Saga Baldoria - Grammatica Italiana (3) Flashcards
Using the Indicative and the Subjunctive (1)
Reminder:
The term “Indicative” refers to any verb form except the Subjunctive, Conditional or Imperative.
Generally speaking, we use the Indicative to talk about a certainty and the Subjunctive to talk about something that is not certain.
We use the Indicative after verbs that express certainty, like:
“Sapere” (to know),
“Confermare” (to confirm),
“Affermare” (to assert) and
“Dimostrare” (to demonstrate),
and verbs of perception, like:
“Sentire” (to feel) and
“Percepire” (to sense).
a. Confermo che veniamo alla festa.
→ I confirm that we are coming to the party.
b. Percepisco che è sincera.
→ I sense that she is sincere.
Using the Indicative and the Subjunctive (2)
We use the Present Subjunctive or the (Indicative) Future Tense after verbs of opinion, like:
“Credere” (to believe) and
“Pensare” (to think).
You may hear some people use the present indicative in informal, everyday Italian, but that is not actually correct.
a. Penso che Luca sia già sveglio. (“Essere”, Congiuntivo Presente)
→ I think Luca is already awake.
b. Penso che Elena verrà a pranzo domani. (“Venire”, Futuro)
→ I think Elena will come to lunch tomorrow.
We use the Present Subjunctive after certain Impersonal Expressions such as:
“Basta che” (it’s enough that),
“È necessario che” (it is necessary that),
“È incredibile che” (it is unbelievable that) and
“È improbabile che” (it is unlikely that).
a. Basta che tu sia felice. (“Essere”, Congiuntivo Presente)
→ It is enough that you are happy.
b. È necessario che vi parliate. (“Parlare”, Congiuntivo Presente)
→ You need to speak with one another (literally, “It is necessary that you speak…”).
Using the Indicative and the Subjunctive (3)
We also use the Subjunctive (Present or Past) after certain Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns (“Chiunque”, anyone; “Qualunque”, any; “Qualsiasi”, any; etc.) and Adverbs, such as “Ovunque” (everywhere, wherever).
a. Qualsiasi sia la ragione, non è un comportamento adeguato. (“Essere, Congiuntivo Presente)
→ Whatever the reason may be, that’s not appropriate behaviour.
b. Chiunque sia stato, ha fatto un buon lavoro. (“Essere”, Congiuntivo Passato)
→ Whoever it was, they did a good job.
Using the Indicative and the Subjunctive (4→ )
FRASE 1 Probabilmente andrò? / vado? al mare domenica.
Andrò: Dopo parole come “probabilmente”, “forse” o “magari” usiamo L’Indicativo (qui il Futuro di “Andare”.)
Esempio:
Magari farò un salto da te.
→ Maybe I will pop over to your place.
Using the Indicative and the Subjunctive (5)
FRASE 2 Si chiede se tu VENGA? / VERRAI?
Usa Il Congiuntivo come “venga” (Congiuntivo Presente di “Venire”), dopo espressioni come “Può essere”, ma non dopo “Chiedersi se”.
Esempio:
a. Si chiede se tu VERRAI, con L’Indicativo, (qui il Futuro di “Venire”) dopo i verbi come “Chiedersi se”, “Non sapere se”.
b. Può essere che lei VENGA a cena da noi.
→ Maybe she WILL come to dinner with us.
c. Non so se sarai ancora in vacanza domani.
→ I do not know if you will still be on vacation tomorrow.
Using the Indicative and the Subjunctive (6)
FRASE 3 Spero che vi PARLATE? / PARLIATE?
PARLATE: Puoi dire, per esempio, “Forse vi parlate domani” (Presente Indicativo del verbo “Parlare”) dopo una parola come “Forse”, ma non dopo il verbo “Sperare che”.
PARLIATE: “Spero che vi parliate” (con Il Congiuntivo Presente del verbo “Parlare”) dopo il verbo “Sperare che”.
Esempio:
Spero che tu sia stato bene.
I hope you were well.
Using the Indicative and the Subjunctive (7)
Using “Poco” and “Po’” to express Small Amounts (1)
1 “Poco” means “(a) little” or “few” and is the opposite of “molto”/”tanto” (a lot, much, many).
a. Ho poco zucchero in dispensa.
