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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The difference between Lasciare, Partire, Uscire & Andare via
The difference between Lasciare, Partire, Uscire, Andare via In this article I want to shed light on the difference in the usage of four Italian verbs that my students mix up all the time! lasciare – to leave (permanently) partire – to leave for/from uscire – to leave, to go out, to hang out andare […]
The Past Conditional in Italian Explained
The Past Conditional in Italian Explained In Italian, there is a present conditional and a past conditional. The key difference between the present conditional and the past conditional is that the first comprises one element, and the second includes two elements, (the auxiliary and the past participle. The auxiliary will be the present conditional of “avere” or “essere”, […]
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. The good news is that in 95% of the cases, the verb to use is essere. So, when in doubt, use essere! However, there are cases where use stare is […]