This week Daniela introduces a very pesky topic indeed: direct object pronouns. Simply put, it’s when you replace a name or a noun with a pronoun, when it’s the object of the verb. We’re talking about words like “it” (which is the same as a subject and as an object), “me” as opposed to “I,” “us” as opposed to “we,” “them” as opposed to “they,” “him” as opposed to “he,” and “her” as opposed to “she.”
Object pronouns, both direct and indirect, are hard for just about anyone trying to learn Italian. This is partly because the position of the pronoun is different from that of the actual word it is replacing (as Daniela explains), and because these pronouns can so easily end up as part of a compound word, or worse, part of a contraction, especially in perfect tenses. And to make matters even more complicated, they can attach themselves to an indirect pronoun. So these short words can be hard to distinguish! (Yabla captions can be very useful in locating them!)
Learners know all too well that the gender of a word can be a challenge in itself, and we need to know the gender first of all. And even within the gender, we need to know what kind of article to use (il, lo, or l + apostrophe in the masculine, for example). So there’s lots to remember. But let’s take things one step at a time.
A very simple sentence with the verb leggere (to read) and the object noun il libro (the book) might be:
Leggo il libro.
I read the book.
The object pronoun in the masculine singular is always lo (it), so if we replace the object noun with an object pronoun, it becomes:
Lo leggo.
I read it.
Note that the pronoun in this case is placed before the conjugated verb. This is a very important rule.
In the following example, the verb is leggere as in the above example. The object is i nomi (the names) and is plural.
Se leggo i nomi, mi vengono subito le facce.
If I read the names, the faces come to me immediately.
Caption 52, La Ladra - EP. 1 - Le cose cambiano
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If we go on to talk about these names, we can replace i nomi (the names) with a pronoun. We’ll need an object pronoun that’s plural, and masculine, since il nome is a masculine noun. The direct object pronoun for the masculine plural is li (them). If you’ve watched Daniela’s lesson, or if you think you know, try to construct a phrase on your own with the object pronoun of i nomi before looking at the example below. Attenzione! The object pronoun goes before the verb!
Se li leggo, mi vengono subito le facce.
If I read them, the faces come to me right away.
Thus far, we’ve looked at the masculine singular direct object pronoun lo (it, him) and the masculine plural direct object pronoun li (them). When Daniela talks about the feminine singular and plural direct object pronouns, we’ll cover them, too, so stay tuned!
Practice:
Can you change the following nouns to pronouns?
Quando leggo il giornale, mi devo concentrare.
When I read the newspaper I have to concentrate.
Sposto lo sgabello in cucina.
I move the stool to the kitchen.
Cambio l’orologio per l’ora legale.
I change the clock for legal time [daylight savings time].
Porto Francesco quando è troppo stanco per camminare.
I carry Francesco when he’s too tired to walk.
Cucinerò tutti i pomodori prima che vadano a male.
I’ll cook all the tomatoes before they go bad.
Nel frattempo (in the meantime) why not do a Yabla search to distinguish lo as a masculine singular definite article—lo studente (the student), lo specchio (the mirror), etc.—from the masculine singular direct object pronoun, as discussed in this lesson and in Daniela’s video lesson.
Below are suggested solutions for the above exercise.
Quando lo leggo, mi devo concentrare.
When I read it, I have to concentrate.
Lo sposto in cucina.
I move it to the kitchen.
Lo cambio per l’ora legale.
I change it for daylight savings time.
Lo porto quando è troppo stanco per camminare.
I carry him when he’s too tired to walk.
Li cucinerò prima che vadano a male.
I’ll cook them before they go bad.
In this week’s video, Marika shows us around her bedroom. The most important piece of furniture is il letto matrimoniale (“marriage” bed, double bed).
Two children sharing a room might have twin beds, or bunk beds. Marika talks about these here. But traditionally, the parents sleep together in one big bed. Italians take this quite seriously, and call a double bed (more like a queen-size bed) un letto matrimoniale (a bed for a married couple). The bedroom containing such a bed will likewise be called una camera matrimoniale. The actual size of the bed is open to question, but it’s clearly meant for two people who sleep in close quarters.
