iSpeak ITALIAN

BEGINNERS COURSE
10 Steps to Learn Italian on Your iPod
Jane Wightwick and Francesca Logi

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Copyright 2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-164229-3 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-154626-X. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at george_hoare@mcgraw-hill.com or (212) 904-4069. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (McGraw-Hill) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hills prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms. THE WORK IS PROVIDED AS IS. McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. DOI: 10.1036/007154626X

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INTRODUCTION
Welcome to iSpeak Italian Beginners Course, the language program created especially for iPods and MP3 players that lets you learn on the go. iSpeak Italian Beginners Course is so fun and easy to use that youll be speaking Italian in no time. In this program we will be following a young student named Sammy on his travels and adventures while picking up Italian language essentials on the way. Well be with Sammy as he arrives at his destination, nds a bed, and deals with waiters and Internet caf owners. Well join him as he goes out and meets people, buys things, loses them, and reports his loss to the local police station. And nally, well be with Sammy as he returns home from his adventures with a big, big surprise!

HOW TO INSTALL THE COURSE

Follow these basic steps to import the iSpeak Italian Beginners Course les into iTunes and then onto your iPod. 1. Connect your iPod to the computer, and open the iTunes program. 2. Insert the iSpeak Italian Beginners Course disk into the computer. 3. Drag the folder labeled Copy to iTunes Music Library into the iTunes Music Library folder. 4. Synch your iPod with iTunes. 5. Eject your iPod.

HOW TO NAVIGATE THE COURSE

iSpeak Italian Beginners Course has ten topics. You can nd each of these main topics by rst going to the Music menu on your iPod and then selecting Artists. Youll nd the ten main topics listed here under the heading iS Beg Fren.

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For more information about this title, click here

01 Getting Around 02 Getting Fed 03 Finding a Bed 04 Getting Connected 05 Having Fun 06 Making Small Talk 07 Buying Stuff 08 Losing Stuff 09 Getting Sick 10 Dealing with Customs Simply select the main topic you wish to hear, such as Getting Around or Finding a Bed. Under each of the ten main topics, youll see subtopics arranged as Albums: The 01 Fast Forward album is a short introduction to that topic. Next youll nd the 02 Word Power album. In this section youll hear all the words and phrases you need to understand Sammys adventures. Youll also see the words in both English and Italian on your screen. The 03 In Action album is where youll follow Sammys adventures through the different situations. Then you get a chance to play the part of Sammy in 04 uSpeak. The 05 Nuts & Bolts album reviews Italian grammar basics to give you an introduction to how the language works. When youre ready to move on, there are two albums where you do most of the talking: 06 iPractice, which has two fun audio activities for you to try, and nally the 07 Rewind album, which will take you to the picture game. Here you will quiz yourself on vocabulary from the main topic by using pictures on your screen. In this companion booklet youll nd key vocabulary from the Word Power sections, text from the In Action dialogues, Nuts & Bolts grammar summaries, and iPractice answers and Rewind answers.

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE THE COURSE

iSpeak Italian Beginners Course is designed so that you can customize your own program. Once youve worked through the topics, you can create different playlists that highlight areas you want to practice or review. Want to listen to the whole story of Sammy? Then make a playlist of all the In Action albums. Want to play all the picture games as a visual refresher? Make a playlist of all the Rewind albums. Want to review the vocabulary in the rst half of the program? Make a playlist of the Word Power albums for topics 1 to 5. The possibilities are endless.

FAQ
How do I prevent iSpeak Italian Beginners Course les from playing when I shufe my music? 1. By creating a playlist that contains all your non-iSpeak songs and then shufing this playlist. 2. By deselecting your iSpeak les. Highlight all the iSpeak entries in iTunes. Click the top entry to highlight it, scroll down to the nal entry, and hold down Shift as you click it; this will highlight all the dictionary entries in between. Then right-click on your mouse and select Uncheck Selection in the pop-up menu. 3. By deleting the iSpeak les from iTunes. This is obviously a more extreme measure than step 2, but it is certainly not nal. The iSpeak Italian Beginners Course can simply be reloaded onto your iPod at a later date. Select all the terms in the course (as above). Then right-click and select Delete in the popup menu.

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01 GETTING AROUND
Word Power
Excuse me. Do you know . . . ? I want to go to . . . Wheres . . . ? I live here. this area hotel youth hostel bus train number four bus stop train station Turn right. Turn left. junction there over there Never mind. Ill show you. Scusi. Conosce ? Voglio andare a Dov ? Abito qui. questa zona lhotel lostello della giovent lautobus il treno il numero quattro la fermata dellautobus la stazione Gira a destra. Gira a sinistra. lincrocio l laggi Non importa. Ti faccio vedere.

In Action
Sammy asks for directions. Excuse me, do you know this area? Yes, I live here. Where do you want to go? I want to go to the youth hostel. Hmm. You need to take a bus. Number four, I think. Wheres the bus stop? Turn right over there at the junction. Umm. . . wheres the junction? Scusi, conosce questa zona? S, abito qui. Dove vuoi andare? Voglio andare allostello della giovent. Mmm. Devi prendere lautobus. Il numero quattro, credo. Dov la fermata dellautobus? Gira a destra laggi allincrocio. Mmm dov lincrocio?

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There. . . you see, next to the train station. What train station? Behind the. . . Oh, never mind. Come on, Ill show you.

L vedi, accanto alla stazione. Quale stazione? Dietro il Oh, non importa. Vieni, ti faccio vedere.