→ I have little sugar in the pantry / I don’t have much sugar in the pantry.
b. Mi rimane poco tempo per prepararmi.
→ I have little time left to prepare.
Using “Poco” and “Po’” to express Small Amounts (2)
2 When “Poco” it refers to a noun (and it will typically come before it), it has to agree with the latter in both gender and number.
a. Ho poche amiche italiane.
→ I don’t have many (female) Italian friends.
b. C’è poca acqua nella bottiglia.
→ There’s little water in the bottle.
Using “Poco” and “Po’” to express Small Amounts (3)
3 When “Poco” replaces a noun, it has to agree with the noun it replaces in both gender and number.
a. Eravamo poche alla festa. (= poche persone)
→ There were few of us at the party. (= few people)
b. C’era poco da mangiare. (= poco cibo)
→ There was little to eat. (= little food)
Using “Poco” and “Po’” to express Small Amounts (4)
4 When “Poco” comes after a verb, it always takes the masculine singular form “poco”.
a. Leggo poco alla sera.
→ I read little in the evenings / I don’t read much in the evenings.
b. Hai bevuto poco in palestra.
→ You drank little at the gym.
Using “Poco” and “Po’” to express Small Amounts (5)
5 When “Poco” follows “un” (a) or “quel” (what) it generally becomes “un/quel po’ “, meaning an unspecified small amount.
It is also often followed by the preposition “di”.
a. Rimane un po’ di insalata.
→ There’s a little salad left.
b. Ha perso quel po’ di soldi che aveva.
→ She lost what little money she had.
Quanto, Quanta, Quanti and Quante
(How much? How many?) - 1
We use the following to ask about quantity:
SINGOLARE
♂ Quanto pane compriamo?
♀ Quanta benzina facciamo?
PLURALE
♂ Quanti anni hai?
♀ Quante colleghe ha?
“Quanto” (how much) must agree in both gender and number with the word it refers to.
a. Quanti amici hai?
→ How many friends do you have?
b. Quante amiche hai?
→ How many (female) friends do you have?
Note:
When “Quanto” is used before a verb, its form remains unchanged.
a. Quanto costano le arance?
→ How much do the oranges cost?
Noun Gender: Masculine or Feminine
- (1)
Il Genere dei Nomi: Maschile o Femminile
Trasforma queste professioni dal maschile al femminile. Fai attenzione alle irregolarità!
1 Il pasticciere - pasticciera
2 Il giornalista - la giornalista
3 Il presentatore - la presentatrice
1 Pasticciere / Pasticciera:
= Il pasticciere / la pasticciera.
La maggior parte dei nomi che terminano in “-o” oppure “-e” al maschile, terminano con la “-a” alla forma femminile.
[Nota:
Puoi scrivere anche “la pasticcera” senza i prima della “e”.]
Esempi:
1 Il maestro / la maestra
2 Il segretario / la segretaria
3 Il cameriere / la cameriera
Noun Gender: Masculine or Feminine
- (2)
Il Genere dei Nomi: Maschile o Femminile
Nouns can be either masculine or feminine.
Some nouns have both masculine and feminine forms, and other nouns can only be one or the other.
1 Il gatto (♂) la gatta (♀)
→ the cat (♂) the cat (♀)
2 Il dolore (♂)
→ the pain (♂)
Generally, the nouns that are masculine are:
1 Most nouns that end in “-o”.
Il gatto; il libro; il cugino
→ the cat; the book; the cousin
2 The majority of the nouns that end in a consonant (usually foreign words adopted into Italian).
Il radar; il bar; il microchip
→ the radar; the bar; the microchip
3 A small number of nouns that end in “-a”, especially those ending in “-amma” or “-ma”, which are linked to the fields of science and technology.
