Grammar
The If Clause (Periodo Ipotetico) in Italian
The If Clause in Italian The "if" clause in Italian, or the conditional clause, is used to express conditions and hypotheses. It consists of two main parts: the conditional clause introduced by "se" (if), and the main clause, which describes what happens "if the...
The Italian “Ne”: A Simple Guide
What is “Ne” in Italian? This small word ne is one of the most challenging (and fascinating) elements of the Italian language. While it’s just a tiny word, ne is a pronoun that serves multiple purposes in Italian. It can: Teacher’s tip: Because ne doesn’t have a...
How To Say “Let’s Go” in Italian
How To Say "Let's" in Italian Oftentimes, I get asked in my private Italian classes how to say “let's” in Italian. The thing is, let's doesn’t have a direct Italian equivalent. Let’s see why. In Italian, let's is expressed by using the first-person plural of the...
The Italian “Ci”: A Simple Guide
The use of ci can be tricky because in Italian, we use this one small word in various ways, each with different English equivalents. So, the particle "ci" doesn’t have a single fixed meaning; its meaning changes depending on the context. As with many challenging...
60 Most Common Italian Verbs
Verbs are the core of every language because they carry the meaning or action. Conjugating verbs is the cornerstone of speaking any language. But how many verbs are there in Italian? Thousands? And how many do you actually use on a daily basis? Just a few of...
Andare, Andarsene and Andarci: The Difference
Let’s break down the differences between "me ne vado," "vado," and "ci vado." Vado (andare) "Vado" means “I’m going” and is the most neutral of the three. It can stand alone when you’re simply stating that you’re going somewhere, without further details, or it’s used...
È stato vs. era: Which one to choose?
Passato Prossimo vs. Imperfetto of essere If you’re learning Italian as a native English speaker, you might be wondering when to use è stato or è stata versus era. È stato/a is the third person singular of the passato prossimo tense of the...
Italian Partitive Articles (How to say “some” in Italian)
What is a partitive article? Partitive articles are an essential part of the Italian language and the easiest way to translate "some" in English. Unlike in English, they change their shape depending on the noun they precede because they are a combination of "di" plus...
Troppo, Troppa, Troppi, Troppe. What’s the difference?
Troppo (adverb) Troppo is invariable and thus does not change its ending when it acts as an adverb, which means that appears after a verb or before an adjective. Troppo = too much Troppo, Troppa, Troppi, Troppe (adjectives) Troppi is variable and changes its ending to...