Italian III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
Italian III Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
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41. Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense is also called the past descriptive tense
corresponds to was doing or used to do in English. The imperfect
is used to describe a continued or habitual action in the past, or to describe
an action that was occurring in the past, while something else happened. &Time,
age, weather conditions as well as mental and physical conditions are all expressed
in the imperfect rather than the passato prossimo tense.&
The imperfect in Italian has the same ending for all three verb groups. &It
is formed by dropping the -re of the infinitive and adding the following
Avere is regular in the imperfect, but essere, bere, dire and fare
are irregular. &The stem of essere becomes er- for io, tu, lui/lei
and loro, and it does not take the v, while the stem for noi and voi is era- and it does take the v. &The stems for bere, dire, fare, porre and tradurre are slightly irregular: beve-, dice-,
face-, pone-, and traduce-
but they take the regular endings of the imperfect.
essere - to be
bere - to drink
dire - to say / tell
fare - to do
porre - to put / place
tradurre - to translate
traducevamo
traducevate
traducevano
Avevo fame. &I was hungry.
Era tardi. &It was late.
Non diceva niente. &He wasn't saying anything.
Aspettavamo in fila. &We were waiting in line.
Prendevo sempre l'autobus. &I always take the bus.
42. To Be/Stay and to Give
stare - to be / stay
dare - to give
Past participle: stato
Past participle: dato
Stare means to be when used in progressive tense.
&If you use it with a present participle, it translates to something is
happening, not something happens as with the present indicative. & Stare
is also used in many health expressions.
Come stai? &How
are you? &
Sto bene. &I'm fine.
→ Stare per plus an infinitive means &to be about to& do
something. &
Stavo per uscire. &I was about to go out. &
per mangiare. &We're about to eat.
→ Dare un esame means to take an exam rather than
to give an exam.
43. Gerunds Gerunds are formed by dropping the ending of the infinitive, and
adding the following endings to the stem:
To express a progressive or continuous action, conjugate stare
and add the gerund. &Sto parlando italiano is I am speaking
Italian. &(As opposed to Parlo italiano I speak Italian.)
&There are only a few irregular gerunds: fare - facendo (doing), dare - dando
(giving), dire - dicendo (say/telling), bere - bevendo (drinking), porre - ponendo (putting, placing) and tradurre - traducendo (translating).
Che cosa stai facendo? What are you doing?
Dove stanno andando? Where are they going?
Stava dicendo la verità. He was telling the truth.
44. Places / Around Town
l'aeroporto
la biblioteca
il mercato
il ministero
la panetteria / il panificio
il monumento
la moschea
il granaio
il palazzo
la caserma
la panchina
path / way
il sentiero / il cammino
la farmacia
la libreria
l'edificio
police station / headquarters
il commissariato / la questura
la macelleria
post office
l'ufficio postale
il castello
la prigione
restaurant
il ristorante
il cimitero
il consolato
il marciapiede
la sinagoga
il cortile
il passaggio pedonale
la stazione
dry cleaner's
la tintoria
il negozio
l'ambasciata
la fabbrica
il sobborgo
la fattoria
supermarket
il supermercato
fire hydrant
la fontana
grocery store
la drogheria
town / city
l'ospedale (m)
il municipio
hostel (youth)
l'ostello della gioventù
traffic light
il semaforo
l'albergo (m)
university
l'università (f)
il villaggio
la capanna
zebra crossing
le strisce
Words denoting buildings in a city, as well as open spaces, do not
use the article after in.
Sono in ufficio, non in biblioteca. I'm in
the office, not in the library.
Non mi piace vivere in città. Preferisco vivre in campagna. I don't like living in the city. I prefer to live in the countryside.
45. Transportation & Vehicles
l'aeroplano
motorcycle
il motociclo
l'ambulanza
automobile
l'automobile (f)
pickup truck
la bicicletta
semi-truck
il camion con rimorchio
l'autobus (m)
la macchina
il traghetto
il carro attrezzi
fire engine
l'autopompa
il trattore
la monovolume
il rimorchio
il motorino
To say by bus, car, etc., replace the article with in.
46. To Want, to Be Able to, to Have to
volere - to want
potere - to be able to, can
dovere - to&have to, must
Past participle: voluto
Past participle: potuto
Past participle: dovuto
In the passato prossimo, these three verbs can use either avere or essere as the auxiliary verb, depending on what auxiliary the main verb in the sentence takes.
Abbiamo potuto parlare. We could/were able to talk.
Sono dovuto partire presto. I had to leave early.
