It's easy to get confused about secondo and a seconda di. They sound almost the same, their meanings are similar, but they're used in different circumstances, and have different rules.
In addition to meaning "second," secondo is an adjective used as a preposition to mean “according to” or “on the basis of.” It is usually used subjectively, to express an opinion, what someone thinks.
In the following example Marika is asking our opinion, what we think.
Dove cade l'accento secondo te?
Where does the accent fall in your opinion?
Where do you think the accent falls?
Caption 44, Marika spiega - Gli accenti
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It’s useful to be familiar with this turn of phrase, because rather than saying penso che (I think that), which takes the subjunctive and requires a relatively complicated sentence structure, it’s easier to say secondo me (in my opinion). In this case there is no change to the verb. It’s important to remember, however, that secondo must be followed by an object: a proper noun, noun, or pronoun.
Secondo me, pioverà stasera.
I think it will rain tonight.
You can also say:
Secondo le previsioni, pioverà stasera.
According to the forecast, it will rain tonight.
Secondo is also used to mean "in compliance with."
Dovremmo guidare secondo il codice della strada.
We should drive in compliance with the traffic laws.
Similar in meaning is the curious compound preposition a seconda di (depending on, according to). With a seconda di we can refer to facts or conditions, not opinions. In contrast to secondo, we need three elements: the preposition a (in, to, at), the main preposition seconda, in the feminine, and another preposition di (of).
Following this compound preposition, there may be a noun:
Il codice della strada cambia a seconda del paese.
The traffic laws change depending on the country.
Marika uses this compound preposition in her lesson on accents.
E sì, parliamo della corretta pronuncia
Oh, yes. We'll talk about the correct pronunciation
delle parole italiane a seconda dell'accento.
of Italian words according to the accent.
Captions 5-6, Marika spiega - Gli accenti
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She could also have followed a seconda di with an adverb, like this:
Parliamo della corretta pronuncia a seconda di come mettiamo gli accenti.
We'll talk about correct pronunciation depending on/according to how we place the accents.
In English we can say "according to me, him, her, us, you, them," and this is when we use secondo, because it is referring to something subjective, an opinion.
Attenzione!
We cannot say a seconda di me or a seconda di Elena.
When we are choosing or deciding something, the choice may be made according to certain factors. That’s when we use a seconda di.
Il prezzo cambia a seconda della destinazione.
The price changes depending on the destination.Il prezzo cambia a seconda di dove vuoi andare: Roma o Istanbul.
The price changes according to where you want to go: Rome or Istanbul.
An opinion is expressed with secondo:
Secondo me, il prezzo è troppo alto in ogni caso.
In my opinion, the price is too high in any case.
We hope to have cleared up a common uncertainty. Let us know if you have any other questions!
In this week's episode of Commissario Manara, Lara and Luca are having a romantic walk on the beach, but Lara isn't very tranquilla (relaxed and unworried). She worries about the others at work finding out about their relationship. Luca tries to lighten things up a bit, to sdramatizzare (to remove or reduce the drama or seriousness).
The word they volley back and forth is some form of sospettare/sospetto (to suspect/suspicion). As in English where we have different forms of the word, Italian has them, too, but not exactly as in English. Let’s have a look at what Lara and Luca say to each other.
E poi qualcuno comincerà a sospettare.
And then, someone one will start to suspect.
Rubino, un sospetto senza una prova rimane un sospetto.
Rubino, a suspicion without proof remains a suspicion.
Te lo devo insegnare io?
Do I have to teach you that?
E io ho il sospetto che sto per cederti di nuovo.
And I have the suspicion that I'll give in to you again.
E io ho la prova.
And I've got the proof.
Captions 18-22, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso
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In the above example Lara starts out with the infinitive verb form sospettare (to suspect), then Luca answers using the noun form un sospetto (a suspicion/a suspect). He may have been playing with the words, since what he said could also have meant: "a suspect is just a suspect unless there is proof." Lara plays with words, too, but, instead of conjugating the verb sospettare, she uses the noun form il sospetto (the suspicion) with the verb avere (to have): Avere il sospetto (to have the suspicion).
Below is an example of the verb form sospettare in the second person plural:
Voi sospettate di me?
Do you suspect me?
Ma vi ho chiamati io? -Si calmi signora Brumelt,
But I'm the one who called you! -Calm down, Missus Brumelt,
Captions 46-47, Il Commissario Manara -S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde
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Note that sospettare is both transitive and intransitive and may take a preposition as in the above example, where di (of) is the preposition, indicating an indirect object. It can also take a direct object, or no object at all.
