Andiamo Alla Stazione

Milan Train Station:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/11/08/10/57/train-1807911_960_720.jpg

When in Rome...well.... enjoy it, and then hop on a train for your next wonderful Italian destination!

While travelling, you might need some vocabulary.

Check out this quizlet page for some of the more useful words:

• Train Station Vocabulary

If you are ready for your trip, here is a link to the Rail Europe website to read about train travel in Italia and even book your tickets:

• http://www.raileurope.com/europe-travel-guide/italy/index.html

This site, called "The Man in Seat 61"  is a great resource, with lots of tips and information to get your through the process of buying tickets, travel tips, etc:

• Train Travel in Italy: the Beginner's Guide

And here's a train travel Q and A page by Rick Steves:

• Rick Steves' Europe, Italy by Train

And an article in The Florence Newspaper with some more tips and information:

• Navigating the Trains in Italy

Rather have a video tutorial?
This is a good one- very clear and thorough, by woltersworld on YouTube. Includes vocabulary, expressions, tips, etc.:

• Train Travel in Italy

Or check out this one from Unabellavista on YouTube

• How to use the trains in Italy

If you want a sneak peek of an Italian train station, check out this slightly strange YouTube video of Milan's station:

• Milano Centrale

Songs? Yup. Ma certo! There are lots...

• Here is Stazione Nord by Fabio Concato.
• If you want to read along, here are the lyrics.
• There is also La Stazione by Renato Zero.
• Find the lyrics here.
• Also, take a listen to La Stazione di Zima be Roberto Vecchioni.
• Check out the lyrics here.
• One more, from 1995. Gianluca Grignani's Destinazione Paradiso. I think this is the orinal music video, too.
• Here is the same song, sung by Laura Pausini- and this one has the lyrics to read along with.

Buon viaggio!

Regular -ARE Verbs

Pompeii:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/06/05/20/15/pompeii-2375135_960_720.jpg

There are four types of regular verbs in Italian, and they each have a specific pattern of conjugation.

Perhaps the most common, at least for beginners, are those that end in -ARE.

We looked at the verb lavorare, "to work," in my last post on professions. To review, let's try another one: GUARDARE (to look at/to watch)

To conjugate a regular "ARE" verb, first remove the "ARE" from the end of the verb:

Then, conjugate as follows:

• I watch: io guàrdo (add o)
• You watch (singular, informal): tu guàrdi (add i)
• He watches: lui guàrda (add a)
• She watches (or you watch- singular, formal): lei guàrda (add a)
• We watch: noi guardiàmo (add iamo)
• You watch (plural): voi guardàte (add ate)
• They watch: loro guàrdano (add ano)

For a video lesson on this conjugation, check out this YouTube video (very thorough and clear...almost painfully so! But definitely worth watching if you are an auditory learner)

• ARE Conjugation Video

For a list of some other common -ARE verbs, click here:

• Common ARE Verb List

Here are a few good quizlet pages to practice some of the common are verbs (meaning only)

• Quizlet Practice 1
• Quizlet Practice 2

And here are some to practice actual conjugations (excellent practice!)

• Quizlet Practice 4
• Quizlet Practice 5

Once you have studied these like crazy and feel that you know them pretty well, here are a few games you can play to quiz yourself:

• ARE Verbs Practice 5
• ARE Verbs Practice 6
• ARE Verbs Practice 7

And, of course, here are some songs with regular -are verbs!

• Here is Domenico Modugno singing Volare on Italian TV in 1958 (also called Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu)  Mondugno, Volare
• Here is the same song performed in 2006 at the San Remo music festival by modern Italian pop stars Laura Pausini and Eros Ramazzotti  Pausini/Ramazzotti, Volare
• Lyrics: Lyrics, Volare (for partially English versions, search for the song sung by Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra)

• In this one, listen for the verb essere ("tu sei") parlare, guardare, camminare, diventare, vergnognare, and lots of others. This is a singer named Noemi that performed on Italy's "X Factor": Albachiara, Noemi
• Lyrics : Albachiara, Lyrics

• And one by Toto Cotugno, Lascatemi Cantare Cotugno, Lascatami Cantar (lyrics on the video)

• And a slightly sappy love song by Luca Barbarossa at San Remo in 1992, Portami a Ballare
• Barbarossa, Potrami a Ballare
• Lyrics: Portami a Ballare, Lyrics

Ciao ciao!

