In a previous lesson, and in Daniela's video lesson, we talked about aggettivi positivi, meaning those adjectives that end in o and change their endings according to gender and number. An example of this kind of adjective is grosso (big).
Mio padre è un uomo grosso (my father is a big man).
La casa di mia zia è grossa (my aunt's house is big).
Questi due alberi sono grossi (these two trees are big).
Quelle melanzane sono grosse (those eggplants are big).
If you've gotten the hang of positive adjectives, you might instinctively put an e ending on the adjective when you're talking about a feminine noun in the plural.
Quelle donne sono belle (those women are beautiful).
The other kind of adjective, called an aggettivo neutro, ends in e. In the singular, it stays the same, ending in e regardless of whether the noun it modifies is masculine or feminine.
E... mi ha reso una donna forte, una donna indipendente, autonoma.
And... she made me a strong woman, an independent woman, free.
Caption 69, Essere... madre
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If we put this sentence in the masculine the adjective stays the same:
Mi ha reso un uomo forte...
She made me a strong man...
But what about the plural? The adjective forte (strong) already ends in e, so what do we do? The answer is that in the plural, regardless of whether it's masculine or feminine, the e changes to an i.
This is easy in a way—only two different endings to think about instead of four—but it's not always so easy to remember, and may come less naturally. In the following example, maniera (way, manner) is a feminine noun. The plural article le helps us discover that. We form the plural of the noun by changing the a to e, and since the singular adjective ends in e, we change it to i in the plural. So far so good.
Però, oh, con voi ci vogliono le maniere forti,
But, oh, with you strong measures are needed,
sennò non capite.
otherwise you don't get it.
Caption 15, Ma che ci faccio qui! - Un film di Francesco Amato
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Attenzione però (and here's where the adjectives misbehave), because a feminine noun may also end in e. In this case, the plural of the noun ends in i, and a neutral adjective will also end in i. If you don't happen to know the gender of corrente (current) in the following example, the plural noun and plural adjective may lead you to believe that it's masculine.
L'incontro tra i due mari produce infatti forti correnti.
The meeting of the two seas produces, in fact, strong currents.
Caption 31, Linea Blu - Sicilia - Part 2
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Fortunately, in the next example, the speaker uses the article!
In questo tratto di mare
In this stretch of sea,
numerosi infatti erano gli affondamenti nel passato,
there were numerous shipwrecks in the past,
a causa delle forti correnti che si scontrano con violenza.
because of the strong currents that collide violently.
Captions 35-36, Linea Blu - Sicilia - Part 5
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Here, we've learned from the feminine plural ending of delle (of the), that corrente is a feminine noun, but who knew?
One more reason to learn the article along with the noun!
See these Yabla videos for more about nouns: their genders and their plurals.
Corso di italiano con Daniela: Articoli maschili plurale
Corso di italiano con Daniela: Articolo femminile plurale
Corso di italiano con Daniela: Articoli ed eccezioniMarika spiega: Genere maschile
Marika spiega: Genere femminile
Marika spiega: Il plurale
Before getting to il nocciolo (the kernel) of this lesson, let’s get a little background.
Dunque is primarily a conjunction similar to allora (in that case, at that time, so, well), quindi (therefore, so), and perciò (for this reason).
E dunque dovrei andare con il sette.
And so (therefore) I should go with the seven.
Caption 27, Daniela e Francesca - Briscola - Regole del gioco
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E dunque, per me essere madre vuol dire parecchio...
And well, for me being a mother means a lot...
Caption 18, Essere... - madre
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But to get to the point, the crux, the heart of this lesson: dunque is also used as a noun in the expressions venire al dunque (to come to the point), andare al dunque (to get to the point), and arrivare al dunque (to get to the point). It means getting to the reason for the conversation, or the real subject. It’s a good expression to know when the conversation is dragging on, or if you need a quick conclusion. In this episode of Commissario Manara, Luca is questioning someone and doesn’t want to waste time beating around the bush.
