Italian Language Foundations
Italian Basics
They say you can’t build a great building on a weak foundation. I tell you can’t become a fluent Italian speaker on weak foundations. That’s why I am gathering on this page my best articles for beginners learners of Italian (the page is not under construction yet).
Some students are scared by grammar.
Instead, I say to my students that knowing a little grammar can be a fantastic shortcut to optimal Italian fluency.
Why memorize words, sentences, or even whole dialogues if you can learn one rule and apply it endless times?
That’s all it takes to become undefended and smart Italian language learners.
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...
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
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)
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
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
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
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!
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 Indirect Object Pronouns: A Simple Guide
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...
How to Say ‘How’ in Italian
1. Come The most frequent translation of 'how' in Italian, is come. 'Come' is used as an interrogative word in many common Italian questions, such as: Come stai?how are you?Come ti chiami?what is your name?Come ti senti?how do you feel?Come va?how are you?Come si dice...