In our previous lesson we talked about the difference between giorno and giornata. We learned that saying buona giornata is a nice thing to say when taking one's leave.
When saying goodbye, we can replace giornata with another -ata word, perhaps one more specific to what the other person is about to do. For example, we want to wish someone a good ride (on horseback) as in the example below, or, if they are taking a walk, we can say buona passeggiata.
Va bene. -Buona giornata. Buona cavalcata. -Buona cavalcata. Buona giornata e buon lavoro. -Grazie.
All right. -Have a nice day. Have a nice ride. -Have a nice ride. Have a nice day, and good luck with your work. -Thank you.
Captions 14-16, Fratelli Taviani La passione e l'utopia - Part 23
Play Caption
Note: The -ata ending can't always be applied. If someone is about to get back to work or start on a project, you might say, buon lavoro, as in the example above (NOT buona lavorata!). We don't really have the equivalent in English, except for perhaps, "Have a good work day," but in Italy, buon lavoro is a very nice and very common thing to say to someone you're taking leave of. And if they are going to take a nap, you might say, buon riposo (have a good rest).
Let's take a closer look at this -ata ending or suffix. We'll find it on a great many nouns. One helpful thing to keep in mind is that it's always feminine. It is usually connected in meaning to the root noun, but has more movement to it.
L'onda (the wave) is what you see in the sea or ocean.
L'odore del mare, il, il suono delle onde... eh? -Sì.
The smell of the sea, the, the sound of the waves... huh? -Yes.
Caption 16, Professioni e mestieri Psicoterapeuta corporale e Naturopata
Play Caption
We also have the waves of sound and energy, and when we are on the air, for example on the radio or TV, we say, Siamo in onda (we're on the air).
Ma non c'è tempo per provare, tra cinque secondi andiamo in onda.
But there's no time to rehearse, we're on the air in five seconds.
Caption 70, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 20
Play Caption
L'ondata (the surge, the onrush)
We use ondata to describe a wave in motion. It's often used figuratively.
Dopo il suo primo devastante arrivo, la peste, la morte nera continuò a colpire con varie ondate negli anni, decimando la popolazione,
After its first devastating emergence, the plague, the Black Death continued to strike in various waves over the years, decimating the population,
Captions 1-2, Meraviglie EP. 3 - Part 7
Play Caption
In many cases, verbs come from nouns, and nouns also come from verbs. So a noun ending in -ata might come from a verb just as easily as from a noun, for example, when we mentioned cavalcata, above, it came from the verb cavalcare (to ride a horse).
il volo - volare - la volata
With un volo, you are in flight, but with la volata, you are moving quickly.
Assomiglia a un volo nel cielo.
It resembles flying in the sky.
Caption 21, Inno all'acqua un bene prezioso da difendere
Play Caption
Ho fatto una volata (I tripped and fell-- through the air)
Ho fatto una volata a casa (I rushed home for a moment)
More nouns with an -ata ending:
la girata (a short walk) [from the verb girare (to turn around), but we also have the noun un giro]
una nottata (the duration of a night - from when you go usually go to bed until the morning) [from the noun la notte]
una sgridata (a scolding) [from the verb sgridare]
la nevicata (the snowfall) [from the verb nevicare (to snow), but also the noun la neve (the snow)]
una chiacchierata (a chat) [from the verb chiacchierare (to chat)]
Certo che da una semplice chiacchierata, sei riuscita a capire tutto di Malvina, eh?
Just from a simple chat, you were able to understand everything about Malvina, weren't you?
Captions 1-2, Il Commissario Manara S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 17
Play Caption
This is just a small sampling of nouns ending in -ata. Let's stay on the lookout for more, and if you see more words like these in videos, let us know, and we will add them to the list!
Most of us know what arrivederci means: “goodbye,” or literally, “until we see each other again.” Ci in this case means “us” or “to us” or “each other.” Take a look at how ci works in this evocative hymn to one of our most precious resources, water:
Ci ricorda qualcosa che abbiamo dimenticato.
It reminds us of something that we have forgotten.
Caption 22, Inno all'acqua - un bene prezioso da difendere
Play Caption
When we like something, it gets "turned around" in Italian:
Ci piace molto questo posto!
We like this place a lot! [Literally: This place pleases us a lot!]
Sometimes ci gets attached to a verb, like here, where Commissioner Manara has just arrived at the crime scene and is dispatching his team to question a cyclist:
Perché non vai a sentire cos'ha da dirci? [Another way to say this would be: Perché non vai a sentire cosa ci ha da dire?]
Why don't you go and listen to what he has to tell us?
Caption 14, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 2
Play Caption
Ci is often used in reflexive constructions, which are more common in Italian than in English.
Noi ci troviamo in Campania...
We are [we find ourselves] in Campania...
Caption 16, Giovanna spiega - La passata di pomodori
Play Caption
In all the above examples, ci is the plural of mi (me, to me, myself). But the word ci can also mean “there,” expressing place, presence, or existence. It’s frequently hidden in a contraction, thus not alway easy to recognize. On his first day of work, Commissioner Manara checks into a pensione (small, family-run hotel) and asks the receptionist:
Il televisore c'è in camera?
Is there a TV in the room?
-Eh, certo che c'è.
-Eh, of course there is.
Captions 30-31, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 6
Play Caption
He walks in on his colleagues who are gossiping about him:
Che c'è, assemblea c'è?
What's up, is there an assembly?
Caption 42, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 8
Play Caption
In the above examples, c’è stands for ci è (there is), just like ci sono means “there are.” But, as we can see, it also means “is there?”—it’s the inflection (or punctuation if it’s written) that tells you whether it’s a question or a statement. (Learn more here and here.)
If I care whether you understand something or not, I will ask:
Ci sei?
Do you get it? Are you with me? [Literally: Are you there?]
If I don’t care so much, I might say:
Chi c’è c’è, chi non c’è non c’è.
If you're with me you're with me; if you're not, you’re not. [Literally, “whoever is there is there; whoever isn’t there, isn’t there.”]
There! Ci is pretty easy when you get the hang of it! (Tip: Do a search for ci in the Yabla videos to instantly see lots of different examples in context.) Stay tuned for Part 2 of this lesson, where we’ll find out how ci worms its way into all sorts of other situations!
Learning tip:
Make a shopping list, even just mentally, and as you do, ask yourself if you have those items in the fridge or in the cupboard. For singular things, or collective nouns, you will use c’è and for countable items in the plural, you will use ci sono. To get started:
C’è del formaggio? No, non c’è. (Is there any cheese? No, there isn’t.)
Ci sono delle uova? Si, ci sono. (Are there any eggs? Yes, there are.)
Ci sei?
Spanish
French
German
Chinese
English
English 
Español
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