The adjective sospettoso (suspicious) describes a person who has a suspicious or mistrustful nature (Marika gives us an example here).
An adjective describing something or someone that arouses suspicion is sospetto(suspicious), as in the following example.
Niente, c'è un giardiniere sospetto nel vostro giardino,
Nothing, there's a suspicious gardener in your garden.
mi ha chiesto di fare una verifica.
She asked me to run a check.
Captions 47-48, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP6 - Reazione a Catena
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Someone who is suspected of something may be un sospetto (a suspect) or sospettato (suspected).
Stanno interrogando un sospetto.
They're questioning a suspect.È sospettata di aver ucciso suo marito.
She's suspected of having killed her husband.
To sum up:
Depending on the context, the word sospetto may have the following meanings:
Noun: il sospetto (the suspicion), il sospetto (the suspect)
Conjugated verb in the first person singular: sospetto (I suspect)
Adjective: sospetto (suspect or suspicious)
The verb sospettare is both transitive and intransitive.
The past participle sospettato is used in the passive voice (as in the above example) or as a normal past participle.
Let the context be your guide. It's a little tricky to get right, but the good news is that while the meaning and use may vary slightly, the sense of the word is basically the same as in English. Little by little, through reading and listening, you'll get a feel for how it's used in context.
In the hilarious film Stai lontana da me, we see the events of the day through Jacopo’s eyes (he thinks he is the cause), and through Sara’s eyes (she thinks she is having a bad day and also thinks he is funny). Chi può dirlo (who can say)? They may both be right. This movie is an excellent source of casual everyday conversation, and at the end of this week’s segment, Jacopo uses a one-word expression that could use some explaining.
Casomai is usually expressed as a single word, but is in fact composed (a bit oddly) of two distinct words, the noun caso (case) and the adverb mai (never, ever), and roughly means “in the event” or “in case.”
What’s interesting is that in English you need more words to say something similar, whereas in Italian, casomai is one of those words that just hangs there, like magari (see this lesson) or ecco (see this lesson), and get inserted pretty much anywhere in a sentence, without concern for word order and endings. As opposed to some complicated Italian constructions that make you want to tear your hair out, casomai says plenty in just one relatively short word and is easy to use. Grammatically it is considered a conjunction like “if,” “and,” or “but.”
If we want to use a conjunction to translate casomai we can think of it as standing for “if the situation calls for it,” or “if need be.”
At certain point in the movie, Jacopo says:
Casomai te la dico dopo.
If need be, I'll tell you afterwards.
Caption 64, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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In some contexts, we can also translate casomai as “if at all,” or “if ever,” and this corresponds more to the meaning of the two separate words. In the above example “if at all” might correspond to what Jacopo was thinking. He was probably thinking, “At this point, I may not tell you at all, but if I ever do, it will be afterwards.”
You will enjoy this moment in the movie and knowing a bit more about casomai might further enhance it.
In the following example we see how casomai gets inserted in a sentence in a seemingly haphazard way:
In genere, l'estetica la si trova su scarpe meno comode,
In general, the aesthetics we find on less comfortable shoes,
tacchi molto alti, eccetera, eccetera
very high heels, etcetera, etcetera
e, e poi il comfort casomai si trova su modelli più classici.
and, and then comfort, if needed, we find on more classic models.
Captions 12-14, Anna e Marika - Un negozio di scarpe
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With casomai, this shoe salesman is really saying, "If what you are looking for is comfort, then you should look at the more classic models of shoes."
We hope you have understood something about the word casomai.
Scrivici casomai i tuoi dubbi (If need be, write to us with your questions)!
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or comments, please write to us at newsletter@yabla.com. We'd love to hear from you!
There is no one English equivalent for simpatico, which is a bit too bad because it is a wonderful description of a person’s character. As a matter of fact, it has started creeping into English vocabulary: simpatico.
Simpatico quel ragazzo, quello cieco.
That kid is nice, the blind one.
Caption 61, L'oro di Scampia - film
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What are some of the translations of this word?
Often it simply means “nice” as in the above example.
But “nice” has all sorts of connotations, and various Italian translations. One Italian word for “nice” is gentile but that tends towards “kind.” Still another Italian word for “nice” is carino, which is often similar to simpatico in meaning, but can also mean "pretty" or "good-looking" in certain contexts.
Sometimes simpatico means “friendly,” “amicable,” or “likeable.” Simpatico, when used to describe a person (or animal), really refers to personality or their way of relating to others.
