Daniela has concluded her three-part lesson on the passato prossimo (present perfect) tense. Get caught up here! She gives us some very important information about its construction, but what’s difficult for many of us is just knowing which auxiliary verb to use—essere (to be) or avere (to have)—when using the passato prossimo.
In fact, there’s plenty of gray area, which we’ll delve into further on, but very generally speaking, when the verb is transitive (can take a direct object), the auxiliary verb is avere (to have) and when the verb is intransitive (cannot take a direct object), the auxiliary verb is essere (to be).
The following example contains the direct object film (movie). So we use avere.
Hai guardato il film?
Did you watch the movie?
Caption 15, Marika spiega - I pronomi diretti con participio passato
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In the next example the first verb venire (to come) is intransitive, has no direct object, and thus takes the auxiliary verb essere. The second verb portare (to bring, to carry) is transitive, having a direct object, and thus takes avere. Note that acqua (water) is the direct object of the verb portare.
Il cameriere è venuto e ci ha portato dell'acqua naturale.
The waiter came and he brought us still water.
Caption 20, Anna e Marika - Trattoria Al Biondo Tevere
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What about if Anna and Marika had had a cameriera (waitress)?*
In the example below, there’s a direct object (Lara) in the first part, and a verb (intransitive) that can’t take an object (arrivare) in the second part. Lara is a woman, so the ending of arrivata has the feminine singular ending -a.
Hai visto Lara? -Lara non è ancora arrivata, no.
Have you seen Lara? -Lara hasn't gotten here yet, no.
Caption 38, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi
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Can you make up a sentence changing the person to Luca (a man)? The first part with avere will not change, but the second part with essere will!**
Can you change the person to two people?***
Attenzione! Intransitive verbs have a great many exceptions to the general rule. Strange as it may seem, some of these verbs have to do with movement:
Camminare (to walk), correre (to run), sciare (to ski), and nuotare (to swim), among others, are intransitive action verbs, but nevertheless take avere when referring to the activity itself.
Ho camminato tutto il giorno.
I walked all day.
Loro hanno corso tre chilometri.
They ran three kilometers.
However, when correre is used to mean “to hurry,” “to rush,” then it takes essere!
Io sono corsa a casa.
I rushed home.
See this resource (in Italian) for a list of intransitive verbs and the auxiliaries they use.
There are two other important situations to be aware of, requiring the use of the auxiliary essere in “perfect” tenses: reflexive verbs and verbs in the passive voice. We’ll have a closer look at them in another lesson.
Solutions:
*
La cameriera è venuta e ci ha portato dell'acqua naturale.
The waitress came and she brought us some still water.**
Hai visto Luca? -Luca non è ancora arrivato, no.
Have you seen Luca? -Luca hasn't gotten here yet, no.***
Hai visto Luca e Lara? -Loro non sono ancora arrivati, no.
Have you seen Luca and Lara? -They haven't gotten here yet, no.
Further Resources:
For an explanation of verbi transitivi e intransitivi in Italian, see this article.
Here is a text with many examples of il passato prossimo, and a fill-in-the-blank quiz following it.
Practice:
- Have a look at some Yabla video transcripts or other Italian written text, and try to identify the two kinds of verbs and their auxiliaries in any given situation.
- Do a Yabla video search of the participle of a transitive verb, such as visto, the past participle of vedere (to see), and you’ll see a list of examples from videos containing compound tenses with this participle. Go to the videos, or just read the examples out loud to get a feel for the auxiliary verb avere.
- Be aware that there may be some exceptions in the list: a passive voice, a noun form, a reflexive form in the masculine, a transitive verb used intransitively, an adjective form of a participle.
- For intransitive verbs taking essere, try doing a search on the participles of these verbs: andare, venire, partire, arrivare, diventare. Remember that their endings will change depending on gender and number. You’ll see right away that the auxiliary is essere, conjugated per the person and the tense (it might be past perfect).
The Italian word for “to want” is volere. See Daniela’s lesson about volere and other modal verbs.
Ma insomma, adesso, tu che cosa vuoi veramente?
Well, all things considered, now, you, what do you really want?
Caption 27, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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But it’s not always as easy as just conjugating the verb, like in the above example. English speakers actively want things, or want to do things, but Italians, more often than not, use the noun form voglia (desire) with avere (to have) as the action. We often translate aver voglia as “to have the desire,” or “to feel like”.
Se non ho più voglia mi fermo.
If I don't feel like it anymore, I stop.
Caption 8, Gianni si racconta - L'olivo e i rovi
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When we want to be polite, we use the conditional of volere, just like the English “I would like” rather than “I want.”
Vorrei parlare con il commissario.
I’d like to speak with the commissioner.
But when we’re done with being polite, and want to be more insistent, we forget about the conditional and go with the indicative. Imagine someone raising their voice a bit.
Voglio parlare col commissario. -Il commissario è di servizio.
I want to talk to the Commissioner. -The Commissioner is busy.
-Voglio parlare con il commissario!
-I want to speak to the Commissioner!
Captions 43-44, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro
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We can also use the conditional with the noun form voglia, but the conditional is applied to the active verb, in this case, avere (to have). This is not a polite form like in the example with vorrei above. It’s true conditional. In the following example, I know very well no one is going to let me sleep for twelve hours, but it sure would be nice! Translating it with “love” instead of “like” gets the idea across.
Avrei voglia di dormire dodici ore.
