In a previous lesson, we talked about forming the passive voice with the verb venire (to come) instead of the usual verb essere (to be). We mentioned that it is similar to using "get" in English (although using "get" this way is frowned upon by some grammar experts).
In this lesson, we'll talk about another verb used to form the passive. This time we use the verb andare (to go) and although the procedure is roughly the same as for venire and essere, the context and purpose, as well as the meaning, are slightly different.
We use andare to form the passive voice when something has to be done, must be done. Whereas with venire, we might be talking about something done regularly, or about how something is carried out, here, with andare, we're talking about obligation. And, we can think of it as often referring to something in the future. Again, the verb andare (in its passive voice role) is always in the third person and is followed (perhaps with an adverb in between) by the past participle of a transitive verb.
One of the most common verbs to put in the passive voice with andare is the verb fare (to do). Because there are always so many things we have to do or should have done! In this first example, Andromeda could also have used venire to say, "this is how it is done," but she evidently wanted to stress that ice cream has to be made with fresh ingredients, because they are ingredients that can go bad (dairy products and eggs).
Il gelato è un prodotto molto nutriente, va fatto con ingredienti freschi, freschissimi.
Ice cream is a very nutritious product; it has to be made with fresh, very fresh ingredients.
Captions 6-7, Andromeda in - Storia del gelato - Part 2
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Prova a verificare se ci sono persone che possiedono serpenti da quelle parti. Vanno denunciati, mi pare, no?
Try to see if there are people who possess snakes around those parts. They should be reported, I think, right?
Captions 78-80, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 7
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Here, the meaning is clear. Zamagna is a doctor who had to remove some tumors.
Zamagna sa quello che fa. Se l'ha fatto, vuol dire che andava fatto.
Zamagna knows what he is doing. If he did it, it means it had to be done.
Captions 31-32, La linea verticale EP3 - Part 3
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The next example features the conditional form of andare, which indicates uncertainty. So in this case, it's not strongly obligatory.
E, capisco signora, vede, eh... questa cucina andrebbe rifatta tutta da capo.
And, I understand, Ma'am, you see, uh... this kitchen should be done over from scratch.
Captions 31-32, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 3 S3EP4 Lo stagno del ranocchio - Part 7
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Let's keep in mind that to form the negative, we just put non before the verb andare.
Una porta chiusa non la puoi aprire, perché dietro chissà cosa sta facendo il personale medico, che non va disturbato per nessuna ragione.
You can't open a closed door, because behind it, who knows what the medical personnel is doing, who mustn't be disturbed for any reason.
Captions 62-64, La linea verticale EP 5 - Part 4
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There are different ways to translate these passive phrases, but the main thing is to get a sense of when venire and andare work better than essere in expressing meaning and tone. And we hope you feel better prepared to understand when you are encountering these unusual passive forms.
In English, we form the passive voice using the verb "to be" plus the preposition "by" and the past participle of the action (transitive) verb. That is true in Italian too. We use the verb essere (to be), the preposition da, and the past participle of the transitive verb.
Here is an example:
Londra. È stato venduto a un'asta di gioielli da Christie's.
London. It was sold at a jewelry auction at Christie's.
Caption 2, La Ladra EP. 12 - Come ai vecchi tempi - Part 4
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See this lesson for an overview of the passive voice in Italian.
But there are other ways of forming the passive voice in Italian and it can be a bit confusing. If we think of using "get" in English (informally), it might be a bit less confusing. For example:
The paper gets delivered every morning at six.
We could also say:
The paper is delivered every morning at six.
Using "get" makes the sentence feel more active, while having a passive construction. We don't really need to know who delivers the paper so the passive voice is handy in this case. There is no apparent agent or doer.
In Italian, in addition to using the verb essere, we can form the passive voice with the "auxiliary" verb venire (to come). In fact, it is often considered to be more formal than using essere. But, as with "get," it's also a more active way of using the passive voice.
It's easy to forget this kind of passive construction because venire is also a common action verb. When we use it in the passive voice, as an auxiliary, it doesn't really mean "to come." At least, not if we are translating. If we translate it with "get," it might be easier to grasp as part of the passive construction.
While it's useful to know the grammar, the best thing is to listen or read and repeat. Hearing venire used in everyday (passive) contexts will help you assimilate it and then get accustomed to using it when appropriate. Let's look at some examples.
Keep in mind that:
1) the passive voice has to do with transitive verbs,
2) using venire as a passive auxiliary works only with simple tenses of the "action verb," not compound ones,
3) when using venire, there is usually no agent, called complemento d'agente, no doer.
4) venire is often used instead of essere to avoid confusion (we'll look at some examples further down on the page).
Ed è proprio per la sua fattura [che] non viene chiamata "farina", ma "semola".
And it is precisely because of its processing [that] it's not called "flour," but "semolina."
Captions 14-15, Vocaboliamo La pasta - Part 3
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L'ispettore Ginko è figlio di un giudice che viene arrestato per corruzione.
Inspector Ginko is the son of a judge who is arrested for corruption.
Captions 18-19, Fumettology Diabolik - Part 5
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In this next example, the verb venire is in the future tense.
Domani verrà convocato Giulio Bruno, eh.
Tomorrow, Giulio Bruno will be summoned, huh.
Caption 60, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP3 I giardini della memoria - Part 19
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Of course, venire is also an action verb, so we might find the same future tense used with no participle after it. In the following example, it really does mean "to come" and is not forming any passive voice.
Stamattina mi ha telefonato Franco, mio figlio, ha detto che verrà a trovarmi a Natale.
This morning, Franco called me, my son, he said he will come and see me at Christmas.
Captions 62-63, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 16
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Here, we have venire in the third person plural of venire.
Di solito questi luoghi diventano musei, dove gli antichi attrezzi vengono appesi alle pareti come vestigia di un passato remoto e obsoleto,
Usually, these places become museums, where old tools are hung on the walls as vestiges of a remote and obsolete past,
Captions 27-29, Formaggi D'autore - Part 5
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If, instead of using the verb venire, we use the verb essere to form the passive, it won't be wrong, but it might be confusing. If we use essere we can imagine the tools already hanging on the wall: gli attrezzi sono appesi alle pareti (the tools are hanging on the walls and appesi answers the question "where"), but with venire, we can picture the action of hanging the tools on the wall.
Here is a final example where the verb venire is in the imperfetto.
È vero che Suo fratello a scuola veniva chiamato Cenerentola?
Is it true that your brother was called Cinderella at school?
Caption 6, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP3 I giardini della memoria - Part 26
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Further exploration:
For each of these examples in the passive voice, try replacing the verb venire with essere. They might work equally well. Try using "get" instead of "to be" in English. Try transforming the passive phrases into active ones.
Finally, in the video tab, do a search of various conjugations of venire and see if you can distinguish the examples that have to do with the passive voice (hint: look for a past participle following it). It's kind of fun.
In a future lesson, we will discuss another "auxiliary" verb we can use to form the passive voice: andare (to go). It works much the same way as venire but has a different feel to it as well as a different function.
We've talked about the verb correre before (check out this lesson). It's a verb that means a great many things so you'll want to be familiar with it. But in this lesson, we want to talk about correre meaning "to run," "to race," and "to rush."
Correre can be a bit confusing in the context of sports.
Correre can mean "to run." Some people say fare footing, but footing has gone out of style, for the most part.
Sì, tu invece sveglia all'alba, a correre... -Certo. -Scusa, non hai sempre detto che sono patetici quelli che fanno footing a una certa età?
Yes, but you, up at dawn, running... -Of course. -Excuse me, haven't you always said that those who go running at a certain age are pathetic?
Captions 37-39, Provaci ancora prof! S2E3 Dietro la porta - Part 1
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When I say, vado a correre, that usually means "I'm going running (on foot)."
Someone might ask you where you were:
Dov'eri? -A correre.
Where were you? -Out running.
So it's good to keep in mind that you need the preposition a before the verb in the infinitive.
Correre can also refer to bicycle racing. Lots of people ride bikes, but when you are part of a racing team, even an amateur racing team, you are un corridore or, if you are a female, una corridora or una corritrice.
If you just ride a bike for fun or sport but you don't compete, you'll usually call yourself un ciclista or una ciclista.
Monte Pellegrino è anche un luogo d'incontro di molti sportivi, specie i ciclisti, che amano le ripide salite e discese.
Monte Pellegrino is also a place for sportsmen to get together, especially cyclists, who love the steep climbs and descents.
