IT/VLIA
ENT &WILKINS
&'
^language
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
C/H? GRANDGENT
in
Harvard University
E<°HfWILKINS
Oberlin College
Revised Edition
D. C. HEATH AND COMPANY
BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO LONDON
ATLANTA DALLAS SAN FRANCISCO
PC
(Ml
S"
Coia,
GOPTRIOHT, 1887 AND 1904
BY C. H. GRANDGENT
COPYRIGHT, 1915
BY D. C. HEATH & CO.
Printed in U- S. A,
PREFACE
THIS volume is the result of an attempt to put into con-
venient form and the smallest possible compass all the gram-
mar needed by ordinary students of Italian. Short as the
book is, it contains some paragraphs which beginners will
probably skip: the longer lists of words and endings and a
great part of the chapters on suffixes and irregular verbs
will be useful mainly for reference. While endeavoring to
make my work represent primarily the language as it is
spoken and written at the present day, I have tried to give
also as many obsolete forms as readers of the poets will
require.
It has been my aim throughout to make the rules clear
for all classes of pupils, even for those ignorant of other
foreign languages, provided they understand the technical
words commonly used in grammars. With this object in
view, I have ascribed to the Italian vowels the pronuncia-
tion of the English ones that are nearest to them; an accurate
description of the Italian sounds would,- 1 fear, prove con-
fusing to beginners who have had no training in phonetics.
It will be easy for the instructor to explain not only the
vowels, but some of the consonants, and the division of
words into syllables, much better than can be done in a
book like this.
The authorities I have consulted most are the dictionaries^
of Fanfani, Rigutini and Fanfani, Fornari (Nuovo Bazzarini),
and Tommaseo and Bellini. I have made but little use of
other grammars; I am, however, indebted to Toscani for
some ideas and a few of my examples. The chapters on
iii
V PREFACE
syntax, and the treatment of irregular verbs, pronouns, suf-
fixes, and the plural of words in -co and -go are almost
entirely the result of original work.
In conclusion, I wish to express my gratitude to Professor
Nash, of Harvard, to my friend and teacher, Cav. Filippo
Orlando, of Florence, and to the gentlemen who assisted
me in correcting the proof-sheets; and I wish above all to
thank Professor Sheldon, of Harvard, and Professor Bende-
lari, of Yale, without whose aid and encouragement I should
scarcely have ventured to offer this book to the public.
CAMBRIDGE, September, 1887.
NOTE TO THE REVISED EDITION
So thoroughly has the old Grammar been overhauled by
Professor Wilkins and me that it now presents itself almost
as a new book. The original Italian texts and bits of Eng-
lish prose for translation have disappeared; and in place of
the set of Lessons and Exercises added to the book in 1904,
Professor Wilkins has furnished a fresh series, better and
more abundant than the matter it supplants. A careful
revision of the rules and examples has resulted in some im-
provement of the former and many additions to the latter.
Use has been made of the system of grammatical nomen-
clature recently recommended by the American commit-
tee entrusted with the study of that subject. Not least
among the advantages of this edition is the marked gain in
typographical clearness.
CAMBRIDGE, March, 1915.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
PBONUNCIATION 1
Sounds, Spelling, Accent, Syllabication, 1. — Additional
Notes. 6. — Inflections of the Voice, 9.
ARTICLES 11
The Definite Article, 11. — The Indefinite Article, 14.
NOUNS 15
Gender, 15. — Number, 17.
ADJECTIVES 20
Gender and Number, 20. — Comparison, 22.
AUGMENTATIVES; DIMINUTIVES ; NUMERALS 24
Augmentatives and Diminutives, 24. — Numerals, 26.
DEMONSTRATIVE, INTERROGATIVE, RELATIVE, POSSESSIVE PRO-
NOUNS 29
PERSONAL PRONOUNS 35
Conjunctive Forms, 35. — Disjunctive Forms, 40. — Forms
of Address, 43.
AUXILIARY VERBS 45
Auxiliaries of Voice and Tense (essere, avere), 45. — Modal
Auxiliaries, 51.
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS 52
The Regular Verb, 53. — The Irregular Verb, 57.
MOODS AND TENSES 61
Infinitive and Participle, 61. — Past, Present, and Future,
63. — Past Future or Conditional, 65. — Subjunctive, 65.
CONJUNCTIONS; PREPOSITIONS; ADVERBS 68
Conjunctions, 68. — Prepositions, 70. — Adverbs, 73.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS 79
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS 80
First Conjugation, 81. — Second Conjugation, 82. — Third
Conjugation, 85. — Fourth Conjugation, 90.
v
VI TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGB
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF IRREGULAR AND DEFECTIVE VERBS . „ 92
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 97
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY 155
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY 171
INDEX , 181
ITALIAN GKAMMAR
PRONUNCIATION
1. The Italian alphabet has the same letters as the Eng-
lish, except that k, w, x, and y do not occur in native words
in modern Italian.
2. The Italians distinguish seven vowels: a, close e, open
e, i, close o, open o, u; to these may be added an interme-
diate e and o, used in unaccented syllables. Every vowel
has a clear sound, no matter what may be its position in the
word. It is never obscured; and it never tends, as do the
English long vowels, to become a diphthong.
Italian vowels are all pronounced rather quickly; hence
there is but little difference in quantity between accented
and unaccented sounds. English-speaking students must
carefully avoid drawling the accented and slighting the un-
accented syllables; they should try to give to every Italian
vowel about the length of i in 'bitter/
a is nearly like a in 'father': as fava, canna, cassa, palla.
e close is nearly like a in ' fate ' : as beve, vere, stelle, messe.
e open may be formed by trying to pronounce e in 'bell' with
the mouth very wide open: as bella, amena, fera, pensa.
i is nearly like ee in 'feet': as miri, vini, fissi, spilli.
O close is nearly like o in 'mope': as dopo, dove, bollo, sotto.
O open is nearly like aw in 'saw' pronounced with the mouth
wide open: as no, odi, poi, donna.
U is nearly like oo in 'boot': as una, cura, nulla, ruppi. 0
(a) The letters i and u are sometimes used to represent conso-
nant sounds (see 4); but in formulating rules they are always
counted as vowels.
1
2 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
3. As close and open vowels are not distinguished in
spelling, some rules are necessary:
1. Unaccented e and o are intermediate between close and open:
as mare, sea; amo, I love.
2. e and o are close in all monosyllables1 ending in a consonant:
as con, with; non, not; per, for.
3. In monosyllables1 and oxytones2 ending in a vowel, final e is
close, final o is open: as che, what; me, me; re, king; crede, he be-
lieved; perche, why; do, I give; Po, Po; sard, / shall be; ando, he
went.
EXCEPTIONS: (o) Final e is open in e = is, re=re, interjections (as
aime, alas; che, nonsense], proper names (as Noe, Noah), and foreign
words (as caffe, coffee). (6) Final o is close in lo and o.
4. Accented e and o are always open in the groups ie and uo : as
piede, foot; fuoco, fire, e and o standing for ie and uo are open:
as ven=viene, he comes; cor=cuore, heart.
5. In words that have always formed a part of the spoken lan-
guage, accented e is nearly always close when it represents Latin e
or t, open when it represents Latin e or ae;> accented p is nearly
always close when it represents Latin o or u, open when it repre-
sents Latin o or au. In book words accented e and o are usually
open.
In all cases not covered by the first three rules, the quality
of e and o will be marked in this book, an acute accent (')
denoting the close, a circumflex O the open sound : as avere,
to have; meno, less; tiene, he holds; lieto, happy; poeta, poet;
ora, hour; molto, much; buono, good; poco, little; moto,
motion.
4. B, f, m, p, q, v are pronounced as hi English.
C, before e or i, sounds like ch in ' chin ' ; elsewhere it is always
like English k: as cima, top; c6me, how; d61ce, sweet.
1 Not including shortened forms of words that regularly have more than one
syllable. * Words accented on the last syllable.
PRONUNCIATION O
g, before e or i, sounds like g in 'gem'; elsewhere it is always
like g in 'go': as gatto, cat; gente, people; spingi, push.
(a) A cc or a gg before e or i has merely the sound of ch in
'chin' or g in 'gem' prolonged: as facce, faces; legge, law.
d, 1, n, t are pronounced further forward in the mouth than in
English; the tip of the tongue should touch the back of the
upper front teeth: as alto, high; dato, given; luna, moon;
nudo, naked; tuono, thunder.
h is always silent: as ahi, oh! ha, he has.
i, unaccented, before a vowel, sounds like English y: as ieri, yes-
terday; paio, pair; piu, more. In the groups cia, cio, ciu,
gia, gio, giu, an unaccented i serves only to show that the
c or g is soft: as faccia, face; guancia, cheek; cid, that; giu,
down; mangia, eat; raggio, ray.
j is merely another way of writing i.
n before a q or a hard c or g has the sound of English ng: as
banca (bang-ka), bank; dunque (dung-kwe), therefore;
lungo (lung-go), long.
T is always rolled, the point of the tongue vibrating against the
teeth: as caro, dear; rosso, red; per, for. When r is double
or followed by a consonant, the trill is prolonged: as carro,
cart; burro, butter; marrone, chestnut; carne, meat; porta,
door.
S is generally pronounced nearly like English s in 'see,' but with
a somewhat sharper sound: as so, / know; spillo, pin.
Initial s before a sonant (b, d, g, 1, m, n, r, v) has a
sound intermediate between s and English z: as sdruccio-
lare, to slip; slitta, sleigh*
A single s between vowels has, in most words, the sound
of English z: as caso, case; causa, cause; viso, face. But
in the following cases it is pronounced like s in
(a) In annusare, asino, casa, Chiusi, cosa, cosi, desiderio, naso,
parasite, peso, Pisa, pisello, posa, riposo, riso, susina, and their
derivatives, and in some uncommon words.
4 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(6) After the prefixes de-, di-,1 pre-, pro-, re-, ri-, tra-1: as
desistere, disegno, presumere, proseguire, reservare, risolvere, tra-
sudare.
(c) In the adjective ending -6so and the adjective and substan-
tive ending -ese : as noioso, troublesome; inglese, English; mese,
month. But in cortese, francese, lucchese, marchese, paese,
palese, the s is Like English z.
(d) In the past absolute and past participle of chiedere, chiu-
dere, nascondere, porre, radere, ridere, rimanere, rispondere.
r6dere, and all verbs in -endere ; and in their compounds and de-
rivatives: as chiesi, socchiuso, nascose, risposero, rasoio, rimase,
corrisp6si, rosero, accesi, reso, sc^sa.
EXCEPTIONS to this rule are deridere, verbs in -cludere, and deriva-
tives of rodere.
U, unaccented, before a vowel, sounds like English w: as buono,
good; guardare, to look; pu6, he can.
Z and zz are generally pronounced like a long and vigorous ts:
as alzare, to lift; azi6ne, action; prezzo, price; zio, uncle.
In the following cases, however, z and zz sound like a
prolonged dz:
(a) In azzurro, dozzina, mezzo, pranzo, ribrezzo, romanzo, zelo,
and many less common words.
(6) In verbs in -izzare (as utilizzare, to utilize) ; except attizzare,
dirizzare, guizzare, rizzare, stizzare, and their compounds, and a
few uncommon words.
5. The following combinations are to be noted:
ch (used only before e and i) is always like English k: as fichi
(plural of fico, fig), sch is like sk: as scheVzo, sport.
gh (used only before e and i) is always like English g in 'go':
as aghi (plural of ago, needle).
* Not to be confounded with dis-, tras-: disondre, trasandare.
PRONUNCIATION O
gli (written gl if the following vowel be i) is nearly like English
Hi in 'million': as figlio, son; figli, sons.
But in Anglia, geroglifico, glicerina, negligere and its derivatives,
and a few uncommon words borrowed from the Greek or Latin, gl is
like English gl.
gn is nearly like ni in 'onion': as ogni, every.
qu is always like kw: as questo, this.
SC before e and i is nearly like sh in 'ship': as uscire, to go out.
Before all other letters it is pronounced sk: as scuola, school;
scherno, contempt.
6. Every letter in Italian is distinctly and separately
sounded; the only exceptions are h, silent i (see 4), and the
combinations mentioned in 5.
arte, art. andai, I went. paura, fear.
firma, signature. aura, breeze. sentii, I felt.
furto, theft. bugie, lies. noi, we.
gi6rno, day. EurSpa, Europe. poi, then.
verso, toward. miei, my. sudi, his.
Where a double consonant is written, both letters must
be sounded, the first at the end of the preceding, the second
at the beginning of the following syllable:
anno, year. babbo, father. fatto, done.
me"sso, put. quello, that. bocca, mouth.
For rr, zz, and soft cc and gg, see 4.
1, m, n, and r, when preceded by an accented vowel and
followed by another consonant, are prolonged:
alto (ail-to), high. tanto (tann-to), so much.
sempre (se"mm-pre), always. parte (parr-te), part.
7. The accent is nearly always the same as in Latin. In
this book it will always be noted. Of the signs written
here, students need use only the grave f), which is placeft
on the last syllable of oxytones and on some monosyllables:
Italian writers do not agree as to the use of the other marks;
many now use the acute, and not the grave, on final e.
6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
8. Italian words are divided in such a way that, if pos-
sible, every syllable shall begin with a consonant :
ta-vo-li-no, table. mez-zo, half.
frat-tan-to, meanwhile. cac-cia, hunt.
al-1' uo-mo, to the man. 6g-gi, to-day.
nar-rd,-re, to relate. po-e-ta, poet.
In the groups S+ consonant, consonant +r, those men-
tioned in 5, and cl, fl, gl, pi, both consonants belong to the
following syllable. i = y and u = w go with the following
vowel; ai, au, ei, eu, oi are not separated.
£6-sta ca-sti-ghi ri-flet-te-re
te-£-tro del-P ac-qua miei
a-vrd in-chio-stro al-P au-ra
bi-s6-gno mi-glio-re tudi
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PRONUNCIATION
[The numbers prefixed to the following notes refer to the paragraphs of the fore-
going chapter.]
1. The Tuscan names of the letters are:
a e i Inne erre vu or vi
bi efife je or i lungo 6 esse zeta (with z pro-
ci gi elle pi ti nounced dz)
di acca emme cu u
They do not change in the plural. Their gender is not fixed; in
general those ending in -a or -e are considered as feminine, the
others as masculine. K, x, y are cdppa, fccase, ipsilon, all masculine.
2. (a) The sounds &, 6, 6, followed by a single consonant, are
somewhat longer than the other vowels: for instance, in dato, fero,
6vo the accented a, e, o are longer than in dattero, vero, 6ve.
Final accented vowels sound particularly short: as in am6, belta,
caffe.
(6) In forming i the mouth should be made as broad as possible
from side to side. For u and 6 the lips should be puckered. For
a and e the mouth should be opened very wide.
PRONUNCIATION 7
3. (a) If an adverb in -mente is formed from an adjective con-
taining e or 6, this vowel has, in the adverb, a secondary accent,
and retains its open sound: as (breve) brevemente, briefly; (nobile)
ndbilmente, nobly. Furthermore, e and 6 retain their quality in
seeming compounds that consist, in reality, of two or more sepa-
rate words: as tostoche =tostoche =t6sto che, as soon as.
(6) Past absolute forms and past participles in -esi, -eso, -osi,
-oso have a close e or o; except chiesi (also chiesi), esp!6si, es-
pldso, leso.
(c) In the suffixes -eccio (-a), -esco (-a), -ese, -essa, -etto
(-a), -ezzo (-a), -mente, and -mento the e is always close; while
in the diminutive suffix -ello (-a), and in the endings -ente, -enza,
-erio (or -ero), and -esimo (-a) it is open: as inglese, English;
probabilmente, probably; prudente, prudent; ventesimo, twentieth.
(d) In the endings -oio, -one, -ore, and in the suffix -oso (-a)
the o is close; while in the ending -orio, and in -occio (-a), -otto
(-a), and -ozzo (-a), used as suffixes to nouns or adjectives, it is
open: as vassoio, tray; amore, love; romitdrio, hermitage; casdtta,
good-sized home.
(e) In the following cases accented e or o may have either the
close or the open sound: in Giorgio, maestra, maestro, nego (from
neg&re), neve, organo, scendere, senza, siete and sono (from es-
sere), spegnere, Stefano, vendere; and in the past future endings
-esti, -emmo, -este. The present subjunctive forms dleno, sieno,
stieno are pronounced also dieno, sieno, stieno.
(/) In poetry we often find e for ie, 6 for ud: as ven=viene, he
comes; cor = cudre, heart. Simple 6 for u6 is very common in mod-
ern spoken Tuscan: as bono = buono, good; novo = nuovo, new.
4. c. (a] Between two vowels, of which the second is e or i,
single c and single g are, in ordinary Tuscan speech, pronounced
respectively like sh in 'ship' and si in 'vision': as pdce, peace;
stagione, season. 9
(b) Between two vowels, of which the second is a, o, or u, a
single c or a q is, in popular Tuscan speech, sounded nearly like
English h: as poco (p6ho), little; di questa cosa (di hwe*sta hosa),
of this thing. This pronunciation is regarded as inelegant.
8 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
j. Some writers use j, except after a consonant, for the i that is
pronounced y: as jeri for ieri, yesterday; pajo for paio, pair. It is
sometimes used also for final i in the plural of words in unaccented
-io : as speech] (also speech! and occasionally specchii) for specchi,
mirrors, plural of specchio.
z. Aside from verbs in -izzare, z and zz have the value dz in
the following words and their derivatives:
arzfllo
frizzo
magazzino
romanzo
zelo
azzurro
garzone
manzo
ronzio
zenit
barzelletta
gazzella
mezzo
rozzo
zero
bizza
gazzetta
orizzonte
zaffiro
zeta
brezza
gdnzo
6rzo
zaffrone
zinco
bronzo
Lazzaro
penzolo
zanzara
zodiaco
donzella
lazzeretto
pranzo
zebra
zolla
dozzina
lazzo
ribrezzo
zeffiro
zona
also in all derivatives of the Greek zoos, and in many uncommon
words.
5. In pronouncing gli and gn the point of the tongue should
remain behind the lower teeth : as figlio, son; 6gni, every.
6. If one of the words mentioned below, or any oxytone ending
in a vowel, is closely followed by a word beginning with a conso-
nant, this consonant is, in Tuscany, generally pronounced double.
The words are:1
a
dl, day
giu
o4
sopra
che
di', say
ha
piu
sta2
chi
e
ho
qua
sto
ci6
e
infra
qualche
su
come
fa2
intra
qui
te3
contra
fe% faith
la
re
tra
da
fe'=fece
B
sa
tre
di, gives
fo
ma
•e, tf
tu
da', give
fra
me3
se
va2
do
fu
mo'=modo
si
vo=vado
dove
gia
ne
so
vo'=v6glio
1 The materials for this list were taken from D'Ovidio's article in Grober's Grundr
riB der romanischen Philologie, I, p. 496 (2d ed., p. 644).
8 Both the imperative sing, and the pres. ind. third sing.
1 The disjunctive form.
4 Both the conjunction or and the interrogative particle.
PRONUNCIATION
verra. da me domdni (verraddamme'ddomani), he will come to
my house to-morrow. In such cases c is, of course, never pro-
nounced like h (see 4, c, (6).
INFLECTIONS OF THE VOICE
1. Italian speech is at once smoother and less monotonous than
American: it is less interrupted by breathings, and it has far
greater variations of pitch. In order to speak or read Italian well,
an American must learn to breathe in speaking as he does in sing-
ing; he must inhale deeply at the beginning of the clause, and not
stop again until he reaches the end of it. The following directions
may be of use; they are based on the Tuscan pronunciation, and
particularly on that of Siena.
2. (a) The simplest inflection in a declarative sentence is as fol-
lows: at the beginning the voice is pitched low; it rises in the
middle (in earnest conversation often to a falsetto), and falls again
at the end. The most emphatic word generally receives the high-
est tone; if there are no words after it to complete the cadence, the
first words of the phrase are often repeated at the end: as me lo
dicono tutti me lo dicono, they all tell me so, where the u of tutti is
an octave higher than the beginning and the close of the sentence.
(6) When there is a pause on some not particularly emphatic
word before the main verb, that word has a slight circumflex ac-
cent, the voice rising about one semitone and falling about three:
as fudri di citta A c' e una bellissima vflla\, outside the city there's a
beautiful villa, where bellissima has the high pitch, and the a of
citta has the circumflex. This accent is generally heard whenever
modifying clauses or phrases precede the main clause.
(c) Almost all declarative sentences are made up chiefly of these
two inflections, the long rise and fall and the short circumflex*
Americans must avoid breaking up their sentences by meaningless
falling tones. The fall occurs in Italian, as in English, on a very
emphatic word, and at the end of a sentence. It is used, also,
with a verb of saying or thinking, followed by a direct quotation;
10 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
and with any word or phrase used as a vocative, except in loud
calling (see 4, b): as allora chiama Alfredo e gli dice\: Bambino\,
dfmmi la verita\, where the syllables fre, bam, and dim have the
highest pitch.
3. (a) Questions to which the answer may be 'yes' or 'no*
have either one of two circumflex accents: in the first the voice
rises about five semitones and falls one; in the second, which is
sometimes used in reading and in polite phrases, the voice rises
and falls about an octave. Ex.: Thai visto? have you seen him?
where the pitches of P hai, vi, and sto may be represented by the
notes do, fa, mi; ha ben donnito? did you sleep well f where mi is
an octave higher than dor and to. The former accent may be
heard in the Irish pronunciation of English.
(b) These inflections are nearly always confined to the last few
syllables of the sentence. In some questions, however, they ap-
pear twice, generally occurring first on the verb; and occasionally
the circumflex on the verb is the only one.
(c) Questions that cannot be answered by 'yes' or 'no' usually
begin high, the pitch depending on the emphasis. The voice then
falls, but generally rises again at the last syllable, going up about
three semitones: as o come\ hai fatto/? how did you do it? This
accent is common among the Irish, and may be heard in England.
The final rise is, however, often omitted, especially in very short
sentences and in polite phrases: as come sta\? how do you do?
4. (a) Exclamations of surprise begin very high, and sink rap-
idly: as senti\! no! un affar di niente\! you don't say so!1 where un
has the main stress; per mio bacco! / want to know!1 with the ac-
cent on per.
(6) In calling to persons at a distance, the Tuscans sing rather
than speak; the usual tune is do, la, sol, the accented syllable being
highest: as Agostinal Augustine! partenza! all aboard!
1 Popular New England equivalents.
ARTICLES 11
ARTICLES
9. The article is not declined, but it agrees with its noun
in gender and number.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
10. Masculine :
(a) Sing, il, pi. i, before a word beginning with any consonant
except s impure l and z.
(6) Sing, lo, pi. gli, before a vowel or s impure or z.2
Before a vowel lo becomes 1*; gli becomes gP before i.
il padre, the father. i padri, the fathers.
lo stesso padre, the same father, gli stessi pddri, the same fathers
lo sciame, the swarm. gli sciami, the swarms.
lo zio, the uncle. gli zii, the uncles.
V u6mo, the man. gli uomini, the men.
V insetto, the insect. gl' insetti, the insects.
11. Feminine:
Sing, la, pi. le.
Before a vowel la becomes P; le becomes P before e.
la mddre, the mother. le mddri, the mothers.
P 6ra, the hour. le 6re, the hours.
V erba, the herb. P erbe, the herbs.
12. When the definite article is preceded by one of the
prepositions di, da, a, in, con, su, per, the article and prep6-
1 That is, s followed by another consonant.
8 Li is sometimes used for gli. Some writers use il, i before z and before see- or
sci-. In poetry lo is often used for il.
12
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
sition are generally contracted into one word, as shown in
the following table (con, per are often uncontracted1):
il
i
lo
gli
la
le
1»
di, of
del
dei or de'
dello
degli
della
delle
dell'
da, by
dal
dai or da'
dallo
dagli
dalla
dalle
dall'
a, to
al
ai or a'
allo
agli
alia
alle
aU'
in, in
nel
nei or ne*
nello
negli
nella
nelle
nell'
con, with
col
coi or co'
collo
cogli
colla
colle
coll'
su, on
sul
sui or su'
sullo
sugli
sulla
sulle
sull'
per, for
pel
pel or pe'
per lo
per gli
per la
per le
perl'
del pddre, of the father.
illo specchio, to the mirror.
colla mddre, with the mother.
sull' uomo, on the man.
dai pddri, by the fathers.
negli specchi, in the mirrors.
colle mddri, with the mothers.
per gli uomini, for the men.
(a) The word some is frequently rendered in Italian by di with
the definite article. This is called the partitive construction.
Give me some wine.
Some fine things.
D£temi del vino.
Delle belle cose.
13. In the following cases the definite article is used in
Italian, though not in English :
(a) Before the possessive adjectives:
H n6stro giardino.
I su6i fratelli.
Our garden.
His brothers.
When, however, the possessive qualifies an otherwise unmodified
noun in the singular expressing relationship, the article is generally
omitted: as mia m£dre, my mother. For a fuller statement, see
45, a.
1 Some writers, especially poets, prefer to keep other prepositions separate from
th« article.
ARTICLES 13
(6) Before an abstract noun or one denoting a whole class; but
not before one designating a part of a class:
L' uomo prop6ne. Man proposes (i.e., all mankind).
I fi6ri n£,scono dal seme. Flowers spring from the seed (i.e.,
all flowers).
La morte e il peggi6re dei Death is the worst of evils (i.e.,
mali. death in general, and all evils).
BUT
II mio giardino e ttitto fio- My garden is all in flower; roses,
rito ; rose, gigli, viole man- lilies, violets send forth a sweet
dano un od6re sodve. fragrance (i.e., some roses, etc.).
(c) Before a noun and adjective used either in a specific or in a
general (but not in a partitive) sense:
L* a"nno sc6rso. Last year (i.e., the last year).
H povero Luigi non vi6ne. {The) poor Lewis doesn't come.
Gli uomini buoni. Good men (i.e., all good men).
BUT
Ho trova"to dappertutto uo- 7 have found (some) good men
mini bu6ni. everywhere.
(d) Before a title followed by a proper name:
La regina Vittoria. Queen Victoria.
H sign6r Briini. Mr. Brown.
It is not used, however, before Don, Messer, and Ser.
(e) Before family names; often before familiar given names of
women; occasionally before familiar given names of men:
H Bidnchi e morto. White is dead.
La Pdtti cdnta. Patti sings.
Con6sco V Olivia. 7 know Olivia.
Vie"ne il Tonio. Tony is coming.
(/) Before names of provinces, countries, and continents:
la Tosc^na, Tuscany. all' Italia, to Italy.
la Svizzera, Switzerland. per P Europa, for Europe.
But the article is omitted after in in phrases that denote going
to or dwelling in a country; and often after di or in when the
14 ITALIAN GKAMMAR
preposition with the name of a country is equivalent to an adjective
of nationality:
Vddo in Germania. / go to Germany.
Rimango in Francia. / remain in France.
La regina d' Inghilterra. The queen of England (i.e., the
English queen).
II vino di Spdgna. The wine of Spain (i.e., Spanish
wine).
II teairo in Italia. The drama in Italy (i.e., the Ital-
ian drama).
The article is not used regularly with names of cities: as ve-
dre"mo Roma, we shall see Rome. La Spezia, however, has the
article; and so have a few others.
In all the above cases (beginning with 13, a) the article,
unless it would be employed in English, is omitted when
the noun is used as a vocative or is modified by a numeral
or a pronominal adjective. It is often omitted in lists.
Sign6ra M6nti, c6me sta? Mrs. Monti, how do you do?
Italia, ti rivedo. Italy, I see thee again.
Vieni, amico mio. Come, my friend.
Due bellissimi cdni. Two very fine dogs.
Qu£sta sua opera. This work of his.
Ha pare"cchi vizi. He has several bad habits.
F6de, speranza, carita. Faith, hope, and charity.
THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE
14. Masculine :
(a) Un before a vowel or any consonant except s impure and 2.
(6) Uno before s impure or z.1
un pddre, a father. un uomo, a man.
un anello, a ring. uno specchio, a mirror.
tino sci£me, a swarm. fino zio, an uncle.
Note that masculine un before a vowel has no apostrophe.
1 Some writers use tin before z and before see- or sci-.
NOUNS 15
16. Feminine:
tJna, which becomes un* before a vowel,
fina mddre, a mother. un' 6ra, an hour.
16. In the following cases the indefinite article, though
expressed in English, is omitted in Italian:
(a) Before a predicate noun expressing occupation, condition,
rank, or nationality, and not accompanied by an adjective.
figli £ po6ta, he is a poet. S6no marchese, I am a marquis.
Sieteitaliano, you are an Italian. E mMico, he is a doctor.
(6) Generally before an antecedent (of a relative clause) used in
apposition to a preceding noun modified by a definite article or a
demonstrative pronoun.
L' Arno, fiiime che tra versa The Arno, a river which traverses
Firenze. Florence.
(c) After da meaning as, like, or for. See 79, g.
Da u6mo. Like a man.
NOUNS
17. Italian nouns are not declined. Possession is denoted
by the preposition di :
Lo sp^cchio di mio padre. My father's looking-glass.
GENDER
18. There are no neuter nouns in Italian.1 .
Nouns denoting males and females keep their natural
gender; except creatura, creature; guida, guide; guardia,
1 Latin neuters become masculine in Italian; masculines and feminines retain theii
Latin gender. This rule has very few exceptions.
16 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
guard; persona, person; sentinella, sentinel; spia, spy; staf-
fetta, courier; vedetta, scout; which are feminine.
il fratello, the brother. mia sorella, my sister.
il po6ta, the poet. la poetessa, the poetess.
una spia, a spy. la nostra guida, our guide.
19. Of nouns denoting objects without sex some are
masculine, some feminine. Their gender can often be de-
termined by the final letter. All Italian nouns end in -a, -e,
-i, -o, or -u:1
(a) Those ending in -a are feminine; except colera, cholera; qual-
cosa, something; Greek neuters in -ma,2 many geographical names,
and a few other words, mostly foreign.
un' 6ra, an hour. un telegramma, a telegram.
il Canada, Canada. il sofa, the sofa.
(6) Of those ending in -e and -i some are masculine, some femi-
nine. All ending in -zione, -gione, or -tidine are feminine.
il fiume, the river. la pace, peace.
tin di, a day. una metropoli, a metropolis.
la ragi6ne, the reason. la servitiidine, service.
(c) Those ending in -o are masculine; except mano, hand.
il ginocchio, the knee. la mano, the hand.
(d) Those ending in -u are feminine; except soprappiu, surplus,
and a few foreign words.
la virtu, virtue. il bambu, bamboo.
20. Any other part of speech (except an adjective3) used
as a noun must be masculine : as il viaggiare, traveling.
21. Masculine names of trees hi -o or -e have a feminine
form in -a or -e respectively, denoting their fruit; but il dat-
1 A few foreign nouns used in Italian end in a consonant: as lapis, pencil (i lapis,
the pencils). Nouns in -o or -e often drop that vowel if the preceding consonant is
1, n, or r: as cane =can, dog. 2 Mostly scientific terms.
1 Adjectives of course have the gender of the nouns they represent. An adjective
used as an abstract noun is masculine: il bello, the beautiful = beauty.
NOUNS 17
tero, date, il fico, fig, il limone, lemon, il porno, apple, are
always the same, whether denoting the tree or the fruit.
un susino, a plum tree. una susina, a plum.
il n6ce, the walnut tree. la n6ce, the walnut.
quest! fichi, these fig trees, these figs.
NUMBER
22. Feminines in unaccented a form their plural by
changing a into e.
la strada, the street. le strade, the streets.
una bugia, a lie. le bugle, lies.
(a) Feminines in -ca and -ga form their plural in -che and -ghe
respectively (the h being inserted merely to indicate that the c
and g keep their hard sound).
un' 6ca, a goose. m61te oche, many geese.
la bottega, the shop. parecchie botteghe, several shops.
(b) Nouns in unaccented -cia and -gia form their plural in -ce
and -ge respectively.1
la gudncia, the cheek. le guance, the cheeks.
una ciliegia, a cherry. taiite ciliege, so many cherries.
23. Masculines hi unaccented -a and all nouns in unac-
cented -o and -e (not -ie) form their plural in -i.2
un poeta, a poet. due poeti, two poets.
10 zio, the uncle. gli ztt, the uncles.
la mano, the hand. le mie mani, my hands.
un mese, a month. tre mesi, three months.
la cornice, the frame. quattro cornici, four frames.
(a) Masculines in -ca and -ga form their plural in -chi and -ghi
respectively.
11 mondrca, the monarch. i mondrchi, the monarchs. *
il collega, the colleague. i colleghi, the colleagues.
1 Provincia has provincie. In general borrowed words and words whose plural is
necessarily very rare keep the i: audacia, audacie.
* In old Italian and in poetry words in.-ello and -ale often form their plural in
-egli or -ei, -agli or -ai: capello, capegli; animale, animai.
18 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(6) Nouns in unaccented -io form their plural by changing -io
to -i (often written i, j, or ii).
10 specchio, the mirror. gli specchi, the mirrors.
11 cili^gio, the cherry tree. i ciliegi, the cherry trees.
(c) Nouns in -go form their plural in -ghi. Nouns in -co form
their plural in -chi if the penult is accented, otherwise in -ci.
il castigo, the punishment. i castighi, the punishments.
un catalogo, a catalogue. due cataUoghi, two catalogues.
il fico, the fig. cinque fichi, five figs.
antico, ancient. gli antichi, the ancients.
un medico, a doctor. sei medici, six doctors.
This rule has a number of exceptions. In the following lists,
words whose irregular plural is rare are omitted.
1. Compound nouns in -logo denoting persons engaged in the
sciences, and all compound nouns in -fago form their plural in -gi.1
il fisiologo, the physiologist. i fisiologi, physiologists.
antropofago, cannibal. antropofagi, cannibals.
2. The following words form their plural in -ci, although the
penult is accented:
amico greco inimico nemico porco*
Greco has a regular plural in the expression vim grechi.
3. The following words form their plural in -chi, although the
penult is unaccented:
abbaco farmaco lastrico rammarico strascico
acrostico indaco manico risico tossico
carico3 intonaco parroco sciatico traffico
dimentico3 intrinseco pizzico st6maco valico4
Acrostico and farmaco have also regular plurals.
1 Likewise the rare or obsolete words: flemmagogo, idragogo, metalltkgo, sargo
(also reg. plur.), sortilege. Magicians = maghi; Magi = magi.
2 Likewise the rare words: aprico, lombrico (also reg.), uvamico, vico.
* Likewise its compounds.
4 Likewise the rare or obsolete words: filaccico. mantaco (also reg.), ostatico, sfilac-
oico, statico (noun), uncico.
NOUNS 19
(d) The following masculines in -o have an irregular plural in
-a which is feminine :
centinaio, hundred. miglio, mile. uovo, egg.
migliaio, thousand. paio, pair.
Many masculines in -o have this irregular feminine plural in -a
besides the regular masculine plural in -i. The most common are;
braccio, arm. grido, shout. muro, wall.
dito, finger. labbro, lip. orecchio, ear.
frutto, fruit. legno, wood. dsso, bone.
ginocchio, knee. membro, member.
un paio, a pair. sette paia, seven pairs.
il mio braccio, my arm. le tue braccia, thy arms.
il labbro, the lip. le labbra or i labbri, the lips.
un osso, a bone. le 6ssa or gli ossi, the bones.
Braccio, ginocchio, labbro, and orecchio nearly always have the
irregular plural when denoting the two arms, knees, lips, or ears
belonging to the same body.
24. All monosyllables, and all nouns ending in -i, -ie, -u;
an accented vowel, or a consonant, are invariable.
il re, the king. i re, the kings.
il brindisi, the toast. i brindisi, the toasts.
una specie, a kind. otto specie, eight kinds
la virtu, virtue. le virtu, the virtues.
una citta, a city. dieci citta, ten cities.
F omnibus, the omnibus. gli omnibus, the omnibusses*
25. The following nouns have irregular plurals:
bue, ox, pi. buoi. moglie, "wife, pi. mogli.
dio, god, pi. dei.1 uomo, man, pi. udmini.
* The article used with dei is gli: gli dei.
20 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
ADJECTIVES
26. Adjectives agree with their nouns in gender and
number. An adjective modifying two nouns of different
genders is generally put in the masculine plural.
II gatto e pulfto. The cat is neat.
Stanze pulite. Neat rooms.
Una casa e un giardino bellini. A pretty house and garden.
La ragazza e bellina. The girl is pretty.
27. Numeral and pronominal adjectives, bello, bravo,
buono, and the commonest adjectives of size and quantity,
precede their nouns. Adjectives of nationality, shape, and
material follow.
Adjectives whose use is prompted by emotion, and adjec-
tives used in a figurative sense, generally precede.
Otherwise, of the noun and adjective, the one that con-
tains the chief idea comes last.
Due cani. Two dogs.
Troppo pane. Too much bread.
La budna madre. The good mother.
Le grand! citta. Great cities.
Un libro francese. A French book.
Questa palla rotonda. This round ball.
Pover' uomo! Poor man!
Una nera menz6gna. A black falsehood.
La vostra gentilissima lettera. Your kind letter.
£ un uomo gentilissimo. He is a kind man,
GENDER AND NUMBER
28. Adjectives ending in -o are masculine, and form their
feminine in -a. Adjectives in -e are invariable in the singu-
lar.
buono stivaletto, good boot. buona scdrpa, good shoe.
ragazzo felice, happy boy. ragazza felice, happy girl.
ADJECTIVES 21
29. Adjectives form their plural in the same way as nouns
(see 22, 23) : -o, pi. -i; -a, pi. -e; -e, pi. always -i.
sei buoni cassett6ni, six good 6tto buone seggiole, eight good
bureaus. chairs.
due uomini f elici, two happy tre donne f elici, three happy women.
men.
(a) Parecchi, several, has for its feminine parecchie.
(6) Qualche, some, is used only in the singular, even when the
meaning is plural: as qualche volta, sometimes.
(c) When preceding a noun, bello, beautiful, has forms similar to
those of the definite article; and Santo, Saint, and grande, great,
have corresponding forms in the singular.1 Buono, good, when
preceding its noun, has a singular similar to the indefinite article.
The masculine of these words (which is the only irregular part) is,
therefore, as follows:
Before any consonant except s impure or z : bel, San, gran, buon ;
pi. bei, Santi, grandi, buoni.
Before s impure or z: bello, Santo, grande, bu6no;pl. begli, Santi,
grandi, buoni.
Before a vowel: bell', Sant', grand', buon; pi. begli, Santi, grandi,
buoni.
When used after a noun or in the predicate these adjectives have
their full forms (bello, belli, Santo, Santi, grande, grandi, buono,
buoni).
Un bel quddro. A fine picture.
Due bei letti. Two fine beds.
Un bello scaffale. A fine bookcase.
Quattro begli stivali. Four fine boots.
Un bell' andito. A fine hall.
M61ti begli orologi. Many fine clocks.
Una bella stufa. A fine stove.
Parecchie belle tende. Several fine curtains.
II palazzo e bello. The palace is fine. $
1 Gran is, moreover, often used in the fern. sing, (for grande), and sometimes in
the plur. (for grandi) ; it is regularly used before fern. sing, nouns in -e, and in the
expression una gran bella (gr te&ta) Q§ga, Grande, on the other hand, is occasionally
vised for gran.
22
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
Le sedie son belle.
San Pietro, Santo Stefano e
Sant' Antonio.
Un gran fuoco.
Grand! camini.
II grande scaldino.
Dieci grand! spill! .
Un grande scikme.
II grande zipolo.
Un grand' armadio.
Ve"nti grand! alberi.
Una grande camera.
Cinque grand! finestre.
II salotto e m61to grande.
Un bu6n lume.
Buoni fiammiferi.
II budno sgabello.
Nove budni scolari.
II bu6n olio.
Parecchi buoni aghi.
tJna bu6na cucina.
Le buone candele.
II bambino e budno.
The chairs are beautiful.
St. Peter, St. Stephen, and St. An-
thony.
A big fire.
Big fireplaces.
The big foot-warmer.
Ten big pins.
A great swarm.
The large bung.
A big wardrobe.
Twenty big trees.
A large bedroom.
Five big windows.
The parlor is very large.
A good lamp.
Good matches.
The good stool.
Nine good pupils.
The good oil.
Several good needles.
A good kitchen.
The good candles.
The child is good.
30. Any adjective of either gender or either number may
be used as a noun.
I budni, the good.
la bella, the beautiful woman.
COMPARISON
31. All Italian adjectives form their comparative by pre-
fixing piu, more, and their superlative by prefixing the
definite article to the comparative.
bello, beautiful; piu bello, more beautiful; il piu bello, the most beau-
tiful.
lungo, long; piu lungo, longer; il piu lungo, the longest.
When the superlative immediately follows the noun, this
article is omitted.
La via piu c6rta. The shortest way.
ADJECTIVES 23
(a) The following adjectives have an irregular comparison in
addition to the regular one:
alto, high; pift alto or superiore; il pift alto or il superiore.
bdsso, low; pill basso or inf eriore ; il pift Msso or V inf eriore.
buono, good; piil buono or migliore1; il phi buono or il migli6re.
cattivo, bad; pit! cattivo or peggiore1; il piil cattivo or il peggi6re.
• gr&nde, big; piil grande or maggiore; il piil grande or il maggiore.
piccolo, small; piil piccolo or minore ; il piil piccolo or il minore.
Higher and lower are commonly rendered by piu alto and piil
b&sso; superiore and inf eriore generally mean superior and in-
ferior. Migliore and peggiore are more used than piu buono and
phi cattivo, which have the same sense. Larger and smaller are gen-
erally piu grande and piu piccolo ; maggiore and minore usually
signify older and younger.
Noi si£mo migliori di 16ro. We are better than they.
Questa sdla da pranzo £ la This dining room is the biggest.
piil grdnde.
Pietro e il fratello minore. Peter is the youngest brother.