In many Italian hotels, and in some homes as well, two identical single beds are placed next to each other with a mattress cover that covers both of them, and it’s made up like a double bed or letto matrimoniale. The resulting bed will be rather large, like a queen-size. This is handy if the two sleepers have different needs, and it’s also handy for turning the mattresses for airing, or for changing from the winter side (stuffed with wool) to the summer side (stuffed with cotton). Some people feel two single mattresses are more versatile. Others prefer the comfort of one big mattress.
In a hotel, una camera singola might have a smaller single bed than you might expect. It’s not like in American motels where all the beds are queen-size!
When buying sheets, mattresses, or bed frames, the term matrimoniale may be used, but since there are different-sized “double” beds, we also find the term piazza, which is the space designed for one occupant. A bed is single when it is una piazza (one place). There’s also the intermediate size una piazza e mezza or una piazza e mezzo (room for one and a half occupants), also called alla francese (French-style). You might have this kind of bed if you don’t have space for a bigger one, or if you like something a bit bigger than a single bed. It can be likened to an old-fashioned double bed in America. It can also be a typical size for a divano letto (a sofa bed). Due piazze is about as big as you’ll find in a bed.
Sofas are also measured with piazze. They’re usually three or two: Tre piazze or due piazze. Yes, this is the same word as for the piazza in the center of a town or city.
Many homes have an extra guest bed, which may also fold up, to be placed out of sight. This is typically called una brandina (a folding bed, cot). The term, along with its unaltered version branda, is used to indicate a camp bed, or the kind of rudimentary bed used in the army or for camping.
A casual way to say you’re going to bed is:
Vado in branda.
I’m sacking out/I’m hitting the hay.
More properly, we say andare a letto or andare a dormire:
Adesso tu te ne vai a letto, ci fai sopra una bella dormita.
Now you go off to bed. Have a good sleep on it.
Caption 36, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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Italian also uses andare a dormire to say “to go to bed”:
Vai.
Go on.
Ehi, giovano',
Hey, young man,
dai, basta con 'sta televisione.
come on, that's enough with this TV.
Vai a dormire che è tardi, ia'!
Go to bed, because it's late, right?
Captions 14-16, L'oro di Scampia - film - Part 3
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Andare a dormire can also mean “to go to sleep” in general, whether in a bed, an armchair, a sofa, or anywhere.
Alle quattro e mezza io andavo a dormire un'ora.
At four thirty I'd go to sleep for an hour.
Caption 20, L'arte della cucina - I Luoghi del Mondo
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But usually, “going to sleep” as in “falling asleep” is expressed with the verb addormentarsi (to go to sleep, to fall asleep). A is one prefix used to cause an action to take place, as in:
addensare (to cause to be dense, to thicken)
addolcire (to sweeten)
Without the reflexive, addormentare is transitive, and may be used, for example, if you’re trying to get a baby to go to sleep, or if someone is put to sleep with an anaesthetic.
Just for fun:
Quando ho sonno, vado in branda. Però, riesco a dormire solo in un letto grande, in unletto matrimoniale. Un letto ad una piazza mi è proprio troppo stretto. Anche un letto ad una piazza e mezza è troppo stretto. Non riesco proprio ad addormentarmi. Se vado a dormire troppo presto, mi sveglio all’una di notte, e allora sì, che non miriaddormento più. Quando mi capita così, il giorno dopo, devo andare a dormire una mezz’ora per recuperare un po’ di sonno. In quel caso uso una brandina che tengo nell’armadio per queste esigenze.
When I’m sleepy, I go to bed. However, I can sleep only in a big bed, in a queen-size bed. A single bed is really too narrow for me. Even a double bed is too narrow. I just can’t get to sleep. If I go to bed too early, I wake up at one in the morning, and then, for sure I don’t fall back to sleep. When that happens to me, the following day I have to go sleep for a half an hour to catch up on my sleep. In that case, I use a folding cot I store in the closet, for when I need it.
Further Practice:
Can you describe the beds and bedrooms in your house? Can you talk about your sleeping habits, and those of your family?
Per dire is a common expression. It has different variations, with different sfumature, but this is perhaps it's most synthetic variant. It's as if the speaker were saying per esempio (for example), or "let's say..." In both cases, it's practically a stand-alone expression that gets inserted in a sentence with a comma or an ellipsis.
