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Learn ItalianWhat is the most important grammar to know in Italian
Italian
bUSTA published
about 5 years ago
Davi published
about 5 years ago
Ciao! 😀 let me try to give you an overview of the most important grammar without making this answer too long.
Italian is a SVO language. Subject, Verb and Object
Play audio (Io) parlo italiano I speak Italian
Personal pronouns are omitted most of the time. Parlo italiano, without "Io" is correct.
The negative form is formed with "Non" before the verb.
Play audio Non parlo italiano I don't speak Italian
"In" is used for big places like a country or continent, "a" is used for smaller ones ranging from a "house" to a "city". There are exceptions!
Play audio A Roma In Rome
Play audio In Italia In Italy
The feminine article (noun ending with "a") = LA
Play audio La casa The house
The masculine article (noun ending with "o") = IL
Play audio Il libro The book
| Present simple | Present perfect | Imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| (Io) parlo | (Io) ho parlato | (Io) parlavo |
| (Tu) parli | (Tu) hai parlato | (Tu) parlavi |
| (Lui/Lei) parla | (Lui/Lei) ha parlato | (Lui/Lei) parlava |
| (Noi) parliamo | (Noi) abbiamo parlato | (Noi) parlavamo |
| (Voi) parlate | (Voi) avete parlato | (Voi) parlavate |
| (Loro) parlano | (Loro) hanno parlato | (Loro) parlavano |
The present simple
In Italian the present simple can be used both for the present and for the future.
Play audio Penso a cosa posso fare I think about what I can do
Play audio Domani lo faccio. Tomorrow I'll do it.
The present perfect
In Italian the present perfect is used for expressing the past in most cases as long as the action is not a continuous one.
Play audio Ho studiato all'università a Roma I've studied at university in Rome / I studied at university in Rome
Another important thing to keep in mind is that contrary to English, we don't use the verb "to have" (avere) in all cases. When it comes to a movement verb we use the verb "to be" (essere)
Play audio Sono andato in Italia I've gone to Italy / I went to Italy
Play audio Ieri ho studiato molto Yesterday I've studied a lot / Yesterday I studied a lot
The imperfect
In Italian the imperfect form is similar to the past continuous. It's used for actions in the past that lasted over time.
Play audio Parlavo ma nessuno mi ascoltava I was speaking but no one was listening to me
Play audio Stavo pensando di uscire I was thinking about going out
Feel free to practice even more with the exercises below!