Improbable:

Se fossero andati in Italia, avrebbero visitato molte città. (If they had gone to Italy, they would have visited many cities.)

When unlikely situations are described, the se clause is in the imperfect subjunctive and the result clause is in the conditional:

Se lui avesse una macchina, andrebbe in montagna. (If he had a car, he would go to the mountains.)

When impossible situations are described, the se clause is in the past perfect subjunctive and the result clause is in the conditional, usually the conditional perfect:

Se avesse studiato, avrebbe superato l'esame. (If she had studied, she would have passed the test.)

The subjunctive is used in a dependent clause and is introduced by che after impersonal verbs and expressions that express doubt, uncertainty, emotion.

E' importante che lei finisca il progetto. (It is important that she finishes the project.)

E' probabile che siano partiti. (It's probable that they left.)

All impersonal verbs and expressions are followed by a verb in the infinitive if the verb has no expressed subject.

Expressed subject

E' importante che tu parta. (It's important that you leave.)

Unexpressed subject

E' importante partire. (It's important to leave.)

Imperative:

Strictly speaking, the imperative mood is only used for second person ("you") familiar commands. For the other persons, the subjunctive mood is used as a "polite imperative."

Familiar ("tu" and "voi") positive commands are expressed by using the present indicative form, except that the imperative singular of first conjugation -ARE verbs ends in "-a" instead of "-i":

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FIRST CONJUGATION SECOND CONJUGATION

tu parla <speak!> vendi <sell!>

voi parlate <speak!> vendete <sell!>

THIRD CONJUGATION THIRD (-isco) CONJUGATION

tu dormi <sleep!> pulisci <clean!>

voi dormite <sleep!> pulite <clean!>

The NEGATIVE of familiar singular commands is expressed with the infinitive form

"Non parlare" <Don't talk!>;

"Non vendere la tua macchina" <Don't sell your car>;

"Non dormire" <Don't sleep>.

This is also the form used in written instructions (public signs, recipes, etc.), where it has a polite, impersonal sense:

"Non fumare" <No smoking>.

The polite forms of the second person ("Lei/Loro") and the first person plural ("noi") use the present subjunctive for commands:

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CONJUGATION

Lei parli <you should speak>

Loro parlino <you all should speak>

noi parliamo <let's speak>

SECOND

CONJUGATION

Lei venda <you should sell>

Loro vendano <you all should sell>

noi vendiamo <let's sell>

THIRD

CONJUGATION

Lei dorma <you should sleep>

Loro dormano <you all should sleep>

noi dormiamo <let's sleep>

The REFLEXIVE VERB ("verbo riflessivo")

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expresses an action in which the subject is also the object:

"Mi lavo" <I wash myself>.

Reflexive verbs are conjugated with reflexive pronouns which normally precede the finite verb form but are attached to infinitives, adverbial participles (usually called gerunds) and affirmative commands:

"Mi lavo" <I wash myself>;

"lavarsi" <to wash oneself>;

"lavandoci" <washing ourselves>;

"Lavati" <Wash yourself!>.

Reflexive verbs can also express RECIPROCAL actions:

"Si parlano" <They speak to each other>.

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS have the same form as direct object pronouns except in the third person, where the invariable form is "si". SINGULAR PLURAL

First person mi <myself> ci <ourselves>

2nd familiar ti <yourself> vi <yourselves>

2nd polite si <yourself> si <yourselves>

Third person si <him/her/itself> si <themselves>

The Passive voice:

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In the PASSIVE VOICE, a verb is turned around so that its object becomes the grammatical subject. When the agent (doer) of the action is specified, the passive voice is expressed by the following construction:

SUBJECT + "essere" + past participle + "da" + AGENT

"Questa lettera è stata scritta da Paolo" <This letter was written by Paul>

Since the past participle acts as a predicate adjective (following the verb "is") in this construction, it agrees in gender and number with the subject.

If the passive subject is a thing and the doer is not mentioned, then a construction called the "SI PASSIVANTE" may be used. This passive reflexive construction is formed with the pronoun "si":

"Qui si vendono molti libri" <Many books are sold here>.

