Beth Bartolini-Salimbeni

Article / Updated 12-14-2022

Of the 14 verb tenses in Italian, four are compound. A compound verb tense means that more than one verb is involved: You form them with a helping verb (essere, to be, or avere, to have), which is conjugated, and the past participle of another verb (mangiato, eaten; stato, was; dormito, slept). You translate Italian compound tenses according to the tense of the helping verb. Form the present perfect tense in Italian To form the present perfect tense in Italian, conjugate essere or avere in the present indicative tense and add a past participle. Notice that when you use essere, the ending of the past participle changes to show number and gender (singular, plural, masculine, feminine) of the subject. Essere (present tense) + past participle = present perfect Tu sei + venuto = You came (venuto is masculine and singular) Loro sono + venuti = They came (venuti is masculine and plural) Avere (present tense) + past participle = present perfect Riccardo ha + trovato = Riccardo found, has found Form the pluperfect tense in Italian To form the pluperfect tense in Italian, conjugate essere or avere in the imperfect indicative tense and add a past participle. Essere (imperfect) + past participle = pluperfect Laura era + arrivata = Laura had arrived Avere (imperfect) + past participle = pluperfect Voi avevate + mangiato = You all ate Form the future past tense in Italian To form what is called the future past tense in Italian: Conjugate essere or avere in the future indicative tense and add a past participle. Essere (future) + past participle = future past Noi saremo + partiti = We will have left Avere (future) + past participle = future past Gli studenti avranno + letto = The students will have read Form the conditional past tense in Italian To form the conditional past tense in Italian: Conjugate essere or avere in the conditional mood and add a past participle. Essere (conditional) + past particple = conditional past Io sarei + andato = I would have gone Avere (conditional) + past participle = conditional past Io avrei + cercato = I would have looked for

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-01-2022

Of all the vocabulary needed to speak a language, nothing is nearly as valuable as verbs. Without them, your language is stagnant and incapable of showing action. To make the most of Italian verbs, you can add prefixes and suffixes or the occasional adverb or pronoun and expand your Italian vocabulary exponentially.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-24-2022

The Italian language is adapting to the rhythms of modern life with the introduction of new idioms and the construction of simpler, more concise sentences and paragraphs. The basic rules of the Italian language, however, stay the same. Despite the ongoing transformation of the language, these rules remain the foundation that stabilizes it. Here are a few Italian fundamentals that you don't want to miss if you want to communicate in Italian.

Article / Updated 08-05-2020

Italian idioms add color to a language and make you sound competent and comfortable. Using idioms (may) make Italians think you know more of their language than you actually do. That's good because it means people will respond in kind and help you both to expand your language skills and ease your acceptance into another culture. Idioms often reflect cultural mores, traditions, and values. For example, in English, you say someone is as good as gold; in Italian, someone is buono come il pane (good as bread). Something terrible in English can be ugly as sin; in Italian, that same something is brutto come la fame (ugly as hunger). A nonverbal idiom to be aware of is whistling. In the United States, at sports events, for example, you whistle (loudly) to show approval. In Italy, fischi (whistles) show disapproval. Whistling is the equivalent of booing. Following are common Italian idioms that not only will make you sound more Italian but also will help you to understand Italian better. In bocca al lupo! In bocca al lupo! (Into the mouth of the wolf!) is an informal way to say Good luck! It probably has its origins in a hunting expression. You don't reply with thank you but rather Crepi il lupo! (May the wolf croak!) Of course, you can wish someone buona fortuna, but the idiomatic form is much more common. Fa un freddo cane! and Other Animal Idioms Fa un freddo cane! (It's dog cold!) (or more idiomatically: really, really cold; a three-dog night) is just one of many Italian idioms that use animals to describe the character of something or someone. Occasionally, Italian and English use the same animal in their idioms but not always. Here are some examples of animal-related idioms, including their English equivalents and what they commonly refer to in Italian: un coniglio (rabbit): A coward. una civetta (owl): A flirt. un pesce (fish): Someone who doesn't talk. un'oca (goose): Someone silly, flighty. un pollo da spennare (a chicken waiting to be plucked): A mark, someone who can be taken advantage of. uno struzzo (ostrich): Someone who can eat anything and suffer no side effects has the stomaco da struzzo (stomach of an ostrich). una volpe (fox): Someone clever, who can always work difficult things out. un camaleonte (chameleon): Someone who changes his principles or ideas according to his own best interests. le farfalle (butterflies): To run after butterflies means to chase dreams, not to be realistic. una cicogna (stork): Brings babies. un ghiro (dormouse): You sleep like a ghiro instead of like a log. il rospo (toad): Instead of eating crow, in Italian, you inghiottire il rospo (swallow the toad). Tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare Literally, Tra il dire e il fare c'è di mezzo il mare means Between saying and doing is the ocean. The English equivalent is There is many a slip between cup and lip. Also, this expression is a comment on good intentions and the idea that they often don't come to fruition. Tutto fa brodo Tutto fa brodo (everything makes broth, soup) isn't a cooking reference; it means that every little bit helps. If a store clerk or waiter gives you a discount, you may think tutto fa brodo, though you may not want to say it aloud. You don't after all want to denigrate the clerk or waiter's gracious gesture. O bere o affogare In English, you leave someone to sink or swim; in Italian, you allow someone o bere o affogare (to drink or drown). Both the English and the Italian may seem a bit harsh. The expression in both cases is used to push someone to do better work; you may say it, for example, to a student who is showing a demonstrable lack of effort or discipline. Buono come il pane: Food and Idioms Food occupies many idiomatic expressions in Italian. The saying buono come il pane (as good as bread) is indicative of the value assigned to food in Italian culture. Here are some of the most common food idioms, followed by their English equivalents: fare polpette di qualcuno (to make meatballs of someone): The English equivalent of this expression is to make mincemeat of someone. cercare I peli nell'uovo (to look for hairs in the egg): In English, this means to be picky, to nitpick. essere in un bel pasticcio (to be in a nice pie): This expression is equivalent to being in a pickle. avere le mani in pasta (to have your hands in dough): In English, you'd say you have a finger in many pies. qualcosa bolle in pentola (something boils in a saucepan): You use this expression to indicate that something's up. cavolo! (cabbage!): The English equivalent of cavolo! is darn! or damn! Un cane in chiesa An unwelcome guest in English becomes un cane in chiesa (a dog in church) in Italian. It's interesting that dogs aren't acceptable in churches, but before the famous Palio of Siena (a traditional horserace), competing horses are taken into churches to be blessed. Un pezzo grosso Someone who's really important is un pezzo grosso (a big piece) in Italian — the English equivalent is a big shot. Both idioms seem to reflect the belief that bigger is better. Rosa, giallo, nero: Colors and idioms In English, you can feel blue (sad); a day or mood can be gray (depressing, overwhelmed); and humor and films can be black (sardonic). Essere al verde (to be " at the green") means you're broke. Un libro giallo (A yellow book) is a detective story or mystery. Un libro rosa (A pink book) is a romance novel. Sogni d'oro (Golden dreams) are more likely to be sweet dreams in English. Ad ogni morte di Papa This phrase (every time a Pope dies) is the equivalent of once in a blue moon. It means very rarely. Because a Pope recently resigned, after nearly 600 years since any other Pope had done so, perhaps this saying will change.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

