Monday, October 22, 2012

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)


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

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


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

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:


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



Ciao ciao!
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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

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)


And here is a short profession matching game to play:

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)

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...!)

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

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!



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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

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!


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



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...!


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...


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!


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


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


Here is a little quiz to check your progress:

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

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!)

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

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

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

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

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

A presto!

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