In this lesson, we're going to look at two of the most common verbs in the Italian language: essere (to be) and avere (to have). They are both irregular verbs so they merit some special attention.
Here's how we conjugate essere (to be):
Io sono (I am)
Tu sei (you are)
Lei è (you are - polite form)
Lui è (he/it is)
Lei è (she/it is)
Noi siamo (we are)
Voi siete (you are plural)
Loro sono (they are)
And here is how to conjugate avere (to have):
Ho (I have)
Hai (you have)
Ha (he, she, it has)
Abbiamo (we have)
Avete (you [plural] have)
Hanno (they have)
And here's an example of how they sound, in the first person singular:
Ciao, io sono Anna e ho quasi trent'anni. -Ciao, io sono Marika e ho trentasei anni.
Hi, I'm Anna and I am almost thirty years old. -Hi, I'm Marika and I am thirty-six years old.
Captions 1-2, Amiche Anna e Marika raccontano...
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There are some things to notice right away. If we look at the translation, we see that when we talk about age, the Italian verb is avere (to have) but in English the verb is "to be." That's a quirk. In Italian, you have an age and in English, you are an age.
The second thing we might notice is that we see an h in the word ho, but we don't hear it. Yup, most of the time, the H is silent in Italian. It has an effect on other letters when following them, but at the beginning of a word, it's silent.
The third thing we notice is that Anna doesn't say io ho quasi trent' anni. Neither does Marika. That's because it's common and correct to leave out the personal pronoun because the conjugation of the verb already indicates who we're talking about. It's not always the case, but it is something to get used to and it happens with all verbs!
As you watch this video, you'll see that sometimes the personal pronoun is present, but it's often absent! Here's an example. Anna is clearly talking about Thomas, so she doesn't have to say lui è italiano. She can say è italiano.
Il mio fidanzato si chiama Thomas, ma è italiano.
My boyfriend's name is Thomas, but he's Italian.
Caption 20, Amiche Anna e Marika raccontano...
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They are still talking about Thomas, so Marika doesn't need the personal pronoun lui.
Ah, è proprio di Roma, alla fine.
Oh, he's really from Rome, in the end.
Caption 23, Amiche Anna e Marika raccontano...
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Here, Marika doesn't say the equivalent of "it." It's implied from the third-person singular conjugation of the verb essere (to be).
E quindi non è proprio la vacanza scelta da me,
And so, it's not a real holiday chosen by me,
Caption 12, Amiche Anna e Marika raccontano...
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Here's an example of the second person singular of essere (to be):
Mamma mia quanto sei bella.
Wow, you're so beautiful.
Caption 45, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 27
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Here's an example of the second-person singular of avere (to have):
Quanti anni hai? -Ventuno.
How old are you? -Twenty-one.
Caption 8, Amiche sulla spiaggia
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Here's an example of the second-person plural of essere:
Voi siete davvero un gruppo molto bello.
You are, really, a very nice group.
Caption 17, Anna e Marika Il verbo essere - Part 1
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And here's an example of the second-person plural of the verb avere:
...per riciclare al meglio la frutta che avete in casa
...to best recycle the fruit you have at home
Caption 92, Andromeda Marmellata anti spreco - Part 2
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Here's an example of the first-person plural of essere:
Non riesco ancora a crederci, siamo i primi al mondo!
I still can't believe it. We're the first in the world!
Caption 6, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 23
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And here's an example of the first person plural of avere:
Noi abbiamo amici da tutto il mondo.
We have friends from all over the world.
Caption 9, Adriano Matrimonio con Anita - Part 3
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And to finish, here's an example of the third-person plural of essere and avere:
Il flauto, il violino spesso... sono talmente acuti che vanno al di sopra del pentagramma.
The flute, the violin, often... are so high that they go above the staff.
