We have talked about the prepositions in and a separately in previous lessons. Let's finally talk about when to use the preposition in and when to use a when referring to places like cities, countries, continents, regions, etc. This is tricky for lots of us, and it's easy to make mistakes.
If you are subscribed to Yabla, you will want to check out these two lessons on this topic:
We generally use the preposition a (to, at) with names of cities and minor islands.
Bologna is a city, so we use a.
Perché è partito da Roma ed è arrivato qui a Bologna.
Because it left from Rome and it arrived here in Bologna.
Caption 17, Marika spiega - I verbi venire e andare
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Per esempio: quando vai a Bologna?
For example: "When are you going to Bologna?"
Caption 26, Marika spiega - La particella CI
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In Toscana, come in altre regioni d'Italia,
In Tuscany, as in other regions of Italy,
molte famiglie hanno degli ulivi di loro proprietà.
many families have olive trees of their own.
Captions 1-2, L'olio extravergine di oliva - Il frantoio
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Valdobbiadene è in Veneto.
Valdobbiadene is in the Veneto region.
Caption 13, Corso di italiano con Daniela - L'aperitivo
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Africa is a continent, so we use in
.
Vorrei tanto andare in Africa.
I would very much like to go to Africa.
Caption 6, Marika spiega- Le preposizioni di luogo
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Canada is a country, so we use in.
Nicole Kidman è venuta una volta a provare,
Nicole Kidman came once for a fitting,
poi altre due volte siamo andati noi in Canada.
then we went two more times to Canada.
Captions 31-32, That's Italy - Episode 2 - Part 4
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Sometimes a city and a state or country will have the same name, so it can get confusing.
La città di New York è nello stato di New York (New York City is in New York State).
So If I am planning to go on vacation to visit New York City, I might say:
Vado a New York per le vacanze di Natale (I'm going to New York for the Christmas vacation).
In Italian it's clear that I mean the city because I am using a as a preposition, but in English, we have to guess, or specify. New York, in this case, is a city. But New York is also a state. Since it's easy to get confused, Americans will usually specify if they're not talking about the city, and will say New York State. If we translate that into Italian, it will be lo Stato di New York.
Buffalo è in New York (Buffalo is in New York State).
L'empire state building è a New York [City] (The Empire State Building is in New York [City]).
Someone who has family on Long Island will still say New York as if it were the city. The airport is certainly in the city, at least officially. And incidentally, Long Island is a relatively small island, so we would say:
Ho vissuto a Long Island per sedici anni (I lived on Long Island for sixteen years).
Sei mai stato a Parigi (Have you ever been to Paris)?
Sei mai stata in Francia (Have you ever been to France)?
Vivo a Vienna (I live in Vienna).
Un mio cugino è appena andato in Giappone (A cousin of mine just went to Japan) ma non andrà a Tokyo (but he isn't going to Tokyo).
Quasi quasi mi trasferisco in Nuova Zelanda (I might just move to New Zealand).
Da dieci anni vivo a Como, in Lombardia​ (I've been living in Como, in Lombardy, for ten years).
Arianna ha studiato in Inghilterra per qualche anno (Arianna studied in England for a couple of years).
Since the United States is a coveted destination for Italian tourists, at least in normal times, it's important to know how to refer to that country in Italian, and what prepositions to use.
When we say the name of this country, we include the article "the." The United States of America. So when we use the proper Italian preposition (in since we are talking about a nation), we have to modify it to include the definite article:
Vado negli Stati Uniti [d'America]. (I'm going to the United States [of America]).
The d'America part is usually left out in both Italian and English, and to make it even easier, Italians also often just say America to mean the United States.
Vado in America per le vacanze (I'm going to America for the vacation).
Some Italians use USA as a word and pronounce it as they see it. For example, here is a headline from Google. It may or may not be correct, but you will hear it said plenty of times:
Come trovare un lavoro negli USA (How to find work in the USA)?
