La Nostra Lingua

The Modal Verb “Should” Meaning and Uses Three important modal verbs in English are “should,” “could” and “would.” In general, modal verbs, also called “helping verbs,” convey information about the verb that follows.  The focus in this blog will be the English modal verb “should,” although the general rules for all English modal verbs are the same. Let’s first answer some general questions about modal verbs, and in particular how the modal verb “should” is used in English, before comparing “should” to its Italian counterpart. Why is “should” considered a modal verb? The English verb “should” is a modal verb …

A Short History of the Nativity Scene Il Presepio / Il Presepe   Each Italian town has its own traditions that make Christmas special. The nativity scene, called “il presepio” or “il presepe” is one such tradition. There is a long history of symbolism behind the setting and characters of “il presepe.”  Since 1223, when Saint Francis of Assisi placed a manger filled with straw next to an ox and mule in a cave in the Italian town of Greccio, the nativity scene has become an integral part of the  Christmas celebration throughout Italy. This first nativity scene was created …

The Italian verb  entrare  is often used to describe physically entering a place and can be translated as “to enter,” “to go in” or “to come in.” In fact, the Italian and English verbs entrare and enter are cognates; both verbs share a common origin in the Latin language. Also, along with carrying the same primary definition,  entrare and enter have a similar sound when pronounced in each language, and are used in a similar way. Besides the basic meaning of “to enter a place,” entrare  and enter are also the verbs used to give direction to performers. For instance, the …

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 …

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 …

  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, …

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 …

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 …

“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 …

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 …