"Si" is also used as an impersonal pronoun (like the English "one" or "they"> to form IMPERSONAL CONSTRUCTIONS with an indefinite subject:

"Qui si mangia bene" <One eats well here>.

In compound tenses, impersonal "si" constructions must be conjugated with "essere" as the auxiliary, even when the verb would otherwise be conjugated with "avere":

"Qui si è lavorato molto" <They worked very hard here>.

If the verb is normally conjugated with "essere," then the past participle has a plural form:

"Si è abituati al lavoro" <They got used to the work>.

Passive conjugation:

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Present Infinitive Past Infinitive (Perfect Infinitive)

essere lodato (to be praised) essere stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e

Present Participle Past Participle

essendo lodato/-a/-i/-e essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e

Present Perfect

(Passato Prossimo)

io sono lodato sono stato lodato

tu sei lodato sei stato lodato

lui/lei è lodato è stato lodato

noi siamo lodato siamo stato lodato

voi siete lodato siete stato lodato

loro sono lodato sono stato lodato

Imperfect Pluperfect

(Past Perfect)

io ero lodato ero stato lodato

tu eri lodato eri stato lodato

lui/lei era lodato era stato lodato

noi eravamo lodato eravamo stato lodato

voi eravate lodato eravate stato lodato

loro erano lodato erano stato lodato

Future Future Perfect

(Future Anterior)

io sarò lodato sarò stato lodato

tu sarei lodato sarei stato lodato

lui/lei sarà lodato sarà stato lodato

noi saremo lodato saremo stato lodato

voi sarete lodato sarete stato lodato

loro erano lodato erano stato lodato

Simple Past (Historic) Past Anterior

io fui lodato fui stato lodato

tu fosti lodato fosti stato lodato

Lui/Lei fu lodato fu stato lodato

noi fummo lodato fummo stato lodato

voi foste lodato foste stato lodato

loro furono lodato furono stato lodato

Present Subjunctive Past Subjunctive

io sarei lodato sarei stato lodato

tu saresti lodato saresti stato lodato

lui/lei sarebbe lodato sarebbe stato lodato

noi saremmo lodato saremmo stato lodato

voi sareste lodato sareste stato lodato

loro sarebbero lodato sarebbero stato lodato

Imperfect Subjunctive Past Perfect Subjunctive

io fossi lodato fossi stato lodato

tu fossi lodato fossi stato lodato

lui/lei fosse lodato fosse stato lodato

noi fossimo lodato fossimo stato lodato

voi foste lodato foste stato lodato

loro fossero lodato fossero stato lodato

Present Conditional Past Conditional

io sarei lodato sarei stato lodato

tu saresti lodato saresti stato lodato

lui/lei sarebbe lodato sarebbe stato lodato

noi saremmo lodato saremmo stato lodato

voi sareste lodato sareste stato lodato

loro sarebbero lodato sarebbero stato lodato

Present Imperative Past Imperative

tu sii lodato essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e

noi siamo lodato essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e

voi siate lodato essendo stato/-a/-i/-e lodato/-a/-i/-e

Participles:

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The ADVERBIAL PRESENT PARTICIPLE or gerund ("gerundio") is formed by adding a suffix to the verb stem:

-ARE verbs add "-ando": parl-ando <speaking>

-ERE verbs add "-endo": vend-endo <selling>

-IRE verbs add "-endo": dorm-endo <sleeping>

Adverbial participles answer questions about the action expressed by the main verb: "Sbagliando si impara" <One learns by making mistakes> (answering the question, "How does one learn?").

They are used like English present participles to form progressive tenses with the verb "stare":

"Sto parlando" <I am talking> (Present progressive, answering the question, "What am I engaged in doing?");

"Stava dormendo" <He was sleeping> (Past progressive, answering the question, "What was he engaged in doing?").

Because they function as adverbs, defining an action, these participles are invariable in form, and do not agree in gender or number with the subject of the verb.

The ADVERBIAL PERFECT PARTICIPLE (Gerundio perfetto) is formed with the adverbial present participle of the auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb:

"avendo parlato" <having spoken>;

"essendo arrivato" <having arrived>.

