In this week's episode of Commissario Manara, Lara and Luca are having a romantic walk on the beach, but Lara isn't very tranquilla (relaxed and unworried). She worries about the others at work finding out about their relationship. Luca tries to lighten things up a bit, to sdramatizzare (to remove or reduce the drama or seriousness).
The word they volley back and forth is some form of sospettare/sospetto (to suspect/suspicion). As in English where we have different forms of the word, Italian has them, too, but not exactly as in English. Let’s have a look at what Lara and Luca say to each other.
E poi qualcuno comincerà a sospettare.
And then, someone one will start to suspect.
Rubino, un sospetto senza una prova rimane un sospetto.
Rubino, a suspicion without proof remains a suspicion.
Te lo devo insegnare io?
Do I have to teach you that?
E io ho il sospetto che sto per cederti di nuovo.
And I have the suspicion that I'll give in to you again.
E io ho la prova.
And I've got the proof.
Captions 18-22, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso
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In the above example Lara starts out with the infinitive verb form sospettare (to suspect), then Luca answers using the noun form un sospetto (a suspicion/a suspect). He may have been playing with the words, since what he said could also have meant: "a suspect is just a suspect unless there is proof." Lara plays with words, too, but, instead of conjugating the verb sospettare, she uses the noun form il sospetto (the suspicion) with the verb avere (to have): Avere il sospetto (to have the suspicion).
Below is an example of the verb form sospettare in the second person plural:
Voi sospettate di me?
Do you suspect me?
Ma vi ho chiamati io? -Si calmi signora Brumelt,
But I'm the one who called you! -Calm down, Missus Brumelt,
Captions 46-47, Il Commissario Manara -S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde
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Note that sospettare is both transitive and intransitive and may take a preposition as in the above example, where di (of) is the preposition, indicating an indirect object. It can also take a direct object, or no object at all.
The adjective sospettoso (suspicious) describes a person who has a suspicious or mistrustful nature (Marika gives us an example here).
An adjective describing something or someone that arouses suspicion is sospetto(suspicious), as in the following example.
Niente, c'è un giardiniere sospetto nel vostro giardino,
Nothing, there's a suspicious gardener in your garden.
mi ha chiesto di fare una verifica.
She asked me to run a check.
Captions 47-48, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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Someone who is suspected of something may be un sospetto (a suspect) or sospettato (suspected).
Stanno interrogando un sospetto.
They're questioning a suspect.È sospettata di aver ucciso suo marito.
She's suspected of having killed her husband.
To sum up:
Depending on the context, the word sospetto may have the following meanings:
Noun: il sospetto (the suspicion), il sospetto (the suspect)
Conjugated verb in the first person singular: sospetto (I suspect)
Adjective: sospetto (suspect or suspicious)
The verb sospettare is both transitive and intransitive.
The past participle sospettato is used in the passive voice (as in the above example) or as a normal past participle.
Let the context be your guide. It's a little tricky to get right, but the good news is that while the meaning and use may vary slightly, the sense of the word is basically the same as in English. Little by little, through reading and listening, you'll get a feel for how it's used in context.
In the hilarious film Stai lontana da me, we see the events of the day through Jacopo’s eyes (he thinks he is the cause), and through Sara’s eyes (she thinks she is having a bad day and also thinks he is funny). Chi può dirlo (who can say)? They may both be right. This movie is an excellent source of casual everyday conversation, and at the end of this week’s segment, Jacopo uses a one-word expression that could use some explaining.
Casomai is usually expressed as a single word, but is in fact composed (a bit oddly) of two distinct words, the noun caso (case) and the adverb mai (never, ever), and roughly means “in the event” or “in case.”
What’s interesting is that in English you need more words to say something similar, whereas in Italian, casomai is one of those words that just hangs there, like magari (see this lesson) or ecco (see this lesson), and get inserted pretty much anywhere in a sentence, without concern for word order and endings. As opposed to some complicated Italian constructions that make you want to tear your hair out, casomai says plenty in just one relatively short word and is easy to use. Grammatically it is considered a conjunction like “if,” “and,” or “but.”
If we want to use a conjunction to translate casomai we can think of it as standing for “if the situation calls for it,” or “if need be.”
At certain point in the movie, Jacopo says:
Casomai te la dico dopo.
If need be, I'll tell you afterwards.
Caption 64, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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In some contexts, we can also translate casomai as “if at all,” or “if ever,” and this corresponds more to the meaning of the two separate words. In the above example “if at all” might correspond to what Jacopo was thinking. He was probably thinking, “At this point, I may not tell you at all, but if I ever do, it will be afterwards.”
You will enjoy this moment in the movie and knowing a bit more about casomai might further enhance it.
