Showing posts with label verbi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label verbi. Show all posts

Tuesday

Infischiarsene — and other ways to say you don't give a hoot...

Francamente, me ne infischio, frase celebre da Via col Vento, Gone with the Wind on Via Optimae, www.viaoptimae.com
Original: Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.

Watch a film, and its clever or catchy phrases can easily get engrained in your memory. This is especially true for iconic films and lines that get incorporated into popular culture.

Voted the number one most memorable movie line by the American Film Institute in 2005, you've likely heard some version of: "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" said by Clark Gable as Rhett Butler to a decidedly whiny Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) in Gone with the Wind (Via col Vento.)

Now you can use the same mnemonic strategy to help you remember the phrase in Italian, too! Watch this dubbed clip and see if you can make out the context. Then, listen to the pronunciation and tone of the line:






Me ne infischio.
I don't give a damn


Part of the line's memorability and appeal was its use of the word "damn"— considered a profanity at the time of the film's release, and still not exactly polite today.  The Italian version maintains the same colloquial tone… But nowadays, it sounds a little bit out of date, and maybe a bit corny— something more along the lines of "I don't give a darn" or "I don't give a hoot."

If you'd like to express the same thing in a decidedly modern way, you could also say:


Non me ne frega.*
literally: that doesn't rub me
still means: I don't give a damn

*Be warned, this is very colloquial and quite crass!

If that isn't colorful enough for you, you can also add modifiers: (still crass—ranked from less vulgar to extremely vulgar!)

Non me ne frega un cavolo.
literally: a cabbage
a way to say a swear word without saying one!
means: I don't give a damn at all.


Non me ne frega un ficco secco.
literally: a dried fig
another way of saying a swear word without saying one!
also means: I don't give a damn at all./ I don't give one damn.


Non me ne frega un cazzo. (!)
used in place of the English F-word!
means: I don't give a F***!


I included the above for educational purposes only— I don't recommend saying it! 

Instead, swing back to the polite side of the spectrum with these perfectly acceptable (and mixed company friendly!) ways to express that you don't care:


Non mi interessa.
It/That doesn't interest me.


Non mi importa
It/That doesn't matter to me.


—Vuoi vedere un film?
Do you want to see a film?
—No, non mi interessa.
No, I'm not interested.


—Dove vuoi mangiare?
Where do you want to eat?
—Non mi importa.
It doesn't matter to me.

Now that we've run the gamut of ways to express disinterest, watch the clip again. Repeat until the sound becomes familiar, and you can pronounce it easily. Then try replacing the original with some of the variations and consider how each changes the meaning and tone of the film. Does associating the phrases with the clip help you remember each phrase and its subtleties better? 
I hope so! 

Sì, che mi importa!—
 Yes, I do care!
Alex on www.viaoptimae.com



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More with Famous Movie Quotes (Frasi celebri):
  • Casablanca movie quotations in translation | Frasi celebri di Casablanca in italiano In 2005, the American Film Institute (AFI) released...


Saturday

ESSERE - to be

Essere - to be, Present Tense, Use, Context, Lesson & Worksheet from Via Optimae, http://www.viaoptimae.com/2015/01/essere-to-be.html

essere
to be



'ESSERE' is the most commonly used verb!  It is used to describe a plethora of people of places and also occurs in other verb tenses.

It is easy to remember its meaning because it's related to the English word essence — or the intrinsic nature of something— what something REALLY IS.

ESSERE in the Present Tense
It is an irregular verb— meaning it does not follow a predictable pattern of conjugation— but don't worry!  You'll use it so much that you'll have it memorized in no time.



ESSERE - to be, Present tense conjugations: io sono, tu sei, lui/lei è, noi siamo, voi siete, loro sono on Via Optimae, www.viaoptimae.com


As the number one verb, it's no surprise that it occurs in a multitude of contexts and expressions.  To start with, let's focus on its use in three areas: Describing what it is, what it's like, and where it is.


ESSERE - What it is
ESSERE can be used to describe what something is...


essere… to be…                          
un ragazzo
a boy
una ragazza
a girl
un animale
an animal
una rosa
a rose



È un ragazzo.
He's a boy.

