Tag: Intermediate level – B1/B2

This 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 […]

Some 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 […]

The 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!) […]

The 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 […]

The 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. […]

The 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. […]

The following time expressions can be used when talking about actions which happened in the past: L’altro giorno (The other day, not clear exactly what day): we use a past tense. L’altro giorno ho incontrato Andrea al supermercato.   (The other day I met Andrea at the supermarket.) La settimana scorsa (Last week): we use a past tense. La settimana scorsa sono […]