Nuts & Bolts

Gender (masculine and feminine)
In Italian, words for things or ideas, as well as words for people, are assigned a gender. They are identied as either male or female. We say a word is masculine or feminine. This is important because it means that in Italian there are different ways to say words like the. For example, bus stop in Italian is fermata dellautobus. It is a female, or feminine, word, and to say the bus stop you say la fermata dellautobus. On the other hand, train is treno, and it is a male, or masculine, word. So the train is il treno. The word for junction, incrocio, is masculine, too, but to say the junction you must say lincrocio, because it starts with a vowel. Youll nd the correct Italian word for the in front of the words in the Word Power section so you know which one to use.

Describing position
To ask where somewhere is you can simply say Dov?, which means Where is? For example: Dov la stazione? Wheres the station? Or you could say Come arrivo a ?, which means How do I get to. . . ?, or literally How do I arrive at. . . . For example: Come arrivo allhotel? How do I get to the hotel? To understand someones reply, youll need some words that describe position. The most common are: dietro behind davanti a opposite di fronte a in front of accanto next to

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
Excuse me. Ill show you. Turn right. over there bus stop opposite junction Never mind. Scusi. Ti faccio vedere. Gira a destra. laggi la fermata dellautobus davanti lincrocio Non importa.

Talk to Sammy
Sammys left the bus but still cant nd the youth hostel. You try to direct him. Scusi dov lostello della giovent? Turn right at the junction. Quale incrocio? Over there. Opposite the bus stop. Dove? Non la vedo. Oh, never mind. Ill show you. Gira a destra allincrocio. Laggi. Davanti alla fermata dellautobus. Oh, non importa. Ti faccio vedere.

Rewind
Come arrivo alla stazione? La stazione di fronte alla fermata dellautobus. Voglio prendere il treno. Gira a destra allincrocio. Dov lostello della giovent? Allincrocio, gira a sinistra.

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02 GETTING FED
Word Power
soup Bolognese sauce steak pork meat chicken sh lamb ham vegetables fruit vegetarian dishes What are . . . ? Do you have . . . ? Ill have . . . omelet salad cheese I dont eat . . . I dont like . . . Im allergic to . . . Are you vegetarian? Theres . . . Theres no . . . Anything else? with without a little la zuppa il rag la bistecca il maiale la carne il pollo il pesce lagnello il prosciutto la verdura la frutta i piatti vegetariani Quali sono ? Avete ? Prendo la frittata linsalata il formaggio Non mangio Non mi piace Sono allergico a Sei vegetariano? C Non c Qualcosaltro? con senza un po di

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In Action
Sammy doesnt seem to be having a lot of luck with the specials of the day. Waiter! What are the specials of the day? Pasta with Bolognese sauce or sh soup and pork steak or chicken salad. Err. Do you have any vegetarian dishes? I dont eat meat or sh. No meat or sh? Are you vegetarian? Yes, I only eat vegetables. Well. . . the salad without the chicken? OK, thats good. Ill have that. . . . And an omelet? I dont like omelets. Do you have anything else? Pizza? Yes, great. Pizza then. Theres no meat on the pizza, just a little ham . . . Without the ham, please! Cameriere! Quali sono le specialit del giorno? Pasta al rag o zuppa di pesce e bistecca di maiale o insalata di pollo. Err. Avete piatti vegetariani? Non mangio n carne n pesce. N carne n pesce? Sei vegetariano? S, mangio solo la verdura. Allora linsalata senza il pollo? OK, va bene. Prendo quello. E una frittata? Non mi piace la frittata. Avete qualcosaltro? La pizza? S, benissimo. Allora la pizza. Non c la carne sulla pizza solo un po di prosciutto Senza il prosciutto, per favore!

Nuts & Bolts

Male and female endings
In Italian, many of the words used to describe things and people change their endings depending on whether they refer to a male or a female. For example, if you want to say I am allergic to cheese, the word for allergic changes its ending depending on your gender. If you are a man you say Sono allergico al formaggio; if you are a woman you say Sono allergica al formaggio. Dont worry too much about this. The difference is slight, and people will understand you anyway.

Asking questions
Asking a question in Italian is very easy. Usually you just use the same words you would use when stating something and in the same order. The only thing that changes is the intonation of your voice. Just raise it a little bit. For example: Avete piatti vegetariani. Avete piatti vegetariani? You have vegetarian dishes. Do you have vegetarian dishes?

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Sei vegetariano. Sei vegetariano?

You are vegetarian. Are you vegetarian?

Negative
Another quite easy thing to do is to say something in the negative. In Italian, you just add the word non. For example: Mi piace la pizza. Non mi piace la pizza. Mangio la carne. Non mangio la carne. Non c il prosciutto. I like pizza. I dont like pizza. I eat meat. I dont eat meat. Theres no ham.

Neither one thing nor the other

To say that you have neither one thing nor another, you can use the phrase n n For example: Non mangio n carne n pesce. I eat neither meat nor sh.

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
Ill have that. Do you have chicken salad? I dont eat pork. I dont like sh. Theres no pizza. You can have pasta and the steak. Without cheese, please. Prendo quello. Avete linsalata di pollo? Non mangio il maiale. Non mi piace il pesce. Non c la pizza. Puoi prendere la pasta e la bistecca. Senza il formaggio, per favore.

Talk to Sammy
Youve taken over as Sammys waiter or waitress, but youve just discovered theres a problem with the pizza. Theres no pizza without ham. Oh. Avete qualcosaltro? Pasta with seafood. Non mangio i frutti di mare. Well, the pasta without the seafood. OK. Prendo quello. Non c la pizza senza il prosciutto. La pasta ai frutti di mare. Allora, la pasta senza i frutti di mare.

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Thats good, seafood pasta without seafood, and then chicken salad without the chicken.

Va bene, la pasta ai frutti di mare senza i frutti di mare, e linsalata di pollo senza il pollo.