I’d love to sleep for twelve hours.
Another common way volere is used in Italian is as the equivalent of “to take” or “to need” in English. Note that in this case ci means “for it,” not “us,” as you might be led to believe!
Allora, per le bruschette ci vuole: il pane.
So, for the "bruschettas" we need: bread.
Caption 7, Anna e Marika - La mozzarella di bufala - La produzione e i tagli
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In a previous lesson we used metterci to talk about how long something takes. We can use volere in a similar way. While with metterci, we can be personal:
Io ci metto cinque minuti.
It takes me five minutes.
With volere, it’s impersonal and refers to anyone.
Ci vuole tanto tempo per attraversare Milano in macchina.
It takes a lot of time to get across Milan by car.
This kind of sentence also works in the conditional:
Ci vorrebbero tre ore per attraversare Milano in macchina!
It would take three hours to get across Milan by car!
Sometimes problems add up and finally you might say, “That’s all we need” or “that’s all we needed.” That’s when it’s time for non ci voleva (that's not what was needed).
Un tubo in bagno che perde,
A leaky pipe in the bathroom,
proprio non ci voleva.
that's really not what was needed [the last thing I needed].
Caption 31, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu
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And just for fun:
Il turno di notte ancora! Non ci voleva. I have to go to work, ma non ci ho voglia! Avrei voglia di andare in città a fare quello che voglio. Se vuoi, puoi venire con me. C’è un bel film che vorrei vedere, peccato che ci vuole troppo tempo per arrivarci in tempo. Ci vorrebbe un ora buona!
The night shift again! That’s the last thing I needed. I have to go to work but I don’t feel like it. I’d love to go to the city and do what I want. If you want, you can come with me. There’s a great film that I would like to see; too bad it takes too long to get there in time. It would take a good hour!
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.
Saying something doesn’t matter is a little like saying it’s not important. This can be helpful when examining one way to say “it doesn’t matter” in Italian. The adjective “important“ has an Italian cognate, importante—easy enough—but importare (to matter, to be important) is the original verb. In fact, the third person singular of the intransitive verb importare is used in the negative when something doesn’t matter: non importa! It’s a great little phrase, because there’s an impersonal subject (hidden in the third person singular conjugation of the verb) just like in English: it doesn’t matter. It just works, and is easy to say (give or take the “r” which some English speakers have trouble with). Add a little shrug of your shoulders, and you’ll fit right in!
Che non importa ciò che dice la gente.
And it doesn't matter what people say.
Caption 12, Tiziano Ferro - Il regalo più grande
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Importare can also be used reflexively (but here it gets more complex and much more personal) as in non m’importa (I don’t care, it’s not important to me), non t’importa niente di me (you don’t care about me at all, I’m not important to you), or non m’importa niente (I don’t care at all). For some great examples, do a search of importa in Yabla videos.
There’s also the question, “What does it matter?” Che importa?
Che importa se questo è il momento in cui tutto
What does it matter if this is the moment in which everything
comincia e finisce?
begins and ends?
Captions 12-13, Neffa - Passione - Part 1
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Another easy way to say something doesn’t matter is fa niente, or non fa niente (remember that Italian thrives on double negatives!). In this case the verb fare (to make, to do) is used. We need to stretch our imaginations a bit to find a viable word-by-word translation. Something like: it doesn’t make a difference, no big deal!
Va bene, non fa niente.
All right, it doesn't matter.
Focalizziamoci sulla lezione di oggi.
Let's focus on today's lesson.
Captions 4-5, Marika spiega - La forma impersonale
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Learning Italian does matter!
In case you haven’t been able to take the time to explore all its features, here’s a guide to what you can do to make the most of what Yabla has to offer, which is plenty!
SUBTITLES & PLAY OPTIONS
Yabla videos have subtitles in Italian, which can be shown or hidden, and immediately below, subtitles in the translation language, which can also be shown or hidden. This allows you to learn at your own pace, in your own style. Some people like to look at the translation language right away, while others like to take the leap and see how much they understand with no subtitles at all. Some like to follow the Italian subtitles first. And if it’s too fast, just click “Slow” and the speech will slow down. You can repeat the same line as many times as you want to by clicking “Back.”
As often as possible, the English subtitles will be parallel to the Italian, and easy to follow. That’s our aim. But because languages work differently, in some cases the meaning or grammar of a phrase would be compromised if the translation were forced to be parallel. In these cases, the translators have to depart from parallel word order, use more than one English word to one Italian word, use one English word to several Italian ones, or even use a secondary meaning of an English word that might not seem to make sense. When this happens, it can stump you. It can take the wind out of your sails... but don’t despair! There’s help.
DICTIONARY
Clicking on a word opens a dictionary to the right of the video. This dictionary is amazing, by the way. Not only can you click on a word in Italian and get its translation (plus its conjugations if it’s a verb), but you can also click on a word in English and get its Italian translation. Cross-referencing can sometimes solve the problem. Don’t forget that while the dictionary is ample, Googling the word or going to a site like WordReference may give you additional meanings and uses.
LESSONS
If you do a search of the word in question in the Yabla lessons tab, you’ll be able to see if the problem word or phrase you’re dealing with has been addressed in the lessons. The lessons often contain links to more in-depth external resources as well. The lessons are free whether you subscribe to Yabla videos or not. Subscription to the Yabla newsletter, on which the lessons are based, and which announces new videos, is also free.
