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ramm.itfor English-speakers
Gruppo CSCGabriella Iacovoni · Nadia Persiani · Barbara Fiorentino
Bonacci editore
Italian GrammarComplete with exercises and authentic texts
g
3tre
Another Italian grammar? Why?
Because…
In their many years of experience teaching foreigners, the authors of this book have often wis-hed for a grammar that would be more agile, more in touch with the effective needs of langua-ge learners, easy to consult yet thorough enough for advanced learners. Accordingly, they havebuilt upon their experience, studies and research in the field of language teaching, to create afresh 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 ofItalian culture, and bring the student into direct contact with the language. The texts, which contain useful, interesting or amusing information about Italian life andcustoms, are correlated to handy grammar files which are geared to practical use.
That’s why this Italian grammar:
1 avoids, wherever possible, the use of complicated language and terms;2 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 informativeand fun;
3 introduces grammar structures gradually, from simple to more complex, and according tofrequency of use;
4 provides a great variety and number of exercises, from the more mechanical kind of practiceto interpretative and comprehension activities;
5 gradually increases the complexity of the exercises: from multiple choice to guided activitiesand contextual activities;
6 enriches the exercises with cultural information (art, cooking, geography, customs) to stimulateconversation and comparison with different cultures;
7 presents a model reflecting spoken Italian;8 completes each unit with a word game that echoes the structures presented in the unit.
The following symbols are used in each unit:
Preface
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
preface
gramm.itfor
English-speakers
4
gramm.it for English-speakers · preface
quattro
The book is divided into:
1 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 wordgame and lastly, by a section containing authentic texts with activities for more advanced stu-dents;
2 an appendix containing:• the key to the exercises;• tables of the regular and main irregular verb conjugations.
A user-friendly grammar for English-speakersAlthough the book is not based on a comparative analysis of English and Italian grammar, it doesbear in mind some of the fundamental differences between the two languages. Language struc-ture and all grammar points are explained in English and the equivalent of grammar terms aregiven where they effectively correspond. The book can be used as a self-learning tool, or as themainstay of a language course.
AcknowledgmentsWe wish to thank the publisher, Alessandra Bonacci, for her support and understanding duringthe 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 andpassion for language teaching to help us revise this adaptation of gramm.it for English-speakers.
The authorsGabriella Iacovoni · Nadia Persiani · Barbara Fiorentino
5cinque
The Alphabet 7Gender and Number of Regular Nouns 9The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una 13The Definite Article: il, lo, la… 18Gender and Number of Irregular Nouns 25Present of the Verbs essere and avere 32The Adjective Agrees with the Noun 38Comparative and Superlative 47Presente indicativo of Regular Verbs 55Presente indicativo of Main Irregular Verbs and Verbs with -isc- 62Modal Verbs: dovere, potere, volere 70Conjunctions: e, ma, o… 78Interrogatives: Chi? Dove? Quando?... 84Adverbs 90Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns: mio, tuo, suo… 95Demonstrative Adjectives and Pronouns: questo, quello… 101Passato prossimo 107Passato prossimo of Verbs with Two Possible Auxiliaries: essere or avere 114Reflexive Forms 120Direct Pronouns: lo, la, li, le … 126Prepositions: di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra/fra 133Ci and ne 142Imperfetto 149Imperfetto and passato prossimo 157Subordinating Conjunctions: appena, perché, siccome… 165Indirect Pronouns – with the Verbs bastare, mancare, piacere, servire 171Compound Pronouns: me lo, te la, glieli… 177Trapassato prossimo 182Passato remoto 188Indefinite Pronouns and Determiners: ogni, alcuni, nessuno… 194Futuro semplice and futuro anteriore 200Condizionale presente and passato 206Imperativo 213Congiuntivo presente and passato with penso che, voglio che, nonostante… 221Congiuntivo imperfetto and trapassato with pensavo che, volevo che, nonostante… 231Conditional Sentences 240Direct and Indirect Speech 249Impersonal Forms 257Relative Pronouns: che, cui, il quale, la quale... 262The Uses of infinito and gerundio 267Passive Voice 276Appendix: Tables of regular and main irregular verb conjugations, Exercise key, Credits 283
unit grammar pageContents contents
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gramm.itfor
English-speakers
7sette
Italian uses the names of cities to spell out proper names.
Paolo Bini: B di Bologna, I di Imola, N di Napoli, I di Imola.
The Alphabetunit
0gramm.it
A aB biC ciD di E e F effeG gi
H accaI iL elleM emmeN enneO oP pi
Q cuR erre S esseT tiU uV vu / viZ zeta
THE ITALIAN ALPHABET
J i lungaK cappaW doppia vuX ics Y ipsilon / i greca
LETTERS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN
A as in…
A as in appleB bellC cat or chipD doorE endF flowerG gift or ginH (silent)I cheeseL loveM motherN neverO soP parkQ queenR (rolled on the tongue)S silver or SusanT tipU bootV veryZ Mozart or pizza
Pronounce the names of the Italian cities on the map.