In Italian, colors aren't just everyday adjectives; they also appear in idioms to express emotions, fears, feelings, and passions. Colors charge idioms with poetic nuance. Expressions like cronaca rosa (gossip columns), romanzo giallo (mystery novel), avere una fifa blu (to be filled with terror), dama bianca (the spectre of a woman [folklore has it that her appearance is an omen of death]), and anima nera ([to have] a wicked soul) are common in Italian. Colors also create the Italian flag, which is called il tricolore (three-colors) because it's green, white, and red. Any association of green, white, and red evoke the tricolore for Italians, so much so that these three hues have lost their function as adjectives and gained that of national symbols. Here are a few more idiomatic expressions with colors: zona blu (blue area), generally in the historical center of a town, where the circulation of cars is forbidden diventare di tutti i colori (to show deep embarassment) dirne/farne/vederne di tutti i colori (to say/do/see all kinds of preposterous things) essere nero (to be filled with rage) mettere nero su bianco (to put something down in black and white [as in black ink on white paper]) vederci rosso (to be very upset) When a photo isn't a colori (in color), it's in bianco e nero (white and black) in Italian, not in black and white as in the English language! Despite the use of colors in so many Italian idioms, don't forget that colors are descriptors and that, as with every adjective in Italian, they agree in gender and number with the noun they describe: una gonna nera (a black skirt) tante gonne nere (many black skirts) un giaccone verde (a green jacket) due giacconi verdi (two green jackets) Unlike in the English language, colors usually follow nouns in Italian: Indosso una gonna nera e un giaccone verde (I am wearing a black skirt and a green jacket). Most of the colors are adjectives ending in -o, -a, (-i, -e in the plural forms), some end in -e (-i [plural]), while others remain unchanged in gender and number: Colors in -o/-a/-i/-e Colors in -e/-i Colors with invariable ending bianco/a/chi/che (white) verde/i (green) rosa (pink) nero/a/i/e (black) arancione/i (orange) viola (violet/purple) rosso/a/i/e (red) marrone/i(brown) blu (blue) giallo/a/i/e (yellow) celeste/i (light blue) azzurro/a/i/e (azure)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

