Foundations (General) Flashcards
What are the Italian Vowels?
A [“Ah”]
E [“Eh”]
I [“Ee”]
O [“Oh”]
U [“Oo”]
What is the (present tense) masculine singular conjugation?
- o
Bello (Beautiful)
Rosso (Red)
Buono (Good)
Nero (Black)
Interesante (Interesting)
Note: gender neutral [-e] affects what article comes before the verb (i.e., “il”, “la”, etc.)
What is the (present tense) feminine singular conjugation?
- a
Bella (Beautiful)
Rossa (Red)
Good (Buona)
Black (Nera)
Interesante (Interesting)
Note: gender neutral [-e] affects what article comes before the verb (i.e., “il”, “la”, etc.)
What is the (present tense) masculine plural conjugation?
- i
Panino (Sandwich) = Panini (Sandwiches)
Chiave (Key) = Chiavi (Keys)
Libro (Book) = Libri (Books)
Telefono (Phone) = Telefoni (Phones)
Cane (Dog) = Cani (Dogs)
Note: Italian words/subjects/items that end in “-e” in singular form = “I” in plural.
These words could feminine singular, but masculine plural.
What are the noun identifiers?
Io = I
Tu = You
He/She = Lui/Lei
Us/We = Noi
You all = Voi
They = Loro
What is the (present tense) feminine plural conjugation?
- e
Porta (Door) = Porte (Doors)
Camera (Room) = Camere (Rooms)
Note: Italian words/subjects/items that end in “-e” in singular form = “I” in plural.
These words could feminine singular, but masculine plural.
What are the three types of regular verbs (what do they end with)?
- ARE
- ERE
- IRE
NOTE: what ending (-are, -ere, -ire) will affect the type of conjugation used.
HOW TO CONJUGATE
1.) Remove the verb ending (-are, -ere,
-ire).
2.) Attach subject-specific endings (conjugation).
How do you conjugate -ARE verbs?
- o
- i
- a
- iamo
- ate
- ano
How do you conjugate -ERE verbs?
- o
- i
- e
- iamo
- ete
- ono
How do you conjugate -IRE verbs?
2 ways:
- o
- i
- e
- iamo
- ite
- ono
[OR]
- isco
- isci
- isce
- iamo
- ite
- iscono
Essere (Conjugation) - Present Tense
To Be
(Io) Sono [“I am…”]
(Tu) Sei [“You are…”]
(Lui/Lei) E [“He/She is…”]
(Noi) Siamo [“We are…”]
(Voi) Siete [“You all are…”]
(Loro) Sono [“They are…”]
Note: noi / voi / and loro are plural conjugations.
Avare (Conjugation) - Present Tense
To Have
(Io) Ho [“I have…”] OH
(Tu) Hai [“You have…”] AH-EE
(Lui/Lei) Ha [“He/she has…”] AH
(Noi) Abbiamo [“We have…”] AH-bEE-AH-mOH
(Voi) Avete [“You all have…”] AH-vEH-tEH
(Loro) Hanno [“They have…”] AH-nOH
Note: noi / voi / and loro are plural conjugations. / NOTE: “H” is always silent and never pronounced.
What are Indefinite Articles?
Indefinite Articles are items, subjects, things, etc. referred to in general terms (without specificity).
English examples: a book; a friend; an apple; an island.
What is the masculine singular indefinite article?
Un
A sandwich = Un panino.
A cat (boy) = Un gatto.
A cat (girl) = Una gatta.
What is the feminine singular indefinite article?
Una
A pizza = Una pizza.
A door = Una porta.
What is the EXCEPTION to the masculine singular indefinite article?
Uno
When to use:
When masculine words use “strong sound”: un = uno.
A stranger = Uno straniero [NOT: un straniero]
A backpack = Uno zaino [NOT: un zaino]
Strong Sound:
- S word + consonant (st-, sp-, sc-, sch-, etc.); OR
- Words that start with Z-, Y-, Gn-, Ps-
[ONLY APPLIED TO MASCULINE WORDS]
What is the EXCEPTION to the feminine singular indefinite article?
Un’
When to use:
When feminine words start with the vowels (A-, E-, I-, O-, U-): Una = Un’
An artist = Un’artista [NOT: una artista]
A salad = Un’insalata [NOT: una insalata]
An orange = Un’arancia [NOT: una arancia]
[APPLIED TO FEMININE WORDS ONLY, NEVER TO MASCULINE]
What makes a “strong sound” exception?
- S word + consonant (st-, sp-, sc-, sch-, etc.); OR
- Words that start with Z-, Y-, Gn-, Ps-
What are Definite Articles?
Definite Articles are specific items, subjects, and things.
English examples: the book; the friend; the apple; the island.
What is the masculine singular definite article?
IL
The book = il libro.
The child (boy) = il bambino.
The child (girl) = la bambina.
What is the feminine singular definite article?
La
The girl = la regazza.
The pen = la penna.
The cup = la tizza.
What is the EXCEPTION to masculine singular definite articles?
Lo / L’
Lo - when to use:
When masculine words use “strong sound”: IL = Lo.
The stranger = lo straniero [NOT: IL straniero]
The student = lo studente [NOT: IL studente]
Strong Sound:
- S word + consonant (st-, sp-, sc-, sch-, etc.); OR
- Words that start with Z-, Y-, Gn-, Ps-
[LO IS ONLY APPLIED TO MASCULINE WORDS]
L’ - when to use:
(Feminine & Masculine)
When using words that start with vowels (a-, e-, i-, o-, u-): La or Il = L’.
The friend = L’Amico/a [NOT: il / la amico/a]
The art = L’arte [NOT: il / la arte].
The Italian = L’Italiano [NOT: il / la Italiano].
What is the EXCEPTION to feminine singular definite articles?
L’
When to use:
(Feminine & Masculine)
When using words that start with vowels (a-, e-, i-, o-, u-): La or Il = L’.
The friend = L’Amico/a [NOT: il / la amico/a]
The art = L’arte [NOT: il / la arte].
The Italian = L’Italiano [NOT: il / la Italiano].
What is the masculine plural definite article?
I [“EE”] + - I
The books = I libri.
The children = I bambini.
The cats (boy) = I gatti.
What is the feminine plural definite article?
Le + - e
The girls = le regazze.
The cups = le tazze.
The cats (girls) = le gatte.
What is the EXCEPTION to masculine plural definite articles?
Gli
When to use:
What is the EXCEPTION to feminine plural definite articles?
Le ( + e )
