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 Stare: what’s the difference?
Essere & Stare: What’s the Difference? In Italian, there are two verbs that have just one equivalent in English: stare and essere. They are not interchangeable, though. Let’s start by saying that in 98% of the cases, the verb to use is essere. However, there are cases where use stare is expected and mandatory. In this article, […]
How to Use the Verb Piacere in Italian
How to Use the Verb Piacere in Italian Mi piace or non piace are phrases Italians use all the time. Ti piacciono quelle scarpe? – do you like those shoes? Non ci è piaciuto quel film – we didn’t like that movie Ti piace la cucina indiana? – do you like Italian food? As you might already know, piacere (and a few other verbs that I […]
How to use BENE, BRAVO, BELLO and BUONO!
How to use BENE, BRAVO, BELLO and BUONO IN A NUTSHELL… Bravo is used just with people –> Paolo è bravo! (Paolo is skilled, talented) Buono refers to the interior qualities of things or people. –> Paolo è buono (Paolo is good at heart) Bello refers to the exterior qualities of things or people. […]
When Italian Adjectives Comes Before a Noun
When Italian Adjectives Come Before a Noun One of the most important differences between English and Italian is the position of the adjective. An adjective is a part of a sentence that is describing a person or a thing, like beautiful, small, big, smart, new, old, etc… In English the adjective always precedes a noun! […]
The Complete Guide to Conjugating Verbs in Italian
The Complete Guide to Conjugating Verbs in Italian If you’ve ever taken a formal Italian class, I’m sure your teachers required you to spend a significant amount of time drilling verb conjugations. parlo, parli, parla ho parlato, hai parlato, ha parlato parlerò, parlerai, parlerà etc. I understand that this is not a simple or easy […]
Indirect Object Pronouns in Italian
The Indirect Object Pronoun in Italian Yes, pronouns are not easy to grasp, but they’re worth mastering. Why? It’s simple. We use them all the time. We use them to avoid repeating things and be concise, typically in a conversation. It’s the same in English and in many other languages. Knowing the Italian pronouns will […]
Andare and Venire: The Difference
The difference between VENIRE and ANDARE For most English speakers, the verbs go and come are interchangeable or synonyms. Instead, in Italian, the verbs venire and andare are not interchangeable and have distinct meanings. What does venire mean? Venire means to come and it’s an irregular verb of the 3rd group. This is the conjugation […]