Benvenuto!

Try reading them in Italian first then read the pronunciation and last the English meaning. We welcome and encourage your feedback as you progress with the lessons.

Here are some interrogative phrases to learn that are used in everyday conversations.

Cosa c’e’ nel forno? Kosza che nel fohr-noh? What is in the oven?

Cosa beve il cane? Kosza bev-eh eel kah-neh? What is the dog drinking?

Cosa c’e’ nel tostapane? Kosza che nel tohs-ta-pa-nay? What is in the toaster?

Kosza c’e’ nel cestino da picnic? Kosza c’e’ nel chays-tee-noh da peek-neek? What is in the picnic basket?

From October 2008 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson # 11

Welcome back. I hope you all have been studying my lessons. Here are some words for you to learn.

La pianta – La Pyan-ta - The plant

Il vaso – Eel va-zoh – The vase/pot

Il camino – Eel ka-mee-noh – The fireplace

La cameriera – La kam-ay-ryay-ra – The waitress

L’insalata – Leen-sa-la-ta – The salad

La bistecca – La bees-tayk-ka – The steak

La torta – La tohr-ta – The cake

Le uova fritte – Lay- ooh-va free-tay – Fried eggs

Il pollo arrosto – Eel pohl-loh ar-ros-toh – Roast chicken

La pancetta – La pan-chayt-ta – The bacon

La brocca – La brok-ka – The pitcher

La tazza – La tat-tsa – The cup

La tovaglia – La toh-va-lya  - The Tablecloth

Il piattino – Eel pyat-tee-noh – The saucer

Il panino – Eel pa-knee-noh – The sandwich

See you next month. Study.

 

From September 2008 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson # 10

Welcome back. I hope you all have been studying my lessons. Here are some  more phrases for you to learn.

Da dove venite? Duh doh-vay ven-it eh? Where are you from?

Notte e giorno. Not-eh eh Gee-or-noh. Night and day.

 Dire la verita. Dee-ray lah ver-ee-tah. Tell the truth.

Sono affamato. Soh-no af-amah-toh. I am famished.

Ho bisogno di questo. O bee-son-yo dee

 

koo-es-toh. I am in need of this.

Hai ragione.  Ah-ee Ra-gee-oh-nay. You are right.

Io scherzo. Ee-oh Skir-tso. I am kidding/joking

Per tutto l’anno. Per too-toh L’ahn-noh.  For the entire year.

Il cane morde? Eel cah-neh more-deh? The dog bites?

Vi domando un favore. Vee dom-andoh oon fah-voray. I ask you a favor.

Non m’importa. Non mee-im-port-ah. It does not matter to me.

 

From June 2008 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson #9

As promised in the last newsletter, here are some more phrases for you to learn. Always be aware of the gender of the person you are speaking of or to (Male/Female).

 

Io mi chiamo Franco/Franca – Ee-oh mee kee-ahmo Fran-ko/fran-ka) – My name is Fran-ko/Fran-ka)

Piacere di conoscerti/conoscerla – Pya-tche- ray dee con-oh-sher-tee/con-oh-sher-la – Pleased to know you.

Questo/questa  e’ mio/mia marito/moglie – Koo-eh-sto/koo-eh-sta  eh mee-oh/mee-ah  mar-ee-toh/moh-lye  – This is my husband/wife.

Questo/Questa e il/la mio/mia fidanzato/fidanzata – Koo-eh-sto/koo-eh-sta eh eel/la mee-oh/mee-ah fee-dan-tsa-toh/fee-dan-tsa-tah. This is my fiance.

E’ qui da solo/sola? – Eh koo-ee dah sol-oh/sol-ah? – Are you here alone?

Ti  piace qui. (either M/F) – Tea pee-ah-che koo-ee? – You like it here?

Come sta la tua famiglia?(either M/F) – ko-meh stah la too-ah fam-ee-lya? – How is your family?

Hai dormito bene? (either M/F) – Ah-ee door-mee-toh beh-neh? Did you sleep well?

