Explanations and examples of all aspects of Italian grammar.
There are three kinds of hypothetical phrases: della realtà (Real) We use this form when if something happens, something else will certainly happen. Se fa bel tempo, vado a correre. (If it’s a nice day I’ll go for a run.) Se vinco un milione di euro, mi ritiro a vita privata. (If I win a million dollars, I’ll live a […]
Read moreThe passato remoto is used to indicate: an action which happened a long time ago and has completely finished. The formation of this tense is different from verb to verb, since the root is generally different from that of the present. Examples: La Rivoluzione Francese segnò profondamente la Francia. (The French Revolution made a deep impression on France.) Azzurra si […]
Read moreThe passato prossimo tense is used in the following situations: an action which took place a short time ago. an action which took place some time ago and the results of the action can still be felt in the present an experience in your life an action which has finished but the time period (e.g. this year , this week, […]
Read moreThe participle is an impersonal form. There are two forms, the present participle and the past participle. The present participle is used as: a noun (e.g. insegnante), an adjective (e.g. pesante), occasionally as an adverb (e.g. mediante). For regular verbs it is formed in the following way: amare = amante credere = credente dormire = dormiente The past participle is […]
Read moreSI is a pronominal particle which serves as a pronoun. It has various uses. Si riflessivo La particella SI la usiamo per formare i verbi riflessivi. Esistono diversi tipi di verbi riflessivi e dunque diverse funzioni della particella SI: riflessivo diretto: il SI coincide con il soggetto e svolge la funzione di complemento diretto (oggetto). Es. Claudia si veste. (Chi […]
Read moreNE is a pronominal particle which serves as a pronoun and has various uses. It can be used as: Pronome personale indiretto: di lui, di lei, di loro, da lui, da lei, da loro. È da tanto tempo che non vedo Enrica e Gianni: non ne so niente. di loro Non ho visto il film, ma ne ho sentito parlare bene. del film Da questa […]
Read moreCI is a pronominal particle which serves as a pronoun. It has various uses: Sostituisce il pronome personale diretto noi (anche nei verbi riflessivi) Luca ha visto Maria e me (noi) al cinema ieri. → Luca ci ha visto al cinema ieri. Ci vediamo domani! (Verbo riflessivo: io vedo te, tu vedi me = ci vediamo) Sostituisce il pronome personale indiretto a noi Carla […]
Read moreThe infinitive is one of the impersonal forms of the verb and does not conjugate. Its form always stays the same irrespective of gender and number. There is the present infinitive and the past infinitive. The present infinitive regular verbs finish with -ARE, -ERE and IRE. The past infinitive is used to talk about a finished action. To make the past infinitive, we […]
Read moreThis tense is used to indicate: a continuous action in the past Examples: Il telefono squillava ininterrottamente. (The telephone was ringing all the time.) Due anni fa andavo in palestra ogni tre giorni. (Two years ago I went to the gym every three days.) Prendevamo il treno ogni mattina alle 6:00. (We took the train every morning at 6 am.) or a […]
Read moreSome verbs are irregular in the direct imperative form: Essere (to be) Sii (tu) Siate (voi) Avere (to have) Abbi (tu) Abbiate (voi) Sapere (to know) Sappi (tu) Sappiate (voi) Other irregular imperative and monosyllabic verbs have two forms in the 2nd person singular: Dare (to give) Da’/ Dai (tu) Fare (to do/make) Fa’/ Fai (tu) Stare (to stay) Sta’/ Stai […]
Read moreThe imperative is used to give orders or commands and corresponds with the present indicative. Es: Sii buono! (Be good!) Fai il bravo! (Behave!) Non dirlo a nessuno! (Don’t tell anyone!) Di la verità! (Tell the truth!) Abbiate pazienza! (Be patient!) Fate piano! (Take your time!) Mangia tutto! (Eat everything!) Dormite! (Sleep!) Leggete da pag. 1 a pag. 20! (Read from page 1 to page 20!) […]
Read moreThe gerund is used to talk about: something happening now or at a certain time in the past something which happened in the past at the same time as another action It is formed from the root of the present simple + –ando or –endo, depending on the conjugation It can have two tenses: Present Examples: Mangiando una mela mi cadde […]
Read moreThe Italian future perfect tense is used in the following situations: Actions which will have already finished before another action takes place in the future (for which action we generally use the future simple). Example: Quando avrò finito di fare la doccia, uscirò. When I have finished my shower, I’ll go out. To show uncertainty about whether something happened or not. […]
Read moreThe future simple tense is used to talk about: an action which has yet to happen To form the future of Italian verbs it is necessary to add the correct endings to the root of the verb. Examples: Domani andrò al mare. (I’m going to the beach tomorrow.) Partiranno la settimana prossima. (They’re leaving next week.) Pranzeremo alle 14:00. (We are going to […]
Read moreThe passive form is used to express an action suffered by the subject. verb essere + the participio passato of the chosen verb Il quadro fu dipinto da Monet. You can also use “venire” and “andare” as auxiliaries. La colazione viene servita ogni giorno. La tesi va consegnata alla segreteria. The conjugation is the same for the verbs in -are, -ere, -ire. Io sono amato. […]
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