Lesson 1

Contents

· Numbers

· Some useful expressions

· Greetings

· Names

· Nationalities

· Professions

· Some signals

· Exercises

· Grammar

Numbers

In this lesson, we will see the Italian numbers from one to ten:

1 – uno [unó] 6 – sei [sèi]

2 – due [dué] 7 – sette [sètté]

3 – tre [tré] 8 – otto [òttó]

4 – quattro [quattró] 9 – nove [nòvé]

5 – cinque [cinqué] 10 – dieci [dièci]

If you want to practise, try to say these numbers whenever you see them

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Some useful expressions

These are some expressions that you will find very useful in every moment:

sì [si] = yes no [nò] = no

per favore [pér favóre] / per piacere [pér piacéré] = please

grazie [grazié] = thank you

Note that sì is accented to distiguish it from the pronoun si

You can combine these expressions, but you have to use only grazie. So, you can say sì, grazie (“yes please”) or no, grazie (“no thank you”)

These are two drinks you can be offered:

caffè [caffè] (il) (the plural is the same) = coffee

tè [tè] (il) (the plural is the same) = tea

In this case too, tè has got the graphic stress so that it can be distinguished from the pronoun te (that, however, is pronounced [té] – note the difference between that the closed and the open e)

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Greetings

These are the most common Italian greetings:

buongiorno [buòngiórnó] = good morning, hello

buonasera [buònaséra] = good evening, hello

salve [salve] (a bit informal) = hello

ciao [ciaó] (informal) = hi, bye

lieto [lièto] (masculine) / lieta [lièta] (feminine) di conoscerla [di cónóscérla] (formal) = how do you do?

lieto/lieta di conoscerti [cónóscérti] (more informal) = how do you do?

piacere [piacéré] (informal) = nice to meet you

arrivederci [arrivédérci] = goodbye

Buongiorno and buonasera are mainly used when you greet a group of people or when you enter in a shop. Salve is not very common. The most widespread greeting is ciao, that can be used both when you arrive and when you leave, but you have to feel confident with whom you talk to. Otherwise, when you leave someone, you can use arrivederci. When you are introduced to somebody, use piacere or lieto/lieta di conoscerti if it is an informal situation, otherwise say lieto (or lieta, if you are a woman) di conoscerla, if the other one is a person you meet for the first time

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Names

Now you will learn how to say your name:

Come ti chiami? [cómé ti chiami] (informal) / Come si chiama? [cómé si chiama] (formal) = (literally) how are you called?

Mi chiamo … [mi chiamó] = (literally) I am called…

Qual è il tuo nome? [qual è il tuó nómé] (informal) / Qual è il suo nome? [qual è il suo nómé] (formal) = (literally) what is your name?

Il mio nome è … [il mió nómé è] = (literally) my name is

nome [nómé] (il), nomi [nómi] = name

cognome [cognómé] (il), cognomi [cognómi] = surname

The two expressions (come ti chiami? / qual è il tuo nome?) are absolutely equivalent and so their relative answers. Note the differences between formal and informal expression. Also note that è [è] (= is) has got the graphic stress to distinguish it from the conjunction e [é] (= and)

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Nationalities

How to say where you are from

Da dove vieni? [da dóvé vièni] (informal) / Da dove viene? [… vièné] (formal) = (lit.) where do you come from?

Vengo … [vèngó] = I come…

Some possible answers:

dall’Italia [dall’Italia] = from Italy

dagli Stati Uniti d’America [dagli stati uniti d’amèrica] = from the USA

dal Regno Unito [dal régno unitó] = from the United Kingdom

dall’Inghilterra [dall’Inghiltèrra] = from England

dalla Francia [dalla Francia] = from France

dalla Spagna [dalla spagna] = from Spain

dalla Germania [dalla gérmania] = from Germany

dal Giappone [dal giappóné] = from Japan

Otherwise, this is another possible question

Di dove sei? [di dóvé sèi] (informal) / Di dov’è Lei? [di dovè lèi] (formal) = (lit.) where are you from?