a. Il problema; L’eritema;
→ the problem; the rash;
b. L’asma; Il cinema; Il clima;
→ Asthma; the movie theatre; the climate;
c. Il fondotinta; Il dramma
→ the foundation (as in make-up); the drama/the play
4 The names of months and days (apart from la domenica, Sunday).
a. Il lunedì; Il venerdì; il sabato;
→ Monday; Friday; Saturday;
b. Il mese di agosto; il mese di dicembre
→ the month of August; the month of December
Noun Gender: Masculine or Feminine
- (3)
Il Genere dei Nomi: Maschile o Femminile
Generally, the nouns that are feminine are:
1 Most nouns that end in “-a”.
a. La casa; la pittura; la storia
→ the house; the picture; the story
2 The nouns that end in “-tà” and “-tù”.
a. La città; la verità;
→ the city; the truth;
b. La virtù; la schiavitù
→ virtue; slavery
3 Most nouns that end in “-si” or “-li”.
a. L’analisi; la sintesi; la metropoli
→ the analysis; the synthesis; the metropolis
4 A small number of nouns that end in “-o”, which are mostly abbreviations of longer nouns, apart from the noun “la mano” (the hand).
a. La fotografia, la foto;
→ the photograph, the photo;
b. La motocicletta, la moto;
→ the motorcycle, the motorcycle;
c. L’automobile, l’auto
→ the automobile, the car
5 Nouns that end in “-e” may be masculine or feminine.
It is not possible to tell just from the ending, so you must learn the gender of each noun.
a. La narice (♀); il giudice (♂);
→ the nostril (♀); the judge (♂);
b. L’animale (♂); l’arte (♀)
→ the animal (♂); art (♀)
Noun Gender: Masculine or Feminine
- (4)
Il Genere dei Nomi: Maschile o Femminile
Notes:
Some nouns are invariable, so they do not change based on if they are being used as masculine or feminine.
These nouns often end in “-ista”, “-ota”, “-eta” or “-ante”.
a. Il/la giornalista; l’insegnante
→ the journalist; the teacher
b. Il/la cantante; il/la pilota;
→ the singer; the pilot;
c. L’atleta
→ the athlete
6 Some nouns have completely different forms for the masculine and the feminine.
a. L’uomo la donna
→ the man the woman
b. Il cane, la cagna
→ the male dog, the female dog
c. Il marito, la moglie
→ the husband, the wife
d. Il fratello la sorella
→ the brother the sister
Piacere - Using the Verb “Piacere” (to like) (1)
In order to say “to like (something)” in Italian, we use the verb “Piacere”.
The word order is unusual, however:
Pronoun (mi, ti, gli, etc.) + “piace”/”piacciono” + complement (the thing that is liked).
We are essentially saying “something is pleasing to me/you/him, etc”.
The verb is conjugated based on the thing that is liked and not on the person who likes it, so it can only ever be third-person singular or plural.
1 Mi piace l’ultimo film di Ammaniti.
→ I like Ammaniti’s latest film (literally, “Ammaniti’s latest film is pleasing to me”).
2 Mi piacciono i film d’azione.
→ I like action movies (literally, “action movies are pleasing to me”).
The pronoun that comes before the verb, which refers to the person who likes the item(s) in question, is an Indirect Object Pronoun.
1 Gli piace la musica italiana.
→ He likes Italian music (literally, “Italian music is pleasing to him”).
2 Vi piace la colazione continentale.
→ You (plural) like the continental breakfast (literally, “the continental breakfast is pleasing to you”).
We use “Piace” if the thing we like is a singular noun or a verb in the infinitive.
We use “Piacciono” if it is a plural noun.
a. Ci piace la pizza.
→ We like pizza (literally, “pizza is pleasing to us”).
b. Ci piace andare al cinema.
→ We like going to the movies (literally, “going to the movies is pleasing to us”).
c. Ti piacciono le patatine fritte.
→ You like French fries (literally, “French fries are pleasing to you”).
To say that we don’t like something, we simply add “non” (the negative particle) before the pronoun.
a. Non mi piace la pioggia.
→ I don’t like rain (literally, “rain is not pleasing to me”).
b. Non gli piacciono le partite di calcio.
→ He doesn’t like soccer games (literally, “soccer games are not pleasing to him”).
Piacere - Using the Verb “Piacere” (to like) (2)
Notes:
We do not use the Indirect Object Pronoun after a + noun or a + stressed pronoun.
E.g.:
1 Ad Anna le piacciono i cani. [Wrong. “LE” NOT needed.]
Ad Anna piacciono i cani.
→ Anna likes dogs (literally, “dogs are pleasing to Anna”).
b. A me mi piace il gelato. [Wrong. “MI” NOT needed.]