Captions 20-21, Adriano Monte Pellegrino
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Or you can say something like, Mi piace andare in bici.
Andare in bicicletta è veramente divertente.
Riding a bike is really fun.
Caption 31, In giro per l'Italia Lucca - Part 3
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It's common, when referring to a bike ride, to say fare un giro in bici/bicicletta (to go for a bike ride).
Faccio un giro in bici (I'm going for a bike ride).
Poter andare a fare un giro in bicicletta dove mi pare a me [sic], mi piace tanto.
To be able to go for a ride on my bike wherever I want, I like that a lot.
Caption 21, Fuori era primavera Viaggio nell'Italia del lockdown - Part 16
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Correre can also refer to rushing around without having anything to do with bicycles or running.
Dove corri, Pisane'? -Tengo [napoletano: ho] da fare.
Where are you rushing off to, Pisane'? -I have stuff to do.
Captions 34-35, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 13
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The noun form is la corsa. It can be a race of any kind.
E per gli amanti delle camminate, ogni sabato mattina alle nove c'è la possibilità di partecipare al "Park Run", la corsa che si svolge sulle mura di Lucca.
And for those who love to walk, every Saturday morning at nine, there's the possibility of participating in "Park Run," the race that happens on the walls of Lucca.
Captions 39-42, In giro per l'Italia Lucca - Part 4
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E si vede un'incredibile scena di corsa di carri,
And you see an incredible chariot race scene,
Caption 9, Meraviglie EP. 4 - Part 12
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Another word for race is gara, which can also mean "competition."
La gara più importante era una corsa tra cavalli.
The most important competition was a horse race.
Caption 29, In giro per l'Italia Roma Piazza Navona
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You can also use the noun la corsa when you have raced around trying to get stuff done.
Ho fatto una corsa (I came in a hurry/I ran around).
Or you can say this a different way.
Sono di corsa (I am pressed for time).
As you can see, correre, together with its related words, is very useful in many contexts!
Thanks for reading!
In this lesson, we look at prescindere, an interesting verb that can be used at least 3 different ways. It always involves a preposition, either after it, before it, or both. The basic meaning remains the same, but as you will see, it can be tricky to translate. We will look at all three ways, but let's keep in mind that the first way is the most complicated because we use the conjugated form of the verb. The other two ways use the infinitive, making it easier to figure out.
First, let's unpack this verb because it looks like it might be formed from another verb such as scindere, plus the prefix pre-, standing for "before." And yes! Scindere does exist! It means "to divide," "to separate," or, figuratively, "to differentiate" or "to distinguish." With this in mind, let's look at this "compound" verb that will become part of a phrasal verb.
What does the dictionary say about prescindere? One synonym for the verb prescindere is escludere (to exclude), in other words, to leave out or set aside.
Nasco uomo d'acqua, e il mio racconto non può prescindere da avvenimenti scanditi dal ritmo delle acque, con le sue nebbie, che si disperdono nelle pianure.
I was born a man of the water, and my story can't leave out events articulated by the rhythm of the water, with its fog, that gets lost in the plains.
Captions 14-16, L'arte della cucina Terre d'Acqua - Part 7
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We could also say "My story can't be separate from events..." My story can't be divorced from events..."
The funny thing about prescindere is that it is intransitive, so it doesn't take a direct object, but instead is (usually) followed by the preposition da (of, from). As we have seen in the past, the series about chef Gualtiero Marchesi has moments of fancy prose, and the previous citation is a great example. We note that the English verb "to prescind" does exist, but it's rare. We could even use it as a translation, but it might not be all that helpful to the learner. Language nerds might want to compare and contrast it with "to rescind," which we do use quite a bit, especially in legal contexts.
In the following example, a writer is talking about childhood using prescindere as a conjugated verb, with the preposition da following it. We have translated it in this case with "to be independent of" but it could also be "to be separate from," among other solutions.
Una delle cose più sorprendenti dei figli di solito è realizzare che i propri genitori hanno una vita che prescinde da loro, che li precede e, in parte, li esclude.
One of the most surprising things about children usually is realizing that their parents have a life, which is independent of them, which precedes them, and, in part, excludes them.
Captions 46-49, Romanzo Italiano Lazio - Part 6
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In everyday life, if you listen to Italians converse, you'll often hear prescindere with the preposition a just before it and da just after it: a prescindere da... and we will look at examples of this below. But it might be easier to understand a kind of synonym many Italians use to mean pretty much the same thing: indipendentemente da. That's a mouthful, but easier to understand.
Indipendentemente dal genere o dal numero, io uso sempre "cui", "cui", "cui", "cui", che è invariabile,
Regardless of the gender or the number, I always use "which," "which," "which," "which," which is invariable,
Captions 43-44, Corso di italiano con Daniela Pronomi relativi - Part 3
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Quindi, io posso scegliere una di queste forme indipendentemente... non ci [sic]... indipendentemente da tutto, non c'è una regola.
So, I can choose one of these forms, not taking into account... there's no... regardless of anything. There's no rule.
Captions 30-33, Corso di italiano con Daniela Superlativo assoluto - Part 2
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Let's look at some examples from Yabla videos to discover how a prescindere da is used in a sentence. We begin with Marika, who is speaking pretty casually.
Oggi, a prescindere da come sia iniziata questa cosa, Burano è famosa per questi colori bellissimi che continuano a essere usati.
Today, regardless of how this thing got started, Burano is famous for these very beautiful colors that continue to be used.
Captions 26-27, In giro per l'Italia Venezia - Part 9
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So one meaning of a prescindere (as well as indipendentemente) is "regardless." Good to know, but would you have guessed that without context? Did you notice that Marika used the subjunctive following it? That's what can make it tricky.
But we can also use a prescindere without its second preposition. It can mean something like "in any case," or "no matter what." In the following example, one of the Taviani brothers is talking to the other about setting up a scene on the set of their movie. The positioning is not so important because he is planning to do a close-up.
Va bene quasi a prescindere. Se facciamo un primo piano...
It's fine, almost no matter what. If we do a close-up...
Captions 52-53, Fratelli Taviani La passione e l'utopia - Part 25
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In this case we are leaving what might follow prescindere up to the listener or reader.
Let's say we're talking about a movie that was not well-made on some level, but you liked it anyway.
Mi è piaciuto il film a prescindere (I liked it anyway).
Let's say you have a hike planned for the next day, but the forecast says "rain." Rain or shine, you are going to show up.
Ci vengo a prescindere (I'm coming no matter what).
Quick take: non vuol dire
There is un modo di dire (a turn of phrase) that's handy to know: It's non vuol dire. The missing word is niente: non vuol dire niente (that doesn't mean anything).
You might already know that when talking about the meaning of something, we use the modal verb volere (to want to) plus the verb dire (to say) in Italian.
Cosa vuol dire la parola "pane" (What does the word "pane" mean)?
And in general, when asking what something means, we can say:
Cosa vuol dire (what does that mean)?
Che vuol dire (what does that mean)?
But even when making an affirmation such as: "That doesn't mean anything," or "That doesn't make a difference," Italians just say:
Non vuol dire (that doesn't mean [anything]).
In other words, they leave out "niente." This expression is just something to keep in mind and be on the lookout for.
Here are a couple of examples:
In this scene, Renzo is commenting on the fact that Camilla has been hearing noises during the night and wakes Renzo up.
E certo che c'è silenzio, amore, è notte. Eh, ma non vuol dire però. Ci son delle notti dove non c'è silenzio.
Of course there is silence, love. It's nighttime. Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything, however. There are nights when there is no silence.
Captions 35-37, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 4
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Spy#1 Ma questa è quella di acqua e aceto.
But this is the water and vinegar lady.
Spy#2 Embè? È brutta?
-And so? Is she ugly?
Spy#1 Eh, acqua e aceto.
-Uh, water and vinegar.
Spy#2 E non vuol dire [niente].
-Well, that doesn't mean anything.
Captions 66-68, Liberi tutti EP4 Ma la giacca la vuole tutta? - Part 7
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So spy #1 recognizes the woman's voice as that of Iolde (the one who had offered Michele a drink of water and vinegar in a previous segment). Spy #2 asks if she (Iolde) is ugly. Spy #1 just says, "Water and vinegar" as if to say, "And that's all you need to know." But spy #2 says non vuol dire, as if to say, "That doesn't mean she is ugly." Or he might be saying, "So what? Even if she is ugly, that doesn't necessarily matter."
We will add more examples to this lesson. If you come across an example, feel free to let us know and we'll add it.