In the following example we see how casomai gets inserted in a sentence in a seemingly haphazard way:
In genere, l'estetica la si trova su scarpe meno comode,
In general, the aesthetics we find on less comfortable shoes,
tacchi molto alti, eccetera, eccetera
very high heels, etcetera, etcetera
e, e poi il comfort casomai si trova su modelli più classici.
and, and then comfort, if needed, we find on more classic models.
Captions 12-14, Anna e Marika - Un negozio di scarpe
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With casomai, this shoe salesman is really saying, "If what you are looking for is comfort, then you should look at the more classic models of shoes."
We hope you have understood something about the word casomai.
Scrivici casomai i tuoi dubbi (If need be, write to us with your questions)!
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or comments, please write to us at newsletter@yabla.com. We'd love to hear from you!
Find some history and general information about the Trentino-Alto Adige Südtirol region of Italy here.
But let’s take a closer look at the name itself: Trentino-Alto Adige.
The Alto Adige part of the name refers to the upper part of the Adige River that runs from the Alps through the Trentino-Alto Adige region and on to the Veneto region to empty out into the Adriatic Sea just south of Venezia and Chioggia. The Adige is the second longest river in Italy after the Po River, and it is this river valley that accommodates a good part of the toll road autostrada A22 that runs from the Italian-Austrian border at the Brenner Pass to Modena, as well as the railroad that follows a similar route. And so when travelling to and from Italy by way of the Brenner Pass, the river is visible for a good number of kilometers.
Trentino refers to the province of Trento (Trent), one of the two provinces of the region. Trento is a beautiful medieval city with a marvelous castle (Il Castello del Buonconsiglio), and was the seat of the famous Council of Trent in the 16th century.
Trentin-Südtirol is the German language name for the region, with its German speaking province and main city, Bozen/Bolzano.
When travelling north from Modena, Verona, and Trento towards Innsbruck, Austria, whether by car or by train, the names on the signs start to appear in two languages, Italian and German. The mountains get higher, the temperatures a bit cooler. The views are breathtaking.
It is great wine country, and on both sides of the river and of the autostrada, there are vineyards carpeting every inch, except for when there are apple orchards. Most of the apples produced in Italy come from this region.
There is also a bike path that goes along the Adige river, through the vineyards, for about 60 kilometers between Trento and Bolzano.
Buon viaggio!
There is no one English equivalent for simpatico, which is a bit too bad because it is a wonderful description of a person’s character. As a matter of fact, it has started creeping into English vocabulary: simpatico.
Simpatico quel ragazzo, quello cieco.
That kid is nice, the blind one.
Caption 61, L'oro di Scampia - film
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What are some of the translations of this word?
Often it simply means “nice” as in the above example.
But “nice” has all sorts of connotations, and various Italian translations. One Italian word for “nice” is gentile but that tends towards “kind.” Still another Italian word for “nice” is carino, which is often similar to simpatico in meaning, but can also mean "pretty" or "good-looking" in certain contexts.
Sometimes simpatico means “friendly,” “amicable,” or “likeable.” Simpatico, when used to describe a person (or animal), really refers to personality or their way of relating to others.
Italians also use simpatico, when referring to objects, to mean “cute,” “sweet,” or “funny.” If you do a Yabla search, you will note that both Adriano and Marika make use of this word to describe objects. The object in question isn’t beautiful, but it may make you smile or laugh, as would a simpatico person. In most dictionaries, “cute” is not given as an official translation of simpatico, but in the case of objects, it seems to render the idea better than other words.
In questo simpatico contenitore ho il detersivo per i piatti.
In this cute container I have dish detergent.
Caption 23, Marika spiega - La cucina
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Simpatico is used for a person when you want to say something nice about him or her. The guy may not be good-looking, but he is simpatico (a nice guy). She may not play the piano very well, but she is molto simpatica (very nice).
If you go to the doctor for a procedure that is quite unpleasant, you may use the words poco simpatico.
Ho avuto un intervento poco simpatico.
I had a rather unpleasant procedure done.
Stare simpatico a qualcuno or essere simpatico a qualcuno (to be likeable to someone) is a rather complicated but popular way of saying that one person likes the other as a person, without the ambiguity of the verb piacere, which can have more sensual connotations. See this lesson for more about the difference.
In the same vein, una simpatia is an affinity, an attraction (more mental than physical). There is simpatia between people who get along really well.
Mica te lo devi sposare,
It's not as if you have to marry him,
se è solo una simpatia, un'amicizia...
if it's just an attraction, a friendship...
Captions 73-74, L'oro di Scampia - film
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Prendere in simpatia is “to take a liking to” or “to become fond of.”
L’insegnante m’ha preso in simpatia e m’ha promosso.
The teacher took a liking to me and passed me.
Beware of the false friend “sympathy,” which usually translates as compassione (compassion).
