In this segment, Daniela talks about the gerund. As you will see, in Italian, the gerund is often used by itself, whereas in English we need an extra word before it — a conjunction or preposition. We are on more familiar ground when Daniela talks about using a gerund with the verb stare (to be) to form what we call the present continuous or present progressive.

Daniela gives us some more examples of gerunds used in subordinate clauses. Asking ourselves what questions the gerund answers can help us understand its role in a sentence.

After summing up about the passive voice, Daniela goes on to talk about some other related constructions. It's important to remember that the passive is formed with transitive verbs only. But when we don't have a named subject or agent, we have a few other ways to make a sentence passive-like. One way uses the famous particella (particle) si. Si is used for so many things in Italian that it is bound to create confusion for learners, even advanced learners. Don't worry, part 3 of the lesson will explain further. Another way uses the verb andare (to go) to indicate something that must be done. Here too, the stress is on the action, not the subject or agent.

In a sentence, the main clause can stand on its own, but there can also be a subordinate or dependent clause. Today's lesson addresses the causal subordinate clause, which gives the reason for the action in the main clause. Conjunctions such as perché (because) dato che (given that) are used to join the two clauses.

Don't be scared off by fancy names of clauses and parts of speech. Daniela is just showing us different ways of saying the same thing, but sometimes one way is clearer than the other, especially when the subject changes from main to subordinate clause.

Italian has an amazingly long list of conjunctions or locutions that mean "although," "despite," and similar words. Daniela explains what a concession subordinate clause is and gives us several examples.

Daniela explains further about constructing explicit subordinate clauses and gives some examples to clarify.

To conclude the lesson on concessive subordinate clauses, we look at those constructed using the past participle of a verb or the gerund and introductory locations such as benché (though) and pure (despite), among others.

Daniela talks about two kinds of relative subordinate clauses — restrictive and explanatory — and how we punctuate them differently.

Daniela explains the relative pronouns used in forming a relative subordinate clause. She starts out with the explicit kind.

In this lesson, we look at implicit relative subordinate clauses, and how they are introduced. One of their main characteristics is that they use the infinitive of a verb, rather than a conjugated one.

The Italian Alps are a pretty spectacular spot to learn the basics of snowboarding. Matteo and his two very capable students show us the ropes.

Confindustria is the main trade association for Italy's manufacturing and service sectors. This inspirational video was produced for its annual meeting, and Italian luminaries from Marco Polo to Renzo Piano are invoked to tell the story of Italian innovation.

How Human He Is! is a 2024 biographical film directed by Luca Manfredi, dedicated to the life and career of Paolo Villaggio, portrayed by Genoese actor Enzo Paci. The film chronicles Villaggio's formative years, from his life as an employee in Genoa to his success with the character of Fantozzi, exploring his struggles and the key moments that led him to fame.

Paolo Villaggio's father thinks his son is a slacker so he writes a song about it with his friend. Studying law is not Paolo's favorite activity, so much so that he falls asleep during class.