32. The adverb less is expressed by meno, least by il
meno. As ... as, so ... as are tanto . . . quanto, tanto . . .
come, cosi . . . come, or simply quanto.
Qu611a stdnza & la meno That room is the least pretty.
bellina.
Pdolo non e tanto buono come Paul isn't so good as Robert.
Roberto.
Giovanni edlto quanto Filippo. John is as tall as Philip.
33. Than is che.
L' albergo e piti grande che The hotel is bigger than it is beau-
bello. tiful
But before a noun, a pronoun, or a numeral than is ren-
dered by the preposition di (see 12). ^
Riccdrdo e peggi6re di me. Richard is worse than I.
V6i siete pi(i ricchi del re. You are richer than the king.
Me"no di cinque. Less than five.
1 The adverbs better and worse are meglio and peggio.
24 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
If, however, this than is preceded by a word meaning
rather, it is translated che.
Piutt6sto la morte che il diso- Rather death than dishonor.
n6re.
Before an inflected verb than is che non or di quel chet
If the verb has a negative subject, than is che.
Abbdia piu che non morde. He barks more than he bites.
Prometto meno di quel che do. / promise less than I give.
Pill lieto che nessiin figlio lo Happier than any son had been.
era stato.
34. The more . . . the more, the less . . . the less, are piu . . .
piu, meno . . . meno. More and less after a number are di
piu, di meno. In speaking of time, longer after a negative
is piu.
Pift studio, pill imparo. The more I study, the more I learne
Tre"nta gi6rni di meno. Thirty days less.
Non lo vediamo pift. We see him no longer.
AUGMENTATIVES AND DIMINUTIVES;
NUMERALS
AUGMENTATIVE AND DIMINUTIVE ENDINGS
35. Instead of a word expressing size or quality, the Ital-
ians often use a suffix. This suffix may be added to a noun,
an adjective, or an adverb. When added to an adjective,
and generally when added to a noun, it takes the gender of
the word to which it is affixed : occasionally, however, a suf-
fix with masculine termination is added to a feminine noun,
which thereby becomes masculine. A word loses its final
vowel before a suffix; but the preceding consonant, if it be
c or g, must keep its former quality: as Ca>lo+ino = Car-
lino, voce+6ne = vocione, pocoH-ino = pochino, ad^gio+ino
= adagino.
AUGMENTATIVES AND DIMINUTIVES; NUMERALS 25
(a) The commonest ending is -issimo (fern, -issima), very,
which in general is added only to adjectives and adverbs. Adverbs
in -mente add the -issima before the -mente (see 85). Any adjec-
tive may take it, and it is very often used in cases where it would
be entirely superfluous in English.
largo, wide. larghissimo, very wide.
b£ne, well. benissimo, very well.
grande, big. grandissimo, very big.
fa un tempo bellissimo, it's bellissimamente, very beautifully,
beautiful weather.
(b) The principal suffix denoting bigness is -6ne; it is always
masculine, but has a rare feminine form, -6na.
libro, book. un librone, a big book.
cdsa, house. un casone, a large house.
b6ccia, decanter. una bocciona, a big decanter.
(c) The most important Ssuffixes denoting smallness are -ino,
-cino, -icino, -iccino, -etto, -ello, -cello, -icello, -arello, -erello,
-6tto, -uccio, -uzzo, -u61o, with their fern, -ina, etc. These end-
ings, especially -uccio, are often used to express affection; some of
them may be used to express pity or contempt. Otto sometimes
means somewhat large instead of small.
sorella, sister. sorellina, little sister.
bello, beautiful. bellino, pretty.
brtitto, ugly. bruttino, rather ugly.
piazza, square. piazzetta, little square.
Giorgio, George. Giorgetto, Georgie.
campana, bell. campanello, little bell.
aquila, eagle. aquilotto, eaglet.
casa, house. casfitta, rather large house.
Giovanni, John. Giovannuccio, dear little Johnny.
pazzo, mad. pazzarella, poor mad woman.
p6vero, poor. poverini, poor things !
(d) The ending -ficcio denotes worthlessness.
r6ba, stuff, goods. robaccia, trash.
t&npo, weather. tempdccio, nasty weather.
Alfredo, Alfred. Alfredaccio, naughty Alfred.
26
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
36. Of the endings added to nouns -ino is by far the
most common; the only ones that are freely used to form
new compounds are -ino, little, -one, great, -uccio, dear,
and -accio, bad. In very many cases, endings lose their
character of independent suffixes, and become inseparable
parts of certain words, whose meanings they often change:
as scala, stairway; scalino, stair; scaletto, ladder. So brother,
sister are always fratello, sorella. Some suffixes (as -uolo)
are rarely used except hi this way. Others (as -cino, -icino,
-ello, -cello, -icello, -arello, -erello) cannot be attached to
any word at pleasure, their use being determined by pre-
cedent or euphony.
37. Sometimes several suffixes are added at once to the
same word: as ladro, thief; ladrone, terrible thief; ladroncello,
terrible little thief.
NUMERALS
38. The cardinal numerals are:
1, uno.
15, quindici.
28, ventotto or
101, centuno or
2, due.
16, sedici.
vent' otto.
cent' uno.
3, tre.
17, diciassette.
29, ventindve.
105, centocinque.
4, quattro.
18, diciotto.
30, trenta.
115, centoquindici.
5, cinque.
19, diciannove.
31, trentuno or
125, cento venti-
6, sei.
20, venti.
trent' uno.
cinque.
7, sette.
21, ventuno or
32, trentadue.
200, dugento or
8, 6tto.
vent' uno.
40, quaranta.
duecento.
9, n6ve.
22, ventidue.
50, cinquanta.
250, dugento cin-
10, died.
23, ventitre.
60, sessanta.
quanta.
11, undid.
24, ventiquattro.
70, settanta.
300, trecento.
12, d6dici.
25, venticinque.
80, ottanta.
400, quattrocento.
13, tredici.
26, ventisei.
90, novanta.
1000, mflle.
14, quatt6rdid.
27, ventisette.
100, cento.
2000, due mila.
Uno has a feminine una; when used adjectively it has the
same forms as the indefinite article; so also ventuno, etc.
AUGMENTATIVES AND DIMINUTIVES; NUMERALS 27
The plural of mille is mila. A million is un milione or mil-
lione, of which the plural is milioni or million!.
1. No conjunction is used between the different parts of a num-
ber: as dugento quaranta, two hundred and forty. No indefinite
article is used before cento and mille: as cento libri, a hundred
books.
2. Cento, dugento, etc., when followed by another numeral of
more than two syllables may lose the final syllable -to : as seicento
cinquanta or seicencinquanta, six hundred and fifty.
3. Eleven hundred, twelve hundred, etc., must be rendered mille-
cento, mille dugento, etc. : as mille ottocento ottantasStte, 1887.
4. Both, all three, etc., are tutti (fern, tutte) e due, tutti (fern.
tutte) e tre, etc.
(a) If the noun modified by ventuno, trentuno, etc., follows this
numeral, it is regularly in the singular; as trentun giorno, thirty-
one days. Sometimes, however, the noun precedes the numeral,
and then it is in the plural.
Sessantuna lira, or lire sessan- Sixty-one francs.
ttina.
(&) In dates the definite article is prefixed to the number repre-
senting the year, if that number does not follow the name of a
month. For instance, 1915 is il 1915.
Nel mille ottocento ottanta- In 1887.
sette.
(c) What time is it f is che ora e? or che ore sono? It is six, etc.,
is s6no le sei, etc., ore being understood. One o'clock is il tocco.
S6no le due e mezzo. It's half past two.
S6no le tre e dieci. It's ten minutes past three.
Ci mancano venti minuti alle It's twenty minutes to four.
quattro.
S6no le cinque meno uu quarto. It's a quarter to five.
28
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
39. The ordinal numerals are:
1st, prime.
2d, secondo.
3d, terzo.
4th, quarto.
5th, quinto.
6th, sesto.
7th, settimo.
8th, ottavo.
9th, nono.
10th, decimo.
llth, undecimo or
decimo primo.
12th, duodecimo or 20th,
decimo secondo. 21st,
13th, tredicesimo or
decimo terzo. 22d,
14th, quattordicesimo or
decimo quarto. 30th,
15th, quindicesimo or 100th,
decimo quinto. 101st,
16th, decimo sesto. 115th,
17th, decimo settimo. 200th,
18th, decimo ottavo. 1000th,
19th, decimo ndno. 2000th,
ventesimo.
ventesimo primo or
ventunesimo.
ventesimo secondo
or ventiduesimo.
trentesimo.
centesimo.
centesimo primo.
centoquindicesimo.
dugentesimo.
millesimo.
duemilesimo.
All of them form their feminines and plurals like other
adjectives in -o.
Le settantesime quinte cose. The 75th things.
(a) Ordinal numerals are used after the words book, chapter,
and the names of rulers; but no article intervenes.
Carlo secondo. Charles the Second.
Pio nono. Pius IX.
Libro terzo. Book the Third.
Capitolo qu&rto. Chapter four.
(b) For the day of the month, except the first, a cardinal num-
ber is used.
II di cinque d' aprile or il The fifth of April.
cinque aprile.
II primo di mdggio. The first of May.
(c) The fourteenth century is il secolo decimo quarto or il Tre-
cento (i. e. mille trecento). H Dugento, il Quattrocento, il Cin-
quecento are often used for the 13th, 15th, and 16th centuries,
and the later century names may be similarly abbreviated.
(d) A third, a fourth, a fifth, etc., are un terzo, un quarto, un
quinto, etc. Half is la meta; the adjective half is mezzo.
PRONOUNS 29
40. A couple or a pair is un paio. A dozen is una doz-
zina. The expressions una decina, una ventina, una tren-
tina, etc., un centinaio, un migliaio, mean about ten, about
twenty, etc. (see 23, d). Once, twice, etc., are una volta, due
volte, etc.
tin paio di scdrpe. A pair of shoes.
Una cinquantina di pers6ne. Some fifty persons.
L' ho visto parecchie vdlte. I've seen it several times.
DEMONSTRATIVE, INTERROGATIVE, RELATIVE,
AND POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
41. For the indefinite pronouns, see 86-91.
42. 1. The demonstratives used adjectively are questo,1
this, and quello or cotesto, that. Cotesto (also codesto) is
used of objects associated with the person addressed.
Questo and cotesto are inflected like other adjectives; but
they generally drop o before a vowel. Quello is inflected
like bello (see 29, c).
quest' uomo, this man. queste ragdzze, these girls.
quel bambino, that infant. quei fanciiilli, those children.
quell' zmico^that friend. quegli sposi, that couple.
quello zio, that uncle. quelle sign6re, those ladies.
Questo and quello are also used substantively for this,
that, this one, that one: as fate questo, non fate quello, do
this, don't do that.
2. This man is translated by questi; that man by queglL
,quei, or cotesti (rare); these words are invariable, refer only
to persons, and are used only in the nominative singular.
Costui and colui mean respectively the same as questi and
1 In archaic or literary Italian esso is sometimes used for questo.
30 ITALIAN GEAMMAB
quegli, but are not defective, having a feminine singular
costei, colei, and a plural (both genders alike) cost6ro,coloro.
Costui is often used in a depreciative sense.
Quest! e francese e quegli e This man is French and that one
tedesco. is German.
Chi e costui? Who is this fellow ?
Pdrlo di colui. / speak of that man.
3. Cio, this, that, is invariable, and represents a whole
idea, not a single word:
Cid e vero. That's so.
(a) Quello and questo, quegli and questi mean also the former,
the latter.
(b) He who is colui che, or simply chi. The one who, whom,
which, that which, what, is quello che or quel che.
Chi Iav6ra or colui che Iav6ra. He who works.
Quel che dico io. The one I mean.
A quel che sento. From what I hear.
43. The interrogative who, whom, is chi. What? used
substantively is che, che cosa, or cosa.1 What? used adjeo
tively is che or quale. Which? is quale.
Quale has a plural quali ; chi and che are invariable.
How much? is quanto (-a); how many? is quanti (-e).
Chi v6do? Whom do I see ?
Di chi parldte? Of whom do you speak ?
Ditemi chi viene. Tell me who is coming.
Che vogliono? What do they want ?
Che c6sa dice? What does he say f
Che or quali libri ave"te com- What books did you buy f
pr£to?
Quale di que"sti voliimi e il Which of these volumes is the first ?
prfmo?
Quante volte te Tho de"tto! How many times I have told you!
1 C&sa (#s cdsa dice?) is generally avoided in written Italian. Note that chi is
used in indirect as well as in direct questions.
PRONOUNS 31
(a) The interrogative whose is di chi.
Di chi e questo biglietto? Whose card is this ?
(fc) In exclamations what a, what are rendered by che or quale
without any article.
Che bel pae"se! What a beautiful country!
44. The principal relative pronouns are che, cui, il quale :
they are all applied to both persons and things, and mean
who, whom, which, or that. II quale is inflected (la qudle, i
quali, le quali). Che and cui are invariable: in general che
is used only as subject and direct object, cui only after
prepositions or as indirect object. In poetry onde is often
used to signify of which or from which.
La lingua che si pdrla. The language which we speak.
L' uomo del quale si tratta. The man of whom we are speaking.
Le pers6ne a cui or alle quali The persons to whom I speak.
parlo.
Lo scritto di cui parlo. The work I am speaking of.
1. As subject or direct object che is preferred to il quale, unless
clearness requires the latter.
Le figlie che studiano. The daughters who are studying.
Le figlie degli Americdni, le The Americans' daughters, who are
quali studiano. studying.
2. The relative whose is il cui or del quale.
Una sign6ra, il cui n6me e A lady whose name is Lucy.
Lucia.
Un uomo, le cui figlie con6- A man whose daughters I know.
SCO.
L' aut6re, del cui libro si The author whose book we are
pdrla. speaking of.
Le chiese delle quali si vedono The churches whose domes we seo§
le cupole.
3. The relative cannot be omitted in Italian.
Le case che ho comprate. The houses I have bought.
32 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(a) Such ... as is tale . . . quale; in poetry tale, quale have a
plural tai, quai instead of tali, quali. As much as is tanto quanto;
as many as is tanti quanti.
Quale e il pddre tale e il figlio. As is the father, so is the son.
(b) He who, him who is chi or colui che (see 42, 6).
Chi ha la sanit^, e rfcco. He who has health is rich.
Colui che Iav6ra e contento. He who works is satisfied.
Ami&mo chi ci £ma. We love him who loves us.
(c) Whoever is chiunque ; whatever as a pronoun is tutto quel che
or checche, as an adjective quale che, qualunque che, qualunque,
per quanto. These words, excepting tutto quel che, all take the
subjunctive. Checche is now but little used.
Chiunque sidte. Whoever you may be.
Checche faccidte, fdtelo bene. Whatever you do, do it well.
Tutto quel che volete. Whatever you wish.
Quali che siano i vostri motivi. Whatever your motives may be.
Qualunque siano i suoi talenti. Whatever his talents may be.
In qualunque st£to che io mi In whatever condition I may find
trovi. myself.
Per quante ricche'zze egli dbbia. Whatever riches he may have.
45. The possessive pronouns and adjectives are:
SINGULAR PLURAL
MA8C.
FEM.
MA8C.
FEM.
my, mine:
il mio
la mia
i miei
le mie
thy, thine:
iltuo
latua
i tuoi
letue
his, her, hers, its:
il suo
la sua
i suoi
le sue
our, ours:
il nostro
la nostra
i nostri
le nostre
your, yours:
il v6stro
la vostra
i v6stri
le vostre
their, theirs:
illoro
la loro
iloro
le loro
Loro is invariable; the others agree with the object pos-
led:
il mio n£so, my nose. i vdstri 6cchi, your eyes.
la sua b6cca, his, her mouth. le loro labbra, their lips.
When the possessive stands alone in the predicate, the
article is omitted if the possessive is used adjectively. To
PRONOUNS 33
determine whether the possessive is used adjectively, con-
sider the sentence as the answer to a question. If the sen-
tence answers a question beginning with whose, there is no
article; if it answers a question beginning with which, the
article is used.
Questo cappello e mio. This hat is mine. Whose hat f
Mine.
Questo cappello e il mio. This hat is mine. Which hat ?
This one.
(a) The article (unless it might be used in English) is omitted
before the possessive:
1. When a numeral, an adjective of quantity, or a demonstra-
tive or interrogative adjective precedes it:
Due cdni suoi. Two dogs of his.
BUT I diie cdni suoi. The two dogs of his or his two dogs.
M61ti miei amici. Many friends of mine.
BUT I m61ti miei amici. The many friends of mine or my
many friends.
Questo tiio difetto. This fault of thine.
2. When the possessive forms part of a title:
V6stra Maesta. Your Majesty.
Sua Alte"zza. His Highness.
3. When the possessive modifies a noun used in the vocative (in
this case the possessive generally follows its noun) : as amico mio,
my friend!
4. The article is generally omitted also when the possessive pre-
cedes a noun in the singular expressing relationship : as nostra m&-
dre, our mother; compare le mie figlie, my daughters. But if the
noun has a diminutive ending, or another adjective accompanied
the noun, the article is not omitted:
H trio fratellino. Thy little brother.
La vdstra gentilissima sore"lla. Your kind sister.
34 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
Sometimes it is omitted before a predicate noun that does not
express relationship:
Questo sign6re e suo maestro. This gentleman is his teacher.
10 lo credeva mio amico. / thought him my friend.
5. The article is omitted also in certain standing phrases, such
as:
da pa"rte mia, for me. a modo suo, in his own way.
per am6r mio, for my sake. e colpa vostra, it's your fault.
in cdsa n6stra, in our house. a ca"sa sua, to his house.
(b) The possessive, when not necessary for clearness, is usually
replaced by a definite article.
C6me sta la md,mma? How is your mother?
Ha perdiito il giudizio. He has lost his senses.
Battono i piedi. They stamp their feet.
(c) When the name of the thing possessed is direct object of a
verb, the Italians often use instead of the possessive a conjunctive
personal pronoun (see 47) and a definite article.
Si strappa i cape" Hi. He tears his hair (lit., he tears to
himself the hairs).
Mi tdglio il dito. I cut my finger (I cut to myself the
finger).
11 c£ne gli agguanto la gdmba. The dog seized his leg (seized to
him the leg).
If the thing possessed be a part of the body or clothing, this
construction is frequent, even when the name of the thing is not
object of a verb.
Mi duole il ca"po. My head aches (to me aches the
head).
(d) When the possessor is not the subject of the sentence, his,
her are, for the sake of clearness, often rendered di lui, di lei :
figli non con6sce il di lei cuore. He does not know her heart.
(e) A ... of mine, of thine, etc., is un mio, un tuo, etc.:
tJna ndstra cugfna. A cousin of ours.
PERSONAL PRONOUNS 35
PERSONAL PRONOUNS
46. Personal pronouns are divided into two classes, con-
junctive and disjunctive: the conjunctive forms are those
used as direct object of a verb, and as indirect object with-
out a preposition; the disjunctive forms are those used as
subject of a verb, and as object of a preposition.
fioLi ve lo da per ME.
He to you it gives for me.
CONJUNCTIVE FORMS
47. Conjunctive pronouns are always unaccented, and
cannot be separated from the verb, which they sometimes
follow but oftener precede, as will be explained in 48.
They are used only as direct object of a verb or as indirect
object without a preposition. The forms are:
mi, me, to me. ^ ti, thee, to thee.
ci, us, to us.1 vi, you, to you.
si (reflexive), himself, to himself; herself, to herself; itself, to itself.
si (reflexive), themselves, to themselves.
10, him1: gli, to him.2 la, her; le, to her.
11, them (masc.); loro, to them.2 le, them (fern.); loro, to them.
It must be rendered by a masculine or feminine form,
according to the' gender of the noun it represents. It rep-
resenting not a word, but a whole clause, is lo.3
Mi con6sce. He knows me.
Ti do i libri. / give thee the books.
Ci vedete. You see us.
Vi dico ttitto. / tell you everything. 0
1 In old Italian and in poetry ne is often used for ci, and il for lo.
a In conversation li is often used for gli, and gli or li for loro.
* In certain idiomatic phrases la represents an indefinite object: as pagarla cara,
to pay dearly for it.
36 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
Si v£ste. He dresses himself.
Si divertono. They amuse themselves.
Ecco 1' oro: ve lo do. Here's the gold: I give it to you.
Ecco la palla: la v6do. Here's the ball: I see it.
C6me pot6va sap6re se io How could he tell whether I was
veniva o no? — Lo ha indo- coming or not? He guessed it.
vinato.
1. It will be seen that the third person (not reflexive) has differ-
ent forms for the direct and the indirect object.
Lo trovai. / found him.
Gli feci un regalo. 7 made him a present.
La lascia. He leaves her.
Le scrive. He writes to her.
Li cerc^te. You seek them (masc.).
Le salutate. You greet them (fern.).
Mandiamo 16ro mille saltiti. We send them (masc. or fern.) a
thousand greetings.
2. The reflexive pronouns of the first and second persons are mi,
ci; ti, vi. All plural reflexive pronouns are used also as reciprocal
pronouns. A verb is called reflexive when it has as direct or indirect
object a conjunctive pronoun representing the same person as its
subject.
Mi defendo. 7 defend myself.
Vi lavate. You wash yourselves.
Si fa on6re. She does herself credit.
Si odiano. They hate each other.
Ci amiamo. We love one another.
3. Another conjunctive pronoun is ne,1 of it, of them; it corre-
sponds also to any, some when these words mean any, some of it,
any, some of them. It is often used pleonastically in Italian.
Ne parla. He speaks of it.
Ne ho. 7 have some.
Non ne abbi&mo. We haven't any.
Ne volute? Do you want any f
Tu ne approfitti di qu£sta You make good use of this liberty.
liberta.
» Cf. French en.
PERSONAL PRONOUNS 37
(a) Vi, you, and ci and ne, us, are not distinguished by form
nor position from the adverbs vi, ci, meaning there, here, to it, to
them,1 and the adverb ne, thence (see 84) :2
Ci vado. / go there.
Vi £ stato. He has been there.
Ne vengono. They come from there.
The adverb ci or vi is used to express to it, to them, in speak-
ing of things.
Ci pensero. / shall attend to it.
Mi fa de"i gesti, ma non He makes signs to me, but I do not
vi risp6ndo. reply to them.
48. The conjunctive pronouns, except loro, immediately
precede the verb :
Mi vedete. You see me.
Non lo capisco. / don't understand him.
But when the verb is an infinitive,3 a positive imperative,4
a present participle, or a past participle used without an
auxiliary, the pronoun follows the verb, and is written as
one word with it:5
per ved^rlo, to see him. di av6rlo vediito, to have seen him.
ved^teli, see them. vedendoci, seeing us.
avendoci vediito, having seen us. vediitoti, having seen thee.
The addition of the pronoun does not change the place of
the accent.
Loro always follows the verb, but is never united to it.
Egli da 16ro del vino. He gives them some wine.
Parlate 16ro. Speak to them.
1 Cf. French y. * Cf. French en.
J Not the infinitive used — with a negative — as imperative (see 72) : as non lo
fare, do not do it (second pers. sing.).
4 Not the negative imperative, nor the subjunctive used imperatively (see 77, a)p
as non li guardate, do not look at them; si regoli, let him moderate himself (third pers.
sing. pres. subj.).
* Students should follow strictly all of these rules; but they will find that the first
is, in certain cases, not always observed by good Italian writers. In literary style a
pronoun often follows a verb that begins a sentence: as vedolo venire, I see him coming
38 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(a) When an infinitive depends immediately (without an inter-
vening preposition) on another verb, a conjunctive pronoun be-
longing to the infinitive may go with either verb:
Posso vederti or ti posso / can see thee.
vedere.
(NEVER: posso ti vedere)
A reflexive pronoun oftenest goes with the main verb.
Si deve correggere. He must correct himself.
If both verbs have objects, the main verb regularly takes all
conjunctive pronouns:
Ve lo sento dire. I hear you say it.
Me lo fa capire. He makes me understand it.
If, however, the main verb is impersonal, it cannot take the
object of the infinitive:
Bis6gna farlo. It is necessary to do it.
If the main verb is fare, lasciare, sentire, udire, or vedere, it
must take the pronoun:
Lo fa chiamare. He has him called.
(b) If the main verb is fare, and the dependent infinitive has
a direct object, the object of fire, if it has one, must be indirect:
Le fa avere la lettera. He lets her have the letter.
Fateli vedere a quel sign6re. Let that gentleman see them.
Dovrei farglielo accettdre. / ought to make him accept it.
This construction is generally used also with lasciare, to let, and
often with sentfre and udire, to hear, and vedere, to see. Note
that the main verb takes all conjunctive pronouns.
Glielo ve"do da>e. / see it given him.
(c) When a conjunctive pronoun is joined to an infinitive, that
infinitive drops its final e; if it ends in -rre, it drops -re:
farlo (fare), to do it. condtirvi (condurre), to conduct you
PERSONAL PRONOUNS 39
(d) The final vowel of mi, ti, si is often, and that of lo, la is
nearly always elided before a verb beginning with a vowel:
T* dmo. / love thee.
L' ho visto. I've seen him.
(e) All conjunctive pronouns except gli and glie (see 50) double
their initial consonant when added to any form of a verb that ends
in an accented vowel:
D&mmi (imper. da1 from dare). Give me.
Parlerdlle (antique, for le par- / shall speak to her.
Ier6).
Dillo (imper. di' from dire). Say it.
(/) Pronouns are joined to the interjection ecco, see heref just
as they are joined to the imperative of a verb:
Eccomi. Here I am.
Eccotelo pr6nto. Here it is ready for thee.
49. When two conjunctive pronouns come together, the
indirect object precedes the direct:
Mi vi presenta. He introduces you to me.
Non vuol presenta'rvimi. He will not introduce me to you.
Gli si presento un uomo. A man presented himself to him,
But see 55, end.
Loro, however, always comes last:
Present&tela loro. Introduce her to them.
Ne follows all forms except loro :
Me ne da. He gives me some.
Ddtene 16ro. Give them some.
50. Mi, ti, ci, vi, si change their i to e before lo, la, li, ley
ne (pronoun or adverb); and if the two words follow the
verb, they are joined together:1
Me lo dice. He tells me it. t
Ve ne doma^ndo. / ask you for some.
Mandatecelo. Send it to us.
1 In poetry me lo, me ne, etc., often become mel, men, etc.: as tel dico, J tell thee
so; gen torna, he returns thence. Non lo often = nol.
40 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
Gli and le (to her) become glie before lo, la, li, le, ne, and
unite with them:
GliSli mando. / send them to him, to her.
Voglio (Mrglielo. / wish to give it to him, to her.
DISJUNCTIVE FORMS
51. These forms are so called because they do not neces-
sarily stand next to the verb.
Disjunctive pronouns have two cases, nominative and
objective (or accusative). The objective case is used only
after prepositions (for exceptions, see 51, a, 6).
The disjunctive forms are these:
io, /; me, me. tu, thou; te, thee.
noi, we; noi, us. v6i, you; voi, you.
egli, lui, esso, he; lui, esso, him.
ella, lei, essa, she; lei, essa, her.
e"ssi, 16ro, they (masc.); 16ro, essi, them (masc.).
esse, 16ro, they (fern.); 16ro, esse, them (fern.).
It must be rendered by a masculine or feminine form, ac-
cording to the gender of the noun it represents. It as sub-
ject of an impersonal verb is regularly not expressed (see,
however, 51, h).
La casa e grandissima, e in- The house is very large, and around
t6rno ad essa c' e un giar- it there is a garden.
dino.
Non e ve*ro. It isn't true.
Pi6ve. It rains.
1. The various pronouns of the third person are used as follows:
In speaking of things the different forms of esso are generally
employed.
In speaking of persons egli (or esso), ella (or essa), pi. essi, esse,
are used for the nominative in written Italian,1 but in the spoken
» Italian formerly possessed also masc. eglino, fern, elleno, they, for persons ; like-
wise pi. egli (or ei) and elle.
PERSONAL PRONOUNS 41
language they are replaced by lui, lei, 16ro. For the objective,
lui, lei, loro (sometimes esso, essa, essi, esse) are used both in
conversation and in writing.
For he who, etc., see 42, b.
(Jue'stecdse s6no v6re anch' esse. These things are true, too.
Ella p&rla con loro. She speaks with them.
Lei e gi6vane ma lui e vecchio. She is young, but he is old.
Ve"nnero da n6i anch' essi. They came to us, too.
2. As the Italian verb denotes by its endings the person and
number of its subject, the personal pronouns of the nominative
case are generally omitted. When expressed (for clearness, em-
phasis, or euphony), they may precede or follow the verb; in
dependent clauses they nearly always follow. The subject of an
interrogative verb usually comes after it, as in English.
Parlidmo di lui. We speak of him.
Non vddo. / don't go.
S' io f6ssi ricco c6me e egli. // / were rich as he is.
V6ngono essi? Are they coming f
3. The disjunctive reflexive pronoun of the third person is se,
which is masculine and feminine, singular and plural.
Lo fe"cero da sd. They did it by themselves.
In the other persons me, n6i, te, voi are used.
(a) Use the objective case and not, as in English, the nominative:
(1) When a pronoun of the third person may be regarded as the
subject of an unexpressed verb:
Bedto lui ! Happy he !
T£nto i genit6ri che lui s6no His parents as well as he are rich.
ricchi.
(2) When the pronoun stands in the predicate after the verb
essere :
Credendo ch' io f6ssi te. Thinking I was you.
But note carefully that it is I, etc., are sono io, sei tu, e Itii, e*
lei, siamo noi, siete voi, sono 16ro.
42 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(&) (1) When the pronoun is at all emphatic, the disjunctive
form must be used. In this case the conjunctive form is often in-
serted also.
P£rlo a voi sign6re. I speak to you, sir.
Mi pi£ce aiiche a me. It pleases me too.
BUT
Vi p£rlo. / speak to you.
Mi place. It pleases me.
(2) The disjunctive form must therefore always be used when the
verb has two direct or two indirect objects.
Vedo lui e lei. / see him and her.
Lo do a mio padre e a te. / give it to my father and to thee.
(c) In speaking of a company, a class, or a people noi altri, voi
altri (which are also written as one word) are used for noi, voi.
N6i altri italiani. We Italians.
Voi altri pitt6ri. You painters.
(d) With me, with thee, with himself, herself, themselves are either
con me, etc., or meco, teco, seco.
(e) Myself, thyself, etc., used for emphasis with a pronoun or
noun, are rendered by the adjective stesso.
N6i stessi la vedemmo. We saw her ourselves.
(/) One another, each other is 1' un 1' altro.
Ci amia^no P un 1' altro. We love one another.
(g) In Florence ella is often shortened into la (plural le), which
is used of both persons and things. In poetry egli becomes ei.
La non viene. She doesn't come.
P£re che la si possa tene"r in It looks as if it might be held in the
mdno. hand.
l£i tdce. He is silent.
(h) In impersonal phrases like it is the subject, it, is occasionally
expressed in Italian; it is then translated egli, which in the spoken
language is shortened into gli.
Gli e che. It is because.
PERSONAL PRONOUNS 43
52. 1. The usual form of address in Italy is Ella1 (or ella),
objective Lei (or lei); in conversation Ella is replaced by
Lei (or lei). This word really means it, and takes the verb
in the third person; but an adjective or past participle
modifying it agrees in gender with the person it represents.
The plural of Ella is Loro (or loro), which takes the verb
in the third person plural.
The use of the capital initial in all these words is optional.
It marks respect, and is sometimes useful to distinguish
you from she.
Lei or Ella e tedesco, sign6re. You are German, sir.
Signorina Neri, Lei or Ella fu Miss Neri, you were left alone.
lasciata s61a.
Sono lieto che La stia bene I'm glad you are well.
(see 61, 0) .
E Loro, d6ve vanno? And you, where are you going t
Loro erano gia partiti. You were already gone.
Signorine, 16ro sono molto Young ladies, you are very stu-
studiose. dious.
Like other personal pronouns, Ella and Loro are very
often omitted in the nominative.
Lei e troppo gentile or e You are too kind.
troppo gentile.
C6me stdnno? How do you (pi.) do?
The conjunctive forms of Ella are La, Le (or la, le), those
of Loro are Li, Le, Loro (or li, le, loro); they occupy the
same positions and undergo the same modifications as the
corresponding pronouns of the third person (see 48, 49, 50).
Note that regularly in the singular the same pronoun is
used, whether one is addressing a man or a woman; although*
occasionally lo, gli are substituted for la, le in speaking to a
1 Standing for Vdstra, gigiioria, your lordship, or ladyship, or some other title of
the feminine gender.
44 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
male. In the plural, however, if the pronoun be a direct
object, the sexes are regularly distinguished.
The reflexive pronoun of Ella and Loro is si.
Le prometto di visitarla. 7 promise (you) to visit you.
Glielo do. / give it to you.
La prego d' accomodarsi. 7 beg you to seat yourself.
Vidi Lei e il babbo. 7 saw you and your father (see
51, b, 2).
Dico 16ro. 7 tell you (pi.).
Le cercaVa. 7 was looking for you (fern. pi.).
Non posso vederli. 7 can't see you (masc. pi.).
Si divertono, signorini? Are you enjoying yourselves, young
gentlemen ?
The possessive of Ella is Suo (or suo) ; that of Loro is Loro
(or loro). See 45.
La Sua gradita lettera. Your welcome letter.
2. Voi is the form of address oftenest found in books; it is
used sometimes in conversation also, but only toward in-
feriors or toward equals with whom one is on familiar terms.1
It is employed for both plural and singular (like English
you), although its verb is always plural; an adjective or
participle modifying it agrees in gender and number with
the person or persons it represents.
V6i qui, Pietro? You here, Peter f
V6i fiiete alti ttitti e dtie. You are tall, both of you.
3. In speaking to an intimate friend, a near relative, a
child, or an animal, the only form of address is tu. Tu is
used also, like English thou, in poetry and poetic prose.
The plural of tu is vol.
Ti chiamo Enrico. 7 call you Henry.
D6veseitu? Where art thou?
Voglio vede"rvi, figliuoli miei. My children, I wish to see you.
1 Though advocated by some of the best writers and speakers of Italian, the use
of v6i instead of Lei and Loro has not become general. In Southern Italy, however,
v6i is the form popularly used.
AUXILIARY VERBS
45
AUXILIARY VERBS
53. The irregular verbs essere, to be, and avere, to have,
are the ones most used as auxiliaries in Italian. They are
conjugated as follows:
(a) INFINITIVES: essere, to be; essere stato, to have been.
PARTICIPLES: essendo, being; essendo stato, having been; stato,
been.
•
INDICATIVE
PRESENT
PAST DESCRIPTIVE
PAST ABSOLUTE
FUTURE
I am, etc.
/ was, etc.
/ was, etc.
/ shall be, etc.
sono
era
fti
sard
sei
Sri
fosti
sarai
e
era
fu
sara
siamo
eravamo
fummo
saremo
siete
eravate
f6ste
sarete
sono
erano
furono
saranno
PRESENT
SECOND PAST
FUTURE
PAST PERFECT
PERFECT
PERFECT
PERFECT
/ have been, etc.
/ had been, etc. I
had been, etc.
I shall have been,
etc.
sono stato
era stato
fui stato
sard stato
(stata)
(stata)
(stata)
(stata)
etc.
etc.
etc.
etc.
siamo stati
eravamo stati
fummo stati
saremo stati
(state)
(state)
(state)
(state)
etc.
etc.
etc.
etc.
IMPERATIVE
SUBJUNCTIVE
PAST FUTURE
Be, etc.
PRESENT
PAST
/ should be,
/ be, etc. I
were, etc.
etc.
sia
fossi
sarei
sii or sia
sia
fossi
saresti
sia
fosse
sarebbe
siamo
siamo
fossimo
saremmo
siate
siate
foste
sareste
siano or sieno
fossero
sarebbero
46
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
SUBJUNCTIVE
PRESENT PAST
PERFECT PERFECT
/ have been, etc. I had been, etc.
sia stato (stata)
etc.
fossi stato (stata)
etc.
PAST FUTURE
PERFECT
/ should have
been, etc.
sarei stato
(stata)
etc.
(b) INFINITIVES: avere, to have; avere avuto, to have had.
PARTICIPLES: avendo, having; avendo avuto, having had; avuto,
had.
INDICATIVE
PRESENT PAST DESCRIPTIVE
PAST ABSOLUTE
FUTURE
/ have, etc.
I had, etc.
/ had, etc.
7 shall have, etc.
ho
aveva
ebbi
avro
hai
avevi
avesti
avrai
ha
aveva
ebbe
avra
abbiamo
avevamo
avemmo
avremo
av€te
avevate
aveste
avrete
hanno
avevano
ebbero
avranno
PRESENT
PAST
SECOND PAST
FUTURE
PERFECT
PERFECT
PERFECT
PERFECT
1 have had, etc.
7 had had, etc.
/ had had, etc.
7 shall have had,
etc.
ho avuto
aveva avuto
ebbi avuto
avro avuto
etc.
etc.
etc.
etc.
IMPERATIVE
SUBJUNCTIVE
PAST FUTURE
Have, etc.
PRESENT
PAST
7 should have,
/ have, etc.
I had, etc.
etc.
abbia
avessi
avrei -
abbi
abbi or abbia
avessi
avresti
abbia
avesse
avrebbe
abbiamo
abbiamo
avessimo
avremmo
abbiate
abbiate
aveste
avrSste
abbiano
avessero
avrebbero
PRESENT
PAST
PAST FUTURE
PERFECT
PERFECT
PERFECT
/ have had, etc.
7 had had, etc.
7 should have
had, etc.
abbia avuto
avessi avuto
avrei avuto
etc.
etc.
etc.
AUXILIARY VERBS 47
54. 1. The auxiliary of the passive is essere, to be.
L' ese*rcito fu sconfitto. The army was defeated.
2. The future (shall, will) and the past future or condi-
tional (should, would) are formed in Italian without any
auxiliary.
Io andrd ed egli verra. I shall go, and he will come.
Vorrel vederlo. / should like to see him.
3. The auxiliary of the perfect, past perfect, second past
perfect, and future perfect tenses is avere, to have, if the
verb be active and transitive.
If the verb be passive, reflexive, or reciprocal, the auxiliary
is always essere. For the definition of a reflexive verb, see
47, 2, on p. 36.
If the verb be intransitive, the auxiliary is generally es-
sere, but sometimes avere.1
Ho parlato. / have spoken.
Avevano fatto queste cose. They had done these things.
Mi sono fatto male. / have hurt myself.
Le donne si erano sbagliate. The women had made a mistake.
Sard veniito. / shall have come.
E nevicato. It has snowed.
Aveva viaggiato. He had traveled.
(a) A past participle used with the auxiliary Sssere must agree
with its subject in gender and number.
La ragazza £ torna'ta. The girl has returned.
Le donne si s6no disputate. The women have disputed.
But when the verb has a reflexive pronoun as indirect object, and
some other word as direct object, the past participle may agree with
the subject, or with the direct object, or remain invariable.
La sorella si & fatta male. Our sister has hurt herself.
Ci siamo fatti on6re. We have done ourselves credit.
Ci siamo data (or dato) parola We have pledged our word of honor.
d' on6re.
1 The use of avSre with intransitive verbs must be learned by practice.
48 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(b) A past participle used with avere may or may not agree
with its direct object, according to the choice of the writer. It
usually does not agree when the object follows; and it nearly al-
ways does agree when the object is a personal pronoun preceding
the verb.
La bfrra che aveVa beviito (or The beer he had drunk.
bevuta).
Ho vediito m61te c6se. 7 have seen many things.
Li ho trovati. I have found them.
(c) To be, expressing a state or condition, is often rendered by
stare (92, 4), instead of essere. Stare per or essere per (followed
by the infinitive) means to be on the point of.
Sto bene. I'm well.
C6me sta? How are you ?
Stava per uscire. 7 was just going out.
(d) English am (or was)+the present participle, when express-
ing duration, is rendered either by the simple present (or past de-
scriptive) or by the same tense of stare x+ the present participle;
when denoting futurity, it is translated by the future (or past
future), sometimes by the present (or past descriptive).
CamminaVa. He was walking.
State lavorando. You are working.
Legg£vano or stavano leggendo. They were reading.
Medito or sto meditando. 7 am meditating.
Dice che verra (or viene). He says he is coming.
Disse che verrebbe. He said he was coming.
(e) A verb with the auxiliary used to (or would = used to) is
translated either by the simple past descriptive, or by the infini-
tive with solere, to be accustomed (92, 14).
Vi andava (or soleva andare) He used to go (or would go) there
6gni se"ra. every evening.
(f) Venire, to come (92, 166), and rimanere, to remain (92, 16),
are sometimes used as auxiliaries in the simple tenses of the passive,
1 Andare (92, 1) and venire (92, 166) are sometimes used instead of stare.
AUXILIARY VERBS 49
instead of Issere. And6re, to go (92, 1), is similarly used, but
always implying duty or obligation.
I Iddri vennero arrest^ti. The thieves were arrested.
Rimase sorpresa. She was surprised.
II fucile non va toccdto. The gun mustn't be touched.
(g) The English auxiliary do is not expressed in Italian.
Non vi&ne. He does not come.
(h) To have a thing done is far f£re una cosa (92, 2).
II re lo fece ammazzare. The king had him killed.
65. The third person of the passive is very often replaced
by the reflexive construction with si:
Si racc6nta. It is related.
Questo libro si legge. This book is read.
La spdda che mi si diede. The sword that was given me.
Quelle cose si facevano. Those things were done.
Many writers always make the verb agree with its sub-
ject in number; but in popular speech the verb is nearly
always in the singular when its subject follows (as if si were
the subject of the verb, and the original subject were the
object) :
Si vedono (or vede) moltis- Many things are seen.
sime cdse.
Non si pud (or possono) le"g- These books can't be read.
gere questi libri.
Si belonging to a dependent infinitive regularly goes with
the main verb (see 48, a).