Lucy è voluta venire con noi. Lucy wanted to come with us.
Use of these verbs in the passato prossimo indicates that it is certain that the action did happen, whereas in the imperfect the result of the action remains unclear and uncertain.
47. Asking Questions
Yes / No Questions:
→ The easiest way to ask a question is to simply add a question mark to the
end of the statement and using rising intonation.
Hai molto tempo libero? Do you have a lot of free time?
→ Add non & vero? / è vero? / vero? or simply no?
to the end of the statement. This
literally translates as it is not true, and can have several meanings
in English, such as isn't it/he/she, aren't you/they, doesn't it/he/she, don't
you/they, etc.
Sei una studentessa, non & vero? You're a student,
aren't you?
→ If using a subject pronoun (or name), put it at the end or after the verb.
Viene a casa Marco? Is Marco coming home?
Mangia la pizza il ragazzo? Is
the boy eating the pizza?
Wh- Questions:
→ Interrogatives are followed by the verb. Remember that quale agrees in gender and number with the noun it precedes.
Quando vai in vacanza? When are you going on vacation?
Di chi è questo libro? Whose book is this?
Che cosa fai oggi? What are you doing today?
48. House & Furniture
alarm clock
la sveglia
la poltrona
il portacenere
iron (flat)
il ferro da stiro
la soffitta
il petrolio
il balcone
il sottosuolo
la lampada
la vasca da bagno
light bulb
la lampadina
living room
il soggiorno
la serratura
bell (door)
il campanello
la cassetta postale
la coperta
i fiammiferi
la persiana
il materasso
la libreria
microwave oven
il forno microonde
la scatola
lo specchio
il fornello
il secchio
la dispensa
la telecamera
la macchina fotografica
il cuscino
la candela
il tappeto
pipe (water)
il condotto
la cassetta
poker (fireplace)
l'attizzatoio
il lettore CD
il soffitto
refrigerator
il frigorifero
la sigaretta
il tappeto
l'orologio
il lenzuolo
lo scaffale
coffee table
il tavolino
compact disc
il compact disc
il computer
la credenza
sink (bathroom)
il lavandino
sitting room
il salotto
il cuscino
la scrivania
dining room
la sala da pranzo
lo scalino
il cassetto
storage room
il ripostiglio
il com& / il cassettone
storey / floor
il viale d'accesso
DVD player
il lettore DVD
lo steccato
l'interruttore
il rullino
tap (faucet)
il rubinetto
il telefono
flashlight
la pila tascabile
television
il televisore
flat / apartment
l'appartamento
il tostapane
il pavimento
toilet (WC)
il gabinetto
floor (levels)
l'asciugamano (m)
vacuum cleaner
l'aspiratore (m)
il congelatore
front walk
la passeggiata
il videoregistratore
wall (house)
wall (room)
il giardino
wastebasket
il cestino
ground floor
il pianterreno
la finestra
il caminetto
il giardino
Although in is one of the prepositions that forms contractions with
articles, the article is not used with
in a house.
Dormiamo in camera e mangiamo in sala da pranzo. We sleep
in the bedroom and we eat in the dining room.
49. Comparative and Superlative
Comparisons are expressed as follows:
pi&... di / che
meno... di / che
cos&... come
tanto... quanto
more... than
less... than
Pi& and meno can be used with di or che. &Di is used when comparing
two different things, while che is used when the comparison is between two
qualities of the same thing.
Le ciliegie sono pi& buone delle fragole. &Cherries are
better than strawberries.
La mela & pi& verde che rossa. &The apple is more
green than red.
Franco & cos& alto come me. &Frank is as tall as
→ The Relative Superlative compares two or more things and expresses
the greatest or the least degree. &It is formed by placing the article
before the comparative form of the adjective, or in front of the noun. &And
instead of the preposition in, di (and its contractions), is always used
with the superlative.
Le mele sono la frutta meno costosa del mondo. &Apples are the
least expensive fruit in the world.
L'oro & il pi& prezioso dei metalli. &Gold is the
most precious metal.
Questo & il palazzo pi& alto di Napoli. &This is
the tallest building in Naples.
→ The Absolute Superlative expresses an extreme degree or absolute state
of something without comparison. &This can be expressed in several ways
in Italian.
Drop the last vowel of the adjective and add -issimo, -issima, -issimi, or
Le fragole sono dolcissime. &Strawberries are very sweet.
Place the words molto, troppo, or assai before the adjective.
Questa arancia & molto buona. &This orange is very good.
Repeat the adjective or adverb.
Lei parla piano piano. &She speaks very softly.