In a recent lesson we talked about some of the verbs in the inscription on a stone plaque in Valsinni, Basilicata. We discussed some verbs in the passato remoto. In this lesson we’ll focus on the verbs nascere (to be born), vivere (to live), and morire (to die), which also appear in the inscription.
Questo castello che vide nascere,
This castle, which saw the birth,
vivere e morire la poetessa Isabella Morra...
life, and death of the poet Isabella Morra...
Captions 1-4, Basilicata Turistica - Non me ne voglio andare
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It’s interesting to note that in Italian, being born is expressed with the active verb nascere, whereas English requires the passive voice of the verb “to bear”: Someone is, or was, born. The only way to make being born active is to use a phrase like “to come into being.”
In Italian history books, the third person remote past of the (intransitive) verb nascere (to come into being, to be born) is used quite often: nacque (he/she/it was born).
The Valsinni inscription could have just as easily read:
Qui nacque, visse, e morì la poetessa Isabella Morra
(Here the poet Isabella Morra was born, lived and died).
The remote past of the irregular verb vivere (to live) might be familiar to opera lovers. Vissi d’arte (I lived for [my] art), from Puccini’s Tosca, is one of the most famous opera arias of all. In fact, the aria is a great source of verbs in the passato remoto.
Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore,
I lived for art, I lived for love,
non feci mai male ad anima viva!
I never did any harm to a living soul!
Morire is also an irregular verb.
Floria Tosca muore alla fine dell’opera.
Floria Tosca dies at the end of the opera.
Isabella Morra morì a Valsinni.
Isabella Morra died in Valsinni.
What’s interesting about the verb morire (to die) is that, as with many verbs, the past participle morto (died) is the same as the adjective morto (dead). You need to pay close attention to the context to know which it is.
Isabella è morta diversi secoli fa.
Isabella died several centuries ago.
È morta da diversi secoli.
She has been dead for several centuries.
On a lighter note, in a video about Beauty and the Beast, there is another life event where English requires the passive voice, while Italian uses the active: il matrimonio (marriage).
Belle e il principe si sposarono nel giardino di rose.
Beauty and the Prince were married in the rose garden.
Caption 67, Ti racconto una fiaba - La Bella e la Bestia
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In this case, the si is not reflexive, but reciprocal. Beauty and the Beast marry each other. See Marika’s video about reflexive and reciprocal verbs.
It's easy to get a bit confused when talking about la fotografia (photography) in Italian. English and Italian differ in an unexpected way. In English we use a preposition: a picture of you, him, her, etc. In Italian, however, we use a personal pronoun that agrees with foto (photo, picture). Although we can safely say that foto means "photo," and fotografia (aside from meaning "photography") means "photograph," we just need to remember that la foto, being an informal abbreviated form of fotografia, is the same in the singular and plural (la foto, le foto). In the example below, we see there are three photos, so in this case foto is clearly plural, and therefore tue (your) agrees with the plural status of foto. A little tricky! Fotografia on the other hand has a normal plural: fotografie.
Guarda, abbiamo scelto tre foto tue...
Look, we've chosen three photos of you...
Caption 33, Che tempo che fa - Monica Bellucci
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Remember also that in English, we take a picture, but in Italian we "make" a photo!
Io ho fatto una fotografia di un grande
I took a picture of a great,
broccolo romano, bellissimo.
beautiful Romanesque cauliflower (or Romanesco broccoli).
Caption 36, L'arte della cucina - I Luoghi del Mondo
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We can also scattare una foto (take a picture). Learn more about the verb scattare here. The verb scattare has to do with the spring action of pressing the button on the camera to fare uno scatto (take a snapshot).
Attenzione! While a video camera is called una videocamera, a camera for taking still photos is called una macchina fotografica ("photographic machine").
To understand the reciprocal reflexive, it’s good to have a grasp of the reflexive itself. To review, see this Yabla lesson.
A reflexive verb is used when an action is performed upon the same person who’s performing it. We recognize these verbs because they will be in the presence of an indirect object pronoun, or pronominal particle like mi, ti, ci, vi, si to indicate where the action is reflected.
In her video lesson Marika talks about the close relationship between the reflexive and the reciprocal.
La forma di questi verbi è uguale a quella dei verbi riflessivi.
The form of these verbs is the same as that of the reflexive verbs.
Caption 26, Marika spiega - I verbi riflessivi e reciproci
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Quasi tutti i verbi italiani possono avere una forma riflessiva o reciproga.
Almost all Italian verbs can have a reflexive or reciprocal form.
Caption 32, Marika spiega - I verbi riflessivi e reciproci
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The reciprocal involves two or more people or things, so we’ll need one of the plural pronominal particles: ci (to us, ourselves, each other), vi (to you, yourselves, each other), or si (to them, themselves, each other). As you can see, these particles have more than one function. To learn more, see these lessons about ci.