Le dispiace se andiamo subito al dunque?
Do you mind if we get right to the point?
Caption 6, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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Be careful how and when you use this expression, because it implies impatience. However, you can also use it to refer to yourself, when you want to be concise.
Vengo subito al dunque.
I’ll get right to the point.
Dunque stands for “the reason for this conversation or this meeting,” and is part of an idiomatic expression. When referring to the point itself, punto (point) does the trick just fine.
Però non è questo il punto, zia.
But that's not the point, Aunt.
Caption 63, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu
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Another alternative is nocciolo. Il nocciolo is the kernel or pit of a peach or other fruit. It’s the heart of the matter. Note that the accent is on the first syllable. If we put it on the second syllable it becomes a hazelnut tree!
Arriviamo al nocciolo della faccenda.
Let’s get to the heart of the matter.
Practice:
Try starting out your thoughts with an introductory allora (well, so), and then repeat the sentence using dunque, to get the feel of that. In this case, dunque becomes one of those words to use as a filler, when you’re thinking of what to say. See this lesson on using allora as a filler word. Then try using dunque in a sentence, where you might put the more common quindi (therefore, so). Do a Yabla search for some examples.
Pretend you’re in a meeting that’s getting out of hand. Learn some of the expressions above (using the verbs arrivare, andare, venire) so that they’re ready when you need them.
Just for fun:
Dunque, sarebbe meglio arrivare presto al dunque, perché siamo già andati fuori orario. Qual’è il nocciolo della questione, dunque?
Well, it would be better to get to the point soon, because we’ve already gone overtime. So, what’s the crux of the matter?
In Italian there are different ways of saying "I love you." Romantic love is expressed with the verb amare (to love). Ti amo (I love you) is what a person will use when he or she is quite serious about a romantic relationship. But to express the kind of amore (love) parents have for their children (and vice versa), as in the following example from a video on essere madre (being a mother, or "motherhood"), an important phrasal verb to go for is voler bene (to care about, to care for).
A mia madre invece vorrei dire...
To my mother, on the other hand, I'd like to say...
ti voglio bene! Un bacio!
I love you! A kiss!
Captions 30-40, Essere... - madre
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While English speakers may send love at the close of a letter to a friend or loved one, Italians will more likely send kisses and hugs, both in writing and verbally, as in the previous example. Here are some variations:
un bacio (a kiss)
un bacione (a big kiss)
baci (kisses)
un abbraccio (a hug, an embrace)
If you really like someone, but are not in love, or just not ready to say ti amo, then voler bene can be used to mean "to be very fond."
Look at the lesson I like it - Mi piace to integrate even more degrees of affetto (affection) using the verb piacere (to please) and the adjective simpatico (likeable, nice).
When falling in love, Italians have a reflexive verb all ready: innamorarsi (to become, or fall, in love). Once having fallen in love, a man is innamorato and a woman is innamorata. Note that the preposition is di (of), not con (with).
Avevo capito che, in tutti questi anni, è stata innamorata di lui.
I'd figured out that, for all these years, she'd been in love with him.
E per trent'anni gli ha dato del Lei, ma ti rendi conto?
And for thirty years she addressed him formally, can you imagine that?
Captions 5-6, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva
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Two people may be molto innamorati (very much in love) and refer to each other as his or her amoroso. The noun form stays in the masculine, although the adjective form (much less common) changes according to gender and number.
To sum up some of the words having to do with love:
nouns:
amore (love)
affetto (affection)
amoroso (beloved, sweetheart)
verbs:
amare (to love)
voler bene a (to really care for)
innamorarsi (to fall in love)
piacere (to please)
adjectives:
innamorato (in love)
affezionato (attached to, fond of)
simpatico (likeable)
amoroso (affectionate, amorous)
Learning suggestion:
Look around you at home and outside, and try to choose the word that best expresses your affetto (affection) for the people intorno a te (surrounding you).
Further reading:
Enjoy this lighthearted article about voler bene.
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