Per dire, io prendo la pastiera napoletana,
Let's say I take the Neapolitan Pastiera:
all'interno c'è il grano, simbolo di ricchezza.
inside there's wheat, symbol of wealth.
Captions 33-34, Susanna Cutini - Dolci delle tradizioni di Pasqua
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Literally, per dire means "in order to say." Perhaps the best way to think of it is "for the sake of argument." We might even simply use "say," as in "suppose."
Let's take, say, a Neapolitan pastiera...
Suppose I take the Neapolitan pastiera...
We're primarily talking about a hypothetical example, which may or may not actually be a true-life example. Susanna's example about her grandfather happened to be true, but she was using it as an example.
Perché a Pasqua lui doveva avere lo zafferano
Because at Easter, he had to have saffron
per fare le panine pasquali. Per dire...
to make the Easter breads. Just as an example...
Captions 82-83, Susanna Cutini - Dolci delle tradizioni di Pasqua
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English uses the word ride to mean different things, so when it comes to finding the right Italian word, we can easily be at a loss. Let’s look at some of the basic Italian words associated with “ride.”
The first installment of the new episode of Commissario Manara, starting this week, gives us one important example:
Ma sei sicura che non hai bisogno di un passaggio?
But are you sure you don't need a ride?
Caption 8, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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Il passaggio comes from the verb passare (to move from one place or state to another).
If you ride in a car, or on a two-wheeler, but are not the “driver,” you are il passeggero (the passenger).
For those who are curious, it’s not readily evident why there is an “e” and not an “a” in this word. It comes from the French passager (passenger, passing/temporary) and in Neapolitan the spelling is passaggiere! But (going out on a limb), perhaps the adjective form passeggero (passing, temporary) might possibly have some connection with a passeggero (passenger) being a “temporary” occupant of the vehicle.
Attenzione! Don’t get confused between passaggio (a passage or ride) and andare a passeggio (to go for a stroll) with its verb form passeggiare (to stroll, walk) and noun form passeggiata (a stroll, a walk).
The subject of the new episode of Commissario Manara is il buttero, a sort of Tuscan cowboy, primarily associated with the Maremma part of Tuscany. What do these cowboys do? See this link for details about the butteri, but one thing is for sure. They ride horses.
We usually say andare a cavallo (to go horseback riding) to talk about riding a horse, but to be more specific, we use the verb cavalcare. The rider is il cavaliere. If you stay tuned for the next installment of Manara, you’ll be ready for this word!
We can also ride a bike: andare in bici, andare in bicicletta
If we go to the parco giochi (the amusement park), we may want to go on the rides. These rides are commonly grouped together with the merry-go-round, la giostra, and called le giostre (the rides, the attractions).
What about when we say, “let’s go for a ride”? In this case Italian uses the omnipresent giro. In English we usually put the means first, as an adjective: a train ride, a boat ride, a bike ride.
Ho bisogno di un bel giro in moto e di una birra.
I need a nice motorcycle ride and a beer.
Caption 12, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu
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Note that the most common verb to use when going for a ride is fare (to make, to do).
Ho proprio voglia di fare un bel giro!
I really feel like going for a nice ride!
Caption 28, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro
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In a nutshell:
Riding:
cavalcare (to ride a horse)
andare a cavallo (to go horseback riding)
andare in bici (to ride a bike)
fare il passeggero (to ride as a passenger)
un passaggio (a ride/lift as a passenger)
fare un giro (to go for a ride)
le giostre (the rides at an amusement park)
Walking and in general:
andare a passeggio (to go for a walk)
fare una passeggiata (to go for a walk or ride)
passeggiare (to stroll)
passare (to move from one place to another)
Just for fun:
Ieri ho fatto un giro in bici, ma poi ho forato, e quindi ho dovuto chiedere un passaggio ad un camionista. Non avevo mai fatto il passeggero in un mezzo così grande. Mi piace andare in bici, perché posso girare dove mi pare, usando le mie gambe. Mi piace pure andare a cavallo, ma non sono un cavaliere particolarmente bravo. Non cavalco bene come un buttero, ma, da più giovane, facevo delle bellissime passeggiate a cavallo in giro per la campagna toscana. Non era una passione passeggera, ma siccome sono caduto più volte cavalcando, ultimamente preferisco cavalcare i cavalli della giostra alle giostre o al parco giochi, oppure fare qualche passeggiata a piedi nel bosco, specialmente quando devo portare il cane a passeggio.
