I had more time, I would study more
  • Se vivessi al mare, ci andrei tutti i giorni – If I lived by the sea, I would go there every day

Short Stories in Easy Italian with Slow Italian Audio 

Do you enjoy learning new Italian words or idioms? It is best to do so using simplified Italian texts and short stories.  Stories will provide you with a visual to relate to new words or idioms, making it easier to retain new information.

Short stories are excellent for improving your vocabulary and sentence building ability in Italian at all levels.
If you’re new to this method, you can read more about it in this article (how to learn proactively with short stories) or have a look at my short stories with slow audio narrated by me, here. 
The Italian Numbers Guide for Beginners

The Italian Numbers Guide for Beginners

The Italian Numbers Guide for Beginners

My English teacher at university was an Irish woman who had lived in Italy for over a decade. Still, one day she admitted to us one day that numbers were still a pain for her.
Having learned several languages myself, I know firsthand how difficult it is to master numbers in a foreign language.
But, whether you visit Italy on vacation or live here, you’ll notice that numbers are everywhere: departure dates, prices, bills, ticket numbers, and so on, which is why you should try to master them from the beginning of your learning journey.

 

Numbers 0 – 19

the first 19 numbers have to be learn by heart  

 

Numbers 20 – 99

to learn these numbers it’s preferable to learn the tens first

20 – venti

30 – trenta

40 – quaranta

50 – cinquanta

60 – sessanta

70 – settanta

80 – ottanta

90 – novanta 

Once you’ve memorized these numbers, all you have to do now is match them to the numbers 1 through 9.

Examples

21- ventuno

22 – ventidue

23 – ventitré 

24 – ventiquattro

25 – venticinque

26 – ventisei

27 – ventisette

28 – ventotto

29 – ventinove

Now repeat the pattern through number 99.
 
With a couple of exceptions, this is a fairly consistent pattern.
 
When using the numbers 1 (uno) and 8 (otto), the decimal numbers will drop the last vowel.  
The reason for this is to avoid using two vowel sounds at the same time.

So you’ll say 

VENT-uno, instead of VENTI-uno (21)

VENT-otto, instead of VENTI-otto  (28)

The same pattern applies for all numbers with 1 and 8 through 99.

For example:

  • 58 is cinquantotto 
  • 71 is settantuno

etc…

Italian Numbers 100 – 999 

Unlike English, we don’t say ONE HUNDRED in Italian; instead, we say “cento,” which means  just“hundred.”
Cento is a word that can’t be changed, so it’s always the same.
 
Add numbers 1-9 before “cento” for a multiple of “cento”

100 = cento (NOT un cento)

200 = duecento 

300 = trecento

400 = quattrocento

500 = cinquecento 

600 = seicento 

700 = settecento 

800 = ottocento 

900 = novecento 

To read the hundreds in Italian, follow this pattern

hundreds + decimals  

for example

112 

cento + dodici = centododici

345 

trecento + quarantacinque = trecentoquarantacinque  

450

quattrocento + cinquanta = quattrocentocinquanta 

The pattern is the same through 999! 

Italian Numbers 1000 – 1 million 

The Italian word for a thousand is MILLE.
When it comes to multiples of a thousand, mille becomes MILA.

1000 = mille (NOT un mila)

2000 = duemila

3000 = tremila

4000 = quattromila

5000 = cinquemila

6000 = seimila

7000 = settemila

8000 = ottomila

9000 = novemila

10000 = diecimila

20000 = ventimila

70000 = settantamila

100.000 = centomila

To read the thousands in Italian you will follow this order 

thousand + hundred + decimals 

for example

1654 

mille + seicento + cinquantaquattro  

5647

cinque + mila + seicento + quarantasette

10.220

dieci + mila + duecento + venti 

600.410

seicento + mila + quattrocento + dieci 

The pattern is the same through 999999! 

