Italian Grammar

The mysterious combination of the pronoun ci and the verb avere

Everybody agrees that the pronoun ci is, probably, one of the most mysterious words in Italian, and thus, I thought it would be great to dive, in this post, into the use of ci when used in conjugation with the verb avere: this is a very peculiar and common use of “ci” in Italian.

1. Ce l’ho. Non ce l’ho – I have it / I don’t have it

I am sure you might already have heard the phrase ce l’ho and wondered what it meant. Or better yet, what does the ce mean in that sentence. Well, you will be relieved to know that…it means nothing.

“Ce l’ho” translates to “I have it,” so if you’ve used “l’ho” up to this point, you’ve been wrong.

Although it doesn’t really have a specific grammatical function, we add the extra “ce” in front of “l’ho” to improve the sound of the sentence. This use, probably, stems from a desire to avoid the cacophony of using simply l’ho/le ho/li ho or its extreme brevity.

The rule applies every time the verb avere is preceded by a direct object pronoun (e.g., lo, la, li, le).

Hence, the sentences ce l’ho and non ce l’ho indicates that you have something or not.

Hai un cane? – Do you have a dog?
Ce l’ho – I have it
Non ce l’ho – I don’t have it

Of course, the ce is also added in front of all the different forms of the verb, like in the following examples:

Hai una macchina? Sì, ce l’ho! – Do you have a car? Yes, I do (I have it)
Hai le chiavi? No, non ce le ho! – Do you have your keys? No, We don’t (I don’t have them)
Avete tempo? Non ce l’abbiamo! – Do you guys have time? – No, we don’t (we don’t have it)

Ce l’ho con qualcuno – I’m angry at someone

Let’s go one step further; by adding the preposition “con” to ce l’ho, we have created a completely new sentence.

In fact, the informal Italian phrase “ce l’ho con qualcuno” means “I’m upset or I’m angry with someone.”

Ce l’ho con il mio vicino di casa, perché parcheggia la sua macchina davanti al mio portone – I am angry with my neighbor because he parks his car in front of my door.

Avercela is not to be confused with the form of avere indicating possession, because it is always followed by the preposition con.

Ce l’ho – I have it
Ce l’ho con te – I’m mad at you

Don’t forget that ci has many different other meanings, as follows:

“Ci” as a reflexive pronoun → ci svegliamo alle 6 – we wake up at 6
“Ci” as a direct object pronoun → ci conosci? – Do you know us?
“Ci” as an indirect object pronoun → ci ha regalato un biglietto gratis per il concerto – she gave us a free ticket for the concert
“Ci” as an adverb of place → ci vado il prossimo mese – I am going there next month
“Ci” as in the forms there is, there are → c’è, ci sono

mentre and durante

Mentre vs. Durante: the difference explained

MENTRE

Mentre is a conjugation that is always followed by a verb.

In English, the equivalent of mentre is “while.”

This word always requires the use of a verb conjugated in the present, past, or future.

Mentre and the past

A note goes to the use of the past with “mentre”.

As mentre implies the ongoing duration of action over a period of time, the right past tense to use is the “imperfect tense”. As a result, “mentre” can never be followed by a passato prossimo.

mentre mettevo in ordine la stanza, ascoltavo un Podcast – while tidying up the room, I was listening to a podcast.
mentre il professore spiegava, prendevo appunti – while the professor was explaining the lesson, I was taking notes
mentre cucinavo, ho ricevuto una telefonata – while I was cooking, I got a phone call

English vs. Italian

Unlike in English, “mentre” can’t ever be followed by a gerund form. If in English it’s OK to say “while doing something”, in Italian it’s not possible and you’ll need to conjugate the verb.

Using a gerund verb form after “mentre” is a typical mistake English speakers make when speaking Italian.

For example, the phrase “while taking a walk, I listen to a Podcast” is correctly translated into Italian with “mentre faccio una passeggiata, ascolto un Podcast” and not with “mentre facendo…”

DURANTE

Durante is a preposition and is the equivalent of during in English. It is always followed by a noun (and never by a verb).

Durante la cena, guardo la tv – during dinner, I watch TV

Mentre vs. durante

Let’s compare the use of mentre (+ verb) and durante (+noun) in the following sentences

Mentre passeggiavo, ho raccolto dei mirtilli buonissimi – While I was walking around, I picked some yummy blueberries
Durante la passeggiata, ho raccolto dei mirtilli buonissimi – During the walk, I picked some very good blueberries
Mentre cenavamo, abbiamo parlato di molte cose interessanti – While we were eating dinner, we talked about many interesting things
Durante la cena, abbiamo parlato di molte cose interessanti – During dinner, we talked about many interesting things

Perché / Perciò / Siccome: The Difference Explained

Perché: why / because

Unlike in English, perché is used in both a question and an answer in Italian.

Perché hai chiamato il taxi? Perché ero in ritardo – Why did you call a cab? Because I was late.

Perché used to indicate the cause of something and the reason why it happened.

Ho chiamato il taxi, perché ero in ritardo – I called a cab because I was running late

Non sono andata in spiaggia, perché faceva freddo – I didn’t go to the beach because it was cold

Perciò: therefore, for that reason, so

If we invert all the foregoing sentences, we can replace perché with perciò.

Perciò means therefore, for that reason and so.

Ero in ritardo, perciò ho chiamato un taxi – I was late, so I called a cab

Faceva freddo, perciò non sono andata in spiaggia – It was cold, therefore I didn’t go to the beach.

Perché vs perciò

Unlike perché, perciò expresses the consequence of something, not the cause.

Siccome: because, since, given that, as

Another word which is worth learning to make your Italian more natural is siccome.