Yesterday I went for a bike ride, but I got a flat tire, and so I had to ask a truck driver for a ride. I had never been a passenger in such a large vehicle. I love going cycling, because I can go wherever I want, using my legs. I also like going horseback riding, but I’m not a particularly skilled rider. I don’t ride as well as a Maremmano cowboy, but when I was younger I went on some beautiful rides on horseback around the Tuscan countryside. It wasn’t a passing fancy, but since I fell several times while riding, lately I prefer to ride the horses on the merry-go-round at the carousel or amusement park, or else go for a walk in the woods, especially when I have to take the dog for a walk.
The useful expression fare a meno (to do without) comes up in a recent installment of L'Arte della Cucina:
L'armonia non può fare a meno dei contrasti,
Harmony can't do without contrasts,
che possono essere numerosi.
which may be numerous.
Caption 14, L'arte della cucina - La Prima Identitá
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Let's take a look at each separate word.
Fare means "to make" or "to do" (see this lesson about fare).
A is a preposition meaning any number of things, mostly "at," "to," or "in," but not specifically "with," so we need to stretch our imaginations a bit, and accept the fact that prepositions don't always correspond.
Meno has a couple of different meanings, including "minus," which in this case, makes sense.
At the same time, let's not forget that the most common translation for meno is "less," or, when there's an article in front of it, "least":
a meno che (unless)
almeno (at least)
See WordReference, for more about fare a meno.
In a recent episode of Dixiland, there's an interesting expression: tale e quale.
O forse l'autoritratto di Lolalù?
Or maybe the self-portrait by Lolalù?
"Tale e quale, Lolalù."
"Exactly like Lolalù."
Captions 43-44, Dixiland - Coppa di cioccolato
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If we take the expression apart, we have two principal words. Tale has a long list of definitions and translations. It can mean, as a noun, "that person," or as an adjective, "certain," "similar," "aforementioned," and more. Quale (which) has some different sfumature (nuances), but it mostly means "which," or "which one."
In English, we might also say "the spitting image of Lolalù." "To spit" in Italian is sputare, and in fact, sputare is also used to say pretty much the same thing: sputato a Lolalù. Tale e quale is probably easier to remember and easier to say!
Merely connecting these words together with e (and) doesn't make a whole lot of sense, so it's best to think of tale e quale as an idiomatic expression, a compound adjective, you might call it, meaning "exactly the same."
E a noi napoletani ci fa diventare tali e quali ai milanesi.
And she makes us Neapolitans become exactly like Milanese.
Caption 58, Moscati, l'amore che guarisce EP1 - Part 6
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Attenzione! In buying and selling, you might find this (without the conjunction): tale quale, which means "as is."
Just for fun:
Non potevo fare a meno di andare dal parrucchiere. I miei capelli erano troppo disordinati. Appena sono entrata, il parrucchiere m’ha detto: “siediti pure, ho quasi finito.” Poi ha preso in mano un phon per asciugare i capelli di un altro cliente. Devo dire che quell' asciugacapelli era tale e quale al mio. Uguale uguale!... A meno che non fosse proprio il mio, rubato da lui. Sto scherzando... figuriamoci! Avrei fatto a meno della musica che era troppo forte, ma almeno mi ha pettinato molto bene, e in fretta. Dopo, non potevo fare a meno di mangiare un bel gelato.
I couldn't do without going to the hairdresser's. My hair was too messy. As soon as I went in, the hairdresser said, "Go ahead and have a seat. I'm almost finished." Then he took the blow dryer to dry another client's hair. I have to say that that hair dryer was exactly like mine. The same, identical!... Unless it really was mine, stolen by him. I'm kidding... no way! I could have done without the music, which was too loud, but at least he styled my hair nicely, and quickly. Afterwards, I couldn't have done without having a nice ice cream cone.
There are a few different Italian words used to refer to things happening.
