Italian IV Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and Grammar
Italian Index | Italian I | Italian II | Italian III | Italian V
| Subject | Direct | Indirect | Object of Prepositions | ||||
| io | I | mi | me | mi | to me | me | me |
| tu | you (s.i.) | ti | you | ti | to you | te | you |
| lui | he/it | lo | him/it | gli | to him/it | lui | him/it |
| lei | she/it/you (s.p.) | la | her/it/you | le | to her/it/you | lei | her/it/you |
| noi | we | ci | us | ci | to us | noi | us |
| voi | you (p.i.) | vi | you | vi | to you | voi | you |
| loro | they/you (p.p.) | li/le | them/you | loro | to them/you | loro | them/you |
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S.i. means singular informal, s.p. means singular polite, p.i. means plural informal, and p.p. means plural polite. For you (s.p.) and you (p.p.) they are capitalized to set them apart from the other meaning. (Lei instead of lei and Loro instead of loro.)
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Direct and Indirect pronouns go directly before the verb, except loro, which always follows the verb.
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With infinitives or participles, the pronoun (except loro) follows it and is written as one word. This also is true of commands, except for Lei or Loro.
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When you have more than one pronoun, the indirect comes before the direct.
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The i of mi, ti, ci, and vi changes to an e before lo, la, li and le.
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Gli and le become glie before lo, la, li, and le; and are written as one word connected with the other pronoun (glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele).
If you use lo, la, li, le; the past participle must agree with them.
| Hai mangiato il panino? | Did you eat the bun? |
| Lo ho mangiato. | I ate it. |
| Hai mangiato la pasta? | Did you eat the pastry? |
| La ho mangiata. | I ate it. |
In negative sentences, pronouns go before the entire verb as well, but after the non.
| I haven't eaten it. | Non lo ho mangiato. |
The following verbs are always used with indirect pronouns or nouns:
| to give | dare | to bring | portare |
| to say/tell | dire | to prepare | preparare |
| to ask | domandare | to give (as a gift) | regalare |
| to lend | imprestare | to return, give back | rendere |
| to teach | insegnare | to bring back | riportare |
| to send | mandare | to answer | rispondere |
| to show | mostrare | to write | scrivere |
| to offer | offrire | to call/telephone | telefonare |
| ankle | la caviglia | mouth | la bocca |
| arm | il braccio | muscle | il muscolo |
| artery | l'arteria | nail | l'unghia |
| back | il dorso | neck | il collo |
| beard | la barba | nerve | il nervo |
| belly | il ventre | pain | il dolore |
| bladder | la vescica | nose | il naso |
| blood | il sangue | palm | la palma |
| body | il corpo | pulse | il polso |
| bone | l'osso | rib | la costola |
| brain | il cervello | shin / tibia | la tibia |
| breast | il seno | shoulder | la spalla |
| breath | l'alito | skeleton | lo scheletro |
| calf | il polpaccio | skin | la pelle |
| cheek | la guancia | skull | il cranio |
| chest | il petto | sole | la pianta |
| chin | il mento | spine | la spina dorsale |
| coccyx | il coccige | stomach | lo stomaco |
| cold | il raffreddore | tear | la lacrima |
| complexion | la carnagione | temple | la tempia |
| cough | la tosse | thigh | la coscia |
| disease | la malattia | throat | la gola |
| ear | l'orecchio | thumb | il pollice |
| elbow | il gomito | toe | il dito del piede |
| eye | l'occhio | tongue | la lingua |
| eyebrow | il sopracciglio | tooth | il dente |
| eyelid | la palpebra | vein | la vena |
| face | la faccia / il viso | wound | la ferita |
| fever | la febbre | waist | la vita |
| finger | il dito | wrist | il polso |
| fist | il pugno | ||
| flesh | la carne | see | vedere |
| foot | il piede | hear | udire |
| forehead | la fronte | smell | annusare |
| gum | la gengiva | taste | assaggiare |
| hair | i capelli | touch | toccare |
| hand | la mano | ||
| head | la testa | enamel | lo smalto |
| headache | il mal di testa | filling | l'otturazione |
| health | la salute | crown | la corona |
| heart | il cuore | gum | la gengiva |
| heel | il tallone | bone | l'osso |
| hip | l'anca | root | la radice |
| intestine | il intestino | nerve | il nervo |
| jaw | la mascella | iris | l'iride |
| kidney | il rene | cornea | la cornea |
| knee | il ginocchio | pupil | la pupilla |
| leg | la gamba | retina | la retina |
| lip | il labbro | optic nerve | il nervo ottico |
| liver | il fegato | lens | la lente |
| lung | il polmone | ||
| moustache | i baffi |
You can use the expressions Ho mal di + body part or Mi fa male + definite article and the body part to say that something hurts. If the noun is plural, you have to use mi fanno male instead of mi fa male.