VIDEO WORD SEARCH
A word search in the videos tab will bring up all the uses of that word in Yabla videos, so by scrolling through the highlighted quotes from each video, you can get a sense of how it’s used, and if you wish, you can click on the video to see the word in context. Remember to do a search for conjugated verbs as well as verbs in the infinitive, and where nouns are concerned, in both their singular and plural forms.
COMMENTS
The “comments” section of a video is a great place to express your questions or opinions. It allows you to engage with other users, and if you ask for help resolving a puzzle, you’ll find helpful responses from your fellow Yabla subscribers or from Yabla staff. This is also the place to make suggestions for lesson and video topics. We appreciate your feedback. Chances are, you’ll be helping out fellow learners as well as inspiring the translators and newsletter writers to find new solutions, which ultimately will make your learning experience richer. Remember, you can comment in your own language, or you can try out your new Italian skills, however advanced or elementary they may be. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! What did you like? What gave you trouble? What did you find boring? What would you like more of? How was the level? What would you like new Yabla videos to be about? You can also send any questions, suggestions, or feedback to support@yabla.com.
VOCABULARY REVIEW
The vocabulary review (green button below the thumbnail of the video) will frequently give a second translation for a word, so check that out too, if you get stumped. The translation used in the video itself may be a secondary translation, so the vocabulary review will generally provide the more classic definition as well. This is a place to review a limited number of pre-selected words, in three different, interspersed modes: 1) The Italian word will be written and pronounced, and you choose the correct translation from among 6 words. 2) The English word will be written and you are to choose the correct Italian word from among 6. 3) The English translation is written and you are to write the correct Italian word. Diacritical marks are supplied for use on any keyboard. In the “Settings” tab, you can decide how many words to include in the review, up to 10.
A note about the words chosen for the vocabulary review: Most of the nouns include their articles, either definite or indefinite, so you can learn their gender, but some nouns are more often used without an article in either Italian or English, and so sometimes the article will get left out for this reason. Some words in a video don’t make an appearance at all in the vocabulary review. This is because for one reason or another, they could be cause for confusion. They might be “positive or neutral adjectives” in a feminine or plural form, thus not distinguishable from the masculine singular forms in English. This can lead to “wrong” answers. On the other hand, you will find some phrasal expressions in the vocabulary review that you won’t find in a dictionary.
FLASHCARDS
Even though the vocabulary review contains only a limited number of words, you can make your own flashcards with words of your choosing. While watching a video, click on a word. The dictionary will open up, but at the same time, your word will be saved to your set of flashcards. Later, you can go to the flashcards section, and by simply clicking on a word the dictionary will open up. When you click on “review these words,” a window will open up where each word is pronounced (it will repeat each time you click on it), and you get a chance to decide whether you think you know it or not. Whichever way you decide, the word will show up in its video context, with the dictionary open to the word at the same time, so you have a great overview of the word in question. You can also click on the video to watch it again. Note that for this to be automatic, make sure “autoplay” is on once you are inside the review. You can remove the words from the flashcard list at any time.
LISTENING GAME
The Yabla listening game is aimed at listening comprehension and writing, and is a great way to learn how to write in Italian. It’s designed to be played right after you’ve viewed the video. The words are chosen randomly from the video captions, and the more you play the game in a given video, the more words you’ll recognize and learn to spell. It will help you get a sense of how spelling works in Italian, and it will get easier and easier!
As you can see, there’s lots you can do with Yabla, beyond watching a video with subtitles. Make the most of it!
In a recent episode of Scampia D’Oro, there’s some talk of time. There’s talk about how long something takes: how long it took Lupo and Enzo to set up the gym, how long it took Enzo to get home. Let’s take a look at the differences between how English and Italian express this kind of time.
In English, we use an impersonal "it" when talking about time: "It takes me three hours." The person appears as an object (me). Italian gets personal right away, and the subject is the person who "puts in a certain amount of time" to do something: metterci del tempo (to put in some time). If you think of it this way, the Italian makes more sense, since mettere means “to put”!
Here's an example, with a literal translation, to show how the ci fits in: indirect object (with included preposition).
Io ci metto tre ore (I put three hours into it).
In plain English, we'd usually say, "It takes me three hours."
In the example below, note that the plain verb mettere (to put) has been used as well, with its direct object pronoun lo attached to it.
Ma in realtà è nu [un] garage con un tatami dentro.
But actually it's a garage with a tatami inside.
Io e il mio maestro Lupo ci abbiamo messo una vita a metterla su.
It took my teacher Lupo and me ages to set it up.
Captions 5-6, L'oro di Scampia - film
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In the following examples, note that ci is part of a contraction, and so the i is silent, but still determines the "soft" pronunciation of the c.
Enzo, c'ho messo vent'anni per insegnarti 'ste cose
Enzo, it took me twenty years to teach you these things,
e mo vuoi pretendere che Toni le faccia subito?
and now you expect Toni to do them right away?
Captions 38-39, L'oro di Scampia - film
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Here's another example, this time in the second person singular (informal).
Papà ma quanto tempo c'hai messo? Avevi detto due minuti.
Dad, but how long did it take you? You'd said "Two minutes."
-E vabbuò [va bene], so' stati cinque, ià.
-OK OK, it was five, hey.