In a recent segment of Imma Tataranni, the verb sconvolgere came up, and was included in the vocabulary review as well.
Però poi, quello che ha scoperto l'ha sconvolta.
But then, what she discovered devastated her.
Caption 28, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP 4 Maltempo - Part 25
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Sconvolgere and its past participle sconvolto are very common words and for anyone speaking Italian on a daily basis, the sense is clear (and can change somewhat depending on the context). But translating the verb into English is a different story, and so one wonders if there isn't some cognate that would make it clearer. The fact is that many of the translations we use for sconvolto (the past participle of sconvolgere, often used as an adjective) have other cognates in Italian. We'll list a few of them here:
"shocked," — scioccato
"devastated" — devastato
"disturbed" — disturbato or turbato
"To upset" might be the closest in meaning, but the idea of "upset" in English isn't always close enough to the strong emotion associated with lo sconvolgimento. We can often be upset, but not necessarily sconvolto. The adjective sconvolgente is used a lot to mean "upsetting" or "disturbing."
Ma senti, Amina che cosa ti ha detto di così sconvolgente?
But listen, what did Amina tell you that was so upsetting?
Caption 4, La Ladra EP. 11 - Un esame importante - Part 5
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For the noun lo sconvolgimento, there are other English words such as "turmoil" and "upheaval."
So we thought it might be interesting to find out where sconvolgere comes from.
Our eyes and ears are drawn to the telltale S prefix which often indicates a relation with the word without its S and very often signals an opposing or negative meaning, or else it can add emphasis or strength to the word. Usually, the S signals a change with respect to the root word (if there is one). But what is the root word in this case?
A little research gives us the verb convolgere. Does it even exist? It doesn't appear in WordReference. But luckily, it appears in Wiktionary with source material from Treccani. Not surprisingly, convolgere comes from the Latin "convolvere." It's a literary term meaning avvolgere, ripiegare (qualcosa) su sé stesso, molte volte (to wrap, to fold something around itself, many times).
And within convolgere is the prefix con (from the Latin "cum," meaning "with).
Aside: Let's not confuse it with coinvolgere, which has the prefix co and the prefix in-. This verb means "to involve."
So, digging a bit more, we get to the true root: volgere. And what a verb it is. Lots of nuances! But let's try to find the one that will then lead us to sconvolgere. Let's go with the Collins dictionary, which gives the synonym piegare verso (to bend towards).
Let's try to visualize this verb: something folds or bends in a direction. If we add con, it wraps around itself many times and we get convolgere. Then, if we add an S, this whole wrapped-up thing turns topsy-turvy. In other words, an upheaval. The verb to upheave does exist, but we don't use it very often.
This lesson has concerned itself with the meaning of sconvolgere. But there is another very common S-word related to volgere: svolgere, a very common verb meaning different things depending on whether it's used normally or reflexively. See this lesson about svolgere.
A question from a student got us thinking about words we use for starting things in Italian. So we begin the lesson discussing the specific question about the difference between cominciare and incominciare. But then we go on to explore other words having to do with starting.
Student question: What's the difference between cominciare and incominciare? If we talk about meaning, both mean the same thing: to begin, to start. But then why have both?
One reason is simply regional, meaning someone grows up using one more than the other. And this is true with a lot of words. It seems that incominciare is used more in the south of Italy, while cominciare is more of a northern Italian usage.
Marika is from the south of Italy, and she uses incominciare in this example.
Ci aiuteremo con... ci aiuteremo con un mestolo per incominciare a mischiare.
We'll have the help of a wooden spoon to start mixing.
Caption 22, Marika spiega L'insalata di pasta - Part 2
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But here, in the same kind of context, she uses cominciare:
Cominciamo. In un recipiente di vetro possiamo cominciare a preparare l'impasto versando la farina,
Let's get started. In a glass container, we can start preparing the dough, by pouring the flour
Captions 46-47, L'Italia a tavola Panzerotti Pugliesi - Part 1
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Federico Fellini was born in Rimini, but moved to Rome in 1938. In this clip from an interview, he uses both.
Doveva cominciare così il suo viaggio, con un atterraggio di fortuna in una piazza di una città sconosciuta. Ma il viaggio finì subito come vedete, per la verità non incominciò mai.
That's how his journey was supposed to begin, with an emergency landing in the square of an unknown city. But his trip ended abruptly as you see, and in truth it never began.
Captions 34-37, Fellini Racconta Un Autoritratto Ritrovato - Part 15
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And in fact, the other reason someone might use incominciare is that it might be more forceful and expressive in a given situation or context. So it becomes a stylistic choice.
We might also note that doveva ends in a, so it sounded better to have the next word begin with a consonant: cominciare. But after non, it sounds good to use a word beginning with a vowel: incominciare. If we look at Marika's examples, the same thing is true. She probably didn't make a conscious choice — it just sounded right.
In Yabla videos, by doing a search, we can see that cominciare is used more often than incominciare. Both verbs can be used with or without a direct object (transitive or intransitive). This tendency is reminiscent of the prepositions tra and fra which mean the same thing (between). But one is chosen over the other for how it sounds with the other words around it.
And what other words can we use to talk about starting?
Iniziare is one of the most common ways to begin.
S', sta per iniziare, sta per iniziare. -Ah, ecco. Inizia. -Iniziamo. -Posticino.
It's, it's about to begin, it's about to begin. -Ah there. It's starting. -Let's begin. -A little spot.
Captions 63-65, Non è mai troppo tardi EP 2 - Part 17
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Coupled with this, we have avere inizio (to have a beginning, to begin). Because l'inizio is "the beginning."
[Il restauro vero e proprio ha avuto inizio nel gennaio duemilaquindici e si è concluso ad aprile del duemiladiciotto.]
[The actual conservation began in January two thousand and fifteen and ended in April two thousand and eighteen.]
Caption 65, La pittura più bella del mondo La Resurrezione di Piero della Francesca - Part 15
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We can also say dare inizio (literally, "to give the beginning").
E diamo inizio a questa travolgente serata ranocchiesca.
And let's get started with this rip-roaring froggy evening.
Caption 64, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 3 S3EP4 Lo stagno del ranocchio - Part 14
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The most common verbs are iniziare and cominciare, but there are others. These other verbs have multiple meanings. Partire means "to leave," as in "to depart," but it also means "to start" or "to get going."
Facciamo partire il nostro mixer a massima velocità.
Let's start our mixer at maximum speed.
Caption 12, Italia Squisita Colomba - Part 3
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Partiamo con gli assaggi dei vostri arancini.
We'll begin with tasting your rice balls.
Caption 2, JAMS S1 EP 4 - Part 3
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Another slightly less common verb about starting is avviare. It is often equivalent to "launching," "starting a motor," or "powering up."
Senta, Tataranni, io tengo alla giustizia quanto Lei e più di avviare un'inchiesta, che cosa avrei dovuto fare?
Listen Tataranni, I care about justice as much as you do, and other than starting the investigation, what should I have done?
Captions 47-48, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP 4 Maltempo - Part 7
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When avviare is used as a reflexive verb (avviarsi), it means "to leave," "to get going," usually implying that there is a destination. If I want to get a head start, I might say, mi avvio (I'll get going," or "I'll start out."
Cioni, avviati con questa roba a Cascina, poi ritorni e carichiamo tutto il resto.
Cioni, get going with this stuff to Cascina, then come back and we'll load all the rest.
Captions 21-22, Fino a qui tutto bene Film - Part 17
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One last way to get things started is dare il via.
Perché gli spettatori possano vedere le macchine e l'ora. -Ventiduesima Mille Miglia dalle cilindrate minime, dai motori Diesel si arriverà in dieci ore e mezzo a dare il via a più di cinquecentotrenta macchine per la furibonda cavalcata di oltre millecinquecento chilometri... -Duemila,
So that the spectators can see the cars and the time. -Twenty-second "Mille Miglia" from low cylinder engines to diesel motors, they will, in ten and a half hours, give the start to more than five hundred and thirty cars for the fierce ride of over fifteen hundred kilometers... -Two thousand,
Captions 49-53, La Mille Miglia del passato per vivere quella di oggi - Part 1
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When we are thinking in English, it's hard sometimes to find the right word in Italian because we likely use phrasal verbs and expressions in English, and turning those into the right word in Italian often results in being at a loss for words. That's why it's so important to listen and repeat, and when possible, have conversations with people in Italian, even if your Italian doesn't feel "good enough." The sooner you can start thinking in Italian, even simple Italian, the sooner you will come up with the right words in a given situation.
