by Serena | Dec 15, 2023 | Italian grammar, advanced
Anch’io vs. anche a me: the difference “Anche” means “too.” “Anch’io” means “me too.” So, what does ‘anche a me’ mean? It means “also me too.” Nonetheless, “anch’io” and...
by Serena | Dec 15, 2023 | Italian grammar, intermediate
Mi serve una penna. Ti servono le chiavi? Le serve altro? If you spend a few days in Italy, you’ll hear servire in every shop, office and kitchen. It’s one of the most useful verbs for everyday life, and it works just like piacere: once you understand one,...
by Serena | Dec 13, 2023 | Italian grammar, advanced
The condizionale passato (past conditional, also called condizionale composto) is the Italian “would have”: what you would have done, could have done or should have done, but didn’t. It’s the tense of regrets, missed chances and “if...
by Serena | Dec 12, 2023 | parole difficili, advanced, Italian grammar
In my experience as an Italian teacher, riuscire is one of the verbs English speakers struggle with most. The reason is simple: both potere and riuscire are often translated as “can.” But using one or the other changes the message you’re sending, so...
by Serena | Dec 12, 2023 | Italian grammar, beginners
Nouns ending in ‘-o’ or ‘-a’ In Italian language, nouns, pronouns, and adjectives can be assigned one of two grammatical genders: masculine or feminine. The gender of a word is arbitrary and does not always have a logical connection to...
by Serena | Dec 12, 2023 | Italian grammar, beginners
In or A? How to Use These Italian Prepositions One of the most common mistakes for Italian learners is choosing between the prepositions a and in. And that’s completely normal. Sometimes there are clear rules for when to use in and when to use a. But in many cases,...