Italians also use simpatico, when referring to objects, to mean “cute,” “sweet,” or “funny.” If you do a Yabla search, you will note that both Adriano and Marika make use of this word to describe objects. The object in question isn’t beautiful, but it may make you smile or laugh, as would a simpatico person. In most dictionaries, “cute” is not given as an official translation of simpatico, but in the case of objects, it seems to render the idea better than other words.
In questo simpatico contenitore ho il detersivo per i piatti.
In this cute container I have dish detergent.
Caption 23, Marika spiega - La cucina
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Simpatico is used for a person when you want to say something nice about him or her. The guy may not be good-looking, but he is simpatico (a nice guy). She may not play the piano very well, but she is molto simpatica (very nice).
If you go to the doctor for a procedure that is quite unpleasant, you may use the words poco simpatico.
Ho avuto un intervento poco simpatico.
I had a rather unpleasant procedure done.
Stare simpatico a qualcuno or essere simpatico a qualcuno (to be likeable to someone) is a rather complicated but popular way of saying that one person likes the other as a person, without the ambiguity of the verb piacere, which can have more sensual connotations. See this lesson for more about the difference.
In the same vein, una simpatia is an affinity, an attraction (more mental than physical). There is simpatia between people who get along really well.
Mica te lo devi sposare,
It's not as if you have to marry him,
se è solo una simpatia, un'amicizia...
if it's just an attraction, a friendship...
Captions 73-74, L'oro di Scampia - film
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Prendere in simpatia is “to take a liking to” or “to become fond of.”
L’insegnante m’ha preso in simpatia e m’ha promosso.
The teacher took a liking to me and passed me.
Beware of the false friend “sympathy,” which usually translates as compassione (compassion).
In a recent lesson we talked about some of the verbs in the inscription on a stone plaque in Valsinni, Basilicata. We discussed some verbs in the passato remoto. In this lesson we’ll focus on the verbs nascere (to be born), vivere (to live), and morire (to die), which also appear in the inscription.
Questo castello che vide nascere,
This castle, which saw the birth,
vivere e morire la poetessa Isabella Morra...
life, and death of the poet Isabella Morra...
Captions 1-4, Basilicata Turistica - Non me ne voglio andare
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It’s interesting to note that in Italian, being born is expressed with the active verb nascere, whereas English requires the passive voice of the verb “to bear”: Someone is, or was, born. The only way to make being born active is to use a phrase like “to come into being.”
In Italian history books, the third person remote past of the (intransitive) verb nascere (to come into being, to be born) is used quite often: nacque (he/she/it was born).
The Valsinni inscription could have just as easily read:
Qui nacque, visse, e morì la poetessa Isabella Morra
(Here the poet Isabella Morra was born, lived and died).
The remote past of the irregular verb vivere (to live) might be familiar to opera lovers. Vissi d’arte (I lived for [my] art), from Puccini’s Tosca, is one of the most famous opera arias of all. In fact, the aria is a great source of verbs in the passato remoto.
Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore,
I lived for art, I lived for love,
non feci mai male ad anima viva!
I never did any harm to a living soul!
Morire is also an irregular verb.
Floria Tosca muore alla fine dell’opera.
Floria Tosca dies at the end of the opera.
Isabella Morra morì a Valsinni.
Isabella Morra died in Valsinni.
What’s interesting about the verb morire (to die) is that, as with many verbs, the past participle morto (died) is the same as the adjective morto (dead). You need to pay close attention to the context to know which it is.
Isabella è morta diversi secoli fa.
Isabella died several centuries ago.
È morta da diversi secoli.
She has been dead for several centuries.
On a lighter note, in a video about Beauty and the Beast, there is another life event where English requires the passive voice, while Italian uses the active: il matrimonio (marriage).
Belle e il principe si sposarono nel giardino di rose.
Beauty and the Prince were married in the rose garden.
Caption 67, Ti racconto una fiaba - La Bella e la Bestia
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In this case, the si is not reflexive, but reciprocal. Beauty and the Beast marry each other. See Marika’s video about reflexive and reciprocal verbs.
It's easy to get a bit confused when talking about la fotografia (photography) in Italian. English and Italian differ in an unexpected way. In English we use a preposition: a picture of you, him, her, etc. In Italian, however, we use a personal pronoun that agrees with foto (photo, picture). Although we can safely say that foto means "photo," and fotografia (aside from meaning "photography") means "photograph," we just need to remember that la foto, being an informal abbreviated form of fotografia, is the same in the singular and plural (la foto, le foto). In the example below, we see there are three photos, so in this case foto is clearly plural, and therefore tue (your) agrees with the plural status of foto. A little tricky! Fotografia on the other hand has a normal plural: fotografie.