When people talk about their problems, especially problems such as depression, an illness, or a relationship that has ended, there are certain words they use all the time, but which we might not come up with. Let's have a look.
Superare
The verb superare is a very common verb for getting over something, getting through something, getting past something.
Quando si perde qualcuno, c'è il pericolo di chiudersi in se stessi e di non superare la situazione con il supporto degli altri.
When one loses someone, there's the danger of closing oneself in and not getting over the situation with the support of others.
Captions 40-42, Marika spiega Il verbo chiudere
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This same verb is used when passing a test — superare un esame — or passing another car — superare una macchina — on the road.
Uscire
Another way people talk about getting over something, is with uscire (to come out of it). Here is a guy with cancer talking to his wife.
Che sto reagendo bene. -Che stai reagendo bene? -Sì. Dici che ce la faccio a uscire da questa situazione?
That I am reacting well. -That you are reacting well? -Yes. Do you think I will manage to get/come out of this situation?
Captions 25-26, La linea verticale EP3 - Part 5
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Another way of saying that in English would be "Do you think I will manage to survive this situation, to overcome this situation, to get past this situation?" Let's also remember that uscire means "to exit," just as l'uscita means "the exit."
Reagire
If we go back to the previous example, we see Luigi and his wife use the verb reagire. It basically means "to react." This is a very common verb for when you have to deal with something, an illness, a loss, a break-up, a disappointment. In this case, they might be talking about the fact that the therapy is working. We can translate it with "to react," but reagire is also used for not being apathetic, for example.
In the example below, the woman speaking to Michele believes he had been assaulted in prison before being sentenced to living in the commune called Il Nido (the nest). She assumes he has been feeling traumatized.
Michele, ma è una cosa bellissima che tu voglia reagire.
Michele, but it's such a wonderful thing that you want to react [to spring back].
Caption 3, Liberi tutti EP3 Quanto è libero un fringuello? - Part 1
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Reagire, in this sense, is the opposite of letting oneself go, getting depressed, or closing oneself off.
You might say to a friend who is having trouble overcoming something:
Devi reagire (you have to do something) (you have to snap out of it), (you have to get out of your funk)!
These are just a few words we can use when talking about getting well, or getting over something. Have you found words you have heard but don't quite understand? Let us know at newsletter@yabla.com or write a comment on the videos page.
Three interesting verbs found in this week's videos are:
gonfiare
rosicare
ignorare
All three have very literal translations, but they have nuances, too, that are important to know for anyone looking to get comfortable speaking Italian.
The adjective gonfio comes from the verb gonfiare (to inflate). So we can talk about pumping up our tires, or blowing up a balloon.
"Andare a gonfie vele" significa che tutto procede al meglio.
"Going with full sails" [full steam ahead] means that everything is proceeding well.
Caption 27, Marika spiega Espressioni legate al mare e al mondo nautico - Part 2
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We can imagine a full sail puffing out and looking swollen.
There is a reflexive form as well, so when we get a bruise, sometimes it swells — Si gonfia.
Poi l'universo ha cominciato a gonfiarsi, a gonfiarsi come un palloncino.
Then the universe began to inflate, to inflate like a balloon.
Captions 3-4, Illuminate Margherita Hack - Part 10
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We can use the past participle as an adjective with pallone to mean "hot air balloon," figuratively speaking.
Ma che infame, mentitore, pallone gonfiato, pieno di sé.
You are wicked, a liar, a hot-air balloon, full of yourself.
Caption 55, Il Commissario Manara S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso - Part 7
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Cioè, tu hai permesso a quel pallone gonfiato di usare la mia cucina per fare la sua torta?
That is, you allowed that hot-air balloon to use my kitchen to make his cake?
Caption 18, La Ladra EP. 1 - Le cose cambiano - Part 3
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Translating is not an exact science, so we're not talking about the kind of serene mongolfiera (hot air balloon) we see floating over the countryside, but rather someone who is full of him/herself and hot air (instead of substance). Un pallone is "a big ball" (also a soccer ball), so it can also refer to someone's head if we're thinking about the shape, but un palloncino is "a balloon," so un pallone could also be a big balloon, like one of those hot air balloons. We can talk about someone spouting hot air, so although a direct translation doesn't exactly do the trick, now you get the idea! You undoubtedly know someone who is un pallone gonfiato.
This verb can be used in reference to animals, such as a dog gnawing at a bone, but it's used with people, too, when they are envious. Here's a little scene from JAMS where someone tends to be a sore loser. Once again, it is a bit tough to translate precisely. That's why we wrote a lesson about it.
No! -E mamma mia, non rosicare sempre! Abbiamo perso, no "non rosicare"! -E va be', abbiamo perso correttamente, però. -Non va bene.
No! -For heaven's sake, don't always let it gnaw at you! We lost, not "Don't let it gnaw!" -OK, so what? We lost fair and square, though. -It's not OK.
Captions 11-13, JAMS S1 EP 3 - Part 5
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Ignorare is a very interesting verb, together with the adjective, ignorante, that comes from it. It is a partially true cognate, but not totally, and that is why we are mentioning it here.
One meaning of ignorare is "to ignore," in other words, to neglect to take into consideration. But its other meaning is "not to know." There's a big difference between the two! So in the following passage, it's not totally clear which it is.
Farà male? -Vuoi la verità? Sì. -Anna. E così mi ignori la primissima regola di questo mestiere.
Will it hurt? -Do you want the truth? Yes. -Anna. And so you ignore the very first rule of this profession on me.
Captions 3-5, La linea verticale EP8 - Part 2
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In this next example, the meaning clearly has to do with not being schooled, with not knowing how to read and write, for example.
Sarò anche una povera vecchia contadina ignorante,
I might even be an old, ignorant farm woman,
Caption 25, Il Commissario Manara S1EP10 - Un morto di troppo - Part 7
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But ignorante is widely used to mean something similar to maleducato — being a boor or a lout. We can see how it is combined with other similar insults here.
Prepotente, zotico, ignorante!
Arrogant, boorish, rude!
Caption 3, La Ladra EP. 6 - Nero di rabbia - Part 6
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Can you use these words to describe someone you know or someone you've seen in televisione or al cinema?
When you have spoken a language all your life (and are not a language nerd), there are certain things you just don't think about.
When you learn a new language, certain things are tricky, such as, for example, the Italian way of skipping the pronoun when it's not essential. Italians don't have to think about it. The verb conjugation gives you the information you need. If you have studied Latin, that's not so strange. But if you come from English, it's a challenging concept to be able to grasp.
And then there are tenses. Not all languages think of tenses in the same way. For instance, English speakers might have trouble with il passato remoto because it doesn't exist in English as distinct from the simple past. And we might translate it the same way as we translate a different tense, such as the imperfetto or the passato prossimo.
This brings us to a tense or mood that is a bit strange to English speakers. We generally feel pretty familiar with the past participle of a verb that can be used either as part of a compound tense or as an adjective. It's used in a similar way in English.
È uscito dall'ospedale, però è ancora un po' confuso.
He's out of the hospital but he's still kind of confused.
Caption 41, Il Commissario Manara S2EP2 - L'addio di Lara - Part 7
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No, m'hanno licenziato loro, perché ho confuso il mangime delle anguille con il veleno per topi.
No, they fired me, because I mistook rat poison for eel feed.
Captions 51-52, Sei mai stata sulla Luna? film - Part 19
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The present participle is something else altogether. Most of the time, we will see the participio presente (which has the -ante or -ente ending) used as an adjective or a noun. We don't think about it much because the word has entered general usage as an adjective or noun. We can identify it as a participio presente because we can replace it with che and the conjugated verb form to reach the same meaning.
Let's look at a couple of words in this category.
A present participle functioning as an adjective:
interessante (che interessa) - interesting (that interests)
promettente (che promette) - promising (that promises)
Perché un suo abitante, Martino Piccione, giovane chitarrista promettente, è sparito nel nulla senza lasciare traccia.
Because one of its inhabitants, Martino Piccione — young, promising guitarist — has vanished into thin air, without leaving a trace.
Captions 4-6, Chi m'ha visto film - Part 15
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Note that in English, these adjectives often have the -ing ending.
A present participle functioning as a noun:
il cantante ([la persona] che canta]) - the singer ([the person] who sings)
la sorgente (che sorge) - the source
l'abitante (che abita) - the inhabitant (the person who inhabits)
The tricky thing is that the -ing ending in English is also used to translate Italian words that have an -ando or -endo ending. These endings have to do with the presente progressivo (the present continuous or progressive).
