Gruppo CSC
g
Gabriella Iacovoni 路 Nadia Persiani 路 Barbara Fiorentino
ramm.it for English-speakers Italian Grammar Complete with exercises and authentic texts
Bonacci editore
gramm.it for
Preface
English-speakers
preface
Another Italian grammar? Why? Because‌ In their many years of experience teaching foreigners, the authors of this book have often wished for a grammar that would be more agile, more in touch with the effective needs of language learners, easy to consult yet thorough enough for advanced learners. Accordingly, they have built upon their experience, studies and research in the field of language teaching, to create a fresh approach to language learning. Authentic texts selected from Italy’s rich literary heritage, contemporary articles from a wide variety of sources, up-to-date advertisements, word games, amusing anecdotes, facts and illustrations all come together to give a comprehensive image of Italian culture, and bring the student into direct contact with the language. The texts, which contain useful, interesting or amusing information about Italian life and customs, are correlated to handy grammar files which are geared to practical use.
That’s why this Italian grammar: 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8
avoids, wherever possible, the use of complicated language and terms; presents grammar structures with the help of pictures, illustrations and authentic texts to induce the student to reflect on the use of a given structure in a way that is both informative and fun; introduces grammar structures gradually, from simple to more complex, and according to frequency of use; provides a great variety and number of exercises, from the more mechanical kind of practice to interpretative and comprehension activities; gradually increases the complexity of the exercises: from multiple choice to guided activities and contextual activities; enriches the exercises with cultural information (art, cooking, geography, customs) to stimulate conversation and comparison with different cultures; presents a model reflecting spoken Italian; completes each unit with a word game that echoes the structures presented in the unit.
The following symbols are used in each unit: to present grammar points
to explain how they are used
to draw attention to exceptions or distinctive features of the language to introduce word games
tre 3
gramm.it for English-speakers · preface The book is divided into: 40 units, which are subdivided into an introduction of the new grammar structure (forms, uses, exceptions and peculiarities), followed by a wide variety of exercises, a didactic word game and lastly, by a section containing authentic texts with activities for more advanced students; 2 an appendix containing: • the key to the exercises; • tables of the regular and main irregular verb conjugations. 1
A user-friendly grammar for English-speakers Although the book is not based on a comparative analysis of English and Italian grammar, it does bear in mind some of the fundamental differences between the two languages. Language structure and all grammar points are explained in English and the equivalent of grammar terms are given where they effectively correspond. The book can be used as a self-learning tool, or as the mainstay of a language course.
Acknowledgments We wish to thank the publisher, Alessandra Bonacci, for her support and understanding during the two years of hard work necessary to the completion of this book. Our hearty thanks go to our dear friend, Professor Anthony Mollica, for using his expertise and passion for language teaching to help us revise this adaptation of gramm.it for English-speakers.
The authors Gabriella Iacovoni · Nadia Persiani · Barbara Fiorentino
4 quattro
gramm.it for
Contents unit 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
grammar The Alphabet Gender and Number of Regular Nouns The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una The Definite Article: il, lo, la… Gender and Number of Irregular Nouns Present of the Verbs essere and avere The Adjective Agrees with the Noun Comparative and Superlative Presente indicativo of Regular Verbs Presente indicativo of Main Irregular Verbs and Verbs with -iscModal Verbs: dovere, potere, volere Conjunctions: e, ma, o… Interrogatives: Chi? Dove? Quando?... Adverbs Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns: mio, tuo, suo… Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns: questo, quello… Passato prossimo Passato prossimo of Verbs with Two Possible Auxiliaries: essere or avere Reflexive Forms Direct Pronouns: lo, la, li, le … Prepositions: di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra/fra Ci and ne Imperfetto Imperfetto and passato prossimo Subordinating Conjunctions: appena, perché, siccome… Indirect Pronouns – with the Verbs bastare, mancare, piacere, servire Compound Pronouns: me lo, te la, glieli… Trapassato prossimo Passato remoto Indefinite Pronouns and Determiners: ogni, alcuni, nessuno… Futuro semplice and futuro anteriore Condizionale presente and passato Imperativo Congiuntivo presente and passato with penso che, voglio che, nonostante… Congiuntivo imperfetto and trapassato with pensavo che, volevo che, nonostante… Conditional Sentences Direct and Indirect Speech Impersonal Forms Relative Pronouns: che, cui, il quale, la quale... The Uses of infinito and gerundio Passive Voice Appendix: Tables of regular and main irregular verb conjugations, Exercise key, Credits
English-speakers
contents page 7 9 13 18 25 32 38 47 55 62 70 78 84 90 95 101 107 114 120 126 133 142 149 157 165 171 177 182 188 194 200 206 213 221 231 240 249 257 262 267 276 283
cinque 5
gramm.it unit
0
The Alphabet A as in‌ A as in B C D E F G H I L M N O P Q R S T U V Z
Pronounce the names apple of the Italian cities on the map. bell cat or chip door Udine Domodossola end Como Verona flower Milano gift or gin Torino Bologna Zara (silent) Genova Savona Imola cheese Empoli Firenze Ancona love Livorno mother never Roma so park Napoli queen (rolled on the tongue) silver or Susan tip boot very Palermo Mozart or pizza
THE ITALIAN ALPHABET A B C D E F G
a bi ci di e effe gi
H I L M N O P
acca i elle emme enne o pi
Italian uses the names of cities to spell out proper names.