Ho mal di testa. My head hurts. / I have a headache.
Mi fa male il dito. My finger hurts.
Mi fanno male gli occhi. My eyes hurt.
Most of the question words are invariable (they don't have to agree with the noun), but quale (which) and quanto (how much/many) must agree. Note that these words do not require a noun to follow them.
Before singular nouns, quale is used, and before plural
nouns, quali is used.
Quale camicetta compri? Which blouse are you buying?
Quali maglioni compri? Which pullovers are you buying?
Quali compri? Which ones are you buying?
Quanto has four forms that follow the regular adjective pattern.
Quanto is masculine singular, quanta is feminine singular,
quanti is masculine plural and quante is feminine plural.
Quanto denaro hai? How much money do you have?
Quante camicette compri? How many blouses are you buying?
Quanto costa? How much does it cost?
Relative pronouns connect a dependent clause and a main clause together in a sentence. An antecedent is the noun or pronoun that the relative pronoun refers back to. The relative pronouns in English are that, what, which, whom, and whose. The relative pronouns in Italian are che, cui, il quale (and its forms), chi, quello che, quel che, and ciò che.
When the antecedent is a definite person, animal or thing, che, cui or a form of il quale is used. Che is invariable and never used with a preposition. Cui is also invariable, but it is always used with a preposition. Il quale and its forms can be used with articles or articles plus prepositions. It is mainly used in formal speech, writing and for clarity, and rarely in casual conversation.
La ragazza che vedi è mia sorella. The
girl whom you see is my sister.
Per le pillole di cui hai bisogno ci vuole la ricetta. The
pills (of) which you need require a prescription.
Lei è la sola persona nella quale (or in cui) io
abbia fiducia. You are the only person whom I trust.
È una medicina la quale (or che) non fa male allo
stomaco. It's medicine that doesn't upset your stomach.
When the antecedent is unknown or indefinite, chi is used when referring to people. It is invariable and means "he/she who," "whoever," "the one who" and takes a verb in the third person singular form. Quello che, quel che, and ciò che are all invariable and interchangeable. They refer to things only and mean "what" or "that which."
Chi sta bene non va dal dottore. He who feels
well doesn't go to the doctor.
Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro. One who finds a friend,
finds a treasure.
Non capisco quello che dice. I don't understand what he's
saying.
Ciò che scrivi è sbagliato. What you're writing
is wrong.
65. To Read, to Say/Tell, to Go Out, to Laugh
| leggere - to read | dire - to say/tell | uscire - to go out |
ridere - to laugh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| leggo | leggiamo | dico | diciamo | esco | usciamo | rido | ridiamo |
| leggi | leggete | dici | dite | esci | uscite | ridi | ridete |
| legge | leggono | dice | dicono | esce | escono | ride | ridono |
| Past participle: letto | Past participle: detto | Past participle: uscito | Past participle: riso | ||||
Disjunctive pronouns are used independently of the verb. They are the pronouns which follow prepositions, or show emphasis. They can also be found in exclamations.
| me te lui / lei |
noi voi loro |
Vengo con te. I'll come with you.
Amo te, non lui. I love you, not him.
Fortunati voi! Lucky you!
Ci (there, it, about it, of it) and ne (some,
of them, of it) are both pronouns that go before the verb and they replace
prepositional phrases. Ci will replace phrases that begin
with in, on, to, at, under, etc. and ne will replace phrases
that begin with some or a number.
| I live in Paris. | Vivo a Parigi. |
| I live there. | Ci vivo. |
| I have some apples. | Ho delle mele. |
| I have some (of them). | Ne ho. |
| I have five sisters. | Ho cinque sorelle. |
| I have five (of them). | Ne ho cinque. |
Quante caramelle hai mangiato? How many candies
did you eat?