Here's the example that prompted one of our viewers to ask about this:
Possiamo trovare il cerro, che è l'albero dominante il bosco,
We can find the turkey oak, which is the tree prevailing over the forest,
Caption 47, In giro per l'Italia La Valle del Sorbo
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We could say che è l'albero che domina il bosco.
Hopefully, you get the idea. You don't need to dwell on this, as you will get along fine without using the present participle as a verb most of the time. But when we come across it in a video, we need to know how to translate it (it was tricky!) and some people are just plain curious!
If you look up the verb aspettare in the dictionary, the first English translation you will find is "to wait." Or almost. You might see "to await." That is because, even though we don't use the verb "to await" much in general conversation, it's a transitive verb, and so is aspettare. They can line up. So that's something to remember.
Aspettare is transitive most of the time (except when it means something like "Hey wait!"). We don't need a preposition after it as we do in English — "to wait for." This lesson isn't about English, but let's just mention that lots of people use "to wait on" in certain contexts, and other people use "to wait for." In Italian, we don't have to worry about that.
Adesso bisogna aspettare il risultato dell'autopsia e poi finalmente potrete organizzare il funerale.
Now we have to wait for the results of the autopsy and then, finally, you'll be able to organize the funeral.
Captions 21-22, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 4
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Just as in English, we can use the imperative form aspetta! (informal singular), aspettate! (informal plural), aspettiamo (first person plural) or aspetti (formal, singular) on its own to mean "Wait!"
Aspetta, aspetta, ti levo il cerotto piano piano. Aspetta, aspetta.
Wait, wait, I'll remove the band-aid slowly, slowly. Wait, wait.
Caption 55, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 12
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Aspettate, lascio il libro sul tavolo
Wait, I'll leave the book on the table
Caption 3, Corso di italiano con Daniela Il futuro - Part 4
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Dottor Barale, aspetti!
Mister Barale, wait!
Caption 29, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep. 1 - Part 18
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In a question, let's remember again that aspettare is transitive. So if you want to ask the common question: "What are you waiting for?" you don't need the preposition.
Mai. -E che aspetti?
Never. -And what are you waiting for?
Caption 44, Questione di Karma Rai Cinema - Part 8
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When we use aspettare reflexively, in other words — aspettarsi — the meaning changes. It becomes "to expect."
Cioè, il ladro può essere entrato in biblioteca senza aspettarsi che Fazi fosse lì.
That is, the thief could have gone into the library without expecting Fazi to be there.
Caption 11, Il Commissario Manara S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 7
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So when the verb is conjugated rather than in the infinitive, we have to look for an object pronoun (or noun). Here are two examples. The first is not reflexive so aspettare here means "to wait."
Erano cinque anni che aspettavo questo momento.
I'd been waiting five years for this moment.
Caption 16, L'Oriana film - Part 15
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If we find an object pronoun nearby (in this case mi), then we're likely looking at the reflexive version of aspettare and it will mean "to expect." And in many cases, we'll see some sort of preposition afterwards. In the examples below, first we have di and then, in the next example, we have da. We also often find the conjunction che, as in the third example below.
Grazie. -E non mi aspettavo di rivedervi così presto.
Thank you. -Uh, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon.
Caption 21, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1EP1 L'estate del dito - Part 19
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Cosa ti aspetti da questo Real Madrid?
What do you expect from this Real Madrid [team]?
Caption 12, Spot Sky Sport con Perrotta, Totti, Marchisio
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Mi aspettavo che tu fossi più sincera,
I expected that you'd be more sincere,
Caption 30, Anna e Marika Il verbo essere - Part 4
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And, since an expectation is often tied to uncertainty, and che triggers the subjunctive, we will likely find the subjunctive form of the verb in the subordinate clause.
But... sometimes the difference is nuanced. For example, when a person is pregnant, we use "expecting" in English. In Italian, not necessarily.
We usually hear the non-reflexive form of aspettare.
È vero, aspetto un bambino da Arturo.
It's true, I am expecting a baby of Arturo's.
Caption 6, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP1 I Bastardi - Part 21
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When you're expecting a package, or sometimes a person, you'll likely use the non-reflexive version.
Senta, Lei è un bel tipo, io non lo posso negare, però io sto aspettando una persona molto importante.
Listen, you're a cute guy, I can't deny it, but I'm expecting a very important person.
Captions 6-7, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 6
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Another case in which English might use "expect," is when you invite someone and then you expect them at a certain hour. "I'll be expecting you!" Italians just use aspettare. Think of the end of a video when Marika talks about seeing you in the next video. She might say:
Io ti lascio lavorare in pace e ti aspetto nel prossimo video!
I'll leave you to work in peace, and I'll be waiting for you in the next video!
Caption 56, Marika spiega I verbi riflessivi e reciproci
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We've translated this with the verb "to wait," because there is no reflexive, but it could have been, "I'll be expecting you in the next video" or "I look forward to seeing you in the next video."
If we look at the Italian translation of the verb "to expect," we can see that there are all sorts of nuances. But what we can say is that when it's about waiting for something to arrive, as in expecting a package, expecting a child, or expecting a guest, we can use aspettare.
This is one more thing to have fun paying attention to when you watch Yabla videos!
In this lesson, we're going to look at two of the most common verbs in the Italian language: essere (to be) and avere (to have). They are both irregular verbs so they merit some special attention.
Here's how we conjugate essere (to be):
Io sono (I am)
Tu sei (you are)
Lei è (you are - polite form)
Lui è (he/it is)
Lei è (she/it is)
Noi siamo (we are)
Voi siete (you are plural)
Loro sono (they are)
And here is how to conjugate avere (to have):
Ho (I have)
Hai (you have)
Ha (he, she, it has)
Abbiamo (we have)
Avete (you [plural] have)
Hanno (they have)
And here's an example of how they sound, in the first person singular:
Ciao, io sono Anna e ho quasi trent'anni. -Ciao, io sono Marika e ho trentasei anni.
Hi, I'm Anna and I am almost thirty years old. -Hi, I'm Marika and I am thirty-six years old.
Captions 1-2, Amiche Anna e Marika raccontano...
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There are some things to notice right away. If we look at the translation, we see that when we talk about age, the Italian verb is avere (to have) but in English the verb is "to be." That's a quirk. In Italian, you have an age and in English, you are an age.
The second thing we might notice is that we see an h in the word ho, but we don't hear it. Yup, most of the time, the H is silent in Italian. It has an effect on other letters when following them, but at the beginning of a word, it's silent.
The third thing we notice is that Anna doesn't say io ho quasi trent' anni. Neither does Marika. That's because it's common and correct to leave out the personal pronoun because the conjugation of the verb already indicates who we're talking about. It's not always the case, but it is something to get used to and it happens with all verbs!
As you watch this video, you'll see that sometimes the personal pronoun is present, but it's often absent! Here's an example. Anna is clearly talking about Thomas, so she doesn't have to say lui è italiano. She can say è italiano.
Il mio fidanzato si chiama Thomas, ma è italiano.
My boyfriend's name is Thomas, but he's Italian.
Caption 20, Amiche Anna e Marika raccontano...
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They are still talking about Thomas, so Marika doesn't need the personal pronoun lui.
Ah, è proprio di Roma, alla fine.
Oh, he's really from Rome, in the end.
Caption 23, Amiche Anna e Marika raccontano...
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Here, Marika doesn't say the equivalent of "it." It's implied from the third-person singular conjugation of the verb essere (to be).
E quindi non è proprio la vacanza scelta da me,
And so, it's not a real holiday chosen by me,
Caption 12, Amiche Anna e Marika raccontano...
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Here's an example of the second person singular of essere (to be):
Mamma mia quanto sei bella.
Wow, you're so beautiful.
Caption 45, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 27
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Here's an example of the second-person singular of avere (to have):
Quanti anni hai? -Ventuno.
How old are you? -Twenty-one.
Caption 8, Amiche sulla spiaggia
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Here's an example of the second-person plural of essere:
Voi siete davvero un gruppo molto bello.
You are, really, a very nice group.
Caption 17, Anna e Marika Il verbo essere - Part 1
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And here's an example of the second-person plural of the verb avere:
...per riciclare al meglio la frutta che avete in casa
...to best recycle the fruit you have at home
Caption 92, Andromeda Marmellata anti spreco - Part 2
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Here's an example of the first-person plural of essere:
Non riesco ancora a crederci, siamo i primi al mondo!
