Is it "posso suonare il pianoforte" or "so suonare il pianoforte" and is it "non posso guidare" or "non riesco a guidare". Let's talk about this in today's article! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! Ciao a tutti and welcome to a new blog post. In today's article, we are going to talk about the differences between these three verbs: potere , riuscire , and sapere . I've already talked about the verb " sapere " on my channel (check out the video here ). In that video, I compared the verb SAPERE to CONOSCERE and I would suggest you to watch that first before watching this video, I am sure it will help. Today we will focus on the differences between these three verbs, because trust me they are very different, especially sapere vs potere . When I talk about this in class with my students I usually start telling this: Io non posso guidare la macchina. Io non riesco a guidare la macchina. Io non so guidare la macchina. How are these three sentences different? Well, they can approximately all translate "I can't drive" but in order to understand how to use these verbs, we need to understand why "you can't drive". Let's start with potere : Io non posso guidare la macchina perché mia mamma non vuole. Io non posso guidare la macchina perché non ho la patente. In the first case, you can see that you can't drive because your mom doesn't want you to. Maybe you know how to drive, you have a license but your mom doesn't allow you to drive. So we use the verb " potere " when the ability to do or not to do something depends on somebody else's will or permission. But also, we would use the verb " potere " when the ability to do or not to do something depends on an external circumstance, for example, not having a license. It's not really up to you, maybe you know how to drive and your mom gives you permission, but if you don't have a license and don't want to break the law, there's really nothing you can do. Io non riesco a guidare perché ho troppo mal di testa. Io non riesco a guidare perché mi fa male la gamba. Here, you can see that we use the verb " riuscire " when the ability to do or not to do something depends on a physical or mental condition, like having a bad headache or have a sore leg. These two conditions prevent you from driving even though you could or you know how to. Io non so guidare perché non ho mai imparato. In this case, you can't drive because you never learned how to, so we're talking about a skill that you don't have yet. As you can see these verbs are very different! And now, I am going to ask you a question. Which one of these three sentences is the correct one? Non posso parlare bene l'italiano. Non riesco a parlare bene l'italiano. Non so parlare bene l'italiano. The first one is definitely wrong. Why? Well, because you don't need permission to speak Italian from anyone and I am sure there are no external circumstances you can't do anything about that is preventing you from speaking Italian. "Non riesco a parlare" works though! Let's say you're having a bad day, you're not concentrated and you're tired. " Riuscire " would work in this case because we're talking about a mental state. Finally, "non so parlare" is perfect. Why? Well, because you're still learning so sometimes you can't speak very well but you'll get better. So again we are talking about skills. Just note that the difference between " potere " and " riuscire " sometimes is very subtle. For example, let's say you went to the dentist and got one of your teeth removed. You can't talk because your mouth hurts so bad. So, in that case, would it be: Non posso parlare. Non riesco a parlare. Well, both of them would work. We can see your swollen mouth as something out of your control, there's nothing you can't do, so it's definitely an external circumstance. But at the same time, you can't talk because of a physical condition, you can't properly move your mouth and tongue so " riuscire " would work as well. But, although, the line between potere and riuscire is subtle , the line between potere and sapere is HUGE! So don't get them mixed up. If you have any questions about this topic, don't hesitate to send me a message in the contact section of my website. Un abbraccio dall'Italia, Teacher Stefano Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!

Choosing between Sapere and Conoscere can be kind of tricky. But no worries, in today's article you will finally understand which one to use and why! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! Sapere and conoscere always get my students confused, especially English-speaking students. This is because these two verbs are apparently very similar, however they are used in completely different situations. I have to admit that sometimes, their difference is not that obvious, but let's try to understand how they work! Let's start off by saying that both of these verbs mean "to know"... kind of! They do have other meanings, but for sure this is the most common one, and probably the one you know/have been taught! Let's start with sapere : Sapere This verb is irregular, so before we look at its uses, let's conjugate it together in the present: Io so Tu sai Lui/Lei sa Noi sappiamo Voi sapete Loro sanno This verb is used for two things: To describe someone's ability to do something Knowledge or knowing a fact Let's look at a few examples for each of these categories: Io so nuotare → I can swim. In this case, I could translate "so" with "can" or "I am able to", "I know how to". I am using "sapere" because I am talking about a skill, an ability, and most importantely something I have learned. Sai suonare uno strumento? → Do you know how to/Can you play an instrument? Sai a che ora abbiamo prenotato in pizzeria stasera? → Do you know what time we have the reservation at the pizzeria tonight? Sai quando è nato Dante Alighieri? → Do you know when Dante Alighieri was born? Sapete a che ora è andata via mia sorella? → Do you know what time my sister left? Ho saputo che tu e Matteo vi siete lasciati. Mi dispiace molto. → I heard that you and Matteo broke up. I am very sorry. Non sapevamo che saresti venuto anche tu! Avremmo cucinato più pasta. → We didn't know you were coming too. We would have cooked more pasta. As you can see here we use the verb sapere as we are talking or asking about facts. We tend to use the verb sapere in these cases because the knowledge of these facts do not usually require previous studying. We call it passive knowledge, as you didn't really have to do much to know these things. Conoscere , as we will see in a second, is used when we have something called practical knowledge . Conoscere This verb is regular, however let’s conjugate it anyway in the present, just to make sure! Io conosco Tu conosci Lui/Lei conosce Noi conosciamo Voi conoscete Loro conoscono The verb conoscere is used when: We meet someone for the first time We know a PLACE or a PERSON We know something we have studied for Let's look at a few examples: Posso conoscere i tuoi genitori? → Here I am asking if I can meet your parents (for the first time) as I haven't met them before. This use of conoscere cannot be confused with sapere . Conosci Luca? → Do you know Luca? Here I am asking you if you know a person, therefore we use conoscere . Conosci Roma? Sì, molto bene perché ci abito da tre anni! → Do you know Rome? Yes, very well because I've been living there for three years. We use conoscere , because we are talking about knowing a place. Conosci bene la grammatica italiana? → Do you know Italian grammar well? In order to know well Italian grammar, you have to study. Therefore, we are talking about a practical knowledge, rather than a passive knowledge. The use of conoscere in this case is recommended. Mia madre conosce bene l'inglese perché ha vissuto due anni in Australia → my mom knows English well because she has lived for two years in Australia. To wrap it up, the use of conoscere and sapere when it comes to ability (sapere), people and places (conoscere) and meeting someone for the first time (conoscere) is pretty straightforward. When we are talking about facts or knowledge the line becomes blurred. I have to admit that the passive/practical knowledge thing does not always work perfectly. For example: Sai le regole del gioco? → Do you know the rules of the game? Conosci le regole del gioco? → Do you know the rules of the game? Honestly, both of them works for me. Maybe it's more passive because you've played this game before and just learned the rules without actually studying them, so sapere seems like a good fit. At the same time, conoscere looks good too, because maybe you've read the instructions. So, in this case, using one or the other is pretty much the same! If you have any questions about this topic, don't hesitate to send me a message in the contact section of my website. A presto, Teacher Stefano Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!