NOTE: The Italian name "gerundio" has led to the use of the English word "gerund" to denote adverbial participles. This is misleading, since the English gerund is a verbal noun ("Walking is good exercise"). It is best for English--speaking students to avoid using the term "gerund" when studying the Romance languages like Spanish and Italian.

The ADJECTIVAL PRESENT PARTICIPLE or simple participle ("participio presente") is formed by adding the following suffixes to the verb stem:

-ARE verbs add "-ante": parlante <speaking>

-ERE verbs add "-ente": vendente <selling>

-IRE verbs add "-ente": dormente <sleeping>

The ending follows the form of unisex adjectives ending in "_e," changing to "_i" in the plural: "l'uomo dormente" <the sleeping man>; "le lezione seguenti" <the following lessons>.

The PAST PARTICIPLE ("participio passato") is formed by adding the following suffixes to the verb stem:

-ARE verbs add "-ato": parlato <spoken>

-ERE verbs add "-uto": venduto <sold>

-IRE verbs add "-ito": dormito <slept>

The ending is inflected like a regular adjective:

MASCULINE SINGULAR: parlato venduto dormito

FEMININE SINGULAR: parlata venduta dormita

MASCULINE PLURAL: parlati venduti dormiti

FEMININE PLURAL: parlate vendute dormite

When used with the auxiliary verb "essere" to form compound tenses, the past participle agrees in person and number with the subject of the verb:

"Giulia è arrivata" <Julia has arrived>.

When used with the auxiliary verb "avere" to form compound tenses, the past participle has an invariable ending, except that it can agree with a preceding direct object:

"Ho comprato una macchina fotografica" <I bought a camera>;

"Ecco la cartolina postale che ho comprata" <Here's the postcard I bought>.

The past participle can also be used in what is called the ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTION, where it modifies a noun to form a phrase with no strict grammatical connection to the rest of the sentence:

"Finita la lezione, sono partiti" <When the lesson was over, they left>.

The noun being modified may form part of the absolute construction, as in the preceding example, or it may be the subject of the main clause:

"Arrivata a Firenze, Giulia gli telefonò" <Having arrived in Florence, Julia telephoned him >.

Note that the past participle agrees in both gender and number with the noun it modifies in the absolute construction.

The INFINITIVE ("infinito"):

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is the basic form of a verb given in a dictionary. There is a different infinitive ending for each of the three conjugations:1ST CONJUGATION parlare <to speak>

reflexive lavarsi <to wash oneself>

2ND CONJUGATION vendere <to sell>

reflexive sedersi <to sit down>

3RD CONJUGATION dormire <to sleep>

reflexive sentirsi <to feel>

Infinitives have two tenses: present and past. The present infinitive is the simple form given above. The past infinitive is a compound form consisting of the present infinitive of the auxiliary verb and the past participle of the main verb:FIRST CONJUGATION: avere parlato <to have spoken>

- essere arrivato <to have arrived>

reflexive: essersi lavato <to have washed oneself>

2ND CONJUGATION: avere venduto <to have sold>

- essere caduto <to have fallen>

reflexive: essersi seduto <to have sat down>

3RD CONJUGATION: avere dormito <to have slept>

- essere uscito <to have gone out>

reflexive: essersi sentito <to have felt>

Infinitives can function as VERBAL NOUNS, with or without an accompanying definite article (invariably masculine singular):

"Il ballare è molto divertente" <Dancing is very entertaining>.

The infinitive is always used after the MODAL AUXILIARY VERBS "potere" <to be able to>, "dovere" <to have to> and "volere" <to want to>:

"Non può parlare" <He can't speak>;

"Ho dovuto portare il loro bagaglio" <I had to carry their luggage>;

"Voglio mangiare" <I want to eat>.

The infinitive is used for familiar NEGATIVE COMMANDS:

"Non andare" <Don't walk!>.

It can also be used to give impersonal commands (the type found on public signs, etc.):

"Non fumare" <No smoking>.

