Italiano II il 28 di
settembre 2015
It may be a little late in the game for discussing these, but
it's still worth covering the topic of question words in Italian
and looking at some ways they might be used which aren't
immediately apparent.
Che?
The word che in Italian means what, but when asking "what"
questions it is preferred to ask che cosa, or "what thing". In
fact, this is so common that it is actually possible to omit
che and just ask cosa as if it were a question!
Che cosa fai?
What are you doing?
Cosa hai detto?
What did you say?
Chi?
The word chi means who. It can be used to ask and answer
question about people.
Chi hai incontrato?
Who did you meet?
chi riceve gli ospiti
host (the one who receives guests)
Dove?
The word dove is used to ask where questions. Also, one
interesting thing to note is that for questions of "how far?",
Italians ask fin dove? or "ending where?".
Di dove sei?
Where are you from?
Fin dove andrai?
How far will you go?
Quando?
The Italian word quando means when. It asks and answers
"when" questions. When paired with da (from), it can be
used to form the present perfect tense.
Quando torni?
When will you return?
Da quando sei qui?
How long have you been here?
Perché?
The word perchè means both why and because.
Sono in ritardo perché avevo dimenticato di mettere la
sveglia.
I an late because I forgot to set my alarm clock.
Dimme perchè.
Tell me why.
Come?
The word come means both how and like. It is capable of
both asking and answering "how" questions.
Come è vestido?
How is he dressed?
È vestido come un poliziotto.
He is dressed like a policeman.
It can also be used in the phrase come mai to ask "why"
questions (how come).
Come mai non sei venuto alla festa?
Why didn't you come to the party?
Quanto?
The Italian word quanto translates both as how much and
how many, depending on its ending. In English, we have
separate words for questions about single or plural
quantities. In Italian, you just pluralize the question word as
you would any other word.
Quanto sono grandi i cani?
How big are the dogs?
Quanto anni hai?
How old are you?
Quale?
The word quale is the equivalent of the English question
word "which".
Quale preferisci?
Which one do you prefer?
Quale macchina è la tua?
Which car is yours?
Meeting people
Introducing Yourself in Italian
When meeting new people in Italy, you will most likely find
yourself asking either ‘tu come ti chiami?’ or ‘Lei come si
chiama?’ Both mean ‘what is your name’ but the first version is
informal, and can be used with people of the same age or younger,
and the second version is formal to be used with people of an older
age or in a business / formal situation. Tu means you informal and
Lei means you formal.
If in doubt, use Lei and you may be invited to use Tu with the
expression ‘Diamoci del tu?’ (Shall we use the informal with each
other?)
Male or Female? Gender confusing names
If asking the name of a male, you may be surprised to hear them
answer Andrea or Nicola as these are female names in the UK and
US. The pronunciation in Italian is different, however, with the
stress on the middle syllable, rather than the first one as it is in
English. These are typical male names in Italy, along with others
which can be gender confusing to non-Italians such as Gianmaria,
Luca, Rosario and Toni (short for Antonio).
Typical expressions
There are some typical expressions we can use in addition to
asking someone’s name when we meet them, such as:
Ciao - Hello
Piacere - Nice to meet you
Di dove sei / di dov’è? - Where are you from (informal and
formal)?
Sono di ... - I am from ...
Che lavoro fai / che lavoro fa? What’s your job (informal and
formal)?
Mi chiamo ... - My name is ...
MEETING PEOPLE
more here……
Your handshake should be firm, and don't be surprised if your new friend moves
in for a cheek kiss or shoulder slap. When greeting friends, cheek kisses on both
sides are as common as shaking hands in Italy. Remember, though, if you're even
in Russia or places like Lebanon they'll be expecting three kisses, not two.
When you introduce yourself tell someone your name, first and last. For "my name
is..." you can say "Io mi chiamo..." or "Il mio nome è...". If you have a nickname
or preferred to be called by a shortened version of your name let people know up
front.
Eating and dining are an important part of Italian culture and one of the main way
friends connect with one another. If you meet Italians during your vacation, don't
be surprised if you're invited for a long, lazy dinner where conversation and
laughter is shared over some good food. What better way to bond and unwind?
Here is an example of a conversation that may occur between two people who
have just met. The scene is a private home in Naples...
YOU: "Ciao, mi chiamo Carlo, Carletto per gli amici, piacere di conoscerti. Come
ti chiami?" = "Hi, I'm Carlo, but my friends call me Carletto. Nice to meet you.
What's your name?"
NEW FRIEND: "Io mi chiamo Claudia." = "I'm Claudia."
Y: "Come va?" = "How are you doing?" or "How are you?"
NF: "Io sto bene, grazie." = "I'm great, thanks."
Y: "Di dove sei?" = "Where are you from?"
NF: "Io sono italiano e vivo a Roma, e tu?" = "I'm Italian and I live in Rome and
you?"