The word for  million is  milione

the word for billion is miliardo 

 

How to say the years in Italian

English speakers divide the year into two parts, so 2022 is read as twenty-two.  This is not possible in Italian.
To read a year, you should read it as a regular number.
 
So, 2022 is read duemilaventidue 

 

How to say a date in Italian

Let’s use the day of the Unification of Italy, as an example 

  • 17 marzo 1861 (diciassette marzo milleottocentosessantuno )

The pattern used is number + month + year 

unlike in English, where you have  month + number + year 

Another significant difference from English is the use of ordinal numbers rather than cardinal ones (17 and not 17th)

Some useful expressions with numbers
  • una decina – a dozen
  • centinaia di – hundreds of 
  • migliaia di – thousands of 
Essere and Esserci: The Difference

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 instance,

  • Nel giardino, c’è un albero di mele – In the garden, there is an apple tree
  • Nel giardino, ci sono molti fiori – In the garden, there are many flowers 

A common mistake I hear is to default to the use of c’è for both plural and singular. This error, I believe, stems from the fact that it is very common in spoken American English to use both “there’s” for singular and plural nouns, which is wrong in Italian.

In Italian we use “c’è” only in front of singular nouns, and “ci sono” in front of plural nouns.

When to use “esserci” in a sentence? 

Esserci is simply the infinitive form of the forms “c’è” and “ci sono”. It’s not used very often, although it often appears in conjugation with the modal verbs “deve = it has to/must” or “dovrebbe = it should”.

For example,

  • Deve esserci un libro sul tavolo – there must be a book on the table 
  • Dovrebbero esserci le mie chiavi nel cassetto – my keys (there) should be in the drawer 

È vs c’è

There’s a clear difference between è and c’è and they can’t be interchanged.

” È”means it is and “c’è” means there is (and ci sono means there are)

However, sometimes it’s confusing to understand when to use one or the other.

This is a simple rule to keep in mind whenever you’re in doubt 

If the first bit of information in a sentence is the position of something or someone, you should use the “c’è” or “ci sono”

  • Sul tavolo, c’è un libro  – on the table, there’s a book
  • A sinistra, c’è una piazza – on the left, there’s a piazza
  • Sotto il tavolo, c’è un gatto  – under the table, there’s a cat

If the information about the position is provided but not in the initial part of the sentence, you shouldn’t use the forms “c’è” or “ci sono”.

  • Il libro è sul tavolo – the book is on the table 
  • La piazza è a sinistra – the piazza is on the left
  • Il gatto è sotto il tavolo  – the cat is under the table 

The negative forms 

To make the negative forms of esserci just place a “non” before “c’è” and “ci sono”.

  • Non c’è – there is not, there isn’t
  • Non ci sono – there are not, there aren’t 

Interrogative questions

In English, when you’re asking a question with there’s and there’re, you’re making an inversion  and saying “is there? Are there?. In Italian, we don’t have this.

All it takes to ask a question with these forms is to simply raise the pitch of your voice, as in Italian we formulate questions only with the use of intonation.

C’è and ci sono stay at the beginning of the question.

  • C’è un bagno qui? – Is there a restroom here?
  • C’è un bancomat qui vicino – Is there an ATM nearby?
The Complete Guide to Conjugating Verbs in Italian

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, and that it may frustrate some students, but believe me when I say that once you understand why we conjugate in Italian and why it is important, it will blow your mind.

What’s a verb?

A verb is the most important part of a sentence in Italian: it describes an action or a state of being or an occurrent.  

is or are arte parts of the conjugated verb “to be”

I speak, is the verb “to speak”

she can is the the verb “can” or “to be able”

just to name a few!

The conjugation of verbs in Italian is fairly easy. It doesn’t take much memorizing, and there are only 12 tenses.

The simplest way to conjugate Italian verbs is to identify the verb’s infinitive form (the base form of the verb) and then add the appropriate ending to it. It’s very straightforward!

