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Grammar 8

Preview

Here’s a preview of the phrases you’ll be learning in this lesson.


Italian English

Vuoi questa tazza di tè?

→ Sì, la voglio.

Do you want this cup of tea?

→ Yes, I want it.

Senti quella barca?

→ Sì, la sento.

Do you hear that boat?

→ Yes, I hear it.

Vedi quella ragazza?

→ No, non la vedo.

Do you see that girl?

→ No, I don't see her.

Cerchi la scatola?

→ No, non la cerco.

Are you looking for the box?

→ No, I'm not looking for it.

Compri il pane?

→ No, non lo compro.

Do you buy the bread?

→ No, I don't buy it.

Giovanni vuole il pomodoro?

→ Sì, lo vuole.

Does Giovanni want the tomato?

→ Yes, he wants it.

Lucia sente l'uccello?

→ Sì, lo sente.

Does Lucia hear the bird?

→ Yes, she hears it.

Tua figlia vede il treno?

→ No, non lo vede.

Does your daughter see the train?

→ No, she doesn't see it.

Scrivi le lettere?

→ No, non le scrivo oggi.

Are you writing the letters?

→ No, I'm not writing them today.

Non vendi queste macchine?

→ Sì, le vendo domani.

Aren't you selling these cars?

→ Yes, I'm selling them tomorrow.

Guardi queste parole?

→ Sì, ma non le vedo bene.

Are you looking at these words?

→ Yes, but I don't see them well.

Usi mai quelle tazze?

→ No, non le uso mai.

Do you ever use those cups?

→ No, I never use them.

Giuseppe cerca i ragazzi?

→ No, non li cerca.

Is Giuseppe looking for the boys?

→ No, he's not looking for them.

Antonio trova i fiori?

→ Sì, li compra domani.

Is Antonio finding the flowers?

→ Yes, he's buying them tomorrow.

Capisci questi punti?

→ Sì, li capisco bene.

Do you understand these points?

→ Yes, I understand them well.

Usi quei pezzi di carta?

→ No, non li uso.

Are you using those pieces of paper?

→ No, I'm not using them.

Francesco non capisce quei problemi.

Francesco doesn't understand those problems.

Anna vende i biglietti e Giovanni li compra.

Anna sells the tickets and Giovanni buys them.

Puoi vendere i pomodori?

→ No, non posso venderli.

Can you sell the tomatoes?

→ No, I can't sell them.

Devi comprare le mele?

→ Sì, devo comprarle.

Do you have to buy the apples?

→ Yes, I have to buy them.

Vuoi mangiare la frutta?

→ No, non voglio mangiarla.

Do you want to eat the fruit?

→ No, I don't want to eat it.

Vuoi bere il vino?

→ Sì, voglio berlo.

Do you want to drink the wine?

→ Yes, I want to drink it.

Puoi vedermi?

→ Sì, posso vederti bene.

Can you see me?

→ Yes, I can see you well.

Angela non mi guarda mai.

Angela never looks at me.

Non ti capisco.

I don't understand you.

Antonio ti porta a Milano quest'anno?

→ Sì, mi porta lì ogni anno.

Is Antonio taking you to Milan this year?

→ Yes, he takes me there every year.

Dov'è il latte?

→ Eccolo.

Where's the milk?

→ There it is.

Dov'è la torta?

→ Eccola.

Where's the cake?

→ There it is.

Dov'è Lucia?

→ Eccola.

Where's Lucia?

→ There she is.

Dov'è Antonio?

→ Eccolo.

Where's Antonio?

→ There he is.

Dove sei?

→ Eccomi.

Where are you?

→ Here I am.

Ah, eccoti.

Ah, there you are.

Vocabulary Exercises

Exercise 8.1 - listening

Exercise 8.2 - speaking

Phrase Exercises

Exercise 8.3 - listening

Exercise 8.4 - speaking

Key concepts

  • In this lesson you learnt some pronouns: lo, it/him, la, it/her, li, them (masculine), le, them (feminine), mi, me and ti, you. You might have noticed in the exercises that these pronouns always appeared either immediately before or immediately after a verb (or the special verb-like word ecco). In fact these pronouns all belong to a special class of words known as clitic pronouns. Clitic pronouns are so named precisely because they must always be placed immediately before or immediately after a verb. They are in a sense attached to the verb and can never be separated from it. Also, when a clitic pronoun is placed after its verb it is written together with the verb as a single word: posso vederlo, I can see it.

  • When a clitic pronoun is used with a simple, finite verb, like vedo, I see, it must come before the verb: lo vedo, I see it/him. However when the pronoun is used with a compound verb that ends with an infinitive, such as posso vedere, I can see, it can either come before the whole compound verb or it can be attached to the end of the infinitive: lo posso vedere or posso vederlo, I can see it. When it is attached to the infinitive, the final e of the infinitive is dropped. In the exercises, to avoid ambiguity, we will always attach clitic pronouns to the infinitive if possible. This will give you practice using clitic pronouns both before and after verbs. Just remember that you always have the option of placing the clitic pronoun before the compound verb if you prefer.

  • Clitic pronouns can also be used with the special word ecco. In this case the clitic pronoun must always be attached to the end of the word and written together with it: eccomi, here I am.


Next Lesson: Grammar 9

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