In Italian, we can’t start a sentence with “perché” or “perciò.“

If we want to indicate the cause of something at the beginning of a sentence, we have to use siccome.

Siccome ero in ritardo, ho chiamato un taxi – Since I was late, I called a taxi
Siccome faceva freddo, non sono andato in spiaggia – Because it was cold, I didn’t go to the beach.

I often hear English speakers default to using perché or come instead of siccome.

Why? Because in English, it makes sense to start a sentence with “because” or “as,” which, in a literal translation, defaults to perché or “come.” However, in Italian, it’s impossible.

Saying “perché sono in ritardo ho chiamato il taxi” would be wrong.

siccome vs perché

Just like perché, siccome expresses the cause, but perché is only used in the middle of a sentence, in a question, or in an answer. In Italian, we can’t start a phrase with “perché”. Instead, we use siccome.

In the following phrases, you can better see what I mean.

Ho chiamato il taxi, perché ero in ritardo – Siccome ero in ritardo, ho chiamato il taxi – I called a cab because I was late – As/since/because I was late, I called a cab

Non sono andata in spiaggia, perché faceva freddo – Siccome faceva freddo, non sono andata in spiaggia – I didn’t go to the beach because it was cold – Because, since, given that it was cold, I didn’t go the beach

Perché, and perciò and siccome can be only followed by verbs and are invariable words (they always stay the same).

The Italian impersonal form with ‘SI’

The Italian impersonal form with “SI”

In Italian, we have a simple way to make a generalization or to make a sentence where the subject is not specified: the impersonal form.

The impersonal form is made up by:

si + any verb conjugated in the 3rd person singular

for example,

in Italia, si + mangia bene.

This means that in Italy, we generally eat good food.

Italian vs. English

In English, these sentences are translated by subjects such as one, they, you, or the passive voice.

More examples of the “impersonal si”

In Italia.. – in Italy..

si beve buon vino – one drinks delicious wine
si pranza tardi – they eat lunch late
si parla italiano – they speak Italian

Viaggiando… – by traveling…

si cresce – you grow
si cambia opinione sulla vita – you change your opinion about life
si diventa più maturi – you become more mature

The impersonal form with the verbs “DOVERE” and “POTERE”

The Italian impersonal form is often used with the verbs dovere and potere, indicating what it’s necessary or not necessary to or what can or cannot be done.

impersonal forms with dovere

si deve – you must/need (when the subject is not specified)
non si deve – you must/need (when the subject is not specified)

impersonal forms with potere

si può – you can (when the subject is not specified)
non si può – you can’t (when the subject is not specified)

Examples with these impersonal forms

A scuola… – at school…

si deve studiare – you need to study
non si può usare il cellulare – you can’t use your phone
si deve essere puntali – one must be punctual

In ufficio… – at the office…

si deve arrivare in orario – one must arrive on time
non si può mangiare davanti al pc – one can’t eat in front of the computer
non si può fumare – you can’t smoke

Use of the impersonal verb bisogna

The forms si deve (one must/need) or non si deve (one must not), can be replaced by the impersonal verb bisogna, which is always followed by an infinitive verb and means “it’s (not) necessary.

For example:

A scuola bisogna studiare – At school you have to study
A scuola bisogna essere puntuali – At school you have to be on time
A lavoro non bisogna fare tardi – Don’t be late at work

When is “ci si” used?

Sometimes the impersonal form appears with a “ci” in front of the “si”, like in the following phrases.

ci si diverte – one is having fun
ci si rilassa – one is relaxing
ci si sveglia!- one is waking up

But, what does “ci si” stand for?

“Ci si” marks the impersonal form of a reflexive verb conjugated in the 3rd person. Why? Because every reflexive verb is, by nature, conjugated with a “si” in the third person singular.

si diverte – he/she is having fun
si diverte – he/she is relaxing
si sveglia – he/she Is waking up

So, if we had to say that one has fun when traveling (so, if we had to make a sentence with the impersonal form with “si” of the verb divertirsi), we would end up with two “si”: one for the impersonal form and one for the reflexive form. Like this:

si si diverte

But we don’t say that. Why? Because repeating “si si” twice would result in a cacophony (a bad sound). So, to avoid this, we replace the first “si” with a phonetic “ci”.

The resulting form is, thus, ci si:

ci si diverte viaggiando – when travelling, you have fun
ci si sveglia tardi nel weekend – over the weekend, you wake up late
ci si rilassa sempre la domenica – on Sunday, you always relax

The Italian Preposition DA

The Italian Preposition “Da”

Most of the time, the Italian preposition “da” means “from,” but it can also mean “since/for,” “to,” “at,” and other things. Yes, it sounds difficult because prepositions in English and Italian do not have a binary correspondence. That is why, in my classes, I always tell my private students to learn the prepositions in context, that is, in phrases or expressions.

Da is generally used to express the following:

Origin: I’m from

Da dove vieni? – Where are you coming from?

Vengo dagli Stati Uniti – I come from the United States

I miei cugini vengono dalla Francia – My cousins are coming from France

Il treno è arrivato da Roma – The train arrived from Rome

As you can see, when the preposition “da” means from, frequently appears with the verb “venire” which means “to come”.

Venire da = to come from

Venire da is used with cities or countries, and it’s not to be confused with “essere di”, which means the same, but it’s used only with cities.

For example:

vengo da Roma (city), vengo dall’Italia (country)
sono di Roma (city)

Time: how long? Since / For

Da is used with the meaning of for or since to indicate an action that started in the past and is continuing in the present. For example:

Studio italiano dal 2019 – I’ve learned Italian since 2019
Vivo a Roma da 5 mesi – I’ve been living in Rome for 5 months
Da quanto tempo conosci Marco? – How long have you known Marco?