Ti senti bene? (either M/F) – Tea-sen-tee beh-neh? Are feeling well?

Hai fatto un buon viaggio? (Either M/F) – Ah-ee fat-toh oon boo-on vee-ah-gee-oh? Did you have a good trip?

Pronto, chi  parla? – (either M/F) - Pron-toh, key par-la?

Hello, who’s speaking?

See you in September with more Italian lessons. Have a happy summer vacation.

 

From May 2008 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson # 8

Here are some communication phrases for you to learn.

1.      A che ora apre? - Ah keh o-rah ah-pray? – At what time you open?

2.      A che ora chiude? – Ah keh- o-rah key-oo-deh? – At what time you close?

3.      Il Papa si trova al Vaticano. – Eel pa-pah see troh-vah al Vah-tee-can-noh. – The pope is in the Vatican.

4.      Cosa desidera?- Ko-sah deh-see-der-ah. - What do you like?

5.      Cosa significa? – Ko-sa sin-nye-fee kah. - What does it mean?

6.      Cosa cerca? – Ko-sa chair-kah? – What you looking for?

7.      Che tempo fa’?- Keh tem-poh fah? – How’s the weather?

8.      Sta piovendo. – Stah Pee-oh-vend-oh. – It is raining.

9.      Che ora e’.- Keh Oh-rah eh? – What time is it?

10. Il tempo e’ bello. – Eel tem-poh eh behl-loh. – The weather is nice.

11. Come si scrive?- Coh-meh see- sckree-veh? – How do you write it?

12. Stefano e un mio amico. Steh-pha-noh eh oon mee-oh ah-mee-coh.- Stephen is my friend.

13. Quanto e’ il deposito?- Koo-ahn-toh eh ill de-poh-see-toh?- How much is the deposit?

14. Il fazzoletto.- Eel fah-tso-let-toh.- The handkerchief.

15. La tovaglia.- La toh-val-ya. The tablecloth.

16. La sedia e’  La se-dee-ah eh rot-tah.- The chair is broken.

 

More phrases in the next lesson.

 

From April 2008 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson # 8

The following are the singular and plural personal pronouns. These pronouns will help you know how to correctly address a person(s).

Singular Form:

IO – EE-OH – I      TU – TOO – You

LUI, LEI, EGLI, ESSA (F) – LOO-EE, LE-EE, EH-LLEE, EH-SAH – He, She, It

 

Plural Form:

NOI – NO-EE - We

VOI – VO-EE – You/they

LORO, ESSI, ESSE (F) – LO(w)- RO(w), EH-SEA,  EH–SE(t) – They 

 

Here are some examples using the above pronouns in the singular form. 

I go away – IO vado via   Will You come? TU vieni?  Where is HE, SHE, IT? Dove e’ LUI, LEI,

 

EGLI, ESSA (F)?

And in the plural form:

WE are here. NOI siamo qui.  Will YOU (plural) come? VOI venite? THEY are going away. LORO, ESSI, ESSE (F) vanno via.

Here are some sentences for you to practice with. Using the above pronouns, place the correct pronoun in the blank space. Use singular or plural pronouns.

___ vado a mangiare.    I go eat.

Come state ____?  How are you (Plural)?

____ e’ andata a Roma.   She went to Rome

Dove sono andati ____? Where did they (Plural) go?

____hai fame?  Are you (singular) hungry?

Quanti soldi ha ____?  How much money does he has?

___ andiamo al cinema. We go to the cinema.   Watch out for your masculine or feminine, plural or singular tenses.

 

From March 2008 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson # 7

 

Here are some interrogative pronoun conjunctions. These conjunctions are useful when we want to know “Reasons”, “Interrogate” or “Questions” what is being said in conversations. What?, When?, Why?, Which?, Whom? Who?, Whose?, Where?, and How?

 

Quando?- Koo-ahn-doh?– When?

Perche?- Per-ke’?– Why?

Che Cosa?-Ke-co-sa? – What?

Quale? -Koo-ahn-le? – Which?

A Chi?- Ah Key? – To Whom?