Come si esprimono le ipotesi in italiano? Lo scopriamo insieme in questo nuovo articolo! Quando parliamo esprimiamo costantemente delle ipotesi, quindi è molto importante capire come farlo! Può sembrare complicato, ma in realtà, imparando alcune regole base, vedrete che è molto semplice. In italiano esistono tre tipi diversi di modi per esprimere un'ipotesi. Queste strutture vengono chiamate periodi ipotetici. Abbiamo: Il periodo ipotetico della realtà Il periodo ipotetico della possibilità Il periodo ipotetico dell'irrealtà I periodi ipotetici sono normalmente costruiti da due parti: una parte che introduce la nostra ipotesi introdotta da SE, e poi una seconda parte che invece spiega cosa succederebbe se si verifica la nostra condizione, quindi una sorta di conseguenza. Di solito, iniziamo la nostra frase con SE e poi mettiamo la conseguenza. Però, come sapete, la lingua italiana è molto flessibile, quindi non è sempre necessario rispettare questo ordine. Nell'articolo di oggi ci concentriamo sul periodo ipotetico della realtà e della possibilità. Periodo ipotetico della realtà Usiamo questo periodo ipotetico quando la nostra ipotesi si basa su un fatto reale, che può accadere facilmente se soddisfiamo una condizione. Vediamo subito un esempio: Se ordiniamo una pizza, io prendo una margherita. In questo caso la nostra ipotesi rappresentata dal SE ci dice che nell'ipotesi di prendere una pizza, la conseguenza di questa azione sarà che io prendo una margherita. Questo è un periodo ipotetico della realtà perché la nostra ipotesi è presentata come un fatto reale. Se ordiniamo la pizza, cosa reale, io sicuramente prendo una margherita. Il periodo ipotetico della realtà è il più facile da formare perché si possono usare principalmente due tempi, il presente e il futuro in queste combinazioni: Presente + presente (come nell'esempio precedente) Presente + futuro Futuro + futuro Vediamo altri esempi: Se stasera vai a cena fuori, vengo anche io. If you're going out to dinner tonight, I'll come along. Se mi sento meglio più tardi, domani partirò. If I feel better later, I'll leave tomorrow. Se potrò aiutarti, lo farò volentieri. If I can help you, I will gladly do so. Nell'italiano colloquiale, forse abbiamo una leggera preferenze a usare la coppia presente + presente, ma non è una regola perché tutte le forme vanno bene! Un'altra possibile struttura del periodo ipotetico della realtà usa il presente e l'imperativo ed è molto comune, anche nella lingua parlata. Vediamo alcuni esempi: Se hai fame, mangia! If you're hungry, eat! Se vuoi divertirti, vieni con noi! If you want to have fun, come join us! Se avete voglia di guardare un film, guardiamolo insieme a casa mia! (Nota la posizione del pronome oggetto diretto lo alla fine dell'imperativo) If you feel like watching a movie, let's watch it together at my house! Periodo ipotetico della possibilità Questo periodo ipotetico, invece, si usa quando l'ipotesi viene presentata come possibile. Possibile però non significa che l'ipotesi è sempre realmente realizzabile, attenzione! Io la presento come qualcosa di teoricamente possibile, ma in realtà la conseguenza, potrebbe avvenire come non potrebbe avvenire. Nel caso del periodo ipotetico della realtà, se avviene l'ipotesi, la conseguenza si realizzerà sicuramente. Il periodo ipotetico della possibilità è più rigido dal punto di vista grammaticale e si forma SEMPRE con: Se + congiuntivo imperfetto + condizionale presente Se non sai come usare il congiuntivo, ho già fatto due articoli che puoi trovare qui e qui. Puoi anche cercare la coniugazione di un verbo su word reference. Seleziona Italian: conjugations e scrivi l'infinto del verbo (ad esempio mangiare, dormire...) e così avrai tutta la coniugazione. Vediamo alcuni esempi: Se avessi i soldi, ti comprerei una bella macchina. (ma non ho i soldi quindi non posso comprarti una macchina) If I had the money, I would buy you a nice car. Se fossi un animale, sarei una volpe (ma non sono un animale e mai potrò esserlo) If I were an animal, I would be a fox. Se venissi a casa mia stasera, potremmo ordinare una pizza. (non è una cosa sicura, la conseguenza potrebbe avverarsi solo se tu vieni a casa mia, ed è una cosa possibile in questo caso) If you were to come at my house tonight, we would order a pizza. Se mi chiedesse scusa, lo perdonerei. If he apologized, I would forgive him Tutto chiaro? Se avete delle domande potete contattarmi nella sezione contact del mio sito. Un abbraccio! A presto, Teacher Stefano

Ciao! Have you found yourself struggling in pronouncing the C and G correctly in Italian? Well, I get it. Italian pronunciation is not that hard but these two sounds can be tricky sometimes. In today’s article, we will see how the C and G are pronounced in Italian and we will also see some useful examples. The C and the G can be pronounced in two different ways: they might have a soft sound /t∫/ or a hard sound /k/. The soft sound is the same as the "ch" sound in English, such as chair or check for the C, and the "g" sound in the word gym or the "j" sound in the word job for the G. The hard sound is the same as the "c" sound in call for the C, and the "g" sound in go for the G. The question is: when do we pronounce the C or the G with a soft sound, and when do we pronounce them as a hard sound? It's very easy! You'll need to pay attention to the vowel that follows the C or G, because, based on that, you will be able to make the right choice. 1. SOFT SOUND The C and the G are pronounced as a soft sound ( chair and gym ) when they are followed by these two vowels: E and I . Let's take a look at a few examples: Ciao (hi) Baci (kisses) Cielo (sky) Cena (dinner) Cento (hundred) Giorno (day) Giallo (yellow) Gioco (toy, game) Gesto (gesture) Gemello (twin) Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! 2. HARD SOUND The C and the G are pronounced as a hard sound ( call and go ) when they are followed by all the other vowels: A , O , and U . Let's go through some examples: Poco (few) Caffè (coffee) Caro (dear, expensive) Guerra (war) Gusto (taste, flavor) 3. THE H There’s also something else you need to remember about the Cs and the Gs in Italian: the H . The H is normally silent in Italian. We find it in front of words of foreign origin, such as hotel, but also in a very important verb in Italian: avere (to have). For example, "I have" is “io ho” and "they have" is “ loro hanno”. The ‘h’ is silent. But, when the H is found right after the C or the G, then it makes the sound hard . Remember that the combinations CH or GH are only found before an E or I , because with the other vowels the sound would be hard already. Some examples are: Che (what) Chi (who) Pochi (few) Perché (why, because) Paghiamo (we pay) P.S . Remember that double C or double G do not affect the sound of these two letter. For instance, if you take the word "ecco" (it means "here" in some situations like "eccomi", "here I am"), you are pronouncing the C as a hard sound because of the O not because of the double C. Same applies to the word "gocce" (= drops like "gocce d'acqua", "water drops"). In this case you pronounce it as soft sound because of the E . I hope you enjoyed this article and I hope it helped. I also made a YouTube video on this topic that you can find on my channel (link channel subscribe). Maybe watching the video will help even more, because I will be pronouncing these sounds myself. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below and I will get back to you as soon as I can! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!