As you can see from the foregoing phrases, the way to say “how long..?” in Italian, is with “da quanto tempo + present tense” and not with a past tense, like in English.

Da quanto tempo sei sposato? – How long have you been married?

Da quanto tempo studi italiano? – How long have you been studying Italian?

Time: through, from…to

Da is also used with the preposition “a”, with the meaning of “from..to” or “through”

da martedì a venerdì – Tuesday through Friday
da gennaio a febbraio – January through February
dalle 10 alle 11 – 10 am through 11 am

Place (to go to someone’s place)

Going to a place, as you may know, is translated with andare in or a. However, there’s a third way to say “go to” and it’s when you are going to someone (a person) or at the place of someone. In this case, “to” is transited with the preposition “da.”

vado dal dentista – I’m going to the dentist.
vado dai miei amici – I’m going to my friends
sono andato dai miei genitori – I went visiting my parents
vado da Angela – I m visiting Angela (I’m going to Angela’s place)

Function, Purpose

Da is used in a number of different compound words. In this case, da indicates the purpose of the object.

All it takes is simply memorizing the fixed expression.

una camera da letto – a bedroom
una sala da pranzo – a living room
occhiali da sole – shades
vasca da bagno – bath tub
scarpe da tennis – basket shoes

Value

Sometimes, da appears in expressions to indicate the value of something, and it means “worth”.

un gelato da 3 euro – a 3 euro gelato
una villa da un milione di euro – a one million euro villa
un bottiglia di vino da 100 dollari – a 100 dollar bottle of wwine

Passive: By

In the passive forms, da is the translation of the agent “by” in English, which means the person by whom the action was carried out.

L’edificio è stato disegnato da Renzo Piano – The building was designed by Renzo Piano
Il progetto è stato finanziato dallo Stato – The project was funded by the state

Da + infinitive

DA often appears after the Italian adverbs molto (a lot), poco (little), niente (nothing), qualcosa (something) when they are followed by an infinitive verb.

Vuoi qualcosa da bere? – Would you like to have something to drink?
Non ho niente da fare oggi – I have nothing planned for today
Hai qualcosa da dirmi? – Do you have something to tell me?

Verbs with da

There are also a number of verbs which use the preposition da.

dipendere da – to depends on
venire da – to come from
partire da – to leave from
proteggersi da – to protect against
pretendere da – to expect from
nascondersi da – to hide from

The articuritated prepositions are: dal, dall‘, dallo, dalla, dai, dagli, dalle

You can skip this if you’re just starting out with Italian grammar.

As you may know, in Italian, simple prepositions are distinguished from articulated prepositions. A simple preposition is a single word, such as a, di, da, su, and so on. When a simple preposition joins with a definite article, the result is an articulated preposition, such as dal, degli, sul, nella, and so on.

Because most nouns in Italian are preceded by an article, this is a common thing in the grammar of the language, too.

When “da” is combined with the definite articles, it becomes

da + il = dal
da + l’ = dall’
da + la = dalla
da + lo = dallo
da + i = dai
da + gli = dagli
da + le = dalle

This is why we say

Vado dal dentista – vado (da + il) dentista
Studio italiano dal 2017 – studio italiano (da + il) 2017
Ho lezione dalle 14 alle 15 – ho lezione (da+le) 14 (a+le) 15

The difference between: anch’io/anche a me/neanch’io/neanche a me

Anch’io vs. anche a me

Anche means too.

Anch’io means me too.

So, what does “anche a me” mean? It means me too, too.

They are all used in positive phrases.

Nonetheless, anch’io and anche a me, can’t be used interchangeably.

Why?

Anche a me is used only with verbs that introduce an indirect object (from whom the “a” stems from).

Which are these verbs?

Typically, they are all impersonal verbs, like

piacere – to like

mancare – to miss

succedere – to happen

basta – to be enough

servire – to need

Let’s see a few examples,

Ti piace la birra? – Do you like beer?

Sì, e a te? – yes, and you?

Anche a me – me too.

Mi manca l’Italia – I miss Italy

Anche a me – me too

Mi serve un ombrello. – I need an umbrella

Anche a me – me too

All the foregoing verbs include the preposition “a” in the contracted indirect pronoun mi (mi means a me). So, when using anche in the phrase “me too,” we’ll need to make that implicit “a” of the pronoun, explicit.

All the other verbs would use “anch’io”.

For instance,

Prendo una birra – I‘ll have a beer

Anch’io – me too

Vado in piazza – I’m going to the piazza

Anche io – me too

Neanch’io vs. Neanche a me

Neanche means not even.

Neanch’io means me neither.

and neanche a me means me neither, too.

They are all used in negative phrases.

Just like anch’io and anche a me, neanch’io and neanche a me can’t be interchanged.

Neanch’io is used with intrastive verbs that use an indirect object.

Non mi piace la birra – I don’t like beer

Neanche a me – me neither

No mi è mai successo questo – it never happened to me

Neanche a me – me neither

Ti servono questi? – do you need these?

No. E a te? – no, do you?

Neanche a me – me neither

Neanch’io is used for other verbs.

Oggi non vado a lavoro. – I’m not going to work today.

Neanch’io – me neither

Non bevo caffè – I don’t drink coffee

Neanch’io – me neither

The best way to learn how to use “anche a me” or “neanche a me” is by memorizing the verbs that usually trigger their use.