Guarda, abbiamo scelto tre foto tue...
Look, we've chosen three photos of you...
Caption 33, Che tempo che fa - Monica Bellucci
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Remember also that in English, we take a picture, but in Italian we "make" a photo!
Io ho fatto una fotografia di un grande
I took a picture of a great,
broccolo romano, bellissimo.
beautiful Romanesque cauliflower (or Romanesco broccoli).
Caption 36, L'arte della cucina - I Luoghi del Mondo
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We can also scattare una foto (take a picture). Learn more about the verb scattare here. The verb scattare has to do with the spring action of pressing the button on the camera to fare uno scatto (take a snapshot).
Attenzione! While a video camera is called una videocamera, a camera for taking still photos is called una macchina fotografica ("photographic machine").
In a recent episode of Commissario Manara, there is a play on words that could do with a bit of explaining. Italians commonly use the word fondente (melting) to refer to dark chocolate as opposed to milk chocolate, because it's the kind of chocolate you use in baking. But fondente is actually the adjective form, as well as the present participle, of the verb fondere (to melt). The past participle is fuso. Now you can laugh at the appropriate moment as you watch!
Non ti piace la cioccolata fondente?
Don't you like dark chocolate?
Fondente sì, ma fusa...
Dark yes, but melted...
Captions 44-45, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP9 - Morte in paradiso
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In a recent episode of Stai lontana da me, some form of the word impegno or impegnarsi appears three times in a row, each time with different connotations. Let's have a look.
The noun form impegno can refer to a commitment at work, an errand, an appointment.
Comunque abbiamo un sacco di cose in comune,
Anyway, we have a lot of things in common,
gli impegni di lavoro, l'intimo.
work obligations, underwear.
Captions 22-23, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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It's a convenient way to be vague:
Ho un impegno (I have a [prior] commitment).
We can use the adjective form impegnato to mean "busy":
Sono impegnato al momento (I'm busy just now).
The reflexive verb form impegnarsi means "to commit" or "to make a commitment." In the video, the two people are talking about a commitment in matters of the heart:
Il terrore di impegnarsi.
The terror of commitment.
Caption 24, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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But it can also mean "to try very hard," "to make an effort":
Mi sto impegnando molto ma i risultati sono scarsi.
I'm really trying hard, but the results are poor.
The expression senza impegno (literally "with no obligation") sometimes means, "don't feel you have to." It can also make it clear that we're talking about something very casual, which may be the case in the breakfast invitation below.
Colazione insieme? Senza impegno, eh.
Breakfast together? No obligation, huh.
Captions 25-26, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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In more commercial settings senza impegno can mean "you don't have to sign anything and there's no charge."
The first translation of ancora, the one many of us know, is “again.”
This certainly applies to the title of a Gabriele Muccino film, whose trailer is on Yabla.
Trailer ufficiale - Baciami ancora
Official trailer: Kiss Me Again
It also applies to the title song:
Baciami ancora, baciami ancora
Kiss me again, kiss me again
Caption 13, Lorenzo Jovanotti - Baciami ancora
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In fact, quite often, ancora does mean “again.”
Arrivederci. -Ci scusi ancora.
Good bye. -Again, please excuse us.
Caption 16, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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But Italians also use ancora to mean “still.”
Scusatelo, eh, però è ancora sconvolto per quello che è successo.
Excuse him, uh, but he's still in shock for what happened.
Caption 43, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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A proposito (speaking of which), another Italian word for “still” is sempre (always). This word, too, has several meanings. Check out the Yabla lesson about sempre here.
The above example could just as well have been:
Scusatelo, però è sempre sconvolto per quello che è successo.
Excuse him, but he's still in shock for what happened.
Juggling these words can take a bit of getting used to!
When there is the negative non before it, ancora means “yet,” as in “not yet.”
Allora? Come è andata?
So? How did it go?
Non lo so ancora.
I don't know yet.
Captions 56-57, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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Still another way to use ancora is to reinforce the adverbs più (more) or meno (less). The English equivalent in this case would be “even” or "still."
Gli anni Cinquanta che, a pensarci, sembrano ancora più lontani.
The fifties which, if you think about it, seem even more remote.
