Chapter 26:
Vocabulary
In this chapter we will go over a few short lessons and reminders on Italian grammar and vocabulary. You can use this chapter as a resource when trying to understand the rudiments of the Italian language.
We do not cover everything about Italian grammar in this chapter. You need a separate book for that if you want a more thorough and serious discussion about it. Remember that the emphasis here is to enlarge your vocabulary and decipher the Italian language as you practice reading and speaking Italian.
Sometimes there are parts of the Italian language that can be a bit confusing. There are different articles that you should use for different words, different ways to greet people, and you even have different ways to say the word “the.”
We will go over them rather quickly in this chapter. After learning the lessons here, you can go back to the short stories in this book and see if you can understand the sentences a lot better.
Remember that you should continue to expand your vocabulary as you go along.
How to Say “The”
There are seven different ways to say the in Italian, which are the following:
The choice varies whether you are talking about something masculine or feminine, whether it is singular or plural, and which letter the object’s name begins with.
When talking about feminine objects use la or l’
Examples:
When talking about feminine and plural objects use le
Examples:
When talking about something masculine use il especially if the word begins with a consonant
Example:
Use l’ when talking about something masculine and the word starts with a vowel .
Example:
Use i for something masculine, plural, and it starts with a consonant .
Example:
Use gli for plural masculine objects/subjects that start with a vowel .
Example:
Use lo for words that begin with a z or an s with a consonant and it is masculine plus singular
Example:
Use gli for words beginning in z or s followed by consonants and they are masculine and plural
Example:
How to Ask Questions
In many of the stories that you have read in this book, the characters like Anna, Danny, Melanie, Jenny, Peter Wellington, and others asked lots of questions. As you went through with the different questions that were asked, you have noticed that there are different equivalent words for each of the question words in English.
Here are the different question words in English and their equivalents in the Italian language:
Because and Why
Note that the word perchè as it is shown above means “why” but it also means “because” in the Italian language. Here are two examples on how it is used:
So, how do you know if it is perchè (why) or perchè (because)? If you are talking with someone in Italian your clue is the tone of their voice. If the end of the sentence sounds like the person is asking a question then perchè is used as “why.” Otherwise, it means that perchè is used as “because.” You should also consider the context—remember that context always trumps meaning.
Different Faces of Quanto
Quanto is an interesting word in the Italian language. Quanto is a word that you can use to ask different types of questions. It also changes its form depending on the type of question that you are asking.
Here are the different ways you can use the word quanto and how it changes with each type of question:
  1. Quante persone visitano questo ristorante? (How many people visit this restaurant?)
  2. Quanti posti sono stati riservati? (How many seats have been reserved?)
  3. Quanta benzina dovrei prendere? (How much gasoline should I get?)
  4. Quanto dovrei andare in alto? (How high should I go?)
The last letter of this word changes depending on gender and the number of its object. If you are asking about something masculine then use quanto.
If it is feminine and singular then use quanta .
If it is masculine and plural then use quanti.
If you’re asking about something feminine and plural then you should use quante.
The Cost is an Exception
Now, let all of that information sink in a little bit. Review those rules if you have to. If you’re wondering how you can tell if something is feminine or masculine in Italian then here’s another one that will cook your noodle—there is really no rhyme or reason why.
Well, here’s a little hint. Sometimes when a noun or pronoun ends in “a” it may be female/feminine and if it ends in “o” then maybe it is a masculine or male. But that is not a hard a fast rule.
You just have to learn through experience and figure out if something is male or female in Italian. Yes, it can be tragic for some but you have to learn this thing that we have emphasized over and over in this book—you need to enlarge your vocabulary in order to truly learn a new language, like Italian.
But there is an exception to the transformations that occur to quanto .
When you ask how much a thing costs, no matter if it is masculine or feminine, you should always use quanto.
Example:
Vocabulary: Getting Your Directions Right
Story number 2o is about Anna looking for the public library. You will look for places of interest when you travel to Italy and you may have to get your directions correct if you want to get to where you are going.
Sometimes Google Maps can help but sometimes it can’t especially if what you’re looking for is off the beaten track. In such times, being able to ask for directions and understanding which way is left or right or whatever can spell the difference between an enjoyable vacation or finding a needle in the proverbial haystack.
Here’s a very easy question that you can ask in Italian to get directions:
That sentence translates to: “Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to…”
Here are some of the common directions that you will hear:
Vocabulary: Family Talk
The following are the words that you should use when referring to members of your family. Family is a huge thing in Italy.
la famiglia (the family)
padre (father)
madre (mother)
genitori (parents)
fratello (brother)
sorella (sister)
figlia (daughter)
figlio (son)
moglie (wife)
marito (husband)
zio (uncle)
zia (wife)
nonno (grandfather)
nonna (grandmother)
Here is how you use them:
Vocabulary: Pronouns in Italian
Pronouns are a common feature in English and also in other languages like Italian. There are different types of pronouns that you will be using such as personal pronouns, possessive, pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, relative pronouns, and interrogative pronouns.
Here are the different pronouns that you should learn:
1. Personal Pronouns
2. Interrogative Pronouns
3. Relative pronouns
These pronouns work somewhat like prepositions in the Italian language. Here is an example:
4. Indefinite Pronouns
These pronouns are ones that don’t refer to any specific object. For example:
5. Demonstrative Pronouns
These pronouns determine position, space, and time.
After going through these rules and vocabulary, you can go back and review the stories and see if you can understand them a little bit better. Don’t be too hard on yourself—it takes time and experience to learn a new language like Italian.