Ne ho mangiate quattro. I ate four of them.
| animal | l'animale (m) | lark | l'allodola |
| ant | la formica | lion | il leone |
| antelope | l'antilope (f) | lizard | la lucertola |
| antenna | l'antenna | lobster (spiny) | l'aragosta |
| antler | le corna | louse | il pidocchio |
| badger | il tasso | mackerel | lo sgombro |
| bat | il pipistrello | mole | la talpa |
| beak | il becco | monkey | la scimmia |
| bear | l'orso | mosquito | la zanzara |
| bee | l'ape (f) | moth | la falena |
| beetle | lo scarabeo | mouse | il topo |
| bird | l'uccello | mule | il mulo |
| blackbird | il merlo | mussel | il pidocchio |
| bull | il toro | nest | il nido |
| butterfly | la farfalla | nightingale | l'usignolo |
| calf | il vitello | octopus | il polpo |
| carp | la carpa | ostrich | lo struzzo |
| cat | il gatto | owl | il gufo |
| caterpillar | il bruco | ox | il bue |
| cheetah | il ghepardo | oyster | l'ostrica |
| chicken | il pollo | parrot | il pappagallo |
| chimpanzee | lo scimpanzé | partridge | la pernice |
| claw | l'artiglio | paw | la zampa |
| cockroach | lo scarafaggio | penguin | il pinguino |
| cod | il merluzzo | pig | il porco |
| cocoon | il bozzolo | pigeon | il piccione |
| cow | la vacca | pike | il luccio |
| crab | il granchio | pony | il pony |
| crayfish | il gambero | rabbit | il coniglio |
| crocodile | il coccodrillo | raccoon | il procione |
| crow | il corvo | rat | il ratto / il sorcio |
| deer | il cervo | rooster | il gallo |
| dog | il cane | salmon | il salmone |
| donkey | l'asino | scale | la squama |
| dragonfly | la libellula | scorpion | lo scorpione |
| duck | l'anitra | sea gull | il gabbiano |
| eagle | l'aquila | seahorse | il cavalluccio marino |
| eel | l'anguilla | seal | la foca |
| egg | l'uovo | shark | lo squalo |
| elephant | l'elefante (m) | sheep | la pecora |
| feather | la penna | shrimp | il gamberetto / il gambero |
| fin | la pinna | skin | la pelle |
| fish | il pesce | slug | la lumaca |
| flea | la pulce | snail | la chiocciola |
| fly | la mosca | snake | il serpente / la biscia |
| fox | la volpe | sole | la sogliola |
| frog | il ranocchio | sparrow | il passero |
| fur | la pelliccia | spider | il ragno |
| gill | la branchia | squid | il calamaro |
| giraffe | la giraffa | squirrel | la scoiattolo |
| goat | la capra | starfish | la stella di mare |
| goose | l'oca | stork | la cicogna |
| gorilla | il gorilla | swallow | la rondine |
| grasshopper | la cavalletta | swan | il cigno |
| hamster | il criceto | tadpole | il girino |
| hare | la lepre | tail | la coda |
| hedgehog | il riccio | tiger | la tigre |
| hen | la gallina | toad | il rospo |
| heron | l'airone (m) | trout | la trota |
| herring | l'aringa | tuna | il tonno |
| hoof | lo zoccolo | turkey | il tacchino |
| horn | il corno | turtle | la tartaruga |
| horse | il cavallo | wasp | la vespa |
| hummingbird | il colibrì | weasel | la donnola |
| iguana | l'iguana | whale | la balena |
| insect | l'insetto | wing | l'ala |
| jellyfish | la medusa | wolf | il lupo |
| kitten | il gattino | worm | il verme |
| ladybug | la coccinella | zebra | la zebra |
| lamb | l'agnello |
The pluperfect or past perfect tense corresponds to the English "had + past participle." It indicates an event that happened prior to another event in the past. It consists of the imperfect of avere or essere (whichever auxiliary verb the main verb takes in the present perfect tense) and a past participle.
L'avevo già notato. I had already noticed
it.
Ero andato ad un suo concerto. I had been to one of his concerts.
Non avevo avuto ancora occasione. I hadn't had the opportunity
yet.
Erano già stati a San Remo. They had already been
to San Remo.