Learn the conjugation of the verb FARE in Italian and a handful list of Italian expressions with this verb! Every language has at least one verb that is used all the time and means a bunch of different things. Italian is no different! The verb FARE is used a lot in everyday conversations and it has several meanings. Plus, the verb FARE can be found in many common Italian expressions. Let’s understand how to conjugate it, what it means, and all the expressions that contain the verb FARE in it! The first thing that you need to know about this verb is that, unfortunately, it is an irregular verb. Its conjugation is different from that of regular verbs. However, it’s not that hard! Let’s see how FARE is conjugated in the present tense! Io faccio - I do Tu fai - You do Lui/Lei fa - He/she does Noi facciamo - We do Voi fate - You guys do Loro fanno - They do Pay attention to the pronunciation of this verb. For the forms io and noi , you have a soft C sound. So, the pronunciation would be FACCIO ( fa-ch-eeo ) and FACCIAMO ( fa-ch-ee-amo ). Many students get confused with this because they assume that since you have a double c , then the sound is hard (k). The c is actually pronounced as a soft sound ( ch like ciao ) because the vowel following the two C s is an “i”. If you’re struggling with the pronunciation of the C and the G in Italian you can check out this article: How to pronounce the C and the G in Italian correctly . Now that we know how FARE is conjugated in the present, let’s try to understand what it means. FARE has two main meanings: to do and to make . Let’s see a few examples: Faccio una torta → I make a cake Facciamo un caffè! → Let’s make a coffee! In this sentence, we are using the "noi" form of the imperative that in English translates as “let’s”. Che fai stasera? → What are you doing tonight? As you can see in this example, we are using the present tense ( fai ) to translate the English progressive form ( doing ). This is very common in Italian when we are talking about an imminent or planned future. In this case, the action of you doing something tonight will happen in an imminent future and I am also assuming you have something planned. That’s why the present is used in Italian! However, FARE can be used in many different expressions that you should learn as they are very common in conversational Italian. The list is very long but I am going to give you the most important and used ones! Let’s get started! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! 1. Fare la doccia To shower Faccio la doccia tutte le mattine prima di andare a lavoro → I take a shower every morning before I go to work. Here, the reflexive version of the verb is also very common, as we are both the subject and object of the action. It’s very common to hear something like "Mi faccio la doccia tutte le mattine" . 2. Fare colazione To have breakfast Facciamo colazione alle 8 di mattina → We have breakfast at 8 in the morning. In this case, fare means to actually “have breakfast”, to “eat it”! If you want to say that you’re making breakfast, then, I would use the verb preparare : preparo la colazione ( I am making breakfast ). Some students then think that fare might be used also for pranzo ( lunch ) and cena ( dinner ). Unfortunately, it’s not like that. This is because we have two verbs in Italian for “to have lunch” and “dinner” that are pranzare e cenare respectively. Pranzo a casa dei miei nonni → I have lunch at my grandparents’ house Ceniamo a casa tua stasera → We have dinner at your house tonight However sometimes we just use the verb mangiare when we’re referring to having lunch or dinner. 3. Fare una domanda To ask a question Fatemi una domanda se non capite → Ask me a question if you don’t understand Note the position of the pronoun mi with the verb fare : fate mi! → (you guys) ask me! The reason why we put the pronoun there, attached to the end of the verb, is because we are using an imperative. 4. Fare una foto T o take a picture We don’t take pictures, we make them! I turisti fanno le foto al colosseo → Tourists take pictures of the colosseum Puoi farci una foto? → Can you take a picture of us ? 5. Fare una passeggiata To go for a walk Gli italiani amano fare una passeggiata nel centro della città → Italians love to go for a walk in the city center P.S. You could also use the expression “ fare un giro” . 6. Fare la spesa To buy the groceries/to go food shopping Vado a fare la spesa per la cena del mio compleanno → I am going grocery shopping for my birthday’s dinner Note that fare la spesa is used only for food shopping ! If you are buying anything else, you could just say “ fare shopping ”. Yes! We do use the word shopping in Italian, a lot actually! For example, you could say something like: "Devo fare shopping , il mio armadio e’ vuoto!" ( I need to go shopping, my wardrobe/closet is empty! ) 7. Fare un viaggio To go on a trip, to travel Non vedo l’ora di fare un viaggio ! → I can’t wait to go on a trip ! Here we have two beautiful Italian expressions: non vedo l’ora and fare un viaggio . "Non vedo l’ora" literally translates I don’t see the time , but it actually means something very different. It means that you can’t wait , you are looking forward to doing something and you’re very excited about it! In this case, you can’t wait to fare un viaggio , go on a trip! 8. Fare attenzione To pay attention Gli studenti devono fare attenzione mentre il professore parla → Students must pay attention while the professor is talking Another way to say the same expression, that is very common as well, is "stare attento" . We could rephrase the sentence above and say: "Gli studenti devono stare attenti mentre il professore parla". Of course, don't forget to change the adjective "attento" according to the gender and number of the subject (attent-o/a/i/e). Perfetto! We are done for today’s article. I hope you liked it! Make sure to check out my YouTube Channel ( click here ) to learn more about the Italian language and culture. If you have any questions about this topic you can send me an email at hello@teacherstefano.com or contact me on Facebook and Instagram @teacherstefano. Ciao! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!

