When we speak of an unspecified quantity of food items, objects, etc. we use the indefinite or partitive article, which changes according to the gender of the noun in question (singular: del, della, dello, and plural: dei, delle, degli). In the second part of the lesson, you'll notice that Italian uses the equivalent of "of" or "of it" where English doesn't. Feel free to absorb the first part of this lesson before tackling the second part.

Daniela talks about verbs having to do with shops, and whether they close at lunchtime or not.

With her students, Daniela shows us how to conjugate the verbs aprire (to open) and chiudere (to close).

Daniela and her pupils compare the opening hours of shops in their country to those in Italy where, traditionally, the midday break has always had particular importance. Over the past ten years, tradition has gradually given way to convenience, and the rules governing opening hours have become less and less strict.

Daniela finishes explaining about the opening hours of shops, comparing those of Italy with those of Germany.

Daniela shows her class how to use the verb, rimanere(to remain, to stay) and she also conjugates this partly regular, partly irregular verb.

Daniela discusses with her class the opening hours of stores in different regions of Italy as well as Germany. They go on to talk about the differences in school systems between the two countries.

What's one of the first things you think of when talking about Italy? Food! Daniela tells us about the sagre (festivals) having to do with every kind of food imaginable.

Daniela tells her students about the masculine singular definite article in its three forms, "Il, L' and Lo."

There's still more to know about the masculine singular definite article. After IL and L with an apostrophe, there's a third kind, LO. Daniela explains two simple rules to follow.

If the masculine article seemed a bit complicated, rest easy. The feminine singular definite article is much simpler. Daniela will explain.

Daniela has already taught us the singular definite articles in Italian. Today she starts teaching us the masculine plural definite articles.

What are the rules for the masculine plural articles? Daniela explains them to her class, and to us!

Daniela explains how easy it is to form the plurals of feminine nouns, even if you don't know their meaning.

If you know the rules regarding masculine and feminine articles, word endings, and plurals in Italian, you'll get it right most of the time. But there are some important exceptions which Daniela addresses in this lesson. They just have to get memorized!