This is a list of the most common ones:

interessare – to be interested

sembrare, parare – to seem

capitare, accadere, accadere – to happen

servire, bastare = to need

dare fastidio – to bother

importare – to care

For example,

Mi interessa la politica – I’m interested in politics

Anche a me – me too

Non mi importa – I don’t care

Neanche a me – me neither

How to use the verb mettersi

How to use the verb METTERSI

Mettersi is an Italian verb that non-native speakers may struggle with. It is, nevertheless, commonly used in everyday Italian, and you may want to learn how to use it.

First of all, you might be familiar with mettere, which simply means to put. Well, mettersi, the reflexive version of mettere, is a whole different verb with a number of different meanings.

Before learning the meaning of this peculiar verb, let’s have a look at the conjugation of the verb in presente and passato prossimo of this reflexive verb.

Present Tense

mi metto
ti metti
si mette
ci mettiamo
vi mettete
si mettono

Passato prossimo (past tense)

mi sono messo/a
ti sei messo/a
si è messo/a
ci siamo messi/e
vi siete messi/e
si sono messi/e

Now, let’s dive into the most common meanings of mettersi.

To put on/to wear

Mettersi is to put on or wear something in its most basic sense.

Mi metto sciarpa e cappello – I’m wearing a scarf and a hat
Ti metti una gonna o un vestito per la cerimonia? – Are you putting on a skirt or a dress for the reception?
Luca si mette gli occhiali da sole anche in inverno – Luca is wearing shades even in the winter

To start doing something

Mettersi is also commonly used with the pattern mettersi a + infinitive verb. Mettersi indicates to begin doing something in this context. It’s very common in spoken and informal Italian.

Domani mi metto a dieta – Tomorrow I am starting a diet
Devo mettermi a pulire la casa – I need to start cleaning up
Mettiamoci a lavoro – let’s get down to business

Sometimes we can use mettersi in the context of taking up a new hobby or starting a new interest, for example

Patrizia si è messa a studiare russo – Patrizia took up Russian
MI sono messa a fare yoga – I took up yoga

To stay/to stand

Mettersi is a colloquial Italian word that implies to stay or stand.

For example,

Mettiti seduto – stay sit
Mettiti qui – stay here
Mettiti in piedi – stay still

(all the forgoing sentences are in the imperative form)

Turning out well (or badly)

Mettersi can also be used to say that things are turning out well or badly for you in the expressions mettersi bene per and bettersi male per.

Le cose si mettono bene per Franco, ha appena ricevuto una bella promozione a lavoro – Things are turning out well for Franco, he’s just got a promotion at work.
Le cose si mettono male per Federica, ha perso il lavoro e ha finito i soldi – Things are turning out badly for Federica, she lost her job and ran out of money.

Common idiomatic expressions with mettersi

In addition, the verb mettersi appears in a number of idiomatic expressions.

The following are the most well-known:

Mettersi in proprio: to set up one’s own business
Mettersi a letto: to go to bed
Mettersi in agitazione : to get worked up
Mettersi all’opera : to get down to business
Mettersi da parte: to back away, to set oneself aside
Mettersi d’accordo su/con: to agree on/with
Mettersi in cattiva luce : to appear in a bad light
Mettersi in guardia: to take one’s guard
Mettersi insieme: to start having a love affair
Mettersi in malattia: to go on a sick leave
Mettersi l’anima in pace: to send one’s mind at rest
Mettersi nei panni di qualcuno: to put oneself in somebody else’s shoes
Mettersi nei guai: to get into troubles
Mettersi in contatto con qualcuno: to reach/contact someone

Espressioni con ESSERE & AVERE

Common expressions using ESSERE and AVERE

In Italian, the verbs “essere” and “avere” are certainly amongst the most popular ones. This is why they are widely used in many common Italian idiomatic expressions like the one following.

Bear in mind that a certain number of recurring expressions use the verb avere (to have) while English would use the verb essere (to be) and vice-versa. For instance, being hungry becomes having hunger in Italian.

The rule of thumb is to memorize the most common expressions, by making a list of the oens that use “avere” and the ones that use “essere”.

Common expressions with “avere”

avere sonno: to be sleepy
avere fame: to be hungry
avere sete: to be thirsty
avere freddo: to be cold
avere caldo: to be hot
avere 20 anni: to be 20 years old
avere fretta: to be in a hurry
avere ragione: to be right
avere torto: to be wrong
avere successo: to be successful
avere fortuna: to be lucky
avere paura di: to be afraid
avere mal di pancia: to have a stomach ache
avere mal di testa: to have a headache
aver mal di gola: to have a sore throat
avere la febbre: to have a fever

Common expressions with “essere”

essere in ritardo: to be late
essere bravo: to be good at doing something
essere buono: to be nice (food), to be good people
essere sveglio: to be awake
essere malato: to be sick
essere ammalato: to be sick
essere occupato: to be busy
essere pronto: to be ready
essere fidanzato: to be in relationship
essere sposato: to be married
essere felice: to be happy
essere triste: to be sad
essere depresso: to be depressed
essere contento: to be content
essere innamorato: to be in love

5 Italian Sayings on love

5 Italian sayings on love

1. L’amore non è bello, se non è litigarello

There is no equivalent in English, although searching, I came across a quote by Shakespeare that sums up the meaning of the Italian provarb above.

“The course of true love never runs smooth.”

When do Italians say “l’amore non è bello se non è litigarello?”

This Italian proverb pretends to ease the tension after a little quarrel by objecting that a relationship can’t always be “bella‘(or healthy) without a small fight from time to time. Of course, the hardest times make your relationship stronger. The adjective litigarello (originating from the verb litigare) is not used in any other expressions, but this one.

2. Chi s’assomiglia si piglia

Literally, those who are alike end up with each other.

The proverb originates from the Tuscany dialect and means that those who have similar features (both in their bodies and their characters) are attracted to each other.

