17
votes
Accepted
PrEndere but tenEre
Conventionally, people say that Italian verbs fall into three categories, or conjugations: those ending in -are, in -ere and in -ire. Those in -ere, however, correspond to two different conjugations ...
- 36.4k
14
votes
Accepted
"Tenersi pronto" = to get ready or to be ready
The meaning of the locution tenersi pronto is slightly different from both "to be ready" and "to get ready". It is however closer to the first.
Tenersi pronto means something like "to stand in ...
- 12.1k
13
votes
Accepted
Qual è il significato di "portare" in questo contesto?
Essere portati per (qualcosa) vuol dire avere un dono o attitudine particolare... Per esempio "non sono portato per la matematica" significa "non sono bravo / non ho un dono (o attitudine) / non mi ...
- 457
13
votes
Accepted
Cosa significa "infrociarsi"?
Deve sicuramente avere a che fare con le frogie, cioè le narici del cavallo e, per estensione, quelle dell'uomo. Quel personaggio, cioè, si infila nelle narici la presa di tabacco, con il possibile ...
- 36.4k
12
votes
Accepted
Correct usage of the verb "divertirsi"
Your misconception arises from trying to translate too literally idiomatic expressions. To give a simpler example, in English you pay attention but in Italian fai attenzione (you do attention). In ...
- 12.1k
12
votes
Accepted
Dropping the last letter of a verb in some cases
It is an example of apocope or truncation (I linked the Italian wikipedia because it has a better explanation in the context of Italian language rather than general linguistic).
In brief, for ...
- 12.1k
12
votes
Problem using subjunctive mood in different tenses
I would translate the example sentences as follows:
Se l'avessi chiesto dopo, non avrebbe accettato
Se avessi il suo numero, la chiamerei
Se avessi avuto il suo numero, l'avrei chiamata
This kind of ...
- 12.1k
11
votes
Accepted
In which mode is the verb *amare* when we say *c'eravamo tanto amati*?
The sentence
c'eravamo tanto amati
is in the reflexive voice. Precisely it is what is called a "reciprocal reflexive" (indicating that the action is done by two or more subjects, acting on ...
- 12.1k
10
votes
Qual è il significato di "portare" in questo contesto?
Come riporta il vocabolario Treccani, sinonimi di essere portato per sono:
(essere) adatto, incline (a), predisposto, tagliato, versato (in).
- 1,945
10
votes
Why do Italian road signs use the infinitive tense and not the imperative?
Another reason is related to the fact that the Italian imperative must be conjugated.
For example,
Turn off the lights
might be translated, using the imperative, as:
Spegni la luce (informal, 2nd ...
- 716
10
votes
Correct usage of the verb "divertirsi"
The verb in Italian for 'to have fun' is divertirsi. (Notice it is reflexive as is often indicated by the -irsi ending.) Reflexive verbs are conjugated with the auxiliary verb essere (as opposed to ...
- 2,453
10
votes
Accepted
How and why did avere get the 'h' in some present tense forms?
The H in some forms of avere does come from Latin. There was a debate a few centuries ago between those who wanted to keep all H's and those who wanted to get rid of all of them.
A compromise ...
- 2,673
10
votes
"Mi sono fatto" - Intransitive?
This is not an intransitive verb. This is a form of reflexive voice. Italian verbs can be conjugated in three voices: active, passive and reflexive.
You can recognize the reflexive voice from the ...
- 12.1k
9
votes
Accepted
Meaning/Conjugation of "servirese"
I believe there is a missing space and the correct phrase is servi rese, that is, “enslaved”; literally, servi rese = rese servi = “made slaves” (the inversion is usual in poetry).
- 36.4k
9
votes
Accepted
non parli vs. non parlare (imperativo negazione)
In non parli a me di disperazione the verb is in the subjunctive mood. In the specific case, one cannot use the imperative, because the lei form is used: you are talking with someone not in familiar ...
- 17.9k
9
votes
Conjugation of "sparire"
Indeed, the auxiliary verb for sparire, as for most intransitive verbs, is essere (as can be checked in any real dictionary), so the passato prossimo is sono sparito, sei sparito, è sparito, siamo ...
- 36.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Does the verb "scendere" need "avere" or "essere"?
Scendere can be both intransitive and transitive. The transitive meanings are:
Going down something: this is the case you found in the book: scendere le scale = going down the stairs
Bringing down ...
- 331
9
votes
Accepted
Qual è il significato di "smarrono" in questo brano?
Nella frase «se non smarrono, per la miseria, sono in cattedra!», “smarróno” è la prima persona del verbo “smarronare”, non una persona del verbo “smarrire” (se fosse la terza plurale del presente, ...
- 36.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Qual è il significato di "bandire" in queste espressioni?
Il senso proprio di "bandire" (http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/bandire/) è quello di "mettere un bando", ossia affiggere dei manifesti pubblici in un posto per annunciare qualcosa. Tutt'oggi si usa ...
- 1,252
9
votes
When to use the verb "cercare" and when to use the verb "guardare"?
You are mistaken in the meaning. The verb guardare means to look at, to observe, while the verb cercare means to look for, to search.
Look in English can have many different meanings, depending on ...
- 12.1k
9
votes
Accepted
What does "v'ha" mean?
It is[1] a contracted form of Vi ha, itself an archaic form for Vi è, there is. The meaning is
There is a god protector
of [those in] misfortune
Compare, a few lines below, with
più ...
- 12.1k
9
votes
Is it necessary to use pronouns with the verb "essere"?
No, it is not necessary to use personal pronouns with any verb, in particular not with the verb essere. Using a technical language we can say that Italian is a "null-subject" language.
...
- 12.1k
9
votes
Is it necessary to use pronouns with the verb "essere"?
Your teacher is wrong and your examples are perfect.
The subject pronoun can be used, for emphasis or for marking distinctions: I would say
Io sono italiano, lei è catalana.
when asked about me ...
- 17.9k
8
votes
Accepted
Cosa significa "disassare"?
Il gerundio disassando è assai probabilmente un neologismo inventato dall'autrice per dire il lavoro tenace e faticoso per avere terra coltivabile. Il neologismo nasce con l'utilizzo del prefisso dis- ...
- 3,866
8
votes
Accepted
How is 'sii' supposed to be pronounced?
My ear as an Italian and, more verifiably, the pronunciation given in Migliorini, Tagliavini and Fiorelli's Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia agree in saying that the correct way is the first one....
- 36.4k
8
votes
What mood is "Non ti arrabbiare!"?
The verb is “arrabbiarsi”, in reflexive form. The mood is imperative. When the imperative (second person singular) is used in a negative sentence, the infinitive must replace the normal inflected form:...
- 17.9k
8
votes
Volevo chiederle se + congiuntivo o condizionale?
Secondo Treccani, in questo caso, entrambe le frasi possono considerarsi corrette.
Infatti Treccani a riguardo dice:
DOMANDA È corretto dire: "volevo chiederle se potrebbe..." o va usato
il ...
- 20.3k
8
votes
Accepted
How to use "rendere" in a sentence?
As an Italian, I wouldn't understand what Io ho reso una pittura means. If you mean “I made a painting” or something like this, it's Ho dipinto un quadro (or, colloquially, Ho fatto un quadro).
The ...
- 36.4k
8
votes
Come si può dire "mettere sotto la pressione" con una parola sola in italiano?
Per quanto riguarda il carico di lavoro, forse la parole che stai cercando è "oberare".
Il mio capo mi ha oberato di lavoro per il fine settimana.
Tuttavia anche un molto simile "...
- 1,555
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