Italian Water Idioms
Exercise to test your knowledge of Italian water idioms. Match the water idiom on the left with its definition on the right.
Read moreItalian Fish Idioms
Exercise to test your knowledge of Italian fish idioms. Match the fish idiom on the left with its definition on the right.
Read moreItalian Sheep Idioms
Exercise to test your knowledge of Italian sheep idioms. Match the sheep idiom on the left with its definition on the right.
Read moreColors according to men and women
Chi di voi si ricorda le cartoline? Fino a poco tempo fa, quando si era in viaggio, era quasi d’obbligo spedire un biglietto con bellissime immagini dei posti visitati. Era un piccolo pensiero per chi era rimasto a casa, il destinatario sognava posti bellissimi, le immagini ritratte avevano dei colori straordinari: albe d’orate, tramonti rosati, mari turchesi e prati color […]
Read moreItalian Horse Idioms
Exercise to test your knowledge of Italian horse idioms. Match the horse idiom on the left with its definition on the right.
Read moreItalian Dog Idioms
Exercise to test your knowledge of Italian dog idioms. Match the dog idiom on the left with its definition on the right.
Read moreThe Italian Education system
Il sistema scolastico italiano si suddivide in: Scuola dell’infanzia: bambini dai circa 3 ai 6 anni. Scuola primaria: durata 5 anni. I bambini imparano a scrivere e a leggere, apprendono le prime nozioni di storia, geografia, matematica, grammatica italiana, scienze, musica, disegno ecc. Da pochi anni è obbligatorio l’insegnamento della lingua inglese e dell’informatica. Scuola secondaria di primo grado (scuola media): durata […]
Read moreIs it written “chissà” or “chi sa”?
Both forms are correct but have two different meanings. When you want to indicate uncertainty about the content of the sentence you use the form chissà, written all attached and with the emphasis on the “a”. Chissà is an adverbial phrase that indicates uncertainty or hope and is also used in other cases with the meaning of “maybe”. Chissà a […]
Read moreItalian Alphabet
The Italian alphabet is made up of 21 letters: 16 consonants 5 vowels Listen to the Italian alphabet: A;a a B;b bi C;c ci D;d di E;e e F;f effe G;g gi H;h acca I;i i L;l elle M;m emme N;n enne O;o o P;p pi Q;q qu R;r erre S;s esse T;t ti U;u u V;v vu / vi […]
Read moreLesson 1
In the first lesson of the course, Veronica explains how to introduce yourself, say where you are from and what you do.
Read moreThe apostrophe in Italian
The apostrophe is a graphic sign (‘) which in Italian is used to indicate: the dropping of the final vowel of the word when followed by a word starting with a vowel (elision); the cancellation of the vowel, consonant or syllable at the end of the word (truncation). 1. In the first case, the apostrophe is mandatory with: the definite […]
Read moreThe Italian accent
The accent determines the pronunciation of the words. In Italian it is always and only used on vowels, and never on consonants. In Italian we distinguish between: tonic accent; graphic accent. 1. The tonic accent All Italian words have the tonic accent which falls on one of the syllables of the word and determines a more marked pronunciation of this […]
Read moreQualche + 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 moreIs 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 moreItalian Video Comprehension Exercise
The Da Vinci Code Improve your listening skills with this video comprehension exercise from the documentary The Da Vinci Code (in Italian: Il Codice da Vinci). Watch the video and answer the questions.
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