CELI / CILS / PLIDA Exam Prep

Cils Citizenship Exam

How to compliment someone in Italian

How to compliment someone in Italian

If you want to compliment someone on their achievements, you can say: (Che) Bravo! - Good job! Bravissimo! - Excellent job! If you want to compliment somebody in the specific circumstances of a wedding or graduation or a promotion at work, you can...

Other CILS language certifications

The Verb Andare: Conjugation and Uses

The Verb Andare: Conjugation and Uses

Conjugating "Andare" in the Present Tense First off, it’s crucial to recognize that 'andare' is an irregular verb in Italian. Unlike regular verbs, which follow a consistent conjugation pattern, irregular verbs like 'andare' have unique forms in different tenses and...

Devo vs. Ho bisogno di: The Difference Simply Explained

Devo vs. Ho bisogno di: The Difference Simply Explained

No, they are not the same and they are not interchangeable. If you're an English speaker, you might have been inclined to default "I need" to "Ho bisogno", but this is often incorrect. The best translation of "I need" is "devo". Let's see why. Dovere (to need to, to...

The Italian Verb Avere (to have) – Conjugation and Use

The Italian Verb Avere (to have) – Conjugation and Use

"Avere" means "to have" and is an essential verb used in various contexts to indicate possession, states, feelings, and more. It's also an irregular verb, meaning that it doesn't follow the regular conjugation pattern of most verbs, and you'll need to memorize the...

The Italian Verb ‘Potere’: Conjugations and Uses

The Italian Verb ‘Potere’: Conjugations and Uses

Conjugation of Potere (Present Tense) ItalianEnglishExamplesPossoI can / Can I?Posso aiutarti? (Can I help you?)PuoiYou can / Can you?Perché non puoi venire alla riunione? (Why can’t you join the meeting?)PuòHe/She can / Can he, she?Lui può andare in palestra oggi....

Italian Pronunciation Made Easy (for English Speakers)

Italian Pronunciation Made Easy (for English Speakers)

Why it's Important To Practice Your Italian Pronunciation From Day 1 In over ten years of teaching Italian as a foreign language, I've noticed a number of patterns that are next to impossible to get rid of (or that take a great deal of time and work to unlearn). A...

Passato Prossimo with Direct Object Pronouns

Passato Prossimo with Direct Object Pronouns

The basic rule is that when using the passato prossimo tense with the auxiliary verb 'avere', the past participle—the second part of the verb—usually does not change. It remains the same regardless of the subject's gender and number.  Lei ha comprato Noi abbiamo...

Most Common -IRE Verbs in Italian

Most Common -IRE Verbs in Italian

There are two types of "-ire" verbs in Italian. Some, like "dormire" (to sleep), are considered regular and follow the conjugation pattern seen in the first chart. Others, such as "capire" (to understand), are considered "irregular" and follow the conjugation pattern...

Most Common -ERE Verbs in Italian

Most Common -ERE Verbs in Italian

Present Tense of 'scrivere' (regular verb)  IoscrivoI write or I'm writing TuscriviYou write you're writingLui/LeiscriveHe/she writes or he/she is writingNoiscriviamoWe write or we are writingVoiscriveteYou all write or you're all writingLoroscrivonoThey write or they...

Sapere or Potere: Don’t mix them up again! 

Sapere or Potere: Don’t mix them up again! 

In Italian, 'potere' is more commonly used to express possibility or permission, but NOT skill or ability. To express the skill or ability to do something, the verb 'sapere' is used, which means 'to know how to.'  For example, 'so nuotare' translates to 'I can...

Italian Present Progressive 

Italian Present Progressive 

What's the Italian present progressive? The present progressive tense in Italian is used to describe actions occurring at the moment of speaking. For instance, "sto andando a lavoro" translates to "I am going to work" and indicates the action is happening as you...

CELI and PLIDA certifications

The Verb Andare: Conjugation and Uses

The Verb Andare: Conjugation and Uses

Conjugating "Andare" in the Present Tense First off, it’s crucial to recognize that 'andare' is an irregular verb in Italian. Unlike regular verbs, which follow a consistent conjugation pattern, irregular verbs like 'andare' have unique forms in different tenses and...

Devo vs. Ho bisogno di: The Difference Simply Explained

Devo vs. Ho bisogno di: The Difference Simply Explained

No, they are not the same and they are not interchangeable. If you're an English speaker, you might have been inclined to default "I need" to "Ho bisogno", but this is often incorrect. The best translation of "I need" is "devo". Let's see why. Dovere (to need to, to...

The Italian Verb Avere (to have) – Conjugation and Use

The Italian Verb Avere (to have) – Conjugation and Use

"Avere" means "to have" and is an essential verb used in various contexts to indicate possession, states, feelings, and more. It's also an irregular verb, meaning that it doesn't follow the regular conjugation pattern of most verbs, and you'll need to memorize the...

The Italian Verb ‘Potere’: Conjugations and Uses

The Italian Verb ‘Potere’: Conjugations and Uses

Conjugation of Potere (Present Tense) ItalianEnglishExamplesPossoI can / Can I?Posso aiutarti? (Can I help you?)PuoiYou can / Can you?Perché non puoi venire alla riunione? (Why can’t you join the meeting?)PuòHe/She can / Can he, she?Lui può andare in palestra oggi....

Italian Pronunciation Made Easy (for English Speakers)

Italian Pronunciation Made Easy (for English Speakers)

Why it's Important To Practice Your Italian Pronunciation From Day 1 In over ten years of teaching Italian as a foreign language, I've noticed a number of patterns that are next to impossible to get rid of (or that take a great deal of time and work to unlearn). A...

Passato Prossimo with Direct Object Pronouns

Passato Prossimo with Direct Object Pronouns

The basic rule is that when using the passato prossimo tense with the auxiliary verb 'avere', the past participle—the second part of the verb—usually does not change. It remains the same regardless of the subject's gender and number.  Lei ha comprato Noi abbiamo...

Most Common -IRE Verbs in Italian

Most Common -IRE Verbs in Italian

There are two types of "-ire" verbs in Italian. Some, like "dormire" (to sleep), are considered regular and follow the conjugation pattern seen in the first chart. Others, such as "capire" (to understand), are considered "irregular" and follow the conjugation pattern...

Most Common -ERE Verbs in Italian

Most Common -ERE Verbs in Italian

Present Tense of 'scrivere' (regular verb)  IoscrivoI write or I'm writing TuscriviYou write you're writingLui/LeiscriveHe/she writes or he/she is writingNoiscriviamoWe write or we are writingVoiscriveteYou all write or you're all writingLoroscrivonoThey write or they...

Sapere or Potere: Don’t mix them up again! 

Sapere or Potere: Don’t mix them up again! 

In Italian, 'potere' is more commonly used to express possibility or permission, but NOT skill or ability. To express the skill or ability to do something, the verb 'sapere' is used, which means 'to know how to.'  For example, 'so nuotare' translates to 'I can...

Italian Present Progressive 

Italian Present Progressive 

What's the Italian present progressive? The present progressive tense in Italian is used to describe actions occurring at the moment of speaking. For instance, "sto andando a lavoro" translates to "I am going to work" and indicates the action is happening as you...