Rewind
Prendo il pesce. Avete il pollo? Non mangio il prosciutto. Non mi piace la verdura. Non c la zuppa. Senza linsalata.

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03 FINDING A BED
Word Power
single room double room reservation dormitory bed with private bathroom with shared bathroom for three nights occupied price supplement member important 10 percent Let me see. there are How many? How much does that cost? Im sorry. Wait a minute. la camera singola la camera doppia la prenotazione la camerata il letto con il bagno in camera con il bagno in comune per tre notti occupato il prezzo il supplemento il socio importante il 10 per cento Vediamo. ci sono Quanti? Quanto costa? Mi dispiace. Aspetti un attimo.

In Action
Sammy has arrived at the youth hostel. Hello. Hello. Do you have a single room for three nights? Do you have a reservation? No. Im sorry. There are no single rooms left. But we have a bed in a dormitory. Salve. Salve. Avete una camera singola per tre notti? Ha una prenotazione? No. Mi dispiace. Non sono rimaste camere singole. Ma abbiamo un letto in una camerata.

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A dormitory? How many beds are there? Twelve, but only eight are occupied. Twelve! And double rooms? Yes, we have a double room with shared bathroom. How much does that cost? Let me see, theres the price of the room, plus the high-season supplement, plus the supplement for a double room used as a single . . . are you a member? A member? No, is that important? For nonmembers theres a supplement of 10 percent. That makes . . . wait a minute, Ill get the large calculator!

Una camerata? Quanti letti ci sono? Dodici, ma soltanto otto sono occupati. Dodici! E camere doppie? S, abbiamo una camera doppia con il bagno in comune. Quanto costa? Vediamo, c il prezzo della stanza, pi il supplemento alta stagione pi il supplemento camera doppia uso singola lei socio? Socio? No, importante? Per i non soci c il supplemento del 10 per cento. In tutto fa aspetti un attimo, prendo la calcolatrice grande!

Nuts & Bolts

Numerals 0 to 12 and plural words
Numbers are very important in everyday life. Lets look at the Italian numbers from zero to twelve: zero, uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci, undici, and dodici. Be careful of the number one: uno changes to un when you use it in front of a masculine word, and to una in front of a feminine word. For example: un letto one bed or a bed una camera one room or a room When you use a word referring to more than one thing or person, the word becomes plural. In English, to make a word plural, we usually add an -s as in beds and rooms. But Italian words usually change their endings. For example, to say one bed is un letto, but eight beds is otto letti and the beds is i letti, with an -i. And for feminine words such as una camera, which means one bedroom, the ending changes into -e. So two bedrooms is due camere and the bedrooms is le camere. These are some general guidelines, but there are some other different plurals. Youll pick them up as you go along.

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How many / how much

If you want to ask how many? in Italian you use quanti? for masculine words. For example: Quanti letti ci sono? How many beds are there? For feminine words you say quante? For example: Quante camere ci sono? How many bedrooms are there? If you want to ask the price of something you say Quanto costa?, which means How much does it cost? For example: Quanto costa una camera doppia? How much does a double room cost? If you want to ask the price of several things, you would use a different verb form as shown below: Quanto costano i biglietti? How much do the tickets cost?

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
Do you have a double room? For six nights. Wait a minute. How much is the room? With private bathroom. Are there supplements? Wheres the dormitory? Avete una camera doppia? Per sei notti. Aspetti un attimo. Quanto costa la camera? Con il bagno in camera. Ci sono supplementi? Dov la camerata?

Talk to Sammy
Sammy is showing you his room in the youth hostel. Is it a double room? S, non sono rimaste camere singole. With private bathroom? No, il bagno in comune. Where is it? Laggi. Opposite the dormitory? S. sempre occupato! una camera doppia? Con il bagno in camera? Dov? Davanti alla camerata?

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Rewind
Avete una camera doppia? Quanto costa una camera singola? Per due notti. Dov il bagno? Davanti alla camera nove. C il supplemento del 5 per cento.

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04 GETTING CONNECTED
Word Power
Internet caf the Internet computer telephone to telephone connection headphones mike program loaded a quarter of an hour half an hour an hour log on log off download slow expired Let me think. Can I . . . ? I cant hear. He cant hear me. Speak into the mike. Its not working. excuse me, Im sorry lInternet caff lInternet il computer il telefono telefonare (a) la connessione le cufe il microfono il programma caricato un quarto dora mezzora unora connettersi sconnettersi scaricare lento scaduto Vediamo. Posso ? Non sento. Non mi sente. Parla nel microfono. Non funziona. scusa

In Action
Sammy wants to speak to a friend from the Internet caf. Hello! Hello. Can I use voice over Internet to telephone? Yes, the program is loaded on all the computers. Salve! Salve. Posso telefonare via Internet? S, il programma caricato su tutti i computer.

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How much does it cost? You can buy a quarter of an hour, half an hour, or an hour. Er, let me think . . . a quarter of an hour, thank you . . . Excuse me. The connection is slow. Try computer number ve. You need to log on. OK, thanks . . . Hello! Luigi? Hello! . . . Excuse me! I cant hear my friend. Take the headphones. Thank you . . . Hello! Hello? Luigi? . . . Excuse me. Now my friend cant hear me! Speak into the mike on the right. Oh yes . . . Luigi? . . . Hello, its Sammy . . . Yes, Im ne. Luigi? Luigi? Hello! Excuse me. Its not working. No, its working, but your quarter of an hour has expired!

