Let's have a look at the preposition su. Its most common meaning in English is "on." As Marika has been explaining in video lessons such as this one, the simple preposition su can be combined with a definite article — in Italian, there are several forms, based on gender and quantity — to become a preposizione articolata (a preposition combined with a definite article — ("the" in English).
So to say, "on the table," instead of saying su il tavolo, we say sul tavolo. The preposition and definite article combine into one word.
Aspettate, lascio il libro sul tavolo
Wait, I'll leave the book on the table
Caption 3, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Il futuro
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This process is similar for all the different forms of definite articles in Italian.
sul = su + il
sull' = su + l'
...nubi invece sull'Umbria e sulle zone interne della Toscana.
...clouds, instead, in Umbria and in the inland areas of Tuscany.
Caption 63, Anna e Marika - in TG Yabla Italia e Meteo - Part 2
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sulla = su + la
Allora, siamo qui con la nostra? -Chiara.
So, we're here with our... -Chiara.
Che ci risponderà a un po' di domande sulla mozzarella di bufala.
Who will answer a few of our questions about buffalo mozzarella.
Captions 1-2, Anna e Marika - La mozzarella di bufala - La produzione e i tagli - Part 2
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sullo = su + lo
Sullo sfondo potete vedere il Vesuvio
In the background, you can see Vesuvius
Caption 4, Escursioni Campane - Castello Normanno - Part 1
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sui = su + i
Allora, questa lista la scriviamo tutti insieme,
So, this list we'll all write together,
io alla lavagna e voi sui quaderni.
I on the blackboard and you in your notebooks.
Captions 10-11, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Il condizionale - Part 5
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sugli = su + gli
Just as in English, prepositions often have multiple meanings and su is no exception.
Su can mean "on," but also "in," sometimes:
L'ho letto sul giornale.
I read about it in the newspaper.
Caption 22, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 10
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Su often means "about."
E vi racconto qualche storia semplice sul gelato, ma molto interessante.
And I'll tell you a few simple stories about ice cream, but very interesting.
Caption 10, Andromeda - in - Storia del gelato - Part 1
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Note that sometimes definite articles are used in Italian but not in English, as in the example above.
Su can mean "out of," as in the following example:
Nove volte su dieci lo fa perché ha qualcosa da nascondere.
Nine times out of ten, he does it because he has something to hide.
Caption 25, Provaci Ancora Prof! - S1E2 - Un amore pericoloso - Part 19
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A good expression to know is sul serio (seriously)?
Sul serio?
Seriously?
Caption 4, Marika spiega - La formazione degli aggettivi
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It can also be interpreted as "for real."
Però voglio dirti una cosa, questa è importante sul serio.
But I want to tell you something. This is important for real.
Caption 45, Francesca - Cavalli - Part 1
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Another way we use the preposition su is to give an approximate time, weight, or age.
Arriverò sul presto (I'll get there on the early side).
Aveva sui cinquant'anni (he was around fifty years old).
Note that in this lesson, we talked about the preposition su, but su is also an adverb meaning up, upwards. We'll talk about that in a future lesson.
Maybe you have seen or heard other uses of su we didn't mention here. Let us know!
Via is such a short word, and yet, it has a lot of bite. The basic translation of the noun via is "way." Concretely, it can refer to a street, road, or path. A road is a way to get somewhere if we want to think of it that way. Even in English, "way" can be used to describe a road, if we think of "parkway," "subway," "pathway," or "Broadway."
Sì, perché siamo ovviamente a Roma, su via Ostiense, una via molto antica di Roma.
Yes, because obviously we're in Rome, on the via Ostiense, a very old Roman road.
Captions 17-18, Anna e Marika Trattoria Al Biondo Tevere - Part 1
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A handy expression to know that uses via to mean "way," is una via di mezzo (halfway between, midway between, a middle ground, a compromise):
Diciamo che, eh... non è un azzurro, ma non è neanche un blu scuro, però una via di mezzo.
Let's say, uh... it's not a light blue, but neither is it a dark blue, but it's halfway between.
Captions 35-36, Anna e Marika Un negozio di scarpe - Part 2
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Note: Via can mean "way," but "way" doesn't always translate as via. When "way" means "manner," we have other Italian words that more commonly do the job: il modo (the way) la maniera (the manner), il mezzo (the means). We've provided links to WordReference so you can see all the translations of these words, as in some cases, there are numerous ones.