Sei una ragazza.
You're a girl.

L'elefante è un animale.
The elephant is an animal.

Queste sono rose.
These are roses.


ESSERE - What it's like
ESSERE can also be used to describe the physical characteristics or personality traits of the thing in question, as well as it's nationality or place of origin.

essere… to be…                         
alto
tall
basso
short



Sono alta.
I am tall.

La mia amica è bassa.
My friend is short.



essere… to be…                         
intelligente
intelligent
stupido
stupid
ottimista
optimistic
pessimista
pessimistic




Siete stupidi!

You're all dumb!


Perché sei così pessimista?
Why are you so pessimistic?



essere… to be…                          

americano
American
inglese
English
italiano
Italian
spagnolo
Spanish
di Los Angeles
from Los Angeles
di Madrid 
from Spain



Maria e José sono di Madrid—sono spagnoli.

Maria and José are from Madrid, they are Spanish.


Lui è di San Francisco ed io sono di Los Angeles— siamo americani. 
He is from San Francisco and I am from Los Angeles, we are American.






For lots more adjectives and the verb "ESSERE" see: Adjectives of Personality 
For a very complete list of nationalities, see: Adjectives of Nationality 




ESSERE - Where it is
ESSERE can also be used to describe where something is…


essere… to be…  
a Roma.
in Rome.
in Italia.
in Italy.
all'angolo.
on the corner.
sul tavolo.
on the table.



Il Colosseo è a Roma.
The colosseum is in Rome.

Le pizzerie migliori sono in Italia.
The best pizzerias are in Italy.

Il bar è all'angolo.
The bar's on the corner.

Le chiavi sono sul tavolo.
The keys are on the table.



ESSERE vs. STARE
ESSERE is NOT used to describe your current mood… that's the verb STARE which sometimes is translated as "to stay".  Italian uses STARE and not ESSERE, because STARE describes temporary states and ESSERE is used to describe more permanent or lasting ways of being.


Come stai? (STARE)
How are you? (as in your current mood or state)


Come sei? (ESSERE)
What are you like? (as in your general characteristics— either physically or personality-wise)


IO SONO & LORO SONO
Did you notice that the IO (I) and LORO (they) forms are the same?  This might be confusing at first since Italian doesn't always include the pronouns and you'll often just see "SONO" alone, but you can use context to figure it out.

For example, the following nouns and adjectives will be in the SINGULAR for IO and in the PLURAL for LORO.


Sono una persona intelligente.
I am an intelligent person.


Sono intelligenti.
They are intelligent.



È and the subject "it"
In English, we use the pronoun "it" when the subject is an inanimate object or when the subject is an abstract concept:

It is red. (IT= The book)
It is strange that… (IT is abstract)

In both cases, Italian uses no pronoun.  Instead, è is used alone and the "it" is implied:



È rosso.
It's red.



È strano che...
It's strange that...


CI + ESSERE
As we covered in a previous lesson, ESSERE is combined with "CI" to talk about What there is/What there are.  
To review this concept, please see:  C'è & Ci sono.

REVIEW & PRACTICE
As I said, there are MANY ways to use the verb 'ESSERE', which we'll cover more in depth later.   In the meantime, get comfortable with the present tense conjugations and practice what you've learned by printing & completing the exercises on pages 16 & 17 of the Beginner's Italian Workbook*.  
*not currently available on mobile devices!

ITALIAN: Workbooks Beginner's Workbook, Part One, from Via Optimae, www.viaoptimae.com

 —stay updated with the new lessons & worksheets! {Subscribe here!} 


Buono studio!
Alex on www.viaoptimae.com


How to print pages from Via Optimae's Digital Workbooks, www.viaoptimae.com
TIP: Open the workbook to the desired page(s),
then click the printer icon in the upper left!