Caption 1, L'arte della cucina - Terre d'Acqua
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When più is by itself rather than modifying another word, it will be preceded by di (of) as in the following example. In this case it also means "even more so."
Mi piace questo vestito, ma quello mi piace ancora di più.
I like this dress, but I like that one even more so.
And lastly, ancora can also mean simply “more.”
When someone is putting sugar in your coffee, you can say ancora, to mean “more” or “keep going!”
Ancora qualche erbetta sulla nostra carne.
A few more herbs on our meat.
Caption 42, Battuta di Fassone - in Insalata Chef
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You may have learned that più means "more," and that’s true, but ancora can often replace it.
Sto facendo pressione sul presidente,
I'm putting pressure on the president,
ma mi serve ancora un po' di tempo.
but I need a bit more time.
Caption 36, La Tempesta - film
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To use più in the preceding example, we just have to change the word order, like this:
...mi serve un po' piu di tempo.
...I need a bit more time.
Even in English, there is a close connection between “more” and “again.” It’s up to us to keep our eyes and ears open to gradually get a feel for the Italian perspective on the word. Thinking back on the first examples about kissing, the person could have either been saying “kiss me again” or “kiss me some more,” which has a slightly more emotional and intense feeling about it. Context and tone are key!
In a nutshell:
Ancora is used to mean:
again
still
yet (preceded by non)
even (followed by più or meno plus an adjective or adverb)
more so (ancora di più)
more
some more
Incontro is a noun that means, not surprisingly, "encounter," "meeting," "get-together," or "rendezvous." In English, we tend to save the noun "encounter" for special or particular meetings. In Italian, it gets used more often.
Conoscendolo, penso che sia più probabile
Knowing him, I think it's more likely
che si sia fermato qui per un incontro amoroso.
that he stayed here for a hot date.
Captions 46-47, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu
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The verb form incontrare means "to meet," "to encounter." It often means to bump into someone by chance.
Anna! Ti, ti ricordi quei due signori che abbiamo incontrato prima?
Anna! Do you remember those two gentlemen we met earlier?
Captions 1-2, Anna e Marika - Hostaria Antica Roma
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Keep in mind that the first person singular of the verb incontrare is the same as the noun form, incontro.
Quando vado al mare, incontro tanti stranieri.
When I go to the beach, I meet up with lots of foreigners.
There is a third form which looks exactly like the noun incontro, but is a preposition, and is used together with a second preposition, a (to, at): incontro a (towards).
It’s used in the very common phrase:
Ti vengo incontro.
I’ll come towards you.
I’ll meet you halfway.
This expression also is used when negotiating:
Mi è venuto incontro sul prezzo
He met me halfway on the price.
We say "halfway" but it may be more or less than half, so we could also say "part way." It can mean making a concession, giving a discount, or lowering a price.
Remembering that contro means "against" will help you understand the following example. It’s another figurative use of incontro, and the verb andare (to go) is used: andare incontro (to face, to encounter, to be up against).
Era medico anche lui.
He was a doctor, too.
Si figuri se non sapeva a che cosa sarebbe andato incontro.
Can't imagine he didn't know what he was up against.
Captions 55-56, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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Grammatically speaking:
To use incontro a as a preposition, we need a subject, a verb—usually venire (to come) or andare (to go), and an indirect object. If the object is a person or a noun, we use incontro a:
Vado incontro a Maria.
I’m going to walk towards Maria. / I’ll meet up with Maria halfway.
Va incontro alla morte.
He’ll be facing death. / He’s going towards his death.
If we use incontro a with an indirect object pronoun, the preposition a is already included in the object pronoun if the the pronoun is at the beginning of the phrase. If it’s at the end, it needs a preposition:
Ti vengo incontro.
Vengo incontro a te.
I’ll meet you halfway.
Ci vengono incontro.
Vengono incontro a noi.
They’ll meet us halfway.
Le vado incontro.
Vado incontro a lei.
I’ll meet her halfway.
For more examples of the expression andare incontro a see this lesson.
Just for fun:
Ogni giorno vado incontro a delle situazioni diverse. Ieri ho incontrato un vecchio amico, e volevamo programmare un altro incontro. Non potevo immaginare a che cosa si andava incontro, perché per trovare una data, abbiamo incontrato degli ostacoli non indifferenti. In realtà nessuno dei due aveva tempo per andare a casa dell’altro. Infine, ci siamo venuti incontro. Ci vedremo in città, vicino a dove lavora lui, e mi verrà incontro a piedi per farmi strada.