Do you know how to say "hello" in Italian? And what about "Good Morning" in Italian? Well, maybe you already know "Ciao" and " Buongiorno " but there are so many other ways to greet someone in Italian. In today's article, we'll cover formal and informal Italian greetings. Are you ready? In today’s article, we will be talking about some of the most common greetings we use in Italian. We will cover greetings you can use when you meet someone and also some useful words you can use to be nice when leaving a place! Let’s get started! 1. Ciao Well, I am sure you know this greeting already. It’s very common and it’s very popular around the world. Correct me If I am wrong, but I think “Ciao” is also used in English, to say goodbye , right? Ciao means two things: hi and bye . So you can use it both when you meet someone but also when you’re leaving. Remember that ciao is informal, so you can use it with your friends, family, or in general, people you know well. However, if you’re talking to someone you don’t know that is older than you, or is in a higher position (at work, at university) compared to you, then it’s better not to use ciao ! Fun fact : did you know that ciao comes from an old venetian greeting ( s-ciao ) that used to mean “I am your slave”? 2. Buongiorno Maybe you know this one already! Before we get to the meaning of this word, don’t forget to pronounce every single letter when you’re saying buongiorno . You can check out the pronunciation in my YouTube video about this topic . Buongiorno simply means good morning . It can be used formally or informally and it’s used... well, in the morning! Let’s say you walk into an Italian bar (= coffee place ) in the morning to get your caffè (= espresso ) and cornetto (= croissant ) and say: Buongiorno! We usually tend to use buongiorno until lunchtime (so usually 1 PM ), then we would switch to buon pomeriggio ( good afternoon ) or buonasera (good evening) 3. Buona giornata All right, let’s say you walked into the bar, got your coffee, and now you’re leaving. You want to wish the barista, who’s prepared for you that amazing espresso, a nice day! How would we do that? Well, it’s very simple: buona giornata! And yes, buona giornata simply means “Have a good day” . Notice that here we are using the word giornata and not giorno . This is because giorno refers to the whole day (24 hours), that’s why when we say buongiorno we are actually wishing that person a good beginning of the day. Giornata refers to the period of light, or eventually that period of the day where activities take place. That’s why when we say buona giornata , we’re wishing that person a good day, in terms of what they are going to do during that day! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! 4. Buonasera Buonasera (or buona sera ) means good evening . It’s both formal and informal (even though it’s mostly used in formal settings) and it is used in the evening, of course. Many students ask me what’s considered evening in Italy! Well, that is a very good question and it depends! Yes, it depends on the season and the region. As a rule of thumb, buonasera should be used after 5 PM, but would you honestly say buonasera when you are sunbathing on a beach in Puglia at 5 PM in August? I mean, in the summer, I tend to start saying buonasera as late as 8 PM! So again, it really depends! Look at the sun? Is it still up in the sky? Then go for buon pomeriggio (= good afternoon!) 5. Buona serata Well, this doesn’t need much explanation as it is the evening version of buona giornata . Yes, buona serata simply means have a good evening ! 6. Buonanotte This is very important to remember! Buonanotte means goodnight, and it's used when you are actually going to bed. This is because the word notte ( night ) refers to that period of the day when we actually sleep. This is why we can't use buonanotte to wish someone to have a good night, but we need to use buona serata instead! 7. Salve Have you ever heard this one? Salve is actually the same as ciao . It means hi when you’re meeting someone and bye when you’re leaving. However, salve is a little bit more formal than ciao . Technically, salve is considered informal. But, since we are not learning what’s written in textbooks but what people actually say, I have to tell you that salve is becoming more and more formal. People, especially younger generations, tend to use salve to be formal. I personally use salve mostly when I enter a store, a bakery, or bar. Places where I don’t want to be super formal, but not even as informal as ciao ! 8. A dopo! Now, let’s talk about a way to say bye to your friends when you’re leaving. A dopo is a great way to do that in Italian. A dopo means later . You can just say a dopo or eventually also say ci vediamo dopo ( see you later ) or ci sentiamo dopo ( talk to you later ). P.S. If you use the expression a dopo , you are implying that you will see, talk, meet that person later, later that day! It’s not like the English "later", where "later" means in 5 minutes later or never again. A dopo in Italian actually means later that day ! So use it only when you know you’re going to meet, or call, that person later that day! 9. A presto! Not sure when you’re going to meet or talk to that person again? Or maybe you’re not sure you want to talk to that person ever again. Well, a presto is the best way to go! A presto, also used in combination with ci vediamo presto ( see you soon ) and ci sentiamo presto ( talk to you soon ) means soon . 10. Arrivederci Here we come to the last word of today: arrivederci . This word means goodbye , and I am sure you've heard it before since it's a very popular Italian word abroad as well. The only thing you need to remember about this word is that it's formal! I would never use arrivederci with my family and friends. Keep this in mind! Bonus : Baci sulla guancia 😘 What do we do when we meet someone? Do we hug, handshake? Nah, we kiss! We call it bacio sulla guancia , kiss on the cheek . We love it. Right to left, cheeks touch and we make a kiss sound with our mouth. Very common among women and men and women but it’s becoming more common also among men! I haven’t "cheeks kissed" someone in such a long time because of the health emergency we are living in and I miss it, but I am sure we’ll start kissing again soon. P.S. If you don’t want to go for the kiss right away, go for a handshake. Do not go for a hug . Hugs are a bit too much for Italians. You would give someone a hug if you really love them, or you’ve known them for a long time. A kiss is much more appropriate… yes, a kiss is much more appropriate. P.P.S. Kind of weird I know but that’s what Italians do! And you want to be a real ITALIANO right? Well, then check out my Italian Course For Beginners here . Ciao!

Learning vocabulary is not easy, but can be easier. Discover with me 4 killing tips to learn vocabulary in the fastest and most efficient way in Italian (and pretty much any other language!). You feel like you’re memorizing a lot of words but eventually forget them after a few days? Or maybe you feel like you’re learning a lot of words but don’t know how to use them. Or worse, you’re talking to someone, you want to use a word you studied but, suddenly, you forget. You are not alone. That happened to me when I was studying English because no one told me how to memorize vocabulary the right way. But guess what, it’s not happening now that I am studying Portuguese! That’s why I wanna help you learn and memorize vocabulary the right way. Let’s start with the first tip! 1. Practice every day This might sound like a piece of obvious advice , but practicing every single day is one of the most important things to do to memorize vocabulary. Look, our brains are not thought to remember everything, and they are not able to memorize things you’ve read one week ago. Unless you are a genius or have some kind of superpower I, and most people, don’t have. Our brains remember things based on repetition . We tend to remember things we’ve been exposed to multiple times. Think about a movie. How much do you remember about the movie you watched last night? Do you want my honest answer? None. I don’t even remember the name of the main character. Now, how much do you remember of Home Alone? Here we go. The more you are exposed to the words you’re trying to learn, the more you practice, the better! And by the way, when I say "practice every day", I don’t mean spending hours every day trying to memorize words. A few minutes a day will do, as long as your brain is exposed to the words you need to learn! P.S. Home Alone in Italian was translated as "Mamma, ho perso l’aereo" (Mom, I missed the flight). LOL. 2. Spaced repetition apps I love spaced repetition apps. No doubt! Spaced repetition apps are the best way to memorize vocabulary quickly and they are very effective. They are based on “spaced repetition”. I am not going to tell you in detail what “spaced repetition” is, but I will try to sum it up for you. First of all, I will need to explain to you what the forgetting curve is. Our brains forget, and the forgetting process can be visualized with what is called a "forgetting curve". The first time we come in contact with a word (or eventually any information) our brain processes it and over time, that information just gets lost until we totally forget it. However, there’s a way to make sure that information doesn’t get lost , or eventually doesn’t get lost that easily. Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! This trick is called active calls . After we’ve been exposed to that information, we need to constantly remind our brain that information exists by actively calling it , ergo by repeating it. Let’s say that you learn the expression “essere in ritardo” (= to be late) today. You will probably start forgetting this expression in three days. However, if you remind your brain that “essere in ritardo” means “to be late” in two days, you will probably forget that expression 1 week after the first repetition. Then you repeat it again in 5 days. Now you will forget it in a month! You can learn more about spaced repetition here . This is just an example, but the more you repeat words and expressions the longer they will be retained in your memory until you fully master them. This problem is less relevant in younger people and, as you age, forgetting becomes easier because our brains become less flexible. And by the way, when I say “age”, I don’t mean you need to be 50 or older to struggle with word memorization. Learning English when I was 15 years old was much easier than learning Norwegian at 19 and Portuguese at 23. Trust me, spaced repetition will incredibly help you in memorizing words, and all of my students who used or are using spaced repetition apps improved their vocabulary (and their language skills in general) much faster than those who didn’t! Let’s talk about the tools now! There are many spaced repetition apps you can use. The one I like the most is Quizlet ( https://quizlet.com ) . Quizlet is a flashcards app you can use on your computer or download on your phone. They do offer paid plans, however, their free plan will do the job. You can search for pre-made sets of flashcards or create your own . I love this feature because it allows me to make flashcard sets specifically for my students’ needs. Plus, I use Quizlet with my online Italian course for beginners as I created a set of words for every unit. My students enrolled in the course love this feature as they are able to learn more vocabulary in the shortest amount of time or learn the words of a specific unit before they actually go over that unit. You can check out my online course here . Quizlet can work for literally anything that has to do with learning, but there are other apps specific for language learning. I am sure you’ve heard Duolingo ( https://www.duolingo.com ) or Memrise ( https://www.memrise.com ) . They are great apps and are fantastic to learn new languages. One downside is that you can’t really choose what to learn but have to follow their order of things, which I don’t love but it’s fine. P.S. These apps are great to memorize new words but they are not enough to learn a language. You also need to learn grammar , practice conversation , reading , and writing to really start speaking a language fluently . If you memorize a bunch of words or expressions but don’t have the grammar knowledge to put them together, you’ll never speak like an Italian. Maybe you will be able to communicate, but not speak. And they are two different things. 3. Learn a set of words at a time Please, do not attempt to learn 1000 words in a week . And don’t learn a bunch of random words all at once, especially when you are a beginner. You kind of want to follow a logical order in your vocabulary learning process, and make sure you master one group of words before moving on to the next one! This is the order of word sets that I usually recommend my beginner students to learn: Greetings (You can check out useful greetings here ) Basic questions (Come stai? How are you? Come va? How is going? Di dove sei? Where are you from? ) Replies to basic questions (Bene! I am good! Grazie! Thank you! Sono italiano! I am from Italy! ) Question words (Cosa, come, dove, quando, perché?) Numeri (yes, they are very important) Days of the week and months of the year This is a very short list, but it’s something you could start with if you are an absolute beginner! 4. Write words down and make sentences Let’s do something more old-fashioned here. Technology has revolutionized the way we learn, but writing new words on a piece of paper will remain my favorite thing to do. The wise Romans used to say: "Verba volant, scripta manent" This beautiful phrase means: "spoken words fly away, written ones remain". Writing your words down can tremendously help you memorize them. Why do I like writing words in my notebook and making sentences? Simple. I am a visual learner and writing my words down with a bunch of different colors makes me remember my words more effectively. Knowing that X word means Y word in my language is not enough to use the word correctly during conversations. You actually want to understand how that word is used. Sometimes, translating is not enough. It helps me make associations . If I know that “Sono in ritardo” means "I am late" but I am always super on time I could write a sentence such as “Non sono mai in ritardo” (I am never late). That way that expression relates more to me and I am able to contextualize it with my life and with my personal experiences. What do you think? Do you like these tips on learning new words? I actually love them and believe they are very effective. Let me know what you think and what you're planning to do to learn more vocabulary! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!

Prepositions are a nightmare in every language, but if you follow the tips that I am about to give you, not only you won't get these prepositions wrong anymore, but you will also understand the logic behind them. Let's see how the prepositions A, IN, and DA are used in expressions of location. The main reason why students get the prepositions wrong in Italian is that they don't really translate in English. Don't get me wrong, they do have a translation. The problem is that the prepositions A and IN translate at, to, and in . You can understand that knowing the translation is not really going to help you in understanding what preposition to use. You need to understand what prepositions to use when, and how to use them correctly, rather than knowing the translation. Before we jump right into the use of these prepositions, let's take a step back and understand the main differences between Italian and English prepositions. In English, you usually choose the right preposition based on the kind of movement the subject is performing. Let me give you a couple of examples: I go to Rome → the subject is moving from point A to point B (Rome) I live in Rome → the subject is staying still in one place. The subject is in point A and stays in point A. I'm going to Italy next summer → the subject is moving from point A to point B (Italy) Stefano comes from Italy → the subject is moving from point B (Italy) to point A. I go to the doctor → the subject is moving from point A to point B (the doctor) Now let me show you how they translate in Italian: I go to Rome → Vado a Roma. I live in Rome → Vivo a Roma. I am going to Italy next summer → Vado in Italia la prossima estate. Stefano comes from Italy → Stefano viene dall' Italia. I go to the doctor → Vado dal dottore. Before you throw away your computer and start regretting the day you started learning Italian, let me tell you that at the end of this article, everything will make much more sense. Stay with me and let's break it down. Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! 1. The preposition A As I told you at the beginning of the article, the preposition A translates at, to, and in. The question shouldn't be what A means, but when do we use it? Well, we use these prepositions in two cases: Before names of cities and small islands In some idiomatic expressions Cities This is pretty easy. When you are IN that city or going TO that city, then you are going to use the preposition A : Vado A Roma (I go to Rome), Abito A Roma (I live in Rome). As you can see, we're not choosing the preposition based on the kind of movement we are doing, but we're choosing it based on the word we have after the preposition. Since I have the name of a city, I am going to use the preposition A. Small Islands When I tell this to my students, they usually say something like "What's a small island? How do I tell if an island is small or big?". Very good question. I would say that anything smaller than Sicilia and Sardegna is small. For example, we would say "Vado A Capri" because Capri is a small island close to Naples ( a beautiful island by the way ). Idiomatic expressions We use the preposition A in some idiomatic expressions you will have to memorize. Let me give you some examples: A scuola → at/to school A casa → at home (Vado a casa = I go home or Sono a casa = I am home ) A lavoro → at/to work A pranzo → at/to lunch A cena → at/to dinner A letto → in/to bed A piedi → by foot/walking (This is pretty different from the other ones but very common. For example, Vado a scuola a piedi = I go to school walking/by foot ). 2. The preposition IN The preposition IN is used: Before the names of continents , countries , regions , and big islands . Before the names of means of transport In some idiomatic expressions Names of continents, countries, regions , and big islands This is pretty simple! First of all, if it's not a city (or eventually a small island) for all other geographical places, you're going to use IN . And, again, it doesn't matter what kind of movement you are doing, you're going to use IN before these places. Let me give you some examples: Vado in Italia → I go to Italy Vado in Europa → I go to Europe Vivo in Italia → I live in Italy Vivo in Europa → I live in Europe Sono andato in Puglia la scorsa estate → I went to Puglia last summer Vivo in Sicilia da 10 anni → I've been living in Sicily for 10 years. Means of transport When you're saying that you will go somewhere by bike, car, train or any other type of transport, you'll need to use IN in Italian. So, you would say something like "Vado in Italia in treno (by train), in macchina (by car), in aereo (by airplane), in autobus (by bus)" and so on. This also applies when you are in the mean of transport: sono in taxi , sono in macchina , sono in aereo . Idiomatic expressions Let me give you some very common idiomatic expressions with the preposition IN that you might want to memorize: In città → in/to the city In ufficio → in/to the office In centro → in/to the city center In vacanza → on holiday/vacation (both when you are going and when you are there so you can say both vado in vacanza and sono in vacanza ) In viaggio → travelling ( Sono in viaggio = I am travelling) In palestra → at/to the gym In piedi → standing up (this is a tricky one! A piedi means walking/by foot BUT in piedi means standing) 3. The preposition DA Let's talk about the last preposition of today: DA . This preposition means from most of the time. For example, you could say: Stefano viene da Roma → Stefano comes from Rome (either he arrives from Rome or he is from Rome ) Il treno arriva da Torino → the train arrives from Turin However, the preposition DA has also another important meaning! When you're saying you are going t o or are at a person's house or workplace , then you're going to use the preposition DA. Let me give you a few examples to better understand: Vado da Luca → I am going to Luca's house . Dormo da Maria domani → I am sleeping at Maria's house tomorrow Devo andare dal dottore lunedì → I have to go to the doctor (the doctor's workplace perhaps, not his house) on Monday. Sono dal macellaio → I am at the butcher's shop Makes sense? Why don't you try this little exercise? All right! I hope you enjoyed this article. Don't forget to check out my YouTube Channel for more Italian lessons! Ciao! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!

