Dare del Tu vs. Dare del Lei in Italian
The sentence “Dare del tu” in Italian refers to the act of transitioning from formal to informal speech. Literally translated, it means “to give the tu”. “Tu” is the singular and informal personal pronoun for “you” in...
Italian Verb Conjugation for Beginners: Complete Guide with Examples
Why Italian Verb Conjugation Matters If you’ve ever taken a formal Italian class, I’m sure your teachers required you to spend a significant amount of time on verb conjugation drills: parlo, parli, parla ho parlato, hai parlato, ha parlato parlerò,...
Most Common Essere Verbs in the Passato Prossimo
Choosing the Correct Auxiliary Verb in Italian In Italian, many tenses are compound tenses — meaning they use two parts: an auxiliary verb (avere or essere) plus a past participle. One of the most common compound tenses is...
Italian Possessive Adjectives: A Simple Guide
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...
9 Nonfiction Books to Improve Your Italian
This is my list of the non-fiction books I have read in the last few years. Every book on this list has inspired me in one way or another. Some books were recommended to me by my lovely students too! Since I believe that reading non-fiction in Italian is an...About
Ciao! I'm Serena, and I'm the creator of Smart Italian Learning. I am the head teacher of a small language school. We offer online, in-person and video courses for Italian learners, with a focus on adult English native speakers. Our courses are based on our passion for teaching and our experience as long-term adult language learners. You can meet us online, or in person in Rome.