Every day I’m up against different situations. Yesterday I ran into an old friend, and we wanted to schedule another get-together. I couldn’t have imagined what we were up against, because in trying to find a date for it, we ran into significant stumbling blocks. The fact of the matter is that neither of us had time to go to the other’s house, so we met each other halfway on it. We’ll meet in the city, near his office, and he’ll come and meet me part way on foot to show me the way.
When we think of continuity, our Italian go-to word is sempre (always). It covers a lot of ground, as we’ll discover.
Per Elisa, paghi sempre tu e non ti lamenti
For Elisa you always pay, and you don't complain
Caption 9, Alice - Per Elisa
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But sempre also has some other interesting sfumature (nuances).
This next example is only slightly different from the above.
Ti amerò per sempre.
I’ll love you forever.
Keeping in mind that sempre also means “ever” is useful for understanding phrases like the following:
Ma che dici zia, sono sempre la stessa.
But what are you saying Auntie, I'm the same as ever.
Caption 16, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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This example could just as easily be translated using a different English adverb:
But what are you saying, Auntie? I’m still the same!
Or:
I’m the same as always!
In the following example, sempre as “still” is a bit more clear-cut:
Questa parola inizia con "Z", ma ha sempre lo stesso articolo.
This word starts with "Z," but it still has the same article.
Captions 30-31, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Articolo femminile singolare
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A common example of using sempre to mean “still” is when you call someone who’s late for an appointment and she tells you:
Non sono ancora partita. Sono sempre a casa!
I haven’t left yet. I’m still home!
Another common use of sempre is to reinforce another adverb, such as in the following example. In this case it's followed by più (more).
I tempi si fanno sempre più difficili.
The tenses get harder and harder.
Or: The tenses get more and more difficult.
Or, a bit more formally: The tenses get increasingly difficult.
Caption 26, Anna e Marika - Il verbo essere
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Lastly, and this is a bit tricky (because it takes the subjunctive mood), we have sempre che (“provided that” or “as long as”).
...e della frutta, come le mele, i limoni, le arance,
...and some fruit, such as apples, lemons, oranges,
sempre che, ci siano.
provided that there are some.
Captions 10-11, Come preparare con creatività - una tavola per la campagna
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In a nutshell:
Sempre is used to mean:
always
forever (preceded by per)
ever
still
more (followed by più)
less (followed by meno)
provided that (followed by che)
Putting it all together (just for fun):
Arrivo sempre tardi al lavoro. Alle nove di mattina, invece di essere alla mia scrivania, di solito, ho sempre da timbrare il cartellino, o, peggio ancora, sono sempre al bar. E ultimamente è sempre peggio! Il mio posto di lavoro è sempre meno sicuro. Cercherò di essere sempre più puntuale, sempre che non mi licenzino prima.
I always get to work late. At nine in the morning, instead of being at my desk, I usually still have to punch in, or even worse, I'm still at the coffee shop. And lately it’s gotten worse and worse. My job is less and less secure, so I’m going to try and be more and more punctual, provided they don’t fire me first.
Visit WordReference to familiarize yourself even further with this common adverb.
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Ecco (here it is), from the Latin ecce or eccum, is about presenting a person, thing, or idea and inviting you to perceive it at the very moment it appears.
Ecco la primavera is a 14th century song by Francesco Landini. It’s a song about the coming of spring. We might translate the title as “Behold, Spring Has Come!” The entire Italian text with a non-literal English translation opposite may be viewed here.
So this way of calling our attention to something goes way back. Despite its very ancient origins, it’s a popular word that Italians use constantly. We say ecco to call attention to something or someone arriving, or when we find something we were looking for.
We no longer use the word “behold” in English, but we might say, “well, will you look at that,” “there you go!” In the following example, Anna gets her question about long-lasting bread answered before she asks it, so she says ecco, to acknowledge the fact.
È un pane che dura tantissimo.
It's a kind of bread that lasts a very long time.
Ah ecco! Perché volevo appunto chiedere,
Ah, there you go! Because I wanted to ask you just that,
qual è il tipo di pane che dura di più.
what type of bread lasts the longest?
Captions 61-62, Anna e Marika - Il pane
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Ecco can stand alone (just about anywhere in a sentence) as in the above example, or can precede a noun to present it, as in ecco la primavera. When a pronoun is used, on the other hand, ecco gets attached to it. This goes for all the different direct object pronouns (mi, ti, lo, la, ci, vi, li, and le).
Aha. Sì. Eccolo, eccolo, è arrivato. Sì, sì.