Captions 62-63, L'oro di Scampia - film
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If you’ve followed previous lessons, you know that the little word ci really does get around, and has different meanings depending on how it’s placed. That said, metterci del tempo is good to learn as a formula, and to practice. Once it becomes a solid part of your Italian repertory, it will be worth comparing it to other ways ci is used.
Further practice:
Think about how long it takes you to do something and how long it might take someone else. Say it in Italian! No one's listening. Here's something to get you started.
Ci metto cinque minuti per fare il caffè. Mio fratello ci mette venti minuti per farsi la doccia. Ci mettiamo sempre tanto tempo per decidere quale film vedere, ma questa volta c'abbiamo messo due secondi. Ma quanto tempo ci mettete per salire in macchina! Non è possibile metterci così tanto!
It takes me five minutes to make coffee. It takes my brother twenty minutes to take a shower. It always takes us so long to decide what movie to see, but this time it took us two seconds. How long does it take you to get in the car? It's not possible to take so long!
We have talked about the impersonal form of verbs in previous lessons. There's a great example in Marika's video about the entrance to her apartment. Note that she uses the plural form of the verb because the objects, giacche, giubbotti, cappotti (jackets, windbreakers, coats) are plural.
E quindi si usano giacche, giubbotti, cappotti.
And so we use jackets, windbreakers, coats.
Ma dove si mettono, una volta che si tolgono?
But where do we put them once we take them off?
Captions 49-50, Marika spiega - L'ingresso di casa
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Review the impersonale here.
Another instance of the impersonale can be found in a video interview with Monica Bellucci. She's talking about the huge blow-ups of some of her photos.
Ah, questa era, l'ho fatta in America, ero giovanissima, si vede.
Ah, this one was, I did it in America, I was very young, you can tell.
Caption 35, Che tempo che fa - Monica Bellucci
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To get the basics about why and how we use modal verbs in Italian, and how they are conjugated, see Daniela's video lesson about modal verbs. The modal verbs are: dovere (to have to, must), potere (to be able to, can), and volere (to want to, would).
Italian modal verbs have some similarities with English modal verbs, because they are used together with verbs in the infinitive, but there are differences, too. In English, for example, we can use "to be able to," which does get conjugated, or "can," which doesn't get conjugated. Italian modal verbs are conjugated and are irregular, so as Daniela says, you just have to learn them. These verbs are used so often that you're bound to learn the principle conjugations just by listening. Here's a quick conjugation chart for the present tense, plus a few tips.
There are other verbs like sapere (when it means "to be able to") that are also considered to be modal.
Non lo so spiegare.
I can't explain it [I don't know how to explain it].
When in the regular present tense, using modal verbs is mostly trouble free, as long as you've learned the irregular conjugation. The easy part (handy for when you're not sure of the conjugation of another verb) is that the other verb is going to be in the infinitive!
Note that both volere (to want) and dovere (to owe) have uses that aren't modal. All three modal verbs are also nouns, so, occhio al contesto (keep an eye on the context)!
Let's look at some practical examples. Look for an infinitive verb in the vicinity of the modal verb, to put the modal picture together.
Zia, che cosa devo fare?
Aunt, what should I do?
Caption 25, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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Alex vuole imparare il tedesco.
Alex wants to learn German.
Caption 22, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Domande
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Alle mie spalle, potete vedere la statua del Cristo di Maratea.
Behind me you can see the statue of Christ of Maratea.
Caption 1, Antonio - Maratea, Il Cristo Redentore
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Let's remember that the verb in the infinitive might actually be missing from the sentence itself, but it can easily be imagined, just like in English.
Non posso!
I can't!
One very common way modal verbs are used is with the impersonal. See these lessons about the impersonal, which uses the third person, as in the example below.
Si può aggiungere il caffè, si possono aggiungere tanti ingredienti.
One can add coffee, one can add many ingredients.
Caption 10, Andromeda - in - Storia del gelato
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So far we've been looking at the present tense. A bit further along the line, we'll get into modal verbs with compound tenses, which is a bit more complex. Hope to see you then!
In a previous episode of the series on food, Gianni Mura talked about trends in restaurant dining. He talked about what quickly caught on as a popular way of getting a little taste of everything. Instead of a primo (first course), secondo (main dish), contorno (side dish), and dolce (dessert), a restaurant would offer a tris di assaggi (three "tastes," or miniature servings) of primi piatti (first courses). This became, and still is, a great way for tourists, or anyone else, to find out what they like. Depending on what's offered, and on the kind of restaurant, the three servings may arrive all on the same plate at the same time, or on separate plates, one after the other.
At the end of concerts, audiences ask for an encore. In Italian, this is called a bis. It comes from the Latin for "twice." It has come to mean "again" or "more" in a concert setting, where people want to hear a piece played a second time, or something extra once the programmed performance is over. If you're dining with friends at home, and would like another helping, you can use bis:
Posso fare il bis?
Can I have a second helping?
In rare cases you can ask for a bis in a restaurant, but usually in a restaurant setting, bis will indicate two small servings of two different dishes, rather than one normal one. Likewise, a tris (coming from the Latin for "three times") denotes three small servings of a dish rather than one normal serving.
Now that you know what tris means, here's a tris of tidbits about Italian.
In some cases Italian uses il passato prossimo (constructed like the English present perfect) to express an idea that in English would use the present tense. Here's an example. Luca is telling the doctor that Lara will promise to take care of him. She hesitates but then agrees. She uses the past participle of promettere (to promise) rather than the present tense, as we would in English.
Dottore, che... che devo fare?