The infinitive is also used after verbs which are followed by the linking prepositions "a" and "di," and with the causative of "fare" (to make something be done):

"Cominciarono a cantare" <They began to sing>;

"Speravano di essere a tempo" <They hoped to be on time>;

"Fa' correggere gli errori" <See to it that the errors are corrected!>.

Auxiliary Verbs ("verbi ausiliari"):

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"Avere" <to have> and "essere" <to be> are used as AUXILIARY VERBS to form the compound tenses. Generally speaking, "avere" is used with TRANSITIVE verbs (verbs which take an object) while "essere" is used with REFLEXIVE and INTRANSITIVE verbs (verbs of motion, position, physical or mental condition, etc.):

"Abbiamo venduto la casa" <We have sold the house>;

"Si è frenata" <She restrained herself>;

"Voi siete arrivati a tempo" <You arrived on time>.

"Stare" <to stay, to be> is used as an auxiliary verb with adverbial participles (so-called gerunds) to form PROGRESSIVE TENSES.

The present progressive uses the present tense of "stare": "Sto parlando" <I am speaking>.

The past progressive uses the imperfect tense of "stare": "Stava leggendo" <He was reading>.

"Andare" is used in a similar fashion as an auxiliary verb: "Andava cantando" <He went around singing>.

Polite vs. familiar forms:

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"Tu" (plural "voi") is the familiar form of address; to use it is to "dare del tu." This form of address is used with family members, close friends, children and pet animals:

"Tu vai al teatro?" <Are you going to the theater?>.

The polite form "Lei" (plural "Loro") is more commonly used in conversation (it does not have to be capitalized); to use it is to "dare del Lei":

"Vorrebbe Lei venire con me?" <Would you like to come with me?>.

The polite form of address uses third person verb forms, even though the voice is actually second person (direct address). This gives a sense of formality and respectful distance to the conversation:

"Dove abita lei?" <Where does she live?>;

"Dove abita Lei?" <Where do you live?>.

Verb-Preposition Idioms:

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The following verbs require the preposition a when followed by an infinitive. The preposition is not necessarily always translated into English.

abituarsi (to get used to)

aiutare (to help)

andare (to go)

cominciare (to begin)

divertirsi (to enjoy oneself)

fermarsi (to stop)

imparare (to learn)

invitare (to invite)

mandare (to send)

mettersi (to begin)

obbligare (to oblige)

pensare (to think of)

riuscire (to succeed)

sbrigarsi (to hurry)

stare (to stay, to stand)

tornare (to return)

venire (to come)

Vado a giocare a calcio. (I go to play soccer.)

Impariamo a parlare in italiano. (We learn to speak Italian.)

Sono venuti a trovarmi. (They came to see me.)

The following verbs require the preposition di when followed by an infinitive.

accettare (to accept)

ammettere (to admit)

aspettare (to wait)

avere bisogno (to need)

avere paura (to be afraid)

avere voglia (to feel like)

cercare (to try)

credere (to believe)

domandare (to ask)

finire (to finish)

offrire (to offer)

pensare (to plan)

sapere (to know)

suggerire (to suggest)

tentare (to try)

vietare (to forbid)

Ho bisogno di un caffè. (I need a coffee.)

Ho finito di mangiare alle otto. (I finished eating at 8:00.)

Tentiamo di riparare l'aspirapolvere. (We're trying to fix the vacuum cleaner.)

Pronominal and Adverbial Particles: "Ne", "ci", and "vi":

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When used as a PRONOMINAL PARTICLE, "ne" stands for something mentioned earlier, and means "of it," "about them," etc.:

"Non ne ho bisogno" <I have no need of it>.

When used as an ADVERBIAL PARTICLE, "ne" means "from there," "from here":

"Ne siamo appena tornati" <We've just come back from there>.

"Ci" and "vi" are object pronouns, but they are also used as pronominal particles representing a previously mentioned noun or verb with the understood preposition "a." When used that way, "ci" and "vi" mean "to it/them," "in it/them," "about it/them," etc.:

"Ci penso" <I'm thinking about it>.

When used as adverbial particles, they mean "there" or "to there":

"Ci vado" <I'm going there>.

"Ci" and "vi" change to "ce" and "ve" in front of "lo," "la," "li," "le" and "ne."