Le Professioni

Vieste, Puglia, Italy:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/02/22/10/52/italy-1215212_960_720.jpg

Like it or not, most of us end up talking about our jobs sooner or later while engaged in small talk.  To make sure you can participate...and understand if your dinnermate is an archaeologist, a banker or a circus clown... here is some vocabulary that you might find useful.

First, the verb "to work" is a regular -ARE verb. So here is the conjugation:

LAVORARE (to work)

• Io lavorO (I work)
• Tu lavorI (You work- singular, informal)
• Lui/Lei lavorA (He/she works); you work- singular, formal)
• Noi lavorIAMO (We work)
• Voi lavorATE (You work- plural)
• Loro lavorANO (They work)

We can use this verb to tell someone where or where we work:

• (Io) lavoro oggi.
• (Lei) lavora al' ufficio postale.
• (Noi) lavoriamo a Roma.

When stating our profession or occupation, we could use use the verb to be (essere, see earlier blog post for conjugation) or to do (fare- we'll conjugate that one in a later post).

• Sono professoressa d'italiano.
• Siamo studenti.
• Lei è una dentista.

Here are three good lists of occupations from Quizlet with every job from receptionist to firefighters to, yes, clowns. (I love this site because they provide audio to help with pronunciation AND games you can play to quiz yourself)

• http://quizlet.com/9768736/le-professioni-flash-cards/
• http://quizlet.com/1793726/le-professioni-1-20-flash-cards/
• http://quizlet.com/1793777/le-professioni-21-40-flash-cards/

And here is a short profession matching game to play:

• http://parliamoitaliano.altervista.org/mestieri/

For a challenge (get your Google translate ready to read the clues!), here is a crossword to try (you have to click on the little numbers to read the clues)

• http://parliamoitaliano.altervista.org/cruciverba-le-professioni/

If you prefer a video lesson, check out this one on YouTube.  Very straight-forward with pictures, time to repeat, etc. It has a good immersion-type feel to it. And a jazzy little background sound (and check out the grinning office dude with the ear-spacer things...!)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGqBK6hpOxY&feature=related

And this YouTube video is of a young Italian lady teaching some job vocabulary. She speaks English with a lovely accent!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chjc3Fzt3W4&feature=related

And, of course, we have to have a few work-related songs:

Here's one called Professore by Renato Zero: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF7pZT7E1Zk
lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/professore_lyrics_renato_zero.html

And the most important job ever, here's Mamma by Claudio Villa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrRIAWpIza8
lyrics: http://www.lyricsreg.com/lyrics/claudio+villa/Mamma/

Same song, performed by Andrea Boccelli a Roma in the Colloseum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyKrPR7oneo&feature=related

This one's catchy- L'operaio della Fiat (la 1100) by Rino Gaetano:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH9obEgDyT0&feature=related
lyrics:  http://www.lyricsmania.com/loperaio_della_fiat_la_1100_lyrics_rino_gaetano.html


Buon lavoro!

I Numeri

Numbers are just about as useful as letters, really, when you begin to tackle a language (or try to get around abroad). From phone numbers to street addresses, a person's age to dates and times, we're going to need to know our numbers!

Venezia: https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/07/03/13/52/venise-2467743_960_720.jpg

Learn the numbers 1-10 with Consuelo, a lovely Italian woman. A nice, clear lesson, complete with music and cultural tips!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DLK985faHQ

You can keep learning with her (numbers 10-100- same music!) here:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjw6PSC9x9o&feature=fvwrel

And here is a great list to study (with pronunciation clues) from an Italian Riviera travel site. Perfect for any of you that like to daydream while studying...!