3. Sfortunato al gioco fortunato in amore

Literally: unlucky at cards, lucky in love.

This Italian saying is often used to ease the pain of somebody who is losing while playing a game, usually playing cards.

4. Il primo amore non si scorda mai

English: You never forget your first love. The proverb explains itself.

5. Al cuore non si comanda

English: Love is blind, or you can’t rule the heart. A person who is in love might not see the faults in his/her partner the way others might see them. It sounds pretty malicious, but I have heard it a few times.

How to say “Should” in Italian

“Should” is translated into Italian with the present conditional of the verb dovere.

This is the conjugation of “should” in Italian.

io dovrei – I should
tu dovresti – you should
lui dovrebbe – he should
lei dovrebbe – she should
noi dovremmo – we should
voi dovreste – you should
loro dovrebbero – they should

Just like in English, “should” always triggers the use of the infinitive tense (the unconjugated verb). In other words, the various forms of dovrei are always followed by an infinitive, in Italian.

For example:

dovrei mangiare – I should eat
dovresti guidare – you should drive
dovrebbe pagare – she should pay
dovremmo correre – we should run
dovreste cucinare – you should cook
dovrebbero parlare – they should speak

To make the negative form of “should”, should not/shouldn’t, it’s sufficient to place a “non” before the different forms of dovrei.

io non dovrei – I shouldn’t
tu non dovresti – you shouldn’t
lui non dovrebbe – he shouldn’t
lei non dovrebbe – she shouldn’t
noi non dovremmo – we shouldn’t
voi non dovreste – you shouldn’t
loro non dovrebbero – they shouldn’t

This form of the conditional is used especially to give a piece of advice or a recommendation to someone.

dovresti studiare di più – you should study more
non dovresti fumare così tanto – you shound’t smoke so much

How to say “should have done”

To say that you should have done something in Italian, you need to use the past conditional of the verb dovere, which is:

avrei dovuto + infinitive
sarei dovuto/a + infinitive

This is a compound form, and so the choice of the correct auxiliary (essere vs. avere) depends on the nature of the verb that follows “dovuto.”

If the verb following is an intransitive verb, we’ll use the auxiliary essere and make sure that the participle dovuto agrees with the gender and number of the subject:

for example:

sarei dovuto andare – I should have gone (m)
sarei dovuta andare – I should have gone (f.)
saremmo dovuti andare – We should have gone (m.pl.)
saremmo dovute andare – We should have gone (f. pl)

If the verbs that follows “dovuto” is a transitive verb, and so, to be conjugated with the avere auxiliary, the participle dovuto stays the same.

For example

avrei dovuto fare – I should have done
avremmo dovuto fare – we should have done

More examples using should or should have in Italian:

Dovrei giocare a tennis – I should play tennis
Dovremmo iniziare un nuovo blog – we should start a new blog
Dovresti allenarmi più spesso- you should exercise more often
Non dovrebbe andare a lavoro perché è malata – she shouldn’t go to work she is sick
Non dovremmo spendere così tanti soldi – we shouldn’t spend so much money
Dovreste investire soldi in quest’azienda – you should invest money in this company

The same sentences in the past

Avrei dovuto giocare a tennis – I should have played tennis
Avremmo dovuto iniziare un nuovo blog – we should have started a new blog
Avresti dovuto allenarti più spesso- you should have exercised more often
Non sarebbe dovuta andare a lavoro perché è malata – she shouldn’t have gone to work she is sick
Non avremmo dovuto spendere così tanti soldi – we shouldn’t have spent so much money
Avreste dovuto investire soldi in quest’azienda – you should have invested money in this company

The Italian Imperative: Explained

The imperative form, in Italian, is used to:

Give a command

Give exhortations

Advise or invite someone to do something.

It is a rather regular form, with just a few irregular exceptions.

What makes the imperative very easy, is that it exists just in the present tense and it’s used just in the second person singular (you informal and formal = tu and lei) and first person plural (we = noi), and the second person plural (you all = voi)

Examples of imperatives

Mangialo! – Eat it!

Non fumare! – Don’t smoke!

Non andarci! – Don’t go there!

Vieni qui! – Come here!

Provalo! – Try it!

Guarda! – Look!

Italian vs English

Important: sometimes it’s hard to draw a parallel between English and Italian with the imperative, because English tends to be, overall, a more indirect language than Italian. If you’re an English speaker, you should know that it is totally fine to use the imperative in Italian and that it is not rude most of the time. Intonation plays an important role, though; with the pitch of your voice, you can make the “command” more or less intense.

Informal vs formal imperative

It’s important to note that in Italian we make a distinction between informal and informal imperatives. This is key, because

In Italian, we use the imperative just to address people

In Italian, we can address people informally (by using “tu,” the 2nd person singular ) or formally (by using “lei,” the 3rd person singular or “you polite”).

For simplicity, I’ll start with the informal imperative, which is the most common and tends to cover a lot of informal interactions in everyday Italian.

How to Use the INFORMAL Imperative

The imperative can be conjugated only with tu, voi, e noi. Here we explore the use of tu e voi (the main informal patterns) and noi.

Imperative forms of tu and voi are the same as in the present tense, with the exception of the –are verbs, to which an -a is added to the root of the verb. No changes are needed for verbs ending in –ere and –ire

The imperative of noi is identical to the present tense and it is used to encourage or urge It is equivalent to the English form “Let’s…“

	Mangi-ARE	Prend-ERE	Apr-IRE
TU	mangi-a! / eat!	prend-i! / take!	apr-i! / open!
VOI	mangi-ate! / eat!	prend-ete! / take!	apr-ite! / open!
NOI	mangi-amo! / let's eat!	prend-iamo! / let's take!	apr-iamo! / let's open!