The construction with si is generally used also to render
the English indefinite they followed by a verb: as si dice,
they say. In this sense it is employed with neuter as well Us
with transitive verbs: as si va spesso, people often go. See
also 63, a. In this construction an object pronoun may
precede si: as lo si fa, it is done.
50
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
56. Following are synopses of the compound tenses of
transitive, neuter, reflexive, and passive verbs. In the para-
digms given henceforth these forms will be omitted.
(a) Following is a synopsis of the compound tenses of trovare,
to find, and venire, to come:
avere trovato, to have found.
avendo trovato, having found.
ho trovdto, 7 have found.
aveva trovato, 7 had found.
ebbi trovato, I had found.
avro trovdto, / shall have found.
avrei trovato, / should have found.
abbia trovato, 7 have found.
avessi trovato, 7 had found.
essere venuto, to have come.
essendo venuto, having come.
sono venuto, 7 have come.
era venuto, 7 had come.
fui venuto, 7 had come.
saro venuto, 7 shall have come.
sarei venuto, 7 should have come.
sia venuto, 7 have come.
fossi venuto, 7 had come.
(b) Following is a synopsis of the compound tenses of alzarsi,
(to raise one's self], to get up, and andarsene,1 to go away.
INFINITIVE: PAST
PARTICIPLE: PAST
INDICATIVE: PRES. PERF.
PAST PERFECT
SECOND PAST PERFECT
FUTURE PERFECT
PAST FUTURE : PERFECT
SUBJUNCTIVE : PRES. PERF.
PAST PERFECT
essersi alz^to
essendosi alzato
mi s6no alzato
mi era alzato
mi Mi alzato
mi saro alzato
mi sarei alzdto
mi sia alzato
mi f6ssi alzato
essersene andato
essendosene andato
me ne s6no andato
me ne era anddto
me ne fui andato
me ne saro andato
me ne sarei andato
me ne sia andato
me ne f 6ssi andato
(c) Following is a synopsis of the entire passive of amare, to love:
INFINITIVE: PRESENT
PAST
PARTICIPLE: PRESENT
PAST
INDICATIVE: PRESENT
PRESENT PERFECT
PAST DESCRIPTIVE
PAST PERFECT
PAST ABSOLUTE
SECOND PAST PERFECT
essere amato, to be loved.
essere stato amato, to have been loved.
essendo amato, being loved.
essendo st&to amdto, having been loved.
s6no amato, 7 am loved.
s6no stdto amdto, 7 have been loved.
era amdto, 7 was loved.
era stato amato, 7 had been loved.
fui amd,to, 7 was loved.
fui stato amato, 7 had been loved.
1 Andarsene is composed of the verb andare, to go, the reflexive si, and the adverb
ne, thence (see 47, o).
AUXILIARY VERBS 51
FUTURE saro amato, / shall be loved.
FUTURE PERFECT saro st£to amato, / shall have been loved.
PAST FUTURE sarei amdto, 7 should be loved.
PERFECT sarei stato amato, / should have been loved.
IMPERATIVE sii amato, be loved.
SUBJUNCTIVE : PRESENT sia amato, 7 be loved.
PRESENT PERFECT sia stato amato, 7 have been loved.
PAST f6ssi amato, 7 were loved.
PAST PERFECT f6ssi stato amato, 7 had been loved.
57. May, might, can, could are generally rendered by the
proper tense of potere1; must, ought, shall = must, should =
ought, by dovere1; will and would expressing volition, by
volere.1
Pu6 essere vero. It may be true.
Non poteva parla>e. He couldn't speak.
Deve pagarlo. He must pay him., he shall pay him.
Dovrebbe farlo. He ought to do it, he should do it.
Voglio sapere. 7 will know.
Non vorrei and^re. 7 wouldn't go.
Note that ought must be expressed by the past future (or con-
ditional) of dovere.
Dovremmo parlare. We ought to speak.
Avrei dovuto farlo. 7 ought to have done it.
No preposition intervenes between these verbs and the
dependent infinitive.
Hdnno potuto dormire. They have been able to sleep.
Potremo partire. We shall be able to start.
Dovemmo venire. We had to come.
Dovrete trov&rla. You will have to find her.
Vorra torn&re. He will want to return.
Vorrei sapere. 7 should like to know.
These verbs are not defective, like the English modal
auxiliaries; hence hi Italian the tense is expressed by the
1 See 92, 21, 8, 19. The auxiliary of these verbs is regularly avere; but some writers
use with them the auxiliary that belongs to the dependent infinitive: as hanno potuto
venire or sono potuti venire, they have been able to come.
52 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
auxiliary itself, and not by the dependent infinitive. To
find the proper form of potere, dovere, or volere, replace
may, etc., by the correct tense of to be able; must, etc., by
to be obliged; will, etc., by to want or to like: as I could have
said it=I should have (avrei) been able (potuto) to say it
(dirlo)=avrei potuto dirlo.
Avrebbe dovuto tace*re. He ought to have kept still.
Avremmo voluto restore. We would have stayed.
(a) Must is also expressed by the impersonal verb bisognare, to
be necessary, followed by the infinitive or by che, that, with the
subjunctive. To have to is avere da.
Bisogna farlo. It must be done.
Bisdgna che andiamo. We must go.
Ho da scrivere lina lettera. I have to write a letter.
(b) To be able meaning to know how is sapere (see 92, 6). Not
to be able to help doing a thing is non poter a meno di non (with
infinitive) or non poter fdre a meno di (with infinitive).
Non seppe farlo. He couldn't do it.
Sa leggere e scrivere. He can read and write.
Non pote a meno di non ridere. He couldn't help laughing.
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS
68. Italian verbs are divided into four conjugations, ac-
cording as the infinitive ending is -are, accented -ere, un-
accented -ere (or -rre), or -ire. Regular verbs of the second
and third conjugations are, however, inflected just alike.
(a) The final e of the infinitive may be dropped before any word
except one beginning with s impure.1
1 Cf. 10, 6; 14, b. Italians find it hard to pronounce three consecutive consonants
of which the middle one ia s.
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS 53
THE REGULAR VERB
59. Parlare, to speak, will serve as a model for the first
conjugation. All compound tenses are omitted (see 56) :
INFINITIVE AND PARTICIPLES
parlare parlando parlato
INDICATIVE
PRESENT PAST DESCRIPTIVE PAST ABSOLUTE FUTURE
parlo parlay^x? parl|i parlerd
parli parlavi parla sti parlerai
parla parlava . parlo parlera
parliamo parlavamo parlammo parleremo
parlate parlavate parlaste parlerete
parlano parlavano parlarono parleranno
IMPERATIVE SUBJUNCTIVE PAST FUTURE
PRESENT PAST
parli parlassi parlerei
parla parli parlassi parleresti
parli parlasse parlerebbe
parliamo parliamo parlassimo parleremmo
parlate parliite parlaste parlereste
parlino parlassero parlerebbero
(a) Verbs whose infinitives end in -care or -gare insert h after
the c or g in all forms where those letters precede e or i:
P£ghi (pagdre) . Let him pay.
Cerchero (cercare). / shall search.
Verbs in -ciare and -glare drop the i before e or i:
Mangi (mangiare). Thou eatest.
Comincera1 (cominciare) . He will begin.
But all other verbs in -iare drop the i only before another i:
Picchi (picchiare). Let him strike. ^
Pigli (pigliare). Thou takest.
BUT
Plcchier&, piglierei. He will strike, I should take.
1 Some writers retain the i before e : as cominciera.
54
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(6) The verbs giocare, rotare, sonare generally change o of the
stem into uo in all forms where that vowel is accented:
Sudni.
Giuocano.
Let him play.
They play.
Rinnovare and tonare may make the same change. ~"\e u is
sometimes used throughout.
60. Verbs of the second and third conjugations1 are in-
flected like credere, to believe:
INFINITIVE AND PARTICIPLES
credere credendo creduto
INDICATIVE
PRESENT PAST DESCRIPTIVE PAST ABSOLUTE
credo
credi
crede
crediamo
credete
credono
IMPERATIVE
credi
crediamo
cred^te
crjedeva
credevi
credeva
credevamo
credevate
credevano
credei (credetti)
credesti
crede (credette)
credemmo
credeste
crederono (credettero)
SUBJUNCTIVE
PRESENT
PAST
creda
credessi
creda
credessi
creda
credesse
crediamo
credessimo
crediate
credeste
credano
credessero
FUTURE
credero
crederai
credera
crederemo
crederete
crederanno
PAST FUTURE
crederei
crederesti
crederebbe
crederemmo
credereste
crederebbero
The following verbs and their compounds do not have in
the past absolute the forms in parentheses:
battere
competere
convergere
divergere
lucere
mescere
mietere
pascere
prudere
ripetere
stridere
tessere
tondere
1 Many grammars and dictionaries class these two together as the "second con-
jugation."
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS
55
Verbs in -cere and -gere insert after the c or g an i before
the u of the past participle, but not before the o or a of the
singular or third person plural of the present indicative or
subjunctive:
mesce-e; mesco, mesci, mesce, mesciamo, mescete, mescono;
mesca, etc , mescano ; mesciuto.
61. Most verbs of the fourth conjugation1 are inflected
like finite, to finish:
INFINITIVE AND PARTICIPLES
finire finendo finite
PRESENT
finisco
finisci
finis ce
finiamo
finite
finiscono
IMPERATIVE
finisci
finiamo
finite
INDICATIVE
PAST DESCRIPTIVE PAST ABSOLUTE
finlva finii
finivi finisti
finiva fini
finivamo finimmo
finivate finiste
finivano finirono
SUBJUNCTIVE
PRESENT PAST
finisca finissi
finisca finissi
finisca
finiamo
finiate
finiscano
finisse
finis simo
finiste
finis sero
FUTURE
finird
finirai
finira
finiremo
finirete
finiranno
PAST FUTURE
finirei
finire sti
finirebbe
finire mmo
finireste
finirebbero
Though inflected like finire in all other parts, dormire,
fuggire,2 pentire, sentire, servire, vestire are always, abor-
rire, bollire, and verbs in -vertire are generally, and assor-
bire, inghiottire, mentire, nutrire, tossire are often, in the
present indicative, imperative, and subjunctive, conjugated
1 Many grammars and dictionaries call this the "third conjugation."
2 Fuggire inserts no extra i (see last sentence of 60).
56 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
after the model below. Partire and sortire are, when tran-
sitive, inflected like finire, when intransitive, like sentire.1
INDICATIVE
IMPERATIVE
SUBJUNCTIVE
sento
senta
senti
senti
senta
sente
senta
sentiamo
sentiamo
sentiamo
sentite
sentite
sentiate
sentono
sentano
62. The present participle of all verbs is invariable.
Stavamo parl^ndo. We were speaking.
63. In all conjugations a form of the first person singular
of the past descriptive ending in -o instead of -a is nearly
always used in conversation, and occurs often in the works
of modern authors :
Leggevo. I was reading.
(a) In popular speech the first person plural of all tenses is
generally replaced by the third person singular preceded by si:
N6i altri si crede. We believe.
N6i si era ventiti. We had come.
Ci si decise. We decided (ourselves).
(b) Final o of the third person plural is frequently omitted:
Parian di liii. . They speak of him.
Forms in -anno sometimes drop -no :
Diran ttitto. They will tell everything.
(c) The past descriptive endings -avamo, -avfite, -evamo,
-evdte, -ivamo, -iv&te are often pronounced -avamo, -avate, etc.
(d) Occasionally, especially in poetry, -at- is omitted from the
ending of the past participle of the first conjugation: d estate =
desto.
1 Compounds are conjugated like their simple verbs.
EEGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS 57
THE IRREGULAR VERB
64. Certain parts of Italian irregular verbs are always
regular: the example given below will show which they are.
Essere (see 53, a) is an exception to all rules.
65. Many irregular verbs that belong or once belonged
to the third conjugation have the infinitive contracted (fare
for f acere, dire for dicere, condurre for conducere) : in this
case the future and past future are formed from this con-
tracted infinitive (faro, direi, condurrebbe) , while the pres-
ent participle, the past descriptive and past subjunctive,
and certain persons of the present and past absolute are
formed from the uncontr acted stem (facendo, diceva, con-
duciamo) .
66. Porre (for ponere), to put, a verb of the third conju-
gation, will serve to show which are the regular and which
the irregular parts of irregular verbs: the forms printed in
boldface are regular in all verbs except dare, dire, essere,
fare, stare ; those in Roman type may be irregular.
INFINITIVE AND PARTICIPLES
p6rre ponendo p6sto
INDICATIVE
PRESENT PAST DESCRIPTIVE PAST ABSOLUTE FUTURE
pongo poneva posi porro
poni ponevi ponesti2 porrdi
pone poneva pose porr& ,
ponidmo . ponevamo ponemmo2 porremo
ponete1 ponevate poneste2 porrete
pongono ponevano posero porr&nno
i See 66, 4. 2 See 66, 3.
58 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
IMPERATIVE SUBJUNCTIVE PAST FUTURE
PRESENT PAST
p6nga ponessi 1 porr6i
poni ponga ponessi porresti
ponga ponesse porrebbe
poniamo poniamo ponessimo porremmo
ponete poniate poneste porreste
pongano ponessero porrebbero
It will be seen that the present participle, the past de-
scriptive and past subjunctive, and certain persons of the
present and past absolute are always regular.
1. Dare and stare have in the future and past future dard,
darei; staro, starei. Otherwise the only irregularity in the future
and past future is that they are contracted in many verbs even
when the infinitive is uncontracted : as vedere, to see, vedro;
venire, to come, verrei.
2. From the first person singular of the past absolute the other
irregular persons can be constructed, the third person singular by
changing the ending -i to -e, the third person plural by adding
-ro to the third person singular.2
3. The regular persons of the past absolute and the whole past
subjunctive are slightly irregular in dare and stare, which substi-
tute e for a in those forms (desti, demmo, deste, dessi; stesti,
stemmo, steste, stessi).
4. Dire (for dicere) and fare (for facere) have dite and fate in
the second person plural of the present indicative.
(a) Verbs whose stem ends in -1, -n, or -r often drop final e or
i in the singular of the present indicative and imperative:
Non vu61 andare. He will not go.
Vien qui. Come here.
See also 63, a, b, c.
» See 66, 3.
8 This rule applies only to an irregular past absolute.
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS 59
(6) The three forms of the imperative are exactly like the cor-
responding persons of the present indicative, except in avere, sa-
pere, and volere, where they follow the subjunctive:
abbi abbiamo abbiate
sappi sappiamo sappiate
v6gli vogliamo vogliate
and in andare, dare, dire, fare, and stare, which have in the
singular va', da', di', fa', sta'.
(c) The third person plural of the present indicative can always
be constructed from the first person singular, from which can be
formed also the whole present subjunctive except the first and
second persons plural: these can be made from the first person
plural of the present indicative.
EXCEPTIONS to this rule are andare, avere, dare, fare, sap6re, and
stare, which have in the third person plural of the present indicative
vanno, hanno, danno, fanno, sanno, stanno; while avere, dare, sapere,
and stare have in the present subjunctive abbia, dia, sappia, stia.
67. With the aid of the above notes any verb except
essere can be constructed from the infinitive, the partici-
ples (the present participle often being necessary to show
the uncontracted form of the infinitive), the present indica-
tive, and the first person singular of the past absolute and
future. A list of irregular verbs begins on page 80.
(a) In general, compound verbs not differing in conjugation
from their simple verbs will be omitted from this list. All com-
pounds of dare and fare are accented on the same syllable as the
simple verbs.:
Fa. He does. Disfa. He undoes.
The compounds of stare demand special mention: ristare, so-
prastare, sottostare, sovrastare are inflected like stare (rista, so-
prastetti, sottostiano) ; distare has no present participle, is regular
in the present of all moods (disto, etc.), but otherwise is inflected
60 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
like stare (distetti, etc.); constare, contrastare, instare, ostare,
prestare, restare, sostare are regular throughout (consta, contr£-
stano, instai, ostarono, prestero, resti, sostassi).
68. In old Italian and in poetry both regular and irreg-
ular verbs differ in many ways from the normal types:
some of the commonest variations are given below.
(a) In the first and third persons singular and the third person
plural of the past descriptive v is often dropped, but never in
the first conjugation: voleva=volea (also volia); finivano=finiano.
Some of these forms are not uncommon in modern prose.
(6) The past future endings -ei, -ebbe, -ebbero are generally
replaced in poetry by -ia, -ia, -iano: crederei=crederia.
(c) The future endings -6, -a"nno are sometimes replaced by
-figgio or -abbo, Higgiono or -abbono: amer6=ameraggio; ame-
ranno = amerdbbono.
(d) In the third person plural of the past absolute -no or -ono
is often dropped: amarono=amtro or amar (also amorno, amonno).
In the third person singular we find am&o, credeo, sentio.
(e) Final -ero is often replaced by -ono: avrebbero=avrebbono.
(/) In the first person plural final o is often dropped, and then
the m sometimes becomes n: andiamo = andiam or andian.
(0) In the first person plural of the present indicative of the
second and third conjugations -i&mo may be replaced by -emo.
(h) Final -iano, wherever it occurs (also -eano in the imperfect),
may be replaced by -ieno or -ieno: avevano=avieno.
(1) At the end of a word we often find e for i, sometimes i f or e :
p£nsi = pense ; ascoltdte = ascoltati.
(j) E is sometimes added to a word ending in an accented vowel:
am6e.
MOODS AND TENSES 61
MOODS AND TENSES
69. The English gerund in -4ng used as subject, predicate
nominative, or direct object of a verb must be rendered in
Italian by the infinitive, nearly always preceded by the def-
inite article.
Mi pidce il viaggiare. I like traveling.
Rifarsela c6gli animdli e da Taking vengeance on animals is
sci6cchi. folly.
La nostra prima ciira fu il Our first care was hunting up a
cercire una pensione. boarding house.
Odio lo studiare. / hate studying.
70. The English gerund preceded by a preposition is
translated as follows :
1. If the preposition is a necessary part of the thought, it is
expressed in Italian, and the English gerund is rendered by the
infinitive with the definite article. This article is, however, omitted
(unless it would be used in English) after the following preposi-
tions:
di, of. invece di, instead of. senza, without.
d6po di, afteq. prima di, before.
<5ltre il fire scarabocchi scrive Besides making blots he writes
male. badly.
Parlai contra il trarre utile di quel- / spoke against utilizing that mis-
la disgr&zia. fortune.
II vizio di fumare. The habit of smoking.
Ho 1' abitudine di coricarmi ta>di. / am in the habit of going to bed
late.
Invece di dirmi tutto. Instead of telling me everything.
Prima di morire. Before dying.
Parliamo senza riflettere. We speak without thinking.
2. If in English the omission of the preposition, although it
made the construction awkward, would not essentially change the
62 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
meaning, the phrase is rendered in Italian by the present participle
without any preposition.
Studiando si impara. (Through] studying we learn.
Dovrei corrisp6ndere alia sua / ought to acknowledge her courtesy
cortesia ascoltandola. (by) listening to her.
Partendo incontro un amico. (On) going away he met a friend.
Copiando non fa err6ri. (In) copying he makes no mistakes.
3. To amuse one's self by . . . and to weary one's self by . . . are
divertirsi a ... and affannarsi a ... with the infinitive:
Si diverte a tirar sassi. He amuses himself throwing stones.
Some other verbs often take this construction.
71. Following are some other rules for the use of the in-
finitive and participles:
(a) When any verb is used as an auxiliary, the mood and tense
are expressed in that verb, and not in the dependent infinitive
(see 57).
Avrei potuto farlo. I could have done it.
(b) After fare, to make or to have (=to cause), sentire and udire,
to hear, and vedere, to see, the Italian present infinitive is used to
render an English past participle. After lasciare, to let, and often
after the preposition da an Italian active infinitive is used to trans-
late a passive one in English.
Si fa capire. He makes himself understood.
Faro fare un paio di scarpe. / shall have a pair of shoes made.
L' ho sentito dire. / have heard it said.
Lo vide ammazzare. He saw him killed.
Si lascia ingannare. He lets himself be deceived.
Non c' e niente da fare. There is nothing to be done.
(c) The Italian past participle is inflected like any other adjec-
tive. The present participle (which was originally an ablative
gerund) is invariable.
When in English the present participle is used adjectively,
without any verbal force whatsoever, it is translated, not by the
MOODS AND TENSES 63
form we have called the participle, but by a verbal adjective,
which can be formed from almost any Italian verb by changing
the infinitive ending into -ante for the first conjugation, and into
-ente for the others. This adjective may be used substantively.
It was originally a present participle, and some Italian writers
have used it as such.
Questi vasi s6no rotti. These vases are broken.
La donna sta cucendo. The woman is sewing.
Stavano parlando. They were speaking.
Un animale parlante. A speaking animal.
Acqua bollente. Boiling water.
Due amanti. Two lovers.
(d) A whole conditional clause (or protasis) is often replaced in
Italian by a present participle, or by an infinitive with a.
Andandovi lo vedrebbe. // he went there, he would see it.
A bucarsi esce il sangue. // you prick yourself, blood comes.
(e) Writers sometimes use, instead of a clause in indirect dis-
course, an infinitive followed by the word that would have been
subject of the clause.
Disse essere questo 1' uomo He said this was the man we were
che cercavdmo. looking for.
72. In negative commands the infmitivejs always used
instead of the second person singular, of the imperative.
Trovalo. Find it.
Non lo trovare. Do not find it.
But the negative of trovatelo is non lo trovate.
73. When an action is represented as having taken place
and still continuing, the English uses the present perfect,
or past perfect tense, the Italian the present or the past
descriptive.
Studio Titaliano da 6tto / have studied Italian for eight
me" si. months.
64 ITALIAN GKAMMAR
74. In subordinate clauses referring to the future and in-
troduced by a conjunction of time, where the present is
often used in English, the future tense must be employed in
Italian.
Qudndo vi andrd, glielo diro. When I go there, I'll tell him.
(a) The future is often used, without any idea of future time, to
express probability.
Sarei uscito. He has probably gone out.
Avra m61to denaro. He probably has a great deal of
money.
75. The difference between the past descriptive (or im-
perfect) and the past absolute (or preterit) is this: the
latter is used of an event that occurred at a definite date in
the past, the former is used in a description or in speaking
of an accessory circumstance or an habitual action in past
time — the preterit is a narrative, the imperfect a descrip-
tive tense.
The second past perfect (or preterit perfect) is used —
instead of the past perfect (or pluperfect) — only after con-
junctions meaning as soon as (appena che, subito che, tosto
che), and sometimes after quando, when, or dopo che, after,
when immediate sequence is denoted.1
Entrd mentre dormivamo. He came in while we slept.
Facevo cosi 6gni mattina. I did so every morning.
Lo fece 1' anno scorso. He did it last year.
T6sto che T ebbe visto, usci. As soon as he had seen it, he went.
(a) In conversation the present perfect is often used instead of
the past absolute, when the event is not remote. This use is,
however, far more restricted than it is in French.
Vi sono andato ieri. / went there yesterday.
1 It is used also in phrases like: in cinque minuti ebbe finita la lettera, in five min-
utes he had the letter finished.
MOODS AND TENSES 65
76. The past future (or conditional), like the English
should and would, has two uses: in indirect discourse after a
principal verb in a past tense it expresses the tense which in
direct discourse would be future1; in the conclusion of a
conditional sentence it is used when the conditional clause
is (or, if expressed, would be) hi the past subjunctive (see
77).
Disse che lo farebbe. He said he would do it.
Se f6sse vero lo crederei. // it were true, I should believe it.
Questa casa mi converrebbe. This house would suit me.
77. When a condition is contrary to present fact, or con-
sists of a more or less unlikely supposition referring to future
time,2 the conditional clause has the past (or imperfect)
subjunctive, the conclusional clause has the past future (or
conditional) .
If the unreal condition refers to past time, the conditional
clause has the past perfect subjunctive, the conclusional
clause has the past future perfect.3
Otherwise both condition and conclusion are in the in-
dicative.
Q>
Se P avessi te lo darei. // I had it, I should give it thee.
Sef6sse tomato 1'avreiveduto. // he had returned, I should have
seen him.
Se venisse n6i ce ne andremmo. // he came, we should go.
Se vi andassi morrei. // / should go there, I should die.
Se non e vero e ben trovato. "" Tf it isn't true, it's a good invention.
Se lo fece sara punito. // he did it, he will be punished.
1 The perfect of the future or the conditional is sometimes used where the simple
tense would be expected: disse che non 1' avrebbe fatto piu, he said he would do it no ^
more.
1 Rendered in English by the past, or by the auxiliary should.
3 The imperfect indicative is occasionally used to replace the past or past perfect
subjunctive of the condition (or protasis) and the past future or past future perfect
of the conclusion (or apodosis) : as se veniva, mi diceva tutto, if he had come, he would
have told me everything.
66 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(a) The missing persons of the imperative are supplied from
the present subjunctive. The past subjunctive is used to express
a wish that is not likely to be realized.
Si accdmodi. Be seated (sing.).
Stiano zitti. Be quiet (plur.).
Sia pure. Be it so.
Vengano siibito. Let them come at once.
Fosse pure! Would it were so !
(6) When a relative clause restricts its antecedent to one of all
its possible conditions or actions, the verb of that relative clause
is in the subjunctive, — the present subjunctive if the verb on
which it depends be present or future, the past if it be past or past
future.
Non c' e animate piu bellfno There is no animal prettier than a
d' un gatto gi6vane che fac- kitten that is at play.
cia il chiasso.
Dove troverete un giovine che Where will you find a young man
spdsi voi? who will marry you ?
Vorrei vedere un bel quadro I should like to see a fine picture
che non fosse antico. that is not old.
(c) The verb of a subordinate clause depending on an imper-
sonal verb, on a superlative, or on one of the words first, last, and
only, is in the subjunctive. This rule does not apply to reflexive
verbs, nor to affirmative phrases meaning it is true or it is because.
Bisogno ch' lo vi andassi. / had to go there.
E giusto che siano puniti. It's right they should be punished.
II piu bello ch' io conosca. The finest that I know.
Si vede che non e cosl. You see it isn't so.
E vero che ci s6no stato. It's true that I've been there.
(d) The subjunctive is used after all conjunctions meaning al-
though, as if, unless, provided that, in order that, in such a way that
(denoting purpose), before, until (referring to future), whenever,
wherever, without.
Benche stia nasc6sto, lo tro- Although he be hidden, I shall find
vero, dovunque sia. him, wherever he is.
Partird a m6no che egli non / shall go unless he comes.
venga.
MOODS AND TENSES 67
Lo fece perche io venissi. He did it that I might come.
La divise in modo che le due He divided it in such a way that
parti fossero uguali. the two parts should be equal.
Aspetta finche io torni. Wait until I return.
Parti senza che ti veda. Go without his seeing you.
(e) The subjunctive is used after the indefinite words and
phrases quale che, qualunque, chiunque, checche, per quanto.
Chiunque venga. Whoever comes.
Qualunque disgrazia che sue- Whatever misfortune happens.
ceda.
Per quante volte ci vada. However many times I go there.
Per quanto ricco egli sia. However rich he may be.
(/) The verb of an indirect question is nearly always in the
subjunctive when it depends on a main verb in a past tense.1
Domandano se il re e morto. They ask whether the king is dead.
Domando se il padre fosse He asked whether his father was
uscito. out.
(g) In a clause dependent on a verb of saying the subjunctive
is used if the main verb is negative, or interrogative, or in a
past tense.1
It is generally not used, however, after an affirmative verb in a
past tense when the author himself wishes to imply that the indi-
rect statement is true.
Dice che la cosa e chiarissima. He says the thing is perfectly clear.
Non dico che questo sia vero. I don't say this is true.
Dissero che Io zio fosse amma- They said their uncle was ill.
lato.
Gli dissi che mi chiamava En- / told him my name was Henry.
rico.
(h) The subjunctive is used after verbs expressing causation,
concession, desire, emotion, prevention, and uncertainty: i.e., after
verbs of bringing about; granting, permitting; commanding, hop-
ing, requesting, wishing; fearing, regretting, rejoicing; forbidding,
hindering; being ignorant, denying, disbelieving, doubting, expect-
1 The term past tense includes the past future.
68
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
ing, pretending, supposing, suspecting, thinking. But sperdre, to
hope, very often does not take the subjunctive.
Non so chi siano. I don't know who they are.
Vorrei che non fosse accaduto. / wish it had not happened.
Supponiamo che sia provato. Let us suppose that it is proved.
Spero che verra. / hope he will come.
(i) Se, if, is occasionally omitted before a past subjunctive; in
this case the subject, if expressed, must follow the verb.
Sarei felice venisse egli. I should be happy, should he come.
CONJUNCTIONS, PREPOSITIONS, AND ADVERBS
CONJUNCTIONS
78. The principal conjunctions are:
after, d6po che.
also, anche, pure.
although, benche, sebbene, non
ostante che.
and, e.
as, come, quanta (after tanto).
as ( = since), siccome, poiche.
as fast as, via via che.
as if, c6me se, quasi,
as long as, finch e.
as well as, come anco.
because, perche.
before, prima che, avanti che.
both . . . and, e . . . e.
but, ma.
either ... or, o ... o.
even if, anche se, ancorche.
except that, se non che.
for, che\
granting that, dato che.
however (= nevertheless), pero,
pure.
however (before an adj.), qualun-
que, per quanto.
if, se (occasionally quando, ove).
in case, caso.
in order that, perche, accioche,
affinche.
much less, non che.
neither . . . nor, ne . . . ne.
nevertheless, tuttavia, nondimeno,
perd.
nor, ne, nemmeno, neppure.
nor . . . either, nemmeno, neppure.
nor even, neanche, neppure.
not to say . . . but even, non che . . .
ma.
or, o, owero, ossfa.
or else, ossia.
provided that, purche.
rather, anzi.
since (temporal), dacche.
since (causal), poiche, siccome.
so, dunque, adunque.
CONJUNCTIONS, PREPOSITIONS, AND ADVERBS 69
so that (result), di modo che, sic- too, pure, anche.
che. unless, a meno che non, eccetto
so that ( = in order that), perche. che non, senza che.
than, che. until, finche non.
that, che. when, quando.
that ( = in order that], perche. whence, donde.
then, dunque. where, d6ve, 6ve, la d6ve.
therefore, dunque, per6, percid, wherever, dovunque.
adunque (at the beginning of a whether, se.
clause). while, mentre, mentre che.
The final vowel of anche, che, dove, neppure, and ove is
generally elided before e or i.
(a) Of the above conjunctions the following require the sub-
junctive:
accioche come se prima che
affinche dato che purche
a meno che non dovunque qualunque
ancorche eccetto che non quasi
avanti che non ostante che sebbene
benche perche meaning in order that senza che
caso per quanta
For the use of che, that, with the subjunctive, see 77, c, g, h.
Come is occasionally used for come se, and then it takes the sub-
junctive. Finche when referring to the future sometimes has the
sense of finche non, and then it generally takes the subjunctive.
Se is followed by the subjunctive when it introduces an indirect
question or statement dependent on a verb in a past tense, or a
condition contrary to fact. Quando and ove, meaning if, fre-
quently take the subjunctive when se would not. — For examples,
see 77, c, d, f, g, h.
(b) Che cannot be omitted in Italian as that is in English:1
Disse che fosse ve"ro. He said it was true.
Se can be omitted before an imperfect subjunctive (see 77, i).
1 It is omitted, however, in the following peculiarly Italian construction: il ragazzo
pareva fosse felice, the boy seemed to be happy; that is, between a verb of seeming and
the subjunctive dependent on it, when in English the construction would be a verb
of seeming with a dependent infinitive. It is occasionally omitted also after verbs of
wishing, hoping, and fearing; ag spero mi scriva presto, I hope you will write to me soon.
70
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
(c) E and o are often written ed and od before a vowel.
Mio padre ed io. My father and I.
(d) Between a verb of motion and an infinitive and is rendered
by the preposition a.
Andrd a cercarlo. I'll go and look for it.
(e) When anche, also or too, relates to a personal pronoun, the
disjunctive form of that pronoun must follow anche, even if some
form of the same pronoun has already been expressed.
We shall go too.
He goes away too.
I found him too.
They came too.
He gave it to me too.
Andremo anche noi.
Parte anch' egli.
Trovai anche lui.
Vennero anch' essi.
Lo or me lo diede anche a me.
Ti piace anche a te.
You like it too.
PREPOSITIONS
79. The principal prepositions are :
about ( = approximately), circa.
about (= around), intorno a, at-
torno a.
above, sopra.
according to, secondo.
after, dopo, dopo di.
against, contra, c6ntro.
along, lungo.
among, fra, tra.
around, int6rno a, attorno a.
as far as, fino a, sino a.
as for, per, quanta a, in quanto a.
as to, rispetto a.
at, a.
because of, per motive di.
before (time), prima di, innanzi.
before (place), davanti a, innanzi.
behind, dietro.
below, s6tto.
beside (place), accanto a.
besides, beside (=in addition to),
61tre.
between, fra, tra.
beyond, 61tre, al di la di.
by, da, accanto a ( = beside).
by means of, per mezzo di.
during, durante.
except, tranne, eccetto, fudri di.
from, da, fin da.
in, in.
in front of, davanti a, innanzi.
inside of, dentro di.
instead of, invece di.
in the midst of, in mezzo a,
into, in.
near, vicino a.
of, di.
on, su (before a vowel, sur), s6pra.
CONJUNCTIONS, PREPOSITIONS, AND ADVERBS 71
on this side of, al di qua di. through, per.
on to, su (before vowels, sur), so- under, sotto.
pra. upon, su (before vowels, sur), so-
opposite, dirimpetto a. pra.
out of, da, di, fudri di. up to, fino a, sino a.
outside of, fudri di with, con.
over, s6pra. within, fra, tra.
nrand and round, torno torno a. within ( = inside of), dentro di.
since, da. without, senza.
to, a. without ( = outside of), fuori di.
toward, verso.
When governing a personal pronoun contra, dietro, dopo,
senza, sopra, sotto, and often fra and verso take di after
them:
senza di me, without me. fra di 16ro, among themselves.
After con, in, per, a word beginning with s impure gen-
erally prefixes i:1
la strada, the street. in istrada, in the street.
(a) To before the name of a country, after a verb of motion,
is in.
Andiamo in Francia. Let us go to France.
(b) To before an infinitive is rendered in Italian as follows:
1. After the verbs
bastare, suffice fare, make sentire, hear, feel
bisognare, need lasciare, let solere, be accustomed
convenire, suit parere, seem udire, hear
desiderare, desire potere, can, be able vedere, see
dovere, must, ought sapere, know volere, wish
to before a following infinitive is omitted. It is omitted also in
exclamations and indirect questions consisting only of an interrog-
ative and an infinitive.
Dovrei caplre. 7 ought to understand.
Bis6gna pensdrci. It is necessary to look out for it. 9
Potremo venire. We shall be able to come.
Non sa che fare ne d6ve awol- He doesn't know what to do nor
gersi. where to turn.
i Cf. 58, a.
72 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
2. A fter verbs of accustoming, attaining, beginning, compelling,
continuing, hastening, helping, inviting, learning, preparing, teach-
ing, and after verbs of motion, to before a following infinitive is a.
Andranno a vederla. They ivill go to see her.
Si affretto a rispondere. He hastened to reply.
3. After all other verbs it is di; but to denoting purpose or result
is per, and to indicating duty or necessity is da.
Gli dissi di scrivere. I told him to write.
Mi e grato di dirlo. / am happy to say so.
Legge per divertirsi. He reads to amuse himself.
E troppo basso per arrivarci. He's too short to reach it.
Ho qualchecosa da fare. I have something to do.
(c) By denoting the agent is da.
Fu fatto da liii. It was done by him.
(d) In is in; but when expressing future time it is fra.
Fra tre gi6rni sar& finite. In three days it will be finished.
(e) For is per : as P ha f&tto per me, he has done it for me. But,
hi the sense of since, in speaking of past time, for is da. For
meaning during is omitted or translated dur£nte. Sentences like
it is right for him to do it must be translated by che with the sub-
junctive: e giusto che lo faccia.
Dimora da m<51ti dnni a Firenze. He has lived for many years at
Florence (see 73).
Resterd cinque settimane. 7 shall stay for five weeks.
Piowe durante im mese. It rained for a month.
Bis6gna ch' io vada. It is necessary for me to go.
(/) From is da; but before adverbs and sometimes after verbs
of departing it is di. In speaking of time it is generally fin da.
Arrlva da Parigi. He arrives from Paris.
1C lontano di qua. It is far from here.
Esco di casa. 7 go out of the house.
Fin dal principle. From the beginning.
(g) Da has, in addition to the meanings by, from, since, another
sense hard to render in English: it may be translated as, charac-
CONJUNCTIONS, PREPOSITIONS, AND ADVERBS 73
teristic of, destined for, such as to, or suited to, according to the
context. Da means also at the house of or to the house of. Da
corresponds to English on, at, or to before the word side, parte,
used in its literal sense.
Prometto da uomo d' on6re. / promise as a man of honor.
II Salvini da Otello. Salvini as Othello.
Sareste tanto buono da venire? Would you be so good as to come ?
Que"sto e da sciocchi. This is acting like a fool.
II bambino ha un giudizio da The child has the judgment of a
grande. grown person.
La sala da pr&nzo. The dining-room.
tJna tazza da caffe. A coffee-cup.
L' ho veduto dal Sign6r Neri. / saw him at Mr. Neri's.
Viene da me. He comes to my house.
Da questa pdrte. On this side.
(h) A is often used before a noun — not indicating material
(which is expressed by di) nor purpose (expressed by da) — that
describes another noun, when in English these two substantives
would form a compound word.
Una mdcchina a vap6re. A steam-engine.
Una sedia a d6ndolo. A rocking-chair.
Uno sgabello a tre piedi. A three-legged stool.
(i) fessere per or stare per means to be about to.
StaVa per parlare. He was on the point of speaking.
(f) In some idiomatic phrases di is used in Italian when another
preposition would be employed in English.
Di gi6rno, di notte. By day, by night.
Essere contento di iina cosa. To be satisfied with a thing.
Vivo di pane. 7 live on bread.
Che faceva delle forbici? What did he do with the scissors f
ADVERBS
80. 1. Adverbs, unless they begin the clause, are gen-
erally placed immediately after the verb; non, however,
always precedes the verb. When a compound tense is
74 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
used, the adverb nearly always follows the past participle,
but gia, mai, piu, and sempre usually precede it. See also 84.
Non precedes a conjunctive and follows a disjunctive
pronoun.
Non ci vado mai. I never go there.
Ho parlato spesso. I have often spoken.
Non ha sempre parldto cosi. He hasn't always talked so.
lo non lo v6do. / don't see him.
2. Adverbs are compared like adjectives (see 31); but
better, worse, more, less are respectively meglio, peggio, piu,
meno.
81. Yes is si or gia : si when it expresses real affirmation,
gia when it denotes passive assent. No is no. Not is non,
after which a word beginning with s impure generally pre-
fixes i. Or not at the end of a clause is o no :
Le piace? — Si. Do you like it ? — Yes.
Che tempaccio! — Gia. What nasty weather! — Yes.
Sta bene? — No. 7s he well f—No.
Non ista bene. He isn't well.
Sia vero o no. Whether it be true or not.
(a) What? meaning what do you say? is come? Che and the
interjection o are often used to introduce questions.
0 perche non risponde'te? — Why don't you answer? — What?
C6me? — Che siete s6rdo, i, — Are you deaf, sir?
sign6re?
(6) Very is molto (see, however, 35, a). Instead of using a
word or suffix for very, the Italians often repeat the emphasized
adjective or adverb.
E m61to bello or & bellissimo. It is very beautiful.
1 suoi genit6ri erano pdveri His parents were very poor.
p6veri.
82. Only may be translated by the adverb solo, soltanto,
or solamente; or by the adjective solo. When it modifies
CONJUNCTIONS, PREPOSITIONS, AND ADVERBS 75
anything but a verb, it is often rendered by non . . . che,
with the whole verb intervening, and with the word modi-
fied by only immediately after che.
Non ne ho comprato che due. / have bought only two of them.
83. Never is non . . . mai, with the inflected part of the
verb intervening. Just, as an adverb of time, is or ora.
Early is presto, per tempo, or di buon' ora. This morning is
stamane; last night is stand tte. The day after to-morrow and
the day before yesterday are respectively doman P altro and
ier P altro. A week, a fortnight from to-day are oggi a otto,
a quindici. Ago is translated by fa, which follows the sub-
stantive of tune; if this substantive is plural, ago may be
rendered also by sono (erano or saranno if the date from
which time is counted be past or future) .
Non ti ha mai veduto. He has never seen thee.
Son arrivati or 6ra. They have just arrived.
Tre dnni fa. Three years ago.
Qu^ttro gi6rni s6no. Four days ago.
Lunedl Srano due settimane. Two weeks ago Monday.
Domani saranno cinque mesi. Five months ago to-morrow.
84. Here and there, when they denote a place already
mentioned, and no particular stress is laid upon them, are
ci and vi, which are often used hi Italian when they would
be superfluous in English; there is, there are, etc., are c' e or
vi e, ci sono or vi sono, etc. (sometimes vi ha). Ci, vi, and
also ne, thence, occupy the same positions with regard to
the verb, and undergo the same changes, as the pronouns
ci, vi, ne (48, 50); they precede conjunctive pronouns be-
ginning with 1 or n, and follow all others : ce lo manda, ti A
mando.
When emphasized, here is qui or qua, there indicating a
place near the person addressed is costi or costa, and there
76 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
denoting a point remote from both speaker and hearer is li
or la.
Carlo vi e tomato. Charles has gone back there.
Alia scuola non ci vado. / don't go to school.
V6i rimarrete costa, egli You will remain where you are, he
restera laggiu, ed io non will stay down there, and I shall
partiro di qui. not move from here.
(a) Here I am, here it is, etc., are eccomi, eccolo, etc.
85. Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding
-mente to the feminine singular of the corresponding adjec-
tive. Adjectives in -le and -re drop their final e in forming
the adverb. See 35, a.
franco, frank. francamente, frankly.
felice, happy. felicemente, happily.
piacevole, pleasant. piacevolmente, pleasantly.
(a) So meaning it is translated lo :
Lo faccio. I do so.
Lo crede. He thinks so.
Lo dicono. They say so.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
86. One, people, we, you, they, used in an indefinite sense,
are rendered in Italian by the reflexive construction with
si (see 55).
Si canta bene in Italia. They sing well in Italy.
Si fa cosl. You do this way.
Se ne parla. People speak of it.
Si fanno spSsso qu4ste cose. One often does these thing*.
87. All as a substantive is tutto (tutti, etc.) :
Tac4vano ttitti. All were silent.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS 77
The adjective all, the whole is tutto followed by the def-
inite article.
Tfitta la terra. The whole earth.
Tutto il giorno. All day.
Tutte le romane son belle. All Roman ladies are beautiful.
88. Any, when it really adds nothing to the sense, is
omitted :
Non ha Ifbri. He hasn't (any) books.
Volute vino? Do you want (any) wine ?
When, however, this redundant any might be replaced by
any of the, it is translated by the partitive construction
(see 12, a) :
Volute del vino? Do you want any (of the) wine ?
Any used substantively in the sense of any of it, any of
them is ne (see 47, 3) :
Non ne ho. I haven't any.
Non ne ha piu. He hasn't any more.
Ne ave"te? Have you any ?
Any used adjectively and meaning any whatsoever is qua-
lunque :
Lo fa meglio di qualunque He does it better than any other
altra persona. person.
89. Some, when it adds nothing to the sense, is omitted
or rendered by the partitive construction:
Volute burro or volete del Will you have some butter f
burro?
Some meaning some of it, some of them is ne :
Ne ha. He has some.
78 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
Otherwise some is alcuno or qualche. Qualche is always
singular (even when the meaning is plural), and is never
used substantively.
Alcune pers6ne or qualche Some persons.
pers6na.
Alcuni lo dicono. Some say so.
90. Some . . . others, the one . . . the other, one . . . another
are translated by chi . . . chi, altri . . . altri, P uno . . .
P altro, or alcuni . . . alcuni.
Alcuni used in this way is always plural. A verb whose
subject is chi or altri (used in this sense) is always singular;
altri is not used after prepositions. But V uno and P altro
can be used hi any case or number.
Ttitti, chi piu t6sto, e chi All died, some sooner, some later.
^ meno, morivano.
Altri cade, altri fugge. Some fall, others flee.
Gli uni son buoni, gli altri Some are good, others bad.
cattivi.
91. Following is a list of some other indefinite pronouns
and adjectives:
anybody, qualcuno, qualcheduno, everything, tutto, pron.
chicchessia, pronouns. few, a few, pochi (pi.), pron. or adj.
any more, piu, ne . . . piu, pron. however much (or many), per
anything, qualchecdsa, pron. quanto (-ti), adj.
anything else, altro, pron. little, p6co, pron. or adj.
both, tutti e due, P uno e P altro, less, meno, pron. or adj.1
ambedue, pron. or adj. many, molti, pron. or adj.2
certain, certo, adj. more, piu, pron. or adj.
each, ogni, ciascuno, ognuno, adj. much, m61to, pron. or adj.
either, P uno o P altro, pron. or neither, non . . . P uno ne P altro,
adj. ne P uno ne P altro, pron. or
every, 6gni, ciascuno, ognuno, cia- adj.
scheduno, adj. no, non . . . nessuno, non . . . al-
everybody, tutti (pi.), ciascheduno, cuno, adj.
ciascuno, ognuno, pron. nobody, non . . . nessuno, pron.
1 Less= smaller is pift piccolo. 2 A great many is moltissimi.
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS 79
no more, non ne . . . piu, pron., somebody, qualcheduno, qualcuno,
non . . . piu, adj. pron.
none, non ne . . ., pron. something, qualchecosa, pron.
nothing, non . . . niente, non . . . something else, altro, pron.
nulla, pron. such, tale, adj.
nothing else, non . . . piu niente, such a, un tale, adj. (but also pron.
non . . . piu nulla, pron. in Ital., meaning so-and-so),
others, altrui (see 91, d), pron. whatever, qualunque (invariable),
several, parecchi (fern, parecchie), adj.
pron. or adj.
(a) The verb used with nessuno, alcuno, niente, nulla (mean-
ing no, nobody, nothing) must be preceded by non, not, unless this
pronoun or adjective precedes the verb.
Non ho visto nessuno. I have seen nobody.
Nessun popolo lo possiede. No people possesses it.
(b) Nothing, followed by an adjective, is niente di. .
Non avete niente di buono. You have nothing good.
(c) Ciascuno, ciascheduno, ognuno, nessuno, and alcuno when
used adjectively are inflected like uno (see 14, 15).
(d) Altrui, another, others, our neighbor, is invariable, and is not
used as subject of a verb:
Con altrui. With other people.
Chi ama altrui ama se stesso. He who loves his neighbor loves
himself.
The prepositions di and a are sometimes omitted before it:
La m6stro altrui. / point her out to others.
La voglia altrui. The will of another.
80 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS
Arranged according to Conjugation.1
92. This list contains no compound verbs except those
which differ hi conjugation from their simple verbs and
those for which no simple verb exists hi Italian. With every
verb its irregular forms are given: in the same line with the
infinitive are the present participle (if it be needed to show
the original form of the infinitive), the first person singu-
lar of the past absolute indicative, the past participle, and
the first person singular of the future indicative (if the future
be contracted); immediately below are the present indica-
tive, the imperative, and the present subjunctive, if these
parts be peculiar. For dare and stare the whole past abso-
lute and the first person singular of the past subjunctive
are given also. Essere is irregular throughout. All tenses
not mentioned are regular. For peculiar endings, see 63, 68.
Note the following rules :
(a) If the present participle is given, the following forms, unless
expressly mentioned, are to be constructed from its stem: all past
absolute forms with accented endings, and the whole past descriptive
and past subjunctive. E.g., fare, pres. part, facendo: hence past
abs. 2d sing, and 1st and 2d pi., face*sti, facemmo, face*ste; past
descr., faceVa, etc.; past subj., facessi, etc.
If the present participle is not given, these forms, unless they
be mentioned, are to be constructed from the stem of the infini-
tive. E.g. , venire : past abs. , venlsti, venimmo, venlste ; past descr. ,
venfva; past subj., venlssi.
(fc) A past absolute whose 1st pers. sing, ends in -ai, -ei, -ii, or
-6tti (except detti and stetti) is regular throughout. In any other
past absolute the third person singular can be formed from the
1 Reference to these tables is facilitated by an Alphabetical List of Irregular and
Defective Verbs (see page 92). Students are advised not to learn forms in paren-
theses nor any verbs or forms marked rare or poetical.
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS 81
first person by changing final i to e, and the third person plural by
adding -TO to the third person singular. E.g., fare, p. abs. fe*ci: 3d
sing., fece; 3d pi., fecero.
(c) If the future is not given, it is to be constructed from the
infinitive. The past future always has the same stem as the future.
See 65, p. 57.
«
(rf) The imperative, when not given, is like the corresponding
forms of the present indicative. See 66, 6.
FIRST CONJUGATION
1. Andare, go, and&i, anddto; andro (anderd).
PRES. IND. IMPER. PRE8. 8UBJ.
vado or vo andiamo va' vada andiamo
vai andate andiamo vada andiate
va vanno andate vada vadano
2. Fare, do, facendo, f^ci,1 fdtto; fard. Fare (formerly also facere)
was originally a verb of the third conjugation (see 92, a).
PRES. IND. IMPER. PRES. SUBJ.
faccio or fd facciamo fa' faccia facciamo
fai2 fate facciamo faccia facciate
fa2 fanno fate faccia facciano
3. Dare, give, diedi or de"tti, ddto; dard. Past subj. dessi.
PRES. IND. PAST. ABS. IMPER. PRES. SUBJ.
do
diedi or detti
dia
dai
desti
da'
dfa
da
diede or dette3
dia
diamo
demmo
diamo
diamo
date
deste
date
diate
danno
diedero or dettero3
diano or dieno
1 In poetry we sometimes find a past abs. fei, festi, fe or feo, f emmo, feste, f erono
or fero or f enno; and past descr. fea, etc.
> Also faci face.
1 Also did, sing.; dier or diero or dierono, pi.
82 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
4. Stare (67, a), stand, stetti, stato; staro. Past subj. stessi.
PRES. IND. PAST. ABS. IMPER. PRES. SUBJ.
sto
stetti
stia
stai
stesti
sta'
stia
sta
stette
stia
stiamo
stemmo
stiamo
stiamo
state
steste
state
stiate
stanno
stettero
stiano or stieno
SECOND CONJUGATION
5. Avere, have, ebbi, avrito; avro. See 63, 6.1
6. Sapere, know, seppi, sapiito; sapro.
PRES. IND. IMPER. PRES. SUBJ.
s6 sappiamo sappi sappia sappiamo
sai sapete sappiamo sappia sappiate
sa sanno sappiate sappia sappiano
7. Cadere, fall, caddi, caduto; cadro.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
cado (caggio) cadiamo (caggiamo) cada (caggia) cadiamo (caggiamo)
cadi cadete cada (caggia) cadiate (caggiate)
cade cadono (caggiono) cada (caggia) cadano (caggiano)
8. Dovere, owe, dovei (dovetti), doviito; dovro. Imperative lacking.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
devo (debbo or deggio) debba (deva or deggia)
devi (debbi) debba (deva or deggia)
deve (debbe) debba (deva or deggia)
dobbiamo (deggiamo) dobbiamo
dovete dobbiate
devono (debbono or deggiono)2 debbano (devano or deggiano)
9. Sedere, sit, sedei or sedetti, seduto.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
siedo or seggo sediamo (seggiamo) sieda or segga sediamo (seggiamo)
siedi sedete sieda or segga sediate
siede siedono or seggono sieda or segga siedano or seggano
1 In poetry we find: aggio, abbo, or aio for ho; ave for ha; aggia or aia for abbia; ei
for ebbi; a future ar6, etc., or aver6, etc., and similar forms in the past future.
* Also deo, dei, dee, dovemo, dovete, deono or denno.
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS 83
10. Vedere, see, vidi, veduto or visto; vedro. Prowedere has a
future prowedero; prevedere has prevedero or prevedro. All
other compounds are like vedere.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
vedo (veggo or veggio) veda (vegga or veggia)
vedi veda (vegga or veggia)
vede veda (vegga or veggia)
vediamo (veggiamo) vediamo (veggiamo)
vedete vediate (veggiate)
vedono (veggono or veggiono) vedano (veggano or veggiano)
11. Giacere, lie, gi^cqui, giaciiito.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
giaccio giacciamo giaccia giacciamo
giaci giacete giaccia giacciate
giace giacciono giaccia giacciano
12. Piacere, please: like giacere (11).
13. Tacere, be silent: like giacere (11).
14. Solere, be wont, solito. No past, abs., fut., past fut., nor im-
perative.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
soglio sogliamo soglia sogliamo
suoli solete soglia sogliate
suole sogliono soglia sdgliano
15. Dolere, grieve, dolsi, doliito; dorro.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
ddlgo (doglio) dogliamo1 dolga (doglia) dogliamo1
duoli delete dolga (doglia) dogliate
du61e dolgono (dogliono) dolga (doglia) dolgano (ddgliano)
16. Rimanere, remain, rim£si, rim^sto or rimaso; rimarro.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
rimango rimaniamo2 rimanga rimaniamo2
rimani rimanete rimanga rimaniate *
rimane rimangono rimanga rimangano
1 Also dolghiamo: a popular form.
2 Also rimanghiamo: a popular form.
84 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
17. Tenere, hold, t£nni, temito; terrd.
PRES. IND. PRES. 8UBJ.
tengo teniamo1 tenga teniamo1
tieni tenete tenga teniate
tiene tengono tenga tengano
18. ValSre, be worth, vdlsi, valiito or valso; varrd.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
valgo (vaglio) vagliamo valga (vaglia) vagliamo1
vali valete valga (vaglia) vagliate
vale valgono (vagliono) valga (vaglia) valgano (vagliano)
19. Volere, wish, v611i,2 voliito; vorr6.
PRES. IND. IMPER. PRES. SUBJ.
voglio (vo1) vogliamo vogli v6glia vogliamo
vu6i3 volete vogliamo voglia vogliate
vuole vogliono vogliate voglia vogliano
20. Parere, seem, pdrvi, pariito or pdrso; parro.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
paio paiarao or pariamo paia paiamo or pariamo
pari parete paia paiate
pare paiono paia paiano
21. Potere, be able, pot6i, potiito; potro.4 No imperative.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
posso possiamo possa possiamo
pu6i potete pdssa possiate
pud5 pdssono5 pdssa pdssano
22. Persuadere, persuade, persuasi, persudso. Pres. persuddo, etc.
23. Calere, matter, c£lse, caluto. Impersonal. No fut., past fut.f
nor imperative. Not modern.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
cale caglia
» Also tenghiamo; valghiamo: popular forms.
* Also volsi. 3 Also vuogli or vuoli.
4 In poetry we find a fut. por6 and a past fut. poria.
« Also pufite; ponno.
LIST OF IKREGULAR VERBS 85
THIRD CONJUGATION
(e) All irregular verbs of the third conjugation are accented, in
the singular and third person plural of the present indicative and
subjunctive, on the same syllable as in the infinitive.
( /) Verbs in -cere and -gere insert no i between the c or g and
the o or a of the present indicative and subjunctive endings,
except in the first person plural of both moods and the second
person plural of the subjunctive. Cf. 60, last paragraph.
(g) See chapter on Pronunciation, 4, s, d.
Present Regular
24. Accendere, light, accesi, acceso.
25. Affliggere, afflict, afflissi, afflitto.
26. Algere, be cold, alsi. Defective. Rare.
27. Alludere, allude, alliisi (alludei), alliiso.
28. Ardere, burn, arsi, arso.
29. Arrdgere, add, arrosi, arroso or arroto. Defective. Rare.
30. Assidere, besiege, assisi, assiso. Rare.
31. AssSlvere, absolve, assolvetti or assolve"! or assolsi, assolto or
assoluto. So risolvere (determine). For sdlvere, dissdlvere,
and risdlvere (dissolve), see 107.
32. Assdrbere, absorb, assorsi (not in use), ass6rto. Rare*
33. Avellere, uproot, avulse, aviilso. Defective. Rare.
34. Chiudere, shut, chiusi, chiuso. So all verbs in -chiudere or
-cludere. See, however, 4, s, d.
35. Cdlere, revere, c61to or culto. Defective. Rare.
36. Connettere, connect, connessi (connettei), connesso (connettiito).
Rare.
37. Condscere, know, con6bbi, conosciiito.
38. Conquidere, conquer, conquisi, conquiso. Rare.
39. Consumere, consume, consiinsi, consunto. Rare. Presumere
has also presumei.
40. Contundere, bruise, contiisi, contiiso.
41. C6rrere, run, c6rsi, c6rso.
42. Crescere, grow, cr^bbi, cresciuto. ^
43. Cudcere, cook, cocendo, cossi, cotto. Pres. cuocio or cuoco, etc.1
1 In the 1st and 2d persons plural of the pres. ind., subj., and imperative, uo is
generally replaced by o: cociamo, etc. The uo occurs in those parts of the verb where
the accent falls on that syllable.
86 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
44. Decidere, decide, decisi, deciso.
45. Difendere, defend, difesi (difendei), difeso.
46. Dirigere, direct, diressi, diretto.
47. Discutere, discuss, discussi (discutei), disciisso.
48. Distinguere, distinguish, distinsi, distinto.
49. Dividere, divide, divisi, diviso.
50. Elidere, elide, elisi (elidei), eliso.
51. Eludere, elude, elusi (eludei or eludetti), elriso.
52. Ergere, erect, ersi, erto. Rare.
53. Esigere, exact, esigei (esigetti), esatto.
54. Esistere, exist, esistei (esistetti), esistito.
55. Espellere, expel, espulsi, espiilso. Rare.
56. Esplddere, explode, esplosi, esp!6so.
57. Esprimere, express, espressi, espresso. So all other verbs in
— primere. Premere and its compounds with e are regular.
58. Fendere, split, fendei (fendetti or fessi), fendiito or fesso.
59. Figgere (figere), fix, fissi, fitto.
60. Fingere, feign, flnsi, finto.
61. F6ndere, melt, fusi (fondei), fiiso (fondtito).
62. Frangere, break, fransi, franto.
63. Friggere, fry, frissi, fritto.
64. Genuflettere, kneel, genuflessi, genuflesso. Rare.
65. Intridere, dilute, intrisi, intriso.
66. Intrudere, intrude, intrusi, intruso.
67. Invidere, invade, invasi, invaso.
68. Ledere, offend, lesi (not in use), leso. Rare.
69. Leggere, read, lessi, letto.
70. Licere or lecere, be lawful, le"cito or licito. Impersonal. Defec-
tive. Poetical.
71. Ludere, play, lusi, liiso. Rare.
72. Mergere, plunge, mersi, merso. Rare.
73. Mettere, put, messi or Qjigi, messo.
74. Mdlcere, soothe, miilse. Defective. Rare.
75. Mordere, bite, morsi, morso.
76. Muovere, move, movendo, mossi, mosso.1
77. Nascere, be born, nacqui, nato.
78. Nasc6ndere, hide, nascosi, nascosto.
79. Negligere (see 5, gli), neglect, neglessi, negletto.
80. Offendere, offend, offesi, offeso.
81. Ostendere, show. Defective. Rare.
82. Percipere, perceive, percetto. Defective. Rare.
83. Perdere, lose, perdei or perdetti or perei, perduto or perso.
84. Pidvere, rain, piowe (piove), piovuto. Impersonal.
1 See page 85, footnote.
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS 87
85. Pdrgere, present, porsi, porto.
86. Prediligere, prefer, predilessi, prediletto.
87. Prendere, take, presi, preso.
88. Proteggere, protect, protessi, protetto.
89. Radere, shave, rasi (radei), raso.
90. Redimere, redeem, redensi (redimei), redento.
91. Reggere, support, ressi, retto.
92. Rendere, render, resi (rendei or rendetti), reso (rendiito).
93. Ridere, laugh, risi, riso.
94. Riflettere, reflect, riflettei or riflessi, riflettiito or riflesso. Riflet-
tere, reflect light, is generally irregular; riflettere, meditate, is
usually regular.
95. Rifulgere, shine, rifulsi. Past part, lacking. Poetical.
96. Rilucere, shine, riliissi or rilucei. Past part, lacking.
97. Rispondere, answer, risp6si, risp6sto.
98. R6dere, gnaw, r6si, r6so.
99. Rompere, break, riippi, r6tto.
100. Scendere, descend, scesi, sceso.
101. Scindere, sever, scindei or scissi, scisso.
102. Sciolvere, breakfast, sciolsi or sciolvetti, sciolto. Rare.
103. Scorgere, perceive, scorsi, scorto.
104. Scrivere, write, scrissi, scritto.
105. Scuotere, shake, scotendo, scossi, scosso.1
106. Soffolcere, support, soffolse, soffolto. Defective. Rare.
107. Sdlvere, undo, solve! (solvetti), soliito. Poetical. So dissol-
vere;/or assolvere and risolvere (determine}, see 31.
108. Sorgere, rise, s6rsi, s6rto.
109. Sospendere, suspend, sospesi, sospeso. So appendere, impen-
dere. Pendere is reg.; dipendere either reg. or irreg.
110. Spandere, spill, spandei or spandetti, spanto.
111. Spargere, scatter, sparsi, sparso or sparto.
112. Spendere, spend, spesi, speso.
113. Spergere, disperse, spersi, sperso. Rare.
114. Sporgere, project, sporsi, sporto.
115. Struggere, melt, striissi, stnitto.
116. Succedere, happen, success! or succedei, successo or succediito.
So concedere, which has also concedetti; cedere and its other
compounds are generally regular.
117. Suggere, suck, suggei or siissi. Past part, lacking. Rare.
118. Tendere (transitive), extend, tesi, teso. The intrans. verb is reg*
but has no past participle.
119. Tergere, wipe, tersi or tergei, terso. Rare.
120. TSrcere, twist, torsi, torto.
1 See page 85, footnote.
88 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
121. Uccidere, kill, uccisi, uccfso.
122. Vincere, conquer, vinsi, vinto.
123. Vivere, live, vissi, vissuto or viviito; viverd or vivr6.
124. Volgere, turn, volsi, volto.
125. Vdlvere, turn, volsi, volto. Rare. Dev61vere has a past part.
devoluto.
Present Irregular
126. fessere, be, Mi, stato; sard. See 63, a.1
127. Bere or bevere, drink, bevendo, bewi (bevetti or bevel), be-
viito (betito) ; bero or bevero.
PBES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
bevo or beo beviamo or beiamo beva or bea beviamo or beiamo
bevi or bei bevete or beete beva or bea beviate or beiate
beve or bee bevono or beono beva or bea bevano or beano
128. Chiedere, ask, chiesi (chi^si or chied^i), chiesto.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
chiedo (chieggo)2 chieda (chiegga)2
chiedi chieda (chiegga)
chiede chieda (chiegga)
chiediamo chiediamo
chiedete chiediate
chiedono (chieggono)2 chiedano (chieggano)2
129. Condurre, conduct, conducendo, condiissi, cond6tto; condurrd.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
conduce conduciamo conduca conduciamo
conduci conducete conduca conduciate
conduce conducono conduca conducano
130. NuScere, harm, nocendo, n6cqui, nociuto.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
nuoco or noccio nociamo nuoca or noccia nociamo
nuoci nocete nuoca or noccia nociate
nudce nu6cono or nocciono nuoca or noccia nuocano or n6c-
ciano
1 In the past descriptive eramo is often used for eravamo. We find in poetry:
sete for siete; enno or en for sono (third pi.); sie for sia; eramo, erate for eravamo,
eravate; u f or o in the past absolute and past subjunctive; ffiro for furono; fia, fiano
or fieno for sara, saranno; fora, forano for sarei, sarebbe, sarebbero; sendo for es-
sendo; suto, essuto, or issuto for stato.
2 Also chieggio, chieggiono, chieggia, chieggiano.
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS OV
131. Porre, put, ponendo, p6si, p6sto; pond.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
pdngo poniamo (ponghiamo) ponga poniamo (ponghiamo)
pdni ponete ponga poniate
pone pongono ponga pongano
132. Trdrre (triere), drag, traendo, tr&ssi, trdtto; trarr6.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
traggo traiamo or traggiamo1 tragga traiamo or traggiamo1
trai (traggi) traete tragga traiate
trie (tragge) traggono tragga traggano
133. Vellere (verre), tear up, v&si, velto; veller6 (verrd or velger6).
Vellere, which is rare, has not all the forms given here; but its
compound, svellere, has them all.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
vello or velgo velliamo (velgiamo) vella or velga velliamo (velgiamo)
velli (velgi) vellete v611a or velga velliate (velgiate)
velle (velge) vlllono or velgono vella or velga vellano or velgano
134. Cdgliere (corre), gather, colsi, colto; cogliero or corrd.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
cdlgo (cdglio) cogliamo (colghiamo) ccjiga (coglia) cogliamo (colghiamo)
cogli cogliete cdlga (coglia) cogliate
c6glie colgono (c6gliono) cdlga (coglia) colgano (cogliano)
135. Scegliere (scerre), choose: like cogliere (134).
136. Scidgliere (scidrre), untie: like cogliere (134).
vJ37. T6gliere (tdrre), take: like cogliere (134).
138. Giungere (giugnere), to arrive, giunsi, giunto; giunger6 (giu-
gnero).
FRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
giungo (giugno) giunga (giugna)
giungi (giugni) giunga (giugna)
giunge (giugne) giunga (giugna)
giungiamo (giugniamo) giungiamo (giugniamo)
giungete (giugnete) giungiate (giugniate)
giungono (giugnono) giungano (giugnano) ^
139. Cingere (cignere), gird: like giiingere (138).
140. Mugnere (mungere), milk: like giiingere (138).
1 Also tragghiamo.
90 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
141. Pidngere (piagnere), weep: like giungere (138).
142. Pingere (pignere), paint: like giiingere (138).
143. Pungere (pugnere), prick: like giungere (138).
144. Spegnere (spSngere), extinguish: like giungere (138), except
that the forms with gn are far commoner than those with ng.
145. Spingere (spignere), push: like giungere (138).
146. Stringere (strignere), bind: like giungere (138), except that the
past part, is stretto or stiinto. Costringere, compel, has for
past part, only costretto.
147. Tingere (tignere), dye: like giungere (138).
148. Ungere (ugnere), anoint: like giungere (138).
FOURTH CONJUGATION
Present Regular
149. Aprire, open, aprii or apersi, aperto. Pres. d,pro, etc.
150. Coprire (cuoprire), cover, coprii or copersi, copgrto. Pres.
copro (cuopro), etc.
151. Offrire (offerire), offer, offrii (offerii) or offersi, offerto. Pres.
offro (offerfsco), etc.
152. Soffrire, suffer: like offrire (151).
153. Convertire, convert, convertii or conversi, convertito or con-
v&rso. Pres. converto or conyertisco, etc. All other verbs in
-verttre are reg.
154. Costruire (construire), construct, co(n)strussi or co(n)struii,
co(n)struito or co(n)strutto. Pres. co(n)strulsco, etc.
155. Digerire, digest, digerii, digerito (digesto). Pres. digerisco, etc.
156. Esaurire, exhaust, esaurii, esaurito or esausto. Pres. esaurisco,
etc.
157. Seppellire or sepellire, bury, sep(p)ellii, seppellito or sep61to.
Pres. sep(p)ellisco, etc.
Present Irregular
158. Cucire, sew, cucii, cucito. Pres. cucio or cucisco. This verb
inserts i before o and a, but not before e and i.
159. Sdrucire or sdruscire, rip: like cucire (158).
160. Empire or empiere, fill, empiendo, empii, empito. All but the
present from the stem of empire. So compire or compiere,
which has also a past part, compiuto.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
empio (empisco) empiamo empia empiamo
empi (empisci) empite empia empiate
empie (empisce) empiono (empiscono) empia empiano
LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS 91
161. Morire, die, morii, morto; morro or morird.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
mudio (mu6ro) moriamo or muoia- mudia (muora) moriamo or muoi-
mo amo
muori or muoi morite muoia (muora) muoiate
mudre muoiono (muoro- muoia (mudra) muoiano (muora-
no) no) 1
162. Seguire, follow, seguii, seguito. Pres. seguo, etc. The verb is
generally regular; but the e may be changed to ie in all forms
where it is accented. Proseguire has -seguo or -seguisco.
163. Sparire, disappear, sparii or sparvi, sparito. Pres. (regular)
sparisco, etc. Apparire has apparvi or -si or -ii, apparito or
apparso; comparire has comparvi or -si or -ii, comparso;
otherwise they are like sparire, but they have in the present the
additional forms: -pdio, -pare, -paiono; -p&ia, -paiano.
164. Dire, say, dicendo, dissi. detto; dird. Dire (formerly dicere)
belongs really to the third conjugation: dicesti, -eva, -essi.
PRES. IND. IMPER. PRES. SUBJ.
dico diciamo di' dica diciamo
dfci dite diciamo dica diciate
dice dicono dite dica dicano
165. Salire, ascend, salii or salsi, salito.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
salgo (salisco) saliamo or sagliamo - saiga (salisca) saliamo or sagliamo-
sali (salisci) salfte saiga (salisca) sagliate
sale (salisce) salgono (saliscono) saiga (salisca) salgano (saliscano)
166. Venire, come, venni, veniito; verro.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
vSngo (vegno) veniamo2 venga (vegna) veniamo2
rieni venite venga (vegna) veniate
viene vengono (vegnono) venga (vegna) vengano (vegnano)
167. Udire, hear, udii, udito; udird (udro).
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
6do udiamo oda udiamo 0
odi udite oda udiate
ode odono oda odano
1 In all forms where uo occurs, it may be replaced by o.
2 Also salghiamo; venghiamo: popular forms.
92 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
168. Uscire (escire), go out, uscii, uscito.
PRES. IND. PRES. SUBJ.
esco usciamo esca usciam*
esci uscite esca usciate
6sce escono esca escano
169. Orire, be born, orto. Defective. Rare.
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF IRREGULAR AND DE-
FECTIVE VERBS
93. Every irregular verb in this list is followed by a num-
ber referring to the table of Irregular Verbs arranged ac-
cording to Conjugation. Obsolete defective verbs that
present no irregularity have not been mentioned.
(a) Compound verbs have, in general, been excluded from this
list, unless they differ in conjugation from the simple verbs from
which they come (see 67, a). The commonest prefixes are: a- (cor-
responding in meaning to the preposition a) ; as- ( = Latin abs-) ;
co-, com-, con-, cor- ( =prep. con); contra- ( =prep. contra); de-,
di- (=Lat. de-}', dis- (=Lat. dis-); e-, es- (=Lat. ex}; i-, im-,
in-, ir- (=prep. in); o- (=Lat. 06); per- (=prep. per); pre-
(=Lat. prae-}; pro- (=Lat. pro-}-, r-, re-, ri- (=Lat. re-}; s-
(=Lat. ex- or dis-}; so-, sos-, su- (=Lat. sub}; sopra-, sopr-,
sor- (=prep. s6pra); sott-, sotto- (=prep. s6tto); stra- (=Lat.
extra}; tra- ( =prep. trd). After several of these prefixes the initial
consonant of the simple verb is generally found doubled: a+ca-
dere = accadere. S- is sometimes combined with con-, r- with SL-
OT in-: scosce"ndere, raccogliere, rincorrere.
Accad^re, see cad6re, 7. Affliggere, 25.
Accendere, 24. Algere, 26.
Accltidere, see chiiidere, 34. Alliidere, 27.
Accorgere, see scorgere, 103. Ancidere, see uccidere, 121.
Acquisire has only acquisito. Andare, 1.
Addiirre, see condurre, 129. Annettere, see connettere, 36.
IRREGULAR AND DEFECTIVE VERBS
93
Antep6rre, see p6rre, 131.
Antivedere, p. p. only antiveduto,
otherwise like vedere, 10.
Apparire, see sparire, 163.
Appartenere, see tenere, 17.
Appendere, see sospendere, 109.
Aprire, 149.
Ardere, 28.
Arr6gere, 29.
Ascendere, see scendere, 100.
Asciolvere, see sciolvere, 102.
Ascondere, see nasc6ndere, 78.
Aspergere, see spergere, 113.
Assalire, see salire, 165.
Assidere, 30.
Assistere, see esistere, 54.
Assolvere, 31.
Assorbere, 32.
Assiimere, see consumere, 39.
Avellere, 33.
Avere, 5.
Bere, 127.
Be>ere, see bere, 127.
Cadere, 7.
Calere, 23.
Cedere, generally reg., sometimes
has p. abs. cessi, p. p. cesso.
ChiMere, 128.
Chiudere, 34.
Cignere, see cingere, 139.
Cingere, 139.
Circoncidere, see decidere, 44.
Cogliere, 134.
Coincidere, reg. verb, has no p. p.
Colere, 35.
Colltidere, see liidere, 71.
Comparire, see sparire, 163.
Competere, reg. verb, has no p. p.
C6mpiere, see empire, 160.
Compire, see empire, 160.
Comprim^re, see esprimere, 57.
Concedere, see succedere, 116.
Concludere, see chiudere, 34.
Concutere, see discutere, 47.
Condurre, 129.
Connettere, 36.
Con6scere, 37.
Conquidere, 38.
Consistere, see esistere, 54.
Constare is reg.
Construire, see costruire, 154.
Consumere, 39.
Contendere, see tendere, 118.
Contrastare is reg.
Controvertere, see vertere.
Contundere, 40.
Convergere, reg. verb, has no p. p.
Convertire, 153.
Coprire, 150.
Corre, see cogliere, 134.
C6rrere, 41.
Corrisp6ndere, see risp6ndere, 97.
Cospargere, see spargere, 111.
Cospergere, see spergere, 113.
Costruire, 154.
Cre"scere, 42.
Cucire, 158.
Cuocere, 43.
Cuoprire, see coprire, 150.
Dare, 3.
Decidere, 44.
Dediirre, see condurre, 129.
Delinquere, reg. verb, has no p. p.*
and its p. abs., delinquetti, is rare.
Deprimere, see esprimere, 57.
Desistere, see esistere, 54.
Devolvere, see volvere, 125.
Difendere, 45.
Digerire, 155.
Dipendere, see sospendere, 109.
Dire, 164.
Dirigere, 46.
Dirimere, reg. verb, has no p. p.
Discendere, see scendere, 100.
Discutere, 47.
Dispergere, see spergere, 113.
Dissolvere, see solvere, 107.
Dissuadere, see persuadere, 22.
94
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
Distdre, reg. in pres. of all moods,
no pres. p., otherwise like stdre,
4.
Distinguere, 48.
Distniggere, see struggere, 115.
Divedere has nothing but infin.
Divergere, reg. verb, has no p. p.
Dividers, 49.
Dolere, 15.
Dovere, 8.
Eleggere, see leggere, 69.
Elidere, 50.
Eludere, 51.
Empiere, see empire, 160.
Empire, 160.
Ergere, 52.
Erigere, see dirigere, 46.
Esaurire, 156.
Escire, see uscire, 168.
Escludere, see chiudere, 34.
Esigere, 53.
Esimere, reg. verb, has no p. p.
Esistere, 54.
Espellere, 55.
Esplodere, 56.
Esprimere, 57.
Essere, 126.
Estinguere, see distinguere, 48.
Ev&dere, see invadere, 67.
Fare, 2.
Fendere, 58.
Fervere, reg. verb, has no p. p., and
is rare except in the third pers. of
the pres. ind. and past descr.
Figere, see figgere, 59.
Figgere, 59.
Fingere, 60.
F6ndere, 61.
Frangere, 62.
Friggere, 63.
Genuflettere, 64.
Giace"re, 11.
Gire, defect.: pres. giamo, gite; past
descr. giva or gia, etc.; imper.
gi£mo, gite; pres. subj. gidmo,
giate; no pres. p.; rest reg.
Giugnere, see giungere, 138.
Giiingere, 138.
Illudere, see liidere, 71.
Impellere, see espellere, 55.
Impendere, see sospendere, 109.
Imprimere, see esprimere, 57.
Incidere, see decidere, 44.
Incliidere, see chiudere, 34.
Inciitere, see discutere, 47.
Indiirre, see condurre, 129.
Insistere, see esistere, 54.
Instare is reg.
Instruire, see construire, 154.
Intendere, see tendere, 118.
Intercedere, see succedere, 116.
Intridere, 65.
Introdurre, see condurre, 129.
Intriidere, 66.
Invadere, 67.
Invalere, p. p. only invdlso, other-
wise like valere, 18.
Ire, defect.: pres. ite; p. des. iva, etc.;
p. abs. isti, iste, iro; fut. iremo,
irete, iranno; imper. ite; past
subj. isse, iste, issero; p. p. ito.
Istruire, see costruire, 154.
Lecere, see licere, 70.
Ledere, 68.
Leggere, 69.
Licere, 70.
Liicere, reg. verb, has no p. p.
Liidere, 71.
Mantenere, see tenure, 17.
Mergere, 72.
Mettere, 73.
Molcere, 74.
Mordere, 75.
Morire, 161.
Mugnere, 140.
Miingere, see mugnere, 140.
Muovere, 76.
Nascere, 77.
IRREGULAR AND DEFECTIVE VERBS
95
Nasc6ndere, 78.
Negligere, 79.
Nuocere, 130.
Offendere, 80.
Offerire, see offrire, 151.
Offrire, 151.
Opprimere, see esprfmere, 57.
Orire, 169.
Ostare is reg.
Ostendere, 81.
Parere, 20.
Percipere, 82.
Percudtere, see scuotere, 105.
Perdere, 83.
Permane"re, see rimanere, 16.
Persistere, see esistere, 54.
Persuadere, 22.
Piacere, 12.
Piagnere, see piangere, 141.
Piangere, 141.
Pignere, see pingere, 142.
Pingere, 142.
Piovere, 84.
Porgere, 85.
P6rre, 131.
Posp6rre, see p6rre, 131.
Possedere, see sedere, 9.
Pote*re, 21.-
Precidere, see decidere, 44.
Precludere, see chiudere, 34.
Prediligere, 86.
Premere is reg.
Prendere, 87.
Prestare is reg.
Presumere, see consumers, 39.
Prevedere, see vedere, 10.
Produrre, see condurre, 129.
Proteggere, 88.
Prowedere, fut. and past fut. un-
contracted, otherwise like vedere,
10.
Priidere, reg. verb, has no p. p., and
is used only in the third pers.
Pugnere, see piingere, 143.
Pungere, 143.
Raccogliere, see cogliere, 134.
Radere, 89.
Raggiungere, see giungere, 138.
Recidere, see decidere, 44.
Redimere, 90.
Reggere, 91.
Rendere, 92.
Repellere, see espellere, 55.
Reprimere, see esprirnere, 57.
Resistere, see esistere, 54.
Restare is reg.
Ridere, 93.
Ridurre, see condurre, 129.
Riflettere, 94.
Rifulgere, 95.
Rilucere, 96.
Rimanere, 16.
Risolvere (dissolve}, see solvere,
107.
Risolvere (determine}, see assol-
vere, 31.
Risp6ndere, 97.
Ristare, see stare, 4.
Risumere, see consumere, 39.
Rodere, 98.
R6mpere, 99.
Salire, 165.
Sapere, 6.
Scegliere, 135.
Scendere, 100.
Scerre, see scegliere, 135.
Scindere, 101.
Sciogliere, 136.
Sciolvere, 102.
Sciorre, see sciogliere, 136.
Scommettere, see mettere, 73.
Scoprire, see coprire, 150.
Scorgere, 103.
Scrivere, 104.
Scuotere, 105.
Sdrucire, 159.
Sdruscire, see sdrucire, 159.
Sedere, 9.
96
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
Sedurre, see condiirre, 129.
Seguire, 162.
Sepellire, see seppellire, 157.
Seppellire, 157.
Sofferlre, see soffrire, 152.
Soff61cere, 106.
Soffrire, 152.
Solere, 14.
Sdlvere, 107.
Sopprimere, see esprimere, 57.
Soprastare, see stare, 4.
S6rgere, 108.
Sospendere, 109.
Sostare is reg.
Sottostare, see stare, 4.
Sovrastare see stare, 4.
Spandere, 110.
Spargere, 111.
Sparlre, 163.
Spegnere, 144.
Spendere, 112.
Spengere, see spegnere, 144.
Spergere, 113.
Spignere, see spingere, 145.
Spingere, 145.
Spdrgere, 114.
Stare, 4.
Stridere, reg. verb, has no p. p.
Strignere, see stringere, 146.
Stringere, 146.
Struggere, 115.
Subire is reg. : pres. subisco.
Succedere, 116.
Suggere, 117.
Sussistere, see esistere, 54.
Svellere, see vellere, 133.
Tacere, 13.
Tendere (trans.}, 118.
Tendere (intrans.), reg. verb, has
no p. p.
Tenere, 17.
T^rgere, 119.
Tignere, see tingere, 147.
Tingere, 147.
Togliere, 137.
Torcere, 120.
Torre, see togliere, 137.
Tradurre, see condurre, 129.
-*Traere, see trarre, 132.
Transigere, see esigere, 53.
Trarre, 132.
Uccidere, 121.
Udire, 167.
Ugnere, see tingere, 148.
Ungere, 148.
Uscire, 168.
Valere, 18.
Vedere, 10.
Vellere, 133.
Venire, 166.
Verre, see vellere, 133.
Vertere, reg. verb, is used only in
the pres. and past descr.
Vilipendere, see sospendere, 109.
Vincere, 122.
Vivere, 123.
Volere, 19. ^
Volgere, 124.
Volvere, 125.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES
LESSON 1. PRONUNCIATION
Study sections 1, 2, 3.
NOTE. — In this and in all other lessons the assignment of a section
number means that the whole section, including all subdivisions, is to
be studied, unless special directions to the contrary are given.
EXERCISE 1
1. State the quality of the e (close or open) in each of these words,
and pronounce each word: te, tre, ne, se, pote, e, diedi, fieno, Siena,
desti, debito, Alfredo, presto, merito, Valerio.
2. State the quality of the o in each of these words, and pronounce
each word: fo, no, cantero, pero, muore, suona, noi, ricoveri, Roma,
bove, opera, Modena.
3. Pronounce: abitudine, alfabeto, Alfieri, altrui, America, Am-
leto, andatevene, animato, augurerai, balenio, benedirono, benevolo,
bibliofilo, cavaliere, colui, conservatorio, contadino, Costantinopoli,
costui, credulo, cui, demolirete, Demostene, Domenico, dove, ei,
Emanuele, eroe, esprimereste, Faraone, formidabile, fui, Galileo,
Goldoni, idea, impermalito, impero, insubordinate, io, linea, Lom-
bardia, lui, lunedi, maestro, miei, mio, Napoli, naufrago, neutro,
nobilta, nuora, ode, oibo, onorevole, ortografia, Orvieto, ovest,
Panama, Paolo, patata, paura, perde, perpendicolo, personalita, poi,
p6vero, responsabilita, restituiti, rimanevate, Rimini, Romolo,
R6vere, Serao, Severino, suoi, Taormina, umile, uno, vende, voi,
volonta, vuoto. ,
ITALIAN GRAMMAR
LESSON 2. PRONUNCIATION (continued)
Study 4 [omitting (a), (b), (c), (d) under s], 5, 6, 7. Read (a), (6),
(c) under s in 4, and 8.