Caption 33, A scuola di musica con Alessio - Part 3
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Molti di loro dormono con gli animali accanto al letto per riscaldarsi e non hanno neanche le scarpe per andare a lavorare, ma sorridono.
Many of them sleep with the animals next to the bed to warm up and they don't even have shoes to go to work, but they smile.
Captions 36-38, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 12
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Both essere and avere are used as helping verbs, so it's pretty important to learn them. Hope this lesson has helped!
Write to us with your questions. We answer!
The preposition di (of) is one of the most common simple prepositions. It's used to show possession, but also means, origin, manner, quantity. Take a look at the WordReference entry to get an idea.
The simple preposition di can be combined with an article to form what is called una preposizione articolata. In doing this, it is transformed a bit, so this is just something we need to learn. Marika has a video series about the prepositions, and begins with the common preposition di. In this lesson we will set out to put things in a visual context with a list of how di can combine with definite articles, and we'll give you some examples from Yabla videos, so you can hear them in context.
Here is how we combine the preposition di with the various definite articles (that all mean "the"): The main thing to notice is that the i in di is transformed in e.
di + il = del
di + lo = dello
di + l’ = dell’
di + la = della
di + i = dei
di + gli = degli
di + le = delle
Let's look at each combination in context:
It will usually precede a masculine noun or the adjective that describes it.
In tutte le città del mondo ci sono ristoranti italiani.
In all the cities of the world, there are Italian restaurants.
Caption 8, Adriano Pizzeria Pinocchio - Part 1
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In the following example, note that before the noun there is an adjective, famoso (famous) which also agrees with the masculine noun.
Pinocchio è il protagonista del famoso romanzo dell'autore Collodi:
Pinocchio is the main character of the famous novel by the author Collodi:
Caption 29, Adriano Pizzeria Pinocchio - Part 1
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Note that there is another example of dello in the title of the episode. Translated it would be: The shark's gold.
Chi ha aggiustato la porta dello spogliatoio?
Who fixed the door of the locker room?
Caption 30, La Ladra Ep. 3 - L'oro dello squalo - Part 13
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In the following example, even though we say il colore, not lo colore, we do use di plus the definite article lo and it becomes dello. This is because before the noun, we have the adjective stesso which begins with an s + the consonant t. So we need the definite article lo. Like when we say: È lo stesso (It's all the same). That's something to remember. Later in this lesson, we will look at a similar construction with a feminine noun.
E una bella borsa dello stesso colore.
And a nice handbag of the same color.
Caption 37, Corso di italiano con Daniela I colori - Part 3
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Le pulizie della casa, dell'appartamento si chiamano anche "faccende domestiche" oppure "pulizie casalinghe".
The cleaning of the house, of the apartment, is also called "housework" or "household cleaning."
Captions 32-33, Marika spiega Le pulizie di primavera - Part 1
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Sometimes this same construction turns out to be feminine! It's a truncated version of della, which we'll look at next.This can be a headache for learners:
Io mi occupo della contabilità dell'azienda.
I take care of the accounts of the business.
Caption 17, Il Commissario Manara S1EP11 - Beato tra le donne - Part 3
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La grande tragedia della guerra lascia memorie che non si cancellano.
The great tragedy of the war leaves memories that don't get erased.
Caption 43, L'arte della cucina Terre d'Acqua - Part 5
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Now let's move on to di plus a plural definite article.
Da quando in qua un uomo si deve occupare dei neonati?
Since when should a man have to take care of [the] newborns?
Caption 16, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 12
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Note that Italian uses the definite article, where in English, none is necessary. This is common and takes some effort in getting used to it.
In the next example, we have the combined preposition followed by the possessive pronoun miei (the plural masculine form of mio). Here too, the article is there (attached to di = dei ).
È una ricetta dei miei nonni che coltivavano le arance di Sicilia.
It's a recipe from my grandparents, who cultivated Sicilian oranges.