Conjugating verbs: English vs Italian 

Italian verbs conjugate through the six main patterns:

IO: the first person singular (I) 

TU: second person singular (you, when you’re addressing one person) 

LUI/LEI: the third person singular (he, she or it) 

NOI: the first person plural (we) 

VOI: the second person plural (you all, when you’re addressing two or more people)

LORO: the third person plural (they) 

As a result, when conjugating a verb in Italian, you’ll have to change the verbs ending six times! 

If you’re wondering why this isn’t done in English, I’ll explain. The use of the subjects in front of the verbs is required in English. That’s why the verbs aren’t changed. The subject (I, you, we, etc.) is in charge of giving the direction of the sentence. 

To get a sense of who is performing the action described by the verb, you must say I speak or we speak instead of just “speak.” 

Meanwhile, in Italian, it’s the verbs (and their conjugations) that determine the direction of sentences. In simple terms, knowing the ending of a verb allows you to determine who is performing the action (I, you, she, your friends, etc.) and whether it occurs in the present, past, or future. 

As a result, subject object pronouns (io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro) are unnecessary. The verb itself expresses who is carrying out the action.

For example, the “o” ending in the present tense describes an action carried out by the “I” or “io” in the present tense. 

parl-o → I  speak

studi-o  → I study

mangi-o →  I eat

For example, the “-erò” or  “-irò”ending in the future simple describes an action carried out by the “I” in the future

parl-erò → I’ll speak 

fin-irò → I’ll finish


Learn the Rules to Conjugating Italian Verbs

How do you conjugate verbs in Italian?

To conjugate a verb, in Italian, you always have to keep in mind the infinitive of the verb. We call infinitive, the base form of any verb. The base verb can be found in any dictionary. It corresponds to “to + any verb” in English.

infinitive in Italian
infinitive in English
cucinareto cook
mangiareto eat
aspettareto wait
lavorareto work

To conjugate any verb in Italian, you need to add a different ending to the stem of the verb.

To get the stem of the verb, you need to remove the last three letters of the infinitive of regular verbs.

For example, 

The stem of parlare is parl-. We got the stem by removing the last three letters of the infinitive of the verb (parlare)

We can simply conjugate in various tenses by using the stem parl- and the corresponding endings to each conjugation/subject. 

parl-o →  I speak

parl-avo →  I was speaking or I used to speak

parl-erò → I’ll speak

etc.

Regular verbs

The rules I just mentioned about conjugation only apply to regular verbs.
Regular verbs are those whose conjugations follow standard patterns. Their conjugation is fairly simple. All you need to do is memorize the standard conjugations and use them.

 

Regular vs. Irregular verbs 

Irregular verbs are those that don’t follow the same rules as regular verbs. 

Some verbs in Italian are irregular, as they are in any language. A verb with an irregular conjugation pattern is one that does not follow the standard pattern of conjugation. These verbs are also among the most commonly used in spoken English.

When you conjugate irregular verbs, the stem to which you must attach the conjugation patterns changes. 

Dire is a common irregular verb that means “to say” or “to tell.” The root of the verb dire is dic-. You’ll need to add the endings to this stem. 

Making a list of the most common irregular verbs and memorizing them is the best way to deal with them.

In the following page, you’ll find the most common irregular verbs in Italian conjugated in the present tense. 

13 Most Common Irregular Verbs in Italian 

How To Conjugate A Verb In A Question?

This depends on whether  you’re addressing a person formally or informally or if you’re addressing two or more people.

You should conjugate with “tu” if you’re asking a question to someone in an informal setting (second person singular) 

  • Scusa, parli inglese? – Excuse-me, do you speak English? (parli = do you speak?)

You should conjugate with “Lei” (third person singular) which is used in Italian to address a person  you don’t know or one to whom you want to show respect) and  if you’re asking a question to a person in a formal setting. 