Remember that in contrast to English where "in," "to," and "at" are entirely different, Italian uses the same preposition (be it a or in) to mean any or all of these.
Please let us know what cities, countries or other places you are confused about when using Italian prepositions, and we will answer as soon as we can.
This week, Anna and Marika finish explaining how to make pesto, the delicious Ligurian pasta specialty.
In part 1, they talked about why pesto is called pesto.
Pesto vuol dire che è stato pestato.
"Pesto" means that it has been crushed.
Caption 68, L'Italia a tavola - Il pesto genovese
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The cooks also use two other verbs that have to do with breaking something down into smaller pieces. Let's look at each of these three words to see when we use them, and what the differences are among them.
Let's start with the word that gives its name to the dish. Pestare is the verb: to crush, to mash, to pound. We carry out this action when tenderizing meat, or when stepping on someone's toes.
Oh, scusami, t'ho pestato il piede.
Oh, sorry, I stepped on your foot.
Pestare is the action someone or something carries out in order to crush something. Except for when it's someone's toes, we might think of a repeated action, such as in making pesto the old-fashioned way. Just keep pounding to break the material down little by little.
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A relative of pestare is calpestare (to tromp on, to trample, to step on), specific to using one's feet. You might see a sign that says:
Non calpestare l'erba
Do not walk on the grass.
In some cities, you really have to look where you put your feet
E... camminando camminando, ciak! Che cosa ti vado a calpestare? Un escremento canino! Bleah! -Una cacca bella fresca fumante!
And... walking along, splat! What do I go and step on? Canine excrement! Yuck! -Nice fresh steaming poop!
Captions 31-34, Francesca e Marika - Gestualità
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Here we might think of the action more than the recipient of the action.
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Schiacciare also means to crush, to smash, or to mash, and here we can visualize the thing we are crushing being crushed.
The classic example is lo sciaccianoce. The nutcracker. One rather violent move, and the thing is cracked or crushed.
You crush a clove of garlic. Lo schiacci. It's less rewarding when it's your finger being crushed.
Mi sono schiacciato il dito nella porta. Aia!
I smashed my finger in the door. Ouch!
Think of something being flattened by a heavy weight.
We can also use schiacciare when pressing a button on a machine.
Schiaccia il bottone rosso per fermarlo (press down on the red button to stop it).
Schiacciare is used figuratively, too.
Allora, signora, suo marito ha una personalità dominante che schiaccia la sua da anni.
So, ma'am, your husband has a dominating personality which has been crushing yours for years.
Captions 4-5, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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Lastly, we have frantumare. Here, we can visualize a mirror breaking and shattering into pieces or frantumi (fragments, smithereens).
In making olive oil, grindstones crush the olives with their pits.
L'oliva viene frantumata intera.
The olive gets crushed whole.
Caption 23, L'olio extravergine di oliva - Il frantoio
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Anna and Marika use all three of these verbs in their videos about pesto, so check them out! As you replicate the recipe, try using them yourself!
Ora sto pestando questi pinoli (now I am pounding these pine nuts).
Devo fare attenzione a non pestare anche le dita (I have to be careful not to pound my fingers, as well).
Forse sono sufficientemente frantumati (maybe they're fragmented enough).
Se faccio cadere il piatto per terra, si frantumerà! È di porcellana (if I drop this plate on the floor, it will break into pieces. It's porcelain).
L'aglio lo posso schiacciare con un batticarne (I can smash the garlic with a meat mallet).
Devo stare attento a non schiacciarmi le dita (I have to be careful not to crush my fingers).
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Direct object nouns and pronouns are used with transitive verbs, meaning that the verb and the object have a direct relationship—no prepositions are involved. Here’s an example:
I carry the ball. The object “ball” is acted on directly by the verb “to carry.”
Once we know what object we are referring to, we can replace the noun with a pronoun:
I carry it.
If I have more than one ball, I use the plural:
I carry the balls.
I carry them.
