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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – […]
The mysterious combination of the pronoun ci and the verb avere
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 […]
The verb riuscire (and how it is different from potere)
The verb riuscire (and how it is different from potere) In my experience as an Italian language teacher, students often struggle with the verb riuscire because of its widespread use in informal Italian. The reason is that the Italian verbs potere and riuscire are both frequently used in English with “can” and so, it’s hard […]