The Reflexive Verbs in Italian
Italian Reflexive Verbs What is a reflexive verb? Reflexive verbs are those verbs that include a particular pronoun known as a reflexive pronoun in the conjugation. Like… mi sveglio – I wake up mi diverto – I have fun mi arrabbio – I get mad In Italian, reflexive verbs are more common than in English. Many English […]
BELLO and BEL in Italian
BELLO vs. BEL/QUELLO vs. QUEL Everybody knows that quello means that and bello means beautiful or nice. And if you have been learning Italian for a while, you may have noticed that sometimes bello and quello are used in different forms. In fact, it is not rare that bello becomes bel or begli or bei and quello becomes quel or quegli or quei. Many students are not sure about […]
How To Use ” CI” and “NE” in Italian
How To Use ” CI” and “NE” Have you been learning Italian for a while? Then, I am sure you have been faced with the quirky usage of the Italian particles ci and ne (also known as particelle pronominali in Italian). And you’ve been wondering dozens of times how to use ci and how to use ne. Maybe you have also decided to neglect […]
The Italian Indirect Object Pronouns Explained
The Italian Indirect Object Pronouns Explained 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 […]
Conoscere and Sapere: The Difference Explained
Conoscere and Sapere: The Difference Explained What’s the difference between “sapere” and “conoscere”? If you came across this page, it’s because you have been confused by using the Italian verbs sapere and conoscere. Fair enough! English (and other languages) uses only one verb, the verb “to know,” to cover knowledge’s meaning in all possible forms. […]
Smettere & Fermare: What’s The Difference?
Smettere & Fermare: What’s The Difference? Misusing or swapping the verbs smettere and fermare is one of the most frequent errors Italian learners make, and I understand why. The confusion is driven by the fact that both verbs, in English, have only one translation:to stop. Instead, unlike English, Italian has two different verbs to indicate the action of stopping. One verb is […]
The Guide to Italian Verbs with a Double Auxiliary and How They Work
The Guide to Italian Verbs with a Double Auxiliary and How They Work What’s the difference between ho cambiato and è cambiato? Ho cambiato casa – I’ve changed home (I moved to a different home? il clima è cambiato – The climate changed If you have an eye for details, you have already noticed that […]
Dovere, avere bisogno and servire: what’s the difference?
DOVERE / AVERE BISOGNO DI / MI SERVE / BISOGNA In this post, I want to discuss the differences between three Italian verbs that are often confused. Each of them expresses a need in English. However, they are used in different contexts and are not interchangeable. What’s the difference between dovere, avere bisogno di and servire? The […]