Doctor, what... what should I do?
-Senta, se lo dimetto,
-Listen! If I release him,
mi promette di non lasciarlo solo neanche un attimo?
do you promise not to leave him alone, not even for an instant?
Promette, promette... -Eh... sì! Promesso.
She promises, she promises... -Uh... yes! I promise.
Captions 47-49, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro
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Capire (to understand) is another word that often gets used in its passato prossimo tense to mean what we think of as being in the present.
Ho capito, ma adesso, qua in mezzo alla campagna...
I get it, but now, here in the middle of the countryside...
con le mucche, che facciamo?
with the cows, what are we going to do?
Captions 10-11, Francesca - alla guida
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As a question tag, the person and auxiliary verb are often left out:
Tiziana, calmati.
Tiziana, calm down.
Ho già fatto richiesta per farti scarcerare,
I've already put in a request for you to be released,
però mi devi dare una mano.
but you have to give me a hand.
Mi devi aiutare, capito?
You have to help me, do you understand?
Captions 21-22, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP9 - L'amica ritrovata
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Ho capito (I understand [literally "I've understood"]) is what you commonly say to let someone know you're listening, much like "I see," "I get it," or even "uh huh."
E poi eravamo in giro tutte le notti,
And then, we were out and about all night
perché a quei tempi gli artisti andavano ad alcool e quindi...
because in those times, artists were fueled by alcohol, and so...
Captions 3-4, L'arte della cucina - La Prima Identitá
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In giro is a very general way to say "out" or "around," when you ask or say where someone is, or where someone has gone. There are many ways to use this expression, so check it out here.
In an online video lesson, Marika talks some more about object pronouns, this time with the participio passato (past participle). One important thing that can be difficult to grasp is that when the pronoun is used, the object (in the form of a pronoun) comes first. Let's look at this example.
Hai guardato il film? Sì, l'ho guardato.
Did you watch the movie? Yes, I watched it.
Captions 15-16, Marika spiega - I pronomi diretti con participio passato
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We also need to remember that the "h" in ho is silent. L'ho sounds like "lo," but the apostrophe is there to tell us that it's really lo (it) ho (I have). We have "l" + silent "o" + silent "h" + "o."
One extra tidbit concerning the passato prossimo: While constructed like the present perfect, it often translates with the English simple past tense, just as in the above example.
That's it for the tris!
There's still a lot more to talk about regarding the impersonale. Review previous lessons here.
Sometimes the verbs we use in the impersonal form, happen to be reflexive verbs as well. Before tackling reflexive verbs in the impersonal, it's a good idea to be familiar with how reflexive verbs work. But we're in luck because this week, Daniela happens to be talking about just that in her video lesson!
As also mentioned in previous lessons, reflexive verbs have si attached to them in the infinitive, for example, lavarsi (to wash oneself). When conjugated, the verbs are commonly separated into si + verb root:
Mario si lava ogni mattina.
Mario washes [himself] every morning.
Daniela explains that if you know how to conjugate the verb root, then you know how to conjugate the reflexive verb.
In the above example, Mario is the subject, and Mario is also the object (si), which is what reflexive verbs are all about.
So we've seen that the reflexive form uses si, (as part of the infinitive, and in the third person singular conjugation) but it's not the same as the si in the impersonal, so this is where things get a bit tricky. To avoid using si twice in a row, we use ci for the impersonal.
Marika gives us the rule:
La forma impersonale dei verbi riflessivi invece si forma con:
The impersonal form of reflexive verbs on the other hand is made with:
"ci "più il verbo alla terza persona singolare.
"ci" plus the verb in the third person singular.
Per esempio: in Italia ci si sposa sempre più tardi,
For example: In Italy one gets married later and later,
quindi il verbo sposarsi più "ci", più "si".
so the verb to get married plus "ci" plus "si."
Captions 45-48, Marika spiega - La forma impersonale
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So where you might think: si (impersonal) si (reflexive) sposa (verb in the third person), you need to use ci in place of the impersonal si. Here's a practical example:
Con loro non ci si annoia mai.
With them you are never bored.
Caption 41, Acqua in bocca - Un amico per Pippo
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Attenzione! Ci also has a long list of uses, which you can check out in these lessons.
The good news is that you can get by most of the time without using the impersonal plus reflexive. Don't let it prevent you from trying to express yourself in Italian. One workaround is to avoid using too many pronouns at once. Common expressions using both can be learned one by one, con calma (without rushing it).
You could say for example, remembering that "people" is singular in Italian (the si is reflexive):
La gente si sposa sempre più tardi.
People get married later and later.
For more about what’s been discussed in these lessons, see these very helpful blog entries:
We're still not entirely finished with the impersonal, but there's already plenty to digest.
We'll be back!
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.)
We're continuing on about the impersonale. Review last week's lesson here. So far we've been dealing with intransitive verbs (verbs having no object):
Si guida a sinistra (you drive on the left).
and verbs taking singular objects:
Si mangia la pasta a pranzo (people eat pasta at lunch).
But when the "impersonal" verb refers to an object in the plural, such as pietanze (dishes) in the example below, the verb must agree not with its subject, because there isn't one, but with its object. Therefore it, too, must be in the (third person) plural: Pietanze is plural, so mangiano is plural. There are a few different ways to translate this in English:
Io la Vigilia di Natale la passo in famiglia ...