I still can't believe it. We're the first in the world!
Caption 6, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 23
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And here's an example of the first person plural of avere:
Noi abbiamo amici da tutto il mondo.
We have friends from all over the world.
Caption 9, Adriano Matrimonio con Anita - Part 3
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And to finish, here's an example of the third-person plural of essere and avere:
Il flauto, il violino spesso... sono talmente acuti che vanno al di sopra del pentagramma.
The flute, the violin, often... are so high that they go above the staff.
Caption 33, A scuola di musica con Alessio - Part 3
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Molti di loro dormono con gli animali accanto al letto per riscaldarsi e non hanno neanche le scarpe per andare a lavorare, ma sorridono.
Many of them sleep with the animals next to the bed to warm up and they don't even have shoes to go to work, but they smile.
Captions 36-38, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 12
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Both essere and avere are used as helping verbs, so it's pretty important to learn them. Hope this lesson has helped!
Write to us with your questions. We answer!
In Italian, as in other languages, sometimes a verb uses the same root as a noun that's related or vice versa. We don't always know which came first, the verb or the noun, but the good news is that there are plenty of verbs like this and they are pretty easy to learn.
The words we discuss in this lesson originally have to do with plants. So let's learn the Italian word for "plant" right off the bat. It's an easy one.
Pianta - piantare
La pianta is the noun and piantare is the verb.
E poi, domenica aveva in progetto di piantare il nuovo vigneto al podere dei Sassi.
And then, Sunday he had planned to plant a new vineyard at the Sassi farm.
Caption 34, Il Commissario Manara S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 1
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Ehm, in questi vasi sono state piantate delle piante molto belle.
Um, in these pots, very beautiful plants have been planted.
Caption 20, In giro per l'Italia Mazara Del Vallo - Sicilia - Part 3
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As we will see with seminare, further on in this lesson, piantare can also be used figuratively. It often means to stop or quit doing something like complaining or lying. It's a strong word to use when you are fed up with how someone is behaving.
La devi piantare di mentire.
You have to quit lying.
Caption 5, Provaci ancora prof! S1E4 - La mia compagna di banco - Part 21
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In the previous example, the speaker wanted to include the verb dovere (to have to) but otherwise could have just said, Piantala (quit it)! It's as if he wanted to say, "You have to quit it with the lying."
There's more! If you get dropped by a friend or hired help, piantare can be a useful verb.
Pia, la mia colf, mi ha piantato. Dice che non vuole vivere in campagna.
Pia, my nanny, ditched me. She says that she doesn't want to live in the country.
Caption 21, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 EP1 - Casa nuova - Part 5
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Seme - seminare
Another noun that goes nicely with its verb is il seme (the seed).
E poi da questo seme che pianti nasce, come per miracolo, una verdura, un pomodoro, ehm, del peperone.
and then from this seed that you plant, like a miracle, a vegetable, a tomato, uhm, a pepper comes up.
Captions 10-11, Professore Antonio L'orto del Vesuvio
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We often use the verb piantare (to plant), as in the previous example, because it's generic for putting something in the ground, and it can apply to both seeds and plants, but the more accurate word to use, especially when talking about seeds for crops, is seminare (to sow).
The verb is seminare (to sow).
E usiamo i semi. Questa idea mi piace. Eccoli qui, Mirò, sono pronti da seminare.
And we'll use the seeds. I like this idea. Here they are, Mirò. They're ready to plant/sow.
Captions 42-44, Gatto Mirò EP 10 Piantiamo un albero
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In a segment of Provaci ancora, Prof!, Camilla is driving when her daughter, Livietta, sees that a car has been following them for a while. Camilla gives her daughter instructions to tenersi forte (to hold on tight) while she tries to lose the other car. She uses the colloquial term, seminare. Think of someone sowing seeds by tossing them or throwing them.
Perché c'è una macchina che ci segue, saranno almeno dieci minuti. -Tieniti forte perché cerco di seminarla adesso.
Because there's a car following us, it must be at least ten minutes. -Hold on tight because I'm going to try to lose it now.
Captions 5-7, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 20
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And again, in another episode, Camilla is being followed and it is her daughter who notices that.
Evvai, mamma! Li hai seminati!
Go, Mommy! You lost them!
Caption 66, Provaci ancora prof! S2E4 L'amica americana - Part 19
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Disseminare
A verb related to seminare is disseminare. This is used to mean "to spread out," or "to distribute," "to broadcast."
Smembra il cadavere e lo dissemina in punti che sono tutti riconducibili a Lei, signor Romaniello.
He dismembers the corpse and he spreads it around in places that can be traced to you, Mister Romaniello.
Captions 32-33, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1EP1 L'estate del dito - Part 27
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Here, too, we can imagine someone holding a basket full of seeds that get sown in the field by tossing them out by the handful, scattering them, broadcasting them, so that they get spread out, they get well-distributed.
Can you think of other verbs and nouns that go together?
When you meet someone halfway on a deal, or you go towards someone who is coming towards you, say, on the street, we often use the turn of phrase: andare incontro a.
Andare is "to go" and incontro in this case is an adverb (or preposition) meaning "toward."
Mi puoi venire incontro?
Can you meet me halfway?
Using this turn of phrase can be a little confusing, but here are the elements:
a verb of motion, which is usually andare (to go) or venire (to come). It might even be correre (to run).
the adverb or preposition incontro meaning "toward"
the preposition a (to)
an indirect object noun or pronoun
Let's look at some Yabla examples of how we can use andare incontro a.
The word order can change and often the indirect object comes first, as in the following examples. In this case, the preposition a is included or implied in the indirect pronoun.
Ti vengo incontro (I'll meet you halfway).
È successo che stavo pulendo il locale e...
What happened is that I was cleaning the bar and...
poi l'ho sentita e gli [sic: le] sono andato incontro,
then I heard her and I went towards her,
ma non c'è stato verso di farla ragionare.
but there was no way to get her to reason.
Captions 2-4, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore - S1EP1 L'estate del dito
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La notte, Roma, le sue luci e tu che mi vieni incontro.
The night, Rome, its lights and you coming towards me.
Captions 1-2, La Ladra - EP. 12 - Come ai vecchi tempi
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In the following example, the verb correre (to run) is used instead of andare (to go) or venire (to come), but it works the same way.
Attori, tecnici, comparse gli corrono incontro.
Actors, technicians, extras run towards them.
Caption 16, Vivere - Un'avventura di Vittorio De Sica - Part 10
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If, rather than a pronoun, I use a noun (la difficoltà) as an object, as in the next examples, then I will need the proposition a.
Vado incontro a tante difficoltà.
(I'm going to run into plenty of difficulties).
Io vado incontro al mio destino
I go towards my destiny
Caption 21, Niccolò Fabi - Lontano da me
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Io e Sua Eminenza cercheremo una soluzione
His Eminence and I will look for a solution
quanto possibile per venire incontro
as far as possible to meet you half way
a quello che Lei mi ha chiesto.
for what you have asked me.
Captions 29-31, Vivere - Un'avventura di Vittorio De Sica - Part 9
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In the next example, it's a bit different, because Nora is using the first person plural to make things sound more collaborative, but the meaning is clear. She wants a discount.
Senta, io so che Lei è un professionista, una brava persona,
Listen, I know that you are a professional, a good person,
quindi non possiamo venirci incontro un pochino sul prezzo?
so can't we meet halfway a bit on the price?
Captions 25-26, Sposami - EP 4 - Part 14
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Another reason andare incontro a can cause confusion is that l'incontro exists as a noun (the encounter) and incontrare means "to meet" or "to encounter." The first person singular of incontrare is incontro (I encounter, I meet). For more on these meanings, see this lesson: Close Encounters with Incontro.
In addition, in is a preposition all on its own meaning "to" or "in." Contro is a preposition meaning "against."
One of the hardest things in Italian, at least for beginners, is trying to figure out how mi piace means "I like." How does it fit? Which word means "I" and which word means "to like"? These are great questions, and we explore some answers below, but if you want to just start speaking in Italian, don't worry about the grammar and the exact translation. Just start rolling it around on your tongue and in your brain. Mi piace.
Mi piace.
"Mi piace" (I like it).
Caption 10, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Mi piace
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Why this advice? Because the answer to these is a little complicated and it can be daunting. It's more important to start speaking right away. If we get a tiny bit of Italian under our belts, we will feel a little more confident about learning a little grammar. In fact, you will need a little grammar as soon as we start using the plural, when we talk about people other than ourselves and items that are more than one. If you are already comfortable with saying mi piace, go ahead and skip this part.