Ciao! In today's article, we will take a look at the different sounds the letters SC can have in Italian. These sounds exist in English, so they shouldn't be hard to pronounce. Let's get into it! Before we dive into today's topic, make sure you've read my previous article on the sound of Cs and Gs in Italian . This is because the same rules apply to SC , so once you understand how that works, it'll be much easier for you to remember how SC is pronounced. SC can have two different sounds in Italian: a hard sound and a soft sound depending on the vowel that follows SC. 1. Soft sound SC is pronounced as a soft sound when it is followed by the vowels E or I . The soft sound of SC is the same as the sh sound you have in English in the words she, ship, or shell . Let me give you a few examples with this word: Pesce (fish) Sciarpa (scarf) Sciare (to ski) Scemo (idiot) P.S. Make sure to watch my YouTube Video on this topic to listen to the pronunciation of these words and repeat them after me. Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! 2. Hard sound SC is pronounced as a hard sound when it is followed by the vowels A , O , or U . The hard sound of SC is the same as the sk sound you have in English in the words skill or skull. Let me give you a few examples to better understand: Discutere (to discuss) Scale (stairs) Scarpe (shoes) Bosco (wood, forest) Let's talk for a second about the third one, scarpe ! You want to make sure to pronounce the sc there like a hard sound, because if you pronounce it like a soft sound, then you're saying sciarpe (sh-iar-pe), scarves! 3. Hard sound with the H As we discussed in the article about the pronunciation of Cs and Gs , if we add an H after the C, we make the sound hard. SCHI and SCHE are pronounced as hard sounds. Remember that you will find only the vowels E or I after SCH . Here are a few examples you can practice with: Schiavo (slave) Scherzo (prank) Schermo (screen) Rischio (risk) Do you remember the word pesce (= fish) we talked about at the beginning of this article. Well, adding an H and pronouncing the sc sound like a hard sound, would completely change the meaning of the word. Pesche (pe-sk-e) means peaches! 4. The word SCUOLA This word is very unique, as its spelling and pronunciation are not common among Italian words. I am sure you can guess what SCUOLA means! It simply means school . The C in this word is pronounced as a q. Its pronunciation is something similar to s-q-uo-la. All right! We are done with today's lesson. As you can see, the pronunciation of SC is very simple and extremely similar to the rules we've seen for the Cs and the Gs. One little piece of advice that I have for you is to memorize one word per rule. This way, you won't have to memorize the actual pronunciation rules, but just one example word you can connect the rule with! Make sure you watch my YouTube Video on this topic, to better understand how I would pronounce these words. You will also find a little pronunciation practice at the end of the video to improve your pronunciation with me! I'll talk to you soon! Ciao! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!

Planning a trip to Italy? Well, maybe now it's not the best time to travel (I am writing this article in January 2021), but I am sure we will start traveling again soon. This gives you extra time to study and practice your Italian, so make sure you learn these 25 phrases before you come to Italy. They will be extremely useful! 1. Greetings You should also know the greetings before you come to Italy, but I haven't included them in the list as I wrote an entire article on those that you can check out here . 2. Grazie Thank you I am sure you know this word already, but do you know how to pronounce it correctly? Make sure you pronounce every single vowel, especially the "i" and "e" at the end. It's not gra-tsi but gra-tsi-eh . You can hear the pronunciation of this word on my YouTube video attached to this post. Grazie is very nice, but you can also use grazie mille ( thank you a lot , lit. thank you a thousand ) if you want to be extra nice. 3. Prego You're welcome Since you know how to say thank you now, we should also learn how to say you're welcome , right? Very easy: prego ! This word can actually be used in a lot of different ways; its main use is as you're welcome , however, it also means go ahead both when you're talking to someone and you want them to express their idea, but also when you're walking into a store and you let someone enter or pass in front of you to be nice. Prego is also used to say come in when someone is knocking on your door. 4. Scusa and Scusi Sorry, excuse me I am sure you've heard this word as well, or perhaps you've heard scusi that is a very popular Italian word abroad. Scusa and scusi both mean the same thing ( sorry or excuse me ) but scusa is informal, while scusi is formal. This means, that you will be using scusa with people you know well, your friends and family, or eventually, people that you don't know but are about your age or younger. On the other hand, you're going to use scusi in a formal setting, for example at work, with people much older than you and university. Scusa and scusi means both sorry and excuse me . So you can use it both to apologize but also to get someone's attention. Let's say you are on the metro in Roma and you accidentally step on your friend's foot, so you want to apologize and say: scusa . Now, let's say you are still on the metro and you see an old lady dropping her wallet. She didn't realize it, so you pick it up for her and you get her attention saying scusi to give her wallet back. In the first case, you would use scusa because you're talking to a friend, in the second case you would use scusi if you are talking to a woman older than you. Scusa and scusi can also be used at the restaurant to get the waiter's attention or to a person on the street to ask for directions. 5. Scusami and Mi scusi Sorry, excuse me These two words are basically the same, but they add the pronoun "mi", just to add a bit more emphasis on the person that is speaking. 6. Mi dispiace I am sorry, I feel sorry This word is also very popular but many students still use it incorrectly. Mi dispiace can be used to apologize but remember that is very emotional. We usually use it when our friend tells us about something bad that happened to him/her, so we say that we feel sorry for what happened. Let's say for example that they've run out of pasta and wine at home, so we say mi dispiace ! You can also use it to apologize but remember that it's more emotional than just scusa . Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! 7. Per favore or Per piacere Please These two expressions don't need much explaining. They just mean please . They are completely interchangeable so you can use them in the same way. Let's say you walk into a bar to get your caffè and say: "Scusi, prendo un caffè, per favore/per piacere" (Excuse me, I'll have a coffee, please). 8. Come ti chiami? What's your name? Don't you want to know people's names? Remember that Come ti chiami? is informal. If you want to use the formal version go for Come si chiama? 9. Mi chiamo Stefano My name is Stefano To answer the previous question you just need to add your name to mi chiamo ( my name is lit. I am called ). In my case, mi chiamo Stefano . 10. Come stai? How are you? This is the easiest way to ask someone how they're doing. Remember that this expression is informal. If you want to be formal, you just need to get rid of the "i" and say " come sta?" . 11. Sto bene, grazie! E tu? I am good, thanks! What about you? 12. Sto benissimo, grazie! I am very good, thanks! 13. Sto alla grande, grazie! I am very good, thanks! This is just an alternative to benissimo . I love this expression as it's very positive and happy. 14. Come va? How is it going? This expression is very similar to come stai , but we're using the verb "va" (from andare = to go ) as you would in English (How is it going ?). 15. Va tutto bene, grazie! Everything is going well, thanks! This is one potential answer to "come va?" . 16. Dov'è + place ? Where is + place? You want to make sure you know this expression as it is going to be very useful during your next trip. Let's not kid ourselves, you're not going to use it to ask for directions. You're never going to say something like "Dov'è il colosseo?" to a random person on the street. We have phones and everyone uses maps. But, let's say you are at a restaurant and you want to ask where the restroom/toilet is. You can't use your phone for that! For instance, you could say Dov'è il bagno? ( Where's the bathroom?) . Or, let's say you just got to the hotel you're staying at and you want to ask where the breakfast room is, so you say "Dov'è la sala colazioni?" . 17. Quanto costa? How much is it? How much does it cost? This expression is used to ask for the cost of an item. If you are asking for the cost of multiple items, then you want to use the plural version "Quanto costano?" . 18. Quant'è? How much is it? How much does it cost? This expression is very similar to the previous one, but it's usually used when you're asking for the total amount you are supposed to pay. "Quanto costa?" is usually used to ask for the cost of a specific item, whereas "quant'è?" is used to ask for the total amount of money you need to pay at the cashier. The only problem with this is that the person is going to answer with numbers. If you don't know numbers, try to learn them before your next trip to Italy as they are going to be useful for a lot of different things. 19. Mi può dare + item ? Can you give me + item ? Let's say you are in a bakery and you want to buy that amazing arancino ( click here if you don't know what that is ) that is staring at you. To ask the baker to give you that arancino you can just say "Mi può dare un arancino?" . If you don't know the name of the thing you're buying, you can say "mi può dare quello?" ( Can you give me that? ) and just point the thing you want. To be nicer, you can add the expression please that we learned before: per favore or per piacere . 20. Vorrei... I would like... This verb can be used in several different ways. You could use it at a restaurant to order your food, for example " Vorrei una lasagna, grazie" (I would like a lasagna, thank you!). 21. Prendo... I'll have... This expression is just an alternative to the previous one, and again it can be used at a restaurant, bar, pizzeria... "Prendo" literally translates as "I take". 22. Ci può portare il conto? Can we have the check/bill? Well, that's pretty straightforward. You would use it to ask for the bill/check at the restaurant. You can also add per favore or per piacere in there to make it nicer. P.S. We don't usually tip waiters in Italy, so it's not something you should worry about. 23. Di dove sei? Where are you from? Super useful expression if you want to initiate a conversation with someone. 24. Sono di + city or Sono + adjective I am from + city / I am + adjective If you get asked "Di dove sei?" you want to make sure you answer correctly. You have two options. You either say Sono di + the name of city you're from or Sono + adjective of nationality. Let me give you a few examples: Sono di Roma = I am from Rome Sono di Milano = I am from Milan Sono americano = I am American Sono francese = I am French Make sure you look up your adjective of nationality so that you will always know what to answer. You can translate your adjective of nationality using my favorite Online Dictionary: WordReference . I love this dictionary as it's very detailed and gives a lot of examples. If the adjective you find ends in -o then you will have to change based on your gender. For instance, if you are an American man, the translation is going to be american o . But, if you are a woman, you want to change that to american a . If the adjective you find ends in -e, then you won't have to worry about it. For example, francese , French , works both for men and women. P.S. We don't capitalize adjectives of nationality. 25. Scusami, non parlo molto bene l'italiano. I am sorry, I don't speak Italian very well. These sentences are going to help you to get started, but of course, you might find yourself in a situation in which you need to switch to English. But before you do that you you may want to apologize for not speaking Italian very well. But let me add something... YET. You don't speak Italian very well YET. And if you would like to take your Italian to the next level, make sure to check out my Online Italian Course for Beginners . I am sure you'll love it! I hope you enjoyed these phrases for your next trip to Italy and I'll see you soon! Ciao!