If you go to the doctor or pharmacy you might ask about some medicine and how to take it. Per via orale is "by mouth," literally, "by way of mouth."
Via is also an adverb. The most common expression that comes to mind might be Vai via (go away)!
La volpe, allora, triste e sottomessa, andò via.
The fox, then, sad and subdued, went away.
Caption 23, Adriano Fiaba - Part 2
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We can also use via when we are saying someone is away.
È via per lavoro (she's away on business).
When we want to say "etc." or "and so on," or "and so forth," one way is to use via.
La nota successiva, che si troverà attraverso il quinto rigo, si chiamerà La. E così via.
The next note, which will be found across the fifth line, will be called A, and so on.
Captions 12-14, A scuola di musica con Alessio - Part 3
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You might also hear variations on this: e via discorrendo and e via dicendo that mean the same thing.
We can use via via to mean little by little, gradually:
Alla torre fu affiancato via via un castello in posizione ardita sulle rocce che dominano la valle del Rio Secco.
A castle in a daring position was gradually added to the tower on the rocks that dominate the Rio Secco Valley.
Captions 12-13, Meraviglie S2EP1 - Part 9
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We use via as the starting signal.
Meno tre, due, uno, via. Guardami! Perfetto!
Countdown, three, two, one, go. Look at me! Perfect!
Caption 53, Corso base di snowboard Snowboard
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And when we are talking about the start of something, we use the noun il via to mean "the start," "the lead-off."
Ti do il via (I'll give you the start-off).
We can also just say via to mean "let's go," "let's get going," or "you get going."
Operativi, occhio vivo, via!
On the job, eyes wide open, get going!
Caption 34, Il Commissario Manara S2EP4 - Miss Maremma - Part 5
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We use via vai to indicate comings and goings, when, for example, a place gets crowded with activity.
Ragazzi, da un po' di tempo a questa parte c'è un via vai, qui.
Guys, for a while now, there's been [plenty of] coming and going here.
Caption 28, Il Commissario Manara S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 17
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Via is used as un intercalare (a filler word), much as we say, "you know," "yeah," "come on," "well," or "OK" in the middle of a sentence. You'll hear this primarily in Tuscany and Lazio.
Quindi c'abbiamo, via, un parco cavalli tra i più eterogenei che ci sono a Roma.
So we have, you know, one of the most heterogeneous horse parks that there are in Rome.
Caption 62, Francesca Cavalli - Part 1
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C'è qualche problema? -Lascia stare, è il mio ragazzo! -Bastava dirlo! -Via, si beve qualcosa, eh.
Is there some problem? -Leave him alone, he's my boyfriend! -You could have said so! -Come on, let's have something to drink, huh?
Captions 23-25, Il Commissario Manara S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 13
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It's also a way of "that's it."
Una botta e via.
One blow and that's it.
Caption 17, Il Commissario Manara S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 2
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Via is often used to conclude a sentence or situation. It's not really translatable. It's another intercalare (filler word) and used primarily in Tuscany and Lazio.
Insomma, ci chiamiamo, via. -Sì.
In other words, we'll call each other, yeah. -Yes.
Caption 41, Il Commissario Manara S1EP12 - Le verità nascoste - Part 8
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And we also conclude this lesson about via. Via!
In a previous lesson we discussed addressing people formally or informally, using Lei or tu. Deciding which is appropriate has to do with the degree of conoscenza (knowledge, acquaintance, familiarity). Conoscenza comes from the verb conoscere (to know, to be acquainted with). (For the other kind of knowing — sapere — see the previous lessons, Sapere: Part 1 and Sapere: Part 2.)
Conoscere is worth a closer look, because although it’s used to mean “to know, to be acquainted with,” Italians also use it to mean “to meet, to get acquainted with, to get to know.” In the following example from one of Daniela’s Italian lessons, it’s clear she means “to know, to be acquainted with.”
Se io per esempio non conosco Alex,
If, for example, I don't know Alex,
Alex è il mio vicino di casa,
Alex is my next door neighbour,
o una persona che ho incontrato per la strada,
or a person I've met on the street,
voglio sapere come si chiama, io do del Lei.