EXERCISE 2
1. Pronounce: cane, panca, tasca, come, Pascoli, cura, alcuni,
scudo, classe, Tecla, credo, sacro, ascrivere, che, chetare, oche,
panche, maschera, chi, chino, bachi, parchi, boschi, chiudo, richiamo,
manchiamo, schiavo, Ischia, Peschiera, cena, celare, voce, vivace,
Nocera, elce, incendio, ci, civile, Cimabue, died, tad, Lucia,
Medici, porci, Pulci, Vinci, ciarla, diciannove, oncia, marcia, cielo,
specie, cio, bacio, commercio, Pincio, ciurma, fanciullo, accendere,
uccello, accidente, piccino, faccia, boccia, taccio, piccione, Duccio,
acciuffo, ricciuto, scena, nasce, discepolo, scibile, lasci, disciplinai,
sciame, poscia, lascio, mesciuto.
2. Pronounce : gala, targa, sgarbato, pago, valgo, sgombro, gusto,
augurare, guardia, Guido, sangue, gloria, anglomania, magro, sgri-
dare, ghetto, paghero, alghe, sghembo, ghirlanda, ghinea, Ghiberti,
sughi, Inghilterra, ghianda, ghiotto, paghiamo, Alighieri, ringhiera,
gelare, genere, Genova, agevole, Eugenio, stringendo, Angelico,
sgelare, giro, agitato, antologia, Perugino, piangi, cangia, Borgia,
giorno, giovedi, Giovanni, adagio, mangio, giu, giusto, Giulio, digiuno,
ingiuria, friggere, piagge, oggi, fuggire, piaggia, foggiare, leggiero,
maggiore, solfeggio, Reggio, aggiunta, raggiustare, magli, begli, tigli,
moglina, medaglia, pigliare, Cagliari, moglie, cogliendo, taglio,
luglio, pagliucola, figliuolo, gli, pugnare, Campagna, Bologna, spugne,
mugnere, compagnia, Mascagni, stagno, sogno, Foligno, ognuno,
piagnucolare.
3. Pronounce the words in (a) under s on p. 3; then pronounce
these words, in which the s has the sound of English z: basilico,
brindisi, caso, causa, confusione, deserto, desinare, elemosina, enfasi.
4. Pronounce these words, in which the z (or zz) is pronounced like
ts: grazie, ozio, Venezia, Abruzzi, altezza, Arezzo, mazzo, pozzo,
alzo, calzoni, anzi, denunzia, Firenze, Monza, senza, forza, marzo,
zampa, zio, zolfo; then pronounce the words in (a) under z on p. 4.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 99
5. Pronounce: debbo, gabbare, Lecco, pacco, addio, freddo,
affare, goffo, bello, Donatello, commedia, somma, fanno, Ravenna,
appena, troppo, arrive, terra, essa, Messina, metto, otto, avvenire.
LESSON 3. ARTICLES
Study 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15.
EXERCISE 3
1. State the gender and number of each of these combinations,
as indicated by the form of the definite article: gli abiti, il balcone,
i bambini, la barba, le immagini, gP impeti, le scarpe, lo scherzo,
gli zecchini; cogli affari, del campo, sulla faccia, ai ladri, dallo
scoglio, negli stati, delle unioni.
2. Place the proper form of the definite article before each of these
nouns [those in (a) are masculine singular, those in (b) masculine
plural, those in (c) feminine singular, those in (d) feminine plural}:
(a) albero, dente, fatto, impero, sguardo, spedale, uccello, zingaro.
(b) alberi, denti, fatti, imperi, sguardi, spedali, uccelli, zingari.
(c) aria, campana, evoluzione, mente, ombra, scena, zampa.
(d) arie, campane, evoluzioni, menti, ombre, scene, zampe.
3. Translate into Italian the prepositions and articles in these
combinations [the nouns in (a) are masculine singular, those in (b)
masculine plural, those in (c} feminine singular, those in (d) femi-
nine plural]: (a) of the anno, by the effetto, to the gatto, in the
gesto, with the idolo, on the leone, with the quadro, in the scudo, to
the spirito, by the umore, of the zappatore. (b) of the anni, by the
effetti, to the gatti, in the gesti, with the idoli, on the leoni, with
the quadri, in the scudi, to the spiriti, by the umori, of the zap-
patori. (c) of the acqua, by the estate, to the notte, in the opera,
with the scala, on the tavola. (d) of the acque, by the estati, to
the notti, in the opere, with the scale, on the tavole.
4. Place the proper form of the indefinite article before each of
these ncum [those in (a) are masculine, those in (b} are feminine}:
(a) idilio, n6me, oceano, specchio, stride, teatro, uovo, zoccolo.
(b) eta, maestra, 6nda, spina, uva, valle.
100 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
LESSON 4. NOUNS
Study 17-25 inclusive [omitting (a), (b) under 22, and (a), (ft), (c),
(d) under 23].
EXERCISE 4
1. State the gender and number of each of these combinations: gli
animali, nei caffe, la canzone, colla fede, del fucile, gP ingegni, i
lupi, dagli onori, le parole, il poeta, sulle questioni, lo scherzo, allo
schioppo.
2. Give the plural of each of these nouns [those in (a) are masculine,
those in (b) are feminine] : (a) brindisi, cane, castello, despota, dolore,
libro, lume, maestro, padrone, pericolo, podesta, problema, uomo.
(b) bellezza, bonta, capitale, fonte, luna, moglie, origine, polvere,
serie, sintesi, terra, vittoria.
3. Give the plural of each of these combinations: F acqua,
1* artista (masculine}, 1' anno, 1' azione (feminine), la barbaric, la
bestia, il bue, il cavallo, la chiave, il cuorer la dama, il dono,
T errore (m.}, V estasi (/.), 1' eta, la fanciulla, la felicita, la
festa, il frate, la gente, il giuri, la gravita, 1' idea, F inchiostro,
1' istante (w.), il lavoro, la lira, la mano, il mare, la metropoli,
il ministro, la morale, della nazione, all' oggetto, nell' opinione
(/.), della padrona, dal palazzo, sulla pelle, col prete, dal prof eta,
della ragazza, al re, dal santo, sullo scaffale, della sete, nel
sistema, nello stato, sulla superficie, dell' umore (w.), nella valle,
sul vapore, della verita, colla virtu.
LESSON 6. bSSERE
Study 53 (a) [omitting the compound tenses} .
EXERCISE 5
1. Identify (that is, state the person, number, and tense of] and
translate these forms: erano, sarete, fummo, siamo, essendo, sarebbe.
saremo, fu, sei, sareste, era, stato, sara, siete, saremmo, eravate,
saranno, sono, foste, sarebbero, furono.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 101
2. Translate into Italian: we1 are, he will be, they were (past
descriptive] , they were (past absolute], I should be, she is, we were
(desc.), they would be, I was (abs.), we shall be, we should be, being,
it was (abs.), they will be, thou art, you are,2 thou wast (desc.), you
were (desc.), thou wast (abs.), you were (abs.), you will be, you would
be, to be, been, let us be, be.3
1 English subject pronouns are to be omitted in translation, until other
directions are given.
2 English verbs which have 'you' as subject are to be translated by
second person plural forms, until other directions are given.
3 English imperatives without an expressed subject are to be translated
by second person plural forms, until other directions are given.
VOCABULARY
giornale, m., newspaper. ragazza, girl.
Giovanni, John. Roma, Rome.
libro, book. scrivania, desk.
padre, m., father. signdra, lady.
ragazzo, boy. tavola, table.
sign6re, m., gentleman.
udmo, man. *» \at: ln'
domani, tomorrow.
casa, house, home. d6ve, where.
citta, city. gia, already.
donna, woman. ieri, yesterday.
Firenze, f., Florence. la, there.
madre, f., mother. 6ggi, today.
Maria, Mary. 6ra, now.
Napoli, f., Naples. quando, when.
porta, door. qui, here.
1 English 'in' is ordinarily to be translated by in, but before the
name of a city it is to be translated by a.
3. Study these sentences:1 i. II signore e il padre di Giovanni. 2,
Dove siete ora? Sono qui. 3. Quando sara coi signori? 4. I librfr
1 The student should enable himself to translate the sentences,
to read them aloud in Italian accurately and intelligently, and to trans-
late them without reference to the book when they are read aloud
by the instructor.
102 ITALIAN GKAMMAR
del ragazzi erano sulla tavola. 5. Domani saremo nella citta. 6.
Sara qui oggi? 7. La donna e gia alia porta della casa. 8. 6ra e
qui: domani dove sara? 9. II giornale e la, sulla scrivania. 10.
leri le signore erano a Napoli, oggi sono a Roma, domani saranno a
Firenze.
4. Translate into Italian: i. The lady is Mary's mother. 2. The
girls will be here tomorrow. 3. The newspapers were1 on the tables.
4. Where are the boy's books? Are they on the desk? 5. 1 shall be
there with the men. 6. Were1 you already at the door? 7. Would he
be in the house now? 8. John's father is in the city. 9. When will
you be in Naples? 10. Today they are here, tomorrow they'll be
there.
1 Use the past descriptive.
LESSON 6. ADJECTIVES
Study 26-34 inclusive. Learn the first twelve cardinal numerals, as
given in 38.
EXERCISE 6
1. Give the feminine singular and the masculine and feminine
plural of each of these adjectives: cattivo, fedele, forte, rosso,
semplice, vero.
2. Insert the proper form of bello in each of these phrases:
il — albero, il — cappello, il — fanciullo, il — ingegno, il — stato;
i — alberi, i — cappelli, i — fanciulli, i — ingegni, i — stati.
3. Place the proper form of Santo before each of these names:
Agostlno, Carlo, Elmo, Giovanni, Lorenzo.
4. Insert the proper form of grande in each of these phrases:
un — cappello, un — errore, un — fuoco, un — ingegno, un —
stato.
5. Insert the proper form of buono in each of these phrases:
un — amico, un — cuore, un — fanciullo, un — ingegno, un -^
schioppo.
LESSONS AND EXEKCISES 103
VOCABULARY
cdntro, centre. francese, French.
fi6re, m., flower. gentile, gentle, polite, kind,
fratello, brother. gi6vane, young.
giardino, garden. grande, great, large, big.
tempo, time, weather. interessante, interesting.
italiano, Italian.
chiesa, church. molto, much; as adverb,
lezione, f., lesson. much, very.
sorella, sister. piccolo, little, small.
stanza, room. pdvero, poor.
via, street. r6sso, red.
rotondo, round.
alto, high, tall.
bello, beautiful, pretty, handsome, ci, here, there.1
fine. dopo, after, afterward.
facile, easy. f6rse, perhaps.
felice, happy. non,2 not.
1 Ci is used when the ' here ' or ' there ' is quite unemphatic, qui
and Id when the 'here' or 'there' bears some emphasis. Ci is called
a conjunctive adverb, and its position is governed by special rules.
Until other directions are given, it should be placed directly before
the verb.
2 Placed before the verb.
6. Study these sentences: l i. Ci sono dei bei fiori nel piccolo
giardino. 2. Per i poveri non e facile essere felici. 3. La tavola
rotonda era nel centre della stanza. 4. C' e qualche giornale
francese sulla scrivania. 5. Le vie di Napoli sono molto inte-
ressanti. 6. Oggi siete piu felice che ieri. 7. Le tre signore
francesi erano molto gentili. 8. La chiesa e piu alta della casa.
9. II ragazzo piu giovane e il fratello di Maria. 10. Domani
forse il tSmpo sara migliore.
1 See the statement on p. 155.
7. Translate into Italian: * i . The big red book is for John's brother.
2. He is the happiest of the boys. 3. The lesson for tomorrow will
1 See the statement on p. 171.
104 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
be very easy. 4. The Italian newspaper was1 on the round table.
5. The largest house is as high as the church. 6. Mary's four sisters
will not be here after tomorrow. 7. The boys were1 more polite
when they were younger. 8. Yesterday the weather was fine. 9.
The prettiest flowers are in the garden. 10. There are some interest-
ing streets in the centre of the city.2
1 Use the past descriptive.
1 Write this sentence in two ways, first using the partitive con-
struction, then using qudlche.
LESSON 7. AVERE
Study 63 (b) [omitting the compound tenses] .
EXERCISE 7
1. Identify and translate: aveste, hanno, avreste, avremo, ebbi,
avevi, avendo, avra, avuto, avrebbero, avevano, avrete, abbiamo,
ebbero, hai, avranno.
2. Translate into Italian: they will have, she had (past abs.), we
should have, I had (past desc.), having, we have, thou wilt have, they
have, let us have, you will have, we had (abs.), I should have.
3. Translate: furono, ha, foste, avevate, sara, avete, essendo,
ebbe, siate, avremmo, sarei, avemmo, sareste, aveva.
4. Translate into Italian: I am, I have, you are, you have, he is,
he has, we were (desc.}, we had (desc.), they were (desc.), they had
(desc.), I was (abs.), I had (abs.), you were (abs.), you had (abs.),
he was (abs.), he had (abs.), we shall be, we shall have, they would be,
they would have.
VOCABULARY
albero, tree. pranzo, dinner.
anno, year. quadro, picture.
giorno, day. saldtto, parlor.
inverno, winter. s61e, m., sun, sunlight.
mese, m., month. teatro, theatre.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 105
matita, pencil. scuro, dark.
pazienza, patience. stretto, narrow.
penna, pen. vero, true.
r6sa, rose.
settimana, week. benche, although.1
storia, history. e, and.
ma, but.
caldo, hot, warm. o, or.
freddo, cold. p6i, then.
importante, important. presto, soon, early.
nuovo, new. sempre, always.
pieno, full. soltanto, only.
1 The verb of the clause introduced by benche is always in the
subjunctive.
5. Study these sentences: i. Avranno soltanto tre o quattro giorni
a Firenze. 2. La chiesa piu interessante era in una via stretta e
scura. 3. II giovane aveva sempre qualche libro italiano sulla scri-
vania. 4. Benche le stanze non siano grandi, sono calde e piene di
sole. 5. Abbiamo per domani delle lezioni molto facili. 6. Non ho
una penna, ma Giovanni ha delle matite. 7. Dopo pranzo le signore
sarebbero nel salotto. 8. Poi avra delle tavole nuove. 9. II libro
e una storia importante dei teatri di Napoli. 10. Oggi avro dei
giornali francesi e italiani.
6. Translate into Italian: i. The trees are much higher than the
houses. 2. A year has twelve months, a month has four weeks, and
a week has seven days. 3. They have a large house with a beautiful
garden. 4. Have patience, they will be here soon. 5. Although the
room is small, it will not be cold in the winter. 6. The most beautiful
flowers were large red roses. 7. He had ten books on the desk, and
seven or eight on the round table. 8. Have you a pen or a good
pencil? 9. It is a pretty theatre, it's true, but it isn't very large.
10. The churches of the city were very beautiful; they had many
interesting pictures. 0
106 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
LESSON 8. DEMONSTRATIVES AND INTERROGATORS
Study 42, 43.
EXERCISE 8
1. Place the proper form of quello before each of these nouns: albero,
cappello, fanciullo, ingegno, stato, uccello; alberi, cappelli, fanciulli,
ingegni, stati, uccelli.
2. Translate into Italian: who is it? whom have you there? of
whom are-you-speaking (parldte)? what is it? what have you? of
what are you speaking? what book is that? which book is that?
whose book is that? what a beautiful book!
VOCABULARY
biglietto, ticket. certo, certain.
cappello, hat. c6rto, short.
denaro, money. difficile, difficult.
fanciullo, child. fortunate, fortunate.
lavoro, work. necessario, necessary.
numero, number. 6gni,2 every.
occhiali, m. pi., glasses. possibile, possible.
studente, m., student. pronto, ready.
verde, green.
f6glia, leaf.
gita, trip, excursion. come, as, like.
mano, f., hand. finalmente, finally, at last.
mattina, morning. lunedi, Monday.
Milano, f.,1 Milan. se, if.3
poesia, poem, poetry. si, yes.
Venezia, Venice. trdppo, too, too much.
1 Names of cities are regarded as feminine, whatever the ending.
2 Invariable.
3 The verb of the clause introduced by se is present indicative if
the tense is present, past subjunctive if the tense is past.
3. Study these sentences: i. Queste foglie sono piu belle di quei
fiori. 2. Ho dei giornali e dei libri: questi sono per le signore, quelli
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 107
per i signori. 3. Cio e possibile, ma non e certo. 4. Chi ha un padre
come quello e molto fortunate. 5. Chi e? £ quello studente fran-
cese. 6. Che cosa avete in quella mano? Dei biglietti per una gita
a Venezia. 7. Quale e il numero della casa di quel signore? 8.
Quale lezione era la piu difficile? 9. Quanti quadri in quel salotto!
10. Di chi e quel cappello verde?
4. Translate into Italian: i. What handsome children! Who are
they? 2. Those poems are shorter than this one. 3. How much
money would he have then? 4. At last he has what is necessary
for the work. 5. These boys are here every morning. 6. Are
you ready? Have you those tickets? 7. Which churches are more
interesting, those of Venice or those of Milan? 8. That red is
pretty. Yes, if it isn't too dark for the room. 9. How many
will be here Monday? More than ten or twelve? 10. Whose
glasses are these? Are they John's?
LESSON 9. THE FIRST CONJUGATION
Study 58, 59 [omitting (a), (6)], 62,63 [omitting (a)-(d)], the first
sentence of 75, and the first sentence of 77 (a).
EXERCISE 9
1. Identify and translate: parlo, parlerete, parli, parlaste, parlate,
parliamo, parlerei, parlerai, parlino, parlera, parlai, parlavano.
2. Translate into Italian: I spoke, she would speak, we were
speaking, I shall speak, they spoke, speak, let us speak, let hiro
speak, speaking, they speak, we should speak, he spoke.
VOCABULARY
baule, m., trunk. paniere, m., basket.
esame, m., examination. poeta, m., poet.
forestiSre, m., foreigner.
guanto, glove. chiave, f., key.
momento, moment. galleria, gallery.
palazzo, palace. stazi6ne, f., station.
pane, m., bread. universita, university.
108 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
amare, to love. guardare, to look, look at, watch.
aspettare, to wait, wait for. lavorare, to work.
cantare, to sing. passare, to pass.
comprare, to buy. telefonare, to telephone.
costare, to cost. tornare, to come back, return.
desiderare, to desire. trovare, to find.
entrare, to enter, go in, come In. visitare, to visit.
3. Translate: compriamo, costerebbe, entrava, tornera, deside-
rate, trovaste, entreranno, amerebbero, torni, trovato, trovati,
comprammo, guarda, guardai, amarono, trovando, telefono,
lavorereste, aspettano, cantino.
4. Translate into Italian: it will cost, I waited, buying, they
would watch, she came in, they returned, I should telephone,
he loved, sing, we found, let him work.
5. Study these sentences: i. Comprero un baule, se non costa
troppo. 2. Quando ci entrammo, guarda vano quel bel quadro
degli alberi. 3. Quanto costano questi guanti? 4. Se non
lavorasse, non passerebbe gli esami. 5. Parlava delle poesie di
quel poeta francese. 6. Lunedi visitammo V universita di Napoli.
7. Che cosa cantavano quei ragazzi nella via? 8. Aspetti un
momento: non sono pronto. 9. Non entrd nel palazzo, benche
avesse le chiavi. 10. Chi piu ha, piu desidera.
6. Translate into Italian: i. Look at1 that girl with the basket
full of roses. 2. They were waiting for 'that foreigner. 3. You
will find some 2 interesting pictures in that gallery. 4. Did you
telephone to that French gentleman? 5. With whom did you
come back from the station? 6. I went in, although he was
working. 7. Let's wait for1 John: he will be here soon. 8. Let
him buy the bread, and then come back. 9. Where did she find
those keys? 10. If I find the money, I'll telephone.
1 Do not use a preposition after an Italian verb which may be in
itself equivalent to an English verb and preposition.
2 Use qudlche.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 109
LESSON 10. RELATIVES AND POSSESSIVES
Study 44 [omitting (a), (b), (c)], 45 [omitting (a)-(e)], 59 (a). Read
44 (a), (6), (c) 59 (6), 63 (a), (6), (c).
EXERCISE 10
1. Insert the proper relative pronoun in each of these phrases: il
ragazzo — e qui, i libri — trovai, i ragazzi con — tornai, il libro
di — parlo, i libri — sono sulla tavola, il ragazzo — cercavamo.
2. Translate into Italian: my garden, his house, our books, your
pencils, their garden, my house, her books, our pencils, your
garden, their house, my books, his pencils, our garden, your
house, their books.
VOCABULARY
cugino, cousin. arrivare, to arrive.
mercato, market. bisognare,1 to be necessary.
ombrello, umbrella. cercare, to seek, search, look for, try.
pittore, m., painter. cominciare, to begin.
romanzo, novel. mangiare, to eat.
menare, to lead, take.
finestra, window. pagare, to pay.
fotografia, photograph. portare, to carry, bring.
mela, apple. studiare, to study.
pera, pear.
testa, head. . bene, well.
ecco, here is, here are, there is,
giallo, yellow. there are.2
moderno, modern. perche, why, because.
tutto, all. stamane, this morning.
ultimo, last, latest. subito, at once.
1 Impersonal.
2 When 'there is,' 'there are,' are quite unemphatic (as in 'There
are some pretty flowers in the garden'), or when the 'is' or 'are' is
emphatic (as in 'There are men who don't believe it'), they are t*
be translated by c' e or ci sono. When the ' there ' is emphatic (as
in ' There is John') they are to be translated by ecco. ' Here is,'
' here are,' are always to be translated by ecco. C' e and ci sono
correspond to the French il y a; ecco to the French voici and voila.
110 ITALIAN GEAMMAR
3. Give all the forms of pagare in which an h is inserted.
4. Translate into Italian: I search, we search, let him search, I
shall search; I pay, we pay, let him pay, I shall pay; I begin, we
begin, let him begin, I shall begin; I eat, we eat, let him eat, I
shall eat; I study, we study, let him study, I shall study.
5. Study these sentences: i. £ un uomo che trova subito quel che
cerca. 2. C' erano all' ultima fmestra due signori, uno dei quali
era quel forestiere con cui parlai ieri. 3. II palazzo che visitammo
stamane e uno dei piu interessanti della citta. 4. La loro sorella
portava sulla testa un gran paniere giallo pieno di mele e di pere.
5. Mangeremo quel che troveremo, e pagheremo bene. 6. II quadro
che guardavano nel salotto e di uno dei nostri migliori pittori italiani
moderni. 7. Ecco quel signore. Perche desidera parlare ai vostri
fratelli? 8. Che bei fiori! Sono tutti del vostro giardino? 9. La
via piu stretta e quella che mena dalla chiesa di San Giovanni aJ
mercato. 10. Bisognava aspettare Maria, che cercava 1' ombrello.
6. Translate into Italian: i. Who is the tall gentleman who arrived
this morning? 2. Which of the lessons that you studied yesterday
is the easiest? 3. This novel is more interesting than the one that
he brought from the city. 4. My glasses are larger and rounder
than his. 5. What are you looking for? Those tickets that I
bought this morning. 6. Here is the umbrella I found at the door
the day that you were here. Is it yours? 7. Whose is that poem
of which they were speaking? 8. There are the men they were
waiting for: why don't they begin? 9. Which of those three
trunks is yours? This one, the largest. 10. Here is what he
brought, — what is it? It's the latest photograph of my
cousin.
LESSON 11. THE SECOND AND THIRD CONJUGATIONS
Study 60.
EXERCISE 11
1. Identify and translate: crede, crederete, creda, credero, credeste,
credete, credetti, crediamo, crederei, credettero, crederai, credei,
credera, credevano, crederemo.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 111
2. Translate into Italian: I believed, she would believe, we were
believing, believe, they believed, let us believe, let him believe, be-
lieving, they believe, we should believe, he believed, you believe.
VOCABULARY
bottone, m., button. godere, to enjoy.
caffe, m., co/ee. temere, to fear, be afraid.
ferro, iron.
lume, m., light. battere, to beat, strike.
onore, m., honor. cedere, to yield.
servitdre, m., servant. combattere, to fight.
credere, to believe, think.
battaglia, battle. perdere, to lose.
c6sa, thing. premere, to press.
frase, f., sentence. ricevere, to receive, get.
preghiera, prayer, entreaty. ripetere, to repeat.
salute, f., health.
t6rre, f., tower. ancora, yet, still, again, even.
villa, villa. che, conjunction, that.
vista, sight, view. fuorche, except.
vita, life. meglio, better.
volta, time.1 mentre, while.
1 ' Time ' is ordinarily to be translated by tempo; but when it has
the sense of ' occasion ' (as in ' three or four times ') it is to be trans-
lated by volta.
3. Translate: battiamo, temeva, perdera, godete, ricevei, cedet-
tero, combatte, premendo, ripeta, cederebbe, riceveste, goderanno,
perderebbero, temano, perduto, perduti, tememmo, combatte,
perderono, ricevono.
4. Translate into Italian: he will lose, I enjoyed, feamig, they
would beat, she received, let them yield, they fought, repeat,
they are pressing.
5. Study these sentences: i. Oggi e felice: ricevera il denaro per quel
quadro della signora coi guanti. 2. Benche combattessero bene, per-
dettero la battaglia, e molti perdettero la vita. 3. Avremo quel che
bisogna, non temete. 4. Non ho ricevuto ancora le mie fotografie.
112 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
5. Ripetevano ancora quel che avevano gia ripetuto molte volte. 6.
Nonhostudiatolalezione: ieri perdei i miei libri. 7. Se non tornasse,
perderebbe ogni cosa. 8. Credeva che fosse meglio essere temuto
che amato. 9. Tutto e perduto fuorche 1' onore. 10. Bisogna
battere il ferro mentre e caldo.
6. Translate into Italian: i . She pressed a button, and the servant
came in with the coffee. 2. The students had to (a) repeat the sentence
three or four times. 3. The trees were losing the last red and yellow
leaves. 4. If I receive the money, I'll telephone at once to my
father. 5. Finally she came back and repeated that dria from the
Trovatore (m.). 6. Although she is still young, she does not enjoy
good health. 7. That room has only one small window, but it gets
light from the parlor. 8. From their villa they enjoy a beautiful
view of the towers of the city. 9. If he doesn't yield to their
entreaties, he won't yield to mine. 10. They think that he is1
even poorer than his cousin.
1 Use the subjunctive.
LESSON 12. CONJUNCTIVE PRONOUNS
Study 46, 47 [omitting 3 and (a)], 48 {omitting (a), (6), (d), (e),
and (/), but including (c)] .
EXERCISE 12
1. Translate into Italian: he finds me, he finds thee, he finds him,
he finds her, he finds it (m.), he finds it (/.), he finds us, he finds you,
he finds them (m.), he finds them (/.) ; I find myself, thou findest thy-
self, he finds himself, she finds herself, we find ourselves, you find
yourself, you find yourselves, they (m.) find themselves, they (/.)
find themselves; we find each other, you find each other, they find
each other; to find him, finding him, let us find him, find him, do not
find him, finding himself.
2. Translate into Italian: he speaks to me, he speaks to thee, he
speaks to him, he speaks to her, he speaks to us, he speaks to you, he
speaks to them (w.), he speaks to them (/.); I speak to myself, thou
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 113
speakest to thyself, he speaks to himself, she speaks to herself, we
speak to ourselves, you speak to yourself, you speak to yourselves,
they (m.) speak to themselves, they (/.) speak to themselves; we
speak to each other, you speak to each other, they speak to each
other; to speak to him, speaking to him, let us speak to him, let's not
speak to him, speak to him, speaking to himself.
3. Translate: lo trovai, le parlano, mi parlerebbe, ripetetelo, vi
aspettavano, li compraste?, cediamo loro, la guardavano?, gli tele-
fonero, si trovo, lo perdemmo, cercatela, le riceverono, lo perdette,
trovarvi, ci visiteranno, ci visiteremo, temendoli, non le parlate,
ci ceda, vi telefono, studiamolo, si cercano, compratolo, li
portate.
4. Study these sentences: i. Se non mi trovate qui, aspettatemi coi
biglietti alia porta della stazione. 2. Che cosa cerca? Le chiavi di
quel baule. Le trovo ieri, poi le perdette ancora. 3. Si ripetevano
le frasi della lezione. 4. Che ragazzo! Comprare cinque mele, e
mangiarle subito! 5. Quanto gli costerebbe un cappello come quello?
6. Parlava come se ci fosse stato. 7. Quando ricevero il denaro, vi
paghero. 8. Di che cosa le parlava nel salotto? 9. Dove ci mena?
Alia chiesa di cui vi parlo quel pittore. 10. Ecco quell' ombrello:
temeva che lo avesse perduto.
5. Translate into Italian: i. When he came back from the
market, he brought me some1 apples. 2. When will she begin to
(a) sing to them? 3. If you study the lesson, you will find it
easy. 4. If he had them, he would bring them to my father.
5. When they came in, he was beginning to (a) eat it. 6. Here
are the books I lost yesterday. Who found them? 7. We were
here this morning, but she did not receive us. 8. I waited for
them three days in Naples. 9. Now that you have it again,
don't lose it. 10. Whose photograph is this? It's of my cousin.
I received it yesterday. 9
1 Use the partitive construction.
114 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
LESSON 13. CONJUNCTIVE PRONOUNS (continued)
Study 46-50 inclusive.
EXERCISE 13
1. Translate each of these phrases in two ways: glielo porto, gliela
porto, glieli porto, gliele porto, gliene parlo, portateglielo,
parlategliene.
2. Translate into Italian: he leads him to me, he leads him to thee,
he leads him to him, he leads him to her, he leads him to us, he leads
him to you, he leads him to them; he leads her to me, he leads her to
thee, he leads her to him, he leads her to her, he leads her to us, he
leads her to you, he leads her to them; he leads them (w.) to me,
he leads them to thee, he leads them to him, he leads them to
her, he leads them to us, he leads them to you, he leads them to
them; he leads them (/.) to me, he leads them to thee, he leads them
to him, he leads them to her, he leads them to us, he leads them
to you, he leads them to them.
3. Translate into Italian: he speaks of it to me, he speaks of it to
thee, he speaks of it to him, he speaks of it to her, he speaks of it to
us, he speaks of it to you, he speaks of it to them.
4. Translate into Italian: I repeat it to myself, thou repeatest
it to thyself, he repeats it to himself, she repeats it to herself, we
repeat it to ourselves, you repeat it to yourself, you repeat it to
yourselves, they repeat it to themselves; we repeat it to each other,
you repeat it to each other, they repeat it to each other.
VOCABULARY
automobile, m., automobile. ndtte, f., night.
complimento, compliment. occasione, f., occasion.
ritardo, delay; in ritardo, late. 6ra, hour.
treno, train.
altro, other.
cortesia, courtesy. stesso, same.
lira, lira, coin worth about 20 cents. venti, twenty.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 115
chiamSre, to call; cdme si chiama? mostrare, to show.
•what is the name of? presentare, to present.
domandare, to ask.1 prestare, to lend.
incontrare, to meet. raccontare, to narrate, tell, tell
insegnire, to teach. about.1
lasciare, to leave, let? ringraziare, to thank.
•nandare, to send. spiegare, to explain.
1 The personal object of domandare or raccontare is indirect: gli
domanddi, 'I asked him'; le raccontdi, 'l told her.'
2 Lascidre is to be used in translating ' let ' only when the idea is
one of permission rather than one of command. For example, if
'let him speak' really means 'I command that he speak,' it is to be
translated pdrli; if it really means ' allow him to speak,' it is to
be translated lascidtelo parldre.
6. Translate: vi aspetto, ne cercava, ce lo cantarono, ne parlaste,
non ne avrebbe, eccoli, portandoglielo, ripeteteglielo, gliene parlero,
bisogna portarglielo, eccola, ce li cedette, portiamogliene, me le
mando?, glielo prestai, ve lo spiegheranno, mandatemeli, glielo
prestino, mi si presenta, gli si presentano, se lo presentano, lo
mostrai loro, ve ne mandarono?, me lo spieghi, glielo presterete?
6. Study these sentences: i. Quell' ombrello era il suo, e stamane
glielo mandai. 2. Se non credesse quel che gli raccontammo, non
glielo ripeterebbe. 3. Cominciava a domandargli perche ne avesse
parlato agli altri. 4. Ve lo spieghera quando gli si presentera una
buona occasione. 5. Lo ringraziai della cortesia, e gli raccontai
tutto. 6. Ogni volta che s' incontrano, si ripetono gli stessi compli-
menti. 7. Come si chiama quel giovane che v' insegna il francese?
8. II treno era in ritardo, e 1' aspettarono un' ora e piu. 9. Ora
lasciateli studiare; parleremo dopo. 10. Ho a pagare subito, e non
ho una lira: Giovanni ha ricevuto oggi venti lire, non e vero?1 Me
ne presterebbe dieci?
1 non e vero ? ' hasn't he ? '
7. Translate into Italian: i. He is in the garden. Call him —
they are looking for him. 2. He presented himself to me yesterday.
I believe him even younger than the others. 3. Where are my
pencils? didn't I leave them on the desk? 4. If he loses it, it will
116 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
cost him twenty lire. 5. It is necessary to x watch them day and
night. 6. He has a French automobile, and he'll show it to us
Monday. 7. Whose tickets are those? Are they your cousin's?
Why don't you send them to him? 8. If I didn't believe what she
told me, I wouldn't repeat it to you. 9. If he receives that money,
he will pay me at once. 10. If she finds this lesson too difficult, he
will explain it to her tomorrow.
1 No preposition is used between bisogndre and a dependent infinitive.
LESSON 14. THE FOURTH CONJUGATION
Study 61.
EXERCISE 14
1. Identify and translate: fini, finirete, finiscono, finiro, finfste,
finivano, finii, finiranno, finirei, finisci, finirono, finirai, finite, finiremo,
finisca, finivo.
2. Translate into Italian: I finished, she would finish, we were
finishing, he is finishing, finish, they finished, let us finish, finishing,
they finish, we should finish, he finished, you finish, let him finish.
VOCABULARY
autunno, autumn. applaudire, to applaud.
colore, m., color. awertire, to warn.
pericolo, danger. capire, to understand.
^••spedale, m., hospital. divertire, to amuse.
vento, wind. dormire, to sleep.
vestito, dress. ferire, to wound.
fuggire, to flee.
cura, care. garantire, to guarantee.
stdffa, stuff, goods. partire, to depart, leave*
preferire, to prefer.
cattivo, bad. restituire, to give back.
chiaro, clear, bright. sentire, to feel, hear.
tanto, so much.1 servire, to serve.
1 ' So much ' is to be translated by tdnto; not by the separate words
for 'so' and 'much.'
2 When 'leave' is transitive, it is to be translated by lascidre; when
intransitive, by partire.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 117
almeno, at least. senza, without.
invece, instead. stanotte, last night.
nondimeno, nevertheless. stasera, this evening.
prima di, before. subito che, as soon as.1
1 'As soon as' is to be translated by subito che; not by the sepa-
rate words for 'as' and 'soon.'
3. Give the present indicative of each of these verbs: capire, divertire,
dormire, fuggire, garantire, preferire.
4. Translate: dormiamo, capirebbe, serviva, awertira, applau-
dite, garantiscano, diverte, fuggirono, ferisce, servendo, preferimmo,
fuggii, avvertito, ferite, preferirebbero, divertono, sentiste, servi-
ranno, senta, capiscono.
5. Translate into Italian: he will amuse, I was sleeping, fleeing,
they prefer, we understood, she served, they will applaud, you fled,
I should guarantee, sleep.
6. Study these sentences: i. Subito che me ne parlo, capii che
1' aveva perduto. 2. Se ci serve bene, le pagheremo vend lire la set-
timana. 3. Glielo restituiranno subito che torna. 4. L' avvertii
che c' era pericolo, ma parti nondimeno. 5. Se si divertono ora
invece di lavorare, domani avranno a lavorare invece di divertirsi.
6. Aveva cantato molto bene, e tutti T applaudivano. 7. Che vento
stanotte! Lo sentiste? 'Si, non dormii un' ora in tutta la notte.
8. II ferito fu portato allo spedale. 9. Partirono senza ringraziarci,
benche avessimo cercato tanto di divertirli. 10. II mese comincio
con una settimana di bel tempo — giorni chiari e caldi — ma fini
con died giorni freddi e scuri.
7. Translate into Italian: i. If he doesn't guarantee it for a year
at least, we won't buy it. 2. Although he heard them speak, he
fled like the wind. 3. I explained it to him with much care,
but he doesn't understand it yet. 4. If he is still sleeping, he
won't finish that lesson. 5. The trees are losing the last leaves: the
autumn is ending, and the winter is beginning. 6. Did you hear
what he told them?, 7. This room is warm, but in the parlor we
felt the cold. 8. We shall leave this evening if the weather isn't
118 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
too bad. 9. What goods and what color does she prefer for the
dress? 10. When will you finish that work? I shall not have the
time to (di) finish it before Monday.
LESSON 16. DISJUNCTIVE PRONOUNS
Study 51.
EXERCISE 16
1. Translate into Italian, expressing the subject pronouns (use
lui, lei, and loro for the third person) : I am, thou hast, he speaks,
she fears, we finish, you feel, they are, I had, thou didst enter, he
yielded, she understood, we slept, you were, they had, I shall payr
thou wilt receive, he will guarantee, she will depart, we shall be,
you will have, they will enter.
VOCABULARY
awocato, lawyer. accanto a, beside.
bicchiere, m., glass. contro, contro di,1 against.
f acchino, porter. davanti a, in front of.
latte, m., milk. dietro, dietro a,1 behind.
mezzogiorno, noon. secondo, according to.
aria, air. avanti, forward; come in?
lettera, letter. cosi, so.
liberta, liberty, freedom. eh, eh.
moglie, f., wife. mai, ever, never; non . . . mai,3
seggiola, chair. never.
valigia, valise, bag. nemmeno, non ... nemmeno,3
not even.
aiutare, to help. perfettamente, perfectly.
restare, to stay. prima, first.
1 The compound form is used before a disjunctive pronoun, the
simple form in other cases.
2 As an exclamation.
* When mdi (meaning ' never ') or nemmeno follows the verb, non is
placed before the verb.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES
2. Study these sentences: i. Portate a questo signore un caffe, e a
me un bicchiere di latte. 2. Se loro ce P hanno raccontato a noi,
perche non glielo racconteremmo noi a lui? 3. Felici voi, che godete
quell' aria e quella liberta, mentre io resto qui in citta a lavorare
come un facchino! 4. Chi e? Sono io. Chi, io? lo, Giovanni.
Siete voi, eh? avanti. 5. Se non glielo spiega bene, gli e che non lo
capisce bene nemmeno lui. 6. A quel teatro me non mi ci troverete
mai piu. 7. Porta sempre con se una valigia tutta piena di libri, ma
poi non ne guarda nemmeno uno. 8. Lui le parlava contro di me
— e io avevo lavorato tanto per lui! 9. Quando entrai, lei era qui;
accanto a lei, Giovanni, che ie parlava di se stesso, come sempre; e
davanti a lui, in questa seggiola, la piccola sorella di lei, che guardava
ora P uno ora P altra. io. Quando lo perdei, loro mi aiutarono a
cercarlo.
3. Translate into Italian: i. They spoke of it to us, to you, and to
him. 2. If it's he, call him, and show him that letter. 3. I myself
telephoned to you, and asked you if he would arrive there before
noon. 4. / think that you will receive it tomorrow. 5. If you were
here with them, they would be perfectly happy. 6. If he stays,
they will leave. 7. He was speaking to us, but we thought that he
was speaking to them. 8. He and his cousin left before us, but we
arrived there an hour before them. 9. According to him, she was
staying at home because the weather was so bad. io. The lawyer's
wife came in first; then, behind her, the two girls; behind
them, three porters with the trunks; and finally the lawyer himself.
LESSON 16. COMPOUND TENSES
Study the compound tenses in 53 (a) and 53 (b), 54 [omitting (c)-(h)]
65, 56, and the second sentence in 75.
EXERCISE 16
1. Identify and translate: ho trovato, aveva trovato, ebbe trovato, f
avremo trovato, avreste trovato; sono trovato, era trovato, fu tro-
vato, saremo trovati, sarebbero trovati; sono stato trovato, era stato
trovato, saremo stati trovati, sareste stato trovato; sono tomato, era
120 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
tomato, fu tomato, saremo tornati, sareste tornati; mi sono divertito,
si era divertito, ci saremo divertiti, si sarebbero divertiti.
2. Translate each of these phrases in six ways (as true reflexive, mas-
culine and feminine; as substitute for the passive, masculine, feminine,
and neuter; and as indefinite] : si presenta, si trova, si servi, si perdera.
3. Translate each of these phrases in three ways: (as true reflexive,
as reciprocal, and as substitute for the passive) : si capiscono, si chia-
mano, si trovarono.
4. Translate: F hanno avuto, c' era stato, F avro cominciato, mi
avrebbe telefonato, siete ferito, vi siete ferito, vi furono trovati, gli
saranno restituiti, gli si restituiranno, saremmo presentati loro, gli
e spiegato, gli si spiega, gli e stato spiegato, gli si e spiegato, ci siamo
spiegati, ce lo siamo spiegati, si erano incontrati, siamo arrivati, vi
fu mostrato, gli si presentera, le era stato raccontato, le si era rac-
contato, si e presentata, si sono presentate, li avrebbe aspettati,
ci ha capito, ci avevano ringraziati, si era perduto, erano fuggiti,
si e ferito, vi sono arrivati, ci erano stati mandati, ci si erano man-
dati, vi aveva aiutato, essendo temuto, ci si spiega, glielo avevano
raccontato, vi avremmo ringraziato.