Q R S T U V Z
cu erre esse ti u vu / vi zeta
Otranto
LETTERS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN J K W X Y
i lunga cappa doppia vu ics ipsilon / i greca
Paolo Bini: B di Bologna, I di Imola, N di Napoli, I di Imola.
sette 7
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 0 The Alphabet
Italian is a highly phonetic language and obeys fixed rules: • c and g followed by a, o, u are hard, as in Karl and Guy
cane
cocomero
cuore
• c and g followed by e or i are soft, as in Charles and George
gatto
gomma
gufo
• c and g followed by h+e or h+i are hard, as in Karl and Guy
cellulare
circo
foche
chiave
gelato
giraffa
spaghetti
ghiaccio
• sc followed by i or e is pronounced as in Sharon
ascensore
sci • ss is alway pronounced as in silver • gli is pronounced as in million
• gn is pronounced as in onion
bottiglia
ragno
castagne
• h is silent at the beginning of a word: ho, hai, hanno • in Italian, when the accent falls on the final vowel it is accented: città, caffè, virtù, falò, così…
Double consonants are sounded double.
8 otto
sete (thirst) – sette (seven) pala (spade) – palla (ball)
Gender and Number of Regular Nouns
gramm.it unit
1
At the supermarket cocomero
pere
birre
biscotti
salame
mele
noci
In Italian, nouns are divided into three main groups: • masculine nouns that end in -o change -o to -i in the plural
cocomero - cocomeri biscotto - biscotti
• feminine nouns that end in -a change -a to -e in the plural
mela - mele pera - pere
• masculine and feminine nouns that end in -e change -e to -i in the plural
salame - salami (m.) noce - noci (f.)
Nouns ending in:
-ore -ale -ile
fiore, colore... giornale, temporale... cortile, campanile...
-gione -sione -zione
ragione, stagione... televisione, pensione... stazione, lezione...
are usually masculine while those ending in: are usually feminine For irregular nouns, see unit 4
MASCULINE FEMININE MASCULINE / FEMININE
SINGULAR
PLURAL
-o -a -e
-i -e -i
cocomero - cocomeri mela - mele salame - salami noce - noci nove 9
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 1 Gender and Number of Regular Nouns
exercises
1. Masculine or feminine? Put the words in the appropriate column.
aereo albero borsa prigione colazione gioco errore informazione motore sveglia
masculine gioco
feminine
2. Match the words with the pictures, then write them in their proper place on the chart.
bicchieri bottiglia d’acqua coltelli crostata forchette lattine di birra mele melone pane panini patatine piatti salame tovaglia tovaglioli
salame
masculine singular salame
10 dieci
masculine plural
feminine singular
feminine plural
gramm.it for English-speakers ¡ Unit 1 Gender and Number of Regular Nouns 3. Make the following words plural.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
plural carote
carota cornetto limone melone pera
singular 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
plural
pomodoro pesce torta verdura cioccolatino
4. Find the singular or plural noun.
exercises
singular
Allo zoo‌
singolare 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
elefante scimmia
plurale elefanti cammelli
serpente giraffe tigre orsi
WORD GAME. Choose the singular nouns from among these animal names. The initials will spell out the name of another animal.
rane gallina cani ape mucche topo tartaruga pecore farfalle cavalli oca What animal is it? __ __ __ __ __
undici 11
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 1 Gender and Number of Regular Nouns
in-text grammar
1. Put the underlined words in the right place on the chart.
LE PIAZZE D’ITALIA Piazze e centri storici – quattordicimila in Italia – sono assediati dalla modernità. I sintomi sono noti. Se ne vanno le drogherie, le panetterie e i verdurieri; arrivano le banche, le gioiellerie e i negozi di abbigliamento. Con i servizi se ne vanno i residenti. Quando chiudono gli uffici, restano strade vuote e serrande abbassate, come nei downtowns americani.