Caption 12, Adriano L'arancello di Marina
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Degli is hard to pronounce for lots of folks. Here, too, the definite article is included, while English leaves it out.
Pensate che il novanta percento degli italiani beve caffè quotidianamente.
Just think that ninety percent of Italians drink coffee on a daily basis.
Caption 7, Adriano Il caffè
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Sarà la forma delle note a stabilire qual è la durata dei suoni,
It's the shape of the notes that determines the duration of the sounds,
Caption 37, A scuola di musica con Alessio - Part 3
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If you look at the transcript of just about any video, you will be able to pick out several examples of these preposizioni articolate. Look for common phrases and start repeating them, getting them into your repertoire.
For other preposizioni articolate, check out:
Combining the preposition a with a definite article
Combining the preposition in with a definite article
Meanwhile, if you have any questions or doubts, write to us at newsletter@yabla.com
Via is such a short word, and yet, it has a lot of bite. The basic translation of the noun via is "way." Concretely, it can refer to a street, road, or path. A road is a way to get somewhere if we want to think of it that way. Even in English, "way" can be used to describe a road, if we think of "parkway," "subway," "pathway," or "Broadway."
Sì, perché siamo ovviamente a Roma, su via Ostiense, una via molto antica di Roma.
Yes, because obviously we're in Rome, on the via Ostiense, a very old Roman road.
Captions 17-18, Anna e Marika Trattoria Al Biondo Tevere - Part 1
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A handy expression to know that uses via to mean "way," is una via di mezzo (halfway between, midway between, a middle ground, a compromise):
Diciamo che, eh... non è un azzurro, ma non è neanche un blu scuro, però una via di mezzo.
Let's say, uh... it's not a light blue, but neither is it a dark blue, but it's halfway between.
Captions 35-36, Anna e Marika Un negozio di scarpe - Part 2
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Note: Via can mean "way," but "way" doesn't always translate as via. When "way" means "manner," we have other Italian words that more commonly do the job: il modo (the way) la maniera (the manner), il mezzo (the means). We've provided links to WordReference so you can see all the translations of these words, as in some cases, there are numerous ones.
If you go to the doctor or pharmacy you might ask about some medicine and how to take it. Per via orale is "by mouth," literally, "by way of mouth."
Via is also an adverb. The most common expression that comes to mind might be Vai via (go away)!
La volpe, allora, triste e sottomessa, andò via.
The fox, then, sad and subdued, went away.
Caption 23, Adriano Fiaba - Part 2
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We can also use via when we are saying someone is away.
È via per lavoro (she's away on business).
When we want to say "etc." or "and so on," or "and so forth," one way is to use via.
La nota successiva, che si troverà attraverso il quinto rigo, si chiamerà La. E così via.
The next note, which will be found across the fifth line, will be called A, and so on.
Captions 12-14, A scuola di musica con Alessio - Part 3
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You might also hear variations on this: e via discorrendo and e via dicendo that mean the same thing.
We can use via via to mean little by little, gradually:
Alla torre fu affiancato via via un castello in posizione ardita sulle rocce che dominano la valle del Rio Secco.
A castle in a daring position was gradually added to the tower on the rocks that dominate the Rio Secco Valley.
Captions 12-13, Meraviglie S2EP1 - Part 9
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We use via as the starting signal.
Meno tre, due, uno, via. Guardami! Perfetto!
Countdown, three, two, one, go. Look at me! Perfect!
Caption 53, Corso base di snowboard Snowboard
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And when we are talking about the start of something, we use the noun il via to mean "the start," "the lead-off."
Ti do il via (I'll give you the start-off).
We can also just say via to mean "let's go," "let's get going," or "you get going."
Operativi, occhio vivo, via!
On the job, eyes wide open, get going!
Caption 34, Il Commissario Manara S2EP4 - Miss Maremma - Part 5
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We use via vai to indicate comings and goings, when, for example, a place gets crowded with activity.