I spend Christmas Eve with my family ...
verso le sette,
around seven,
ci si mette a cena, e si mangiano pietanze a base di pesce.
we sit down to dinner, and one eats dishes with fish as their basis.
Captions 3-5, Marika spiega - La Vigilia di Natale
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More possible options:
On Christmas Eve, seafood dishes are eaten.
On Christmas Eve, people eat seafood dishes.
If we were to change the object into a singular one like pesce (fish), our impersonal verb would change as well:
A Natale si mangia il pesce.
At Christmas fish is eaten.
This little word si can cause all sorts of chaos for learners, but little by little, you'll get it sorted out.
This week, Daniela starts talking about reflexive verbs. Part 2 will follow next week. Pay close attention so that when we combine the impersonal with the reflexive, it will make more sense!
The following are some answers and possible translations for the exercise in last week's lesson.
cominciare (to begin) Si comincia alle undici.
It starts at eleven o'clock.
We're starting at eleven.
guidare (to drive) A Londra si guida a sinistra.
In London, you drive on the left.
In London, one drives on the left.
In London, people drive on the left.
fumare (to smoke) Non si fuma a scuola.
You don't smoke at school.
People aren't allowed to smoke in school.
One doesn't smoke at school.
Don't smoke at school.
scrivere (to write) Come si scrive il tuo nome?
How do do you write your name?
How is your name written?
andare (to go) Non si va a scuola la domenica.
You don't go to school on Sundays.
We don't go to school on Sundays.
Kids don't go to school on Sundays.
fare (to do, to make) Come si fa il risotto?
How do you make risotto?
How does one make risotto?
How is risotto made?
parlare (to speak) In Francia si parla il francese.
In France, French is spoken.
In France, they speak French.
In France, you speak French.
In France, speak French!
dovere (to have to, should) Non si deve sprecare l'acqua.
dovere (to have to, should) Non si dovrebbe sprecare l'acqua.
One shouldn't waste water.
You shouldn't waste water.
People shouldn't waste water.
Water shouldn't get wasted.
finire (to finish) Non si finisce mai di imparare.
You never stop learning.
One never stops learning.
We never stop learning.
Little by little you'll become familiar with the different contexts for using the impersonal verbs with si. Tune in next week for the last part, when we combine the reflexive and the impersonal.
A Yabla subscriber has asked to know more about the popular short word anzi (rather, on the contrary, in fact, indeed). In fact, it's hard to pin down a one-word meaning for anzi that works all of the time. Aside from its various uses and connotations as a single conjunction, anzi is also part of important compound words such as anziché (rather than), innanzitutto (first and foremost, first of all) among others, and has some archaic definitions and grammatical categories we can safely overlook for now.
The important thing is to be able to understand and use anzi when appropriate. So let’s look at some of the ways anzi fits into sentences.
One handy way to use anzi is when you say something, and you correct yourself right away. In English you’d say “or rather,” or “I mean.” In our first example, Andromeda corrects herself on the fly. Regalare (to give as a gift) wasn’t quite the word she was looking for. Then she found it: affidare (to entrust).
Abbiamo dovuto regalare, anzi,
We had to give away, or rather,
affidare Dorian alla nonna dei miei figli.
entrust Dorian to the grandmother of my children.
Caption 19, Andromeda - e i gatti 2
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In the next example, anzi contradicts a negative statement with something positive. In this situation, it’s not even necessary to finish the sentence after anzi; we already know, because of its presence, that we’re contradicting whatever negativity came before.
Non è per niente male vivere in Italia, anzi!
It's not at all bad living in Italy, on the contrary!
Caption 54, Francesca - sulla spiaggia
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If Francesca were to complete her sentence, she’d say something like:
Non è per niente male vivere in Italia, anzi, è fantastico!
It's not at all bad living in Italy, on the contrary, it’s great!
Anzi, said with a certain inflection, raise of an eyebrow, or nod of a head, lets you avoid having to search for the right word!
In this next example, Lara’s aunt is telling her that what she believes about Luca is actually the opposite of how things really stand. So once again, anzi is used to contradict.
Penserà che sono una stupida.
He'll think I'm an idiot.
-Ma no, no, ma quando mai!
-But no, no, out of the question!
Anzi, dice sempre che sei speciale!
On the contrary, he's always saying that you're special!
Captions 8-10, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi
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In the following example, as he dreams of his vacation in Sicily, Manara first mentions two brioches, then thinks better of it and changes the quantity to four. He didn't make a mistake, and he's not exactly contradicting himself, but he is reconsidering. This is a classic example of how people use anzi.
Mi mangio due granite caffè con panna
I'll eat my two coffee Italian ices with whipped cream
e due brioche, anzi, quattro.
and two brioches, no, four.
Caption 30, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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Even in this classic case, there isn’t just one way to translate anzi. Other expressions can do the job:
Come to think of it, I’ll have four.
I’ll have two. No, make that four.
Actually, I’ll have four.
Then again, I’ll have four.
Better yet, I’ll have four.
Hopefully you’ve gotten the gist of some of the ways anzi works, and how useful it can be. So far, anzi has helped to change one’s mind, or someone else’s. We’ll soon be back with still more ways to use anzi. We’ll discuss how anzi can reinforce an adjective or idea, and how it can introduce a new idea related to what’s come before. And then we'll put them all together just for fun!
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
In Italian, as in English, there are past participles that are also adjectives.