In two recent Yabla videos, the non reflexive transitive verb capire (to understand) is used a number of times, and there’s one instance where it’s used with ci, so it’s a good opportunity to look at how the reciprocal reflexive works. The reciprocal form is in the category of what’s called a forma riflessiva impropria (improper reflexive form). What makes it “improper” is that, though it works just like a reflexive verb, it isn’t truly reflexive because it doesn’t fill the requirements mentioned above.
In English we use one form for the reflexive (myself, yourself, himself, herself, yourselves, themselves, oneself) and another for the reciprocal (each other, one another), but Italian makes use of the same pronominal particles used in the true reflexive, which can cause some confusion.
Let’s use the verb capire (to understand) to illustrate how it works. We’ll stick with the first and second persons to keep it simple.
Capisco (I understand).
Capisci (you understand).
Ti capisco (I understand you).
Mi capisci (you understand me).
Ci capiamo (we understand each other). Note that this is reciprocal, not reflexive.
Vi capite (you understand each other). This is also reciprocal, not reflexive.
Now, let’s put the above sentences into the passato prossimo (which uses a past participle like the present perfect in English, but translates in different ways). Keep in mind that Italian commonly uses the passato prossimo with capire, when in English, we would more likely use the present tense.
Ho capito (“I have understood,” “I understood,” or more commonly, “I get it”).
Hai capito (“you have understood,” “you understood,” or more commonly, “you get it”).
Ti ho capito or t’ho capito (I understood you).
Mi hai capito or m’hai capito (you understood me).
Thus far, it’s pretty straightforward. But now, as we get into compound tenses, the ones that need auxiliaries or helping verbs, it gets a little more complicated, because as Marika mentioned above, in Italian, “reciprocals” look just like reflexives. Capirci (to understand each another) is “improperly reflexive” but works like a true reflexive and so the rule for reflexive reigns, meaning that we need to use the auxiliary essere (to be) rather than avere (to have). Marika explains this rule in Marika spiega - I verbi riflessivi e reciproci.
Ci siamo capiti (“we have understood each other,” or, “we’re clear”).
Ci siamo capite (“we [two women] have understood each other,” or, “we [two women] are clear”).
Vi siete capiti (you have understood each other).
Vi siete capite (you [two women] have understood each other).
Let’s look at some practical examples from recent videos.
Ho capito. -Vuoi la mia casa a Milano?
I get it. -Do you want my house in Milan?
Captions 11-12, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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Non ti capisco.
I don't understand you.
Caption 42, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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Ce simm capit' [Ci siamo capiti]?
Do we understand each other?
Caption 53, L'oro di Scampia - film
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In the following example, just the past participle is used, and the person is implied. We often omit the person in English, too.
Capit' [capito]? Ma poi torno.
Got it? But I'll be back later.
Captions 60-61, L'oro di Scampia - film
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Further practice:
Se hai capito tutto (if you’ve understood everything), try using the above model with other verbs like vedere (to see), sentire (to hear, to feel), baciare (to kiss), abbracciare (to hug, to embrace), incontrare (to meet). Se ce la fai (if you are able), use the other persons as well (he, she, they).
Here’s the verb aiutare (to help) to help you get started.
Aiuto (I help).
Aiuti (you help).
Ti aiuto (I help you).
Mi aiuti (you help me).
Ci aiutiamo (we help each other).
Ho aiutato (I helped).
Tu hai aiutato (you helped).
T’ho aiutato (I helped you).
Mi hai aiutato (you helped me).
Ci siamo aiutati (we helped each other).
You may notice below that there are some tricky cases of verb-complement agreement that haven't yet been covered. We will get to these prickly matters in a future lesson.
Aiuta (he/she/it helps).
Aiutano (they help).
L’aiuta (he/she/it helps him/her/it).
Si aiutano (they help each other).
Ha aiutato (he/she/it helped).
Li ha aiutati (he/she/it helped them).
Hanno aiutato (they helped).
L’hanno aiutato (they helped him).
L’hanno aiutata (they helped her).
Li hanno aiutati (they helped them).
Le hanno aiutate (they helped them [fem]).
Si sono aiutati (they helped each other).
Si sono aiutate (they helped each other [fem]).
In a recent episode of Commissario Manara, there is a play on words that could do with a bit of explaining. Italians commonly use the word fondente (melting) to refer to dark chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate, because it's the kind of chocolate you use in baking. But fondente is actually the adjective form, as well as the present participle, of the verb fondere (to melt). The past participle is fuso. Now you can laugh at the appropriate moment as you watch!
Non ti piace la cioccolata fondente?
Don't you like dark chocolate?
Fondente sì, ma fusa...
Dark yes, but melted...
