Lezioni Italiani (Italian lessons)
When
traveling in Italy, Italians feel honored when you attempt
to speak their language. They describe this assimpatico(sim-pa-ti-co;
meaning "nice"). When you learn to pronounce and understand
the words and phrases in these sessions, you will experience
what it means when one says "ah . . . simpatico!" After you
have mastered session one, continue with session two.
Remember, there is no rush. Hint: It helps if two or more
learn this together so you can practice with each other.
Here is a great website offering free audio Italian
lessons:
www.freelearningitalian.com
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Lesson 1: Greetings
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ENGLISH
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ITALIAN
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PRONUNCIATION
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hello, hi, or goodbye |
ciao |
(chow) |
|
goodbye |
arrivederci |
(ah-ree-va-der-che) |
|
good morning |
buon giorno |
(bwon jor-no) |
|
good evening |
buona sera |
(bwo-na sae-ra) |
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good night |
buona notte |
(bwo-na noh-ta) |
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how are you |
come stai (or: come sta?) |
(Ko-mae stahe) |
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very well |
molto bene |
(mohl-toe ben-ae) |
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thank you |
grazie |
(gra-zee) |
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and you? |
e tu? (or: e lei?) |
(eh too?) |
|
you are welcome |
prego |
(preh-goh) |
Using the above few words,
you can now say ... Ciao, come stai? (Hi, how are you?)
They answer ... Molto bene, e tu? (Very well, and you?)
You respond ... Molto bene grazie. (Very well thank you)
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Lesson 2: Courtesies
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ENGLISH
|
ITALIAN
|
PRONUNCIATION
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|
yes |
si |
(see) |
|
no |
no |
(noh) |
|
sure |
sicuro |
(see koo' ro) |
|
very much |
molto |
(mohl toe) |
|
excuse me |
mi scusi |
(me skoozee) |
|
please |
per favore |
(per fah vo ra) |
|
I'm sorry |
mi dispiace |
(mee dis pee ah cha) |
|
Mrs |
Signora |
(seen yo ra) |
|
Miss |
Signorina |
(seen yo reen ah) |
|
Mr or Sir |
Signor (or: Signore) |
(seen yor) |
Try combining a few of these with the previous lesson.
You
can now say ...
Buon giorno, signore. Come stá? (Good morning sir. How are
you?)
They answer ... Non
molto bene, e lei come stá? (Not very well, how are you?)
You
respond ... Mi
dispiace. Io stó bene, grazie. (I'm sorry. I am well, thank
you.)
They say ... Mi scusi, per favore? (Please excuse me?)
You answer ... Sicuro (sicuramente), arrivederci. (Sure,
goodbye.)
They respond ... Grazie. (Thank you.)
You respond ... Sei
il benvenuto (plural you: siete i benvenuti)(You are
welcome.)
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Lesson 3: Words that look and sound like English
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ENGLISH
|
ITALIAN
|
|
a banana (a
plant) |
un banano |
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a banana
(fruit) |
una banana |
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a barbecue |
un barbecue |
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a calorie |
una caloria |
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a feather |
una pluma |
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a giraffe |
una giraffa |
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a mushroom |
un fungo |
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a pearl |
una perla |
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a streetcar |
un tram |
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a study,
studio |
uno studio |
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a
supermarket |
um
supermercato |
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against |
contro |
|
an accent |
un accento |
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an angel |
un angelo |
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an elephant |
un elefante |
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apart, aside |
a parte |
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autumn, fall |
I' autunno |
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bowling |
le bocce |
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busy,
occupied |
occupato(a) |
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certain,
sure |
certo(a) |
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computer |
il computer |
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curious |
curioso(a) |
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doubtless |
senza dubbio |
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downtown |
in citta' |
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enormous |
enorme |
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father |
il padre
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golf |
il golf |
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Happy Father's Day |
Buona festa
del papa |
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Happy
Halloween |
felice
halloween |
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Happy
Mother's Day |
Buona festa
della mamma |
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hard |
duro(a) |
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ingenious,
clever |
ingegnoso
(a) |
|
interesting |
interessante |
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jogging |
il jogging |
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mother |
la madre |
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preceding,
previous |
precedente |
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public
telephone |
un telefone
pubblico |
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punctual,
prompt |
puntuale |
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quiet,
tranquil |
tranquillo(a) |
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shy |
timido(a) |
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the
air-hostess, flight attendant |
la hostess |
|
the
announcement |
I'annuncio |
|
the attorney |
I'avvocato |
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the client,
customer |
il cliente |
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the concert |
il concerto |
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the
conclusion |
la
conclusione |
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the
condition |
la
condizione |
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the corridor |
il corridoio |
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the current |
la corrente |
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the druggist |
la
farmacista |
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the
error / mistake |
I' errore(m) |
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the garage
door |
la porta del |
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the lemonade |
la limonata |
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the luggage,
baggage |
il bagaglio |
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the mattress |
il materasso |
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the palace |
il palazzo |
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the park |
il parco |
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the pharmacy |
la farmacia |
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the
proprietor, owner |
il
proprietario |
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the
refrigerator |
il
frigorifero |
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the singer |
il cantante |
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the statue |
la statua |
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the
temperature |
la
temperatura |
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the trout |
la trota |
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the village |
il villaggio |
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the zebra |
la zebra |
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the zoo |
il giardino
zoologico |
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to
construct, build |
costruire |
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to continue |
continuare |
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to decide |
decidere |
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to donate |
donare |
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to
illuminate |
illuminare |
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to insist |
insistere |
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to interrupt |
interrompere |
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to
manufacture, fabricate |
fabbricare |
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to occur,
happen |
succedere |
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to offer |
offrire |
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to pronounce |
pronunciare |
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to receive |
ricevere |
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to recommend |
raccomandare |
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to reply |
rispondere |
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vice versa |
viceversa |
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yearly |
annuale |
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calendar