Capitare (to happen casually):
Capita.
It happens.
Capitare, like “to happen,” is the only verb of the four mentioned in this lesson that can be conjugated in all the persons.
Capito spesso da queste parti.
I happen on this place often.
Nonetheless, even capitare is most frequently used in the third person (both singular and plural).
This week’s episode about Marchesi has a good example of the past participle of capitare. It takes the auxiliary essere rather than avere, and is often used with an indirect object pronoun (not reflexive), as in the following example.
Più tardi mi è capitato di lavorare con lui.
Later on I had a chance to work with him.
Caption 14, L'arte della cucina - L'Epoca delle Piccole Rivoluzioni
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With capitare, the happening is generally by chance, or casual in some way.
Succedere (to happen, to occur). When something is really taking place, like an accident, or a discussion, we usually use succedere. This is the most common way to say “to happen.”
Che succede?
What's happening?
-Hanno ritrovato il furgone del pesce di Mussa.
-They found Mussa's fish van.
Captions 47-48, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde
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Like capitare, succedere is often used with an indirect object.
Ma se mi succede qualcosa e mi mettono in galera?
But if something happens to me and they put me in jail?
Caption 30, La Ladra - EP. 1 - Le cose cambiano
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Accadere (to happen, to occur) is still another way to say “to happen.” It’s a bit more formal, and might be easier to translate with “to occur,” especially since “occur” is also only used in the third person, has a double “c” near the beginning, and ends with an “r” sound. Another easy translation to remember might be “to befall,” since accadere contains the verb cadere (to fall).
Ma ormai non accadrà.
But by now it's not going to happen.
No, non succederà.
No, it's not going to happen.
Captions 16-17, Tiromancino - L'essenziale
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Technically, accadere can be used with an indirect object but it’s not very common. Here is an example:
è ispirata a un fatto realmente accaduto a me.
it was inspired by a real event that happened to me.
Caption 3, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1
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Avvenire (to come about, to occur, to take place) is used in the third person only, and is somewhat formal. The easiest way to remember it is with the phrase “to come about,” since avvenire contains venire (to come). We cannot use avvenire with an indirect object.
La raccolta avviene fra novembre e dicembre.
The harvest takes place between November and December.
Caption 8, L'olio extravergine di oliva - Il frantoio
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In a nutshell:
succedere: most common, is used in the third person only (except for when it means “to succeed someone,” as in royalty). Auxiliary verb: essere. May be used with an indirect object (something happens to somebody).
capitare: may be conjugated in all persons followed by a preposition or adverb. Translations for this form: to end up, to turn up.
It also functions like succedere, in the third person. Auxiliary verb: essere. May be used with an indirect object (something happens to somebody).
accadere: is conjugated in the third person only. Auxiliary verb: essere. May be used with an indirect object (something happens to somebody), but is not all that common. Easy translation: to befall. Often used like “to occur.”
avvenire: is conjugated in the third person only. Auxiliary verb: essere. May not be used with an indirect object. Easy translation: to come about. Often used like “to occur.”
These are very basic “rules,” but keep your eyes and ears open to really get the feel for these verbs. And don’t worry. You can get by in most situations with succedere!
One of our Yabla subscribers has asked about the word pure. It does get translated differently in different contexts, so it can be a bit confusing. This one short word has a few different but related connotations. On the simple end of the scale it’s an adverb—another way of saying anche (also, too, as well).
In the following example, both anch’io and io pure mean pretty much the same thing. There’s no particular emotion attached to the word. It’s matter-of-fact.
Anch'io. -Anch'io. -Io pure.
So do I. -So do I. -Me too.
Caption 65, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 - EP2 - Il mistero di Cetinka Part 9
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In the example below, however, the meaning of pure is technically the same (meaning “also,” “too,” “as well”) but there’s some sort of emotion involved, as if one were saying, “not only is she pretty, but she’s smart too!” (as if that weren't to be expected...):
Bellina e pure brava questa Rubino.
Pretty, and also smart, this Rubino.
Caption 1, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto Part 8
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In the example below, pure is still an adverb, but this time gets translated as “even.” Let’s remember that anche can also mean “even” in certain situations. Some Italians will tell you that pure quite simply means anche. In fact, one could even swap pure with anche, and it would mean much the same thing.