Ragazzi, da un po' di tempo a questa parte c'è un via vai, qui.
Guys, for a while now, there's been [plenty of] coming and going here.
Caption 28, Il Commissario Manara S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 17
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Via is used as un intercalare (a filler word), much as we say, "you know," "yeah," "come on," "well," or "OK" in the middle of a sentence. You'll hear this primarily in Tuscany and Lazio.
Quindi c'abbiamo, via, un parco cavalli tra i più eterogenei che ci sono a Roma.
So we have, you know, one of the most heterogeneous horse parks that there are in Rome.
Caption 62, Francesca Cavalli - Part 1
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C'è qualche problema? -Lascia stare, è il mio ragazzo! -Bastava dirlo! -Via, si beve qualcosa, eh.
Is there some problem? -Leave him alone, he's my boyfriend! -You could have said so! -Come on, let's have something to drink, huh?
Captions 23-25, Il Commissario Manara S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 13
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It's also a way of "that's it."
Una botta e via.
One blow and that's it.
Caption 17, Il Commissario Manara S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 2
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Via is often used to conclude a sentence or situation. It's not really translatable. It's another intercalare (filler word) and used primarily in Tuscany and Lazio.
Insomma, ci chiamiamo, via. -Sì.
In other words, we'll call each other, yeah. -Yes.
Caption 41, Il Commissario Manara S1EP12 - Le verità nascoste - Part 8
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And we also conclude this lesson about via. Via!
In this lesson, we'll take a look at a noun, a cognate in fact, that easy as it is to guess, can also create confusion sometimes, because it means a couple of different things. In English we distinguish among history, story, experience, and love affair. Italian relies on this one noun, la storia, to tell plenty of different stories!
We mention, for those interested, that in literature, we might also find istoria as a version of the word, and that la storia comes from the Greek "istoria" and the Latin "historia."
But let's talk about how people use la storia practically, in conversation. It's hard to get through a day without using this word in one way or another.
In the following example, it's clear we're talking about history.
Nella storia si sono usate le diverse chiavi per fare in modo
Historically, different clefs were used to make it so
che tutte le note si trovassero il più possibile dentro al pentagramma.
that all the notes would be, as much as possible, inside the staff.
Captions 18-19, A scuola di musica - con Alessio
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1) Can you say the same thing turning storia into an adverb, as in the translation?
Here, too, it's clear. It's also clear because storia is used with no article, and it's singular.
Io quando sono in questi posti pieni di storia,
When I'm in these places so full of history,
faccio dei pensieri profondi.
I have profound thoughts.
Captions 2-3, Amiche - Filosofie
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2) What if Anna (the speaker) was just talking about one specific place? What would she say?
Sometimes it's hard to know whether we're talking about history or stories, but it doesn't always matter. A translator has to make a choice, but the learner, reader, or listener doesn't. We're talking about past events, and if they are true, then we could also say, "history."
Voglio raccontarvi qualcosa di me,
I want to tell you something about myself,
della mia vita, della mia storia.
about my life, about my story.
Captions 13-14, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno
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When it comes to romance, there are different ways to talk about a relationship. The most common way, and this doesn't really have an equivalent in English, is with the noun storia. Of course we can say "love story" in English, (and we can say storia d'amore in Italian) but we don't so much these days, and it is usually an important relationship in one's life. In fact, translators can have a hard time finding the right word for translating storia. The following clip is from the story of an opera, so an old-fashioned word like "romance" seemed appropriate.
Abbiamo riso, abbiamo parlato.
We laughed, we talked.
Ci siamo ricordati tutti i momenti belli della nostra storia.
We remembered all the beautiful moments of our romance.
Captions 16-17, Anna presenta - La Bohème di Puccini
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Ho avuto anch'io una storia con una collega.
I also had a relationship with a colleague.
Caption 51, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP5 - Mondo sommerso
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In the previous example, we might have said "affair" instead of relationship, or possibly "fling." But not knowing the details, it's hard to know what the appropriate word might be.