A me piace il gelato.
→ I like ice cream (literally, “ice cream is pleasing to me”).
There are other verbs that behave the same way as “piacere” (to like).
The most common of these are:
1 Bastare (to suffice, to be enough);
2 Fare piacere (to please),
3 Importare (to matter),
4 Mancare (to be lacking),
5 Interessare (to interest),
6 Servire (to be of help, often translated using “to need”) and
7 Sembrare (to seem).
For example:
a. Mi manca vedere gli amici.
→ I miss seeing my friends (literally, “seeing my friends is missing to me”).
b. Ci serve più tempo.
→ We need more time (literally, “more time is of help to us”).
c. La loro opinione non mi importa.
→ Their opinion does not matter to me.
Piacere - The Other Structure Used with the Verb “Piacere” (to like) (1)
Reminder:
The verb “Piacere” (to like) has an unusual construction:
1 Indirect Object Pronoun [MI, TI, GLI/LE, CI, VI, LORO/LORO] + “Piace/Piacciono” + the thing that is liked.
a. Mi piace Roma.
→ I like Rome (literally, “Rome is pleasing to me”).
2 Here is another structure we might use with the verb “Piacere” (to like), this time to put the emphasis on the Subject, that is the person or thing that is liked:
Subject (Subject Pronoun/Proper Noun/Infinitive Verb) + Indirect Pronoun + Piacere (to like) in its singular or plural form, depending on the Subject.
[Piacere all’Indicativo Presente
Io piaccio
Tu piaci
Lui, lei, Lei, egli piace
Noi piacciamo
Voi piacete
loro, Loro, essi piacciono]
a. Tu mi piaci. (a me)
→ I like you (literally “You are pleasing to me”).
b. Lei gli piace. (a lui)
→ He likes her (literally “She is pleasing to him”).
c. Pattinare le piace molto. (a lei)
→ She likes skating (literally “skating is pleasing to her”).
d. Roma e Firenze vi piacciono molto. (a voi)
→ You like Rome and Florence very much (literally “Rome and Florence are very pleasing to you”).
Piacere - The Other Structure Used with the Verb “Piacere” (to like) (2)
ESERCIZI
1 PIACCIONO
Ci piacciono i film romantici.
Si usa “piacciono” (3ª persona plurale di “Piacere”, presente) perché si riferisce a un oggetto plurale, cioè i film romantici, e pertanto la struttura è pronome + piacciono + soggetto.
a. Le piacciono le minestre con le verdure.
→ She likes soups with vegetables.
2 PIACI:
Mi piacciono le caramelle e mi PIACI tu.
Si usa “piaci” (2ª persona singolare di Piacere, presente) perché si riferisce a “Tu”.
a. Mi piaci perché sei una persona spontanea.
→ I like you (lit. “You are pleasing to me”) because you are a spontaneous person.
3 PIACCIO:
Io ti PIACCIO ma tu non mi piaci.
Si usa “piaccio” (1ª persona singolare, Piacere, Presente) perchè il soggetto è “IO”.
a. Piaccio molto alle ragazze perché vado in palestra.
→ Girls really like me because I go to the gym (lit. “I am very pleasing to girls because ……”).
4 PIACI:
Io ti piaccio ma tu non mi PIACI.
Si usa “Piaci” (2ª persona singolare, Piacere, Presente) perché il soggetto è tu.
a. Chiara mi ha confessato che tu le piaci da quando era piccola.
→ Chiara confessed to me that she has liked you since she was little.
The Passato Remoto of “Essere” and “Avere”
The verbs “Essere” and “Avere” in the Passato Remoto (Past Historic Tense)
Reminder:
We use the Passato Remoto (the Past Historic Tense) to talk about actions that both began and ended in the distant past.
a. Mangiai una vera pizza napoletana per l’ultima volta nel 2010.
→ I ate a real Neapolitan pizza for the last time in 2010.
b. L’esercito resistette all’attacco.
→ The army resisted the attack.
The verbs “Essere” (to be) and “Avere” (to have) are both irregular.