Captions 44-45, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso
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In a recent episode of Stai lontana da me, some form of the word impegno or impegnarsi appears three times in a row, each time with different connotations. Let's have a look.
The noun form impegno can refer to a commitment at work, an errand, an appointment.
Comunque abbiamo un sacco di cose in comune,
Anyway, we have a lot of things in common,
gli impegni di lavoro, l'intimo.
work obligations, underwear.
Captions 22-23, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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It's a convenient way to be vague:
Ho un impegno (I have a [prior] commitment).
We can use the adjective form impegnato to mean "busy":
Sono impegnato al momento (I'm busy just now).
The reflexive verb form impegnarsi means "to commit" or "to make a commitment." In the video, the two people are talking about a commitment in matters of the heart:
Il terrore di impegnarsi.
The terror of commitment.
Caption 24, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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But it can also mean "to try very hard," "to make an effort":
Mi sto impegnando molto ma i risultati sono scarsi.
I'm really trying hard, but the results are poor.
The expression senza impegno (literally "with no obligation") sometimes means, "don't feel you have to." It can also make it clear that we're talking about something very casual, which may be the case in the breakfast invitation below.
Colazione insieme? Senza impegno, eh.
Breakfast together? No obligation, huh.
Captions 25-26, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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In more commercial settings senza impegno can mean "you don't have to sign anything and there's no charge."
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The first translation of ancora, the one many of us know, is “again.”
This certainly applies to the title of a Gabriele Muccino film, whose trailer is on Yabla.
Trailer ufficiale - Baciami ancora
Official trailer: Kiss Me Again
It also applies to the title song:
Baciami ancora, baciami ancora
Kiss me again, kiss me again
Caption 13, Lorenzo Jovanotti - Baciami ancora
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In fact, quite often, ancora does mean “again.”
Arrivederci. -Ci scusi ancora.
Good bye. -Again, please excuse us.
Caption 16, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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But Italians also use ancora to mean “still.”
Scusatelo, eh, però è ancora sconvolto per quello che è successo.
Excuse him, uh, but he's still in shock for what happened.
Caption 43, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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A proposito (speaking of which), another Italian word for “still” is sempre (always). This word, too, has several meanings. Check out the Yabla lesson about sempre here.
The above example could just as well have been:
Scusatelo, però è sempre sconvolto per quello che è successo.
Excuse him, but he's still in shock for what happened.
Juggling these words can take a bit of getting used to!
When there is the negative non before it, ancora means “yet,” as in “not yet.”
Allora? Come è andata?
So? How did it go?
Non lo so ancora.
I don't know yet.
Captions 56-57, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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Still another way to use ancora is to reinforce the adverbs più (more) or meno (less). The English equivalent in this case would be “even” or "still."
Gli anni Cinquanta che, a pensarci, sembrano ancora più lontani.
The fifties which, if you think about it, seem even more remote.
Caption 1, L'arte della cucina - Terre d'Acqua
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When più is by itself rather than modifying another word, it will be preceded by di (of) as in the following example. In this case it also means "even more so."
Mi piace questo vestito, ma quello mi piace ancora di più.
I like this dress, but I like that one even more so.
And lastly, ancora can also mean simply “more.”
When someone is putting sugar in your coffee, you can say ancora, to mean “more” or “keep going!”
Ancora qualche erbetta sulla nostra carne.
A few more herbs on our meat.
Caption 42, Battuta di Fassone - in Insalata Chef
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You may have learned that più means "more," and that’s true, but ancora can often replace it.
Sto facendo pressione sul presidente,
I'm putting pressure on the president,
ma mi serve ancora un po' di tempo.
but I need a bit more time.
Caption 36, La Tempesta - film
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To use più in the preceding example, we just have to change the word order, like this:
...mi serve un po' piu di tempo.
...I need a bit more time.
Even in English, there is a close connection between “more” and “again.” It’s up to us to keep our eyes and ears open to gradually get a feel for the Italian perspective on the word. Thinking back on the first examples about kissing, the person could have either been saying “kiss me again” or “kiss me some more,” which has a slightly more emotional and intense feeling about it. Context and tone are key!
In a nutshell:
Ancora is used to mean:
again
still
yet (preceded by non)
even (followed by più or meno plus an adjective or adverb)
more so (ancora di più)
more
some more
Incontro is a noun that means, not surprisingly, "encounter," "meeting," "get-together," or "rendezvous." In English, we tend to save the noun "encounter" for special or particular meetings. In Italian, it gets used more often.
Conoscendolo, penso che sia più probabile
Knowing him, I think it's more likely
che si sia fermato qui per un incontro amoroso.
that he stayed here for a hot date.
Captions 46-47, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu
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The verb form incontrare means "to meet," "to encounter." It often means to bump into someone by chance.
Anna! Ti, ti ricordi quei due signori che abbiamo incontrato prima?