50. Irregular Forms
Some adverbs have irregular comparative, relative superlative, and absolute
superlative forms. &The most common are:
Comparative
Relative Superlative
Absolute Superlative
(il) meglio
(il) peggio
(the) best
(the) worst
(the) most
(the) least
moltissimo
pochissimo
very badly
very little
51. Clothing & Toiletries
il grembiule
il fermaglio
l'accappatoio
la pantofola
la cintura
la camicetta
il calzino
bomber jacket
il giubbotto
lo stivale
l'abito / il vestito
il reggiseno
sunglasses
gli occhiali da sole
il braccialetto
suspenders
le bretelle
la spazzola per capelli
il maglione
sweatshirt
il bottone
il costume da bagno
il berretto
la cravatta
il cappotto
la maglietta
il colletto
il pettine
l'ombrello
contact lens
le lenti a contatto
underpants
le mutande
underwear / panties (women)
le mutandine
il vestito
il panciotto
il paraorecchie
l'orologio
l'orecchino
toothbrush
lo spazzolino
gli occhiali
toothpaste
il dentifricio
il rossetto
handkerchief
il fazzoletto
nail polish
lo smalto per unghie
il cappello
nail polish remover
l'acetone (m)
il mascara
il guanto a
lo spazzolino per unghie
la collana
l'ombretto
foundation
il fondotinta
la camicia da notte
la lozione
il corredo
lo shampoo
il soprabito
conditioner
il balsamo
il pigiama
shaving cream
la crema da barba
i pantaloni
le pinzette
nail clippers
le forbicine
la borsetta
l'impermeabile
il filo interdentale
curling iron
il ferro arricciacapelli
straightening iron
la piastra stiracapelli
la sciarpa
l'asciugacapelli
la polvere
il profumo
la colonia
i pantaloncini
suntan lotion
la crema solare
Portare means to wear, but it also means
to bring. You can
use indossare or the reflexive verb mettersi for to wear / put on
52. To Wear
mettersi - to wear, put on (clothing)
ci mettiamo
vi mettete
si mettono
Past participle: si & messo
You don't use possessive pronouns when referring
to parts of the body or clothing, but you do use the definite article.
Mi metto la maglia. I'm wearing my sweater.&
53. Future Tense
The future of regular verbs is formed by dropping the final -e of the infinitive
and adding the following endings. &For -are verbs, the a is changed
Verbs ending in -care and -gare add an h after the c and g in the in order
to retain the hard sounds. &Verbs ending in -ciare and -giare drop the
i from their stems in the future.
Many verbs use irregular stems in the future tense, but they still use the
regular endings from above:
to remain, stay
to be, stay
to put, place
to translate
to draw, pull
to have to, must
to explain
to be able to, can
to know (facts)
to look for
dimenticare
dimenticher-
to live (be alive)
cominciare
→ The future tense is commonly used after quando (when), appena (as soon as), dopo che (after),
and se (if) even though the present tense is often used in English. In
to expressing the future, this tense in Italian can also express
but in English, the words probably, can or must are
Non vedo Maria da molto tempo. Dove sar&? I haven't seen Maria
in a long time. Where could she be?
Sar& ammalata o in vacanza. She must be sick or on vacation.
→ Notice that Italian uses the future tense after se in hypothetical statements, whereas in English the present tense is used.
Se domani farà bel tempo, andrò in spiaggia. If the weather is good tomorrow, I'll go to the beach.
→ The future perfect (futuro composto) is formed with the future of avere or
essere plus a past
participle. The translation in English is will have
+ past participle. It must be used when there are two actions in the future that do not happen at the same time.
Alle sei, avremo gi& mangiato. By six, we will have eaten already.
Farà un viaggio dopo che avrà superato gli esami. He will go on a trip after he will have passed his exams.
54. Preceding Adjectives
Only a few adjectives go before the noun, the rest are placed right after
it. &Bello - beautiful, buono - good, grande - large, and brutto - ugly
are the most common preceding adjectives, even though they don't have
to go before the noun. &Bello and buono have alternate forms when they
precede a noun.
Buono e Bello
z, s + consonant
vowel or consonant
z, s + consonant
If they go after the noun, then they can be formed in the usual
way. &The above forms are only for when they go before the
noun. &Be aware that grande can have alternate forms before nouns
too. &Grande can become gran before masculine or feminine
nouns beginning with a consonant. &Or it could contract to grand'
before masculine or feminine nouns beginning with a vowel. &But you
do not have to use the alternate forms, whether or not you place the adjective
before or after the noun.