They are formed as follows:
ESSERE
Io fui
Tu fosti
Lui/lei fu
Noi fummo
Voi foste
Loro furono
AVERE
Io ebbi
Tu avesti
Lui/lei ebbe
Noi avemmo
Voi aveste
Loro ebbero
a. Nel 2000 Mario ebbe la possibilità di diventare sindaco.
→ In 2000 Mario had the opportunity to become mayor.
b. Noi fummo sorpresi da una tempesta durante il safari.
→ We were caught out by a storm during the safari.
Verbs With and Without “SI” (1)
Reminder:
Reflexive verbs are verbs that you “do to yourself”. They are used with a Reflexive Pronoun (the equivalent of “myself”, “yourself”, etc.) and generally refer to the same action as their non-reflexive counterparts.
1a. Francesca ha lavato il bambino.
→ Francesca has washed the child.
1b. Francesca si è lavata.
→ Francesca has washed (herself).
2a. Luca ha svegliato suo figlio.
→ Luca has woken up his son.
2b. Luca si è svegliato.
→ Luca has woken up (himself).
Verbs With and Without “SI” (2)
There is a group of verbs that mean something different if you add in the reflexive “SI” (the equivalent of “oneself”).
The most common examples are:
1 “Abbandonare” means “to leave”, whereas the reflexive verb “Abbandonarsi” means “to lose o.s., to let o.s. go”.
1a. Giulio ha abbandonato la partita.
→ Giulio left/quit the game.
1b. Mirella si è abbandonata ai ricordi.
→ Mirella lost herself in her memories.
2 “Riflettere” means “to reflect”, whereas “Riflettersi” means “to look at o.s.”, such as in a mirror, for example.
2a. Anna riflette sul da farsi riguardo all’hotel.
→ Anna reflects upon what to do about the hotel.
2b. Magda si riflette nello specchio.
→ Magda looks at herself in the mirror.
Verbs With and Without “SI” (3)
There is a group of verbs that mean something different if you add in the reflexive “SI” (the equivalent of “oneself”).
The most common examples are:
3 “Trovare” means “to find” whereas “Trovarsi” means “to be somewhere” or “to be located”.
3a. Francesca ha finalmente trovato le chiavi che aveva perso.
→ Francesca has finally found the keys she had lost.
3b. Mattia si trova a Milano questo fine settimana.
→ Mattia is in Milan this weekend (literally, “Mattia finds himself in Milan this weekend”).
4 “Trattare” means “to treat” or “to deal (with)”, whereas “Trattarsi” means “to concern” or “to be”.
4a. Il libro tratta di attualità. trattare, passato prossimo
→ The book deals with current affairs.
4b. Forse si tratta di un errore.
→ Maybe it is a mistake.
ANCORA or GIà? (1)
1 ANCORA (1)
…… indicates an action beginning in the past and continuing in the present (“still”).
a. Lavoro ancora a scuola (continuo a lavorare in quella scuola)
→ I still work at the school (I continue to work at that school)
b. Studio ancora medicina (continuo a studiare medicina)
→ I am still studying medicine (I continue to study medicine)
ANCORA or GIà? (2)
1 ANCORA (2)
In negative sentences, it indicates an action that has not yet happened, but that we suppose will happen in the future (“not yet”).
a. Non ho ancora prenotato la camera (non l’ho prenotata, ma penso di farlo).
→ I have not yet booked the room (I have not booked it, but I plan to do so)
b. Non ha ancora inviato la lettera (non l’ha ancora fatto, ma pensa di farlo).
→ He has not yet sent the letter (he has not done it yet, but he plans to do so)
ANCORA or GIà? (3)
GIà (1)
In the Present Tense, it indicates that the action has been completed (“already”).
a. Sono già pronta (= Sono pronta ora, prima del previsto).
→ I am ready already (I am ready now, earlier than expected)
b. Sono già a Milano (= Sono arrivata a Milano ora, prima del previsto).
→ I am already in Milan (I have arrived in Milan, earlier than expected)
ANCORA or GIà? (4)
GIà (2)
In the Past Tense, it indicates that an action has already been completed.
a. Ho già visto il film due volte (= Ho visto il film due volte in precedenza).
→ I have already seen the movie twice (I have seen it twice before).
b. Ne abbiamo già parlato (= Ne abbiamo parlato in precedenza).
→ We have already talked about this (We have talked about this before)
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