Sono … [sónó] = I am…

these are some nationality adjectives:

italiano [italianó], italiana [italiana], italiani [italiani], italiane [italiané] = Italian

americano [américanó], americana [américana], americani [américani], americane [américané] = American

statunitense [statunitènsé], statunitensi [statunitènsi] = from the USA

inglese [inglésé], inglesi [inglési] = English

francese [francésé], francesi [francési] = French

spagnolo [spagnòló], spagnola [spagnòla], spagnoli [spagnòli], spagnole [spagnòlé] = Spanish

tedesco [tédéscó], tedesca [tédésca], tedeschi [tédéschi], tedesche [tédésché] = German

giapponese [giappónésé], giapponesi [giappónési] = Japanese

The two questions are absolutely the same; just use the relative answer (Da dove vieni? Vengo … / Di dove sei? Sono …). The use of the article in front of the country names is a bit complicated: we will study it in a next lesson; so, by now, learn them by heart

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Professions

Do you want to say what your job is?

Che lavoro fai? [ché lavóró fai] (informal) / che lavoro fa? [… fa] (formal) = what’s your job?

Lavoro … = I work…

banca [banca] (la), banche [banché] = bank

negozio [négózió] (il), negozi [négózi] = shop

fabbrica [fabbrica] (la), fabbriche [fabbriché] = factory

ufficio [uffició] (lo), uffici [uffici] = office

You can combine these words and say, for instance, lavoro in banca, lavoro in un negozio, lavoro in fabbrica, lavoro in ufficio. Like in this case, it may happen that the first person of a verb (like lavoro) coincides with the noun deriving from the verb itself: no problem, you cannot mixe them up, thanks to the context

Otherwise, you can say:

Sono … = I am…

studente [studènté] (lo), studenti [studènti] = student (male)

studentessa [studéntéssa] (la), studentesse [studéntéssé] = student (female)

insegnante [inségnanté] (lo, la), insegnanti [inségnanti] = teacher

maestro [maéstró] (il), maestri [maéstri] = children teacher (male)

maestra [maéstra] (la), maestre [maéstré] = children teacher (female)

medico [mèdicó] (il), medici [mèdici] = doctor

ingegnere [ingégnèré] (lo), ingegneri [ingégnèri] = engineer

And these are the combinations: sono uno studente, sono una studentessa, sono un insegnante, sono un’insegnante, sono un maestro, sono una maestra, sono un medico, sono un ingegnere

To be precise, the exact translation of che lavoro fai? is what is your job? So, when you do this question, you don’t consider that your interlocutor is, for example, a student or is unemployed. However, the real equivalent of the English expression what do you do? is in Italian che cosa fai?, which can also mean “what are you doing in this moment?”. So, use always the question che lavoro fai? (or fa, if it is a formal talk)

You certainly noted the use of article: we will study it in Grammar section

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Some signals

Now you will learn some signals you can meet if you are in Italy:

Vietato fumare [viétató fumaré] = No smoking

Allacciare le cinture [allacciare lé cinturé] = Fasten seatbelt

Donne [dònné] = women

Uomini [uomini] = men

Signore [signóré] = ladies

Signori [signóri] = gentlemen

Biglietti [bigliétti] = tickets

Biglietteria [bigliéttéria] = ticket office / box office

Fermata [férmata] = (bus, underground) stop

Prenotato [prénótató] = reserved

Telefono [télèfónó] = telephone

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Exercises

Here you are some exercise to practise about what you have learned. They are quite easy, so there are no solutions. If you are not sure about something, review the previous sections!

1. Write missing words: Lieto … conoscerti – Che … fai? - … ti chiami? – Da … vieni? – No, …

2. Traslate in Italian: Hello – Goodbye – Nice to meet you – Yes – No – Please – Thank you – What is your name? – Where are you from? – What is your job?

3. Write the words correspondent to numbers 1 to 10

4. Write the adjectives correspondent to the countries: Italia – Stati Uniti d’America – Inghilterra – Francia – Germania – Spagna – Giappone

5. Answer these questions: Come si chiama? – Da dove viene – Che lavoro fa?

6.

Carta di sbarco¹

Cognome:

Nome:

Nazionalità: ²

Professione: ³

Numero di passaporto: ⁴

Firma: ⁵

Copy this form and complete it:

Notes:

¹Landing card

²Nationality

³Job

⁴Passport number

⁵Signature

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Grammar

Pronomi personali soggetto (Subject personal pronouns)

	singular	plural
1 st person	io [ió]	noi [nói]
2 nd person	tu [tu]	voi [vói]
3 rd person	egli [égli], ella [élla], esso [éssó], essa [éssa], Lei [lèi]	essi [éssi], esse [éssé], Loro [lóró]

Now let’s see their use.

First of all, you have certainly noted that it is not necessary to express the subject pronoun, as the verb already indicates the person. However, use the pronoun if you want to emphasize who the author of an action is, or when there is an opposition, for example Io sono italiano, tu sei francese.