All lessons in the Beginner's Italian series:
  (1) How Italian verbs work, (Intro to verbs & grammar terms)
  (5) La negazione - Negation
  (6) Ogni quanto? Quante volte? (Adverbs of frequency)
  (7) C'è & Ci sono (There is & There are)
  (8) Essere - to be  — CURRENT PAGE





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Wednesday

A scuola | At school 01

Vocabolario della scuola, School vocabulary on Via Optimae, Click for more: http://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/11/a-scuola-at-school-01.html

How many of the above school-related vocabulary words do you recognize?  Try testing yourself first, then check out the English translations and useful phrases below. For example, do you know how to say "I passed my exam"?… 

Also, see if you can decipher the meaning of the quotes interspersed among the definitions below—

a scuola (at school)



NOUNS  |  NOMI

l'alfabeto
alphabet

l'aula
classroom

gli appunti
notes

il banco
student's desk

la calcolatrice
calculator

la campanella
school bell

la cattedra
teacher's desk

la classe
class*

Whereas in English we say "go to class" to refer to an individual session of class, Italian uses lesson or "lezione" <-Click to jump to example

la colla
glue

i compiti
homework

(in the singular "il compito"— homework assignment)
~
La differenza tra la scuola e la vita? A scuola, si insegna una lezione e poi si da un compito. Nella vita, si da un compito che vi insegna una lezione. (Tom Bodett)
~
l'esame
test

l'esercizio
exercise

il foglio di carta
sheet of paper

le forbici
scissors

il gessetto
chalk

la gomma
eraser

l'insegnante
teacher 
(both male & female)
~
La nostra insegnante parla sempre al suo amico immaginario chiamato classe. (Anonimo)
~
la lavagna
chalkboard

la lettura
reading

la lezione
lesson/lecture

il libro
book

la matematica
mathematics

la materia
subject

Quale materia ti piace di più?
Which subject do you like best?

La mia materia preferita è la storia.
My favorite subject is history.

la pagella
report card

il pastello
crayon

la penna
pen

il quaderno
notebook

il righello
ruler

la scrittura
writing

lo studente
student (male)

la studentessa
student (female)

lo zaino
backpack




VERBS  |  VERBI
imparare
to learn

insegnare
to teach


leggere
to read

scrivere
to write


studiare
to study


PHRASES  |  FRASI

andare a lezione (di)
to go to class


Vado a lezione di geometria.
I go/I am going to geometry class.

~

superare un esame - to pass a test, Via Optimae, http://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/11/a-scuola-at-school-01.html
to pass a test


Ho superato l'esame di matematica!
I passed the math test!


~


essere bocciato/a - to fail/flunk, Via Optimae, http://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/11/a-scuola-at-school-01.html
to fail, flunk


Sono stato bocciato all'esame di ieri. (male speaker)
Sono stata bocciata all'esame di ieri. (female speaker)
I failed yesterday's test.


~


essere bravo in
to be good at

Sono bravo in matematica. (male speaker)
Sono brava in matematica. (female speaker)
I am good at math.

~

essere scarso in
to be bad at

Sono scarso in ortografia. (male speaker)
Sono scarsa in ortografia. (female speaker)
I am bad at spelling.


There are a lot of words and phrases that could be added to this category… can you name a few?  Comment below!


Buono studio!
Alex on www.viaoptimae.com



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Sunday

C'è , Ci sono…

(There is  ,  There are... in Italian)

C'è , ci sono There is and there are in Italian, Via Optimae, http://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/08/ce-ci-sono.html


You're lounging on a boat… gently cruising through the crystal blue waters of the Mediterranean, taking in the many sights and sounds of the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily.  You decide to write a letter describing everything you see. 


Salina, Isole Eolie, image via turismoeolie.com as seen on Via Optimae www.viaoptimae.com
image via Turismo Eolie
It's all so beautiful, that only poetic Italian will do, and you start by telling of the volcano in the distance:

"There is… There is…" 

Hmm.  Maybe you'll start with the boats you see behind you?

"There are… There are…"




"Ah! If only I'd studied 'There is' and 'There are' in Italian!" you think to yourself.


You wake suddenly and realize you're not on a boat in the Mediterranean and that knowing "There is" or "There are" isn't the only thing standing between you and poetic greatness in any language.

Still, you're reading an Italian lesson and that's a good start! So you decide to seize the day and learn these invaluable forms so that no matter where you find yourself, you can describe your surroundings in beautifully poetic Italian.