Suffixes may be attached to nouns, adjectives or adverbs. The final vowel of the word should be dropped before adding the suffixes. The endings -ino, -ina, -ello, -ella, -etta, -etta, -uccio, and -uccia are diminutives that express smallness. The endings -one and -ona are augmentatives and express largeness. The endings -ino and -uccio also express endearment. The endings -aacio, -accia, -astro, -astra, -azzo, and -azza imply ugliness or poor quality.
letter parcel boy |
lettera pacco ragazzo |
small letter large parcel bad boy |
letterina paccone ragazzaccio |
Tesorino mio! My sweetheart!
Amoruccio mio! My sweet love!
Most adverbs are formed by adding -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective. Adjectives ending in -le or -re drop the final -e before adding -mente, if the l or r is preceded by a vowel.
| Adjective (fem. form) | Adverb | |
|---|---|---|
| recente comoda finale regolare |
recentemente comodamente finalmente regolarmente |
recently comfortably finally regularly |
Note that the adverbial form of buono (good) is bene, and cattivo (bad) is male.
In passive sentences, the subject receives the action of the verb. In active sentences, the subject does the action. However, the meaning of both sentences is the same. The passive form is only possible with transitive verbs and is much more common in English than in Italian. The passive form consists of the verb essere plus the past participle of the main verb followed by da (by) and its contractions. Essere should be in the same tense as the verb in its corresponding active sentence. The past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject.
| Active | I miei genitori pagano l'affitto. | My parents pay the rent. |
| Passive | L'affitto è pagato dai miei genitori. | The rent is paid by my parents. |
I contratti sono firmati dalle ragazze. The contracts are
signed by the girls.
La stanza è stata arredata da Carlo. The room was
decorated by Carlo.
L'affitto sarà pagato dai miei genitori. The rent
will be paid by my parents.
Si can be used as a reflexive pronoun, but it can also be used as an impersonal pronoun. It corresponds to "one, you, we, the people in general, or they" in English and always use the third person form of the verb (either singular or plural depending on the object).
Qui si vende carta da lettere. We sell writing
paper here. / Writing paper is sold here.
Si vendono anche matite? Do you also sell pencils?
Qui non si parla francese. We don't speak French here. /
French is not spoken here.
| post office mailbox mail carrier mailbag price scale package stamp letter address postal worker newspaper magazine |
la posta la cassetta delle lettere il postino il sacco della posta il prezzo la bilancia il pacchetto il francobollo la lettera l'indirizzo l'impiegata postale il giornale la rivista |
bank file cabinet guard safe safety deposit box checkbook credit card bills coins deposit slip pen check bank teller |
la banca lo schedario il custode la cassaforte la cassetta di sicurezza il libretto degli assegni la carta di credito le banconote le monete la distinta di versamento la penna l'assegno il cassiere |
| Non ne posso più! | I can't take it anymore! |
| Lasciamo perdere! | Forget about it! |
| Che bello! | How nice! |
| Per forza! | No wonder! |
| Non è così semplice! | It's not that easy! |
| Chissà? | Who knows? |
| Ti pelano! | They make you pay too much! |
| Non vedo l'ora di... | I can't wait to... |
| Siamo messe male. | We are in bad shape. (not physically) |
| Che senso ha? | What's the point? |
| Magari! | I wish! |
| Non ne voglio proprio sapere! | I really don't want to know about it! |
| Fai bene! | Good for you! |
| Non ce la faccio da sola! | I can't do it by myself! |
| Meglio ancora! | Even better! |
76. Infinitives followed by Prepositions
The following verbs require a or di when followed by another infinitive, although the preposition is not always translated into English.