Irregular forms of the imperative

The imperative mood has just a few irregular verbs. The most common ones are essere and avere.

sii paziente! – be patient!
siate pazienti! – be patient (you all)!
abbia pazienza! – have patience!
abbiate pazienza! – have patience (you all)!

The negative imperative (informal pattern)

To make a negative imperative, (don’t do it, don’t eat it, etc.), you’ll need to place a “non” before the voi version. For the tu version, you should use the infinitive verb preceded by non.

non correre! – don’t run!
non fumare! – don’t smoke!
non bere! – don’t drink!

but..

non correte – don’t run!
non fumate! – don’t smoke!
non bevete ! – don’t drink!

The imperative with pronouns

The imperative mood is often matched with the pronouns. Most of the time, the pronouns are attached at the end of the verb, making one word with the verb.

mangialo! – eat it!
non toccarlo!/non lo toccare!*– don’t touch it!
non mangiarli/non li comprare* – don’t buy them!

* In the negative form, the pronouns can either precede the verb or merge with it at the end.

The informal imperative of fare, dare, stare, dire, andare

There are some verbs that are very common and that have an apostrophized form of the imperative of the second person singular, TU:

fare becomes fa’ – fa’ silenzio! (be quiet!)
dare becomes da‘ – da’ una mano a…! (give a hand to..)
stare becomes sta’ – sta’ seduto (sit!)
dire becomes di‘ – di’ la verità (say the truth!)
andare becomes va‘ – va’ via (go away!)

When these verbs are coupled with a pronoun, the first letter of the attached pronoun is doubled, with the exception of gli and its compound forms.

Examples:

Fammi vedere – let me see!
Dimmi la verità! – tell me the truth!
Dammi la borsa! – give me the bag!
Digli il segreto! – tell him the secret!

How to use the FORMAL imperative

To give an order or advice to someone you don’t know very well (or to whom you need or want to show respect) or to invite that person, we use the “polite you”, the formal imperative,Lei. The formal imperative uses the subjunctive conjugation. If you don’t know the subjunctive yet, just memorize the pattern for regular verbs in the table. For irregular verbs, scroll below.

	Mangi-ARE	Prend-ERE	Apr-IRE
positive	mang-i! / eat!	prend-a! / take!	apr-a / open!
negative	non mang-i! / don't eat!	non prend-a! / don't take!	non apr-a / don't open!

Examples of formal imperatives.

Venga qui! – come here, please

Mi telefoni domani – Call me tomorrow, please

Prenda questo – take this, please

The imperative with LORO

In some books, they also teach the imperative with loro to address a group of people formally. This is an obsolete use of Italian and I don’t personally teach it.

The formal imperative and pronouns

When it comes to pronouns, the formal imperative requires the pronouns to be placed before the verb.

Signore, lo prenda – Sir, take it

Signora, me lo dia – Madame, give it to me to

The formal imperative of irregular verbs

There are a number of irregular verbs in the formal imperative, here are some of the most common ones.

Sia! – be!
Abbia! – have!
Vada! – go!
Venga! – come!
Dica! – tell!
Dia! – give!
Faccia! – do / let!

You can learn more about the imperative in one of these excellent textbooks.

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The Reflexive Verbs in Italian

Italian Reflexive Verbs

What is a reflexive verb?

Reflexive verbs are those verbs that include a particular pronoun known as a reflexive pronoun in the conjugation.

Like…

mi sveglio – I wake up
mi diverto – I have fun
mi arrabbio – I get mad

In Italian, reflexive verbs are more common than in English. Many English verbs have an Italian equivalent of a reflexive verb and thus require a reflexive pronoun.

For instance,

to have fun – divertirsi

to get up – alzarsi

to get married – sposarsi

Some verbs are reflexive both in Italian and English.

For instance:

to wash oneself – lavarsi

Reflexive verbs are conjugated in the same way as other verbs, except that the reflexive pronouns (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si) must be used in front of the conjugations (mi lavo), unlike in English, where they are placed after (I wash myself).

How do you conjugate reflexive verbs?

First and foremost, a reflexive verb should just be a “label” that we apply to certain verbs to remind us to conjugate them in a certain way (with the reflexive pronouns in front). This to say that you shouldn’t feel thrown off when you hear the term reflexive verbs!

To conjugate any reflexive verb, you need to:

remove the “si” ending
add the “e”
conjugate it as any other regular verb
put the reflexive pronouns in front

Let’s use the verb “lavarsi” as an example

LAVARSI (to wash one’s self) →

remove the “si” ending → LAVAR
add the “e” → LAVAR+E = LAVARE
conjugate it as any other regular verb
put the reflexive pronouns in front

In this context, the present tense of “lavarsi” is

io mi lavo – I wash myself

tu ti lavi – you wash yourself

lui si lava – he washes himself

lei si lava – she washes herself

noi ci laviamo – we wash ourselves

voi vi lavate – you wash yourselves

loro si lavano – they wash themselves

Proper and reciprocal reflexive verbs

There are two types of Italian reflexive verbs:

Proper reflexive verbs

Reflexive verbs where the action is carried out by the same person who receives it.

Divertirsi → to have fun
Svegliarsi → to get up
Rilassarsi → to relax

Examples:

io mi diverto → I have fun (myself)
io mi sveglio → I wake up (myself)
io mi rilasso → I relax (myself)

Reciprocal reflexive verbs

Reciprocal reflexive verbs use the plural reflexive pronouns ci, vi, si to mean each other. They describe a mutual action.