Let's get started:
To say, "I like it," you don't have to think about fitting in the pronoun "it." It's good enough just to say mi piace.
Mi... piace.
"Mi... piace."
Caption 2, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Mi piace
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Mi piace.
"Mi piace" (I like it).
Caption 10, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Mi piace
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If you just learn to say mi piace when you like something, you are already speaking Italian! The more you say it, the more it will feel natural. There are going to be things you don't like, too, so let's look at how to form the negative. It's easy.
Negative:
If you don't like something, then you can say non mi piace (I don't like it). So, in contrast to English, we put the negative part first: non, which basically means "not." The rest of the phrase stays the same. Mi piace, non mi piace (I like it, I don't like it).
Ah, a proposito c'è un pane che proprio non mi piace
Ah, by the way there's a bread that I really don't like
che è quello Toscano perché è senza sale.
which is the Tuscan kind because it's without salt.
Captions 23-24, Anna e Marika - Il pane
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Try looking around the space you are in right now. What do you like? What don't you like? Give your answer in Italian. Mi piace, non mi piace. Possible items to think of or point to:
a color
a work of art
a composer
a photo
a house
a car
a band
an actor
a city
If you don't know what something is called in Italian, just point to it.
Here are some examples to get you started. One important thing: Use items in the singular or collective nouns. When we begin referring to multiple items or people, the verb changes. We'll get to that, but not right now!
Some suggestions:
il colore verde (the color green)
l'opera lirica (opera)
Venezia (Venice)
il mare (the sea)
leggere (reading)
il riso (rice)
il cinema (the movies)
Questions:
What if you want to ask someone else if they like something?
To ask a friend if they like something, then it's ti piace? We're just changing the object pronoun to the second-person singular, ti.
Ask an imaginary friend about these things. Just make sure to keep the thing you are asking about in the singular. Note that Italians usually put a definite article before the noun.
Il riso ti piace (do you like rice)?
la pizza
la musical classica (classical music)
l'opera lirica (opera)
questa casa (this house)
la birra (beer)
l'acqua frizzante (sparkling water)
viaggiare (traveling)
il calcio (soccer)
We have provided some possible solutions at the bottom of the page.
Daniela gives a video lesson about mi piace, so check it out if you aren't comfortable using it yet. She explains things in Italian, but she gestures and uses a blackboard, and of course, there are captions in both Italian and English, so you are covered. Sometimes this video is a free demo, so check it out even if you are not a subscriber to Yabla! If you don't see it, let us know.
Grammar time — the tough stuff
Now, we'll focus on how mi piace works, from a grammatical point of view.
Truth be told, one of the weird things about Italian, from an English point of view, is that there is no real translation for "I like." The "piace" part of mi piace is actually the third-person singular conjugation of the verb piacere (to please, to be pleasing). Why is that? We'll try to explain it here.
Some essentials:
1) The mi in mi piace is an object pronoun, not a subject pronoun so it doesn't mean "I." In English, "I" is a subject pronoun.
Mi can be a direct object pronoun meaning "me." In this case it can take a transitive verb such as chiamare (to call): mi chiami (you'll call me)? Ti chiamo (I'll call you).
But mi can also be an indirect object meaning "to me." In fact, when mi is an indirect object, it is a kind of contraction that means a me (to me). So, another way to say mi piace is a me piace. It means the same thing and puts some emphasis on the person doing the liking, not the thing that is liked.
2) The verb piacere doesn't really mean "to like" but that's the verb Italians use to express liking something. As mentioned above, it means "to please," "to be pleasing," or "to delight." The subject, in other words, whatever is "performing the action," is the thing that is liked, the thing that is pleasing (such as pizza or the color pink), not the person who likes it. This is tough to grasp.
3) The English verb "to like" is transitive, but the Italian verb piacere is intransitive. In other words, it can't take a direct object. It takes an indirect object and needs a preposition (usually a [to])! So translating directly, word for word, just won't work. In point number 4, we talk about the verb amare (to love) which is transitive just like the verb "to love," so it is easier to grasp.
4) In English, "to love" is a transitive verb. Unlike piacere — an intransitive verb, the verb amare (to love) is transitive, so this makes amare easier to grasp and to use. So yes, you can say, Amo la pizza (I love pizza) and you would be able to understand the grammar. Io amo la pizza. (Just remember that we can leave off the personal pronoun — in this case io [I] — because the conjugation already indicates the person.) But you can't say
piaccio la pizza. It makes no sense. Piaccio needs an indirect object, that is, an object + preposition. I can say piaccio al mio ragazzo (my boyfriend likes me. I am pleasing/attractive to my boyfriend).5) To sum up, the subject of the sentence is the thing that is doing the pleasing, in this case la pizza (the pizza). Mi piace la pizza. La pizza (the pizza) is the thing that is pleasing to me. It's the subject of the sentence. So when we say mi piace, we are saying something to the effect of "it is pleasing to me." We would never say that in English, but it can help understand how the verb piacere works. Mi piace la pizza.
Now let's examine a short conversation from a TV series in which the verb piacere is used various times. Perhaps this back-and-forth will help make it feel more natural.
The show in question is Un medico in famiglia. Lele (a guy) is a doctor and a widower with three kids. Some people are trying to get him to start dating and so he finally does go out with a woman named Irene. After his date, he discusses things with his sister-in-law, Alice. She is trying to put herself in his shoes...
Alice:E invece adesso ci pensi (but now you are thinking about it):
Mi piace? Me ne sto innamorando (do I like her? Am I falling in love)?
Guarda che capita anche a me. (look, it happens to me, too).
Ma Irene almeno ti piace (but do you at least like her/is she at least pleasing to you)?
Lele:
Più o meno (more or less)
Alice:E tu a lei piaci (and does she like you/are you pleasing to her)?
Lele:
Credo di sì (I think so).
Here, you can listen and watch. Just click on "Play Caption."
E invece adesso ci pensi.
But now you are thinking about it.
Mi piace? Me ne sto innamorando?
Do I like her? Am I falling in love?
Captions 27-28, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 - EP5 Lele, ti presento Irene
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Guarda che capita anche a me.
Look, it happens to me, too.
-Ma Irene almeno ti piace?
-But do you like Irene?
-Più o meno.
-More or less.
Captions 29-31, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 - EP5 Lele, ti presento Irene
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Here, Alice is asking Lele if he thinks he is pleasing to Irene, in other words, if Lele thinks Irene likes him.
E tu a lei piaci?
And does she like you?
Credo di sì.
I think so.
Captions 34-35, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 - EP5 Lele, ti presento Irene
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Possible questions and answers to our list of examples:
Note: As you will see, the word order doesn't matter. You can begin with the item (the subject) or the indirect object and verb: mi piace/non mi piace/ti piace.
il riso (rice) - Il riso ti piace (do you like rice)? Mi piace! Mi piace il riso. Il riso mi piace. Il riso non mi piace. Non mi piace il riso.
la pizza - Ti piace la pizza? La pizza ti piace? Mi piace la pizza. Non mi piace la pizza.
la musica classica (classical music) - Ti piace la musica classica? Non mi piace la musica classica.
l'opera lirica (opera) - L'opera lirica ti piace o no? Mi piace l'opera lirica.
questa casa (this house) - Questa casa non mi piace. Ti piace questa casa?
la birra (beer) - Ti piace la birra? Mi piace la birra.
l'acqua frizzante (sparkling water) - L'acqua frizzante ti piace o non ti piace? Non mi piace l'acqua frizzante.
viaggiare (traveling) - Ti piace viaggiare? Sì, mi piace viaggiare. Mi piace molto.
il calcio (soccer) - Non mi piace il calcio.
In the next lesson in this series, we will build on these questions and answers and look at multiple items to like or not.
What's the difference between dividere and condividere?
The short answer is that dividere means to "divide" and condividere means "to share." Dividere is a true cognate and is pretty obvious.
Davide doveva solo sposare Federica e dopo la sua morte,
Davide had only to marry Federica and after her death,
avremmo dovuto dividere l'eredità a metà.
we would have had to split the inheritance in two.
Captions 6-7, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP7 - Alta società
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Condividere adds the prefix/preposition con (with), so that makes a certain amount of sense as well. To divide up something with someone.