Anna! Do you remember those two gentlemen we met earlier?
Captions 1-2, Anna e Marika - Hostaria Antica Roma
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Keep in mind that the first person singular of the verb incontrare is the same as the noun form, incontro.
Quando vado al mare, incontro tanti stranieri.
When I go to the beach, I meet up with lots of foreigners.
There is a third form which looks exactly like the noun incontro, but is a preposition, and is used together with a second preposition, a (to, at): incontro a (towards).
It’s used in the very common phrase:
Ti vengo incontro.
I’ll come towards you.
I’ll meet you halfway.
This expression also is used when negotiating:
Mi è venuto incontro sul prezzo
He met me halfway on the price.
We say "halfway" but it may be more or less than half, so we could also say "part way." It can mean making a concession, giving a discount, or lowering a price.
Remembering that contro means "against" will help you understand the following example. It’s another figurative use of incontro, and the verb andare (to go) is used: andare incontro (to face, to encounter, to be up against).
Era medico anche lui.
He was a doctor, too.
Si figuri se non sapeva a che cosa sarebbe andato incontro.
Can't imagine he didn't know what he was up against.
Captions 55-56, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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Grammatically speaking:
To use incontro a as a preposition, we need a subject, a verb—usually venire (to come) or andare (to go), and an indirect object. If the object is a person or a noun, we use incontro a:
Vado incontro a Maria.
I’m going to walk towards Maria. / I’ll meet up with Maria halfway.
Va incontro alla morte.
He’ll be facing death. / He’s going towards his death.
If we use incontro a with an indirect object pronoun, the preposition a is already included in the object pronoun if the the pronoun is at the beginning of the phrase. If it’s at the end, it needs a preposition:
Ti vengo incontro.
Vengo incontro a te.
I’ll meet you halfway.
Ci vengono incontro.
Vengono incontro a noi.
They’ll meet us halfway.
Le vado incontro.
Vado incontro a lei.
I’ll meet her halfway.
For more examples of the expression andare incontro a see this lesson.
Just for fun:
Ogni giorno vado incontro a delle situazioni diverse. Ieri ho incontrato un vecchio amico, e volevamo programmare un altro incontro. Non potevo immaginare a che cosa si andava incontro, perché per trovare una data, abbiamo incontrato degli ostacoli non indifferenti. In realtà nessuno dei due aveva tempo per andare a casa dell’altro. Infine, ci siamo venuti incontro. Ci vedremo in città, vicino a dove lavora lui, e mi verrà incontro a piedi per farmi strada.
Every day I’m up against different situations. Yesterday I ran into an old friend, and we wanted to schedule another get-together. I couldn’t have imagined what we were up against, because in trying to find a date for it, we ran into significant stumbling blocks. The fact of the matter is that neither of us had time to go to the other’s house, so we met each other halfway on it. We’ll meet in the city, near his office, and he’ll come and meet me part way on foot to show me the way.
When we think of continuity, our Italian go-to word is sempre (always). It covers a lot of ground, as we’ll discover.
Per Elisa, paghi sempre tu e non ti lamenti
For Elisa you always pay, and you don't complain
Caption 9, Alice - Per Elisa
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But sempre also has some other interesting sfumature (nuances).
This next example is only slightly different from the above.
Ti amerò per sempre.
I’ll love you forever.
Keeping in mind that sempre also means “ever” is useful for understanding phrases like the following:
Ma che dici zia, sono sempre la stessa.
But what are you saying Auntie, I'm the same as ever.
Caption 16, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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This example could just as easily be translated using a different English adverb:
But what are you saying, Auntie? I’m still the same!
Or:
I’m the same as always!
In the following example, sempre as “still” is a bit more clear-cut:
Questa parola inizia con "Z", ma ha sempre lo stesso articolo.
This word starts with "Z," but it still has the same article.
Captions 30-31, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Articolo femminile singolare
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A common example of using sempre to mean “still” is when you call someone who’s late for an appointment and she tells you:
Non sono ancora partita. Sono sempre a casa!
I haven’t left yet. I’m still home!
Another common use of sempre is to reinforce another adverb, such as in the following example. In this case it's followed by più (more).
I tempi si fanno sempre più difficili.
The tenses get harder and harder.
Or: The tenses get more and more difficult.
Or, a bit more formally: The tenses get increasingly difficult.
Caption 26, Anna e Marika - Il verbo essere
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Lastly, and this is a bit tricky (because it takes the subjunctive mood), we have sempre che (“provided that” or “as long as”).
...e della frutta, come le mele, i limoni, le arance,
...and some fruit, such as apples, lemons, oranges,
sempre che, ci siano.
provided that there are some.