Chi?- Key? – Who?

Di Chi?- Dee Key? – Whose?

Come?- Ko-me?- How?

Quanto? Koo-ahn- toh?- How Much?

Dove?- Doh-ve?- Where/Where to?

Dov’e’?- Doh-ve’?- Where is it?

Da Dove?- Duh doh-ve? – Where from?

 

Here are a few sentences using the above conjunctions.

 

Da dove vieni? Where are you from?

Perche non vieni? Why don’t you come?

Che cosa hai detto? What did you say?

Come stai? How are you?

 

From February 2008 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson # 6

In this lesson, we are going to learn about  the  Prepositions “CON”  pronounce d “ KON” which means “With”.

 Ci andro’ CON  lei – Chee ahn-draw kon lay. I’ll go with her. 

CON chi sei stato? – Kon key say stah-to. Who were you with?

CON un ragazzo – Kon oon rah-ga-tso. With a boy. CON una ragazza CON gli occhi blu. Kon oon-ah rah-ga-tsa Kon lli ok-kee blue. With a girl with blue eyes.

Sono in contatto CON loro- Soh-no in kon-tah-toh kon loh-ro. I am in contact with them.

Hai parlato CON lui?  Ah-ee par-lah-toh kon loo-ee? Have you spoken with him? 

When we add an article to the preposition “CON” ,  it becomes “With The” Thus: Con il, con i, con la, con le, con lo. Below are other  form of the above.

Con+ il = Col – Kohl. With the (Masculine singular )

Con+i = Coi – Ko-ee. With the (masculine plural)

Example: Coi ragazzi – Ko-ee rah-gah-tsi. With the boys.

Con+le =Colle – Kohl-le. With the (feminine plural )

Con+la =Colla – Kohl-la. With the (feminine singular )

Con+lo = Collo – Kohl-lo. With the (singular)

Con+l’ –Coll’ – Kohl’. With the (This is the apostrophe form. Example: col’aereo – kohl’ah-eh-reo. With the airplane)

Con+gli –Cogli – Kohl-lli. With the. (Nuetral Plural).

 

From January 2008 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson # 5

ARTICLES/PREPOSITIONS

Indefinite Articles:

Un – Uno (a – an) used with Masculine nouns.

Pronounced as: oon – oo-noh

Un - Una (a –an) used with feminine nouns.

Pronounced as: oon – oo-nah

Prepositions:

All of the following mean “Of The”

Del - Masculine/singular

As in Farmer in the DEL

Dello –Masculine /singular

Pronounced as: DEL-LOH

Dei – Masculine/plural

Pronounced as:  Day

Degli – Masculine/ plural

Pronounced as: DE(laware) +MI(LLI)ON

Della – Feminine /singular Pronounced as: DE(LAWARE) +Musical note “LA”

Delle – Feminine/plural Pronounced as: DE(laware)

+ LE (LE)g

All of The following mean “At The”

Al - Masculine /singular Pronounced as the name “AL”

Allo – Masculine/singular Pronounced as: AL +LOH

Ai – Masculine/plural Pronounced as: AH - EE

Agli – Masculine/plural Pronounced as: A(pple) + “LLI” as in mi(lli)on

Alla – Feminine /singular Pronounced as: AL + the musical note “LA”

Alle – Feminine /plural Pronounced as AL + LE(g)

 

Preposition indicating possession:

Di – Meaning “Of”  pronounced “Dee”

 

Preposition indicating origination “From”:

Da – Singular form Pronounced DUH

Dal – Masculine/singular

Pronounced as “DULL”

Dallo – Masculine/singular Pronounced as: DULL+ LO as in LO(go)

Dai – Masculine/plural Pronounced as: DUH - EE

Dagli – Masculine/plural Pronounced as: DUH + LLI as in mi(LLI)on

Dalla – Feminine/singular  Pronounced as:  DULL + LA as the musical note “LA”

Dalle – Feminine/plural Pronouced as: DULL + LE as in LE(g)

Study these last five lessons as they will come handy when we start to put sentences together.

