La Nostra Lingua

Let’s begin our discussion of the important phrases “he said” and “she said” by looking at how to use the verb dire — to say —  in the past tense. The past tense for “he said” and “she said” in Italian, a one-time event, uses the passato prossimo, and is “ lui/lei ha detto.” This Italian past tense verb also translates into the less commonly used English past tense, “he has said” and “she has said.”  Since the subject pronoun is generally left out of an Italian sentence, we are left with “ha detto” to describe both what he said …

The Italian verb riuscire has a wide range of meanings and its use lends a bit of sophistication to one’s Italian phrases. It’s important to learn the nuances of the verb to create sentences as we would in our native language. When linked by the conjunction a to another verb, riuscire means “to be able to” or “to manage to.” The meaning is similar to potere, with an important exception: riuscire lends a dimension of personal effort on the speaker’s part. Hence the translation into English as “to manage to.” In the negative sense, the use of riuscire a implies that …

How do we conjugate an Italian verb into the polite or familiar form? Let’s begin our discussion of polite and familiar expressions in Italian by talking a look at the conjugation table for chiamarsi, the reflexive verb that means “to be named,” or “to call oneself.” This verb is one of the first verbs an Italian student learns to conjugate and contains all the elements to understand polite and familiar verb tenses. First, let’s conjugate chiamarsi the way we would any other –are  verb. Chiamarsi (to call oneself/to be named) will have the same stem and endings as chiamare (to …

As we’ve seen in a previous blog about the verb sapere,it is important to understand how to conjugate sapere in the present tense if one wants to describe what he or she knows. Sapere in the present tense is a verb of certainty; when one uses the Italian verb sapere, they do so to describe a fact or something they believe to be true. But there are times when you may not be certain if what you’re talking about is factual. To express doubt, possibility, uncertainty, personal feelings, desire or suggestions, Italian uses the subjunctive mood. And to convey uncertainty …

When visiting another country (and I am sure travelers will one day be able to visit Italy again), it is important to understand the ins and outs of making a purchase. Whether you are dining at a restaurant, visiting an important historical site, or purchasing a souvenir of your trip, knowing a few  words in Italian is always helpful to understand the cost. And if you like to barter, you can pepper your English with a few friendly Italian phrases to help the deal go through! How do I use the verb costare? In order to ask how much something …

Although the direct translation of stare is “to stay,” over the centuries stare has also taken on the meaning of “to be” with regard to one’s health. The verb stare is often used in other ways as well. For instance, with the addition of the preposition per, the “stare  per” combination conveys the meaning “to be about to.” Stare is an –are verb that has an irregular root in the tu and loro forms. In the table below, the regular conjugations of stare are given in green and the irregular forms in brown in order to make them easier to …

The verb sentirsi means “to feel” in Italian and therefore sentirsi is the verb Italians use to describe their deepest emotions. You will immediately notice from the -si ending that sentirsi is a reflexive verb. We English speakers do not use a reflexive verb when we put our emotions into words, since “feeling” is not considered a reflexive activity in our way of thinking. Because of this important difference, we will really have to learn how to think in Italian to express our feelings with sentirsi!   Learning how to use the verb sentirsi is really not all that tricky, though, once you …

The verb stare has an interesting history. Although the direct translation of stare is “to stay,” over the centuries, stare has also taken on the meaning of “to be” with respect to one’s general health. Stare is an –are verb that has an irregular root in the tu and loro forms. In the table below, the regular conjugations of stare are given in green and the irregular forms in brown, in order to make them easier to recognize. Stare is a verb that will truly be used every day, so each conjugation should be committed to memory. Stare – to …

Visiting Italy during Christmastime has been on my bucket list for many years, but for now that dream visit will have to wait. Instead, I would like to share an Italian Christmas carol that makes me feel close to the people in this special country. That carol is “Tu Scendi dalle Stelle.” Although virtually unkown in America, it is said to be the best-loved Christmas carol in Italy. The music and lyrics for “Tu Scendi dalle Stelle” were written in 1732, by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, who was a Neapolitan priest. Liguori originally gave the song the title, “Little song to Child …

Prendere  most commonly means “to take,” but can also be translated as “to bring,” “to pick up,” “to get,” or “to buy/acquire.” The past participle preso can also be used to describe liking someone or something a lot. This use stretches the meaning of prendere a bit, but there is a similar expression in English — being “taken with” someone — that also expresses the same idea. In its reflexive form, prendersi is used to convey how a person can “catch/come down with” an illness. When you are able to visit Italy, use prendere when ordering food in a restaurant …