Language

Communicating emotions in Italian (Part 4)

Getting  Upset in Italian —  Turbato and Sconvolto Many scenarios, either real or imagined, can prompt a feeling of concern. In short, in life there are many reasons for us to get upset, and we often try to get advice or find solace by speaking with another. In Italian, there are many ways to convey the emotions we feel when we get worried and upset. Therefore, we must learn to think in Italian if we are to communicate our emotions in Italian! In our last blog in this series about how to express emotions in Italian, “Talking About Emotions,” we discussed how an …

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Talking about emotions

Worry and Anxiety in Italian — La preoccupazione, L’ansia and L’ansietà.  Many scenarios, either real or imagined, can prompt a feeling of concern. In short, in life there are many reasons to worry, and we often try to get advice or find solace for our worries by speaking with another. In Italian, there are many ways to convey the emotions we feel when we get worried and upset. Therefore, we must learn to think in Italian if we are to communicate our emotions in Italian! The Italian noun that means   “the worry” or “the concern” is  la preoccupazione. If one …

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Saying “I’ll take care of it!”

  Say “I’ll take care of it” in Italian with Subject – Verb Inversion Certain situations may require clarification of an individual’s responsibility to family members, friends, or co-workers. This leads to common phrases used on a daily basis. For instance, “I’ll take care of it,” can be rendered in Italian by a unique sentence structure using a verb of action and also with the reflexive verb occuparsi. When in Italy, a simple way to emphasize that you will take responsibility for an action is to make a short statement and place the subject pronoun after the verb; in effect, …

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How to say “some” (Part 1)

Say “Some” in Italian with the Partitive To speak fluently in another language, it is important to know how to describe a group of things in a general way. In some cases, the number of things in a group can be counted, but we may want to describe only a part of the entire group. In other cases, the number of things in a group cannot be counted — either due to difficulty in dividing the group into individual parts or due to a seemingly infinite number of things within the group. In short, all languages bypass the problem of …

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Telephone conversations

A street on Burano, Italy, with a bench where people can have telephone conversations

Italian Telephone Phrases to Use with Friends Once one is in Italy to visit relatives or friends, and especially for business, it is important to know both the familiar and polite Italian phrases used to initiate a telephone conversation. When making a telephone call to a friend, two common greetings are used, depending on how well the friends know each other. Pronto. Sono Caterina. Ready. (for hello) I am Kathy. Pronto. Sono io! Ready. (for hello) It’s me! (lit. It is I!)   In some households in Italy, landlines are still in use. In this case, of course, one needs …

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Using the preposition “su”

Park bench on a street in Italy where people can sit and use the Italian preposition "su."

“Su” in reference to a place: Physical Position: “On” “On top of” The Italian preposition “su” means “on“ and provides a literal description of one’s physical location or movement upward. The concept is simple: if someone or something is “on” something, it is above that thing, often connected to it in some way, but usually able to be removed and repositioned. As with other prepositions, su is combined with the definite article for the noun that follows and in this case, describes what the subject is “on.” The combination means, “on the” or “on top of the.” Of course, an …

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How to use the verb “dovere”

The Italian verb  dovere fills an essential role in everyday life, whether one is a traveler to Italy or is speaking to an acquaintance, friend, or family.  Dovere is used as a helping verb to emphasize the obligation or the need to complete an action with its meanings of “to have to,” or “to must.”  Think of how many times a day we say we “have to” or “must” do something — leave for work or school, run an errand, meet a friend we haven’t seen in a while — the permutations are endless!  Also, it is important to note …

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Talking About Emotions (2)

Bench in front of homes on the island of Murano where people can talk about their emotions

Talking about one’s emotions is complex, both in one’s native language and certainly in an adopted language.  In Italian, many  phrases used to convey emotion are idiomatic, and the choice of verbs can differ with even minor differences in a situation. For instance, an upcoming event may make one happy and generate positive feelings of excitement and anticipation. Although it is nice to have something to look forward to (as we discussed in Part 1 of this series about emotions last year), given the repetitiveness of daily life, we all feel bored at one time or another. It is a …

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Talking to someone special

A bench outside of an Italian home where people can sit and talk about someone special and love

Meeting someone at a gathering — Piacere di conoscerla… Where do two people who form a lasting relationship have their first encounter? Many times soon-to-be couples are introduced by a friend, often at a festa (party). The Italian verb conoscere is used when two people first meet. In a previous blog, The Holidays in Italy,  we discussed the many variations of friendly Italian introductions, and the most common reply, “Piacere di conoscerla,” for, “It is a pleasure to meet you.” This phrase uses the formal “la” to mean “you.” More commonly, though, and especially at informal gatherings of young people, the familiar …

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“Dare” and verbs of giving

Picture of a block of houses in Italy with a park bench out front where people can sit and discuss the Italian verbs dare, regalare and donare

The Italian verb dare is most often used with the meaning “to give,”  or literally, “to hand over” something to someone else. When the object “handed over” is a gift, dare may be used to describe this action or the more specific verbs of gift-giving may come into play, such as regalare (to give a gift) and  donare (to donate). To truly sound like a native Italian, learn the quintessential Italian interjection, “Dai!” from the second person conjugation of dare. The Italian verb dare is also an integral part of an important Italian expression, “dare del tu,” which allows  one to …

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