The present gerund is formed from the infinitive of the verb and its endings are:

- are > - ando                     andare > andando
- ere> - endo                      correre > correndo
- ire> - endo                       venire > venendo

It is used when an action in the dependent clause happens at the same time as an other action in the main clause, example: Read the rest of this entry »

Share This

The present and past gerund are invariable verbal forms (it means that are verb forms not related to time) and are used in the dependent clauses.
The meanings of the gerund forms are the following: Read the rest of this entry »

Share This

If Italians have to wish good luck for example for an exam or a test, they never use “auguri” that means in this case misfortune, but they say “in bocca al lupo“. This is a superstition expression that we say to avoid an anwished event, in fact to go into a mouth of a wolf means get in trouble. The interlocutor has to reply crepi il lupo (and absolutely not grazie).

The origin of this idiom is uncertain, perhaps it is originated from the rural world, where  the wolf  was considered a dangerous animal and its killing was considered a prestigious act.

Share This

We can use the Italian “si” in many cases:

• as adverb of italin assertions, example:
  “hai comprato il giornale di oggi?” - “Sì!”
• as reflexive pronuon third person singular and plural, example:
  il Sig. Rossi si alza presto la mattina;
  i Signori Bianchi si addormentano sempre molto tardi la sera. Read the rest of this entry »

  Share This

  Tags: verb
  

Some indefinites have only an adjective function. The indefinites Adjectives are used to indicate unspecified things or persons. They are invariable and are used only in the singular form: Read the rest of this entry »

Share This

The present conditional forms of verbs in -are and in -ere have the same ending:
-erei, -eresti, -erebbe; eremmo, -ereste, -erebbero
For verbs in -ire:
-irei, -iresti, - irebbe, -iremmo, -ireste, -irebbero.

The present Conditional is used in Italian for:

• expressing a wish, example:
  Mi piacerebbe andare la cinema oggi.
• giving advice, example:
  Se fossi in te prenderei il treno anziché la macchina
• giving information which is not totally certain, example:
  In quel palazzo ci sarebbero 2 appartamenti in vendita.
• expressing oneself formally, example:
  Scusi, potrebbe chiudere la finestra, per favore

Share This

Italian prepositions are: di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra, fra. It is very difficult to understand when a preposition is simple or compound (it means with a definite article) The prepositions di, a, da, in and su are joined to the article to form a new word. Instead the prepositions con, per, tra and fra are never joined to the article. There are not many rules to explain the use of the compound prepositions, we can say that normally compound prepositions are used: Read the rest of this entry »

Share This

This kind of passive is formed with si + 3th person singular or plural of the verb. In this case the sentence has a general meaning (everybody, people etc.) Read the rest of this entry »

Share This

I have already  spoken about the passive form with the verb essere, now I’d like to explain the passive voice with the verb venire + the past paticiple.
A characteristic: this kind of passive can be used only with simple tenses (like present, imperfect, historical past, future tense) and NOT with compound tenses (example: present perfect, past perfect etc.). Read the rest of this entry »

Share This

In Italian we can express the passive voice in four different ways:

• with the verb essere + past participle
• with the verb venire + past participle
• with si + 3th person singular or plural of the verb
• with andare + past participle

Today, I’ll try to explain you the first case: the use of the passive with the verb essere + past participle. Read the rest of this entry »

Share This