6. Translate into Italian: we have found you, we have been there,
they had had it, he will have eaten it, we should have sent it to
you, he had 1 arrived, they are received,2 they would have presented
themselves to us, you would have found each other, they had1
come in, he had left them, they would have l fled, it has been told
to me.2
1 Translate by the proper form of tssere.
2 Translate this phrase in two ways.
6. Study these sentences: i. Sono certo che se ci fosse stato cogli
altri, ce ne avrebbe parlato. 2. Perche non ha cominciato a cercare
quel che perdette? 3. Quando loro saranno tornati, noi saremo gia
partiti. 4. Non li avra finiti prima di domani. 5. Non ha mai
visitato quel giardino? Gliene abbiamo parlato tante volte. 6. Le
seggiole che mi si mostravano erano molto belle, e le avrei corn-
prate se avessi avuto il denaro. 7. Mi si era raccontato che lui ci
fosse stato, ma non F avevo creduto. 8. Se hanno ricevuto la sua
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 121
l£ttera, saranno gia partiti per la citta. 9. Lui aveva temuto che
cedessero alle nostre preghiere. 10. Si mangia a mezzogiorno, e
un' ora dopo si torna al lavoro.
7. Translate into Italian: i. If he had had any, he would have sent
us some. 2. Being called, I entered, and found myself where I had
been the day before. 3. That bag that he had lost has been given
back to him. 4 . Let him explain to her why they hadn't telephoned
to her. 5. I would have sent it to you if I had found it. 6. As soon
as he had called them, he came back into the house. 7. When I
arrived, they had l already left. 8. If they had begun them, they
would have finished two or three of them. 9. He told me that he
had * arrived there before the others. 10. I should have preferred
a room with at least two windows.
1 Translate by the proper form of essere.
LESSON 17. REVIEW
EXERCISE 17
1. Pronounce Exercise A on p. 150.
2. Give the plural of each of these combinations: all' awocato
gentile, che bel salotto!, col loro fratello, dalla sua bella mano,
dell' uomo felice, il gran baule, il mio cugino, il poeta francese, il
suo belP ombrello, la citta moderna, la giovane moglie, 1' altra fi-
nestra, lo stesso ragazzo, nelF universita nuova, quale stanza?, quel
buon padre, quello studente italia.no, quel piccolo cafle, quel ser-
vitore fedele, questa lezione difficile, sulla torre alta.
3. Translate: se lui ci aiutasse, erano stati amati, aspettandole,
1* avevamo, ne avrai, li hanno battuti, si capisce, lo cedemmo loro,
lo comprano, si erano divertiti, ci entrarono, se loro non ci fossero,
s' incontrarono, glielo mandai, lui lo mangera, ve ne avevo parlato,
chi li perdette?, che cosa preferirebbe lei?, se lo premesse, ci sarei
restato, le telefonavo, lasciatolo, benche ci capisca, ve lo restituira,
non 1' hanno ricevuta, ripeteteglielo, vi sareste, glielo restituii, non
gli cedano, siete chiamato, se lo spiegheranno, sono stati ricevuti, gli
si e restituito, le sara spiegato, si e perduto, ve lo manderanno,
122 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
glieli avrebbero mostrati, se vi avessero sentito, la servano, benche
lo temano, lui li avverti, non gliene parlate, ce lo spiegarono, gli si
erano presentati.
4. Translate into Italian: there they are, we shall be there, if
they should buy it, they would carry it to him, he will applaud
them, I feared it, are they fighting there?, they are not fleeing, we
should have gone in, they would have had it, did he have any?,
although they had lost it, will they .pay me?, I should prefer it,
what has he received?, wait for us.
5. Study these proverbs: 1 i. A ogni uccello suo nido e bello. 2.
Buona compagnia, mezza la via. 3. Chi cerca, trova. 4. Chi
dorme non piglia pesci. 5. Chi ha fiorini trova cugini. 6. Chi non
lavora non mangia. 7. Chi s' aiuta, il del 1' aiuta. 8. Chi tardi
arriva, male alloggia. 9. Gli assenti han sempre torto. 10. II buon
vino non ha bisogno di frasca. n. II passo piu duro e quello del-
T uscio. 12. La fame non ha legge. 13. La fine corona 1' opera.
14. La notte porta consiglio. 15. L' aurora indora. 16. L' eta porta
senno. 17. Meglio tardi che mai. 18. Non v' e rosa senza spine.
19. Oggi a me, domani a te. 20. Scopa nuova scopa bene.
1 Many of the sentences from this point on contain words not given
in the preceding vocabularies. See the statements on pp. 155 and 171.
6. Translate into Italian: i. Whose ideas are those? They are
not yours, I hope. 2. If you hadn't told it to me yourself, I shouldn't
have believed it. 3. If you haven't the money, I'll lend it to you
with pleasure. 4. I was afraid that you were l wrong, but according
to my cousin's letter you are right. 5. How many times has he
repeated it to you? 6. Whom are they calling? I thought that they
were1 all here. 7. He was studying there at the desk, and didn't
even look at them when they came in. 8. Although there are not so
many churches here, they are more interesting than those we visited
yesterday, g. Why didn't he let us go in? Probably because it
was too early. 10. Who was it that telephoned to you? That
gentleman to whom I telephoned this morning. He is going back
tomorrow to Venice.
1 Use the subjunctive.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 123
LESSON 18. THE MODERN POLITE FORM OF DIRECT
ADDRESS
Study 52.
EXERCISE 18
1. Translate in two ways (as third person feminine, and as used in
direct address} : lei e qui, con lei, la chiamavano, chiamo lei, le par-
lerd, e certa, e restata, lei cantava, dopo di lei, la ringrazio, guar-
davano lei, le telefonerei, sara fortunata, si e divertita.
2. Translate in three ways (as third person masculine, as third
person feminine, and as used in direct address) : era la, 1' aiutero,
glielo mandai, si trova, se lo ripete, parli, mi parli, e gentile, il suo
libro, studiava, 1' incontrai, gliene ha parlato, si diverte, ceda, si
spieghi, era giovane, i suoi occhiali.
3. Translate in two ways (as third person, and as used in direct
address): sono qui, loro erano pronti, contro di loro, li chiamava,
le incontrai, ricevero loro, parlero loro, si trovano, se lo ripetono,
parlino, mi parlino, sono certi, erano entrate, il loro treno.
4. Replace these phrases by the corresponding phrases in modern
polite usage, supposing one person to be addressed: sarete qui, voi ci
capite, secondo voi, vi trovero, cercavo voi, vi applaudivano, ve lo
presto, vi siete ferito, ve lo ripeteste, guardate, sentitemi, il vostro
ombrello.
5. Replace the phrases in section 4 by the corresponding phrases
in modern polite usage, supposing two men to be addressed.
NOTE. — In the remainder of this exercise, and in all the following
exercises, use only the modern polite form of direct address, and sup-
pose the English ' you ' to be singular, unless there is some indication
that it refers to more than one person.
6. Translate into Italian: you are working, you will sing, for you,
I'm waiting for you, I will serve you, he will telephone to you, I wa?
speaking to you, did he send it to you?, you were explaining yourself,
did you repeat it to yourself?, stay, thank him, you are happy, you
have returned, your brother.
124 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
7. Translate the first five sentences in Ex. 14, section 6, and the
first five in Ex. 16, section 6, supposing them to be used in direct
address.
8. Translate into Italian the first five sentences in Ex. 15, section 3,
and the first five in Ex. 17, section 6, using the modern polite form of
direct address.
LESSON 19. ANDARE AND FARE
Study 92 through 2 (Fare); also±8(a), (6), (g), 64 (A), 56(6), 78 (d).
EXERCISE 19
1. Translate: ando, andrete, vanno, andaste, va', era andato, ci
andrei, vada, andavano, sono andati, vi andai, andavo, sarebbe
andata, vattene, si va.
2. Translate into Italian: we went, you 1 go, they will go, you went
there, he will go, he has gone there, they are going away, it goes, we
should have gone, go, she went away, let them go.
1 Remember the directions given in the NOTE on p. 123.
3. Translate: faccia, faceste, fatto, facciamo, fecero, aveva fatto,
faresti, fo, li fece, fara, lo facciano, si fa, e fatto, lo si fa, fateli entrare,
la fa leggere,1 le fa leggere la lettera, gliela fa leggere, me lo fece trovare.
1 Translate this phrase in two ways.
4. Translate into Italian: I did, he will do, they are making, doing,
they would make, make, you made, we have made, let them make,
they will do it, we made them, they are made, I'll have him sing, I'll
have it sung, I'll have him sing it.
6. Study these sentences: i . Mi faccia il favore di chiamarlo subito.
2. Chi va piano va sano1 e va lonta.no. 3. Facciamo una partita al
biliardo? Oggi no, ho troppo da fare, io. 4. Se lo perde, glielo fa-
ranno cercare. 5. I suoi affari andrebbero meglio se non amasse
tanto il dolce far niente. 6. Quando lui torno da fare il soldato, lei
1 sano, 'safely/ Predicate adjectives are often adverbial in force.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 125
si era fatta sposa con un altro. 7. "Ah si?" fece lui, "lasci fare a
me." 8. Fafreddo: perche non fanno un po' di fuoco qui? 9. Dopo
faranno molte nuove conoscenze, che si chiameranno anche amicizie,
ma le piu vere saranno sempre le amicizie fatte in giovinezza. 10. Se
n' ando in America, e subito si fece ricco, ma poi perdette ogni cosa,
e se ne torno povero povero 1 com' era andato.
1 The repetition of a word serves to emphasize it.
6. Translate into Italian: i. He goes to the city every day. 2. Go
and see if they are here. 3. I had him make it so because the other
one was made so. 4. If they had gone there yesterday, they would
have found him there. 5. We had him carry it to the village. 6.
If they do as he has done, they will do more honor to him than to
themselves. 7. We make more of it than they, and ours is better
than theirs. 8. He went away this morning, but he'll come back
soon. 9. Let him go and find it and bring it to me here. 10. It's
a pretty place: we go there every Sunday.
LESSON 20. DARE AND STARE
Study 92, 3 and 4; also 54 (c), (d).
EXERCISE 20
1. Translate: diede, darete, dia, danno, dette, darai, deste, diamo,
diedero, dai, hanno dato, me lo davano, glielo darebbe?, ce lo dia,
diamogliene, ve ne daranno, se ne da, 1' aveva dato loro, dammene,
gli si e dato.
2. Translate into Italian: I should give, I gave, you are giving,
give, we have given, I was giving, they gave them to me, he gives
himself to us, he gave them some, I had given it to her, will you give
me some?, we should have given them to you.
3. Translate: stareste, stavano, stette, stia, steste, stanno, stet-
tero, starebbe, state, sta', stemmo, stai, stiano, stiamo, stara, sto
lavorando, stava parlando, stava per dirmelo.
126 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
4. Translate into Italian: he was standing, they would stand, I
stood, let them stand, we stood, you are standing, stand, let us stand,
he stood, they are calling, I was about to thank -you.
5. Study these sentences: i. Cos' hai in quella mano? Dammelo
subito. 2. Come sta? Benissimo, grazie, e Lei? 3. Stava per
domandargli perche non se ne fosse andato. 4. Per il Natale gli
si diedero dei libri italiani. 5. Chi da presto, e come se desse due
volte. 6. Stia attento: non si faccia male. 7. Daranno il voto a chi
meglio li paga. 8. Poveretta! Sta sempre li a cucire. 9. Prima faceva
1' ingegnere, ma poi si diede allo studio della filosofia. 10. Tutti gli
facevano degl' inchini profondi, e gli davano dell' illustrissimo.
6. Translate into Italian: i. He gave you two of them, and I gave
you three. 2. They have * come back, but they are standing outside.
3. If it's his, give it to him. 4. They were explaining it to him when
we came in. 5. Here you are at last: I was about to go and call you.
6. How much would you have given him? Not a cent. 7. They are
giving a dinner this evening for that English writer. 8. Yesterday
he was a little better, but today he's worse. 9. I thank you, sir: your
words have given me the courage to (di) continue. 10. Give them
some z money, but don't let them come in.
1 Translate by the proper form of Sssere.
2 Use the partitive construction.
LESSON 21. ARTICLES
Study 10-16 inclusive, 45 (a)-(e) inclusive.
EXERCISE 21
1. Review Exercise 3, sections 2, 3, 4.
2. Study these sentences: i. Nell' unita sta la forza. 2. Preferfsce
1* Ariosto allo Spenser e Dante allo Shakespeare. 3. Andammo in
Inghilterra colla madre, e quando noi tornammo lei ci resto con una
sua cugina. 4. Era orfano, ma un stio zio gli faceva da padre. 5.
Aveva i capelli neri e folti; neri anche gli occhi; nero 1' abito, neri
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 127
i guanti. 6. II medico gli toccava il polso: la febbre montava. 7.
Si e fatto molto male; avra a restare a casa una settimana almeno.
8. Gli uomini piu grandi hanno quasi sempre le maniere semplici.
9. £) un gran poeta; chi lo nega parla da sciocco. 10. Ha venduto
la casa e ogni cosa, ed e partito per gli Stati Uniti d' America.
3. Translate into Italian: i. Habits make us what we are. 2. We
are still in France, but we hope to (di) go to Italy this summer.
3. Mr. Rossi loves books, and spends almost all his time in
his study; if he isn't well, it's his fault. 4. Poor Ghedini was a
friend of mine. 5. Last year Queen Margherita travelled through
France. 6. He took off his hat and made us a low bow. 7. Venice
is perhaps the most beautiful of the cities of Italy. 8. If he is an
Italian, let him be worthy of his fatherland. 9. He is still very
young, but he talks like a man. 10. Give him your handkerchief
quick; he has cut his hand.
LESSON 22. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE SECOND
CONJUGATION
Read 64-67; study 92, 6-10.
EXERCISE 22
1. Translate: sapro, seppe, sai, sapremmo, sanno, sapevo, ca-
dono, cadro, caddi, caduto, cadde, cadrebbe, dobbiamo, dovetti,
devi, dovemmo, doverono, dovrete, sedei, siedono, sedendo, sedete,
sedette, sedeva, veda, vide, vedrai, visto, vedano, videro; V avremo
saputo, vi cadde, me lo deve, vi sedeva?, ce lo vedemmo, lo seppero,
ci sarebbe caduto, glielo dobbiamo, ci sedetti, li vedra.
2. Translate into Italian: we know, they knew, you had
known, know, they fell, I was falling, we shall fall, you fell, he^
owes, we should owe, they owe, owing, he is sitting, they will sit,
you were sitting, seated, we should see, let him see, I saw, let us
see; did he know it?, they had fallen there, they owe it to her,
they are sitting there, did they see us?
128 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
3. Study these sentences: i. Stavano insieme alia fmestra a guardare
la neve che cadeva lenta lenta. 2. Che buio! Non ci si vede1 punto!
3. II povero vecchio stava seduto al canto del camino. 4. Videro il
loro bambino che giocava 2 colle pistole dello zio. 5. Non so se Lei
sappia la triste notizia. 6. Si vedeva nelle sue maniere un non so
che di nuovo e di strano. 7. Mi hanno dato tutto; non mi si deve
piu nulla. 8. Coi pensieri che gli giravano per la testa non sapeva
piu in che mondo si fosse. 9. II poco che si sa, si sappia bene. 10.
Non dimenticate i caduti per la patria.
1 Non ci si vtde, 'One can't see.' There are several verbs that may
assume the idea of possibility in the present and past descriptive
tenses.
2 che giocdva, 'playing.' An Italian relative clause is often equiva-
lent to an English participle.
4. Translate into Italian: i. Let's see where they are going. 2. He
was standing there talking with his brother, when a brick fell on his
head. 3. Did you see them speak to him? Do 3'ou know their
names? 4. They will not know what we are doing. 5. See: they
have given me some l gloves like yours. 6. I hope that tomorrow you
will all know the lesson. 7. If I see him I'll give him the ten lire I
owe him. 8. He had him sit down beside the desk. 9. Were they
not standing there when you saw them? 10. He owed him everything,
yet he went away leaving him alone and sick.
1 Use the partitive construction.
LESSON 23. NOUNS
Study 22, 23, 24, 25.
EXERCISE 23
1. Review Exercise 4, sections 2 and 3.
2. Give the plural of each of these masculine nouns: ago, amico,
bacio, bosco, braccio, cantico, collega, dito, duca, equivoco, figlio,
fuoco, ginocchio, guaio, luogo, miglio, monaco, nemico, obbligo,
occhio, paio, patriarca, studio, turco, uovo.
3. Give the plural of each of these feminine nouns: biblioteca, coscia,
fabbrica, faccia, frangia, fuga, giacca, lega, valanga, valigia.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 120
4. Give the masculine and feminine plural of each of these adjectives:
artistico, buio, carico, cieco, classico, doppio, fresco, grigio, largo,
lungo, poco, proprio, simpatico, vago, vecchio.
5. Study these sentences: i. La ricchezza dei contadini sta nelle
braccia. 2. Tornarono tutti carichi di frutta e di confetti. 3. Si
sent! tremare le ginocchia per la paura. 4. E i medici, non gli
danno piu speranza? 5. In quei villaggi ci sono moltissimi ciechi.
6. I suoi1 lo credono un buon ragazzo; ma ha molti vizi e pochis-
sime virtu. 7. Che c' e di nuovo? Gli operai hanno fatto sciopero.
8. Ha studiato il tedesco due anni, ed ora lo parla assai bene.
9. II suo aspetto aveva qualche cosa di misterioso, quasi di divino.
10. Le loro facce e maniere hanno un non so che di semplice e di
umano che fa vedere che la loro vita si fonda sul vero e non sul
falso.
1 / sudi, 'His family.' The masculine plural possessives are often
used in this way.
6. Translate into Italian: i. Yesterday morning they walked more
than ten miles. 2. They hope that their old friends will arrive this
evening. 3. We saw them with our own eyes. 4. The lakes are
longer than they x are 1 broad. 5. He has finished his studies on
the libraries of ancient times. 6. Give me two pairs of stockings.
7. They are very agreeable young men. 8. Her eyes were black as
night, and her cheeks were white as snow. 9. He has lost two fingers
of his right hand. 10. The monarchs of Milan were called dukes;
those of Venice, doges; those of Rome, popes; and those of Naples,
kings.
1 Omit these words in translating.
LESSON 24. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE SECOND
CONJUGATION (continued)
Study 92, 11-17.
EXERCISE 24 •
1. Translate: giacciono, giacque, giacendo, piacerei, piace, piac-
quero, taccia, taci, tacqui, suole, solito, solevano, dorra, dolse,
rimasero, rimanga, rimarreste, tiene, terrete, tenne, tenuti, tengano,
130 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
teniamo; gli place,1 gli piaccio, le piacciono, vi piaceva?, piacque
loro, gli duole,1 vi rimangano, c' e rimasta, vi saranno rimasti, li
teneva, teniamolo, 1' aveva tenuto.
1 The personal object of piacSre or dolere is indirect.
2. Translate into Italian: he was lying, it lay, they please, you
will please, they were silent, we shall be silent, they were wont, it
grieves, remain, they remain, thou boldest, they would hold; it
pleases me, I like it,1 they please me, I like them, it pleased him,
he liked it, she liked it, we liked it, they liked it, they have
remained there, they are held, we should have held them.
1 When ' like ' has a noun or a pronoun as object, the sentence should
be recast for translation into Italian by substituting 'please' for 'like/
and making the original object the subject and the original subject the
object: 'I like it'= 'it pleases me.'
3. Study these sentences: i . Gli piacerebbe molto se Lei glielo desse.
2. Arrivarono lunedi, e ci rimarranno almeno fino a domenica. 3.
Non credo che quel posto gli piaccia: l non c' e niente da fare. 4. leri
m' entro una spina nel piede, e ancora mi duole. 5. Tengo per fermo
che un tale dono non gli piacera. 6. Faceva un gran freddo; ma si
teneva vivo il fuoco, e si stava al caminetto. 7. £ difficile piacergli,
e liii non cerca mai di piacere a nessuno. 8. Ha tante buone qualita:
peccato che non sappia tener la lingua. 9. Mi faccia il piacere di
farmelo vedere. 10. La notte taceva: non un suono, non una voce;
solo si sentiva, da lontano, il mormorio del fiume.
1 piaccia, ' will please.' The present subjunctive often has a future
tense- value.
4. Translate into Italian: i. It fell and lay three days on the ground.
2. He was sitting in the room where his brother lay sick. 3. Have you
seen my new coat? how do you like it? 4. If they keep still, we shall
not know where they have been. 5. I have been studying too much;
my eyes are paining me. 6. If you don't like this one, I will give
you another. 7. It would grieve him very much if they should go 1
away now. 8. The village lies at the foot of the mountain, near the
river. 9. Don't go now: stay to dinner, and then let's go to the
theatre. 10. He kept us in doubt up to the last moment.
1 'should go': use the past subjunctive.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 131
LESSON 25. AUGMENTATTVES, DIMINUTIVES, AND
NUMERALS
Study 35-40 inclusive.
EXERCISE 25
1. Pronounce and translate: cinquantatre, settantasei, novantadue,
centodiciassette, dugentoquarantotto, quattrocentottantuno, seicento-
trentanove, novecentosessantasette, milletrecentoventidue, milleno-
vecentoquindici, tremilaquarantacinque.
2. Read in Italian: 31, 77, 243, 854, 1265, 1321, 1492, 1621, 1775,
1915; Sisto IV, Innocenzo VIII, Alessandro VI, Pio III, Giulio II,
Leone X, Adriano VI, Clemente VII, Pio IX, Leone XIII, Pio X,
Benedetto XV.
3. Translate: sono le tre, sono le cinque e died, sono le died e un
quarto, sono le sei e mezzo, sono le nove meno vend, sono le otto
meno un quarto, sono le due meno dodici.
4. Translate into Italian: it's four o'dock, it's 6:12, it's half past
eight, it's 25 minutes of nine, it's six minutes of five; April i, April 2,
April 3, April 22.
5. Translate in terms of American money: 1 died centesimi, cin-
quanta centesimi, una lira e venti centesimi, trentun soldo, due
lire e quaranta, cinque lire e mezzo, sette lire e cinquanta,
venti lire, sessantadue lire e quarantacinque centesimi, mille lire.
1 100 centesimi = i lira = 20 cents; 5 centesimi = i soldo.
6. Translate in terms of Italian money: $.05, $.18, $.25, $.42, $1.00,
$1.50, $6.38, $100.00.
7. Study these sentences: i. La lettera fu datata "Roma, venerdi
15 febbraio 1823." 2. Lo forni di una ventina di lire, troppe per chi
le dava, troppo poche per chi le riceveva. 3. II costo totale sarebbe
di lire cinquantasei e centesimi settantacinque. 4. Lui allora aveva
ventiquattro anni, e lei soltanto diciotto. 5. Erano in tutto quindici
biglietti da dieci lire. 6. Nel quarantotto combatte a Milano contro
gli Austriaci. 7. Ha pubblicato or ora un volume sulla pittura del
132 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
Trecento. 8. Vi ando nei primi giorni del 1612, e vi rimase fino a
mezzo il 1614. 9. A che ora parte il treno? Alle quindici e mezzo,
cioe alle tre e mezzo dopo mezzogiorno. 10. La raccolta piu impor-
tante delle poesie italiane piu antiche e il codice vaticano 3793.
8. Translate into Italian: i. They woke me at five o'clock. It was
dark and cold, and it was snowing hard. 2. The sonnet consists
of 14 lines, and each line of n syllables. 3. The i$th century
and the i6th are the two centuries of the Renaissance in Italy.
4. He made him repeat it five times. 5. The work of Manz6ni
falls in the first half of the i9th century. 6. I gave him 30 lire,
and he bought two pairs of shoes. 7. Seven months have 31 days,
four 30, and one 28 or 29. 8. Would you do me the favor to
(di) lend me ten lire or so until Monday? 9. From the tower
one saw thousands l and thousands of persons crowded in the streets
and the squares. 10. Victor Emmanuel II was the first king of
the Third Italy.
1 Use miglidio.
LESSON 26. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE SECOND
CONJUGATION (continued)
Study 92, 18-22; also 79 (6) i.
EXERCISE 26
1. Translate: varro, valse, valgono, valemmo, valevano, valsero,
vogliono, vuoi, vorra, volevo, vuole, vorrei, paiamo, parvi, pari,
parremmo, parvero, parrete, potei, possono, potendo, potete, pote,
pud, persuada, persuase, persuadevano, persuadiamo, persuaso,
persuadi; lo varranno, T hanno voluto, ci era parso, non avreste
potuto, persuadeteli, non lo valeva, vorranno farlo?, gli parve,
non si puo, sono stati persuasi.
2. Translate into Italian: it would be worth, we are worth, it
was worth, you were worth, they wished, I was wishing, we shall
wish, you wished, it seems, we should seem, they seem, seeming,
he can, they will be able, you were able, they can, we should
persuade, let him persuade, I persuaded, let us persuade; will it
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 133
be worth it?, did they wish it?, it seemed to us, we have not been
able, haven't they persuaded him?
3. Study these sentences: i. Rimanga se pud, ma vada se ha da
studiare. 2. Quanto crede che valgano quegli anelli? 3. £ difficile,
lo so, ma cosa vuole? faccia tutto quello che potra. 4. Aveva fatto
come pareva meglio a lui. 5. La chiesa sta piu in alto: ci vuole
un' ora per arrivarci. 6h allora non vale la pena. 6. Chi non
pud fare come vuole, faccia come puo. 7. Non si pud contentarlo:
piu ne ha e piu ne vuole. 8. Due non basteranno: ce ne vogliono
almeno quattro. 9. Se potesse farmi questo piacere Le sarei mille
volte obbligato. 10. Volere e potere.
4. Translate into Italian: i. We shall not be able to persuade
him. 2. They seem large, but they cannot be good. 3. If you wish
it, they will stay with you. 4. I should not have thought that they
were worth 1 so much. 5. They owe me 20 lire, and they are not willing
to pay me. 6. I wanted to give it to you, but I couldn't. 7. My
head aches so much that I can't study. 8. He's going away tomor-
row, although he wants 1 to stay here. 9. I should like to speak to
you about it; could you stay ten minutes or so? 10. It takes a brave
man to (a) do a thing like that.
1 Use the subjunctive.
LESSON 27. AUXILIARY VERBS
Study 54, 57.
EXERCISE 27
1. Translate: devo parlare, dovevo parlare, dovei parlare, dovro
parlare, dovrei parlare, ho dovuto parlare, avevo dovuto parlare,
avro dovuto parlare, avrei dovuto parlare; posso parlare, potevo
parlare, potei parlare, potro parlare, potrei parlare, ho potuto
parlare, avevo potuto parlare, avro potuto parlare, avrei potuto
parlare; voglio parlare, volevo parlare, volli parlare, vorro parlare,
vorrei parlare, ho voluto parlare, avevo voluto parlare, avro voluto
parlare, avrei voluto parlare; glielo avevano dovuto dare, non
avremmo potuto persuaderlo, avreste voluto yederli?, non era
134 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
potuto entrare, avrebbe dovuto finirlo, avevamo voluto comprarne;
stiamo per andarcene, rimase tradito, va studiato cosi, lo fecero
portare, bisognerebbe prestarglieli, hanno da cercarlo, non saprei
spiegarlo, non potemmo a meno di non tacere.
2. Translate into Italian: they are to speak, we must speak,
you were to speak, he had to speak, we shall have to speak, I
ought to speak, he would have to speak, they have been obliged
to speak, he must have spoken, she had had to speak, we shall
have had to speak, he ought to have spoken, they were not able
to speak, he may have spoken, they could have spoken, I should
not have been able to speak, I might have spoken, will they be
willing to speak?, he had been willing to speak.
3. Study these sentences: i. Avendo tanto da fare in citta, avreste
dovuto partire col treno delle sette e mezzo. 2. Voile fare una visita a
casa sua per vedere i suoi, che non aveva visti da tanto tempo.
3. A quel tempo non si poteva vedere tutto cio che s' e veduto dopo.
4. Lasciano la scuola con P odio per le cose di cui si sono dovuti occu-
pare e per gli autori di cui hanno dovuto studiare le opere. 5. Non
capisco come una cosa simile abbia potuto accadere. 6. Dopo aver
fatto tutti gli sforzi possibili, si e dovuto capitolare. 7. Non
sarebbe potuto arrivare a Firenze neanche la sera. 8. Ti
chiamero presto perche dovrai andare alia stazione a piedi.
9. Aveva sperato che nella casa paterna avrebbe potuto godere almeno
un po' d' affetto. 10. Molto sa chi poco sa, se tacer sa.
4. Study these sentences: i. If I saw him, I should have to speak
to him. 2. You ought to know when you will be able to bring it to
us. 3. He would have had to keep still: he didn't know their names.
4. You must work if you want to please him. 5. They may find it,
but I'm afraid that they have l left it in the city. 6. It grieves me,
but I shall have to do it. 7. We ought to have kept still, but we
couldn't help laughing. 8. He would like to know why they had to
go away. 9. In what might I have the honor of serving you? 10.
He always wanted to do what seemed best to him.
1 Use the subjunctive.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 135
LESSON 28. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE THIRD
CONJUGATION
Study 92 (e), (/), (g) (on p. 85), 24-73 [omitting verbs marked
Rare, and forms in parentheses].
EXERCISE 28
1. Inflect the present tenses of affliggere, conoscere, crescere, and
leggere.
2. Translate: accendendo, accese, afflitto, alludono, ardeva, ardera,
risolvette, chiude, chiuderemo, conosciuto, conosca, conobbero,
corriamo. correvano, corse, cresce, crescera, cuoce, decida, decisi,
difeso, diresse, dirigero, discussero, distinti, divisero, esistito, esistono,
esprimano, espresse, fitto, finga, fingiamo, frigge, fuso, invasero,
leggano, lessero, mettiamo, misi.
3. Translate into Italian: I light, he alluded, I will shut, he
knew, run, grown, cooking, they decided, let us divide, it exists, he
will express^ fried, they will invade, let him read, they put.
4. Study these sentences: i. Gli espresse il suo rincrescimento per
quel che si era fatto. 2. Gli si leggeva la gioia nel viso. 3. Ci
mise davanti1 un mucchio di carte. 4. Mi lasci parlare; non chiuda
il cuore alia pieta. 5. Lo conobbi a Firenze T anno scorso. 6. II
fondo del romanzo e storico, ma vi e mescolato il finto col vero. 7.
Piu li conosce e piu gli cresce 1' amicizia per loro. 8. Le opinioni si
divisero: alcuni applaudirono la sua azione, altri la biasimarono.
9. Nel Cinquecento Francesi e Spagnuoli corsero tutta 1' Italia.
10. Distinguiamo nel suo carattere quel che vi e di sincere2 e quel
che vi e di falso.
1 Ci mise davanti, 'He put before us.' When the logical object of
an Italian preposition is an unemphatic personal pronoun, the, use of
a disjunctive pronoun is often avoided by putting a conjunctive
pronoun before the verb and treating the preposition as an adverb.
2 quel che vi e di sincero, 'its elements of sincerity.'
5. Translate into Italian: i. It's the third time she has read that
book. 2. Do you know my friend Mr. Ghedini? 3. He went to the
door, shut it, and put the key in his pocket. 4. I lighted the other
136 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
light and ran into the room. 5. Do you want fried eggs? 6. What
is she cooking now? 7. Do me the favor to (di) shut the door. Have
those windows been shut? 8. Where did you put my hat? I have
to go now, and I can't find it. 9. To whom was he alluding when he
spoke of his enemies? 10. The schools will be closed from June to
September.
LESSON 29. MOODS AND TENSES
Study 69-76 inclusive.
EXERCISE 29
1. Study these sentences: i. II lasciar le mura della citta e il rivedere
la casa paterna nel piccolo villaggio furono sensazioni piene di gioia.
2. Vedendolo venire con quei libri in mano, n' era molto lieta, sperando
che glieli avrebbe regalati. 3. Partirono poco dopo il levar del sole,
e tornarono sul far della sera. 4. Non sapeva ne come fare ne dove
andare. 5. A continuare cosi si corre il pericolo di perdere tutto cio
che si e guadagnato. 6. Crede di aver trovato quel che cercava da
tanto tempo. 7. Quando avrai gli anni che ho io, non sarai mica si
pronto a giudicare gli altri. 8. Finita la lezione, tornarono a casa,
e trovarono il cugino che li aspettava. 9. Non ci avrebbe nulla l da
dare a un povero cieco? io. Torno pian piano alia casa; picchio;
nessuno risponde; entro; e ci trovo — cosa crede? n. Inutile
illudersi; non c' e piu speranza. 12. L' esser simpatici non basta, no;
bisogna essere utili a qualche cosa. 13. Rimarrai fino alle cinque, non
e vero? Non mi dire di no. 14. Quando arrival a casa, mio padre
non c' era. Mia madre si spavento, perche vedendomi cosi pallido
mi credette malato. 15. Augurata la buona notte al padrone, se
n' ando in fretta. 16. Lui gli vende T anima, e il diavolo gli promise
che per un certo tempo gli avrebbe ubbidito come a suo signore. 17.
Tornat^ che furono, domandarono subito da mangiare. 18. In quel
vagone e proibito fumare. 19. Appena mi vide, la sua espressione, da
irrequieta che era,2 si fece minacciosa. 20. La strada che mena a
Sorrento e un succedersi continue di punti di vista stupendi.
1 Non ci avrebbe nulla, ' Haven't you anything ? ' The use of the
past future gives the sentence an apologetic tone.
2 da irrequieta che era, 'instead of anxious.'
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 137
2. Translate into Italian: i. Do you prefer traveling to studying?
2. I'll have it given back at once. 3. Their manners may be crude,
but they are sincere. 4. Gratitude is to be praised. 5. You know,
doubtless,1 that my brother has returned. 6. When you arrive in (a)
Florence, you will find at the hotel a letter from (di) my agent.
7. Have you not heard him spoken of? 8. I have been here for two
months, working2 in the libraries. 9. Where are they? They are
there outside, waiting for 3 you. 10. He ought to have spoken to
you about it himself, instead of writing.
1 Express this idea in the verb.
2 Translate by a with the infinitive.
3 Use a relative clause instead of a participle.
LESSON 30. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE THIRD
CONJUGATION (continued)
Study 92, 75-124 [omitting verbs marked Rare or Poetical, and forms
in parentheses].
EXERCISE 30
1. Inflect the present tenses of muovere and sorgere.
2. Translate: mordono, mosse, movera, nasce, nacquero,
nascosto, nascondevo, negletto, offendendo, offesi, perso, per-
derebbe, pioveva, piovera, prenda, preso, proteggono, protesse,
redenta, raso, rendevano, ridi, risero, risponda, risposi, rotti,
ruppero, scendemmo, scorgiamo, scriva, scrissi, scosso, sorge,
spargeva, sporgono, successe, teso, torce, torse, uccidera, vinco,
vinsero, volsi, volgerebbe.
3. Translate into Italian: they were moving, he was born, hide,
we are losing, it is raining, let them take, he laughed, they an-
swered, broken, write, he shook, they rise, she spent, it happens, it
would kill, I shall conquer, let him live, they turned.
4. Study these sentences: i. Se te li presto, quando me li renderai?
2. La scodella gli cadde per terra e si ruppe in tre pezzi. 3. Soli
quelli che gli vivono da presso sanno che egli e anche piu buono che
138 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
grande. 4. Scriva un po' meglio; altrimenti non potranno leggere
niente. 5. Successe una pausa, rotta finalmente da un grido di
terrore. 6. Non si lasci vincere dalT ira. 7. II codice fu scritto,
pare, verso la fine del Trecento. 8. £ successo quello che pur troppo
non poteva non succedere. 9. L' Italia nacque come nascono tutte
le nazioni nuove, dall' energia dei meno che porta al destine 1' inerzia
dei piu. 10. Ben perduto e conosciuto.
6. Translate into Italian: i. He put it on the table, but someone
has moved it. 2. Let's stand under that tree while it rains. 3. If
he had moved it, it would have fallen. 4. There the mountains rise
from the waters of the lake. 5. Goldoni and Alfieri lived in the
1 8th century. 6. They are all running: what has1 happened? 7.
He shook his head, smiling, and turned 2 toward the door. 8. When
I spoke to him about it, he laughed, and did not answer me. 9. In
what year was Dante born? 10. They don't think he will live 3 if
he remains here.
1 Translate by the proper form of essere.
2 Put the proper reflexive pronoun before the verb.
3 Use the subjunctive.
LESSON 31. CONJUNCTIONS
Study 78.
EXERCISE 31
1. Give the meanings of these conjunctions: a meno che non, accioche,
affinche, anzi, avanti che, benche, che, dacche, dato che, donde,
dovunque, finche, finche non, mentre, neanche, ossia, perche (with
indicative), perche (with subjunctive}, per quanto, poiche, prima che,
purche, pure, qualunque, quasi, sebbene, se non che, siccome.
2. Study these sentences: i. Seguito a filare finche il figlio del re
non se ne fu andato. 2. L' avrebbe potuto fare, purche 1' avesse
voluto. 3. Molti sono e i difetti e i pericoli di una tale decisione
4. I giorni passavano senza che il padre gliene parlasse. 5. Non
I1 avrebbe mai saputo, se non che le si spedi da Milano un giornale
c6Ua notizia. 6. Lo conoscevo nei giorni che era qui a visitare
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 139
la nonna. 7. Non ci aiuta punto, anzi c' impedisce. 8. Le sue
espressioni, per quanto fossero forti, non erano esagerate. 9. Mi
dispiacque di non averla veduta prima che partisse. 10. Non voleva
nemmeno vederlo, non che parlargli.
3. Translate into Italian: i. They were sitting in the parlor while
I was writing the letters. 2. Who is going there today? Either he
or I. 3. They received them as if they were old friends. 4. He re-
mained at the window until he heard them knock. 5. We will pardon
him provided he will promise to (di) give it back to us at once. 6. I
found it without difficulty, although he had hidden it with the greatest
care. 7. When you see him, do me the favor to (di) give him these
tickets. 8. I should like to speak to him before he goes. 9. Since
they are worth what they cost, why don't you buy them? 10. I sent
you1 here in order that you should study, not in order that you
should waste my money.
1 Use the second person singular in translating this sentence.
LESSON 32. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE THIRD
CONJUGATION (continued)
Study 92, 127-133.
EXERCISE 32
1. Translate: bevano, bevve, bera, avrebbe bevuto, beviamo,
bee, chiesto, chiesi, chiedete, chiederanno, chieda, chiedevano,
condurrei, condotto, condussero, condtica, conduci, sono condotti,
noceva, nuoce, nocque, ponga, posto, posi, poniamo, porra, pone,
traevano, trassero, traggono, trarremo, avevano tratto, tragga.
2. Translate into Italian: they would drink, he was drinking,
I drank, let him drink, let us ask, he will have asked, they asked,
we were asking, I conducted, let them conduct, he has conducted,
I was conducting, it will harm, they harmed, we put, put, they are
putting, they will put, he dragged, we should drag, I have dragged.
3. Study these sentences: i. Quando avra sei anni lo porremo a
scuola. 2. Se bevesse un po' di quel vino, gli farebbe bene. 3. II
fumare troppo gli ha nociuto gravemente. 4. Non le sa negare quel
140 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
che gli chiede.1 5. SofTri lunghi anni di una malattia di cuore che
finalmente lo trasse alia morte. 6. Ho sete: dammi da here. 7.
Vorrei chiederle una vacanza di pochi giorni, finche mi rimetta un
po' in salute. 8. Fini col darsi per vinto, e col concedere tutto quanto
gli era richiesto. 9. Questo mi ha indotto a riconoscere in Itii
I' autore delle mie disgrazie. 10. Tutte le strade conducono a Roma.
1 The personal object of chiedere is indirect.
4. Translate into Italian: i. Drink a little water. 2. They are
putting it in the other corner of the room. 3. Clouds of smoke were
rising, and they were dragging everything out of the house. 4. I put
it there because I found it there: don't move it. 5. Go and ask him
why he didn't read what I wrote. 6. If you stay to dinner, we'l]
take1 you to the theatre this evening. 7. The house was placed so
that one could see between the hills as far as the river. 8. If you
had asked me for 2 it, I should have given it to you. 9. Then he
drew his sword and took3 his place at the head of his company. 10.
He put his hands on my shoulders and asked me if I had been a
good boy.
1 Use mendre. 2 Chiedere means ' to ask for.' 3 Use prendere.
LESSON 33. THE SUBJUNCTIVE
Study 77 through (/).
EXERCISE 33
1. Study these sentences: i. Senta: potrebbe prestarmi per qualche
giorno una ventina di lire? 2. Bisognava che ne trovassero un altro
perfettamente simile a quello che si era perduto. 3. Ci faccia sapere
quale difficolta ci sia. 4. £ il poeta piu classico e nondimeno il piu
moderno che abbia P Italia. 5. Quanto male ci ha fatto! Non
P avessimo mai visto! 6. Se avesse uno che si prendesse cura di Itii,
anche lui potrebbe far meglio. 7. Legga, scriva, non sia mai ozioso,
non chieda mai a nessu.no, non speri che nel suo lavoro. 8. Non vi e
piu alcuno che creda alle loro storie. 9. Ti sia sempre nella mente
che il compiacersi dei mali degli altri e crudelta. 10. Se vuole andare,
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 141
se ne vada; per me, ci avrei piacere. n. £ra un' idea di cui parlava
in ogni conversazione che riguardasse il suo avvenire. 12. Fossi tu
qui con me! Pur troppo bisogna ora che tu rimanga in citta. 13.
Badi di non parlarmi piu cosi; e basti 1' avviso per questa volta
14. Si mostro pronto a tutto cio che potesse piacere ai superiori.
15. Domando alia serva se si potesse parlare al padrone. 16. Divi-
sero la citta in sei parti, ed elessero dodici cittadini che la governassero.
17. Nessuno se ne meravigli: era da aspettarsi. 18. Benche non vi
sia niente che abbia T aria di essere esagerato, tutto il libro e una
terribile accusa. 19. Se ci va spesso, e perche ci si mangia bene.
20. Parrebbe impossibile a chi non lo conoscesse per quell' uomo che e,
2. Translate into Italian: i. If he were here, perhaps he would be
able to give us a little light. 2. He asked me if I were really a count.