masculine
feminine piazze
Beppe Severgnini, La testa degli italiani
2. Complete the text with the plural of the following words. Do not change the order of the words.
museo monumento sito spettacolo conferenza convegno mostra appuntamento lezione visita laboratorio gioco villa parco
SETTIMANA DELLA CULTURA Durante la Settimana della Cultura, organizzata ogni anno dal Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, è possibile godere dell’immenso patrimonio artistico, musei , storico e architettonico della nostra penisola, visitando gratuitamente ________ (1) __________________ e (2) ___________________ archeologici statali. In programma inoltre (3) ____________________ , (4) ___________________ , (5) ________________ e (6) _________________. Il Comune di Roma partecipa a questa grande festa della cultura, con numerosi (7) _______________ gratuiti e per tutti (8) _________________ , (9) _______________ guidate, (10) _________________ e (11) __________________ che andranno ad arricchire l’offerta dei musei, delle (12) _________________ e dei (13) _________________ storici della capitale. adapted from the site www.comune.roma.it
12 dodici
The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una uno specchio
gramm.it unit
2
un armadio
una lampada
un’agenda
MASCULINE FEMININE
un letto, un armadio una lampada
un letto
uno specchio un’agenda
The indefinite article: UN is placed before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel or a consonant UNO is placed before masculine nouns beginning with: • s + consonant (sb, sc, sp, st…) • z, gn, ps, x, y UNA is placed before all feminine nouns beginning with a consonant UN’ is placed before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel because the a is dropped from una The articles un, uno, una, un’ are used: • to indicate an element within a group or set
C’è un leone molto bello allo zoo. • to introduce a person or thing which has not been mentioned yet, or when speaking in general
Voglio comprare un appartamento.
tredici 13
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 2 The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una
exercises
1. Match the nouns with the indefinite articles. b. scoiattolo c. isola a. casa
1. UN 2. UN 3. UNO 4. UNO 5. UNA 6. UNA 7. UN’ 8. UN’
h. portafoglio
d. bandiera
e. stivale
g. anello f. arancia Now fill in the chart with the indefinite articles.
masculine feminine
2. What is it? Match the nouns with the pictures and add the indefinite article to each.
armadio
H
aula
È un tavolo
3. È ______________
14 quattordici
divano
sedia
studio
tavolo
1. È ______________
2. È ______________
4. È ______________
5. È ______________
gramm.it for English-speakers 路 Unit 2 The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una
astuccio
agenda
specchietto
giornale
merendina
rossetto
computer
exercises
3. What do these people have in their bags? Put the objects where they belong. Remember to put the indefinite article before the noun.
libro
spazzola
un libro
quindici 15
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 2 The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una
exercises
4. Un or un’ ? un fiore! H Che brutto giardino! Non c’è neanche ____ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Voglio comprare ___________ orologio più moderno. C’è ___________ uscita in fondo al corridoio? Sto cercando ___________ albergo per questa notte. Ti voglio presentare ___________ amica. Si chiama Annette. Vuoi una coca cola o ___________ aranciata?
5. Un or uno? un aeroporto. H In questa città non c’è neanche ___ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Attenta! Qui c’è ___________ sbaglio. In quella mostra c’è ___________ quadro di Picasso. C’è ___________ specchio grande in camera tua? Sul catalogo ho visto ___________ salotto bellissimo. Dammi ___________ straccio per pulire il tavolo. WORD GAME Find the masculine nouns. The letters next to the pictures, taken in sequential order, will spell out the name of this Italian dish. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
LA
un’alice
un dolce
GNE
una noce
16 sedici
TOR
TEL
un limone
LI
un peperone
NI
uno spumante
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 2 The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una 1. Complete the advertisement with the articles below.
un’ una una una uno
in-text grammar
un
2. Complete the advertisement with the appropriate indefinite articles.
un Delfini, leoni marini, foche, uccelli tropicali, pappagalli… (1)________ grande parco immerso nel verde, (2)________ oasi di svago a due passi dal mare, (3)__________ luogo magico in cui natura e divertimento sono (4) _______ cosa sola, (5) _______ angolo di paradiso dove trascorrere (6) ________ giornata indimenticabile. Come si può descrivere Zoomarine in poche righe? Bisogna visitarlo. Tra passeggiate nel verde, giochi all’aria aperta e (7) _______ spuntino si possono passare ore di emozionante svago. Zoomarine vi aspetta per farvi vivere (8)________ emozione unica.
diciassette 17