| Verb + a + another infinitive | |
|---|---|
| abituarsi aiutare andare cominciare continuare convincere correre imparare insegnare invitare mandare passare pensare preparare provare riuscire servire stare stare attento tornare venire |
to get used to to help to go to begin to continue to convince to run to learn to teach to invite to send to stop by to think of to prepare to try to succeed to be good for to stay, stand to be careful to return to come |
| Verb + di + another infinitive | |
|---|---|
| accettare aspettare avere bisogno avere il piacere avere intenzione avere paura avere voglia cercare cessare chiedere comandare credere decidere dimenticare dire domandare finire offrire pensare permettere promettere ricordare sapere smettere sognare sperare tentare |
to accept
to wait for to need to have the pleasure to intend to be afraid to feel like to try to cease to ask to command to believe to decide to forget to say, tell to ask to finish to offer to plan to permit to promise to remember to know to stop, cease to dream to hope to try, attempt |
| beach island lighthouse pier lifeguard coconut seashore surfboard sand lounge chair beach umbrella picnic suntan lotion beach ball sea shell seaweed |
la spiaggia l'isola il faro il molo il bagnino la noce di cocco il litorale la tavoletta da surf la sabbia la sedia a sdraio l'ombrellone il picnic la crema abbronzante il pallone la conchiglia l'alga marina |
clam sand castle fins goggles palm tree beach towel oar rowboat sea gull seal sea lion wave sailboat waterskiing ocean liner hut |
l'ostrica il castello di sabbia le pinne la maschera subacquea la palma l'asciugamano il remo la barca a remi il gabbiano la foca l'otaria l'onda la barca a vela lo sci nautico la nave la capanna |
| farm windmill barn cottage hay corral stable barrel lasso saddle stool hoe rake pitchfork shovel tractor silo loft chicken coop farmhouse |
la fattoria il mulino a vento il granaio il villino il fieno il recinto la stalla il barile il laccio la sella lo sgabello la zappa il rastrello il forcone la pala il trattore il silo il fienile il pollaio la cascina |
There are four verbs in Italian that correspond to the verb to leave in English. Lasciare means to leave a person or thing behind. Partire means to leave, to depart, to go away on a trip. Uscire means to go out (of a place) or to go out socially. Andare via means to go away (opposite of to stay.)
There are three verbs that correspond to the verb to tell. Dire means to tell or say, parlare means to speak or talk, and raccontare means to tell, in the sense of narrating.
The verb fare can be followed by an infinitive to express the idea of having someone do something or having something done. If the object is a noun, it follows the infinitive; but if the object is a pronoun, it precedes the verb fare. (Unless the object pronoun is loro, then it always follows the infinitive.) Note that farsi can also be used in a causative construction when one is having something done to oneself.
Abbiamo fatto fare quella sedia. We had that
chair made.
Faccio studiare i ragazzi. I make the boys study.
Li faccio studiare. I make them study.
Mi faccio tagliare i capelli. I'm having my hair cut.
When a causative sentence has two objects, the person being made to do something becomes the indirect object. In Italian, the indirect object is introduced by a.
Il maestro fa leggere lo studente. The teacher
makes the student read.
Il maestro fa leggere la lettura allo studente. The
teacher makes the student read the passage.
To avoid ambiguity with the indirect object, the preposition da instead of a can be used. The sentence Abbiamo fatto mandare il pacco a Maria can mean two things: 1) We had Mary send the package or 2) We had the package sent to Mary. If the first meaning is intended, then da can replace a.
| backpack / bookbag | lo zaino | paper clip | la graffetta |
| binder / folder | la camicia | pen | la penna |
| blackboard | la lavagna | pencil | la matita |
| book | il libro | pencil case | l'astuccio per le matite |
| bookcase | la libreria | pencil sharpener | il temperamatite |
| briefcase | la cartella | periodical | la rivista |
| cabinet | l'armadietto | ruler | la riga |
| calculator | la calcolatrice | scissors | i forbici |
| calendar | il calendario | sender | il mittente |
| chair | la sedia | sheet of paper | il foglio di carta |
| chalk | il gessetto | stapler | la spillatrice |
| crayon | il pastello | text book | il libro di testo |
| date | la data | typewriter | la macchina da scrivere |
| desk | la scrivania | computer | il computer |
| dictionary | il dizionario | laptop | il portatile / laptop |
| drawer | il cassetto | monitor | il monitor |
| envelope | la busta | keyboard | la tastiera |
| eraser | la gomma | mouse | il mouse |
| exercise book | Il quaderno | printer | la stampante |
| globe | il mappamondo | scanner | lo scanner |
| glue | la colla | cable | il cavo |
| ink | l'inchiostro | microphone | il microfono |
| lamp | la lampada | disk (floppy) | il dischetto |
| map | la carta | document | il documento |
| news | le notizie | fax machine | l'apparecchio |
| newspaper | il giornale | photocopier | la fotocopiatrice |
| notebook | il quaderno | software | il software |
| novel | il romanzo | file | il file / il dossier |
| page | la pagina | USB key / flashdrive | il pendrive |
| paper | la carta | external hard drive | il hard disk esterni |
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