Questions:

Many questions begin with either an interrogative pronoun or an interrogative adverb.

Interrogative pronouns include the following:

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Che? Che cosa? Cosa? <What?>

Chi? <who? whom?>

Quale? Quali? <which one? which ones?>

Quanto?(-a,-i,-e,) <how much? how many?>

Che cosa vuole? <What does she want?>

Con chi parli? <With whom are you talking?>

Quante vengono? <How many are coming?

Interrogative adverbs include the following:

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Come? <how?>

Quando? <when?>

Perchè? <why?>

Dove? <where?>

Come mai? <how come?>

Come stai? <How are you?>

Perche non studi l'italiano? <Why don't you study Italian?>

Sentences:

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Sentences are made up of one or more CLAUSES.

A clause consists of a SUBJECT (a noun or pronoun) and a PREDICATE (what is said about the noun or pronoun).

The predicate always contains a verb.

In the simple sentence:

Il re ama la regina. <The king loves the queen.>

re is the subject and ama is the predicate.

When an adjective or noun is used along with the verb essere <to be> in order to tell us what is being asserted about someone or something, the adjective or noun is said to be in the predicative position.

In the sentence:

Il re è un amante <The king is a lover.>

amante is a predicate noun.

Predicate adjectives and nouns have the same case as the noun or pronoun they inform us about.

The DIRECT OBJECT of a verb is a noun or pronoun which receives its action.

In the sentence:

Il re ama la regina <The king loves the queen>

regina is the direct object of the verb.

Some verbs take an INDIRECT OBJECT.

In the sentence;

Il re dà un regalo alla regina <The king gives a gift to the queen.>

regalo <servant girl> is the direct object and alla regina <to the queen> is the indirect object.

Some verbs conjugated with essere in compound tenses:

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abbronzare (to tan)

Accadere (to happen)

accorrere (to run)

andare (to go)

avvenire (to occur)

bastare (to be sufficient)

bisognare (to need)

cadere (to fall)

capitare (to happen)

crepare (to crack)

derivare (to derive)

fiorire (to flourish)

immigrare (to immigrate)

nascere (to be born)

occorrere (to have (to))

partire (to leave)

rinascere (to be reborn)

spiacere (to be sorry)

svenire (to faint)

tornare (to return)

uscire (to go out)

venire (to come)

arrivare (to arrive)

entrare (to enter)

restare (to remain)

diventare (to become)

scendere (to descend)

stare (to stay)

List of irregular verbs:

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The following verbs are irregular in different tenses and persons.

andare (to go)

bere (to drink)

cadere (to fall)

cogliere (to pick)

comprendere (to understand)

dare (to give

dire (to say)

divenire (to become)

dovere (to have to, must)

fare (to do, to make)

godere (to enjoy)

introdurre (to introduce)

morire (to die)

parere (to appear)

piacere (to please)

porre (to put)

potere (to be able, can)

riempire (to fill)

rimanere (to remain)

salire (to go up)

sapere (to know)

scegliere (to choose)

stare (to stay)

tacere (to be silent)

tenere (to keep)

tradurre (to translate)

udire (to hear)

uscire (to go out)

vedere (to see)

venire (to come)

vivere (to live)

volere (to want)

These verbs are irregular only in the passato remoto (past absolute) and/or the participio passato (past participle). Regular forms are given in parentheses.

Imfinitive (translation) Passato Remoto Participio Passato

accendere (to light) accesi acceso

accorgersi (to notice) accorsi accorto

aprire (to open) (aprii) aperto

chiedere (to ask) chiesi chiesto

concludere (to conclude) conclusi concluso

conoscere (to know) conobbi (conosciuto)

coprire (to cover) (coprii) coperto >

Transfer interrupted!

font size=+1>correre (to run) corsi corso

decidere (to decide) decisi deciso

dipingere (to paint) dipinsi dipinto

discutere (to discuss) discussi discusso

dividere (to divide) divisi diviso

esplodere (to explode) esplosi esploso

evadere (to escape) evasi evaso

fingere (to pretend) finsi finto

giungere (to arrive) giunsi giunto

leggere (to read) lessi letto

mettere (to put) misi metto

nascere (to be born) nacqui nato

offrire (to offer) (offrii) offerto

perdere (to lose) persi perso

(perdei) (perduto)