Captions 10-11, Come preparare con creatività - una tavola per la campagna
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In a nutshell:
Sempre is used to mean:
always
forever (preceded by per)
ever
still
more (followed by più)
less (followed by meno)
provided that (followed by che)
Putting it all together (just for fun):
Arrivo sempre tardi al lavoro. Alle nove di mattina, invece di essere alla mia scrivania, di solito, ho sempre da timbrare il cartellino, o, peggio ancora, sono sempre al bar. E ultimamente è sempre peggio! Il mio posto di lavoro è sempre meno sicuro. Cercherò di essere sempre più puntuale, sempre che non mi licenzino prima.
I always get to work late. At nine in the morning, instead of being at my desk, I usually still have to punch in, or even worse, I'm still at the coffee shop. And lately it’s gotten worse and worse. My job is less and less secure, so I’m going to try and be more and more punctual, provided they don’t fire me first.
Visit WordReference to familiarize yourself even further with this common adverb.
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Ecco (here it is), from the Latin ecce or eccum, is about presenting a person, thing, or idea and inviting you to perceive it at the very moment it appears.
Ecco la primavera is a 14th century song by Francesco Landini. It’s a song about the coming of spring. We might translate the title as “Behold, Spring Has Come!” The entire Italian text with a non-literal English translation opposite may be viewed here.
So this way of calling our attention to something goes way back. Despite its very ancient origins, it’s a popular word that Italians use constantly. We say ecco to call attention to something or someone arriving, or when we find something we were looking for.
We no longer use the word “behold” in English, but we might say, “well, will you look at that,” “there you go!” In the following example, Anna gets her question about long-lasting bread answered before she asks it, so she says ecco, to acknowledge the fact.
È un pane che dura tantissimo.
It's a kind of bread that lasts a very long time.
Ah ecco! Perché volevo appunto chiedere,
Ah, there you go! Because I wanted to ask you just that,
qual è il tipo di pane che dura di più.
what type of bread lasts the longest?
Captions 61-62, Anna e Marika - Il pane
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Ecco can stand alone (just about anywhere in a sentence) as in the above example, or can precede a noun to present it, as in ecco la primavera. When a pronoun is used, on the other hand, ecco gets attached to it. This goes for all the different direct object pronouns (mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, and le).
Aha. Sì. Eccolo, eccolo, è arrivato. Sì, sì.
Aha. Yes. Here he is, here he is, he's here. Yes, yes.
Captions 13-14, Francesca - alla guida
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One common way ecco is used is with perché (why, because) to mean “that’s why” or “you see why” or even “here’s why.”
Ecco perché io non me ne voglio andare.
That's why I don't want to leave it.
Caption 5, Basilicata Turistica - Non me ne voglio andare
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Another common usage is ecco qua (here you are). It calls your visual attention to what is being presented. In the following example, a pizzaiolo (pizza maker) is removing a mouth-watering pizza from his forno a legna (wood oven)!
È quasi pronta... Ecco qua!
It's almost ready... Here it is!
Captions 26-27, Antonio - presenta la Pizzeria Escopocodisera
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Ecco is also a filler word much like “OK,” “you know,” or “that's all” that can wrap up what one has said so far:
Io vorrei semplicemente che ognuno avesse la sua porzione, ecco.
I would simply like everyone to have his portion, that's all.
Caption 19, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 - EP2 - Il mistero di Cetinka
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Or it can introduce what one is about to say, much like “look,” “this is how it is,” or “here’s the thing.”
Però, ecco, per quanto mi riguarda,
But, there you go, from my point of view,
io vedo lì una cassata siciliana!
I see a Sicilian Cassata there!
Caption 11, Susanna Cutini - Dolci delle tradizioni di Pasqua
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Ecco is often difficult or even impossible to translate accurately. But once you start listening for the word and noticing it, you'll get a feel for it, and it will start creeping into your conversation naturally. Doing a Yabla search will display a very long list of examples from videos, so you can see the different contexts in which it’s used.
Ecco! (And there you have it!)
P.S. If you neglect to pronounce the double "c" in ecco, you'll obtain eco which means "echo."
In a recent lesson we talked about the imperfetto, a simple past tense that has various ways of being translated into English. In this lesson we’ll discuss more ways we can translate the imperfetto.
In this gripping film about people trying to live out their lives in the rundown suburb of Scampia, near Naples, a husband and wife are discussing the difficult situation of being threatened by the Camorra almost daily.
Che dovevo fare? Dovevo accettare?
What should I have done? Should I have accepted?
Caption 19, L'oro di Scampia - film
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It’s good to know that this is not actually correct Italian. Nevertheless, it’s quite common in colloquial speech to skip complicated structures and use the simple past instead. If, as a foreigner, you know how to use the conditional and the subjunctive, it’s never wrong to say things correctly, just in case. At the same time, it’s essential to understand what someone is talking about. The conditional and past subjunctive need more words and take longer to say, and are complex as well, so more and more, in conversation, people take a shortcut and use the imperfetto.