I want to know his name, I give the "Lei."
Captions 18-21, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Tu o Lei?
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In the same lesson, Daniela is talking about meeting someone for the first time, and she uses the same verb, conoscere. The context tells us what she means.
Dobbiamo sapere, quando conosciamo una persona,
We have to know, when we meet a person,
se darle del Tu o del Lei.
whether to give him the "tu" (informal "you") or the "Lei" (formal "you").
Captions 2-3, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Tu o Lei?
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In a previous lesson, Making It Happen, we talked about combining fare (to do, to make) with other verbs to make things happen, or get things done. Fare gets combined with conoscere to make introductions: fare conoscere (to make someone or something known, or to introduce someone or something).
Francesca is going to her first riding lesson at a nearby stable, and she tells us:
Ehm, questo ragazzo che mi accoglierà, e che vi farò conoscere...
Uh, this fellow who will receive me, and to whom I'll introduce you...
Caption 8, Francesca - Cavalli
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When you talk about when and where you met someone for the first time, use conoscere:
Ho conosciuto Alberto solo oggi. Conosce molto bene i suoi cavalli.
I met Alberto today [for the first time]. He knows his horses very well.
Now that Francesca has heard all about these horses from Alberto, she’s ready for a closer look.
E quindi va bene, ne andiamo a conoscere qualcuno.
And so all right, let's go to meet some of them.
-Andiamo a conoscerne un bel po'. -OK.
-We're going to meet a lot of them. -OK.
Caption 63, Francesca - Cavalli
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In case you’re wondering why ne is attached to the end of conoscere the second time it appears, it’s because it means “of them.” Like ci, as we’ve already seen in Ci Gets Around, ne is a particle that can either be separate, as in the first sentence, or can become part of the verb, as in the second. You’ll find more information on ne here.
To sum up, here’s a list of variations of conoscere, including a few new ones:
• conoscere (to know, to be acquainted with, to be familiar with)
• conoscere (to get acquainted with, to meet for the first time)
• fare conoscere (to introduce, to make known)
• conosciuto (well known)
• conoscenza (knowledge, acquaintance, awareness, consciousness)
• a conoscenza (aware)
• delle conoscenze (knowledge, influential people, connections)
• fare la conoscenza (to get acquainted)
• riconoscere (to recognize)
• un conoscente (an acquaintance)
• the reflexive form: conoscersi (to know oneself, to know each other/one another)
• riconoscente (appreciative, grateful)
• uno sconosciuto (a stranger)
• sconosciuto (unknown, little known)
And putting them all together, just for fun, here’s what we get:
Se finora non eri a conoscenza del sistema Yabla, probabilmente non conoscevi questo trucco: clicchi su qualsiasi parola sconosciuta, o su una parola che non riconosci, e puoi subito conoscerne il significato nella tua lingua, perché si apre il dizionario. O forse te l’aveva detto un conoscente, e sei stato riconoscente. Tu ti conosci meglio di chiunque altro, e quindi saprai tu se vuoi vedere i sottotitoli o no. Tutti gli utenti Yabla conoscono questo trucco. E a proposito, come hai conosciuto Yabla? C’è qualcuno che te l’ha fatto conoscere, o l’hai conosciuto per caso? A che livello è la tua conoscenza o a che livello sono le tue conoscenze dell’italiano? È vero che noi non ci conosciamo, ma per convenzione, ci diamo del tu.
Before sneaking a peek at the English translation, see how much you understand of the Italian!
If, up until now, you were not aware of the Yabla system, you probably weren’t familiar with this trick: click on any unknown word, or on a word you don’t recognize, and you can immediately find out (get acquainted with) the meaning of it in your language because a dictionary opens up. Or maybe an acquaintance had already told you that and you were grateful. You know yourself better than anyone, so you must know if you want to see the captions or not. All Yabla users know this trick. And by the way, how did you learn about Yabla? Was there someone who introduced you to it, or did you know about it already? What’s your level of knowledge in Italian? It’s true that we don’t know each other, but by convention we use the familiar form of address.
E se non basta (and if that’s not enough), here are two more links for you: sapere and conoscere and How to Use the Italian Verbs Sapere and Conoscere
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