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20 Short Stories in Italian for Beginner and Intermediate Levels
20 Short Stories and Easy Readers To Take Your Italian To The Next Level (for Beginners and Intermediate Learners)
The Italian Prepositions Explained
The Italian Prepositions Explained What’s a preposition in Italian? I like to describe prepositions as the glue that holds words together in a sentence. A preposition is a small word that connects different parts of a sentence and affects the meaning of a noun, adjective, or verb. Common prepositions in English include “in,” “at,” “by,” […]
Writing Formal or Informal Emails for your Italian Citizenship Exam
Writing a Formal or Informal Email for your Italian Citizenship Exam If you’re preparing for your Italian Citizenship exam, you know that one of the writing prompts for the writing portion includes writing a formal or informal email. First and foremost, it’s important to determine the appropriate register for your email because Italian distinguishes between […]
L’Ingrediente Segreto (intermedio)
Free bite-sized short stories for beginners and intermediate Italian learners L’Ingrediente Segreto [download here] – March 2023
What’s the Meaning of “Ce l’ho” and How to Use It
The mysterious combination of the pronoun ci and the verb avere Everybody agrees that the pronoun ci is, probably, one of the most mysterious words in Italian, and thus, I thought it would be great to dive, in this post, into the use of ci when used in conjugation with the verb avere: this is […]
Più, di più, in più, non…più: The Difference and How to Use Them
Più, di più, in più, non…più: The Difference and How to Use Them What does più mean in italian? Più it’s a common italian words meaning “more” What drives my students crazy is when it’s appropriate to use “più” and when “di più” or “in più”. They all mean “more”, but they’re used in different […]
Far fare? Fammi vedere! – Three Different Uses of “Fare” with the Infinitive Verb
Far fare? Fammi vedere! – Three Different Uses of “Fare” with the Infinitive Verb 1. The “fare” causativo Are you struggling to understand the construction of the Italian language that uses “fare” and infinitives? Don’t worry, it can be a bit confusing at first, but with some practice, you can easily learn to recognize and […]
Italian Pronominal Verbs (Verbi Pronominali): 9 Must-Know Rules
The Ultimate Guide to Italian Pronominal Verbs (Verbi Pronominali): 9 Must-Know Rules 1. What ‘s a pronominal verb in Italian? A pronominal verb is a type of verb in which a pronoun is used as an integral part of the verb. In Italian, a pronominal verb is a combination of a basic verb and one or more […]
Italian Phrases and Words to Use At Restaurant
Italian Phrases and Words to Use at a Restaurant in Italy On this page, you will find a list of sentences that will make your life easier when you’re at a restaurant in Italy. Before going through the list, you might also want to know that it is customary to be seated or make a […]
The Difference between: Bene, Bravo, Bello and Buono
The Difference between: Bene, Bravo, Bello and Buono In a nutshell… Bene is an adverb and is used only after verbs – Paolo parla inglese bene (Paolo speaks English well). Bravo is used just with people and means “skilled, talented, good at” – Paolo è molto bravo a lavoro (Paolo is very good at his job). Buono refers to the interior qualities of […]
What does “ti va” mean in Italian?
What does “ti va” mean in Italian? In Italian, “ti va” is a colloquial expression that can be translated to English as “do you want?” or “do you feel like?” It is used to ask someone if they are interested in doing something or if they would like to participate in some activity. For example: […]
How To Tell The Time In Italian (+ exercises)
How to Say the Time in Italian First, the word “time” has two primary translations in Italian: tempo and ora. Tempo denotes the abstract idea of time (Il tempo vola = time flies) Ora is instead the the, by the clock (che ore sono? = what times is it?) How to Say “What Time Is It?” When you want […]
Italian Short Stories for Intermediate Learners
8 Easy Readers in Italian for Intermediate Learners (A2-B1) If reading in Italian has become too much for you, you may not have been using the right content and should think about changing it. There are countless ways to learn new vocabulary and grammar at an intermediate level of Italian, but the most important thing you […]
Vocabulary and phrases to rent an apartment in Italy
Vocabulary and phrases to rent an apartment in Italy Renting an apartment in Italy can be challenging, particularly in popular tourist destinations such as Roma, Palermo, and Firenze, where short-term rentals have become popular. Everything is possible in Italy with a little patience and a lot of Italian. This post is the result of my […]
MAGARI and FORSE: the difference explained
Magari vs. Forse: The Difference Explained If you ended up here, you wonder whether there is any difference between the words “magari” and “forse”. Well, there is a subtle but significant one. First of all, to understand the difference between magari and forse, we need to examine the various meanings of the Italian adverb magari. […]
The 21 Most Popular Italian Sayings About Life and Their Meanings
25 Most Popular Italian Sayings About Life and Their Meanings Learning sayings in Italian may not only help you with your learning but also give you an insight into the culture of Italy. There are many Italian sayings that are used in everyday life; Most Italian proverbs have clear cultural or regional boundaries, making them […]
Italian Phrases for Saying You’re Sick
Italian Phrases for Saying You’re Sick Whether you got Covid (hopefully not) or the seasonal flu (influenza stagionale), these phrases will help you describe your symptoms or ask about someone’s health conditions. How to say you’re sick Sono malato (malato = adj.) – I’m sick Mi sono ammalato (ammalarsi = verb) – I got sick […]
The verb MANCARE explained
The verb MANCARE explained If you want to say “I miss” in Italian, you should say “mi manca” and not “manco”. Why so? What does the “mi” in front stand for? The verb “mancare” The mi is an indirect pronoun and it’s used because mancare doesn’t follow a regular conjugation pattern, but it has the […]
The 3 ways of saying TIME in Italian – ORA/TEMPO/VOLTA
The difference between “ora”, “tempo” and “volta” Ora, tempo, volta all express, in different ways, the idea of time in English. However, they can’t be used interchangeably and there’s a stark difference between all of them. So, what’s the difference between these three words? When ORA means time Ora (or ore, in the plural form ) is […]