That’s what direct object pronouns are all about. In Italian we have to form the pronouns not only according to their number, but also according to their gender.
In this lesson we cover the feminine direct object pronouns in both the singular and the plural. For the masculine pronouns, see this Yabla lesson as well as the video Corso di italiano con Daniela - Pronomi oggetto diretto - Part 1.
As Daniela mentions in part 2 of her lesson on direct object pronouns, the feminine direct object pronouns are easier than the masculine ones, because the pronoun is the same as the article in both the singular (la) and the plural (le), respectively.
To distinguish between la the article and la the pronoun, just remember that a direct object pronoun will come before a conjugated verb, and an article will come before a noun or adjective. The following example contains both the article and the pronoun la.
La pasta fresca mi piace talmente tanto, che la mangio anche cruda.
I like fresh pasta so much, that I eat it raw, too.
Caption 9, Anna e Marika - La pasta fresca
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In the example below, we have both a feminine noun in the plural (le lettere) and its relative direct object pronoun (le). Note that in the second half of the sentence, potere (to be able to) is the conjugated modal verb*, which is followed by the verb scambiare (to exchange) in the infinitive.
Non aveva le lettere e non le poteva scambiare con nessuno.
He didn't have the letters and he couldn't exchange them with anyone.
Caption 8, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi
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Pronouns are often attached to verbs, especially when we have a conjugated modal verb*. In the example below, bisogna, an impersonal verb functioning like devi (you must), or è necessario (it’s necessary) bumps the verb portare (to take) into its infinitive form. The final e of the infinitive is then dropped, making room for the pronoun le (them) to be attached to it.
Una volta raccolte le olive,
Once the olives have been picked,
bisogna portarle al più presto al frantoio.
you have to take them to the mill as soon as possible.
Caption 18, L'olio extravergine di oliva - Il frantoio
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Once you have seen Daniela’s videos about direct object pronouns, see Marika’s video Marika spiega - I pronomi diretti where she gives plenty of examples.
*Daniela explains about modal verbs in Corso di italiano con Daniela - Verbi modali.
Here are two lessons about using modal verbs in Italian.
In a future lesson, we’ll cover indirect object pronouns, where le takes on still another role.
There are a few different Italian words used to refer to things happening.
Capitare (to happen casually):
Capita.
It happens.
Capitare, like “to happen,” is the only verb of the four mentioned in this lesson that can be conjugated in all the persons.
Capito spesso da queste parti.
I happen on this place often.
Nonetheless, even capitare is most frequently used in the third person (both singular and plural).
This week’s episode about Marchesi has a good example of the past participle of capitare. It takes the auxiliary essere rather than avere, and is often used with an indirect object pronoun (not reflexive), as in the following example.
Più tardi mi è capitato di lavorare con lui.
Later on I had a chance to work with him.
Caption 14, L'arte della cucina - L'Epoca delle Piccole Rivoluzioni
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With capitare, the happening is generally by chance, or casual in some way.
Succedere (to happen, to occur). When something is really taking place, like an accident, or a discussion, we usually use succedere. This is the most common way to say “to happen.”
Che succede?
What's happening?
-Hanno ritrovato il furgone del pesce di Mussa.
-They found Mussa's fish van.
Captions 47-48, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde
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Like capitare, succedere is often used with an indirect object.
Ma se mi succede qualcosa e mi mettono in galera?
But if something happens to me and they put me in jail?
Caption 30, La Ladra - EP. 1 - Le cose cambiano
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Accadere (to happen, to occur) is still another way to say “to happen.” It’s a bit more formal, and might be easier to translate with “to occur,” especially since “occur” is also only used in the third person, has a double “c” near the beginning, and ends with an “r” sound. Another easy translation to remember might be “to befall,” since accadere contains the verb cadere (to fall).
Ma ormai non accadrà.
But by now it's not going to happen.
No, non succederà.
No, it's not going to happen.