Let's take the example of verbs rompere (to break) and vendere (to sell), which are both transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object), and take avere as an auxiliary verb.
In the first example, we have the masculine noun il vaso (the vase). The adjective and the past participle are identical: rotto.
Hai rotto il vaso (you broke the vase or, you've broken the vase).
L'hai rotto (you broke it, or you've broken it).
Ora è rotto (now it's broken).
In the next example, la casa (the house) is feminine, so the ending of venduto/venduta will change when we use a pronoun in place of la casa, and when we use it as an adjective, which has to agree with the noun casa (feminine in this case).
Hai venduto la casa (you sold your house).
L'hai venduta (you sold it, or you've sold it).
È venduta (it's sold).
The verbs in the above examples take avere (to have) as a helping verb. When we have a verb that takes essere (to be) as a helping verb, like morire (to die), it can cause confusion, because the participle and the adjective look totally identical, including the verb essere (to be), but their function, and consequently their translation, are in fact slightly different.
In this week's episode of Commissario Manara, someone, as usual, has died, and is therefore dead. In English there are two distinct words, but in Italian the word is the same.
In the first example below, morto (dead) is an adjective:
È morto da almeno tre giorni.
He's been dead at least three days.
Caption 20, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva
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But morto is also the participio passato (past participle) of the (irregular) verb morire.
E allora come è morto?
So how did he die?
Caption 2, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro
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The context will help you determine which translation to use, but it can be a bit ambiguous.
To add a bit of confusion, morto can also be used as a noun: il morto (the dead man, the dead person). In this case, there will be an article.
Le posso spiegare tutto,
I can explain everything to you,
però non subito perché c'è un morto che ci aspetta.
but not right now because there's a dead man waiting for us.
Caption 5, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva
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In the case of morto as a noun, it tends to be masculine, but if we know the dead person is a woman, it's correct to say una morta, or if there are multiple dead people, i morti.
La morte (death) is not a pleasant subject, but it's important to know how to talk about it. Unfortunately, it's a word that's used too often oggigiorno (these days).
Further practice:
Do a Yabla search of morto, and try to determine whether it's an adjective, a participle, or a noun. Let the context help you.
In Italian, gender and number affect not only a noun and its article, but also the adjective describing the noun. We looked at some special cases in a previous lesson, which Daniela also discusses in her lesson series. But let's get back to general adjective behavior.
Adjectives fall into two categories: positivi (positive) and neutri (neutral). In simplistic terms, it's a way of dividing them according to their endings: o or e.
In this video lesson, Daniela starts out with the most common kind of adjective. She calls it an aggettivo positivo (positive adjective). It’s the kind of adjective that in its basic form (masculine singular), ends in o. Many of us are already familiar with this type: bello (beautiful, nice), piccolo (small), grasso (fat), magro (thin), alto (high, tall), buono (good), and so on. This kind of adjective matches up with its nouns in all four kinds of endings: masculine singular, masculine plural, feminine singular, and feminine plural.
Allora, quando parlo di aggettivo positivo
So, when I talk about positive adjectives,
vuol dire che un aggettivo positivo
it means that a positive adjective
è quello che ha tutte e quattro le finali.
is one that has all four endings.
Captions 41-42, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Aggettivi positivi e neutri
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These adjectives are easy to deal with because they are entirely predictable: the masculine singular ends in o. The masculine plural ends in i, the feminine singular ends in a, and the feminine plural ends in e, just like many of the nouns they describe:
Masculine singular:
Il vestito è bello (the dress is beautiful).
Masculine plural:
I vestiti sono belli (the dresses are beautiful).
Feminine singular:
La gonna è bella (the skirt is nice).
Feminine plural:
Le gonne sono belle (the skirts are nice).
It’s important to know the gender of the nouns you are describing. The good news is that much of the time the gender is easily determined by looking at the ending of a noun, as Daniela explains in this video lesson.
Even if the noun is absent but implied, as when you tell someone they look nice, the rule still applies!
If you’re talking to a man:
Sei bello (you're handsome).
If you’re talking to a woman:
Sei bella (you're beautiful).
If you're talking to two men:
Siete belli (you're [both] handsome).
If you're talking to two women:
Siete belle (you're [both] beautiful).
If you're talking to a man and a woman:*
Siete belli (you're [both] beautiful).
*Masculine reigns, even though it seems unfair.
It's easy to know the gender when referring to people. But don't forget that not only people have gender, but every kind of noun.
Il tavolo è alto (the table is high).
I materassi sono duri (the mattresses are hard).
La sedia è comoda (the chair is comfortable).
Le finestre sono aperte (the windows are open).
You can see why, when learning a new noun, it’s a good idea to learn the article along with it. "Positive" adjectives are the easiest ones to use, so they're a good place to start for understanding noun-adjective agreement.
Further practice:
After viewing a Yabla video, check out the Vocabulary Review. You’ll recognize the nouns, because most of them will have articles attached to them, whether singular or plural. Check out the adjectives, too. Can you pick out the positive ones? Hint: they'll end in o, because they're given in the masculine singular. While you're at it, why not go through the other endings (masculine plural, feminine singular, and plural) for each positive adjective you find?
Stay on the lookout for a lesson on aggettivi neutri, coming soon on Yabla. They're the adjectives that end in e, and they aren't quite as well-behaved as the aggettivi positivi.