È incredibile, fai pure finta di non ricordare.
It's incredible, you even pretend not to remember.
Caption 13, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto Part 5
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Below is another example where the sense of pure is “even.” We could use “as well” or “too,” but it would be a bit of a stretch. In fact pure is a way to raise your eyebrows without actually doing so. It adds an emotional element.
Eh, questo, fa resuscitare pure i morti!
Yes, this, will revive even the dead!
Caption 59, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 -EP2 - Il mistero di Cetinka Part 8
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The following example is one in which pure requires more than a one-word translation. It’s used in contexts where we would use “go ahead” in English.
Senti, se ti va di metterti nei guai fallo pure,
Listen, if you want to get yourself in trouble, go ahead.
Caption 5, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva Part 9
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Fallo pure! can be translated as “go right ahead!” [literally: “do it nevertheless”].
Pure as “go ahead” is also used a lot in offices and such places, where someone will either ask you to have a seat, or to go in. It can also be interpreted as “it’s OK if you…” since when you say “go ahead,” you’re giving permission. Here are some formal and informal examples:
Formal:
Si sieda pure.
Go ahead and have a seat.Informal:
Siediti pure.
Go ahead and sit down.Formal:
Si accomodi pure.
Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. [Have a seat.]Informal:
Accomodati pure.
Go ahead and make yourself at home. [Also, as a sarcastic retort: "Be my guest!"]Formal:
Vada pure avanti.
Go ahead and lead. [After you.]Informal:
Vai pure avanti.
Go right ahead.
Go ahead and take the lead.
It’s all right if you go in front of me.
We often hear a more literary form of pure: pur, which basically means the same thing, although it’s considered a conjunction. It’s used to mean “though,” “although,” “yet,” and tends to occur before a gerundio (gerund) form of a verb, as in the following example.
Pur essendo partito in una situazione di un ristorante
Though getting its start as a restaurant situated
di fronte all'ortofrutta [fruttivendolo]...
across from the vegetable market...
Captions 1-2, L'arte della cucina - La Prima Identitá - Part 6
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It’s also frequent to find eppure (and yet, yet, still, but, nevertheless, all the same), which has the same root. In this case it’s a stand-alone conjunction and will likely be followed by a comma.
Eppure, il rischio vulcanico non ha mai allontanato i suoi abitanti.
And yet the volcanic risk has never sent its inhabitants away.
Caption 23, Linea Blu - Sicilia Part 9
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In the same vein, we have neppure, which like neanche means “not even.”
E per di più non è neppure la stessa persona
And what's more, it's not even the same person
Caption 1, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu Part 13
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Tying it all together in context, just for fun:
Dialogo fra 2 maratonisti:
Francesca: Pur essendo anziano, vai forte!
Massimo: Sì, ma vai pure avanti, ti raggiungo dopo la corsa. Mi sono allenato come un pazzo, eppure, sto facendo fatica.
Francesca: Pure io sto facendo fatica. Fermati pure due minuti per riprendere fiato!
Massimo: Se tu ti vuoi fermare, fallo pure. Io non ci penso neanche! Neppure per sogno!
Francesca: Io pure non voglio fermarmi. A dopo!
Al traguardo...
Francesca: Ma... Sei arrivato prima tu! Eppure, eri stanchissimo.
Massimo: È vero, mi hai pure superato ad un certo punto, t’ho visto. Ma poi... puressendo stanco morto, ce l’ho fatta!
Dialogue between two marathon runners:
Francesca: Even though you’re old, you’re fast!
Massimo: Yes, but go ahead and go, I’ll catch up to you after the race. I trained like crazy, but nevertheless, I’m having a tough time.
Francesca: I’m having a tough time as well. Go ahead and stop two minutes to catch your breath!
Massimo: If you want to stop, go right ahead. I won’t even think of it! [No way!] I wouldn’t even dream of it!
Francesca: I don’t want to stop, either. See you later!At the finish line...
Francesca: But... You finished before me! And yet, you were very tired.
Massimo: It’s true. You even passed me at a certain point, I saw you. But then... even though I was dead tired, I made it!
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.)
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