In Rome, the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) encourages you to conjugate the present perfect indicative of the Italian verbs essere sincero/a (to be sincere/honest/truthful) and mentire (to lie). The Mouth of Truth is a carved marble mask of a deity or faun. Its fame stems from a sinister legend of the Middle Ages. In that period, men and women accused of sins had to place their hand inside the stone mouth. If guilty of lying, the monument would devour their hand. It seems that the judges organized the mutilation in advance by having an accomplice hidden behind the sculpture, ready to cut hands if they thought the accused was guilty. Although this tale is just a popular myth, even modern-day skeptics are likely to experience some anxiety the first time they slide their hand into the mouth of truth! Guilty or not guilty? Get ready to state your case: essere sincero/a (to be sincere/honest/truthful): io sono sempre stato/a sincero/a (I have always been truthful) tu sei sempre stato/a sincero/a (you [inf.] have always been truthful) lui/lei/Lei è sempre stato/a sincero/a (he/she/you [form.] have always been truthful) noi siamo sempre stato/a/i/e sincero/a/i/e (we have always been truthful) voi siete sempre stato/a/i/e sincero/a/i/e (you have always been truthful) loro/Loro sono sempre stato/a/i/e sincero/a/i/e (they/you [form. pl.] have always been truthful) mentire (to lie): io non ho mai mentito (I have never lied) tu non hai mai mentito (you [inf.] have never lied) lui/lei/Lei non ha mai mentito (he/she/you [form.] has never lied) noi non abbiamo mai mentito (we have never lied) voi non avete mai mentito (you have never lied) loro/Loro non hanno mai mentito (they/you [form. pl] have never lied)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Everyone knows at least one Italian word — apart from pizza, ravioli, and lasagna — and that word is ciao (hi, bye). You use it to say hello and good bye to friends and acquaintances. Ciao is somewhat informal, and can be replaced by buon giorno (good day). You use this phrase for friends, as well, but also for strangers. When you walk into a shop, you address a buon giorno to the proprietor or clerks. Like ciao, buon giorno means both hello and good-bye. Per favore (please), grazie (thank you), and prego (you're welcome) should be used liberally. They make you the considerate person you are. To expand your Italian, you can use the following verb forms—all of which are followed by infinitives—to make your needs and wants and desires known. Think of the ten infinitives that you need to get through the day—for example, andare (to go); mangiare (to eat); comprare (to buy); parlare con (to talk to) —and use them in the following sentences: Vorrei (I would like . . .) Preferisco (I prefer . . .) Devo (I have to . . .) Posso (I am able to . . .) So, non so (I know, I don't know how to . . .) Ho bisogno di (I need . . .) Ho voglia di (I feel like . . .) As your vocabulary grows, you can beef up your sentences by adding descriptive words and details, but these basics will get you started.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Hand gestures, non-verbal Italian, are used a good deal — but you must be careful with them. Many Italian hand gestures can't be used in polite society. Here are five useful, everyday hand gestures to emphasize a point you are making, or to ask a waiter for a check, or simply to comment on something, or someone. Five Useful (and Polite) Italian Hand Gestures Meaning Gesture I'm hungry. Tap your stomach with a straight, flat hand. Perfect Form the American "okay" sign and move your hand horizontally in the air. I insist. Point the index finger of your right hand into the open palm of your left. Wonderful Pinch fingers together, kiss them, and then open your hand Check, please. Make a scribbling gesture with one hand into the open palm of the other.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Every day, Italians send more than 167 million text messages, for a total of 60 billion texts annually. Texting and chatting in Italian means learning new grammar rules, a new vocabulary, and a peculiar system of signs — all of which are necessary to convey the rhythms of conversation to this new hybrid language. Get familiar with this new idiom, because you may need to communicate with text-addicted Italians. Here's a list of the most common texting abbreviations, Italian-style: m = mi (I, me) t = ti (you) xke = perché (why, because) cmq = comunque (anyway) bc = baci (kisses) midi = mi dispiace (I'm sorry) pfv = per favore (please) d = da (from, since, of) grz = grazie (thanks) tn = tanto (a lot, much, long time) k = chi (who, what) c6 = Ci sei? (Are you there?) qls = qualcosa (something) + = più (more) risp = rispondi (answer) nn = non (no, not) prox = prossima (next) gg = giorno (day) tvb = ti voglio bene (I love you) ta = ti amo (I love you) Test your text translation skills by trying to decipher the following message. Then try to craft an appropriate reply. c6? nn t vedo + d tn! La prox volta risp pfv xke tvb e m manki! grz e bc Ci sei? Non ti vedo più da tanto! La prossima volta rispondi per favore perché ti voglio bene e mi manchi! Grazie e baci. Are you there? I haven't seen you for a long time! Next time, please answer my message because I love you and I miss you! Thanks and kisses.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

When learning the Italian future tense, imagine a romantic scenario involving the gorgeous Trevi Fountain in Rome. Tradition holds that you can ensure a return visit to the Eternal City by standing with your back to the fountain and tossing a coin over your shoulder and into the water. If you're really determined to return to Rome, review some key verbs in the future tense: Amare (to love) Tornare (to return) Vedere (to see) Partire (to leave) io (I) amerò tornerò vedrò partirò tu (you, inf.) amerai tornerai vedrai partirai lui/lei/Lei (he/she/you form.) amerà tornerà vedrà partirà noi (we) ameremo torneremo vedremo partiremo voi (you) amerete tornerete vedrete partirete loro/Loro (they/you form. pl.) ameranno torneranno vedranno partiranno