Just in case you're getting discouraged:
Learning to speak correctly is important, but remember, communication is the real key. Don’t be surprised if you have trouble getting it all straight. For people coming from languages where gender is nonexistent, it’s a huge challenge to get genders right all the time, not to mention grasping how adjectives work. Don’t let your doubts stop you from using your new language skills.
There are two basic words for "wild" in Italian, and they're sometimes interchangeable and sometimes not. They're also rather similar in that the root is the same: selva (woods, forest).
One of the adjectives for "wild" is selvatico (wild, uncultivated, growing spontaneously, feral).
Sto cercando di renderla un po' meno selvatica
I'm trying to make it a little less wild,
e un pochettino più civile.
and a tiny bit more civilized.
Caption 27, Gianni si racconta - L'olivo e i rovi
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When there are two varieties of a plant such as finocchio (fennel), the wild one gets qualified with an adjective: finocchio selvatico.
Il Monte Pellegrino ospita centinaia di specie diverse di piante.
Monte Pellegrino hosts hundreds of different plant species.
Dal cipresso al pino, ci sono numerose pinete,
From cypress to pine, there are a number of pinewoods,
agli alberi di fico d'india, ai gelsomini, al finocchio selvatico,
to prickly pear, to jasmines, to wild fennel,
che da una sensazione di freschezza all'ambiente.
which gives a sense of freshness to the place.
Captions 25-28, Adriano - Monte Pellegrino
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Sometimes wild fennel is called finocchietto (becoming an altered noun, by means of the diminuitive suffix -etto) because the plant has a smaller bulb, and is of "minor" importance. Other times, though redundant, the wild kind of fennel is called finocchietto selvatico. This pianta spontanea (spontaneous, or wild plant) is an ingredient in many central and southern Italian preparations, from salame to minestre (soups), to castagne lesse (boiled chestnuts). It blooms in late summer, and if you wonder what part people use, well, they might tell you, "whatever part is on hand when you want to make your dish." The seeds are tasty right off the plant, but they can also be dried and boiled to make a refreshing and aromatic hot tea that aids digestion. It's one of those plants that's worked itself into a great many recipes, both humble and otherwise, because, in addition to being aromatico (aromatic) and gustoso (tasty), it grows just about everywhere, and is free for the picking! The bulb (the white part) of cultivated fennel is eaten raw in salads, in pinzimonio, or cooked in a variety of ways.
The other word for "wild" is the adjective selvaggio, especially referring to unrestrained people or savage animals, or places that have no law, or terrains that are particularly difficult to navigate.
Selvaggio can also be used as a noun, as in the following example.
Rapiti dal fascino dell'eterno selvaggio,
Captivated by the appeal of the eternal wild,
narrando delle culture con cui venivano a contatto.
telling of cultures with whom they came into contact.
Captions 4-5, Linea Blu - Le Eolie
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When referring to meat from hunted animals, for example cinghiale (wild boar), we use the term selvaggina (game), also called cacciagione (hunted meat).
Tavole imbandite senza posate, com'era uso,
Tables decked without silverware, as was the custom,
e con i cibi dei ricchi e dei nobili.
and with the food of the rich and the noble.
Paste reali fatte di pasta di mandorle,
Royal pastries made with almond paste,
anatre all'arancia,
ducks with orange sauce,
maialini farciti con spezie e molta selvaggina.
suckling pigs stuffed with spices and lots of wild game.
Captions 13-18, Linea Blu - Sicilia
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When you think about wild beasts, or when the words "savage" and "primitive" come to mind, then use selvaggio. When you think of spontaneous and wild plants, you'll want selvatico.
Becoming comfortable using possessive adjectives and personal pronouns in Italian can be a challenge because they work a bit differently then they do in other languages. To learn about them with Daniela, check out her series of lessons about possessive adjectives:
An important thing to remember regarding possessive adjectives is that Italian uses both an article and an adjective (think: the my book), which certainly takes some getting used to. So, "my book" would be: il mio libro. But there's an important exception. Daniela explains that family members get special treatment in terms of possessive adjectives:
Regola generale:
General rule:
l'aggettivo possessivo in italiano vuole sempre l'articolo,
the possessive adjective in Italian always needs the article
tranne in un caso, quando parlo della famiglia, della mia famiglia,
except in one case, when I talk about the family, about my family,
dei miei parenti stretti in singolare.
about my close relatives in the singular.
In questo caso non voglio l'articolo.
In this case I don't want the article.
Non dico: il mio padre, la mia madre.
I don't say: the my father, the my mother.
Dico: mio padre, mia madre.
I say: my father, my mother.
Captions 44-50, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Aggettivi Possessivi
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There is also another special case: an exception to the exception. When the nouns denoting family members become altered nouns (see this lesson about altered nouns), as in sorellina (little sister) instead of sorella (sister), or mamma (mom) rather than madre (mother), we put back the article!
Ho fatto una passeggiata con la mia sorellina.
I went for a walk with my little sister.
Mio fratello ci ha accompagnato.
My brother came with us.
See this article about mamma (not a totally clear cut case) and other family terms of endearment.
See this chart about possessive adjectives, summing up in English what Daniela has been talking about in Italian.
Here are some exercises to test your comprehension:
Try this online exercise.
Do a short quiz.
Take another short quiz.
Possessive adjectives are just plain tricky. Not only do you need to know the rules, but you need to get plenty of practice before they become second nature, so be patient with yourselves and you will slowly but surely start getting these pesky possessive adjectives right, more often than wrong!
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