To talk about what there is/there are… Italian uses the pronoun CI and the third person forms of the verb ESSERE:


ci + è = c'è there is ; ci + sono = ci sono there are, by ab for Via Optimae, http://www.viaoptimae.com/2014/08/ce-ci-sono.html

As you can see, when ci and è are used together, they get contracted into c'è.  C'è (there is) is used when talking about just one thing:


C'è un vulcano.
There is a volcano.

And ci sono (there are) is used when talking about more than one thing:

Ci sono tre barche. 
There are three boats. 


It isn't always necessary to specify the exact number, as long as it's plural, you use Ci sono…


Ci sono barche. 
There are boats. 


Ci sono tante barche. 
There are so many boats. 


Ci sono delle barche.* 
There are some boats. 



Related lessons:

Pluralization, talking about more than one thing… 
* The Partitive Article, how to say "some"



Negation:

You can also add the negation word "Non" before each to describe what isn't there:

Non c'è un vulcano. 
There isn't a volcano.

Non ci sono barche. 
There aren't any boats.



In Questions:


C'è un gatto?
Is there a cat?
No, non c'è un gatto.
No, there isn't a cat.



Quanti gatti ci sono?
How many cats are there?
Ci sono due gatti.
There are two cats.




Ci sono gatti?
Are there cats?
C'è un solo gatto.
There is only one cat.






Putting it all to use:

Take a look around where you currently find yourself and practice describing what there is….


C'è un computer. Ci sono libri.
There is a computer. There are books.  

Or instead of just listing, you can ask and then answer your own questions, like: 

(1) Che cosa c'è?
What is there?


C'è un computer. 
There is a computer.


Ci sono dei* libri. 
There are some books.


* Review the The Partitive Article or how to say "some", if desired, or just exclude the partitive and say "Ci sono libri — There are books"




(2) Quanti* [       ] ci sono? (How many [    ] are there?)
*If the noun is feminine, it becomes Quante

C'è un solo computer. 
There is only one computer.


Ci sono quattro libri. 
There are four books.



If you're missing the vocabulary or just want to be reminded— try using Via Optimae's free label pages to label a wide variety of items around your home and use them as a basis for practicing all of the above!

More practice:
Try describing what you see in this picture (another beautiful island off of Sicily— Pantelleria)  Not sure about the vocabulary?  Mouse over the green dots to see words displayed in Italian and English!

C'è and ci sono a Pantelleria, a thinglink "touch" image by Alex for Via Optimae, www.viaoptimae.com







Hai capito? (Got it?)  

"Like" Via Optimae on Facebook and post your own photos and descriptions of "Che c'è" (What is there?) in your surroundings!



For written practice, print the C'è | Ci sono worksheet on page 14 of the Beginner's Italian Workbook and fill-in both the "notes" section and the quick exercises that follow! 


ITALIAN: Workbooks Beginner's Workbook, Part One, from Via Optimae, www.viaoptimae.com

 —be the first to know about new lessons & worksheets! {Subscribe here!} 

{Additional practice:  The final exercise of the Partitive Article Worksheet features C'è and Ci sono and can be found on page 15 of the Italian Basics digital workbook} 

Happy Studying / Daydreaming! 

These final weeks of summer and my mind is on Italian island hopping.  Check out Conde Nast Traveller's Guide to the Aeolian Islands for your own travel inspiration!
Alex on www.viaoptimae.com





Panarea, Isole Eolie by Florent Le Gall on flickr as seen on www.viaoptimae.com
Panarea, Isole Eolie




All lessons in the Beginner's Italian series:
  (1) How Italian verbs work, (Intro to verbs & grammar terms)
  (5) La negazione - Negation
  (6) Ogni quanto? Quante volte? (Adverbs of frequency)
  (7) C'è & Ci sono — CURRENT PAGE


Potrebbe pure interessarti….
ITALIAN: The Basics Series, starting with:
(01) Indefinite Articles (How to say "A/AN" in Italian









See also:

Frasi celebri su Via Optimae

Frasi celebri su Via Optimae
Acque del sud (To Have and Have Not) original: "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and… blow."