Captions 16-17, Tiromancino - L'essenziale
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Technically, accadere can be used with an indirect object but it’s not very common. Here is an example:
è ispirata a un fatto realmente accaduto a me.
it was inspired by a real event that happened to me.
Caption 3, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1
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Avvenire (to come about, to occur, to take place) is used in the third person only, and is somewhat formal. The easiest way to remember it is with the phrase “to come about,” since avvenire contains venire (to come). We cannot use avvenire with an indirect object.
La raccolta avviene fra novembre e dicembre.
The harvest takes place between November and December.
Caption 8, L'olio extravergine di oliva - Il frantoio
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In a nutshell:
succedere: most common, is used in the third person only (except for when it means “to succeed someone,” as in royalty). Auxiliary verb: essere. May be used with an indirect object (something happens to somebody).
capitare: may be conjugated in all persons followed by a preposition or adverb. Translations for this form: to end up, to turn up.
It also functions like succedere, in the third person. Auxiliary verb: essere. May be used with an indirect object (something happens to somebody).
accadere: is conjugated in the third person only. Auxiliary verb: essere. May be used with an indirect object (something happens to somebody), but is not all that common. Easy translation: to befall. Often used like “to occur.”
avvenire: is conjugated in the third person only. Auxiliary verb: essere. May not be used with an indirect object. Easy translation: to come about. Often used like “to occur.”
These are very basic “rules,” but keep your eyes and ears open to really get the feel for these verbs. And don’t worry. You can get by in most situations with succedere!
In English we use the term "dozens and dozens" to indicate a rather large amount. Dozzina (dozen) certainly exists in Italian, but more often than not, Italian sticks to the metric system. Dieci is precisely ten. Una decina is around ten. Venti is twenty precisely, but poche decine is a few times "about ten" (poche is the plural for poco, therefore meaning "a few," as in a few dozen), so it could mean a quantity anywhere between about eighteen to thirty or even more.
Molte famiglie hanno degli ulivi di loro proprietà.
Many families have olive trees of their own.
Una decina, poche decine, fino a degli uliveti grandi.
Ten odd, twenty odd, up to large olive groves.
Captions 2-3, L'olio extravergine di oliva - Il frantoio
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Marika explains about approximate numbers in Italian:
Se io dico che per strada ho visto una cinquantina di alberi,
If I say that on the road I saw fifty-odd trees,
non vuol dire che io ho visto cinquanta alberi,
it doesn't mean that I saw fifty trees,
quindi esattamente cinquanta,
and therefore exactly fifty,
ma che ho visto all'incirca cinquanta.
but that I saw around fifty.
Captions 35-37, Marika spiega - Numeri moltiplicativi, distributivi
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There's a unit of weight that's no longer officially used, but which is actually extremely common in Italy, especially when referring to agricultural products. Un quintale (a quintal) is simply the equivalent of one hundred kilos. Alessio talks about the weight of olives compared to the weight of the resulting oil.
Un quintale sono cento chili e la resa...
A quintal is one hundred kilos, and the yield...
Caption 44, L'olio extravergine di oliva - Il frantoio
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Although un quintale is considerably less than a ton, it's commonly used to indicate something very heavy, just as when we say, "This thing weighs a ton!" Questo pesa un quintale!
When you don't have un metro (a tape measure, a yardstick) handy, you use alternative measuring devices. Italians often use their arms and legs to give approximate measurements. A man's stride will be around a meter. Le dita (fingers) are used to indicate how much water to put in a pot, how much wine to pour in a glass, or the thickness of a piece of meat or something similar, as in the following example.
Comunque, alta due belle dita,
In any case, two fingers (an inch) thick,
e fatta cucinare nel burro.
and cooked in butter.
Captions 13-14, L'arte della cucina - L'Epoca delle Piccole Rivoluzioni
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There are lots of ways to talk about weights and measures. As you progress with Italian, you'll undoubtedly incorporate some of these odd ways of measuring into your everyday conversation.
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