55. &Adjectives: Feminine and Plural
Masculine to Feminine and Singular to Plural
Some adjectives have two forms, others have four. &Francese (french) has two: francese and francesi. &Nuovo (new)
has four: nuovo, nuova, nuovi, and nuove.
56. More Adjectives
unpleasant
antipatico
arrabbiato
complicated
complicato
big / large
interesting
interessante
disappointed
entertaining
divertente
short (length)
intelligent
intelligente
enthusiastic
entusiasto
mistaken / wrong
expensive / dear
unfashionable
inelegante
economical/cheap
good, able
old/ancient
skinny / thin
preoccupato
grosso / grasso
(un)satisfied
(in)soddisfatto
alone / lonely
short (height)
narrow / tight
gentle / kind
(in)sensitive
(in)sensibile
wide / baggy
(in)felice
scuro / bruno
vivacious / bright
light (color)
luminoso / chiaro
light (weight)
(un)comfortable
(in)comodo
heavy / thick
ready / quick
Pronto also means hello when answering the telephone.
57. adverbs
Most adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine
singular form of the adjective. &Adjectives ending in -le or -re
drop the final -e before adding -mente, if the l or r is preceded by a
Adjective (feminine form)
recentemente
comodamente
finalmente
regolarmente
comfortably
Note that the adverbial form of buono (good) is bene (well), and cattivo (bad) is male (badly).
The adverb sempre (always) usually follows the verb. &Anche
(also, too) always precedes the noun, pronoun or infinitive to which it
refers. &When it precedes io, it becomes anch'.
Noi studiamo sempre. &We always study.
Vuole anche questo libro. &He wants that book, too.
Anch'io devo studiare. &I have to study too.
58. Sports & Instruments
l'atletica
il fagotto
il baseball
basketball
la pallacanestro
il violoncello
il bowling
il clarinetto
il pugilato
l'automobilismo
double bass
il contrabbasso
il ciclismo
il tamburo
il foot-ball americano
English horn
il corno inglese
gymnastics
la ginnastica
French horn
la pallamano
la chitarra
horse-riding
l'equitazione
ice-skating
il pattino
il jogging
il piffero
il sassofono
tambourine
il tamburino
il calcio / il pallone
il triangolo
il trombone
il ping-pong
volleyball
la pallavolo
il violino
lo sci d'acqua
lo xilofono
59. To Play
Giocare-to play
joh-kee-ah-moh
joh-kah-teh
joh-kahn-oh
Past participle: giocato
Most sports use giocare a (sport)
without the prepositional contractions to mean to play a sport. &
a pallacanestro. They play basketball.
Mi piace giocare a calcio. I like to play soccer.
Che cosa fai nel tempo libero? What do you do in your free time?
Di solito faccio sport. Usually I play sports.
60. Nature & Geography
l'aria (f)
la pioggia
archipelago
l'arcipelago (m)
l'arcobaleno (m)
lo scoglio
la spiaggia
il bocciolo
l'arbusto (m)
il capo / il promontorio
la caverna
il terreno
spring (water)
la sorgente
la nube / nuvola
il temporale
constellation
la costellazione
lo stretto
il ruscello
country(side)
la campagna
la corrente
il narciso
il girasole
la margherita
il disgelo
l'oscurità (f)
il deserto
il turbine
la rugiada
la polvere
il tulipano
fresh water
l'acqua dolce
la schiuma
salt water
l'acqua salata
watering can
l'annaffiatoio
il fogliame
la cascata
il bosco / la foresta
l'onda (f)
l'erba (f)
l'ovest (m)
la grandine
l'alta marea
North Pole
il Polo Nord
la collina
South Pole
il Polo Sud
il ghiaccio
Northern Hemisphere
l'emisfero settentrionale
I'isola (f)
Soutern Hemisphere
l'emisfero meridionale
l'istmo (m)
Arctic Circle
il circolo polare artico
la giungla
l'equatore (m)
Arctic Ocean
l'Oceano Artico
Atlantic Ocean
l'Oceano Atlantico
Pacific Ocean
l'Oceano Pacifico
il fulmine / lampo
Indian Ocean
l'Oceano Indiano
Caribbean Sea
il Mar dei Caraibi
la bassa marea
Mediterranean Sea
il Mar Mediterraneo
il Mare del Nord
il Mar Rosso
la montagna
il Mar Nero
mountain range
la catena montuosa
mouth (river)
l'imboccatura
la penisola
il piano / la pianura
il pianeta
pot (for plants)
il vaso da fiori
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