lezione 1: lei come si chiama? alessandra e francesco hanno diciassette anni e frequentano il liceo

Lezione 1: Lei come si chiama?

Alessandra e Francesco hanno diciassette anni e frequentano il liceo.

Communicative Objectives

Describe yourself and others by age and place of originTalk about likes and dislikesMake negative statementsIndicate possession (of basic objects)

Situazioni (p. 16)

Find out how old some of your classmates are. —Quanti anni hai? —Ho (diciotto) anni.

Ask the same classmates where they are from.—Di dove sei?

—Sono di (Columbus / Dallas / Boston).

Find out what the same classmates like to study.—Che cosa ti piace studiare? —Mi piace studiare medicina (legge / matematica / italiano / inglese / storia).

Vocabolario (p. 17)

Pronuncia: sillabazione (p. 19)Pronuncia: sillabazione (p. 19)

A single consonant between two vowels belongs with the following vowel or diphthong (two vowels pronounced as a single syllable).

Double consonants are always divided.

A combination of two different consonants belongs with the following vowel, unless the first consonant is l, m, n, or r. In this case the two consonants are divided.

Pronuncia: sillabazione (p. 19)Pronuncia: sillabazione (p. 19)

When three consonants are combined, the first belongs with the preceding syllable, except s, which belongs with the following syllable.

Unstressed i and u are not separated from the vowel they combine with.

Pronuncia: accento tonico (p. 19)Pronuncia: accento tonico (p. 19)

Italian words are usually stressed on the second-to-last syllable. Most of the exceptions are stressed on the third-to-last syllable.

Words stressed on the last syllable have a written accent mark on the final vowel.

A few words (mostly verb forms) are stressed on the fourth-from-last syllable.

I numeri da 20 a 100 (p. 20)I numeri da 20 a 100 (p. 20)

The numbers venti, trenta, quartanta, etc., drop the vinal vowel (-i or –a) when combined with uno and otto: ventuno, ventotto, trentuno, trentotto, quarantuno, quarantotto, etc.

I numeri da 20 a 100 (p. 20)I numeri da 20 a 100 (p. 20)

Qual è il numero di telefono……dei Vigili del fuoco (Fire department)?…del Soccorso stradale (Road assistance)? …del Soccorso pubblico (Police)?…dei Carabinieri (Gendarme (police))…dell’Emergenza sanitaria (Medical emergency)?

Cose utili (p. 22)Cose utili (p. 22)

Che cosa hai? (p. 23)Che cosa hai? (p. 23)

Ask another student if he/she has the objects listed under cose utili in his/her room.

Esempio: —Hai un giornale? —Sì, ho un giornale. / No, non ho un giornale.

Pronomi personali (p. 24)Pronomi personali (p. 24)

A personal or subject pronoun (un pronome personale) is used as the subject of a verb and refers to the person or thing doing the action.

Pronomi personali (p. 24)Pronomi personali (p. 24)

Use tu when addressing a member of your family, a friend, a child, or in general, a person of your own age in an informal setting.Use voi when addressing more than one person except in very formal situationsUse lei when addressing more than one person except in very formal situationsUse loro when speaking to more than one person to whom you wish to show respect

—Voi siete americani?—Lui sì, ma io no.—Voi siete americani?—Lui sì, ma io no.

Tu, lei o voi? (p. 25)Tu, lei o voi? (p. 25)

Which pronoun meaning you would you use to speak directly to the following people?

1. your father2. your mother and father3. your father’s boss4. your doctor5. your doctor’s assistant6. your doctor and his/her assistant together7. another student in your class8. your teacher

Presente di essere (p. 26)Presente di essere (p. 26)

Presente di essere (p. 26)Presente di essere (p. 26)

Essere (to be) is one of the most commonly used verbs in Italian. Essere is an infinitive, the form that tells the meaning of a verb. Nearly all Italian infinitives end in –are, –ere, or –ire.

The subject pronoun can be omitted from a sentence. The pronoun is generally used only for stress or clarity. To make a sentence negative, use the word non before the verb.

Interviste (p. 27)Interviste (p. 27)

Interview three or four other students in your class. Find out if they are Italian, where they are from, and if they are freshmen (del primo anno). Pay attention to the answers you hear and be ready to tell in Italian what you have learned about your classmates

Esempio: —Sei italiano/a? —No, non sono italiano/a. —(To class) Lui/lei non è italiano/a.

Presente di avere (p. 28)Presente di avere (p. 28)

The verb avere (to have) indicates possession. It also means to be in many idiomatic expressions such as avere…anni (to be…years old).

La camera di Marco (p. 29)La camera di Marco (p. 29)

Look at the drawing of Marco’s bedroom. Take turns talking about some of the things Marco has in his room. Then find out if your partner has them.

Esempio: —Marco ha un calendario. Anche tu hai un calendario? —Sì, anch’io ho un calendario. / No, io non ho un calendario. E tu?

Genere dei nomi e l’articolo indeterminativo (p. 30) Genere dei nomi e l’articolo indeterminativo (p. 30)


Italian nouns are either masculine or feminine. Generally, nouns ending in –o or a consonant are masculine, and those ending in –a are feminine. Nouns ending in –e can be either masculine or feminine and should be memorized as you learn them.


The indefinite article, which corresponds to the English a or an, has different forms in Italian according to the sound that follows and the gender of the noun modified.

Un is used with a masculine noun beginning with most consonants or with a vowel. Uno is used with a masculine noun beginning with s + a consonant, or z. Una is used with a feminine noun beginning with a consonant.Un’ is used with a feminine noun beginning with a vowel.

In una cartoleria (p. 31)In una cartoleria (p. 31)

You are in a cartoleria (stationary store). With your partner playing the salesperson, ask for the items from the list below.

Esempio: —Un dizionario, per favore. —Ecco un dizionario.

Conoscere l’Italia: Roma (p. 34-35)Conoscere l’Italia: Roma (p. 34-35)

Un po’ di geografia

1. Il __________ è una regione d’Italia. (nord, Bologna, Lazio)

2. Roma è la __________ d’Italia.(capitale, città, Toscana)

3. Roma è nella regione __________. (Lombardia, Lazio, Toscana)

4. Il Colosseo è a __________. (Torino, Firenze, Roma)

5. Il Lazio è nel __________ d’Italia. (nord, centro, sud)


Che cosa sono?


1. Che cosa è il Lazio?

2. Qual è il nome latino di Roma?

3. Dov’è Roma?

4. Come si chiamano tre luoghi caratteristici di Roma?

5. Quali sono due piazze famose di Roma?

6. Chi visita Roma?

lezione 1: lei come si chiama? alessandra e francesco hanno diciassette anni e frequentano il liceo

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