(perdetti)

piangere (to cry) piansi pianto

piovere (to rain) piovve (piovuto)

prendere (to take) presi preso

rendere (to give back) resi reso

ridere (to laugh) risi riso

rispondere (to respond) risposi risposto

rompere (to break) ruppi rotto

scendere (to descend) scesi sceso

scoprire (to discover) (scoprii) scoperto

scrivere (to write) scrissi scritto

spegnere (to turn off) spensi spento

spingere (to push) spinsi spinto

succedere (to happen) successi successo

trascorrere (to spend (time)) trascorsi trascorso

uccidere (to kill) uccisi ucciso

vincere (to win) vinsi vinto

Conjunctions:

Coordinate conjunctions (e, ma, and o) join units that are equal grammatically (fill the same position in the sentence) or join two clauses of the same type:

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Scivolò e cadde sul pavimento. (He slipped and fell on the floor.) E joins two verbs.

Si muoveva velocemente ma silenziosamente. (He moved quickly but quietly.) Ma joins two adverbs

Possiamo andare attraverso il fiume o attraverso i boschi. (We can go over the river or through the woods.)O joins two adverbial phrases

Ieri sera andò a casa e trovò le finestre rotte. (She went home last night and found the windows broken.) E joins two clauses.

The conjunctions:

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entrambi · e (both· and..)

non solo· ma anche· (not only.. but also·)

sia · che· (either·or·)

nè · nè·. (neither·nor·)

serve to intensify the coordination.

Entrambi Maria ed io andremo alla festa. (Both Maria and I will go to the party.)

Non solo diede regali a tutti noi, ma anche ci invitò alla festa. (She not only gave all of us presents, but she also invited us to the party.)

Nè I soldi nè il potere possono farti felice. (Neither money nor power can make you happy.)

Sia mio marito che io possiamo portarti a casa. (Either my husband or I can drive you home.)

If only two elements (two words, two phrases, two clauses) are joined by a coordinate conjunction, no comma is needed before the conjunction:

Il dottore gli disse di non fumare o bere. (The doctor told him not to smoke or drink.)

Disse che era molto stanco e che stava per andare a casa. (He said that he was very tired and he was going home.)

If three or more units are joined, commas separate them:

Uomini, donne, e bambini sono benvenuti. (Men, women, and children are welcome.)

subordinate conjunctions:

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join elements of unequal rank, establishing a relation of subordination between two phrases or clauses. Following is the list of commonly used subordinate conjunctions:

perchè because

quando when

mentre while

appena che as soon as

una volta che once (that)

come as

se if

sebbene although

a condizione che at the condition that

a meno che unless

dopo che after that

before that prima che

fino a che until

Non lo vide dopo che lui ebbe lasciato la città. (She never saw him after he left the town.)

Prese la multa perchè guidava troppo veloce. (He got a ticket because he was speeding.)

Una volta che hai lavato lâauto asciugala bene. (Once you have washed the car, dry it very well.)

Si ammalò gravemente da quando ebbe l'incidente. (She became very ill, since she had her accident.)

Non va mai ai festini, a meno che sua moglie non vada con lui. (He never goes to parties unless his wife comes with him.)

Aspetteremo dentro fino a che la smette di piovere. (We will wait inside until the rain stops.)

Subordinate Clause:

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serves as part of a sentence but do not express a complete thought and cannot stand by itself. They are subordinate to the main clause.

The adjective clause (also called relative):

has the same function that an adjective or an apposition has in a sentence. That is, it specifies a preceding noun, noun phrase or pronoun. Relative clauses are linked to the main clause by means of relative pronouns.

John, che è fratello di Mario, è venuto a trovarci. (John, who is Mario's brother, came to see us.)

The verb is in the indicative mood when in the relative clause a real and certain situation is presented:

La ragazza, che prese in prestito la rivista, entrò nella stanza. (The girl who borrowed the magazine, entered the room.)