  • Scusi, parla inglese? – Excuse-me Sir/Madam, do you speak English? (parla = do you speak, Sir/Madam)

You should conjugate with “voi” (second person plural) if you are asking a question to two or more people, regardless of the setting..

  • Scusate, parlate inglese? –  Excuse-me, do you (all) speak English?

3 Useful Tools for Learning and Memorizing the Forms of Italian Verb Conjugations

Finally, you might want to use any of these tools to look up the conjugations of any Italian verbs.Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to master all of them; you’ll never need to.

What Are The Most Common Conjugations To Use as A Beginner?  

While there are several tenses in Italian, you don’t need to use them all as a beginner. In everyday Italian; even most native speakers use only a few tenses / conjugations

With the present simple (presente indicativo) and present perfect  (il passato prossimo) You can be conversational, at least at a beginner level, if you master these two tenses.

Learn Italian the smart way with Serena’s stories

Do you know that there is a German-speaking region in Italy? Do you know that when hiking in the Dolomites, you can refuel at a local “malga“? And do you know what typical food in the Dolomites is like? If you don’t, you can learn everything about it in simple Italian by listening to and reading my short story “Due Amiche.”

Nessuno & Niente (How to say any, anyone and anything in Italian)

Nessuno & Niente (How to say any, anyone and anything in Italian)

Nessuno & Niente (How to say any, anyone and anything in Italian)

Nessuno/Nessuna/Nessun = (not…any)

Nessuno can be used both as an indefinite adjective and as a pronoun .

As an adjective, nessuno comes before a noun and is the translation of “any” in negative sentences in English.

For example:

  • Non ho nessun dubbio – I don’t have any doubt 
  • Non ho nessun amico – I don’t have any friend 
  • Non abbiamo nessuna riunione oggi – We don’t have any meetings today

Nessuno has four possibile forms:

  • Nessun which is the default version for the masculine nouns.
  • Nessuno which is used just as a pronoun and means “no-one, nobody”.
  • Nessuna which is used before feminine nouns (e.g., nessuna sedia, nessuna stanza).
  • Nessun’ which is used before feminine nouns starting with a vowel sound (e.g., nessun’amica, nessun’ idea).

Nessuno has no plural!

For English speakers, take note of the following: 

Any can also be translated as “qualsiasi” in Italian. However, “any” defaults to qualsiasi only when it is used to mean “no matter which,” as in:

  • Quale gusto vuoi? – Which flavor do you want?
  • Qualsiasi  – Any

Instead, any goes to nessuno/nessuna/nessun only in negative sentences, like in the phrases above.

Nessuno/Nessuna = no one, anyone, none 

Nessuno is also a pronoun, and in this case it means nobody / no one, none or anybody / anyone.

When used as a pronoun, it only refers to people and is followed by a 3rd person singular verb conjugation.

For instance,

  • Non c’è nessuno – there isn’t anyone
  • Nessuno è venuto alla festa  – nobody came to the party.
  • Nessuno di noi parla francese – none of us speak French

Note that, we don’t require a double negative if nessuno comes first in a sentence (we won’t need to use the “non” before the verb). In all other cases, use nessuno as follows: non + verb + nessuno.

For example, 

  • Non ho incontrato nessuno per strada – I haven’t met anyone/anybody in the street 

Niente = nothing/anything

Niente is a adverb and it means nothing or anything.  

Niente only refers to things.

The words nulla and niente are interchangeable and have the same usage.  Both are invariable entities (because they are adverbs, they remain the same and are unaffected by gender or number)!

Let’s see a couple of examples:

  • Ieri sera non ho mangiato niente – last night I haven’t had anything 
  • Niente funziona qui – nothing works here 
  • Qui non funziona niente –   nothing works here 

Note that, we won’t require a double negative if niente (or nulla) comes first in a sentence (we won’t need to use the “non” before the verb). In all other cases, use niente (or nulla) as follows: non + verb + niente.

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