 

From December 2007 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson # 4

Possessive Pronouns in the Masculine and Feminine Singular forms.

Masculine:

Il Mio – My, Il Tuo – Your, il Suo- His, Il Nostro – Our, Il Vostro, Your, Il loro – Their.

Feminine:

La Mia – My, La Tua – Your, La Sua – Her, La Nostra – Our, La Vostra – Your.

You will notice that the pronouns  when  said in the feminine form change their ending from “o” to “a”  and  the article “il” Changes to “La”. One exception is the Pronoun  “Loro” - “Their” were only the articles changes and “Loro” Stay the same in both forms.

Possessive Pronouns in the Masculine  and Feminine Plural forms.

Masculine:

I Miei – My, I Tuoi –Your, I Suoi – His, I Nostri – Our, I Vostri – Your, I Loro – Their

Feminine:

Le Mie – My, Le Tue – Your, Le Sue, Her, Le Nostre – Our, Le Vostre – Your, Le Loro, Their.

Again notice that the Pronouns when said in the feminine form change their ending from “i” to “e” and the article “I” changes to “Le”

The same exception apply to the pronoun “Loro” – “Their”  were only the article changes.

Learning the above Pronouns and articles will help you better address the person or persons you’re speaking to.

 

From November 2007 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson-Number 3

Articles:

The English article “The” has many forms in Italian.

IL singular form changes to I in the plural form.

LO singular form changes to GLI in the plural form. The above articles are used with masculine nouns and adjectives.

LA singular form changes to LE in the plural form. These two articles are used with feminine nouns and adjectives. However, LA loses the A and takes on the apostrophe L’ when used in front of words beginning with vowels. Here are some examples: L’uomo – The man. L’altra – The other one. L’inglese – The English man.

 

Personal Pronouns:

Singular Form.

IO - I, TU – YOU, LUI – HE, LEI – SHE.

Plural Form.

NOI – WE, VOI – YOU, LORO – THEY.

 

Let’s try a few sentences using the above pronouns with the English verb Go.

Io VADO via – I go away.

Tu VAI via – You go away.

Noi ANDIAMO via – We go away.

Loro VANNO via – They go away.

Voi ANDATE via – You go away.

Note how the verb Go changes with the different pronouns.

 

In lesson 4 we will learn about Possessive pronouns and Prepositions. Ciao.

 

From October 2007 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson-Number-2
The alphabet, as in any language, is the key to learning how to speak, read and write. Without knowing how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet, one cannot read, speak or write the language.

Here are some of the most important pronunciation rules.
C before a, o, u and before consonants, sounds like k, before e and i sounds like Ch in  Church.
g before a,o,u and before consonants, sounds like the g in good, before e and i like the g in general.
S before vowels a,e,i,o,u and consonants c,f,p,q,s,t is pronounced like the s in sun.
S before consonants b,d,g,l,m,n,t,v is pronounced like the s in no(se).
gli like in mi(lli)on
gn like in o(ni)on
Ch like a “k”
Gh like in (gh)etto or spa(gh)etti

 

A - (A)pple, B - Bee, C -  (Ch)urch. D - Dee, E - Eh, F - (effe)ct, G - Gee, H - A-ka,
I - Ee, L - Eh-le, M - Eh-meh, N - Eh-neh, O - Oh, P - Pea, Q - Koo,
R - Eh-reh, S - Es-eh, T - Tea, U - Oo, V - Vee,  Z - Tse-ta

In lesson # 3 we will learn about Articles and Pronouns. Remember, practice makes perfect. See you next month.

 

From September 2007 ICO Newsletter:

Lesson-Number-1
To begin - As with any language, there are rules that one must know in order to be able to speak the language correctly. The Italian language is no exception. 