Voglio... saluto con tanto affetto
I want to... I say farewell with great affection to
Ines, Laura, Sara, Enzo e Norbert
Ines, Laura, Sara, Enzo, and Norbert
per aver condiviso con me e la famiglia gran parte della mia vita.
for having shared with me and the family the greater part of my life.
Captions 25-27, Ennio Morricone - ''Io sono morto, vado via senza disturbare''
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But with the verb "to share" in English, we also share information with someone. We don't keep it to ourselves. But we are not dividing it up. The same nuance exists in Italian.
Lei avrebbe dovuto condividere con me ogni scoperta,
You should have shared every discovery with me,
e invece non l'ha fatto.
but you didn't do that.
Caption 20, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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Condividere also means to agree on something, to have the same opinion as someone else. Even in English, we can use the word "share." "I share (or I don't share) your view."
"Non condivido ciò che dici,
"I don't agree with what you say,
ma sarei disposto a dare la vita
but I would willingly give my life
affinché tu possa dirlo".
so that you could say it."
Captions 19-21, In giro per l'Italia - Mazara Del Vallo - Sicilia
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But what is interesting is that if we do a search of the verb dividere in Yabla videos, we discover that it is often synonymous with condividere, or rather, there are plenty of cases where it means "to share." Sometimes, in order to share something, you have to divide it up, so using dividere can often be clear enough. If we look at the dictionary definition of dividere, "to share" is included. So we just have to keep in mind that a short answer isn't always good enough.
This question came up because, in a recent episode of Non è mai troppo tardi, we translated dividere as "to share," not "to divide."
The context: Alberto Manzi has become a TV personality, so people stop him on the street, and he is happy to talk to them and sign autographs. But his wife Ida is not so thrilled and she resents having to share him with so many other people.
Con quanti dobbiamo dividerti ancora?
With how many more do we have to share you?
Caption 70, Non è mai troppo tardi - EP 2
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We can imagine a large pie to be divided up into slices. How big is Ida's slice of the pie? We can also note that she uses the preposition con. So it's pretty clear what she means. But do people also use con with condividere? Could she have said, Con quanti dobbiamo condividerti ancora? Probably, but it might have sounded a bit redundant and awkward. For sure, sometimes condividere and con are used together.
E quindi siamo partiti per una, circa, una quindicina di giorni
And so we left for fifteen days or so
e abbiamo vissuto in famiglia
and we stayed with families
e abbiamo praticamente condiviso con loro la loro vita quotidiana.
and we basically shared with them their daily life.
Captions 16-18, Professioni e mestieri - Erica - archeologa
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We hope this has cleared up any doubts you might have had about the verbs dividere and condividere. Let us know at newsletter@yabla.com
For this lesson, it's a good idea to have an idea about the difference between essere and stare, keeping in mind that sometimes, they are interchangeable.
Have a look at these lessons, first, if you need some reminders because we're going to do a little quiz, where we provide some lines from Yabla videos where the verb is missing. It will be either stare or essere in some conjugation (links to conjugation charts are in this sentence). See if you can sense which one to use. Answers will be at the bottom of the page, but try not to cheat.
1) Da oggi, per molti giorni, io _______ il vostro maestro (From today, for many days, I will be your teacher).
2) Adriano _____ male e io voglio stargli vicino (Adriano isn't well and I want to stay at his side).
3) Questa ___________ la stanza di mio fratello Alberto (this was my brother Alberto's room).
4) Come ________, dottor Barale (how are you, Mister Barale)?
5) Be', capita quando il gessetto alle volte _____ troppo lungo... (Well, it happens sometimes when the chalk is too long...)
6) Così, mentre ______ per morire, invoca il nome della sua amata, Aida (and so, while he is about to die, he invokes the name of his beloved, Aida)...
7) _______ bene io e lei (she and I go well together).
8) Ti _________ aspettando per mangiare la torta (we're waiting for you to eat the cake).
9) ______ calmi (calm down).
10) Che belli che ______ (how beautiful you are)!
Let's not forget that the verb stare is used when we form the equivalent of the present progressive or continuous, as in the following example:
Stiamo parlando del caso, non di me.
We're talking about the case, not about me.
Caption 17, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone - EP1 I Bastardi
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Answers:
1) Da oggi, per molti giorni, io sarò il vostro maestro (From today, for many days, I will be your teacher).
2) Adriano sta male e io voglio stargli vicino (Adriano isn't well and I want to stay at his side).
3) Questa era la stanza di mio fratello Alberto (this was my brother Alberto's room).
4) Come sta, dottor Barale (How are you, Mister Barale)?
5) Be', capita quando il gessetto alle volte è troppo lungo... (Well, it happens sometimes when the chalk is too long...)
6) Così, mentre sta per morire, invoca il nome della sua amata, Aida (and so, while he is about to die, he invokes the name of his beloved, Aida)...
7) Stiamo bene io e lei (she and I go well together).
8) Ti stiamo aspettando per mangiare la torta (we're waiting for you to eat the cake).
9) State calmi (calm down).
10) Che belli che siete (how beautiful you are)!
Come sta, dottor Barale?
How are you, Mister Barale?
Caption 30, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep. 1
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We have talked about pronominal verbs before, and we have mentioned our featured pronominal verb andarsene in a lesson about telling someone to "get lost." But let's delve deeper.
Perhaps if we talk about pronominal verbs often enough, they will be less daunting, and they will start making more sense. Andarsene (to leave, to take one's leave) is perhaps even more common than farcela, which we have talked about very recently, but they are both high up on the list of pronominal verbs to know and love. So let's dive in!
Andarsene has as its main verb, the irregular verb andare (to go). But instead of just going, we add on some particles that make it mean something more. We make it personal with se (oneself), and we imply we are leaving a place, person, or situation, or, we could say, "going away from a place, person or situation" with the particle ne. In this context, ne is a pronoun representing an indirect object with its preposition, all in one!
Se uno sta bene in un posto, embè, deve avere una ragione forte per andarsene, se no...
If one's happy in a place, well, they have to have a really good reason for leaving it, otherwise...
Captions 33-34, Il Commissario Manara S1EP12 - Le verità nascoste - Part 8
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Let's also mention that in a way, andarsene (to leave, to go away from a place) is the opposite of going somewhere — to a place. When we go somewhere, we can use the particle ci (to, in, or at that place) as an indirect pronoun including the preposition. In English, "there" stands for "to/at/in that place."
Hanno suonato alla porta. Ci vado io (the doorbell rang. -I'll go [there]).
It's easy to get mixed up between ne and ci.
When we conjugate andarsene, we split the verb in different ways, depending on the conjugation.
When you simply want to say, "I'm leaving [this place]" you can say:
Me ne vado (I'm leaving).
It's the equivalent of vado via (I'm leaving, I'm going away).
When no modal verb is involved, we generally have the person, the place (from this place) and then the verb in third place, conjugated. The same goes for other persons:
Alle otto se ne vanno a casa e non escono più, come le galline.
At eight o'clock they leave and go home and don't go out again, like hens.
Caption 40, Il Commissario Manara S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu - Part 12
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However, if we use a modal verb such as potere (to be able to) or volere (to want to), dovere (to have to), then we conjugate the modal verb and the pronominal verb remains in the infinitive, although the particles may be separate from it.
Ecco perché io non me ne voglio andare.
That's why I don't want to leave here.
Caption 5, Basilicata Turistica Non me ne voglio andare - Part 1
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It's also possible (when there is a modal verb) to mix the parts of the pronominal verb up differently and say:
Ecco perché non voglio andarmene (that's why I don't want to leave here).
In the following example, we have 2 different conjugations. The first one is one word, a command, with the verb root first: the imperative of andare, va', then the person, te, and then our "place" particle, ne. In the second sentence, the modal verb dovere (to have to) is used.
Ricotta! -Oh, vattene! Te ne devi andare!
Ricotta! -Oh, get out of here. You have to leave!
Caption 47, Non è mai troppo tardi EP 2 - Part 7
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Let's remember that the verb andare takes essere (to be) as an auxiliary verb for compound tenses such as the passato prossimo, which conjugates like the present perfect in English. We conjugate the auxiliary verb and the root verb is in its past participle form.
Finalmente se ne sono andati.
Finally, they've gone.
Caption 15, Acqua in bocca Allarme gita - Ep 9
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Practice:
Try thinking of people you know, or can imagine, and combinations of people. 1) They might be leaving a theater or a party... one by one, in couples, all of them 2) They never seem to leave but you would like them to. 3) They have all left. We'll need the passato prossimo for that. Have they left together or in dribs and drabs? Let us know how you do.
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