The verb "piacere" is a bit tricky but once you understand how it works, I am sure you won't have any problems using it correctly during conversation. Let's dive right in! The verb piacere is one of the trickiest verbs in Italian because it works very differently compared to English. In today's article, we will see how it is used, the grammar rules behind it, and I will be giving you an awesome tip that will make this verb much easier to understand. Before we start talking about how piacere works in Italian, let's look at the main differences compared to English: In English, you would say: I like something . "I" is the subject of the sentence, the person doing the "liking". The thing you like (something) is the object of the action. In Italian, the thing you like will become the subject of the sentence and the person who does the liking is the person the action is directed to. So, you would say Mi piace qualcosa . To make things a little bit easier, I always tell my students to think it this way; instead of saying "I like something", think it as "something is pleasing to me" . As you can see from the previous example, something is now the subject of the action and to me (the person who's doing the liking) becomes the person the action is directed to. This is the logic of the verb piacere in Italian! Now let's see the actual rules! 1. Piace and Piacciono You probably already know that mi piace means I like , however that is not completely true. This is because you need to choose the right form of piacere based on the object that is liked. Mi piace means I like only when the object that is liked is singular . But if you like multiple objects, then you will have to choose piacciono . Let me give you a few examples to better understand: Mi piace la pizza = I like pizza Mi piacciono le canzoni d'amore = I like love songs In the first example, we're choosing piace because the object that is liked (la pizza) is singular! In the second example, we're choosing piacciono because we like multiple things. The object that is liked (le canzoni d'amore) is plural! This is the first rule you need to remember: you choose piace when the object that is liked is singular and piacciono when it's plural! 2. Piacere with a verb Sometimes, you might need to say that you like doing something. For example, I like singing, cooking or travelling . Well, in that case, you will need to use the singular form piace ! Mi piace cantare = I like singing Mi piace cucinare = I like cooking Mi piace viaggiare = I like travelling Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! 3. Conjugation of Piacere The main problem with the verb piacere is that you won't always say mi piace , sometimes you'll need to say that you like or he likes . How do we do that? First of all, you can notice that I am not using the usual personal pronoun io with the verb piacere , I am not saying io piace or piacciono . Instead, I am saying mi . That's because mi means to me , and it's an indirect object pronoun. I've never talked about indirect object pronouns on my blog or my YouTube Channel , but I will very soon! In the meantime, let me show you how these pronouns work so you can start to memorize them and use them in real conversation. Let's go over the conjugation of piacere in the present, together with indirect object pronouns: Mi piace/piacciono = I like Ti piace/piacciono = You like Gli piace/piacciono = He likes Le piace/piacciono = She likes Ci piace/piacciono = We like Vi piace/piacciono = You (guys) like Gli piace/piacciono = They like Does that make sense? All these pronouns translate "to + pronoun". When I am saying mi piace or piacciono , I am actually saying that something is pleasing to me . The same thing applies to ti that actually means to you . Let me show you the translation of these pronouns to better understand and visualize them: Mi = to me Ti = to you Gli = to him Le = to her Ci = to us Vi = to you guys Gli = to them Pronouns in Italian are much more complex than this, but this is how they work with the verb piacere . Let me give you a few examples to better understand: Ti piacciono i film d'azione? = Do you like action movies? ( Are action movies pleasing to you?) Le piace la pasta = Does she like pasta? ( Is pasta pleasing to her?) Vi piacciono queste foto? = Do you like these photos? ( Are these photos pleasing to you?) Gli piace nuotare? = Does he like swimming? ( Is swimming pleasing to him?) Makes sense? I think it does! As you can see, if you think the verb piacere as to be pleasing to someone you will also understand why you're using piace or piacciono . In the first example we are saying ti piacciono because i film is plural. That's why in English we're saying "ARE action movies pleasing to you?" . In the second example, we're saying " IS pasta pleasing to you?" , making it singular, and that's why we use piace . 4. Expressing the subject One last thing before you start practicing with piacere ! Sometimes you might need to say "Stefano likes pizza" or "My mother likes reading". Basically, you need to express the subject! What do we do in this case? Well, if you're thinking Stefano piace la pizza ... you're wrong, unfortunately. If you phrase this way, you're missing a very important part of the sentence: to . Again, remember that the translation would be: pizza is pleasing TO Stefano . So, where's the TO there? No worries, it's very easy! You'll need to add the preposition A (= to) in front of the person that is doing the liking. The correct way to say Stefano likes pizza is A Stefano piace la pizza . It's not that bad, isn't it? Let's see some other examples: A mia madre piace leggere = my mother likes reading Ai miei figli piacciono le patatine fritte = my kids like french fries/chips A Marco piace il mare = Marco likes the sea Final recap I have to admit, that was a lot to take in! Let's do a quick recap of what we talked about today: You choose piace or piacciono based on how many things you like. Piace if singular, piacciono if plural. You use the indirect object pronouns (mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi, gli) to conjugate the verb piacere. You add the preposition A in front of the person who is doing the liking if you decide to express the subject! I hope this helps! If you have any questions just send me a message in the contact section of the website and don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more Italian tips! Ci vediamo presto, ciao! Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!

You may think that saying where you come from is the easiest thing, however, many students (even the most advanced ones) still get this wrong. Prepositions don't spare anyone, that's why I am here to talk about it! Di dove sei? (Where are you from?) and Da dove vieni? (Where do you come from?) are definitely the most common questions foreigners get asked in Italy. We want to know where you come from! But you want to make sure you answer this question correctly! How can you do that? Well, it's very simple and you even have 3 different options! Essere + adjective of nationality Essere + di + city where you come from Venire + da + country Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me! 1. Essere + adjective of nationality This is very simple and no preposition is required for this one (yay!). For example, I would say: sono italiano (= I am Italian). My advice is to look up your adjective of nationality (you can use my favorite online dictionary ( WordReference ). You need to keep two things in mind: 1. If the adjective you found ends in -o then you'll need to change the last vowel according to the gender of the subject. I say sono italian o because I am a man. If you are a woman you would change the -o into -a and say sono italian a . Let me give you a couple of more examples: Sono american o = I am American (man) Sono american a = I am American (woman) Sono spagnol o = I am Spanish (man) Sono spagnol a = I am Spanish (woman) Sono russ o = I am Russian (man) Sono russ a = I am Russian (woman) Sono brasilian o = I am Brazilian (man) Sono brasilian a = I am Brazilian (woman) 2. If the adjective you found ends in -e , then you won't need to change it. For example: Sono francese = I am French (both men and women) Sono inglese = I am English (both men and women) Sono canadese = I am Canadian (both men and women) P.S. As you can see we don't capitalize adjectives of nationality. 2. Essere + di + city If you want to say you come from *any city in the world*, you just need to say sono di + city . For example: Sono di Milano = I am from Milan Sono di New York = I am from New York Sono di Londra = I am from London Sono di Parigi = I am from Paris This is extremely important: SONO DI is used with cities only! You wouldn't use it with countries. Saying SONO DI ITALIA is very, very wrong! So is SONO DA ITALIA , wrong! The verb essere can't be used with the preposition DA , only with DI , and the whole expression SONO DI is preferably used with cities. 3. Venire + da + country/city First of all, you need to know that the verb venire is irregular, so the first person singular is going to be vengo . Then, you would use vengo with da + definite article + country , or da + city . If you don't know how to combine the preposition DA + definite articles, this list below might help: Da + il = dal Da + lo = dallo Da + i = dai Da + gli = dagli Da + la = dalla Da + le = dalle Da + l' = dall' Since I come from Italy, I would say: vengo dall'Italia . Italia is considered feminine and singular, so the right article would be L' that combined with the preposition da , forms dall' . Let me give you some more examples: Vengo dagli Stati Uniti = I come from the United States Vengo dall'Inghilterra = I come from England Vengo dal Brasile = I come from Brazil Vengo dalla Francia = I come from France Vengo da can be used with cities as well, with no article. For example: Vengo da Milano = I come from Milan Vengo da Roma = I come from Rome Vengo da Washington DC = I come from Washington DC And what about you? Di dove sei? Get in touch with me and let me know where you come from! A presto! Stefano Do you want to take your Italian to the next level? Check out my Online Italian course for beginners "Be Italiano" and start learning today to become a real Italiano, like me!