In the next example, however, Luca Manara calls the relationship una relazione, another common term for a romantic relationship, close in meaning to storia, but una storia is often short-term with a beginning and an end, whereas una relazione can give the idea of something ongoing. But as we can see, here the two terms seem to be fairly equivalent.
Prima le bugie sul tuo trasferimento qua,
First, the lies about your getting transferred here,
poi sulla tua relazione con Raimondi.
then about your relationship with Raimondi.
-La mia storia con Fabrizio non ti riguarda.
-My relationship with Fabrizio doesn't concern you.
Captions 15-17, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP8 - Fuori servizio
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When a relationship is short or not very serious, we can use a suffix to modify the word storia.
Una storiella con un vigile urbano.
A fling with a traffic cop.
Caption 9, La Ladra - Ep. 3 - L'oro dello squalo
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We can also use storiella or even storia to mean "fib" or "lie."
We can always count on the Luca Manara TV series to give us great examples of everyday conversation. Something to memorize is what you see in boldface below: Cos'è questa storia?
Allora, Manara, che cos'è questa storia del contadino fratello del Conte?
So, Manara, what's this story about the farmer-brother of the Count's?
Caption 15, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva
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When you say it by itself, you can think: "What's going on?" "What is this?"
Storia can often just be translated with "thing." It's a word we use to cover a lot of ground: storia in Italian and "thing" in English.
Che c'hai?
What's the matter with you?
No, niente, 'sta [questa] storia di Lara che è nervosa per il matrimonio...
No, nothing. This thing with Lara who's anxious about the wedding...
Captions 2-3, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP1 - Matrimonio con delitto
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You will likely have noticed that questa is often shortened to 'sta.
Another expression to memorize, and this is used in English too, so it should be pretty straightforward.
Ne mangiasse almeno una di queste mele,
If he would only eat at least one of these apples,
tutti i giorni la stessa storia.
every day, it's the same story.
Captions 4-5, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso
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È sempre la stessa storia (It's always the same old story)!
Let's not forget that storia can just mean story as in telling a story, a fairy-tale, a fable, or reading a bed-time story.
La morale di questa storia ci dice che l'unione fa la forza.
The moral of this story tells us that unity is what gives strength [united we stand, divided we fall].
Caption 33, Adriano - Fiaba - Part 1
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As usual, there is more to this story than we have mentioned in this lesson. As Gualtiero Marchesi said at the end of his episodes about gastronomia (gourmet cooking and food in general):
Ah, ma questa è un'altra storia.
Ah, but that's another story.
Quella della prossima puntata.
The one in the next episode.
Captions 43-44, L'arte della cucina - Terre d'Acqua
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So stay tuned!
1) Storicamente si sono usate le diverse chiavi per fare in modo che tutte le note si trovassero il più possibile dentro al pentagramma.
2) Io quando sono in questo posto pieno di storia, faccio dei pensieri profondi.
The verb mancare (to miss, to be missing, to lack) is important to learn, to be able to tell someone you miss him or her, but mancare also has some other contexts, and learning these might help to understand this tricky verb.
In the following example, there's a piece of information we don't have. We're lacking something. It's absent.
Manca un'informazione importante.
An important piece of information is missing.
Caption 36, A scuola di musica - con Alessio
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Here's a typical thing to say at the dinner table:
Manca il sale nella pasta.
The pasta lacks salt [salt is lacking in the pasta].
Let's transpose this to talking about people. Let's say there's a meeting, but not everyone is there. Someone says:
Chi manca (who's missing)? Chi non c'è (who's not here)?
Manca Alice (Alice is missing). Non c'è Alice (Alice isn't here).