Quanto costa? Puoi pagare per un quarto dora, mezzora o unora. Mmm, vediamo un quarto dora, grazie Scusa. La connessione lenta. Prova il computer numero cinque. Devi connetterti. OK, grazie Pronto! Luigi? Alo! Pronto! Scusa! Non sento il mio amico. Prendi le cufe. Grazie Pronto! Alo? Luigi? Scusa. Il mio amico non mi sente! Parla nel microfono a destra. Ah s, grazie Luigi? Ciao! Sono Sammy S, sto bene. Luigi? Luigi? Pronto! Alo! Scusa! Non funziona! No, funziona, ma il tuo quarto dora scaduto!

Nuts & Bolts

Formal and informal
In Italian we can use a more informal language when talking to young people or friends. The Internet manager that Sammy is talking to is young, so Sammy uses scusa for excuse me, rather than the more formal scusi. To say you can informally we use puoi. If we were talking in a more formal way we would use pu.

My and your
When you want to say that something belongs to you in English, you use words like my. For example, my friend is il mio amico. As usual in Italian, everything changes for the feminine. If you want to say my bedroom, which is a feminine noun, you say la mia camera. The word for your is tuo (masculine) or tua (feminine). For example: il tuo amico your friend la tua camera your bedroom

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To say his, her, or its in Italian, we use suo and sua, which also means your when you are talking in a formal way. For example: il suo amico his/her friend (or your friend, formal) la sua camera his/her bedroom (or your bedroom, formal) Luckily in Italian we use these words a bit less than in English. For example, to say your quarter of an hour has expired you can easily say il quarto dora scaduto, which means the quarter of an hour has expired.

Time
To say one hour in Italian you say unora, and to say two hours you say due ore. If you want to say half an hour, you use mezzora. To say ten minutes you say dieci minuti. To say for ten minutes you use the word per as in per dieci minuti. To say in an hour you use tra unora.

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
Can I telephone my friend? How much does half an hour cost? Take the headphones. Wheres the mike? The program is loaded. Its not working! Theres no connection. Posso telefonare al mio amico? Quanto costa mezzora? Prendi le cufe. Dov il microfono? Il programma caricato. Non funziona! Non c connessione.

Talk to Sammy
Sammy is telephoning you from the Internet caf. Its a bad, bad line! Ciao, sono Sammy! Are you in the Internet caf? S..s sono al al..al compu compu I cant hear! Speak into the mike! Par del no per qua.! Im sorry. The connection is not working! S. Ri riprovo tr..tra ora bene? Yes, yes! In an hour! Sei allInternet caff?

Non sento! Parla nel microfono! Scusa. La connessione non funziona!

S, s! Tra unora!

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Rewind
Posso telefonare via Internet? Quanto costa un quarto dora? Non sento! Dove sono le cufe? La tua mezzora scaduta. La connessione lenta.

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05 HAVING FUN
Word Power
in the evening tonight today for entertainment movie theater movie bowling alley nightclub bar live music beach party reworks you can dance open closed late starts nishes What do people do here? Great! bus strike Oh dear! They can give you a ride. la sera stasera oggi per divertirsi il cinema il lm la sala da bowling il locale il bar la musica dal vivo la festa sulla spiaggia i fuochi darticio si balla aperto chiuso tardi comincia nisce Cosa fa qui la gente? Grande! lo sciopero degli autobus Mamma mia! Possono darti un passaggio.

In Action
Sammy is looking for ideas on where to go for a night out. Good evening. What do people do here in the evening? Well, the supermarket is open until late. Err. I mean for entertainment. Buona sera. Cosa fa qui la gente la sera? Ma, il supermercato aperto no a tardi. Err. Voglio dire per divertirsi.

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OK. Let me see. Theres a movie theater, but the movie starts at six thirty, so its too late for that. Anything else? Theres a bowling alley, but its closed on Thursday. Is there a nightclub or a bar with live music? Not really, but theres a beach party tonight. There are reworks and you can dance. Great! Can I go by bus? Yes, but today theres a bus strike. Oh dear! Those two are going to the party! Maybe they can give you a ride.

Ah. Vediamo. C un cinema, ma il lm comincia alle sei e mezzo, troppo tardi per quello. Qualcosaltro? C una sala da bowling, ma chiusa il gioved. C un locale o un bar con la musica dal vivo? Veramente no, ma stasera c una festa sulla spiaggia. Ci sono i fuochi darticio e si balla. Grande! Posso andare con lautobus? S, ma oggi c lo sciopero degli autobus. Mamma mia! Quei due vanno alla festa! Forse possono darti un passaggio.

Nuts & Bolts

Telling the time
If you want to ask What time does it start? in Italian, you say A che ora comincia? To answer this question with at four oclock you say alle quattro. To say at half past four you say alle quattro e mezzo. Also, you can use quando, which is the Italian word for when. For example: Quando comincia? When does it start? To ask What time is it? you say Che ore sono? For the answer, you can simply use the number. For example: le sei six oclock luna one oclock Remember that midday is mezzogiorno and midnight is mezzanotte. Other time phrases you will often come across: tardi its late troppo tardi its too late presto its early

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Days of the week

Six of the seven days of the week are masculine, so we use them with il: il luned il marted il mercoled il gioved il venerd il sabato Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Sunday is the only feminine day, so we use la: la domenica Sunday To say its closed on Sunday you say chiuso la domenica. If you are talking in general, you use the Italian word for the. If youre talking about a specic day, you dont. To say I arrive on Friday you say Arrivo venerd. In any case, you dont need to translate the English word on.

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
What do people do for entertainment? Is there a bar with live music? Is it closed on Sunday? The movie starts at eight thirty. Are there reworks? Can I go by train? Oh dear! Cosa fa la gente per divertirsi? C un bar con la musica dal vivo? chiuso la domenica? Il lm comincia alle otto e mezzo. Ci sono i fuochi darticio? Posso andare con il treno? Mamma mia!