• http://www.my-cinque-terre.com/italian-numbers.htm

Here is a similar list from About.com, if you happen to find all of those lovely photos and articles about Cinque Terre a bit too distracting...

• http://italian.about.com/library/fare/blfare134a.htm

If all that hasn't made it stick for you, then this little song is pretty much guaranteed to get numbers 1-10 solidly stuck in your brain!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6eX74hrueI&feature=related

And, of course, there are some quizlet flashcard games to study numbers 1-20 (with audio pronunciation):

• http://quizlet.com/560986/italian-numbers-1-20-flash-cards/

For more practice, I particularly like this page from Italiano Online, which offers 4 great number activities (matching, listening activities, etc.)

• http://www.iluss.it/free_iluss/beginner_free/numeri2/index.htm

Here is a little quiz to check your progress:

• http://iteslj.org/v/i/ck-numbers.html

And, finally, once you feel like you know them well, you can challenge yourself with this one:

• http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=practice-with-numbers-in-italian

Of course, I can't finish a blogpost without some songs, so here are a few that mention numbers!

1) 20 Parole by Mina (cool performance art to go along with it!)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q4TtvoWZDI
• lyrics: http://www.angolotesti.it/M/testi_canzoni_mina_1491/testo_canzone_20_parole_131252.html

2) LOTS of numbers in I Cento Passi by the Modena City Ramblers (with lyrics)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrgGX1LeyWM

3) Dieci Ragazze by late Italian superstar Lucio Battisti (1969)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_NBCS1u_zs
• lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/dieci_ragazze_lyrics_admal.html

4) Cinque Giorni by singer/songwriter Michele Zarrillo- 1994 (with lyrics)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYpZR35z-i0

5) 21 Modi per Dirti Ti Amo, Antonello Venditti (with lyrics)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBDoMps0u9A

6) And the adorable 50 Speciale by Italian boy-group LunaPop...a song about a young man's love of his Vespa scooter...

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq_PRcRjfNU
• lyrics: http://www.lyrics007.com/Lunapop%20Lyrics/50%20Special%20Lyrics.html

A presto!

Avere

Arno River, Florence, Italy:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2015/11/27/20/28/florence-1066307_960_720.jpg

Avere (to have)

Avere looks like this when conjugated in the present tense:

Io ho
Tu hai
Lui ha
Lei ha
Noi abbiamo
Voi avete
Loro hanno

* Don't forget that the "H" is silent in Italian! Don't say "Ho," say "Oh"; don't say "Ha," say "ah" etc.

This verb translates directly into "to have" when we are talking about ownership/ family relations...

• Ho una macchina rossa. (I have a red car)
• Lei ha due figli. (She has two children.)

However, when we get into idiomatic uses, it's often quite different than English.

For example, don't try to use "avere" with expressions such as...

• Have dinner, have fun, have a good time, have lunch, have a party, etc.

In addition, lots of italian expressions use "avere" where we would use the verb "to be"...


Two examples are:

• Ho freddo (I "am" cold)
• Ho 20 anni (I "am" 20 years old)

For more of these common "avere" expressions, check out this Quizlet page...

http://quizlet.com/_8ha87

And here is a YouTube video that runs through the pronunciation of the forms of this verb:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bI4og_1JUU

And, if you are feeling a little retro, here is a video of Connie Francis singing at the annual San Remo music festival way back in 1965. It's called "Ho Bisogno di Vederti"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFtJml27G9Q&playnext=1&list=PL74D859676CB55412&feature=results_video


Ciao!

The Italian Alphabet and Pronunciation

Duomo (Cathedral), Santa Maria Dei Fiori, Florence:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2018/01/07/22/04/architecture-3068402_960_720.jpg

The Italian alphabet and pronunciation.

The alphabet is a useful place to start when learning any language. 