The 1^st and 2^nd person pronoun are easy to learn: there is only one for each person!

There are indeed some problems for the 3^rd person pronouns. Here there are the differences among them:

· egli is used for masculine people

· ella is used for feminine people

· esso is used for animals and things of masculine gender

· essa is used for animals and things of feminine gender

· Lei (always written with capital initial) is the “formal” pronoun. It is better to express it (even it is not obligatory, as you have seen), because there may be confusion

· essi is used for masculine people, animals and things

· esse is used for feminine people, animals and things

· Loro is the “formal” pronoun. However, in general now it is not used any more. Its place is taken by Voi (with capital initial)

IMPORTANT! In some expression the subject (in particular, in the answers or to emphasize it) is placed after the verb. In this case, egli/esso are replaced by lui [lui], ella/essa by lei [lèi] and essi/esse by loro [lóró]. Properly, lui, lei and loro are complement pronouns, but in this case they are used as subject.

However, in spoken language, are practically used in every case, even if it is not very correct. So, you can say: Egli è italiano, but even lui è italiano. And you must say Chi l’ha fatto? L’ha fatto lui (Who has done that? He did) but l’ho fatto io (I did) or l’hai fatto tu (You did).

Presente indicativo del verbo “essere” (Present indicative of the verb “to be”)

Io sono [sónó]

Tu sei [sèi]

Egli è [è]

Noi siamo [siamó]

Voi siete [siété]

Essi sono [sónó]

Even if the 1st singular person and the 3rd singular person are the same, in a sentence it is practically impossibile to mix them up, because the former is followed by singular forms (nouns or adjectives), the latter by plural ones: so, for example, sono americano is IO sono americano, while sono americani is ESSI sono americani

This verb is used as in English, but it is an auxiliary too and it forms compound tenses with some important verbs (we will see it in a future lesson)

L’articolo determinativo (Definite article)

These are Italian definite articles:

singular

plural

masculine

il [il], lo (l’) [ló]

i [i], gli [gli]

feminine

la (l’) [la]

le [lé]

Do you think they are too many? Don’t worry, here it is how the are used:

· il is used before masculine singular nouns that begin with consonant, except s + consonant, z, x, gn, pn and ps Ex: il caffè, il nome, il lavoro, il sette

· lo is used before masculine singular nouns that begin with vowel (in this case lo becomes l’), s + consonant, z, x, gn, pn and ps Ex: l’ingegnere, l’ufficio, lo studente, lo zero, lo xilofono (xylophone), lo gnomo (gnome), lo pneumatico (tyre), lo psicologo (psychologist)

· i is used before masculine plural nouns whose determinative article is il Ex: i caffè, i nomi, i lavori, i sette

· gli is used before masculine plural nouns whose determinative article is lo Ex: gli ingegneri, gli uffici, gli studenti, gli zeri, gli xilofoni, gli gnomi, gli pneumatici, gli psicologi

· la is used before feminine singular nouns; it becomes l’ before a vowel Ex: l’Italia, la fabbrica, la studentessa, la maestra

· le is used before feminine plural nouns Ex: le fabbriche, le studentesse, le maestre, le banche

The use of definite article is similar to English, with some exceptions. For example, in Italian you must the article before abstract nouns (ex: Freedom is the most important thing becomes LA libertà è la cosa più importante), and before plural nouns that indicate a “category” (ex: Dogs are my favourite animals becomes I cani sono i miei animali preferiti). And, very important, (but we will see it later) it is used before a possessive adjective

L’articolo indeterminativo (Indefinite article)

These are Italian indefinite articles:

masculine	un [un], uno [unó]
feminine	una (un’) [una]

Let’s see their use:

· uno is used before masculine names that begin with s + consonant, z, gn, pn, ps Ex: uno studente, uno zero, uno gnomo, uno pneumatico, uno psicologo

· un is used before masculine names that begin with vowel and consonant (except the ones said before) Ex: un ingegnere, un insegnante, un ufficio, un caffè, un lavoro, un nome

· una is used before feminine names; it becomes un’ before vowels Ex: un’aquila (eagle), un’insegnante, una fabbrica, una banca, una maestra

Pay much attention to the difference between un and un’, because even a lot of Italian people make mistakes.

Indefinite article doesn’t have plural forms. They are replaced by a sort of partitive article, but we will see this rule in a future lesson.

To practise yourselves, review all the names and expressions you have studied and pay attention to the use of various articles. For every name you meet, study all the possible articles you can use with (for example : ingegnere › lo (l’), gli, un )

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