Marika explains some of the idiomatic expressions used in the TV series, Commissario Manara. These expressions are ones Italians use every day in dealing with other people, so you won't want to miss this.

Some idiomatic expressions need some explanation and Marika is here to do just that, this time using examples from the popular TV series, Commissario Manara. You'll be speaking Italian like a native in no time.

The best way to get around Lucca is by bike. Arianna rents one and enjoys riding along the amazing walls of the city, still intact after centuries.

A student asked Daniela to explain the difference between finché and the adverb fino. In fact, these words are tricky for English speakers to grasp. We're talking about "until" and "as long as," and in questions, "how far" and "how long."

Maria Inglese, an Italo-German artist, sings a famous song by Lucio Dalla, dedicated to the Neapolitan opera singer Enrico Caruso. Even though the song uses ti voglio bene, the generally less romantic version of "I love you," it was likely meant romantically here, as Caruso had fallen in love with and married a younger woman shortly before his death.

Marika and Daniela continue their conversation about making conversation in Italian. They even talk a little bit about baby talk, Italian style, including the vezzeggiativo (affectionate) form of adjectives.

L'Italiano (The Italian) was recorded by Toto Cutugno in 1983 and presented at the 33rd Sanremo Festival, where it didn't win. That didn't stop it from becoming a top hit and one of Italy's best-loved songs.

Daniela and Marika show us the basics of making conversation between 2 people who know each other as well as between strangers, or people of different ages.

Marika and Anna cook their pasta, but this recipe is actually designed for leftover pasta. They explain more about this, and show us, step by step, how to make this very special frittata. Buon appetito!

Anna and Marika describe the ingredients we need to make this spaghetti frittata. They go on to show us the necessary pots, pans, and cooking utensils.

The concept of liking and loving is nuanced in a particular way in Italian. Really grasping it takes time, practice, and experience, but this lesson should help to avoid embarrassing mistakes and misunderstandings when talking about relationships in Italian.

Today, Anna is playing with fire because she has to describe the very region her teacher is from. Anna knows her subject pretty well, but so does her teacher. Who will triumph?

There are two ways to use an indirect object pronoun with the verb piacere (to please, to be pleasing, to like). Daniela shows us how they work.

Sometimes the subject of a sentence can be a verb in the infinitive or an entire clause. Let's see how the verb piacere works in these cases, in both simple and perfect tenses.

Daniela tackles a verb that is tricky for English speakers: piacere (to delight, to please). Although when someone says mi piace, he or she is, in essence, saying "I like [it/him/her/them]," the verb piacere doesn't strictly mean "to like." Since, as you will see, this verb works so differently than "to like," we have used the verb "to delight" as a translation in some cases, not for its exact meaning, but in order to match the construction with that of piacere.