HO DOVUTO vs DOVEVO
HO DOVUTO vs DOVEVO Dover and other verbs whose meaning changes between the imperfetto and passato prossimo If you ended up on this page, it’s because you wonder if there is any difference between the use of ho dovuto and dovere or ho voluto and volevo, sapevo or ho saputo. There is. There is a […]
How to use in Italia ECCO e CIOÈ
How to use ECCO and CIOÈ in Italian Ecco and cioè are Italian filler words that Italians use all the time. Both ecco and cioè are considered Italian filler words. A filler word is a word with no specific meaning that people use in sentences when they speak informally, for mainly two reasons: buying time or giving additional information about what they are saying […]
how to use servire in Italian
HOW TO USE THE VERB SERVIRE First, let’s focus on the meaning and use of servire and how it differs from the other verbs expressing need, like dovere or avere bisogno. Servire means to need something. You ought to use servire with a noun (a thing or a person) and never a verb (an action). When […]
Fermare and smettere: what’s the difference?
The difference between FERMARE and SMETTERE Misusing or swapping the verbs fermare and smettere is one of the most frequent errors students of Italian as a second language do, and I understand why. The confusion is drove by the fact that both verbs, in English, have only one translation: stopping. Instead, Italian has two different verbs to indicate the action […]
Trovare and trovarsi: find the differences
Trovare and trovarsi: find the differences Whether you have just started your Italian learning journey or you are already a fluent Italian speaker. The moment you land in Italy, you will surely hear the Italian verb “trovare” in an array of different meanings and expressions. Let’s un unravel the mystery about this particular verb. #1 […]
How to master the Italian particles CI and NE
How to master the Italian particles CI and NE Have you learned Italian for a while? Then, I am sure you have been faced with the quirky usage of the Italian particles CI and NE (aka particelle pronominali in Italian). And have been wondering dozens of times how to use ci and how to use ng ne. Maybe you […]
HOW TO USE PIACERE IN ITALIAN
HOW TO USE THE VERB PIACERE IN ITALIAN Mi piace or non piace are some of those phrases that 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 As you might already have noticed, piacere (and a few other verbs […]
The imperative mood explained
The imperative mood explained The imperative form, in Italian, is used to: give orders give exhortations advice or invite someone to do something. It is a rather regular mood, with just a few irregular exceptions. Besides, what makes the imperative very easy, is that, it exists just in the present tense and the first and […]