Aha. Yes. Here he is, here he is, he's here. Yes, yes.
Captions 13-14, Francesca - alla guida
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One common way ecco is used is with perché (why, because) to mean “that’s why” or “you see why” or even “here’s why.”
Ecco perché io non me ne voglio andare.
That's why I don't want to leave it.
Caption 5, Basilicata Turistica - Non me ne voglio andare
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Another common usage is ecco qua (here you are). It calls your visual attention to what is being presented. In the following example, a pizzaiolo (pizza maker) is removing a mouth-watering pizza from his forno a legna (wood oven)!
È quasi pronta... Ecco qua!
It's almost ready... Here it is!
Captions 26-27, Antonio - presenta la Pizzeria Escopocodisera
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Ecco is also a filler word much like “OK,” “you know,” or “that's all” that can wrap up what one has said so far:
Io vorrei semplicemente che ognuno avesse la sua porzione, ecco.
I would simply like everyone to have his portion, that's all.
Caption 19, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 - EP2 - Il mistero di Cetinka
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Or it can introduce what one is about to say, much like “look,” “this is how it is,” or “here’s the thing.”
Però, ecco, per quanto mi riguarda,
But, there you go, from my point of view,
io vedo lì una cassata siciliana!
I see a Sicilian Cassata there!
Caption 11, Susanna Cutini - Dolci delle tradizioni di Pasqua
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Ecco is often difficult or even impossible to translate accurately. But once you start listening for the word and noticing it, you'll get a feel for it, and it will start creeping into your conversation naturally. Doing a Yabla search will display a very long list of examples from videos, so you can see the different contexts in which it’s used.
Ecco! (And there you have it!)
P.S. If you neglect to pronounce the double "c" in ecco, you'll obtain eco which means "echo."
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In a recent episode of Commissario Manara, two short words stick out. The first is to’. It appears to be an abbreviation, and is found in the Collins dictionary, but is missing in many other dictionaries. In fact it’s a very informal, colloquial one-word expression.
Although hard to find in a dictionary, to’ is a good word to know, as we hear it often enough in informal situations. It sounds like an abbreviation for te lo do (I'm giving it to you), but is considered to be an abbreviation for tieni (“hold [it],” or “take [it]”) or prendi (take [this]). It’s used in the act of handing something to somebody. It’s often used together with the original word tieni. Though there is no actual infinitive to identify the verb, to' is expressed as a command, as in "take this," and is only used informally.
It’s like saying “Here!”, “Here you go!” or “Here, take it.”
To’, tieni.
Here, take [it].
Luca’s friend Sergio uses it twice at the beginning of this week’s segment of Commissario Manara. He’s giving Luca some papers to sign.
To', è tutto qui, eh?
Here you go, it's all here. Huh?
Caption 1, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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Non manca niente. To', servizio a domicilio.
Nothing's missing. Here you go, door to door service.
Captions 3-4, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP8 - Morte di un buttero
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The other short word that we often hear in conversation is boh.
Boh is a way of vocally shrugging your shoulders to say, “I don’t know!” or “I have no idea.” It can also be a quick but significant way of saying you don’t know what’s going on, or that something doesn’t make sense or add up.
Ma non capisco, dovrebbe essere aperto,
But I don't understand. It should be open,
ma non c'è nessuno! Boh!
but nobody's there! It makes no sense!
Captions 18-19, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro
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Pay close attention to how people say to’ and boh, as the o is quite short in duration and finishes quite suddenly. But once you get the hang of this kind of o, you’ll enjoy shrugging your shoulders and saying “Boh!”
In the exciting first episode of the movie Stai Lontana da Me (Stay Away from Me), prima di tutto (first of all) we can see that someone is directing the title phrase at a woman because of the feminine a ending at the end of lontana (far, far away). The business of changing the endings of adjectives according to number, gender, and person is a little tricky but important. Learn about adjective endings both in Michela’s lesson about adjectives, and in Daniela’s lesson about adjectives.
In Stai Lontana da Me, the narrator uses the term essere in grado. It’s hard to find an easy-to-remember cognate for this, so let’s give it some attention. Il grado (the degree) is the basic noun, which is used for things like temperatures and burns, and not for college degrees. But together with the preposition in (at, in), it means “able to,” “capable of”:
Ci vuole solo un miracolo o qualcuno che sia in grado di farlo.
Only a miracle will do, or someone capable of working one.