Capirsi → to understand each other
Amarsi → to love each other
Odiarsi → to hate other

Examples:

Ci capiamo molto bene → we understand each other very well
Ci amiamo → we love each other
Si odiano → they hate each other

Does English have any reflexive verbs?

Yes! Like enjoying oneself or hurting oneself. And it’s worth noting that English reflexive verbs are also reflexive verbs in Italian.

Enjoying oneself → divertirsi
Hurting oneself → farsi male

However, most times, there’s no correspondence, and what is a non-reflexive verb in English is a reflexive one in Italian.

An interesting trend is that many verbs that use “get” in English are translated with a reflexive verb in Italian: For instance,

To get angry → arrabbiarsi
To get married → sposarsi
To get sick → ammalarsi

Common Italian reflexive verbs

The vast majority of Italian verbs are not reflexive, however, there are more reflexive verbs in Italian than in English. This is a list of the most common ones.

Svegliarsi — to wake [oneself] up

Alzarsi – to get up

Lavarsi – to wash oneself

Pettinarsi – to comb one’s hair

Sedersi – to sit down

Sentirsi – to feel

Spogliarsi – to undress

Addormentarsi – to fall asleep

Truccarsi – to put on make-up

Farsi la doccia – to take a shower

Chiamarsi – to be named

Laurearsi – to graduate (from university)

Diplomarsi – to graduate (from school)

Allenarsi – to work out

Impegnarsi – to work hard

Ubriacarsi – to get drunk

Farsi la barba – to shave

Innamorarsi – to fall in love

Lamentarsi – to complain

Stressarsi – to get stressed

Innervosirsi – to get nervous

Ammalarsi – to get sick

Vestirsi – to get dressed

Annoiarsi – to get bored

How do you conjugate the Italian reflexive verbs?

The rule of thumb is to keep in mind that you are conjugating the infinite reflexive verb deprived of the – si.

For instance, if you conjugate the verb rilassarsi, you need to remove the “si” and add an “e” onto the infinitive. There it is, you have an easily conjugated Italian infinitive verb.

Example:

RILASSARSI → RILASSARE

SVEGLIARSI → SVEGLIARE

Where to put the reflexive pronoun “si”?

First of all, the si takes on different shapes, which are mi ti si ci vi si (the reflexive pronouns/i pronomi riflessivi)

Generally, the reflexive pronouns go right before the verb:

Present → io mi diverto, tu ti diverti, lui/lei si diverte, noi ci divertiamo, voi vi divertite, loro si divertono

Present Perfect (passato prossimo) → mi sono divertito/a, tu ti sei divertito/a, lui si è divertito/ lei si è divertita, noi ci siamo divertiti/e, voi vi siete divertiti/e, loro si sono divertiti/e

Imperfect → io mi divertivo, tu ti divertivi, lui/lei si divertiva, noi ci divertivamo, voi vi divertivate, loro si divertivano

Future Simple → io mi divertirò, tu ti divertirai, lui/lei si divertirà, noi ci divertiremo, voi vi divertirete, loro si divertiranno

Present Conditional → io mi divertirei, tu ti divertiresti, lui/lei si divertirebbe, noi ci divertiremmo, voi vi divertireste, loro si divertirebbero

Present Subjunctive → io mi diverta, tu ti diverta, lui/lei si diverta, noi ci divertiamo, voi vi divertiate, loro si divertano

Imperative (formal) → si diverta!

In a few cases, the reflexive pronouns are attached to the end of the verb.

Imperative (informal)→ divertiti!

Gerund → divertendomi, divertendoti, divertendosi, divertendoci, divertendovi, divertendosi

Infinitive → mi piace divertirmi, ti piace divertiti, gli/le piace divertirsi, ci piace divertirci, vi piace divertirvi, gli piace divertirsi

What happens in negative reflexive sentences?

The “non” always precedes the reflexive pronouns.

Italian reflexive verbs & the passato prossimo

This is an advanced topic, so if you are a beginner, you can skip it for now.

Italian grammar is made up of simple tenses and compound tenses.

A simple tense is a simple verb (made of just one verb, e.g., the present simple), while a compound tense is a verb made of a combination of a helping verb (auxiliary verb) and another verb, the past participle (e.g., the past perfect).

Let’s see how the verb “divertirsi” is conjugated in the past perfect.

Io → subject

Mi → reflexive pronoun

Sono → helping verb

Divertito → past participle

Io mi sono divertito – I had fun

In a compound tense (past perfect, compound future, past conditional, past subjunctive, etc.), the reflexive verbs always use a helping verb. The helping verb still to be used is essere.

Using essere as a helping verb implies that the past participle has to agree with the gender and number.

Examples:

Penso che Luisa si sia annoiata alla festa – I think Luisa got bored at the party
Ieri sera ci siamo divertiti a teatro – Last night we had fun at the theatre
Mi sarei svegliata tardi stamattina, ma non ho potuto – I would have awakened later this morning, but I couldn’t

Reflexive verbs and parts of the body

When using reflexive verbs with parts of the body, you usually don’t need to use possessive pronouns, as it would sound redundant.