3. This is the first and only pleasure I have had since I have been
here. 4. It would be enough to (per) convince one who had not
sworn to remain in the dark. 5. They wanted to give her a name
that should recall her aunt's affection. 6. Russia is the only
country in (di} Europe that he hasn't visited. 7. They are things
that happen often, although they seem impossible. 8. Did they
ask you if you had read his last novel? 9. Wherever I go, that
scene is ever before my eyes. 10. They had placed a guard at the
only door by which he could have escaped.
LESSON 34. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE THIRD
CONJUGATION (continued)
Study 92, 134-148.
EXERCISE 34
1. Translate: coglie, colse, coglieremo, scelga, scelto, sceglievi,
sciogliemmo, sciogliendo, avrebbe sciolto, tolgono, torra, torrei,
giungete, giunsero, sono giunti, piangi, pianse, piangero, pinge,
pingano, pingeranno, spegne, spense, spegneva, spinga, avev^
spinto, spinsero, stretto, stringono, stringemmo.
2. Translate into Italian: they gather, we gathered, I was
choosing, let them choose, we have taken, I shall take, you are
142 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
weeping, I wept, they extinguish, we shall extinguish, you were
pushing, I had pushed, we are bound, bind.
3. Study these sentences: i. II sole che calava tingeva di rosso le
acque del lago. 2. La Cappella Sistina fu dipinta da Michelangelo
tra il 1508 e il 1512. 3. Gli afferro la destra e gliela strinse con forza,
ma al ritirare la mano la vide tinta di sangue. 4. Tutti quelli con cui
era stretto d' amicizia se n' andarono, lasciandolo solo solo. 5. Non
si sapeva se riderne o piangerne; infatti alcuni piansero, sorridendo
pero fra le lagrime. 6. Se si potessero parlare una volta, le dimcolta
sarebbero subito sciolte. 7. ]Erano giunti a un tal punto che biso-
gnava o vincere o perder ogni cosa. 8. Stava inginocchioni colle
mani giunte in atto di preghiera. 9. Gli tolse di mano il denaro
senza nemmeno ringraziarlo. 10. L' imperatore, poeta egli stesso,
protesse i poeti e li accolse e onoro nella sua corte.
4. Translate into Italian: i. Among all the employees they chose
him as the most industrious. 2. Then they looked at each other,
and began to weep. 3. Go and gather some1 flowers for the vases in
the parlor. 4. When we arrived, the sacristan was putting out the
lights. 5. Take2 those papers from the table and put them on the
desk. 6. In ancient times cities were surrounded by walls and ditches.
7. He pushed me into (a) this business, and now he ought to help me.
8. They were crying like children; she was going from one to the other,
trying to (di) comfort them. 9. We found ourselves compelled to (a)
ask him for it. 10. He might have surrendered: he chose to (di) die.
1 Use the partitive construction. 2 Use togliere.
LESSON 35. PREPOSITIONS
Study 79.
EXERCISE 35
1. Give the meaning of these prepositions: accanto a, al di la di,
attorno a, circa, contro, dentro di, dietro, dirimpetto a, dopo, eccetto,
fin da, fino a, fuori di, innanzi, intorno a, lungo, oltre, quanto a,
rispetto a, secondo, sino a, sotto, su, tra, tranne.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 143
2. Study these sentences: i. Se vuol rimanere con noi, ha da fare
quel che voglio io. 2. (3ra le ha comprato una macchina da cucire.
3. Ce lo giuro per quanto aveva di piu caro. 4. Da allora in poi
visse da buon cristiano. 5. Lo so per certo che oggi non gli hanno
dato da mangiare. 6. Al di la del fiume si vedevano delle vecchie
torri medioevali. 7. Ci si ammalavano a centinaia per giorno.
8. C' era una volta un bel fanciullo dai capelli biondi e dagli 6cchi
azzurri, che aveva fra i died e i dodici anni. 9. Lui, poveretto,
stava zitto a guardarmi, ed io gli parlai con un tono da fargli
coraggio. io. Alia porta della chiesa c' era una vecchia che
accattava da chi entrava; il ragazzo ando da lei, e le diede meta
del suo pane.
3. Translate into Italian: i. They want to have (fare] lunch be-
fore the others. 2. You can't persuade him to vote against the
government. 3. We'll be at your house in an hour and a half. 4.
They will arrive on (con) the 5.20 train. 5. He went to France in
1872, and remained there for three or four years. 6. Go tell1 them
they'll have to do without me. 7. His arrival was greeted by all with
an exclamation of surprise. 8. I begged my father to take 2 me to
the city to see my cousins. 9. They have been living in Venice
for six months, io. You ought to do something for him instead of
letting him suffer so.
1 Use dire, the personal object of which is indirect.
2 Use mendre.
LESSON 36. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE FOURTH
CONJUGATION
Study 92, 149-163.
EXERCISE 36
1. Translate: aprono, apri, sono aperti, copra, coperse, co-
prite, offrimmo, offrira, offersi, soffrii, hanno sofferto, soffnrM,
costruivano, digerisce, esaurito, e stato sepolto, cucivo, empiono,
empi, empiere, muoia, morranno, e morto, segui, segui, seguirei,
sparve, spariscono, sparira.
144 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
2. Translate into Italian: we opened, they would open, cover, I
covered, let us offer, he has offered, he is suffering, you will suffer,
she was sewing, he died, I shall die, following, let us follow, it
would disappear, they disappeared.
3. Study these sentences: i. Se la tua patria avra bisogno di te,
offrile te stesso. 2. Le finestre dello studio si aprono all' est. 3.
Possa tu godere quant' io ho sofferto e soffro. 4. Tutti i figli le
erano morti, 1' uno dopo 1' altro, ed era rimasta sola sola al mondo.
5. Gli apparve in sogno un fantasma che lo minacciava di morte.
6. Lui proseguiva il lavoro senza badare a cio che faceVano gli altri.
7. Di questo si trattera nel capitolo seguente. 8. Ha la sposa ricca,
ma morrebbe piuttosto che chiederle un soldo. 9. Compiuti gli
studi, fece un lungo viaggio per 1' Europa. io. Muor giovane colui
che al cielo e caro.
4. Translate into Italian: i. If the window isn't open, do me the
favor to open it. 2. He died last night at half past eleven. 3. Those
are old customs that now are disappearing. 4. Let's offer them to
her, and if she doesn't want them we'll keep them for ourselves.
5. The king is dead: long1 live the king! 6. She covered her face
with her hands and wept. 7. You have written a song that will
not die. 8. I opened the window and called them, but they didn't
hear me. 9. If I suffered as they have suffered, I should die.
io. They are building a theatre on the site of those old shops.
1 Omit this word in translating.
LESSON 37. THE SUBJUNCTIVE (continued)
Study 77 (g), (k), (*).
EXERCISE 37
1. Study these sentences:^ i. Pare che se ne siano scordati affatto.
2. Badi che non gli facciano male! 3. Se le displace che lo facciano
gli altri, non lo faccia lei stesso. 4. Mi rincresce che Lei abbia dovuto
partire senza vederli. 5. Non permise pero che finisse cosi. 6. Cosa
1 In several of these sentences the che clause should be replaced, in
translation, by an infinitive construction.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 145
pensi tu che ci sia da fare? 7. Non sapeva che s' era proibito che
i forestieri visitassero la fortezza? 8. Non potrai venire domani?
Avrei bisogno che tu mi aiutassi. 9. II ponte par che segni il punto
in cui il fiume entra nel lago. 10. Non si pud non sospettare che
T abbiano saputo. 'n. Pareva ci fossero degli spiriti invisibili. 12.
Teme che gli si possa togliere quel che ha guadagnato. 13. Voglia
il cielo che non venga un giorno in cui si penta di non avermi ascoltato.
14. Lascino ch' io gli parli ancora una volta prima che se ne vada!
15. Chi vuoi che le compri, delle scarpe cosi? 16. Ho letto quelle
pagine col piu vivo interesse, e vorrei che le potessero legger tutti.
17. Se vuole che gli si porti rispetto, deve imparare a rispettare gli
altri. 1 8. L' ho sentito negare che la vita per se stessa sia desiderabile.
19. Pagare e poi pagare, perche i nostri soldati vadano a morire
nell' Africa, non si puo pretendere che piaccia al popolo italiano.
20. Non possiamo permettere che certi punti del Mediterraneo siano
presi ed occupati da coloro che un giorno potrebbero esserci nemici.
2. Translate into Italian: i. I am surprised that you do not under-
stand it. 2. I know they wanted me to stay 1 until tomorrow. 3. It
seemed to us that they were afraid that someone would recognize
them. 4. He begged them to give1 him a little bread. 5. It may be
believed that he has earned in this way more than 2000 lire. 6. He
was ashamed that they should think that he had not been content.
7. Yesterday I heard that he was a little better. 8. Doesn't it seem
to you that he is asking too much? 9. He ordered them all to be1
silent, io. I hope he'll give you all you want.
1 Use a che clause, turning the preceding personal pronoun into a
subject.
LESSON 38. IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE FOURTH
CONJUGATION (continued)
Study 92, 164-168.
%
EXERCISE 38
1. Translate: dissero, diceva, e stato detto, di', dicano, diresti,
sali, saiga, salite, salivano, salgo, salira, vieni, verra, venne, sono
venuti, venga, verrei, udirono, ode, udiranno, esca, usciamo.
146 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
2. Translate into Italian: you say, he said, say, they are ascending,
I ascended, let us ascend, they came, I shall come, she has come, they
hear, hearing, we had heard, he is going out, they went out, I should
go out.
3. Study these sentences: i. Quando uscii di camera, mia madre,
gia alzata, mi aspettava per dirmi addio. 2. Che cdsa vuol dire
questa parola? 3. Ci dice che sono venuti tutti, e che rimarranno
fino alle died. 4. I prezzi delle carni sono gia saliti assai. 5. Mori
benedicendo i figli e i figli de' figli suoi. 6. Rifiuto nondimeno
1' aiuto che gli veniva offerto. 7. £rano sempre severi con lui, senza
mai dime il perche. 8. Poi le venne in mente che aveva promesso di
restituirglieli il giorno dopo. 9. I fatti che siamo venuti narrando
bastano a dimostrare la falsita dell' accusa. 10. Dimmi con chi
pratichi e ti diro chi sei.
4. Translate into Italian: i. They come and they disappear.
Where do they all go? Tell me, do they all die? 2. I'm afraid they
won't come if it rains. 3. If it's he, call him, and tell him I should
like to speak to him. 4. He is much better now; he goes out almost
every day. 5. Let them tell him to come at once. 6. They told
me that he had arrived Monday. 7. They came; I heard them open
the door; they went up; and then they disappeared. I went out,
but they had gone away. 8. Did they tell you when they would
come? 9. If he had told you that, what would you have done?
10. I came, I saw, I conquered.
LESSON 39. ADVERBS AND INDEFINITE PRONOUNS
Study 80-91 inclusive.
EXERCISE 39
1. Give the meanings of these indefinite pronouns and adjectives:
alcuno, altri, altriii, ambedue, certo, chi, chicchessia, ciascheduno,
ciascuno, meno, nessuno, nulla, ognuno, parecchi, per quanto, qual-
checosa, qualcuno, qualungue, si, un tale.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 147
2. Study these sentences: i. Senti qualcheduno che piangeva li
dentro. 2. Se fossi Lei, gli scriverei un' altra volta, benche non Le
abbia mai risposto. 3. Sentiva un gran desiderio di fare qualcosa di
strano e di terribile. 4. L' uno e 1' altro me n' hanno dato parola.
5. Ci andremo insieme, non e vero? Non mi dica di no. 6. Cosa
fai li? O che vuoi bruciar la casa? 7. Ed ecco che le appari sulla
soglia un non so che di bianco. 8. L' ha cambiato tutto, ed ora si
che mi piace! 9. Non si va in quel luogo se non per vedere la fontana.
10. Questo mondo e fatto a scale, chi le scende e chi le sale.
3. Translate into Italian: i. Do you go there oftener now? What?
Yes, every eight or ten days. 2. I shall be there too, day after to-
morrow, and I shall stay the whole week. 3. We saw certain things
there that we didn't like at all. 4. I should never have believed that
they would both leave me. 5. Take care that no one sees you start.
6. Each of you ought to give him something. 7. One must respect
the rights of others. 8. One can't say, though, that such a work
isn't worth anything. 9. I have but two, but if you want one of
them, here it is. 10. He must have known them well; he has lived
there for several years.
LESSON 40. REVIEW
EXERCISE 40
1. Give the plural of each of the following combinations: V ani-
male grigio, il mio braccio, del caffe nuovo, nelP estasi (fern.),
poca facolta, dalla tua famiglia, la mano bianca, 1' operaio eroico,
1' origine mistica. quel paio, il gran palco, col vecchio porco, la
radice profonda, F ultima riga, al bel rogo, lo scherzo comico, sullo
scoglio pittoresco, il buon sindaco, il telegramma lungo, il suo zio.
2. Translate: lo apra, 1' avremmo, me lo chiesero, li coglie,
condottovi, ve lo conobbe, glielo devono, ce lo dia, ditele, lui li ha
divisi, eccotelo, n' esce, glielo fece portare, vi foste, ci pianse, 16
lessi loro, 1' aveva mosso, muoiano loro, vi nacque, offertoglielo,
vi sarebbe parso, dovreste piangerne, lo potemmo vedere, me lo
rese, li ruppero, si vorrebbe sapere, le scrissi, avrebbe dovuto
148 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
seguirli, ci steste, 1' avranno stretto, lei tacque, lo tenga lei, li trae,
ci vanno, erano venuti, ci videro, ci ha vissuto.
3. Translate into Italian: will you be there?, they chose it, we
had come, he was dying there, give it to him, will they go there?,
he has been killed, do you know it?, do you know him?, they would
have lost it, they ought to have opened it, he could not persuade
him, it pleased him, I put it there, they made me read it, we shall
remain there, it seemed to them, they have seen us, tell it to me,
they wish it.
4. Study these sentences: i. Mi rispose di si,1 e che ci avrebbe molto
piacere. 2. Lui piangeva piangeva, e gli altri stavano zitti a guar-
darlo. 3. Sedevano attorno alia tavola, impazienti che si servisse la
colazione. 4. Morto, le parve assai piu grande e buono che non le
fosse mai parso vivo. 5. Finalmente riusci a farselo restituire. 6.
Gli abitanti si rifugiavano su per i monti, portandovi quel che avevan
di meglio.2 7. Nel succedersi degli avvenimenti in mezzo ai quali
veniva innalzato al soglio, parve manifestarsi la mano della Prov-
videnza. 8. Prevedeva di doversene tornare a casa, di li a pochi
giorni, povero com' era venuto. 9. Che molti di quei temi esistes-
sero nella poesia piu antica, ci pare pienamente dimostrato. 10. Se
li perdo, che sara di me? u. Le stava davanti, quasi aspettasse
che gli dicesse d' andarsene. 12. Queste poche pagine poste in
principio serviranno di introduzione a tutto il libro. 13. Decise di
sentire tranquillamente cio che allo zio piacesse d' aggiungere. 14.
Si trasse dal dito 1' anello magico, e se lo mise in bocca. 15.
Adesso le spieghero, meglio ch' io non facessi allora, che cosa vo-
gliamo fare. 16. Non posso non farlo, ne vorrei, anche potendo,
non farlo. 17. Una societa che si formi cosi deve finire con
1' esser composta di ribelli. 18. Parleremo prima di lui, non
perche egli sia il piu antico, ma perche e il piu importante. 19. Non
si erano mai accorti delle occhiate di ammirazione con cui lui li
guardava. 20. Alcuni contadini, credendo che cercasse dei tesori,
e persuasi che avesse gia qualche cosa di prezioso in tasca, gli si
awicinarono per accertarsene.
1 di si, 'that he would.'
2 quel che avevan di meglio, ' the best of their belongings.'
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 149
5. Translate into Italian: i. He told me that he had desired it
for many years. 2. I should not have believed that you had spoken
of it to him. 3. If I'm not mistaken, we shall be there in a few
minutes. 4. I am surprised that they haven't called you yet. 5. I
know him only by (di) sight; I have seen him several times in the
Public Gardens. 6. The prisoner has 1 escaped and has hidden him-
self in the wood; the peasants are protecting him. 7. I was sure
of it, although her face did not betray any surprise. 8. Did they
tell you when they would come to your house? 9. We could have
given it to you, if we had known that you wanted it. 10. It isn't,
impossible that he has seen it, but I don't believe so.
1 Translate by the proper form of essere.
LESSON 41. OLD AND POETIC FORMS
Study section 3 (/) on p. 7, the second footnote on p. u, the second
footnote on p. 17, section 44 (a), the first footnote on />. 35, section
48 (e), the footnote on p. 39, section 63 (d), section 68, the forms
given in section 92 in parentheses and footnotes, the verbs numbered
23 and 169, and those among nos. 24-125 that are marked Rare or
Poetical; also the verbs gire and ire given on p. 94.
EXERCISE 41
1. Give the modern prose equivalents of: lo giorno, i capei, tai re,
ne1 parla, mel dice, nol credo, sen va, ameria, parleria, parlaro,
parlerebbono, parloe, parle, parlar, compro,2 sentio, fenno, feste,
face, diero, ave, avea, avieno, aggia, ara, ei, caggiano, dee, denno, il
veggo, v61si, puote, ponno, poria, enno, suto, sete, fora, foro, fia,
chieggo, corre, torre, piagne, vegna.
1 Do not regard this ne as meaning ' of it.'
2 Do not regard this form as present indicative.
2. Study these lines:
1. Or fia ch' ei vegna solo? Ahi, meglio fora!
2. Udrassi allor chi puote il ver narrare.
3. Morte emmi il gire, e il rimaner m' e morte.
4. Stawi sempre — nol sai? — cui starvi lice.
5. Tormeli credi? Chi dietti tal forza?
150 ITALIAN GRAMMAB
6. La patria amar; lieti per lei moriro.
7. II veggio, o parmi, coi fratei venire.
8. Qual fuggitivo non vorria mostrarmi.
9. "O felici costor!" pareane dire.
10. "Lasciar ti debbo" poi sen gia cantando.
ADDITIONAL EXERCISES IN PRONUNCIATION
A
Acacia, accecare, acciaio, acquaiuolo, aggiungere, ahi, allegro, ami-
cizia, archibugio, artiglieria, bicchiere, biglietto, Boccaccio, Boiardo,
bugia, buio, buoi, canzone, Carducci, cascaggini, Castiglione, caval-
leria, Cellini, cencio, centottantotto, cerchio, Checchina, chiacchiere,
chiaroscuro, Chioggia, cicatrice, ciglio, cinquecento, Civitavecchia,
cogliere, coraggio, corridoio, costituzionale, crescendo, cugino, cuocere,
dolcezza, doppio, dunque, echeggiare, faccione, fasciare, fazzoletto,
fiocchi, fischio, floscio, Fogazzaro, Francesco, fruscio, fuorche, gaio,
ghiaccio, ghiaia, Ghirlandaio, giaciglio, ginocchio, gioia, Giorgio,
Girgenti, giudizio, grigio, guai, guerra, Guido Guinizelli, hai, hanno,
ho, ignobile, incognito, inginocchiatoio, inscioglibile, iridescenza,
Italia, laggiu, larghezza, lenzuolo, letteratura, liscio, luccichio, Machia-
velli, menzogna, merciaio, Michelangelo Buonarroti, minchioneria,
negozio, Niccolo, noialtri, occhiacci, oceano, orecchio, ossia, Pagliacci,
Palermo, pazienza, Petrarca, piazza,, pieghevolezza, Pintoricchio,
Poliziano, Pollaiuolo, Pozzuoli, puo, quacquero, quaggiu, quegli,
ricchezza, richiamiamo, risuscitare, ruota, Sacchetti, sbercio, sce-
gliere, schermisce, scherzo, schiamazzo, sciagurato, sciogliere,
sciupacchiare, scricchiolio, sdraiato, sdrucciolo, Sforza, sgherro,
Sicilia, singhiozzo, slanciano, squarciagola, stizzisce, sudicio, tazza,
treccia, tribu, uggia, uguale, uovo, usciamo, vecchio, viaggio.
B
Un mio amico raccontava una scena curiosa alia quale era stato
presente in casa di un giudice di pace in Milano, molti anni fa. Lo
aveva trovato tra due litiganti, uno dei quali perorava caldamente
la sua causa; e quando costui ebbe finito, il giudice gli disse: "Avete
ragione."
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 151
"Ma, signer giudice," disse subito 1' altro, "lei mi deve sentire
anche me, prima di decidere."
"£ troppo giusto,"1 rispose il giudice, "dite pur su,2 che v' ascolto
attentamente."
Allora quello si mise con tanto piu impegno a far valere la sua
causa, e ci riusci cosi bene che il giudice gli disse: "Avete ragione
anche voi."
C' era li accanto3 un siio bambino di sette o otto armi, il quale,
giocando pian piano con non so qual balocco, non aveva lasciato di
stare anche attento alia discussione, e a quel punto, alzando un visino
stupefatto, esclamo: "Ma babbo, non pud essere che abbiano
ragione tutt' e due."
"Hai ragione anche tu," gli disse il giudice.
MANZONI.
1 £ troppo giusto, 'That's only fair.'
2 dite pur su, 'go ahead.'
8 accanto. ' in the room with them.'
Che sia il Pincio nelT ora che sul ponente color d'arancio si dipinge
la gigantesca ombra di San Pietro e del Vaticano, non c' e lingua
che possa dire. £ un incanto, un' estasi, un sogno, e un confuso
viavai d' immensi pensieri, e un tumulto di memorie grandiose e di
speranze arcane, in cui la mente si perde, come in un mare senza
confini. Guardando il Gianicolo e Monte Mario, che stanno in faccia,
par di veddre nel fondo dell' angusta vallata passar silenziosi i secoli
fra le nebbie della sera, e un brivido corre per le ossa, come se da quel
fondo si rizzassero taciturni e cupi gli spettri dei grandi, che resero
temuta e sacra alle genti questa terra fatale. Questo piccolo spazio,
che lo sguardo abbraccia senza fatica, e il punto piu storico di tutto
il mondo. Tutta la civilta antica s' e condensata fra questi colli, e df*
qui, risalendo il Tevere, s' e distesa a conquistar la maggior parte
della terra conosciuta. Di qui mossero gli eserciti invasori, qui ne
furono celebrati i trionfi, di qui si propagarono le leggi e la lingua che
152 ITALIAN GRAMMAR
fecero di gran parte dello sterminato impero un popolo solo. Quando
poi i vinti si ribellarono, la non vinta regina soggiogo colle speranze
di un' altra vita tutti coloro che ricusavano il suo dominio in questa;
e in nome di Cristo risollevo P impero caduto. Poiche le furono
strappate di mano le armi, regno disarmata: ricupero con un altro
vessillo la corona perduta, ne fu meno grande e potente di prima.
E P emblema di questa storia, nodo dei tempi anteriori e dei succes-
sivi, e la sotto gli 6cchi: un obelisco egiziano, portato in Roma da-
gP imperatori romani e sormontato dalla croce, compendia la storia
di tutta la civilta.
GABELLI.
NOTE ON READING ITALIAN VERSE
In reading Italian verse the verbal stress is the same as in prose.
There is no such artificial shifting of the stress as in Latin scansion.
Two adjacent vowels in the same word are usually to be
pronounced as belonging to the same syllable, the voice gliding
quickly from the first vowel to the second. They are however to
be pronounced as belonging to separate syllables (i) when the first
is a, e, or o and the second is stressed; (2) when the first of the
two vowels is the last stressed vowel of the line; (3) in some other
cases (there is one instance in Exercise E, line 4: trionfdle).
Two vowels standing one at the end of a word and the other at
the beginning of the next word and not separated by a mark of
punctuation are usually to be pronounced, also, as belonging to the
same syllable. (There are no exceptions in these exercises. Ex-
ceptions occur when the first of the two vowels is stressed or is
immediately preceded by a stressed vowel, and in some other
cases.) If the two vowels are different, the voice glides quickly
from the first to the second; if they are identical, they are pro-
nounced as a single long vowel.
Two adjacent vowels separated by a mark of pronunciation are
to be pronounced as belonging to separate syllables; though as a
matter of technical versification they are arbitrarily reckoned as
belonging to the same syllable, unless they are of one of the types
referred to as exceptional.
LESSONS AND EXERCISES 153
Lungo la strada vedi su la siepe
ridere a mazzi le vermiglie bacche:
nei campi arati tornano al presepe
tarde le vacche.
Vien per la strada un povero che il lento
passo tra foglie stridule trascina:
nei campi intuona una fanciulla al vento:
Fiore di spina! . . . PASCOLI.
Line i. su la: the prepositions which normally contract with a
following definite article are in verse often uncontracted.
4. tarde is a predicate adjective used with adverbial force: 'slowly.'
intudna: see section 59 (6).
8. Fiore di spina: these are the first words of a peasant song.
Lievi e bianche a la plaga occidentale
Van le nubi: a le vie ride e su '1 foro
>»
Umido il cielo, ed a F uman lavoro
Saluta il sol, benigno, trionfale.
Leva in roseo fulgor la cattedrale
Le mflle guglie bianche e i santi d' oro,
Osannando irraggiata: intorno, il coro
Bruno de' falchi agita i gridi e F ale.
Tal, poi ch' amor co '1 dolce riso via
Rase le nubi che gravarmi tanto,
Si rileva nei sol F anima mia,
E molteplice a lei sorride il santo
Ideal de la vita: e un' armonia
6gni pensiero, ed ogni senso un canto.
CAKDUCCT.
Line 2. '/ is a form of il often used in verse.
10. Rdse is a past absolute used with the force of a present perfect:
'has swept.' — gravarmi: see section 68 (d).
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
This vocabulary contains all Italian words appearing in exercise sections involving
translation from the Italian and all words appearing in Exercises B-E on pp. 150-153,
with the following exceptions: articles, cardinal and ordinal numerals, possessive and
personal pronouns, and words occurring only in the following exercise sections: Ex. 28
sect. 2 Ex. 30 sect. 2, Ex. 31 sect, i, Ex. 34 sect, i, Ex. 35 sect, i, Ex. 36 sect, i, Ex. 39
sect. i. The meanings of all words occurring in these sections are given in the portions of
the Grammar assigned for the lessons in question. The irregular verb forms occurring in
Exercises B-E (except the forms of avere and Sssere) are separately entered here.
The position of the secondary stress is indicated only in words in which it falls upon an
open e or o.
Nouns ending in o are masculine and those ending in a are feminine, unless indication to
the contrary is given.
a, to, toward, at, in, on, upon, for,
by, of; a fare, doing, if one
does; al fare, on doing, when
one does.
abbracciare, to embrace.
abitante, m., inhabitant.
abito, coat.
accadere, to happen.
accanto, — a, beside.
accattare, to beg.
accertarsi, to make certain.
accdgliere, to welcome.
accdrgersi di, to notice.
accusa, accusation.
acqua, water.
addio, good-by.
adesso, now.
affare, m., affair.
affatto, entirely.
afferrare, to seize.
affetto, affection.
Affrica, Africa.
aggiungere, to add.
agitare, to agitate, wave.
ah, ah; ah si?, is that so?
ahi, ah.
aiutare, to help.
aiuto, help.
ala, wing.
albero, tree.
alcuno, some; pron., anyone.
alloggiare, to lodge.
allora, then; da — in poi, there-
after.
almeno, at least.
alto, high, tall; in — , high up.
altrimenti, otherwise.
altro, other; 1' imo e 1' — , both.
alzare, to raise; alzato, up.
amare, to love, be fond of.
America, America.
amicizia, friendship.
amico, friend.
ammalarsi, to fall sick.
ammirazione, /., admiration.
am6re, m., love.
anche, also, too, even, at the
same time.
ancora, still, yet, again, even, more.
156
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
andare, to go; andarsene, to go
off or away; va fatto cosi, it
must be done so.
anello, ring,
angusto, narrow.
anima, soul.
anno, year; di due anni, two years
old; avere due anni, to be two
years old.
anteriore, former.
antico, ancient, old.
anzi, even, rather, on the contrary.
apparire, to appear,
appena, scarcely, as soon as.
applaudire, to applaud,
aprire, aprirsi, to open,
arancio, orange.
arare, to plough.
arcano, secret.
aria, air; aver 1' — , to seem.
Ariosto, Ariosto.
armi, /. pi., arms.
armonia, harmony.
arrivare, to arrive, get; — a, to
reach.
ascoltare, to listen, listen to.
aspettare, to wait, wait for, expect,
aspetto, aspect, appearance.
assai, enough, very, considerably,
much.
ass£nte, absent,
attentamente, attentively.
attento, attentive, careful.
atto, act, attitude.
attorno, — a, around,
augurare, to wish.
aurora, dawn.
austriaco, Austrian.
autom6bile, m., automobile,
autdre, m., author.
autunno, autumn,
avanti, forward, come in.
avere, to have, possess, hold; ho
da, I have to, I must. Other
idioms in which avere appears
are registered only under the
other words concerned.
awenimento, event.
awenire, to happen; n. m., future.
awertire, to warn.
awicinarsi a, to approach.
awiso, warning.
awocato, lawyer.
azione, /., action.
azzurro, blue.
B
babbo, papa.
bacca, berry.
badare, to notice, take care, pay
attention.
balocco, toy.
bambino, child, small boy.
bastare, to be enough, suffice.
battaglia, battle.
battere, to beat, strike.
batile, m., trunk.
bello, beautiful, fair, handsome,
pretty, fine.
benche, although.
bene, well; «. m., good thing, hap-
piness; far — , to do good.
benedire, to bless.
bemgno, benign.
benissimo, very well.
bere, to drink.
bianco, white.
biasimare, to blame, condemn.
bicchiere, m., glass.
biglietto, ticket, bill.
biliardo, billiards.
biondo, blond, golden.
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULABY
157
bisognare, to be necessary.
bisogno, need; aver — di, to need.
bocca, mouth.
bottone, m., button.
braccio. arm.
brivido, shudder.
bruciare, to burn.
bruno, brown, dark.
buio, dark; n., darkness.
budno, good.
cadere, to fall.
caffe, m., coffee,
calare, to sink, set.
caldamente, warmly, eagerly,
caldo, hot, warm,
cambiare, to change.
camera, room.
caminetto, fireplace.
camino, chimney,
campo, field.
cantare, to sing.
canto (i), song.
canto (2), corner,
capello, hair.
capire, to understand.
capitolare, to capitulate, surren-
der.
capitolo, chapter,
cappella, chapel,
cappello, hat.
carattere, m., character.
carico, laden,
carne, /., meat.
caro, dear.
carta, paper,
casa, house, home,
cattedrale,/., cathedral.
cattivo, bad.
causa, cause, case.
cldere, to yield.
celebrare, to celebrate.
centesimo, centime.
centinaio, hundred.
centre, centre.
cercare, to seek, search, look for,
try.
certo, certain; per — , for a cer-
tainty.
che, conj., that, because, and,
than; fatto — ebbe, when he
had made; ecco — , suddenly;
non — , to say nothing of; se
non — , if ... not, but; non
... — , only; poi — , when;
si — e budno, it's very good
indeed; o — , used without trans-
latable force to introduce a ques-
tion.
che, pron., what, what a, who,
which, that, when; - cdsa,
what; ci6 — , quello — , what,
that; un non so — di budno,
something good, a certain
goodness.
chi, who, he who, one who, if any-
one; ... — , some . . .
others; di — , whose.
chiamare, to call; c6me si chiama?,
what is the name of?
chiaro, clear, bright.
chiave,/., key.
chiedere, to ask.
chiesa, church.
chiudere, to close, shut.
ci, here, there, in it; often pleo-
nastic. -
cieco, blind; n., blind man.
cielo, sky, heaven.
ci6, that; — che, what, that.
cioe, that is.
158
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
citta, city.
cittadino, citizen.
civilta, civilization.
classico, classic.
co *1, poetic, = col.
codice, m., manuscript.
cdgliere, to gather.
colazione,/., lunch.
colle, *»., hill.
co!6re, m., color; — d' arancio,
orange-colored.
co!6ro, those.
colui, he.
combattere, to fight.
come, how, as, like.
cominciare, to begin.
compagnia, company.
compendiare, to sum up.
compiacersi, to take pleasure.
compire, to complete, finish.
complimento, compliment.
comp6rre, to compose.
comprare, to buy.
con, with, by, in, on, to.
concedere, to concede, grant.
condensare, to condense, concen-
trate.
condurre, to lead.
confetti, m. pi., candy.
confine, m., limit.
confondere, to confuse.
conoscenza, acquaintance.
conoscere, to know, make the
acquaintance of, recognize.
conquistare, to conquer.
consiglio, counsel.
contadino, peasant.
contentare, to content, satisfy.
continuare, to continue.
continuo, continual.
c6ntro, — di, against.
conversazi6ne, /., conversation.
coraggio, courage; da far — , en-
couraging.
c6ro, choir.
corona, crown.
coronare, to crown.
correre, to run, overrun.
cdrte, /., court.
cortesia, courtesy.
corto, short.
c6sa, thing, what; che — , what;
ha qualche — di buono, there
is something good about it.
cosi, so, such.
cost&re, to cost.
costo, cost.
costoro, they.
costui, he.
credere, to believe, think.
crescere, to grow, increase.
cristiano, Christian.
Cristo, Christ.
croce, /., cross.
crudelta, cruelty.
cucire, to sew; macchina da — ,
sewing-machine.
cugina, cousin.
cugino, cousin.
cui, whom, which, to which, he to
whom.
cuore, m., heart.
cupo, gloomy.
cura, care.
curioso, curious.
da, from, by, for, with, to, of, as,
like, such as to; da lontano, in
the distance; da presso, near;
da mangiare, something or any-
thing to eat.
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
159
Dante, m., Dante.
dare, to give, devote; — del, to
call; darsi per vinto, to give in.
datare, to date.
davanti, — a, before, in front of.
decidere, to decide.
decisi6ne,/., decision.
denaro, money,
dentro, within, in.
desiderabile, desirable,
desiderare, to desire.
desiderio, desire,
destine, destiny.
destra, right hand, right.
deve, 3rd sing. pres. ind. of dovere.
di, of, about, with, from, by, in,
to, than, as; dare del, to call;
dire di si, to say ' yes '; al di li
di, beyond ; del pane, some bread,
diavolo, devil.
dietro, — a, behind.
difetto, defect.
difficile, difficult.
difficolta, difficulty, trouble,
dimenticare, to forget.
dimostrare, to demonstrate, prove,
dipingere, to paint.
dire, to say, tell; — di si, to say
1 yes '; voler — , to mean,
disarmato, unarmed,
discussione, /., discussion,
disgrazia, misfortune.
dispiacere, to displease; mi di-
spiace, I'm sorry, I don't like.
disse, ^rd sing, past abs. of dire,
distendere, to distend; refl., to
reach out.
disteso, pp. of distendere.
distinguere, to distinguish.
dite, 2d pi. imv. of dire,
dfto, finger.
divertire, to divert, amuse.
dividere, to divide.
divino, divine.
dolce, sweet.
dolere, to pain.
domandare, to ask, ask for.
domani, tomorrow.
domenica, Sunday.
dominio, dominion.
donna, woman.
ddno, gift.
dopo, after, afterward, since.
dormire, to sleep.
dove, where. .
dovere, to owe, be obliged; devo,
I am to, I have to, I must;
dovrei, I ought to.
duro, hard.
£
e, and, both; le dfie e dieci, ten
minutes past two; pift . . . e
pill, the more . . . the more.
ecco, here is, there is; — che,
suddenly.
ed, and.
egiziano, Egyptian.
ell, eh.
eleggere, to elect.
emblema, m., emblem.
energia, energy.
entrare, to enter, go in, get in,
come in.
esagerare, to exaggerate.
esame, m., examination.
esclamare, to exclaim.
esercito, army.
esistere, to exist.
espressione,/., expression, remark.
esprimere, to express.
essere, to be, become; refl., to be.
160
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
est, m., east,
estasi,/., ecstasy.
eta, age.
Eurdpa, Europe.
facchino, porter.
faccia, face; di — , in — , opposite.
facile, easy.
falco, falcon.
falsita, falseness.
falso, false.
fame,/., hunger.
fanciulla, girl.
fanciullo, boy, child.
fantasma, m., phantom.
fare, to do, make, have, let, take,
say, be, act, serve as; refl., to
become, get; lascia — a me,
leave it to me; d61ce — niente,
sweet idleness; sul — di, toward;
fa, ago. Other idioms in which
fare appears are registered only
under the other words concerned.
fatale, fateful.
fatica, fatigue, difficulty.
fatto, fact.
favore, m., favor.
febbraio, February.
febbre,/., fever.
fecero, yrd pi. past abs. of fare.
felice, happy.
ferire, to wound.
fermo, firm, certain.
ferro, iron.
figlio, son.
filare, to spin.
filosofia, philosophy.
finalmente, finally, at last.
finche, as long as, until; — ...
non, until.
fine,/., end.
finestra, window.
fingere, to feign; finto, fictitious.
finire, to finish, end; — colP an-
dare, finally to go.
fino a, until.
fi6re, m., flower.
fiorino, florin, an obsolete coin
worth about $2.50.
Firenze,/., Florence,
fiume, m., river,
foglia, leaf.
f61to, thick.
fondare, to found,
fondo, depth, trough, hollow, basis,
fontana, fountain.
forestiere, m., foreigner, stranger,
formare, to form.
fornire, to furnish; — di, to give.
f6ro, forum, market place.
f6rse, perhaps.
fdrte, strong.
fortezza, fort.
fortunato, fortunate.
fdrza, force, strength; con — , hard,
fotografia, photograph.
fra, between, among, amid,
through.
francese, French.
frasca, bush,
frase, /., sentence,
fratello, brother.
freddo, cold; fire — , to be cold
fretta, haste.
frutto, fruit.
fuggire, to flee,
fuggitivo, fugitive.
fulgore, m.) glow.
fumare, to smoke.
fuoco, fire,
fuorche, except.
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
161
galleria, gallery.
garantire, to guarantee.
gente, /., people, nation.
gentile, gentle, polite, kind.
gia, already.
giacere, to lie.
giallo, yellow.
Gianicolo, Janiculum.
giardino, garden.
gigantesco, gigantic.
ginocchio, knee.
giocare, to play.
gidia, joy.
giornale, m., journal, newspaper.
giorno, day; per — , daily.
gi6vane, young; n. m., young man.
Giovanni, m., John.
giovine, young.
giovinezza, youth.
girare, to whirl.
gire, poetical, to go; girsene, to
go away.
gita, trip, excursion,
giudicare, to judge,
giudice, m., judge, justice.
giungere, to join, clasp; — a, to
reach.
giurare, to swear.
giusto, just, fair.
godere, to enjoy.
governare, to govern.
grande, great, large, big; n. m.,
great man; fare un — freddo,
to be very cold,
grandiose, grand.
gravare, to weigh down, oppress,
gravemente, gravely, seriously.
grazia, lavor; pi., thanks.
grido, cry.
guadagnare, to earn, gain, win.
guanto, glove.
guardare, to look, look at, watch
guglia, pinnacle.
idea, idea.
ideale, m., ideal.
ieri, yesterday.
illudere, to deceive.
illustrissimo, excellency.
immense, immense.
imparare, to learn.
impaziente, impatient.
impedire, to hinder.
impegno, pledge, earnestness.
imperatore, m., emperor.
impero, empire.
importante, important.
impossibile, impossible.
in, in, at, to; da allora in poi,
thereafter.
incanto, enchantment.
inchino, bow.
incontrare, to meet,
indorare, to gild.
indurre, to induce, lead,
inerzia, inertia,
infatti, in fact.
ingegnere, m., engineer.
Inghilterra, England,
inginocchioni, kneeling,
innalzare, to raise,
insegnare, to teach,
insieme, together.
interessante, interesting,
interesse, m., interest,
intonare, to intone, start singing,
intorno, round about.
introduzidne, /., introduction,
inutile, useless.
162
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULAKY
invas6re, m., invader; adj., in-
vading.
invece, instead.
inverno, winter.
invisibile, invisible.
ira, anger.
irraggiato, radiant,
irrequieto, anxious.
Italia, Italy,
itali&no, Italian.
la, there; al di la di, beyond.
ISgo, lake.
lagrima, tear.
lasciare, to leave, let, fail; lascia
fare a me, leave it to me.
litte, m., milk.
lavorare, to work.
Iav6ro, labor, work,
legge,/., law.
leggere, to read,
lento, slow, quiet, gentle,
lettera, letter.
levare, to raise, rise,
lezione, /., lesson.
li, there; di li a, within.
liberta, liberty, freedom.
libro, book.
licere, poetical, to be permitted,
lieto, glad.
lieve, light.
lingua, tongue, language.
lira, lira, a coin worth about 20
cents.
litigdnte, m., litigant.
lontano, distant, far; da — , in the
distance.
KUne, m., light.
lunedi, Monday.
lungo, adj., long.
lungo, prep., along,
luogo, place.
M
ma, but.
macchina, machine.
madre, /., mother.
maggi6re, greater.
magico, magic.
mai, never, ever; non ... — ,
never.
malato, sick.
malattia, sickness, trouble.
male, badly, ill; n. m., harm, ill;
far — , to hurt.
mandare, to send.
mangiare, to eat.
maniera, manner.
manifestare, to manifest.
mano, /., hand.
mare, m., sea.
Maria, Mary.
Mario, proper name.
matita, pencil.
mattina, morning.
mazzo, cluster.
medico, doctor.
medioevale, mediaeval.
Mediterraneo, Mediterranean.
meglio, better, best.
mela, apple.
memoria, memory.
menare, to lead, take.
meno, less; le due — died, ten
minutes of two; non potere a
— di non, not to be able to
help; i — , the minority.
mente, /., mind; venire in — , to
occur. .
mentre, while.
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
163
meravigliare, to surprise.
mercato, market.
mescolare, to mingle.
mese, m., month.
meta, half.
mettere, to put, set; refl., to begin.
mezzo, half; in — a, amid; fino a
— , until the middle of ; le due
e — , half past two.
mezzogiorno, noon; dopo — , P. M.
mica: non ... — , not.