Talk to Sammy
Sammy is asking you more questions about the beach party. Cosa fa la gente alla festa sulla spiaggia? Theres live music. Jazz o rock? Jazz, and the bar is open until late. Qualcosaltro? Let me see. There are reworks. A che ora? At nine thirty.

C la musica dal vivo. Jazz, e il bar aperto no a tardi. Vediamo. Ci sono i fuochi darticio. Alle nove e mezzo.

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Rewind
Il lm comincia alle otto e mezzo. Ci sono i fuochi darticio? Il locale chiuso il luned. Posso andare con lautobus? C una festa? Posso andare con il treno?

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06 MAKING SMALL TALK

Word Power
Hi. Hello. My names . . . This is Carlo. This is Laura. girlfriend boyfriend small town city two hours drive backseat front seat stuff mask tank Are you from here? Were on vacation. I live in . . . What do you do? diving instructor student What are you studying? journalism I work in . . . Do you sell . . . ? resort great me too Thanks for . . . no problem Ciao. Salve. Mi chiamo Questo Carlo. Questa Laura. la ragazza il ragazzo il paese la citt a due ore di macchina il sedile dietro il sedile davanti la roba la maschera la bombola Siete di qui? Siamo in vacanza. Abito in Cosa fai? listruttore subacqueo studente Cosa studi? giornalismo Lavoro in Vendi ? il villaggio turistico grande anchio Grazie del di niente

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In Action
Sammy has gotten a ride to the beach party with a couple from the youth hostel. Hi, my names Carlo, and this is my girlfriend, Laura. Hello, Im Sammy. Thanks for the ride. No problem! Sorry about all the stuff on the backseat. Are you from around here? No, were on vacation. I live in a small town about three hours drive from here. What do you do? Do you sell masks and tanks? No! No! Im a diving instructor! I work in a resort. Wow! Great! And Laura is a student. Me too. What are you studying? Media studies and journalism. Media studies and journalism? One day you can write about us in the Washington Post. Ciao, mi chiamo Carlo, e questa la mia ragazza, Laura. Salve, io sono Sammy. Grazie del passaggio. Di niente! Scusa per la roba sul sedile dietro. Sei di qui? No, siamo in vacanza. Abito in un paese a circa tre ore di macchina da qui. Cosa fai? Vendi maschere e bombole? No! No! Sono un istruttore subacqueo! Lavoro in un villaggio turistico. Waw! Grande! E Laura una studentessa. Anchio. Cosa studi? Media studies e giornalismo. Media studies e giornalismo? Un giorno puoi scrivere di noi sul Washington Post.

Nuts & Bolts

To be (am, are, is)
Here is a summary of how to say am, are, or is in Italian: I am is sono, as in Sono Sammy (I am Sammy). You are is sei, as in Sei di qui? (Are you from here?) To say he, she, or it is, you use , as in questa la mia ragazza (this is my girlfriend). You can also use to say you are if you want to be more formal or polite. For example, di qui? means Are you from here? We are is siamo, as in siamo in vacanza (we are on vacation). They are in Italian is sono. For example, Carlo e Laura sono italiani means Carlo and Laura are Italian. In Italian you can often leave out the pronouns such as I, you, they, etc. For example, I am from here is expressed in Italian as sono di qui. But occasionally you need to use a pronoun. For example, if you want to ask And you? you say E tu?

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Occupations
When you talk about yourself, often the rst thing you say after your name is what you study or what you do for a living. In Italian, to say you are a student you use sono uno studente (for a male) or sono una studentessa (for a female). To say you are an instructor you say sono un istruttore (for a male). A woman would say sono unistruttrice. Many other occupations change their endings when they refer to a woman, which is similar to the English waiter and waitress. Some patterns are predictable. For example, the ending -o generally changes to -a; impiegato (clerk) becomes impiegata for females; and worker is operaio (for a male) and operaia (for a female). Some occupations are the same for both men and women. For example: giornalista journalist insegnante teacher dottore doctor

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
Are you on vacation? Im a student. Five hours drive from here. What do you do? I work in a youth hostel. My girlfriend is a diving instructor. Thanks for the ride! Sei in vacanza? Sono uno studente. A cinque ore di macchina da qui. Cosa fai? Lavoro in un ostello della giovent. La mia ragazza unistruttrice subacquea. Grazie del passaggio!

Talk to Sammy
Sammy is making small talk with you. Sei di qui? No. Im on vacation. Di dove sei? I live in a small town two hours drive from Chicago. E cosa fai l? I work in an Internet caf. No, sono in vacanza. Abito in un paese a due ore di macchina da Chicago. Lavoro in un Internet caff.

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And you? What do you do? Sono uno studente, ma il mio amico un istruttore subacqueo.

E tu? Cosa fai?

Rewind
Sono in vacanza. Lavoro in un ristorante. Sei uno studente. Abitiamo in una citt. A quattro ore di macchina da qui. Il mio ragazzo un istruttore subacqueo.

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07 BUYING STUFF
Word Power
soccer outt shirt, T-shirt shorts socks helmet color blue white red gray label size match home match away match stadium team play soccer girl my sister my brother my son my daughter unusual expensive price world famous wear Im looking for . . . Can I help you? il calcio la tenuta la maglietta i pantaloncini i calzettoni il casco il colore azzurro bianco rosso grigio il cartellino la misura la partita la partita in casa la partita fuori casa lo stadio la squadra giocare a calcio la ragazza mia sorella mio fratello mio glio mia glia insolito caro il prezzo famosa a livello mondiale indossare Cerco Posso aiutarla?

