Long live freedom!

Il 25 aprile: Commemorazione dell’Anniversario della Liberazione in Italia Ogni anno, il 25 aprile, l’Italia si ferma per commemorare uno dei momenti più significativi della sua storia moderna: la liberazione dal regime fascista durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Questa data rappresenta un simbolo di resistenza, coraggio e speranza per il popolo italiano, e viene celebrata con eventi, discorsi e manifestazioni […]

Read more

Anno nuovo, vita nuova

Anno nuovo, vita nuova

In this video, taken from our course “A Year with Veronica” – Intermediate level, Veronica wants to start the New Year in a big way! She talks about how to start the year with positivity and what to avoid so things don’t go wrong! She reminds us that “where there’s a will there’s a way”, also in the study of […]

Read more

Italian Auxiliary Verbs

In Italian, the verbs essere (to be) and avere (to have) are called auxiliary verbs because they have the function of “helping” the other verbs to form compound tenses. The verb avere to have means to possess. Emma ha una maglietta verde. The verb essere (to be) means to stay or exist. Emma è a scuola. Qui c’è una palestra […]

Read more

Colosseum in Roma

Colosseo

Listen to this short video about the Colosseum in Roma and answer to the following questions. See also: Trevi Fountain, Rome – Italian Culture Piazza Navona, Rome – Italian Culture

Read more

Is it written “ce n’è” or “ce ne”?

Both forms are correct but have different meanings. Ce n’è is a very common expression in colloquial Italian. However, it is often difficult to figure out how to write this expression correctly. Ce n’è is made up of the particles “ce” and “ne” and the third person singular of the present indicative of the verb to be “è”. The pronominal […]

Read more

Is it written dopodiché, dopo di che or dopodiche?

Three words that united form one; its use can be twofold: it can have the same intent as “after” (consecutive-temporal function), or it can introduce a condition caused by the previous action (adversative function). Dopo di che it is what we can define as the original form, without an accent because “che” by itself never requires an accent. Lucia ha […]

Read more

Is it written per cui or percui?

The correct form is per cui, detached. The form percui, all attached, is wrong. The expression per cui  is composed of the simple preposition “per” and the relative pronoun “cui”. Per cui has two different meanings. In colloquial Italian, the expression per cui is used as a conjunctive locution with deductive or conclusive value in reference to what was previously […]

Read more

Is it written e or ed, a or ad?

In Italian the conjunction “e” and the simple preposition “a” in some cases take the final “d” and become “ed” and “ad“. Ed and ad are used only when the following word begins with the same vowel. Gli ho detto di studiare ed esercitarsi meglio per l’esame. Ho aiutato Marco ad aggiustare il suo computer. Sono andata ad ascoltare il […]

Read more

Do you say preferito or favorito?

In Italian, when we want to express our preference, we use the qualifying adjective preferito The adjective “preferito” indicates a person, an animal or a thing that is considered better from our point of view. Il mio libro preferito è Harry Potter. La mia città italiana preferita è Cagliari. I miei animali preferiti sono i gatti e i cani. The […]

Read more

Li or lì, la or là?

They have the same written form but have two different functions. Li without accent is the plural masculine pronoun used with the direct object function: Li ho visti insieme al ristorante. La professoressa mi ha dato due libri. Devo leggerli entrambi. Ho comprato i biglietti per il concerto ma non li ho mai ricevuti. Lì with the accent instead is […]

Read more

Qualche + singular or plural?

The indefinite adjective qualche is ALWAYS followed by a noun in the singular. Indefinite adjectives are used to indicate an indefinite quantity and agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to. Qualche means “a number of” and requires the noun to be singular, even when it refers to more than one thing. Quando vado a fare la spesa, […]

Read more

Is it written perciò or per ciò?

Both forms are correct but have different uses. Perciò is a concluding conjunction that introduces a sentence in which the consequence of facts expressed in the previous sentence and which are its cause is expressed. Perciò means “per questo motivo” (for this reason). Ho studiato tanto perciò ho preso un voto alto all’esame. Oggi fa molto caldo perciò vado al […]

Read more

Italian Definite Articles

Articoli determinativi: Il libro

Remember that in Italian, every noun is either masculine or feminine so the definite article, “the” in English, is either masculine singular, masculine plural, feminine singular or feminine plural. Masculine definite articles Il: for masculine singular nouns which start with a consonant. Il libro (the book) Il vino (the wine) Il tavolo (the table) L’: for masculine singular nouns which […]

Read more

Italian Verb CENARE (to have dinner)

Cenare is a regular verb. It is intransitive. It conjugates with the verb avere. Below you will find all its Indicative forms (present, present perfect, imperfect, past perfect, past definite, past anterior, future simple and future perfect); all its Subjunctive forms (present, present perfect, imperfect and past perfect); all its Conditional forms (present and past); its Imperative forms; its Gerund (past and […]

Read more
1 2 3 8