We all know how to add and subtract, but talking about it in Italian is another thing. Marika helps us make sense of it and talks about the fractions and percentages we often find in the news and surveys.

There is a certain kind of subordinate clause, called a "clause of purpose," that basically answers the question, "to what end?" Italian has a number of conjunctions that can be translated as "so that," and they take the subjunctive in most cases. So this kind of subordinate clause can be tricky.

Marika gets us on track with the words and expressions we need for talking about math. You might hate math, as many do, but it is handy to have the vocabulary at your fingertips!

Daniela talks about explicit and implicit causal subordinate clauses.

Another kind of subordinate clause is the temporal subordinate. One way we introduce it is with conjunctions having to do with time, such as "while," "when," and "as long as." There are other ways to form a temporal subordinate clause, and Daniela explains them.

If you don't check your meters and tell the electric and gas companies how much you have consumed, they make an estimate. Sometimes this means you get a nasty surprise at the end of the year, when they work things out, and figure out how much you owe in order to square accounts. This is called il conguaglio.

No one likes paying bills, ma vanno pagate (but they have to be paid). Marika goes over some of the most common utilities and special taxes you have to pay if you live in Italy.

When you rent out a house to someone or rent a house from someone, it's important to know who's who. Marika explains how it works.

There are plenty of Italians living in Germany. Cettina from Sicily interviews Alfonso, also from Sicily, as it turns out. Here are some easy questions and answers for when you meet someone for the first time.

Although the si passivante (passivizing si) is a kind of si impersonale, it has some very specific differences. Daniela explains them and provides some examples.

Giuditta and Marino give us details about what life was like in isolation. Challenging for sure, but with some good aspects, too!

Are you ready for the passive voice? In many ways, the Italian passive works as it does in English. If we have a subject, a transitive verb and a direct object, we can form either an active phrase or a passive one. But there are some rules, and Daniela sets out to explain them.

Marika introduces a mini-series devoted to the story of a family that has decided to share their Covid-19 experience.

Daniela gives us various examples of how to close a formal letter as well as the complimentary closing that precedes the signature. As you will see, these are quite different from the ones in English letters. We then recap the parts of a formal letter.

Holiday wishes from the Yabla Italian team.