Como
Bologna
FirenzeLivorno Ancona
ZaraImola
Otranto
Empoli
Roma
Napoli
Palermo
MilanoVerona
DomodossolaUdine
Torino
Savona Genova
8
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 0 The Alphabet
otto
• c and g followed by a, o, u are hard, as in Karl and Guy
• c and g followed by e or iare soft, as in Charles and George
• in Italian, when the accent falls on the final vowel it is accented: città, caffè, virtù, falò, così…
cane cocomero gomma gufo
cellulare circo foche chiave
spaghetti ghiaccio
sci ascensore
bottiglia ragno castagne
gelato giraffa
cuore gatto
• gli is pronounced as in million • gn is pronounced as in onion
• h is silent at the beginning of a word: ho, hai, hanno
Italian is a highly phonetic language and obeys fixed rules:
• sc followed by i or eis pronounced as in Sharon
• c and g followed by h+e or h+iare hard, as in Karl and Guy
Double consonants are sounded double. sete (thirst) – sette (seven)pala (spade) – palla (ball)
• ss is alway pronounced as in silver
9nove
Gender and Number of Regular Nouns
unit
1gramm.it
At the supermarket
pere
biscotti
cocomero
birre
salame
mele
noci
• masculine nouns that end in -ochange -o to -i in the plural
• feminine nouns that end in -achange -a to -e in the plural
• masculine and feminine nouns that end in -echange -e to -i in the plural
Nouns ending in: -ore-ale-ile
are usually masculine
while those ending in: -gione-sione-zione
are usually feminine
cocomero - cocomeribiscotto - biscotti
mela - melepera - pere
salame - salami (m.)noce - noci (f.)
fiore, colore...giornale, temporale...cortile, campanile...
ragione, stagione...televisione, pensione...stazione, lezione...
In Italian, nouns are divided into three main groups:
For irregular nouns, see unit 4
SINGULAR PLURALMASCULINE -o -i cocomero - cocomeriFEMININE -a -e mela - meleMASCULINE / FEMININE -e -i salame - salami
noce - noci
10
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 1 Gender and Number of Regular Nouns
dieci
1. Masculine or feminine? Put the words in the appropriate column.
aereo albero borsa prigionecolazione gioco errore
informazione motore sveglia
masculinegioco
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
masculine singularsalame
masculine plural feminine singular feminine plural
salame
exer
cise
s
Allo zoo…
11undici
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 1 Gender and Number of Regular Nouns
singular1. carota2. cornetto3. limone4. melone5. pera
plural singularcarote
plural
3. Make the following words plural.
4. Find the singular or plural noun.
6. pomodoro7. pesce8. torta9. verdura10. cioccolatino
singolare1. elefante2. scimmia3.4. serpente5.6. tigre7.
pluraleelefanti
cammelli
giraffe
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? __ __ __ __ __
exercises
in-te
xt g
ram
mar
1. Put the underlined words in the right place on the chart.
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
12
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 1 Gender and Number of Regular Nouns
dodici
LE PIAZZE D’ITALIA
Piazze e centri storici – quattordicimila inItalia – sono assediati dalla modernità.I sintomi sono noti. Se ne vanno le dro-gherie, le panetterie e i verdurieri; arriva-no le banche, le gioiellerie e i negozi diabbigliamento. Con i servizi se ne vanno iresidenti.Quando chiudono gli uffici, restano stra-de vuote e serrande abbassate, come neidowntowns americani.
masculinepiazze
feminine
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,
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
musei
Beppe Severgnini, La testa degli italiani
13tredici
unit
2gramm.it
un’agenda
una lampada
uno specchio un armadio
un letto
MASCULINE un letto, un armadio uno specchioFEMININE una lampada un’agenda
The indefinite article:UN is placed before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel or a consonantUNO 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 consonantUN’ 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
• to introduce a person or thing which has notbeen mentioned yet, or when speaking in general
C’è un leone molto bello allo zoo.
Voglio comprare un appartamento.
The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una
14
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 2 The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una
quattordici
exer
cise
s1. Match the nouns with the indefinite articles.
Now fill in the chart with the indefinite articles.
masculinefeminine
2. What is it? Match the nouns with the pictures and add the indefinite article to each.
armadio aula divano sedia studio tavolo
H È un tavolo 1. È ______________ 2. È ______________
3. È ______________ 4. È ______________ 5. È ______________
a. casa
b. scoiattoloc. isola
d. bandiera
e. stivale
f. arancia
h. portafoglio
g. anello
1. UN2. UN3. UNO4. UNO5. UNA6. UNA7. UN’8. UN’
15
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 2 The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una
quindici
exercisesastuccio agenda computer
giornale libro
merendina rossetto spazzola
specchietto
3. What do these people have in their bags? Put the objects where they belong.Remember to put the indefinite article before the noun.
un libro
16
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 2 The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una
sedici
exer
cise
s4. Un or un’ ?
H Che brutto giardino! Non c’è neanche ____ fiore!
1. Voglio comprare ___________ orologio più moderno.
2. C’è ___________ uscita in fondo al corridoio?
3. Sto cercando ___________ albergo per questa notte.
4. Ti voglio presentare ___________ amica. Si chiama Annette.
5. Vuoi una coca cola o ___________ aranciata?
5. Un or uno?
H In questa città non c’è neanche ___ aeroporto.
1. Attenta! Qui c’è ___________ sbaglio.
2. In quella mostra c’è ___________ quadro di Picasso.
3. C’è ___________ specchio grande in camera tua?
4. Sul catalogo ho visto ___________ salotto bellissimo.
5. Dammi ___________ straccio per pulire il tavolo.
un
un
WORD GAMEFind the masculine nouns. The letters next to the pictures, taken in sequential order, will spell out the name of this Italian dish.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
un’alice un limone
una noce un peperone uno spumante
un dolce
LA TOR TEL
GNE LI NI
17
gramm.it for English-speakers · Unit 2 The Indefinite Article: un, uno, una
diciassette
in-text gramm
ar1. Complete the advertisement with the articles below.
un un’ una una una uno
2. Complete the advertisement with the appropriate indefinite articles.
Delfini, leoni marini, foche, uccelli tro-
picali, 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.
un