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back home these days

nel mio paese oggigiorno

In Action
Sammy wants to buy his little sister a soccer outt. Can I help you? Yes, Im looking for an outt for my sister. A girl? Thats unusual. Not really. Back home lots of girls play. And why not. Do you want the shirt and the shorts? Just the shirt. What colors do you have? Well, we have white and blue for the home matches, or gray and red for the away matches. How much does this one cost? The price is on the label. Oh, its expensive! But were a world famous team. Hmm. OK. And do you have the team socks? Of course! What size is your son . . . err. . . brother? My sister. Shes eleven. This size, I think. And a helmet? A helmet? What helmet? Yes, many rugby players wear helmets these days. Rugby? Rugby players? Yes, this is the rugby stadium. Posso aiutarla? S, cerco una tenuta per mia sorella. Una ragazza? insolito. Veramente no. Nel mio paese molte ragazze giocano. E perch no. Vuole la maglietta e i pantaloncini? Solo la maglietta. Che colori avete? Allora, abbiamo bianco e azzurro per le partite in casa, o grigio e rosso per le partite fuori casa. Quanto costa questa? Il prezzo sul cartellino. Oh, cara! Ma siamo una squadra famosa a livello mondiale. Hmm. OK. E avete i calzettoni della squadra? Naturalmente! Che misura ha vostro glio err fratello? Mia sorella. Ha undici anni. Questa misura, credo. E un casco? Un casco? Che casco? S, molti giocatori di rugby indossano il casco oggigiorno. Rugby? Giocatori di rugby? S, questo uno stadio di rugby.

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Nuts & Bolts

To have (has, have)
To say have or has in Italian you use the verb avere. I have is ho, as in ho una sorella (I have one sister). If you want to say you have in Italian, you say hai, but when you are speaking in a formal way you need to use ha for you have. For he, she, or it has, you also use ha, as in Che misura ha suo glio?, which means What size is your son?, or literally What size does your son have? If you want to say we have, you use abbiamo. And for you have in the plural, you use avete, as in Avete i calzettoni della squadra? (Do you have the club socks?) To say they have you use hanno. Remember we also use the verb avere to talk about age. For example, Ha undici anni means literally She has eleven years.

Colors
In Italian, when describing the color of something, the color word usually goes after the noun, as in il casco bianco (the white helmet). Notice that the color word changes if what it is describing is feminine. If you want to say the white shirt, you would say la maglietta bianca. The color word also changes for the plural. For example: i pantaloncini neri the black shorts le magliette rosse the red shirts Other popular colors are: giallo/gialla (yellow); azzurro/azzurra (blue); and verde (green), which stays the same for masculine and feminine nouns.

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
Im looking for a shirt. What sizes do you have? Do you have shorts? Thats unusual. How much does it cost? Hes twelve years old. Cerco una maglietta. Che misure avete? Avete i pantaloncini? insolito. Quanto costa? Ha dodici anni.

Talk to Sammy
Sammy is holding up a pink and purple striped T-shirt. He asks your opinion. Cosa pensi di questa maglietta? Its unusual. How much does it cost? insolita. Quanto costa?

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Il prezzo qui. Its expensive! S, ma la marca famosa. What colors do they have? Rosa e viola, o rosso e grigio. They have your size in red and gray. S, forse meglio. OK, grazie!

cara! Che colori hanno? Hanno la tua misura in rosso e grigio.

Rewind
Quanto costa la maglietta? caro! Che misura ha? Cerco i calzettoni. Molte ragazze giocano a calcio.

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08 LOSING STUFF
Word Power
theft stolen wallet market stall fruit stall man woman thief suspicious strange long hair short hair old elderly young fat thin beautiful ugly money credit card photo police station Good evening. Id like to report . . . this afternoon Can you describe him? as well Im sure. You dropped it. he brought il furto rubato il portafoglio il mercato il banco il banco della frutta un uomo una donna il ladro sospetto strano i capelli lunghi i capelli corti vecchio anziano giovane grasso magro bello brutto i soldi la carta di credito la foto la stazione di polizia Buona sera. Vorrei denunciare oggi pomeriggio Sa descriverlo? anche Sono sicuro. Le caduto. ha portato

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In Action
Sammy wants to report his wallet stolen at the police station. Good evening. Good evening. Id like to report a theft. What was stolen? My wallet. Where was this? In the market this afternoon. At what time? At about four oclock. I was at the fruit stall. Was there anything suspicious? Yes. Next to me there was a strange man with long hair. Can you describe him? He was old, very fat and ugly. Im sure he is the thief. What was in the wallet? There were my credit cards, my money, and also a photo of my girlfriend. Whats your name? Sammy Lawson. One moment . . . wallet . . . Sammy Lawson . . . yes, a photo of his girlfriend. Ah. Yes! No! Good! Thank you! Mr. Lawson! Yes? Mr. Lawson, we have your wallet, sir. You dropped it . . . and the old, fat, ugly man next to you brought the wallet here to the police! Buona sera. Buona sera. Vorrei denunciare un furto. Cosa stato rubato? Il mio portafoglio. Dove successo? Al mercato oggi pomeriggio. A che ora? Alle quattro circa. Ero al banco della frutta. Cera qualcosa di sospetto? S. Accanto a me cera un uomo strano con i capelli lunghi. Sa descriverlo? Era vecchio, molto grasso e brutto. Sono sicuro che lui il ladro. Cosa cera nel portafoglio? Cerano le mie carte di credito, i soldi e anche la foto della mia ragazza. Come si chiama? Sammy Lawson. Un momento portafoglio Sammy Lawson s, una foto della sua ragazza. Ah! S! No! Bene! Grazie! Signore Lawson! S? Signore Lawson, abbiamo il suo portafoglio, signore. Le caduto e luomo vecchio, grasso e brutto accanto a lei ha portato il portafoglio qui alla polizia!