 

Rules you need to know: The Italian alphabet has 21 letters. The letters K, J, W. X, and Y are not used in the Italian language. However, they are used in proper names. The Italian language has two speaking forms. Formal and informal, and two gender forms: Masculine and Feminine. You will need to learn them in order to speak correctly. Don’t worry, there are rules that will help you recognize these gender forms. They will be explained as we progress thru the lessons. In the Italian language, one must read and pronounce every letter and vowels in a word. No letter or vowel is skipped or not pronounced. There is, however, an exception - the letter “H”. When written at the beginning of a word it is silent.  Ie: “Hanno” comes from the verb “to Have” the “H” in this case is silent. It also helps us to distinguish it from the word  “Anno” which means “Year”.
The Accent “`” when written over a vowel at the end of a word is used to accentuate the word in order to give it a different meaning from a similar word or to distinguish it from a verb or conjunction. Ie: E` = IS from the verb “To Be”. E = AND a conjunction.
Casino - refers to a house of “ill repute” (to use a better word). Casino` - refers to a gambling place.
The Apostrophe “’” is used anytime there is a need to omit a vowel when the Article and the word that follows start with the same vowel. Ie: It is not correct to say “Lo Ombrello” meaning “the Umbrella” The sound of the two O’s run together and therefore cannot be pronounced separately. To correct this, we place an apostrophe after the L - L’Ombrello. Another example is “La Autobus” - L’Autobus meaning the Bus and so on.

The vowels A, E, I, O and U are pronounced as follows: “A” as in Apple, “E” as in Bed, “I” as EE, “O” as in Orange, and “U” as in T(OO). These sounds never change when pronounced in a word.

See you next month with lesson #2 “How to pronounce the letters of the Alphabet“.

 

From June 2007 ICO Newsletter:

More Things found in the Kitchen:
1. Il Forno - Eel phor-no - The Oven
2. Le forchette, i coltelli, i cucchiai - Leh fohr-kayt-te, Ee cohl-tehl-lee, Ee kook-kya-ee - The forks, the knives, the spoons
3. I tovaglioli di carta - Ee toh-va-lyo-lee dee kar-at - The paper napkins
4. Il tostapane - Eel tohs-ta-pa-nay - The toaster
5. I bicchieri - Ee beek-kyeh-ree - The glasses

 

From May 2007 ICO Newsletter:

Things found in the bathroom:
1. Il sapone per la faccia - Eel sah-po-nay per la fa-chee-ah -The face soap
2. La carta igenica - La car-tah ee-jen-eeka - The toilet paper
3. La vasca di bagno - L:a vah-ska dee bah-nyo - The bathtub
4. Il lavandino - Eel  la-van-dee-no - The bathroom sink
5. L’asciugamano per la faccia - L’ash-you-gah-mano - per la fa-chee-ah - The face towel

 

From April 2007 ICO Newsletter:

1. Il presidente del ICO club si chiama Aladino Cassar. Eel pre-cee-dentay del ICO club see kia-mah Aladino Cassar. The ICO club President’s name is Aladino Cassar 
2. Il vice Presidente e’ Lee Wheeler. Eel vee-chey Pre-cee-dentay eh Lee Wheeler. The vice president is Lee Wheeler.
3. Il Tesoriere si chiama Pam Spagna. Eel Tesor-ee-eh-ray see kia-mah Pam Spagna. The Treasurer’s name is Pan Spagna.
4 La Segretaria si chiama Margaret Massey. La Se-gretah-ree-ah see kia-mah Margaret Massey. The Secretary’s name is Margaret Massey.
5. Queste persone sono il Commitato Ufficiale del ‘ICO club. Kue-steh per-so-nay so-noh eel com-ee-tah-toh uf-fee-chia-leh del ICO club.  These people are the Committee Officer of the ICO club.