Y: "Io vengo da Sidney." = "I'm from Sydney."
NF: "Sei mai stata in Italia?" = "Have you ever been to Italy before?"
Y: "No, questa è la prima volta." = "No, this is the first time."
NF: "Prego, accomodati!" = "Please, take a seat!"
NF: "Vorresti un caffè o qualcosa altro da bere?" = "Would you like a coffee or
something else to drink?"
Y: "Si, grazie un caffè." = "Yes, thank you, a coffee."
NF: "Ti stai divertendo qui?" = "Are you having a good time here?"
Y: "Si certamente." = "Yes, of course."
NF: "Cosa hai fatto di bello oggi?" = "What did you do today?"
Y: "Oggi sono andata al Maschio Angioino e ho fatto delle belle foto." = "Today I
went to the Maschio Angioino and I took some beautiful pictures."
NF: "Napoli è una bella città, e penso che valga la pena vederla una volta nella
vita." = "Naples is a amazing city, I think it's worth seeing it once in a lifetime."
Y: "Non molto tempo fa ho pensato a questo viaggio in Italia alla scoperta del
paese natio di mio nonno." = "Not too long ago I decided to make this trip to
explore the country where my grandfather was born."
NF: "Che bella idea! Ricercare le tue radici è interessante. Dove vuoi andare
precisamente?" = "What a great idea! Discovering your roots is very interesting.
Where would you like to go, exactly?"
Y: "Mio nonno era di Caserta, e domani vado là." = "My grandfather was born in
Caserta and tomorrow I'm going there."
NF: "Dal momento che non conosci bene la strada, posso procurarti una cartina."
= "Given that you're not familiar with the area I can get you a map."
Y: "Grazie, molto gentile." = "Thank you, that's very kind of you."
NF: "Ad ogni modo se vuoi stare qui a lungo, mi piacerebbe farti fare un giro qui
attorno." = "By the way, if you want to stay here longer, I would love to show you
around."
Y: "Grazie, sarebbe bello!" = "Thanks, that would be great!"
NF: "Allora, fa' buon viaggio!" = "Well, then, have a great trip!"
Y: Grazie per la tua ospitalità = "Thanks for your hospitality."
This is only an example about what can be talked about when you meet someone
Nouns and articles in Italian
Italian Definite Article
In English the definite article (l'articolo determinativo) has only
one form: the. In Italian, l’articolo determinativo has different
forms according to the gender, number, and first letter of the
noun or adjective it precedes.
i ragazzi e le ragazze (the boys and girls)
il quaderno e la penna
(the notebook and pen)
Here are some rules for using definite articles:
1. Lo (pl. gli) is used before masculine nouns beginning with s +
consonant or z.
2. Il (pl. i) is used before masculine nouns beginning with all
other consonants.
3. L’ (pl. gli) is used before masculine nouns beginning with a
vowel.
4. La (pl. le) is used before feminine nouns beginning with any
consonant.
5. L’ (pl. le) is used before feminine nouns beginning with a
vowel.
The article agrees in gender and number with the noun it
modifies and is repeated before each noun.
la Coca–Cola e l’aranciata (the Coke and orangeade)
gli italiani e i giapponesi (the Italians and the Japanese)
le zie e gli zii (the aunts and uncles)
The first letter of the word immediately following the article
determines the article’s form. Compare the following:
il giorno (the day)
l’altro giorno (the other day)
lo zio (the uncle)
il vecchio zio (the old uncle)
i ragazzi (the boys)
gli stessi ragazzi (the same boys)
l’amica (the girlfriend)
la nuova amica (the new girlfriend)
In Italian, the definite article must always be used before the
name of a language, except when the verbs parlare (to speak)
or studiare (to study) directly precede the name of the
language; in those cases, the use of the article is optional.
Studio l’italiano. (I study Italian.)
Parlo italiano. (I speak Italian.)
Parlo bene l’italiano. (I speak
Italian well.)
The definite article is used before the days of the week to
indicate a repeated, habitual activity.
Domenica studio. (I’m studying on Sunday.)
Marco non studia mai la domenica. (Marco never studies on
Sunday)
The Italian indefinite article
(l'articolo indeterminativo)
corresponds to English a/an and is used with singular nouns. It
also corresponds to the number one.
INDEFINITE ARTICLES
FEMMINILE
MASCHILE
uno zio (uncle)
una zia (aunt)
un cugino (cousin,
m.)
una cugina (cousin,
f.)
un amico (friend,
m.)
un’amica (friend, f.)
Uno is used for masculine words beginning with z or s +
consonant;
un is used for all other masculine words.
Una is used for feminine words beginning with a consonant;
un’ is used for feminine words beginning with a vowel.
un treno e una bicicletta
un aeroplano e un’automobile
uno stadio e una stazione