La Nostra Lingua

How to Use Bello with Singular Nouns Bello is an Italian adjective that one will use often when visiting the “bel paese”—so many people are and places are beautiful, nice, and lovely in Italy!  But, the form of this adjective will change according to the masculine or feminine form of the noun (person, place or thing) it modifies, the number of “things” that are beautiful, and also according to where this adjective is placed in the sentence. When referring to a person, bello/bella are used to mean handsome and beautiful, as well as nice, or lovely.  Places or things can be beautiful, and also nice or lovely.  The …

Buono is an adjective that will come up quite often when one starts to learn Italian, and it’s one that you’ll use often while traveling — so many things are good in Italy! But, the form of this adjective will change according to the masculine or feminine form of the noun (person, place or thing) it modifies, the number of “things” that are good, and also according to where this adjective is placed in the sentence.  Sound complicated?  Well, it is… a little bit.  But luckily, there are many “commonly used phrases” spoken every day in Italy that use the …

Reciprocal reflexive verbs are used when two or more people perform the same action together; this will make all people involved the subject of the action. To express this type of situation in English we simply add the phrase “each other” after the verb that describes the action. Italians employ the -si ending, as with regular reflexive verbs with actions that revert back to the  speaker. Listed below are verbs that commonly use the reciprocal reflexive form: abbracciarsi to hug each other aiutarsi to help each other amarsi to love each other baciarsi to kiss each other chiamarsi to call …

In Italian we need to learn how to use three important verbs and we are all set to talk about what we are wearing—vestirsi, mettersi, and indossare.  If we learn how to use these verbs properly, we will be able to tell others how we dress and make “small talk” about how well others are dressed — part of “fare la bella figura” (making a good impression) in Italian — just as we do in our native language! Vestirsi Let’s start with the Italian verb “vestirsi,” which carries the general meaning of “to get dressed.” To use this verb, just conjugate it as …

At first glance, it seems easy to say “get” in Italian.  The verb prendere translates as “to get.”  But, the verb prendere actually has the specific meaning of “to procure something.”  In English conversation, which is typically less formal than written English,  the verb to get is used in many more ways and conveys many more meanings than the verb prendere does in Italian.  We English speakers rely on our basic understanding of what is going on in any given conversation to come up with the meaning of the verb to get. Instead, in both written and conversational Italian, the use of …

English speakers use the verb “make” to describe how someone has made them do  something or how someone has made them feel.  In other words, in this type of situation, the subject of the sentence is the instigator that will make the stated action take place for someone else. The verb “make” is called a “causative verb,” and is one of the three true causative verbs in English, which are: let, have, and make. Check out some popular American songs to see how often this concept comes up in language.  Catchy tunes like, “You Make Me Feel Brand New,”  sung …

The verb “let” is called a “causative verb,” and is one of the three true causative verbs in English, which are: let, have, and make. English speakers use the verb “let” to direct someone to do something.  In other words, with the verb “let,” the subject of the sentence is relying on or needs someone else to “cause” the action that will take place. Let’s try some example sentences in English conversation to help us understand this concept before we move on to Italian.  In English, we might say, “Let/Leave me alone!” or “Let me think!”  In a less dramatic …

When an Italian wants to describe what he is thinking about, he must use the verb pensare, and this is the verb that will be the topic of our blog today. Pensare works a bit differently from the “typical” Italian verb with an -are ending. When using the verb pensare to express a thought one person or a group has for themselves, pensare must be followed by the prepositions “di” or “a.” “Pensare di” is used when the phrase to follow starts with a verb, which will be in the infinitive form (to see, to start, etc.). “Pensare a” is used when the phrase to follow describes a thought …

The Italian verb piacere literally means “to be pleasing.” Italians use this verb when they want to show that they like something. It is how Italians say, “I like it!”  While Americans seem to “love” everything, the Italian response is more measured. In Italy, it’s important to be able to describe our likes and dislikes, and that’s where the verb piacere comes in handy. Piacere is a very important verb for travelers to Italy because there are so many places and things in Italy to like!  It should first be noted that piacere has an irregular conjugation. Also, because the verb piacere  is most …

To tell someone we love them in Italian, we must first learn how to use the verb amare, which means “to love.”  But be careful!  Because this is the Italian verb of romantic love! In fact, Italians often address their romantic love simply as “amore,” which is the noun that means “love.”  Italians also address loved ones as “amore mio,” which means “my love.” Beautiful, isn’t it?  The full conjugation of this important verb is given below, with the stressed syllables underlined. Amare – to love io amo I love tu ami you (familiar) love Lei/lei/lui ama you (polite) she/he loves       noi amiamo we love …