And you'll want to be able to spell your name and address in Italian when making wonderful travel reservations, won't you?

Here is a link that lets you hear the names and sounds of each letter:

http://www.cyberitalian.com/en/html/alphabet.html

And here are two useful videos that focus on the Italian alphabet:

Click here to view YouTube Video 1

Click here to view YouTube Video 2

 

This YouTube video addresses the phonetic system of the Italian alphabet:

Click here to view YouTube phonetics Video


SOME GOOD NEWS: Fortunately, the phonetic system is very straight-forward (unlike in English!), and each letter has essentially one sound.

"C" and "G" have some special rules. This YouTube video addresses those:

Click here to view YouTube C and G video

And here is a little animated Italian alphabet song, for the kiddos:

Click here to view alphabet song video

Finally, here are several interactive games to practice with the letters:

Click here to link to interactive alphabet practice games


Arrivederci!

Essere and Stare

Island of Lipari, Sicily:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/06/03/15/01/lipari-1433566_960_720.jpg

In Italian, there are two verbs that translate into the English "to be."

STARE:

In beginner Italian, the most common use of STARE is when asking or reposnding to the question "How are you?"

Conjugation:

Io sto
Tu stai
Lui/Lei sta
Noi stiamo
Voi state
Loro stanno

Useful Expressions...

Come sta? (How are you- formal)
Sto bene, grazie. E Lei? (I'm fine thanks, and you? formal)

Come stai? (How are you- informal)
Sto bene, grazie. E tu? (I'm fine thanks. And you?- informal)

ESSERE:

This verb is used more often in beginner Italian, to speak of where you are from, nationality, name, professions and with various descriptive adjectives and emotional states.

Conjugation:

Io sono
Tu sei
Lui/Lei è
Noi siamo
Voi siete
Loro sono

Here are several useful useful practice exercises for ESSERE:

1) http://www.iluss.it/free_iluss/beginner_free/essere_b/index.htm
2)  http://italian.about.com/library/fare/blfare312a.htm
3) http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100/verbi/essere1.htm
4) http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100/verbi/avere2.htm
5) http://web.uvic.ca/hispanital/italian/italian100/verbi/essere3.htm

And here is a Quizlet page I made to practice with some basic questions,  presonal pronouns, and the verb "essere":

http://quizlet.com/_8fg2u

Just for fun- here is a song by popular Italian singer/songwriter Eros Ramazzotti (it's called "Tu Sei")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7yX0MQOcvc



A presto!

Greetings

Mt Etna, Sicily:
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/11/26/20/55/etna-2979915_960_720.jpg

Benvenuti!

When you arrive in Italy...or to Italian class... it might be useful to have a few common greetings in your toolbox. Just in case you want to, well, talk to someone... !

 

To practice greetings, I like these three useful youtube videos (by Travelinguist).

Level 1 is slowest, and gives ample time to both hear the pronunciation and repeat. It says the word in Italian several times, leaves time to repeat, and shows you the word in print.

Level 2 is quicker and says and prints the English followed by the Italian (once). You must do your repeating a little more quickly.

Level 3 says and prints the English, but only says the Italian (you will not see the word in print). Try working your way through the three over time!

Level 1 Greetings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QurMuJmKtlU
Level 2 Greetings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcYO8gReECA
Level 3 Greetings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmf3xrwUnwA

To go along with the greeting theme, here is a song called "Bella Ciao"-- although you'll see from it's history that it is anything but cheerful and carefree as the title implies. 

Here is the artist Milva (one of the three most popular female singers in 1960s Italy- and still to be seen on stage and TV programs today) singing this song with its original lyrics on RAIUNO in 1971:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejQJxCpHBB8&noredirect=1

And, if you care to read along, here is a link to the lyrics that go along with the song:

• http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Bella_ciao_(mondine)

And, if you are super curiosi,  here is the Wikipedia page that tells the story of this WWII era anti-fascist partisan song, along with an alternate version of the lyrics.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bella_ciao

Buone studie!