What verbs use the subjunctive in Italian?
The Italian Present Subjunctive: when and how to use it When learning Italian, you’ll surely come across a few challenging topics. Among these, one of the most notorious is the Italian subjunctive mode. Rest assured. Although it might seem difficult to grasp, it’s easier than you think. What is the subjunctive in Italian? The subjunctive is an Italian […]
Lì and là? Qui and qua? Is there any difference between them?
What is the difference between lì and là or qui or qua? If you have ever felt confused about whether to use lì or là or qui or qua when speaking in Italian, this post is for you. Let’s get straight to the point… Your question may be whether there is really any significant […]
The Italian comparatives: using CHE or DI
The Italian comparatives: using “CHE” or “DI” The Italian comparative expresses how to say MORE THAN, LESS THAN, THE SAME AS. We call this comparativo di maggioranza: La casa di Maria è più grande di quella di Lucia – Maria’s house is bigger than Lucia’s We call this “comparativo di minoranza”: La casa di Lucia è meno grande di […]
Perché / Perciò / Siccome: The Difference Explained
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 Italian Polite Form: formal vs informal “you”
The polite form in Italian: formal vs. informal “you” Italian is one of those languages that changes subject pronouns (and verb conjugations) depending on whether a conversation happens in a formal or informal setting. So, in Italian, we must speak or write politely if the situation requires it. The rule of thumb is: If you’re […]
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 […]
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 […]
How to Use Passato Prossimo in Italian
How to make the Passato Prossimo What’s the passato prossimo? The passato prossimo tense is used in Italian to express actions and events that occurred in the past. Usually, it appears together with time expressions such as ieri – yesterday stamattina – this morning ieri sera – last night venerdì scorso – last Friday l’anno scorso […]