That has no sentimental value. Alice should be there and she's not. But when we add a personal pronoun, in this case, an indirect object pronoun like mi (to me), ti (to you), gli (to him), le (to her), ci (to us), vi (to you plural), a loro (to them), we make it about us, we make it personal. We personally feel the fact of that person's absence. That's how Italians miss someone.
Marika explains:
Un altro significato è "sentire la mancanza".
Another meaning is "to feel the absence."
Caption 18, Marika spiega - Il verbo mancare
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She uses mancare in this context:
"Mia sorella è appena partita e già mi manca!"
“My sister has just left and I already miss her!”
Caption 20, Marika spiega - Il verbo mancare
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In the following example, Luca Manara is feeling nostalgic about the past, and feels the absence of certain moments. Using the indirect object pronoun mi makes it about him, about how he feels.
Mi mancano quei momenti
I miss those times
in cui non conoscevo la risoluzione dei problemi
when I didn't know the answers to the questions
e tu mi passavi le risposte sotto al banco.
and you passed me the answers under the desk.
Captions 64-65, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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In a recent video lesson Marika gave us some important information about using the "impersonal" form of verbs. The form is called impersonale because, in effect, there is no mention of any person, nor is there a real subject.
The primary ingredients for cooking up the impersonale are:
si + the third person singular conjugation of a verb.
This si does not represent a person or subject, as Marika explains, but does, for the most part, behave like one, grammatically, and uses the third person.
Since English doesn’t have a true equivalent for this form, it can be tricky to grasp, because there are different ways to interpret or translate it.
The most immediate approach might be with “one,” a gender-neutral pronoun. It can be handy because like si, it operates in the third person singular. “One does this, one does that.”
Da questo semplice esempio, si capisce intuitivamente
From this simple example, one understands, intuitively,
come procedere nella lettura delle note.
how to proceed with reading the notes.
Captions 1-2, A scuola di musica - con Alessio
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This could have been translated using the second person singular:
From this simple example, you understand, intuitively, how to proceed with reading the notes.
As a matter of fact, the second person singular is another way to think of the impersonale, especially in an informal context. Note that in this case "you" is generic.
Ma è tutto buio!
But, it's all dark!
Non si vede nulla!
You can't see anything!
Captions 37-38, Acqua in bocca - Che caldo che fa!
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In some situations the impersonale corresponds to the third person plural (they) used generically, to mean “people” or “everyone”:
Si dice sempre che il cane
They always say that a dog
è il migliore amico dell'uomo ed è veramente così.
is man's best friend, and that's really the way it is.
Caption 34, Animali domestici - Oscar
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The passive voice corresponds well to the impersonale in many cases, especially in a formal context, in that it's already impersonal:
It is said that a dog is man's best friend, and that's really the way it is.
Here's another case where the passive voice helps make sense of the impersonale:
Si parla inglese in tanti paesi.
English is spoken in many countries.
Lastly, sometimes the impersonale corresponds best to the imperative, or command form, where the pronoun is absent:
Si prega di non fumare.
Please refrain from smoking.
This is not the whole story! We'll be back with more about verbs in the impersonal + plural objects, and verbs in the impersonal + reflexive verbs.
Practice:
Complete these sentences using the impersonal form of the verbs provided. Then try your hand at finding the English translation that sounds best to you (there may be more than one).
cominciare (to begin) ___________ alle undici.
guidare (to drive) A Londra ____________ a sinistra.
fumare (to smoke) Non ______________ a scuola.
scrivere (to write) Come ______________ il tuo nome?
andare (to go) Non ____________ a scuola la domenica.
fare (to do, to make) Come ____________ il risotto?
parlare (to speak) In Francia _____________ il francese.
dovere (to have to, should) Non ____________ sprecare l'acqua.
finire (to finish) Non ___________ mai di imparare.
Here's an example to get you started:
cantare (to sing) In un coro ___________ .
In un coro si canta. (In a choir you sing/In a choir one sings).
Answers will be provided in next week's lesson. (There will be a link when next lesson is online.)
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