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Nuts & Bolts

Was / Were
If you want to use the verb to be to discuss something in the past you can say ero, which means I was. For example: Ero al banco della frutta. I was at the fruit stall. To say you were, you use eri, and for the formal you use era. To say he was or she was you also use era. For example: Era vecchio. He was old. To say there were, you use cerano. And to say there was, you use cera. For example: Cera un uomo strano. There was a strange man. Note that in Italian the word hair is plural. So to say the hair was long, you use the plural i capelli erano lunghi.

Describing people
To say very in Italian you use molto. For example, very fat is molto grasso, and to say my girlfriend is very beautiful you say la mia ragazza molto bella. Note that the word for beautiful is bello, but it changes its ending for a female to become bella while molto stays the same for both genders. If you want to say that something or someone is old you can use the word vecchio (vecchia for females). But if you are talking about a person and you want to be more polite you use the word anziano (anziana for females). For example, to say an old woman you say una donna anziana.

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
Where were you this afternoon? I was in the youth hostel. There was a woman. Can you describe the woman? She was old with short hair. Can you describe the man? He was young and thin. Dovera oggi pomeriggio? Ero allostello della giovent. Cera una donna. Sa descrivere la donna? Era anziana, con i capelli corti. Sa descrivere luomo? Era giovane e magro.

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Talk to Sammy
Sammy is asking you about a strange girl you saw this afternoon. Doveri oggi pomeriggio? I was in the youth hostel. E cera anche la ragazza? Yes, she was next to me. Sai descriverla ? Perch era strana? She was young and very thin. . . . with orange and blue hair! Ah s. Era la mia ragazza! Ero allostello della giovent. S, era accanto a me. Era giovane e molto magra. con i capelli arancio e azzurro!

Rewind
La donna era molto magra. Luomo era molto grasso. I capelli erano molto lunghi. Ero allostello della giovent. Ero al mercato alle sei e mezzo. Cosa cera nel portafoglio?

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09 GETTING SICK
Word Power
pain leg arm back knee stomach head stomachache headache diarrhea constipated temperature symptom eat drink walk go prefer alcoholic drinks chocolate exercise gym jog nurse lifestyle plenty of water Whats the problem? every day always normally You must . . . You dont need . . . il dolore la gamba il braccio la schiena il ginocchio lo stomaco la testa il mal di stomaco il mal di testa la diarrea stitico la febbre il sintomo mangiare bere camminare andare preferire gli alcolici la cioccolata lattivit sica la palestra andare a correre linfermiere lo stile di vita molta acqua Che problema c? tutti i giorni sempre di solito Deve Non ha bisogno di

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In Action
Sammy has gone to see the youth hostel nurse about a bad stomachache and pains in his legs. Hello. Whats the problem? I have a stomachache and pains in my legs. Do you have a temperature or a headache? I dont have a temperature, but I have a headache all the time. And other symptoms? Do you have diarrhea, are you constipated? Yes, Im consipated. What do you normally eat? Oh, the normal things: cheese, chocolate, pizza, ice cream, candy . . . And do you drink plenty of water? I prefer coffee and cola. And how much alcohol do you drink? I like cocktails, beer, wine, . . . most things. And exercise? Do you go to the gym, do you jog? No, but I danced yesterday until four in the morning. You dont need a nurse, you must change your lifestyle! Salve. Che problema c? Ho il mal di stomaco e i dolori alle gambe. Ha la febbre o il mal di testa? Non ho la febbre, ma ho sempre il mal di testa. E altri sintomi? Ha diarrea, sei stitico? S, sono stitico. Cosa mangia di solito? Oh, le solite cose: il formaggio, la cioccolata, la pizza, il gelato, le caramelle E beve molta acqua? Preferisco il caff e la coca. E quanti alcolici beve? Mi piacciono i cocktail, la birra, il vino, quasi tutto. E attivit sica? Va in palestra, va a correre? No, ma ho ballato ieri no alle quattro di mattina. Non ha bisogno di una infermiera, deve cambiare lo stile di vita!

Nuts & Bolts

Simple present tense
Italian verbs have a basic form known as the innitive. The English equivalent of the innitive is the verb with to in front of it. For example: mangiare bere preferire to eat to drink to prefer

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When you want to express something that you do regularly, the verb you use ends in an -o. For example: mangio I eat bevo I drink preferisco I prefer If you want to ask someone else a question, in an informal way, you change the verb endings into an -i. For example: Mangi molto? Do you eat a lot? Bevi il caff? Do you drink coffee? If you are talking more formally you need to use a verb with an -a or -e. For example: Mangia molto? Do you eat a lot? Beve il caff? Do you drink coffee? Watch out for the verb andare, which means to go. It becomes vado for I go and vai or va for you go. For example: Vai in palestra? Do you go to the gym? Vado tutti i giorni. I go every day.

Like / Dont like

To say I like in Italian you say mi piace, which literally means it pleases me. For example, I like pizza is mi piace la pizza, or pizza pleases me. Note that in Italian we would often use the word for the here in front of the object as in la pizza. If you want to say I like cocktails, you need to use a plural verb. For example: Mi piacciono i cocktails. I like cocktails. When you ask somebody Do you like pizza? the little word mi changes into ti. For example: Ti piace la pizza? Do you like pizza? Ti piacciono i cocktails? Do you like cocktails? If you are talking formally you have to use le instead of ti. For example: Le piace la pizza? Le piacciono i cocktails?

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iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
I have a stomachache. I dont need a doctor. I have a headache. I normally drink water. I go to the gym every day. I dont like exercise. I dont normally drink alcoholic drinks. Ho il mal di stomaco. Non ho bisogno di un dottore. Ho il mal di testa. Di solito bevo lacqua. Vado in palestra tutti i giorni. Non mi piace lattivit sica. Di solito non bevo alcolici.