From March 2007 ICO Newsletter:

Things found in the Kitchen:
Il frigorifero - eel free-goh-ree-fay-roh = The refrigerator
Il Forno - eel fohr-noh = The oven
La padella - la pa-dehl-la = The frying pan
Il Coperchio - eel koh-pehr-kyoh = The cover (The lid)
La Caffettiera - la caf-eh-tee-a-rah = The coffee maker 

 

Things found in the Laundry room:
La lava trice - La la-va-tree-chay = The washing machine
La roba sporca - la ro-bah spor-ka = The dirty things (clothes towels etc)
Il detersivo - eel day-tayr-see-voh = The laundry detergent
L’essiccatore - lays-seek-ka-toh-ray = The dryer
La gruccia - la gru-chee-ah = The coathanger

 

From February 2007 ICO Newsletter:

1. Dove vai? Do-veh va-ee? Where are you going?
2. Sono tornato ieri. So-noh tor-nahtoh ee-eh-ree. I retuned yesterday.
3. Ti voglio molto bene. Tee vo-lee-oh mol-toh be-neh. I like/love you very much.
4. Sono andata a fare la spesa. So-noh ahn-da-tah ah fa-reh la spe-sza. I went to do the shopping.
5.  Io imparo a parlare l’Italiano. Ee-oh eem-pa-roh ah par-la-reh l’ee-tah-lee-ah-noh. I am learning to speak (l’ = the) Italian.

 

From November 2006 ICO Newsletter:

Here are a few new sentences for you to learn. As you can see, they are questions one may ask about the Italian club. Try reading them in Italian first then read the pronunciation and last the English meaning.
1. Chiamami al telefono verso le tre del pomeriggio. Keeah-mahmee ahl tele-fohno ver-soh leh treh del pom-aree-geeoh. Telephone me around three in the afternoon.
2. Vieni domani a trovarmi a casa. Vee-ehknee doma-knee ah trovah-rmee ah cah-sa. Tomorrow come see me at home.
3. Accendi la luce. Achen-dee lah loo-che. Turn on the light.
4. Ho fame! Fammi un panino col salame. Oh fa-meh! Fahm-mee oon pah-knee-noh col salame. I’m hungry! Make me a sandwich with salame.
5. Scrivimi una lettera se puoi. Scree-vee-mee oon-ah let-tehrah she poo-oh-ee. Write me a letter if you can.

 

From October 2006 ICO Newsletter:

Here are a few new sentences for you to learn. As you can see, they are questions one may ask about the Italian club. Try reading them in Italian first then read the pronounciation and last the English meaning.
1. Vieni alla riunione del club Italiano? Vee-eh-knee ahl-la ree-oo-nee-oh-neh del club Italiano? Are you coming to the Italian club meeting?
2. Cosa porterai’ da magiare al club? Ko-sa por-tah-ra-ee dah man-jeea-reh al club? What will you bring to eat at the club?
3. Io ho portato stuffato di carne con patate e piselli. Ee-oh oh por-tah-toh stoof-fa-toh dee car-ne con pa-tah-the eh pee-szel-lee. I brought stew meat with potatoes and peas.
4. E’ quello un nuovo membro del club? Eh quel-loh oon nuo-voh mem-bro del club? Is he a new club member?
5. Chi e’ il presidente del club? Key eh eel pre-szee-denteh del club? Who is the club president?
Quanti membri ha il club? Quan-tee mem-bree ah eel club? How many members does the club have?
A che ora si riunisce il club? Ah keh oh-rah see ree-oo-nee-shay eel club? At what time does the club meet?

 

From September 2006 ICO Newsletter:

1.  Fa’ molto caldo - Fah mol-toh cahl-do - It’s very warm (hot)
2. Oggi fa’ molto freddo - Oh-gee fah mol-toh fred-do - Today it’s very cold
3. Un caffe’ caldo farebbe bene - Oon Cahf-fe cahl-do fah-reb-beh beh-neh - A hot coffee would be good. 
 4. Vieni a pranzo a casa mia. - Vie-knee ah prahn-zoh ah ca-sa mee-ah - Come have lunch at my house
5. Come sta la tua famiglia? - Co-meh stah la too-ah fa-meel-yia? - How is your family?
6. Ciao Giorgio, come stai? - Cheea-oh Gee-ohr-gee-oh, co-meh  sta-yee? Hi George, how are you?
7. Molto bene grazie. E tu?  Mol-toh beh-nay grat-zie. Eh too? Very well thank you. And you?