Before reading further, can you put the above questions into correct Italian?
Here’s the answer:
Che avrei dovuto fare? Avrei dovuto accettare?
What’s needed grammatically is the conditional, but the imperfetto has become an acceptable alternative in casual conversation. This marital discussion was not the time to worry about grammar!
Here are two other examples where the imperfetto is used in place of the conditional, which would have been grammatically correct, and in any case necessary in English.
Però me la potevi passare, no?
But you could have passed her to me, no?
Caption 84, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero - Part 12
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Sai che potevo fare un viaggio per il Brasile?
You know, I could have gone on a trip to Brazil?
Caption 33, Francesca e Marika - Il verbo potere
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Here are the grammatically correct versions:
Però, me l’avresti potuta passare, no?
Sai che avrei potuto fare un viaggio per il Brasile?
And here’s still another way to translate the imperfetto! The following example is a classic use of the imperfetto in place of a past subjunctive tense, in this case the trapassato congiuntivo. Again, it’s grammatically incorrect, but lots of people use it. The key word is se (if), which can signal a hypothetical situation and consequently the use of the congiuntivo (subjunctive).
Se sapevo che l'era l'ultima volta che lo vedevo...
If I had known that it was the last time I would see him...
Caption 50, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero - Part 14
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What makes sentences like this complicated is the presence of se (if) and che (that, what), which both often take the subjunctive and/or the conditional. And there are a good two instances of che!
Here’s the more grammatically correct, but rather complex version:
Se avessi saputo che sarebbe stata l’ultima volta che l’avrei visto...
Mamma mia, it's super complex. Fortunately the imperfetto has become more and more acceptable. For more about the subjunctive and conditional see this lesson.
The imperfetto, or “imperfect” past tense is just one of the several past tenses in Italian. As we can see from its name, it’s not perfect, meaning it doesn’t use an auxiliary verb like essere (to be) or avere (to have) plus a participle. It stands alone as a verb and is conjugated and so it is similar in structure to the simple past in English. Attenzione! Knowing when to use it is not always clear-cut, and usage differs from region to region. There may also be more than one possible English translation in a given case.
Perhaps the easiest way to get a feel for this tense is to use it when comparing the past to the present: the way it was then, and the way it is now.
Be aware that there are three basic ways to translate the imperfetto into English. One way is with the simple past tense.
Ma certo che lo conosco. Io venivo sempre qui in vacanza!
But of course I know him. I always came here on vacation!
Caption 79, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde
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In the above example, we’re talking about something in the past. The adverb sempre (always), indicating a repetitive action in the past, along with the fact that it is no longer true, helps us understand that we need the imperfetto.
It wasn’t a one-time, specific action in the past. If it had been, we might have used the passato prossimo:
Sono venuto qui l’anno scorso in vacanza.
I came here on vacation last year.
And if we mention the specific times in the past rather than a span of time, we also use the passato prossimo.
Sono venuto qui tante volte in vacanza.
I have come here many times on vacation.
Note that in the above examples, we use the passato prossimo in both cases, but the English translation changes!
Another way we translate the imperfetto in English is with “would” plus the infinitive, when describing the past as opposed to the present.
In the following example, Marika is explaining how people mopped the floor in the past.
Un tempo si usava un'asta di legno con uno strofinaccio...
In the past one would use a wooden pole with a floor cloth...
Si prendeva lo strofinaccio, si metteva in un secchio.
You would take the floor cloth, you would put it in a bucket.
Captions 20-23, Marika spiega - Le pulizie di primavera
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A third way the imperfetto can be translated is with the English past continuous tense.
E allora che cosa ci faceva nel nostro giardino?
And so what were you doing in our garden?
Cercavo un posto sicuro per passare la notte.
I was looking for a safe place to spend the night.
Captions 3-4, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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The past continuous exists in Italian, too, as the passato progressivo. Much of the time, it’s interchangeable with the imperfetto, and perhaps a bit more specific in pinpointing the moment of speaking in the timeline.
In the above example, the Italian passato progressivo could have been used with same result in English:
Allora che cosa stava facendo nel nostro giardino?
Stavo cercando un posto sicuro per passare la notte.
So these three ways of translating are important for understanding Italian, and just as important when trying to think and speak in Italian.
Learning suggestions:
To get an overview of this tense in context, do a Yabla search of various verbs in their imperfetto conjugations and see all the examples.
See Marika and Anna talk about their childhoods using the imperfetto!
Can you compare your childhood or youth to the present using the imperfetto as opposed to the presente?
Here’s an example.
Quando ero più giovane avevo più capelli.
When I was younger, I had more hair.
Ora sono quasi senza capelli del tutto.
Now I have almost no hair at all.
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