The typical mistake I hear in my online Italian lessons is:

Mi lavo le mia faccia – I wash my face (WRONG)

Mi lavo la faccia – I wash my face (correct)

Mi lavo i miei capelli – I wash my hair (WRONG)

Mi lavo i capelli – I wash my hair (CORRECT)

Mi faccia la mia barba – I shave (WRONG)

Mi faccio la barba – I shave (CORRECT)

23 expressions with the verb “FARE”

Other than being an irregular verb, FARE is used in Italian in a number of many useful expressions. Let’s see some of them:

Fare i compiti: to do the homework

Fare le pulizie: to do the cleanings

Fare un biglietto: to buy a ticket

Fare una passeggiata: to go for a walk

Fare un giro: to go around

Fare una fotografia: to take a picture

Fare colazione: to eat breakfast

Fare la spesa: to buy groceries

Fare shopping: to go shopping

Fare la valigia (le valigie): to pack

Fare pace: to make peace

Fare il compleanno: to have a birthday

Fare il pieno: to tank up

Fare una domanda: to ask a question

Fare la coda/la fila: to queue

Fare soldi: to become rich

Far bene: to be good (for something)

Far male: to be painful, to ache

Fare una vacanza: to go on vacation (holiday)

Fare una prenotazione: to make a reservation

Fare un errore (o sbaglio): to make a mistake

Fare tardi: to be late

FARE is also the verb used to ask information about the weather and to answer about it. In Italian, we say CHE TEMPO FA? And we answer FA bel/cattivo tempo o FA caldo/freddo.

tempo

As I was previously mentioning, FARE does not follow the regular pattern of the second conjugation, being irregular.

Presente indicativo: io faccio, tu fai, lui fa, noi facciamo, voi fate, loro fanno

Imperfetto: io facevo…

Passato prossimo: io ho fatto…

Futuro semplice: io farò…

Condizionale semplice: io farei…

Gerundio: facendo…

Congiuntivo presente: che io faccia…

Congiuntivo imperfetto: che io facessi..

BELLO and BEL in Italian

BELLO vs. BEL/QUELLO vs. QUEL

Everybody knows that quello means that and bello means beautiful or nice.

And if you have been learning Italian for a while, you may have noticed that sometimes bello and quello are used in different forms.

In fact, it is not rare that bello becomes bel or begli or bei and quello becomes quel or quegli or quei.

Many students are not sure about the difference between bel and bello in Italian, or between quel and quello. Their use is easier than you think, and I’ll explain why in the followings sections.

Bello, bel, bei, begli

What is the difference between bello and bel/begli/bei?

When bello is positioned before a noun, it changes its ending in the same way as the definite articles (il, l’, gli, i).

In other words, the root of the adjective (be-) merges with the definite articles that would precede the noun, and so it results in the following variations:

Bel libro – nice book
Bell’albero – beautiful tree
Begli alberi – beautiful trees
Bei libri – nice books
Bella donna – beautiful woman
Belle donne – beautiful women

If the adjective bello follows the noun or the verb essere, it doesn’t follow the above rule, but it will simply change its ending just as a regular adjective does.

Questa casa è bella – this house is beautiful
Queste case sono belle – these houses are beautiful
Questo uomo è bello – this guy is handsom
Questi uomini sono belli – these guys are handsome

Quello, quel, quei, quegli

When does quello change its form and become quello/quel/ quei/quegli?

The rule for bello applies to quello too.

If quello is positioned before a noun (and so it is used as an adjective), its spelling changes by merging its root with the definite articles (il, lo, la, i, gli, le) that would normally precede the noun, as in the following examples.

Quel libro – that book
Quell’albero – that tree
Quegli alberi – those trees
Quei libri – those books
Quella donna – that woman
Quelle donne – those women

The above varieties are possible only when quello is used as an adjective.

If quello is used as a pronoun instead of an adjective, the changes only reflect gender and the number of people in the group.

Quello è il mio gatto – That one is my cat
Quelle sono le mie amiche – those are my girlfriends

Buono, buon

What is the difference between buon and buono?

The same rule for bello and quello applies to the adjective buono.

Buono changes its endings by following the pattern of the indefinite adjective (uno, una, un, un’), when preceding a noun.

un buon amico – a good friend
una buon’amica – a good girl-friend

1 2 3

Italian Grammar

The mysterious combination of the pronoun ci and the verb avere

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Mentre vs. Durante: the difference explained

MENTRE

DURANTE

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Perché / Perciò / Siccome: The Difference Explained

Perché: why / because

Perciò: therefore, for that reason, so

Siccome: because, since, given that, as

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The Italian impersonal form with “SI”

Use of the impersonal verb bisogna

When is “ci si” used?

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The Italian Preposition “Da”

Origin: I’m from

Time: how long? Since / For

Place (to go to someone’s place)

Da + infinitive

Verbs with da

The articuritated prepositions are: dal, dall‘, dallo, dalla, dai, dagli, dalle

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The difference between: anch’io/anche a me/neanch’io/neanche a me

Anch’io vs. anche a me

Neanch’io vs. Neanche a me

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How to use the verb METTERSI

To put on/to wear

To start doing something

To stay/to stand

Turning out well (or badly)

Common idiomatic expressions with mettersi

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Common expressions using ESSERE and AVERE

Common expressions with “avere”

Common expressions with “essere”

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5 Italian sayings on love

1. L’amore non è bello, se non è litigarello

2. Chi s’assomiglia si piglia

3. Sfortunato al gioco fortunato in amore

4. Il primo amore non si scorda mai

5. Al cuore non si comanda

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How to say “Should” in Italian

How to say “should have done”

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The Italian Imperative: Explained

Italian vs English

Informal vs formal imperative

How to Use the INFORMAL Imperative

Irregular forms of the imperative

The negative imperative (informal pattern)

How to use the FORMAL imperative

The imperative with LORO

The formal imperative and pronouns

The formal imperative of irregular verbs

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Italian Reflexive Verbs

What is a reflexive verb?

How do you conjugate reflexive verbs?

Proper and reciprocal reflexive verbs

Common Italian reflexive verbs

How do you conjugate the Italian reflexive verbs?

Italian reflexive verbs & the passato prossimo

Reflexive verbs and parts of the body