Captions 46-47, Stai lontana da me - Rai Cinema
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In English, the adjective “capable” can describe the way a person is in general, but in Italian, in grado is specific to a task and is followed by the preposition di (of) plus a verb in the infinitive, which may or may not actually be expressed. It’s usually preceded by the verb essere (to be):
Io ti affido un compitino da fare a casa,
I'll entrust you with a little assignment to do at home,
e vediamo se sei in grado di farlo.
and let's see if you're able to do it.
Captions 36-37, Marika spiega - La divisione in sillabe
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Do a Yabla video search to see a nice list of examples with in grado.
In grado doesn’t only refer to people. A machine can also be in grado. It’s often used when referring to the capabilities of a car or other instrument.
Questa macchina è in grado di darti tante soddisfazioni.
This car is capable of giving you lots of satisfaction.
In grado has more to do with being trained or properly prepared for a task than merely being good or not good at something. It’s a bit less personal, more formal, maybe less judgmental.
Non sono in grado di usare questo software.
This software is beyond my capabilities (because I haven’t learned how).
Another way of thinking about this is “being up to a task.”
Il mio computer non è in grado di fare montaggi video.
My computer is not up to the task of editing video.
We can substitute in grado with capace (capable), remembering that capace is more personal.
In the following example, Marika has been asked to do a favor for a friend, and in this case in grado and capace are interchangeable, because there is a preposition + verb (present or implicit).
...ma non è in grado di montare la cassettiera.
...but she isn't capable of putting together the chest of drawers.
Caption 3, Marika spiega - Gli attrezzi
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E sapendo che invece io ne sono capace...
And knowing that I, instead, am capable of doing it...
Caption 6, Marika spiega - Gli attrezzi
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Capace, like “capable,” may also be used to describe a person, and in this case cannot be replaced with in grado because there’s no preposition + verb.
Daniela è molto capace come insegnante.
Daniela is very capable as a teacher.
But we can add:
È in grado di spiegare anche concetti complicati.
She’s also capable of explaining complicated concepts.
Sei in grado di trovare esempi in Yabla dove puoi sostituire
Are you able to find Yabla examples where you can replace
in grado con capace e vice versa?
in grado with capace and vice versa?
Knowing how to divide words by syllables is a bit different in every language. These days word processors avoid the problem by making everything fit without having to divide the words at all. But word processors can get it wrong, and there are times when we really do need to know how to divide a word at the end of a line before hitting the "return" key, and Marika lays out some clear-cut rules for us.
E quindi, per andare a capo, cioè nella riga successiva,
And so, to start a new line, that is, on the next line,
bisogna seguire queste regole.
one needs to follow these rules.
Captions 35-36, Marika spiega - La divisione in sillabe
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Please see both part one and part two of Marika's video lessons to get all the information you need about dividing words into syllables.
And, just like in English, Italian uses punctuation terms as metaphors. Punto (period) indicates that there will be no further discussion!
Pensavo che stessimo lavorando insieme a quest'indagine.
I thought we were working together on this investigation.
Infatti ci stiamo lavorando insieme
In fact, we are working together,
però di Ginevra me ne occupo io, punto.
but I will take care of Ginevra, period.
Captions 20-21, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu - Part 6
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When we’re working on something and reach an impasse, we frequently have to start over. We start from scratch, we go back to square one, we go back to the drawing board. Having to start over happens quite frequently in criminal investigations, and Commissario Manara is no exception.
In one case, Luca uses an idiomatic expression/punctuation metaphor for this. In dictation, to indicate a new paragrafo (paragraph) or a new line, the term is punto e a capo (period, new line/paragraph).
Se la confessione di Perrone è vera, non abbiamo niente in mano.
If Perrone's confession is true, we're left with nothing in hand.
E siamo punto e a capo.
And we're back to square one.
Captions 5-6, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 16
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Here’s another way to say the same thing:
Già! E noi siamo di nuovo al punto di partenza.
Yeah! And we're back to the starting point [square one] again.
Caption 22, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde - Part 8
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In yet another episode, Luca seems to be losing patience with a witness or suspect, and uses daccapo to mean “from the beginning.” He could have said da capo just as easily, but it’s often used as a single word with a double c, originating from (and meaning the same as) da capo (from the beginning). Da capo is also used universally in music to indicate a repeat of the beginning of a piece.
Allora, ricominciamo daccapo, va!
So, let's start over again from the beginning, come on!
Com'è andata?
What happened?
Captions 4-5, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro - Part 15
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Check out punto (point) and capo (head) on WordReference.com for their various meanings and sfumature (nuances), and see this Yabla lesson about “Getting to the Point.”
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