Talk to Sammy
Sammy is asking you for some advice. Ho sempre il mal di stomaco. What do you normally eat? La pizza e il gelato. And what do you drink? Il caff, la birra, e la coca. You must eat lots of fruit and drink water. Ma la frutta non mi piace. And exercise? Do you jog? No, ma forse devo andare in palestra. Cosa mangi di solito? E cosa bevi? Devi mangiare molta frutta e bere acqua. E lattivit sica? Vai a correre?

Rewind
Ho dolore al braccio. Ho dolore al ginocchio. Ho la febbre. Ha il mal di testa? Ha bisogno di bere molta acqua. Preferisco il caff. Le piace la frutta?

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10 DEALING WITH CUSTOMS

Word Power
bag anyone to carry to buy gift to nd antique necklace 18th century ea market very valuable rich certicate of export tax declaration consulate passport details bank reference rsum Fill out this form. to collect necessary paperwork Would you mind . . . ? Sir Madam not at all Is there a problem? Youre kidding! How long will that take? far return become la borsa qualcuno portare comprare il regalo trovare la collana antica 18 secolo il mercatino di grande valore ricco la bolla di esportazione la denuncia dei redditi il consolato il passaporto i dati le coordinate bancarie il curriculum vitae Compili questo modulo. ritirare la documentazione necessaria Le dispiace ? signore signora niente affatto C qualche problema? Sta scherzando! Quanto tempo ci vorr? lontano tornare diventare

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In Action
Sammy is going home, but rst a customs ofcial wants to do a routine check of his bag. Would you mind opening your bag, sir? Not at all. Did anyone give you anything to carry? No, nothing. Did you buy any gifts? Yes, I bought this necklace for my mother. Hmm . . . One minute, please. Whats the problem? This necklace, sir. This is an antique eighteenth-century necklace. I found the necklace in a ea market. It wasnt expensive. This necklace is very valuable. You need a certicate of export, a tax declaration, a letter from your consulate . . . Youre kidding! And we will need your bank references, your passport details, your employment history. How long will that take? A few weeks. Fill out this form. You can collect the necklace when you have the correct paperwork. But its far to return! But maybe you could become rich! Le dispiace aprire la borsa, signore? Niento affatto. Qualcuno le ha dato qualcosa da portare? No, niente. Ha comprato de regali? S, ho comprato questa collana per mia madre. Hmm Un momento, per favore. Che problema c? Questa collana, signore. Questa una collana antica del diciottesimo secolo. Ho trovato la collana in un mercatino. Non era cara. Questa collana di grande valore. Ha bisogno di una bolla di esportazione, della denuncia dei redditi, di una lettera del suo consolato Sta scherzando! E abbiamo bisogno delle sue coordinate bancarie, dei dati del suo passaporto, del suo curriculum vitae. Quanto tempo ci vorr? Qualche settimana. Compili questo modulo. Pu ritirare la collana quando ha tutta la documentazione necessaria. Ma un po lontano per tornare! Ma potrebbe diventare ricco!

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Nuts & Bolts

Past tense
In Italian we use the perfect tense to talk about past events. In general, the perfect tense is like the English I have bought or he has found, except in Italian we also use it to mean I bought or he found. To form a verb in the perfect tense, rst you need to identify the correct form of have or has and follow it with the equivalent of bought or found. In Italian, these verbs often end in -ato, -uto, or -ito. For example ho comprato means I bought or literally I have bought. For example: Ho comprato questa collana. I bought this necklace. Ho trovato il regalo. I found a gift. Ho bevuto un caff. I drank a coffee. If you want to say you have bought you use hai comprato, or to be more formal ha comprato. If you want to ask questions about something that has been done in the past, you use the same form. For example, to ask Did you nd anything? you say Ha trovato qualcosa?

Formal language
To say Did anybody give you anything? you say Qualcuno le ha dato qualcosa? Note that the word le is the formal way of saying to you. For example: Le dispiace aprire la borsa? Would you mind opening your bag? If you want to ask the same questions in an informal way just use ti as in: Qualcuno ti ha dato qualcosa? Did anybody give you anything? Ti dispiace aprire la borsa. Would you mind opening your bag? When we need to address somebody formally using sir or madam, we say signore or signora. You can also use them with the surname if you know it. For example: Il signore e la signora Pavarotti Mr. and Mrs. Pavarotti

iPractice
How do you say . . . ?
Not at all! I bought a necklace for my sister. Niente affatto! Ho comprato una collana per mia sorella.

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Do I need a certicate of export? Is it very valuable? This is an antique necklace. I have the necessary paperwork. Whats the problem?

Ho bisogno di una bolla di esportazione? di grande valore? Questa una antica collana. Ho la documentazione necessaria. Che problema c?

Talk to Sammy
Sammy is telling you about the necklace. Where did you nd the necklace? In un mercatino. Youre kidding! Is it very valuable? Credo di s. Gli agenti della dogana mi hanno detto che ho bisogno della bolla di esportazione, della dichiarazione dei redditi, delle coordinate bancarie Why do you need all that paperwork? Per esportare la collana. How long will that take? Qualche settimana, credo. Did you buy anything else? Una maglietta da calcio, ma sicuramente non antica! Dove hai trovato la collana? Stai scherzando! di grande valore?

Perch hai bisogno di tutta questa documentazione? Quanto tempo ci vorr? Hai comprato nientaltro?

Rewind
Ho comprato una collana. Ho trovato la maglietta in un mercatino. Compili questo modulo. Questa una collana del diciottesimo secolo. Ho bisogno del mio passaporto? Hai comprato una tenuta da calcio?

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