Michelangelo, Michelangelo.
migliore, better, best.
Milano, /., Milan,
minacciare, to threaten.
minaccioso, threatening.
tnise, 3rd sing, past abs. of
mettere.
misterioso, mysterious.
moderno, modern,
moglie, /., wife.
molteplice, manifold.
moltissimo, very much, a great
deal of.
molto, much, very much; adv.,
much, very; far — male, to
hurt badly,
momento, moment.
mondo, world; non sapere in che
— si sia, not to know where one
is, to be completely bewildered.
montare, to mount, go up.
mdnte, m., mountain, mount.
morire, to die.
mormorio, murmur,
morte, /., death.
mdssero, 3rd pi. past abs. of
muovere.
mostrare, to show; refl., to
appear,
mucchio, pile.
mudvere, to move, start.
muro, wall.
N
Napoli,/., Naples.
narrare, to narrate, tell.
nascere, to be born or formed.
Natale, m., Christmas.
nazione, /., nation.
ne, thence; andarsene, to go off
or away.
ne, nor, neither; non ... ne ...
ne, neither . . . nor.
neanche, non ... — , not even.
nebbia, mist.
necessario, necessary.
negare, to deny, refuse.
nemico, enemy.
nemmeno, non ... — , not even.
nero, black.
nessuno, no one; non . . . — ,
not anyone.
neve,/., snow.
nido, nest.
niente, non ... — , nothing, not
anything; dolce far — , sweet
idleness.
no, no, not.
nodo, knot, link.
nome, m., name.
non, not, no; — ... che, —
. . . se — , only; — che, to
say nothing of; se — , except;
se -- che, if ... not, but;
piu . . . che — , more than; —
potere — , not to be able to
avoid or fail; — potere a meno
di — , not to be able to help;
un — so che di budno, some-
thing good, a certain goodness;
— so quale, some ... or other.
164
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
nondimeno, nevertheless,
nonna, grandmother.
notizia, notice, news,
ndtte,/., night,
nube,/., cloud,
nulla, non ... — , nothing.
numero, number.
nudcere, to hurt.
nudvo, new; che c' e di — ?,
what's the news?
o, conj.j or, either.
o, inter j., O; o che, used without
translatable force to introduce a
question.
obbligare, to oblige.
obelisco, obelisk,
occasione, /., occasion,
occhiali, m. pi., glasses.
occhiata, glance,
occhio, eye.
occidentale, western.
occupire, to occupy.
6dio, hatred.
offrire, to offer.
6ggi, today.
6gni, every.
6h, oh.
ombra, shadow,
ombrello, umbrella,
onorare, to honor.
on6re, m., honor.
6pera, work.
operaio, workman.
opinidne, /., opinion.
6ra, adv., now; or — , just.
6ra, «., hour, time.
6rfano, orphan.
6ro, gold,
osannare, to sing hosanna.
6sso, bone.
ozioso, idle.
pdce, /., peace.
padre, m., father.
padrone, m., master.
pagare, to pay.
pagina, page.
palazzo, palace.
pallido, pale.
pane, m., bread.
paniere, m., basket.
parere, to seem, appear.
parlare, to speak.
pardla, word.
parte,/., part.
partire, to depart, leave; — di, to
leave.
partita, match, game,
passare, to pass.
passo, step.
paterno, of one's parents,
patria, fatherland.
paura, fear,
pausa, pause.
pazienza, patience.
peccato, sin; inter j., too bad.
pena, trouble,
penna, pen.
pensare, to think.
pensiero, thought.
pentirsi, to repent.
per, for, through, along, in, on, as,
as for; — quanto sia budno,
good as it is; stare — , to be
about to.
pera, pear.
perche, why, because, in order
that; n. m., reason,
perdere, to lose.
ITALIAN- ENGLISH VOCABULARY
165
perfettamente, perfectly, exactly.
pericolo, danger.
permettere, to permit, allow.
perd, however, though.
perorare, to plead.
persuadere, to persuade, convince.
pesce, m., fish.
pezzo, piece.
piacere, to please; n. m., pleasure,
favor; aver — , to be glad; mi
piace, I like.
piangere, to weep, cry, weep for.
piano, smooth, slow; adv., softly,
quietly.
picchiare, to knock.
piccolo, little, small.
piede, m., foot; a piedi, on foot,
pienamente, fully.
pieno, full,
pieta, pity.
Pietro, Peter,
pigliare, to take, catch.
Pincio, Pincian Hill,
pistola, pistol.
pitt6re, m., painter,
pittura, painting.
pift, more, most, longer, again; —
. . . e — , the more . . . the more;
non . . . — , not, no, not any;
i — , the majority.
piuttdsto, rather.
plaga, sky.
po', abbreviated form o/pdco.
pochissimo, very little.
p6co, little, a little.
poesia, poetry, poem.
poeta, m., poet.
pdi, then; da al!6ra in — , there-
after; — che, when,
poiche, after.
pdlso, pulse.
ponente, m., west.
ponte, m., bridge.
pdpolo, people.
p6rre, to put, place, send.
porta, door.
portare, to carry, bring, take,
show,
possa, ^rd sing. pres. subj. of
potere.
possibile, possible.
pdsto, place.
potente, powerful,
potere, to be able; posso, I can, I
may; non — non, not to be
able to avoid or fail; non —
a meno di non, not to be able
to help.
poveretta, poor woman,
poveretto, poor fellow.
pdvero, poor; n., poor man.
pranzo, dinner.
praticare, to practice, associate.
preferire, to prefer.
preghiera, prayer, entreaty.
premere, to press.
prendere, prendersi, to take,
presentare, to present.
presente, present.
presepe, m., stable,
presso, da — , near.
prestare, to lend.
presto, quickly, soon, early,
pretendere, to expect,
prevedere, to foresee.
prezioso, valuable.
prezzo, price.
prima, first, before; — di, — che,
before.
principle, beginning.
profondo, deep, low.
proibire, to forbid.
166
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
promettere, to promise.
pronto, ready, quick.
propagare, to spread abroad,
proseguire, to continue.
proteggere, to protect, patronize,
prowidenza, providence.
pubblicare, to publish.
punto, point; adv., at all.
pud, ^rd sing. pres. ind. of potere.
purche, provided that, if only,
pure, yet, just; — trdppo, unfortu-
nately.
quadro, picture.
qualche, some, a few; ha — c6sa
di budno, there is something
good about it.
qualcheduno, someone.
qualcdsa, something.
quale, which, what, as; il — , who,
which ; non so — , some ... or
other.
qualita, quality.
quando, when.
quanto, how much, as much, as
much as, all that, that, as; per
— sia budno, good as it is.
quarto, quarter.
quasi, almost, as if.
quello, that, that one, the one,
the, he; — che, what, that,
questo, this, this one.
qui, here; di — , hence.
R
racc61ta, collection.
raccontare, to narrate, tell, tell
about.
radere, to shave, sweep.
ragazza, girl.
ragazzo, boy.
ragi6ne, /., reason; aver — , to be
right.
rase, jrd sing, past abs. of radere.
re, m., king.
regalare, to give,
regina, queen.
regnare, to reign.
rendere, to render, give back,
make.
resero, 3rd pi. past abs. of
rendere.
restare, to stay.
restituire, to give back,
ribellarsi, to rebel,
ribelle, m., rebel.
ricchezza, riches, wealth.
ricco, rich.
ricevere, to receive, get.
richiedere, to ask.
riconoscere, to recognize.
ricuperare, to recover, regain.
ricusare, to refuse, deny,
ridere, to laugh.
rifiutare, to refuse.
rifugiarsi, to take refuge.
riguardare, to look again, regard,
concern,
rilevare, to raise again; refl., to
rise again.
rimanere, to remain, be left, be.
rimettere, to replace; refl., to gain.
rincrescere, to displease; mi rin-
cresce, I'm sorry,
rincrescimento, regret,
ringraziare, to thank.
ripetere, to repeat,
risalire, to go up.
riso, smile.
risollevare, to raise again,
rispettare, to respect.
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
167
rispetto, respect.
rispondere, to answer, reply.
risp6se, 3rd sing, past abs. of
rispondere.
ritardo, delay; in — , late.
ritirare, to draw back.
riuscire, to go out again, succeed.
rivedere, to see again.
rizzare, to raise; refl., to rise.
Roma, Rome.
romano, Roman.
romanzo, novel.
r6mpere, to break.
r6sa, rose.
roseo, rosy.
rosso, red.
rotondo, round.
S
sacro, sacred.
salire, to go up.
salotto, parlor.
salutare, — a, to greet.
salute,/., health.
sangue, m., blood.
sano, sane, safe.
santo, holy; saint.
sapere, to know, find out, know
how, be able; far — , to tell;
non — in che mondo si sia, not
to know where one is, to be
completely bewildered; un non
so che di buono, something
good, a certain goodness; non
so quale, some ... or other.
stala, stair.
scarpa, shoe.
scena, scene.
scendere, to go down.
sciocco, fool; da — , foolishly.
scidgliere, to untie, remove.
sciopero, strike; fare — , to strike
scodella, bowl.
scopa, broom.
scopare, to sweep.
scordarsi di, to forget.
scorso, last.
scrivania, desk.
scrivere, to write.
scudla, school.
scuro, dark.
se, if, whether; se non, except;
se non che, if ... not, but;
non . . . se non, only.
secolo, century.
secondo, according to.
sedere, to sit; seduto, sitting.
seggiola, chair.
segnare, to mark.
seguente, following.
seguire, to follow.
seguitare, to follow; — a, to
keep on.
semplice, simple.
sempre, always.
senno, wisdom.
sensazione, /., sensation.
senso, sense.
sentire, to feel, hear, listen, listen
to; sentite, I say, tell me.
senza, — che, without.
sera, evening.
serva, servant,
servire, to serve,
servitore, m., servant,
sete, /., thirst; aver — , to be
thirsty.
settimana, week.
severe, severe.
sforzo, effort.
sguardo, glance.
168
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
si, yes, so; ah si?, is that so?; si
che e buono, it's very good
indeed.
siepe, /., hedge.
signora, lady.
sign6re, m., lord, gentleman,
master, Mr.
silenzioso, silent, still.
simile, similar, like, such.
simpatico, sympathetic, agreeable.
sincere, sincere.
Sistina, Sistine.
so, ist sing. pres. ind. of sapere.
societa, society.
soffrire, to suffer.
soggiogare, to subjugate.
sdglia, threshold.
soglio, throne.
sogno, dream.
soldito, soldier.
soldo, penny, cent.
s61e, w., sun, sunlight.
solere, to be wont.
s61o, alone, single, only.
soltanto, only.
sorella, sister.
sormontare, to surmount.
Sorrento, Sorrento.
sorridere, to smile.
sospettare, to suspect.
s6tto, beneath.
spagnuolo, Spanish; n., Spaniard.
spaventare, to frighten.
spazio, space.
spedale, m., hospital.
spedire, to send.
speranza, hope.
sperare, to hope.
spesso, often.
spettro, spectre, ghost.
spiegare, to explain.
spina, thorn.
spirito, spirit.
sposa, wife.
sposo, bridegroom; adj., engaged
stamane, this morning.
stanno, jrd pi. pres. ind. of stare,
standtte, last night.
stUnza, room.
stare, to stand, be, stay, sit; —
per, to be about to.
stasera, this evening.
stato, state.
stazione, /., station.
sterminito, boundless.
stesso, same, self.
stdffa, stuff, goods.
storia, history, story.
storico, historic, historical.
strada, street, road.
strano, strange.
strappare, to snatch, tear.
stretto, narrow.
stridulo, harsh, rustling.
stringere, to bind, press.
studente, m., student.
studiare, to study.
studio, study.
stupefatto, astonished.
stupendo, fine.
su, up, on, upon.
subito, at once; — che, as soon as.
succedere, to succeed, follow^,
happen; succedersi, n. m., suc-
cession.
successivo, succeeding.
sudno, sound.
superi6re, superior.
tacere, to be silent or still,
taciturno, taciturn, silent.
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
169
tale, such, so.
tanto, so much, as, so; — piu, all
the more.
tardi, late,
tar do, slow,
tasca, pocket,
tavola, table.
teatro, theatre.
tedesco, German.
telefonare, to telephone,
tema, m., theme.
temere, to fear, be afraid.
tempo, time, weather; tanto — ,
so long,
tenere, to hold; — per fermo, to
be certain; — vivo, to keep up.
terra, earth, ground, land, world,
terribile, terrible.
terrdre, m., terror,
tesoro, treasure.
testa, head.
Tevere, m., Tiber,
tingere, to tinge, stain.
toccare, to touch, feel,
togliere, to take; — a, to take
from.
tdno, tone.
tornire, to return, go back, come
back; tornarsene, to come
home.
t6rre, /., tower.
torto, wrong; aver — , to be wrong.
totale, total.
tra, between, through,
tranquillamente, calmly,
trarre, to draw, bring, take,
trascinare, to drag,
trattare, to treat,
tremare, to tremble,
treno, train.
trionfale, triumphal.
tri6nfo, triumph.
triste, sad.
trdppo, too, too much, very; pur
— , unfortunately.
trovare, to find.
tumulto, tumult.
tutto, all, everything; — il, the
whole; tutti e due, both.
ubbidire, to obey.
uccello, bird.
udire, to hear.
ultimo, last, latest.
umano, human, of man, kindly.
umido, wet.
unire, to unite.
unita, unity, union.
universita, university.
uno, one, some, someone; V —
e 1' altro, both.
u6mo, man.
uscio, doorway, door,
uscire, to go out; — di, to leave,
utile, useful, good.
vacanza, vacation.
vacca, cow.
vag6ne, m., car.
valere, to be worth; far — , to
prove.
valigia, valise, bag.
vallata, valley.
van, jrd pi. pres. ind. of andare.
vaticano, Vatican.
vecchia, old woman. ^
vecchio, old; n., old man.
vedere, to see; far — , to show,
vendere, to sell,
venerdi, Friday.
170
ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY
VenSzia, Venice.
venire, to come, be; — in mente,
to occur.
ventina: una — di, twenty or so.
vento, wind.
verde, green.
vermiglio, vermilion, red.
vero, true; non e — ?, a request for
assent, to be translated, according
to the context, as am I not?, was
he not? etc.
verso, toward.
vessfllo, banner.
vestito, dress.
vi, there, to it, in it.
via, way, street; adv., away.
viaggio, journey.
viavai, m., coming and going,
surging.
vie~n, 3rd sing. pres. ind. of venire.
villa, villa.
villaggio, village.
vincere, to win, vanquish, con-
quer, overcome; darsi pervinto,
to give in.
vino, wine.
vinto, pp. of vincere.
virtu,/., virtue.
visino, little face.
visita, visit.
visitare, to visit.
viso, face.
vista, sight, view.
vita, life.
vivere, to live.
vivo, alive, keen; tener — , to
keep up.
vizio, vice.
v6ce, /., voice.
volere, to will, be willing, wish,
want, like, intend, decide, grant,
think; — dire, to mean; ci
vuole, it takes; c6sa vudle?,
never mind,
vdlta, time; una — , once, once
upon a time; un' altra — ,
again.
volume, m., volume,
voto, vote.
zio, uncle.
zitto, silent.
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
This vocabulary contains all English words appearing in exercise sections involving
translation into Italian, except articles, cardinal and ordinal numerals, and possessive and
personal pronouns.
Italian nouns ending in o are masculine and those ending in a are feminine, unless
indication to the contrary is given.
Irregular Italian verbs are marked with a star.
able: be — , potere.*
about, ( = approximately} circa;
( = around) int6rno a; — it, ne;
be — to, stare * per.
according to, secondo.
ache, dolere.*
affection, affetto.
afraid: be — , temere.
after, d6po; day — tomorrow,
doman 1' altro.
again, ancora.
against, c6ntro; (before a disjunc-
tive pronoun) c6ntro di.
agent, fatt6re, m.
agreeable, simpatico.
all, tutto; not ... at — , non . . .
punto.
allude, alludere.*
almost, quasi.
alone, s61o.
already, gia.
although, benche.
always, sempre.
among, fra.
amuse, divertire.
ancient, antico.
and, e; go — , andare * a.
another, un altro.
answer, rispondere.*
any, adj., alcuno; not . . . — ,
non . . . nessuno; pron., ne.
anything, qualche cosa; not . . .
— , non . . . niente.
applaud, applaudire.
apple, mela.
April, aprile, m.
arrival, arrivo.
arrive, arrivare.
as, come, tanto, quanto: see 32;
as soon as, subito che; as far
as, fino a.
ascend, salire.*
ashamed: be — , vergognarsi.
ask, (lesson 15) domandare; (les-
son 32 and later lessons) chie-
dere *; — for, chiedere.*
at, a; at last, finalmente; at least,
almeno; at once, subito; at
his house, da lui; not ... at
all, non . . . punto; look at,
guardare.
aunt, zia.
automobile, automdbile, m.
autumn, autunno.
away, via; go — , andarsene.*
172
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
B
back, dietro; come or go — ,
tornare; give — , restituire.
bad, cattivo.
bag, valigia.
basket, paniere, m.
be, essere *; (of health) stare *;
I am to, devo.* Other idioms
with be are registered only under
the other words concerned.
beat, battere.
beautiful, bello.
because, perche.
before, adv., prfma; 'conj., prima
che; prep., (of time) prima di;
(of place) davanti.
beg, pregare.
begin, cominciare.
behind, dietro; (before a disjunc-
tive pronoun) dietro a.
believe, credere.
beside, accanto a.
best, adj., migli6re; adv., meglio.
betray, tradire.
better, adj., migli6re; adv., meglio.
between, tra.
big, grande.
bind, strfngere.*
black, ne"ro.
book, libro.
born: be — , nascere.*
both, tutti e due.
bow, inchlno.
boy, ragazzo.
brave, coraggi6so.
bread, pane, m.
break, r6mpere.*
brick, matt6ne, m.
bring, portare.
broad, Idrgo.
brother, fratello.
build, costruire.*
business, affare, m.
but, ma; ( = only) non . . . che.
button, bott6ne, m.
buy, comprare.
by, da; (in special cases) di, per.
call, chiamare.
can: I — , posso.*
care, cura; take — , baddre.
carry, portare.
cent, soldo.
centre, centro.
century, secolo; see 39 (c).
certain, certo.
cheek, guancia.
child, fanciullo.
choose, scegliere.*
church, chiesa.
city, citta.
close, chiudere.*
cloud, nuvola.
coat, abito.
coffee, caffe, m.
cold, freddo.
color, co!6re, m.
come, venire*; — back, torndrej
— in, entrare.
comfort, confortare.
company, compagnia.
compel, costringere.*
conduct, condurre.*
conquer, vincere.*
consist, constare.*
content, contento.
continue, continudre.
convince, convfncere,*
cook, cudcere.*
corner, canto.
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
173
cost, costare.
count, c6nte, m.
country, paese, w.
courage, coraggio.
cousin, cugino.
cover, coprfre.*
crowd, affollare.
crude, crudo.
cry, piangere.*
custom, costume,
cut, tagliare.
dark, scuro; (lessons 25 and 33)
buio.
day, gi6rno; — after tomorrow,
doman 1' altro.
decide, decidere.*
depart, partire.
desire, n., desiderio.
desire, vb., desiderare.
desk, scrivania.
die, morire.*
difficult, difficile.
difficulty, difficolta.
dinner, pranzo.
disappear, sparire.*
ditch, fossa.
divide, dividere.*
do, fare.* For do as auxiliary,
see 54 (g).
doge, doge, m.
door, porta.
doubt, dubbio.
down, giu; sit — , sedere.*
drag, trarre.*
draw, trarre.*
dress, vestito.
drink, bere.*
duke, duca, m.
E
each, adj., 6gni; pron., ognuno;
— other: see 47, 2 and 51 (/).
early, presto.
earn, guadagnare.
easy, facile.
eat, mangiare.
egg, uovo.
either, o.
Emmanuel, Emanuele, m.
employee, impiegato.
end, finire.
enemy, nemico.
English, inglese.
enjoy, godere.
enough, abbastanza; be — , ba-
stare.
enter, entrare.
entreaty, preghiera.
escape, scappare.
Europe, Europa.
even, anc6ra; not . . . — , non
. . . nemmeno.
evening, sera; this — , stasera.
ever, sempre.
every, ogni.
everything, tutto.
examination, esame, m.
exclamation, esclamazi6ne, f.\
exist, eslstere.*
explain, spiegare.
express, esprimere.*
extinguish, spegnere.*
eye, 6cchio.
face, faccia.
faU, cadere.*
far, lontano; as — as, ffno a.
father, padre, m.
174
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
fatherland, patria.
fault, colpa.
favor, fav6re, m.
fear, temere.
feel, sentire.
few, a — , pochi.
fight, combattere.
finally, finalmente.
find, trovare.
fine, bello.
finger, dito.
finish, finire.
first, adv., prima.
flee, fuggfre.
Florence, Firenze, /.
flower, fiore, m.
follow, seguire.*
foot, piede, m.
for, per; — two years, due anni,
da due anni: see 79 (e)-, ask — ,
chiedere *; look — , cercare;
wait — , aspettare.
foreigner, forestiere, m.
France, Francia.
French, francese.
friend, amico.
from, da; (in special cases) di.
fry, friggere.*
full, pieno.
gallery, galleria.
garden, giardino.
gather, cogliere.*
gentleman, sign6re, m.
get, ricevere.
girl, ragazza.
give, dare *; — back, restitufre.
glasses, occhiali, m. pi.
glove, guanto. %
go, andare *; go away, andar-
sene *; go back, tornare; go
in, entrare; go out, uscire *;
go up, salire.*
good, buono.
goods, stoffa.
government, governo.
gratitude, gratitudine, /.
great, grande.
greet, salutare.
grieve, dolere.*
ground, terra.
grow, crescere.*
guarantee, garantire.
guard, guardia.
habit, abitudine, /.
half, n., meta; adj., mezzo; —
past two, le due e mezzo.
hand, mano, /.; right — , destra.
handkerchief, fazzoletto.
handsome, bello.
happen, succedere.*
happy, felice.
hard, adv., forte,
harm, nuocere.*
hat, cappello.
have, avere *; (causative) fdre •*;
(expressing obligation) dovere.*
For have as auxiliary, see 64, 3.
head, testa.
health, salute, /.
hear, sentire; (lesson 38) udire.*
help, aiutare; not to be able to — ,
non potere * a meno di non.
here, qui, ci: see 84; — is, £cco.
hide, nasc6ndere.*
high, alto,
hill, colle, m.
hold, tenere.*
home, casa.
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
175
honor, on6re, m.
hope, sperare.
hotel, alb ergo.
hour, 6ra.
house, casa; at his — , da lui.
how, come; — much, quanto.
idea, idea.
if, se.
impossible, impossfbile.
in, in; (with the name of a city}
a; ( = within} fra; (in special
cases] di; come or go in, en-
trare; in order that, per die;
hi this way, cosi.
industrious, industrioso.
instead, invece.
interesting, interessante.
into, in; (in special cases) a.
invade, invadere.*
Italian, italiano.
Italy, Italia.
John, Giovanni, m.
June, giugno.
K
keep, tenere *; — still, tac6re.*
key, chiave, /.
kill, uccfdere.*
king, re, m.
knock, picchiare.
know, sapere *; ( = be acquainted
with) con6scere.*
lady, sign6ra.
lake, lago.
large, grande.
last, ultimo; at — , finalmente1,
- night, stanotte; — y«ar,
1' anno scorso.
late, in ritardo.
latest, ultimo.-
laugh, ridere.*
lawyer, avvocato.
lead, menare.
leaf, foglia.
least: at — , almeno.
leave, (intransitive) partire; (tran-
sitive) lasciare.
lend, prestare.
lesson, lezione, /.
let, lasciare. For let as auxiliary,
see the note on p. 115.
letter, lettera.
library, biblioteca.
lie, giacere.*
life, vita.
light, n., lume, m.
light, vb., accendere.*
Uke, prep., come; — a man, da
uomo.
like, vb., (with an infinitive)
volere *; I like it, mi piace.*
line, linea.
little, piccolo; a — ( = some), un
po' di; ( = somewhat), un po'.
live, vivere.*
long, lungo.
look, - - at, guardare; — for,
cercare.
lose, perdere.
love, amare.
low, profondo.
lunch, colazi6ne,/.
•
M
make, fare.*
man, uomo; young — , gi6vane, m.
176
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
manner, maniera.
market, mercato.
Mary, Maria.
may: I — , pdsso.*
Milan, Milano, /.
mile, miglio.
minute, minuto; ten minutes past
two, le due e died; ten minutes
of two, le due meno died.
mistaken: be — , sbagliarsi.
moment, momento.
monarch, monarca, m.
Monday, lunedi.
money, denaro.
month, mese, m.
more, piu.
morning, mattina; this — , sta-
mane.
most, piu.
mother, madre, /.
mountain, montagna.
move, muovere.*
Mr., sign6r.
much, m6lto; how — , quanto;
so — , tanto; too — , troppo;
very — , m61to.
must: I — , devo.*
name, n6me, m.
Naples, Ndpoli,/.
near, vidno a.
necessary, necessario; be — , bi-
sognare.
never, mai.
new, nu6vo.
newspaper, giornale, m.
night, notte, /. ; last — , stanotte.
no, no; — one, nessuno.
noon, mezzogi6rno.
not, non.
novel, romanzo.
now, 6ra.
obliged : be — , dovere. *
o'clock: two — , le due.
of, di; of it, of him, of them, ne;
ten minutes of two, le due m6no
died.
off, via; take — , levare.
offer, offrire.*
often, spesso.
old, v£cchio.
on, su; (in special cases) con.
once, una volta; at — , subito.
one, uno; (as indefinite subject)
si; no — , nessuno; other — ,
altro; that — , the — , quello;
this — , questo; — who, chi.
only, adj., s61o; adv., soltanto.
open, adj., aperto.
open, vb., aprire.*
or, o; ten or so: see 40.
order, n., 6rdine, m.; in — that,
perche.
order, vb., comandare.
other, — one, altro; each — : see
47, 2 and 61 (/).
ought: I — , dovrei.
out, fuori; go — , usdre *; put—,
spegnere.*
outside, di fu6ri.
owe, dovere.*
own, proprio.
pain, dolere.*
pair, paio.
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
177
paper, cdrta.
pardon, perdondre.
parlor, salotto.
past, passato; half — two, le due
e mezzo.
patience, pazienza.
pay, pagdre.
peasant, contadino.
pen, penna.
pencil, matita.
perfectly, perfettamente.
perhaps, £6rse.
person, pers6na.
persuade, persuadere.*
photograph, fotografia.
picture, quddro.
place, n., p6sto.
place, vb., p6rre.*
please, piacere.*
pleasure, piacere, m.
pocket, tasca.
poem, poesia.
polite, gentile.
poor, povero.
pope, papa, m.
porter, facchino.
praise, lodare.
prefer, preferfre.
present, presentare.
press, premere.
pretty, bello.
prisoner, prigioniero.
probably, probabilmente.
promise, promettere.*
protect, proteggere.*
provided, purche.
public, pubblico.
push, spingere.*
put, (lessons 28 and 30) mettere *;
(lessons 32 and 34) p6rre *; —
out, spegnere.*
queen, regina.
quick, subito.
rain, piovere.*
read, leggere.*
ready, pr6nto.
really, veramente.
recall, ricordare.
receive, ricevere.
recognize, condscere.*
red, rosso.
remain, rimanere.*
Renaissance, Rinascimento.
repeat, ripetere.
respect, rispettare.
return, tornare.
right, diritto; — hand, destra; be
— , aver * ragi6ne.
rise, s6rgere.*
river, fiume, m.
Rome, R6ma.
room, stanza.
rose, rosa.
round, rot6ndo.
run, c6rrere.*
Russia, Russia.
S
sacristan, sagrestano.
say, dire.*
scene, scena.
school, scuola.
search, cercdre.
seated, seduto.,
see, vedere.*
seek, cercdre.
seem, parere.*
178
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
self, stesso.
send, mandare.
sentence, frase, /.
September, settembre, m.
servant, servit6re, m.
serve, servire.
several, parecchi.
sew, cucire.*
shake, scudtere.*
shoe, scarpa.
shop, bottega.
short, c6rto.
shoulder, spalla.
show, mostrare.
shut, chiudere.*
sick, malato.
sight, vista.
silent, silenzi6so; be — , tacere.*
since, (causal) poiche; (temporal)
dacche.
sincere, sincere.
shig, cantare.
sir, sign6re, m.
sister, sorella.
sit, — down, sed6re.*
site, sito.
sleep, dormfre.
small, piccolo,
smile, sorridere.*
smoke, fumo.
snow, n., neve,/.
snow, vb., nevicare.
so, cosi; so much, tanto; I think
so, lo credo; ten or so: see 40.
some, alcuno, qualche, ne: see 89.
someone, qualcuno.
something, qualche c6sa.
song, canto.
sonnet, son6tto.
soon, presto; as — as, subito che.
speak, parlare.
spend, (of money) spendere *;
(of time) passare.
square, piazza,
stand, stare.*
start, partire.
station, stazione, /.
stay, (lesson 15) restare; (lesson 24
and later lessons) rimane're.*
still, adj., quieto; keep — , tacere.*
still, adv., anc6ra.
stocking, calza.
street, via.
student, studente, m.
study, n., studio,
study, vb., studiare.
such a, un tale.
suffer, soffrire.*
summer, estate,/.
sun, s61e, m.
Sunday, domenica.
sure, sicuro.
surprise, n., sorpresa.
surprise, vb., sorpr^ndere *; be
surprised, meraviglidrsi.
surrender, rendersi.*
surround, cingere.*
swear, giurare.
sword, spada.
syllable, sillaba.
table, tavola.
take, prendere*; ( = take away)
togliere *; ( = accompany, lead)
menare; — care, badare; —
off, levare; it takes, ci vudle.*
talk, parlare.
tall, alto.
telephone, telefonare.
tell, (lessons 13-17) raccontare;
(lessons 35-40) dire.*
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
179
than, che, di: see 33.
thank, ringraziare.
that, conj., che; hi order — ,
perche.
that, pron., quello, do, che: see
42 and 44; — one, quello.
theatre, teatro.
then, poi.
there, la, vi, ci: see 84; — is:
see note on p. lop.
thing, c6sa.
think, (= meditate) pensare; ( =
suppose) credere.
this, questo; — one, questo; hi
way, cosi; - morning,
stamane; — evening, stase"ra.
though, pero.
thousand, migliaio.
through, per.
ticket, biglietto.
time, tempo, volta: see note on p.
in.
to, a; (before the name of a coun-
try} in; (in special cases') da, di,
per; according to, sec6ndo; be
about to, stare * per. For to
before an infinitive, see 79 (b);
for to with an unemphatic per-
sonal pronoun, see 47-50.
today, oggi.
tomorrow, domani; day after — ,
doman F altro.
too, - - much, troppo; he — ,
dnche lui.
toward, verso.
tower, t6rre, /.
tram, treno.
travel, viaggiare.
tree, albero.
true, v6ro.
trunk, baule, m.
try, cercare.
turn, (intransitive) volgersi*; (tran-
sitive) volgere.*
U
umbrella, ombrello.
under, sot to.
understand, capire.
until, conj., finche non; prep.
fino a.
up, su; up to, fino a; go up,
salire.*
vase, vaso.
Venice, Venezia.
very, — much, m61to.
Victor, Vittorio.
view, vista.
villa, villa.
village, villaggio.
visit, visitare.
vote, votare.
W
wait, — for, aspettare.
wake, svegliare.
walk, camminare.
wall, muro.
want, volere.*
warm, caldo.
waste, sprecdre.
watch, guardare.
water, acqua.
way, via; hi this — , cosi.
weather, tempo,
week, settimana.
weep, piangere.*
well, bene.
what, inter j., c6me.
180
ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY
what, pron., quello che, che, che
c6sa: see 42-44.
when, quando.
where, d6ve.
wherever, dovunque.
which, che, quale : see 43 and 44.
while, mentre.
white, bianco.
who, chi, che : see 43 and 44 ; one
— , chi; whom, cui.
whole, intero; the — , tutto il.
whose, di chi.
why, perch&r
wife, m6glie, /.
willing: be — , volere.*
wind, v£nto.
window, finestra.
winter, inverno.
wish, volere.*
with, con.
without, s6nza; (before a disjunc-
tive pronoun) senza cfi.
woman, donna.
wont: be — , solere.*
wood, bosco.
word, par61a.
work, «., Iav6ro; (literary work}
6pera.
work, vb., lavorare.
worse, peggio.
worth: be — , valere.*
worthy, degno.
write, scrivere.*
writer, scritt6re, m.
wrong: be — , av6r* t6rto.
year, anno.
yellow, giallo.
yes, si.
yesterday, ieri.
yet, anc6ra; ( = nevertheless) ep-
pure.
yield, cedere.
young, gi6vane.
INDEX
[The numbers refer to paragraphs. Ad, N. means the Additional Notes on
Pronunciation printed on pp. 6-10.]
a (letter): 2; Ad. N., 2.
a (preposition): 79; 79, b, h.
Accent: 7; Ad. N. (pp. 9, 10); 47;
48; 84; 92, «•
Accents: 3; 7.
Address (forms of): 52.
Adjectives: 26-34.
Comparison: 31-34; gender:
26; 28; number: 26; 29;
position: 27; used as nouns:
20; 30.
Adverbs: 80-85.
ci, vi: 47, a; 84; comparison:
80, 2; manner: 85; ne: 47,
3, a; 56, b; 'never': 83;
'not,' non: 80, i; 81; 91, a;
'only': 82; position: 80, i;
'so': 85, a.
'All': 87.
Alphabet: i; Ad. N., i.
altrui: 91, d.
'Any': 88.
Articles: 9-16.
Augmentatives: 35-37.
Auxiliary verbs: 53-57.
avere: 53, b; 54, 3; essere: 53,
a; 54, i, 3; compound
tenses: 54; 56; modal aux-
iliaries: 57.
avere: 53, b; 54, 3; 54, b; 92, 5.
'Be': 53, a; 54, i, 3; 54, a, c, d, f;
92, 126.
bello: 29, c.
'Both': 38, 4; 91.
buono: 29, c.
'Can': see Modal Auxiliaries.
ci (adv.): 47, a; 84.
ci (pron.) : 47~5o.
Close Vowels: 3; Ad. N., 3.
Comparison: 31-34; 80, 2.
Adjectives: 31-34; adverbs:
80, 2; irregular: 31, a;
80, 2.
Compound Tenses: 54; 56; 73; 75.
Conditional: see Past Future.
Conjugation: 53-68; 92.
First: 59; second: 60; third:
60; fourth: 61; variations:
63; 66, a; 68; irregular
verbs: 64-68; 92; auxiliary
verbs: 53-57; compound
tenses: 54; 56; compound
verbs: 67, a; 93, a.
Conjunctions: 78.
With subjunctive: 77, d; 78,
a, b. •
Consonants: 4-6; Ad. N., 4-6.
Contraction: 12; 23 (2); 50 (l);
63, d; 65; 66, i; 68, a.
182 INDEX
da: 79, c,f, g. Infinitive: 48, b; 58; 69-72.
Dates: 38, b; 39, b, c. Contracted: 65.
Definite Article: 10-13. Inflections of the Voice: see p. 9.
Form: 10-12; use: 12, a; 13; Interrogation: see Questions.
38, b; 39, a; 45; 69; 70. issimo (suffix): 35, a.
di: 12; 17; 79, b, 3,/, h,j. 'It': 47; 51; 51, h.
Diminutives: 35-37.
'Do': 54, g. Letters: i; Ad. N., i.
Double Letters: 6.
Doubling: Ad. N., 6; 48. d: 93, a. <,,- ,
'May': see Modal Auxiliaries.
e (letter) : 3; Ad. N., 3; 68, i, j. Modal Auxiliaries: 57.
e (conjunction): 78; 78, c. Moods: 57; 69~77J 78, a.
ecco: 48 e; 84 a. Conditional: see Past Future.
essere: 53, a; 54, i, 35 54, a, c, d; Imperative: 66, b; 72; 77, a;
92, 126. infinitive: 48, b; 58; 65; 69-
Exclamations: Ad. N (p. 10); 43, 72; Participle: 54, a, 6; 62;
jy ^ #4 63, d; 69-71; subjunctive:
44, c; 77; 78, a.
'For': 79, e. 'Must': see Modal Auxiliaries.
Fractions: 39, d. 'Myself,' 'thyself,' etc.: 47, 2;
Future: 54, 2; 68, c; 74; 77. 5*, e.
Contracted: 65; 66, i.
ne (adv.): 47, a; 56, b; 84.
Gender: 9-11; 14-15; 18-21; 26; ne (pr0n.): 47,3; 48; 49; 88; 89.
Neuter Verbs: 54, 3; 56, a.
grande: 29, c. 'Never': 83.
non: 80, i; 81; 91, a.
h:4; 22, a; 23, a, c; S9> a. <Not': 80, i; 81.
Have : 53, b; 54, 3; 54, b, h; 57, Nouns: I?_25.
,fl; 92' 5< Gender: 18-21; number: 22
Here': 84. 25
i (letter): 2; 2, a; 4; Ad. N., 2; 22, Dumber: 9-11; 22-25; 29.
b; 23, 6; 59, a; 60; 92, /. Numerals: 38-40.
i (euphonic): 79; 81. Cardinal: 38; ordinal: 39.
Imperative: 66, b; 72; 77, a.
Imperfect: see Past Descriptive. o (letter): 3; Ad. N., 3; 59, b.
Impersonal Verbs: 51; 51, h; 77, c. o (conjunction): 78; 78, c.
Indefinite Article: 14-16. Old Forms: Ad. N., 3,/; 12 (•);
Form: 14-15; use: 16; 38, i; 23 (2); 44, a; 47 0); 48, d;
43, b. 50 C); 63, d; 68; 92; 93.
INDEX
183
'One' (indefinite): 55; 86.
'Only': 82.
Open Vowels: 3; Ad. N., 3.
'Ought': see Modal Auxiliaries.
Participle: 54, a, b; 62; 63, d; 69-
7i-
Past: 54, a, b; 63, d; 71, c;
present: 62; 69-71.
Partitive: 12, a; 88; 89.
Passive: 54, i; 54, /; 55; 56,0.
Past Absolute: 60; 65; 66, 2, 3; 68,
d, e; 75.
Past Descriptive:
Form: 63, 63, c; 65; 68, a, h;
use: 54, d, e; 73; 75.
Past Future: 54, 2; 68, b; 76; 77;
92, c.
Contracted: 65; 66, i; 92, c.
Past Perfect: see Perfect Tenses.
Perfect Tenses: 54, 35 56; 73 ; 75-
Personal Pronouns: 46-52.
Conjunctive: 47-50; form: 47;
48, c, d; 50; 52, i ; position:
48; 49.
Disjunctive: 51-52; omission:
51, 2; 51, h; use: 51; 51, i;
51, a, b, h.
Pitch: see p. 9.
Pluperfect: see Perfect Tenses.
Plural: 22-25; 29.
Irregular: 23, d; 25; words in
-co and -go: 23, c.
Poetic Forms: see Old Forms.
Possessive: 17; 45; 52, i.
Prefixes: 93, a.
Prepositions: 79.
da: 79, c,f, g.
'to': 79, a, b.
Present: 65; 66, 4; 68, /, g;
73; 74-
Preterit: see Past Absolute.
Preterit Perfect: see Second Past
Perfect.
Pronouns: 41-52; 86-91.
Demonstrative: 42; indefinite:
86-91; interrogative, 43;
personal: see Personal; pos-
sessive: see Possessive; re-
ciprocal: see Reciprocal;
reflexive: see Reflexive;
relative: 44.
Pronunciation: 1-8; Ad. N.
qualche: 29, b; 89.
Quantity: 2; Ad. N., 2.
Questions: Ad. N. (p. 10); 43; 51,
2; 77, f, g; 79, b; 81, a.
Reciprocal Pronouns and Verbs:
47, 2; 48; 49; 50; 51, 3; 51,
/; 52, i; 56, b.
Reflexive Pronouns: 47, 2; 48; 49;
50; 51, 3; 52, i; 55; 56, ft;
63, a; 86.
Reflexive Verbs: 55; 56, b; 63, a;
86.
santo: 29, c.
Second Past Perfect: 54, 3; 75.
'Shall': 54, 2; 57.
'Should': 54, 2; 57; 76; 77.
si: 47-5o; 52; 55; 56, b; 63,
a; 86.
'So': 85, a.
'Some': 89.
Spelling: 1-8. 9
Subjunctive: 44, c; 77; 78, a.
Suffixes: Ad. N., 3; 35-37; 85.
Syllables: 8.
184
INDEX
Tenses:
Compound: 54; 56; 735 75-
Future: see Future; imper-
fect: see Past Descriptive;
past absolute: see Past
Absolute; past descriptive:
see Past Descriptive; pres-
ent: see Present; preterit:
see Past Absolute.
'Than': 33.
'There': 84.
Tune of day: 38, c.
'To': 79, «, b.
u (letter): 2; 2, a; 4; Ad. N., 2.
Verbs: 53~77; 92; 93-
Auxiliary verbs: see Auxiliary;
conjugation: see Conjuga- 'You': 52; 86.
tion; lists of irregular verbs:
92; 93; alphabetical: 93; by
conjugations: 92; moods:
see Moods; tenses: see
Tenses; regular verbs: 55-
56; 59-63; irregular verbs:
64-68; 92; regular parts:
66; compound verbs: 67, a;
93, a; old forms: 63, d;
68; 92.
vi (adv.): 47, a; 84.
Vowels: 2-3; Ad. N., 2-3.
'Whatever': 44, c.
'Whoever': 44, c.
'Will': 54, 2; 57-
'Would': 54, 2; 54, e; 57; 76; 77.
PC Grandgent, Charles Sail
1111 Italian grammar. Rev. ed
(17
1915
cop. 2
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