The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning Italian, 3rd Edition

by Euvino, Gabrielle Ann

• ISBN13: 9781592572762
• ISBN10: 1592572766
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-09-07
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.

Summary

Completely updated with even more delightful ways to learn and enjoy the most expressive and romantic of languages, the third edition of the successful The Complete Idiot s Guide to Learning Italian is the first choice for a whole new generation of enthusiastic students of Italian.New content includes: - -Two new quick references on verbs and grammar -Two new appendices: Italian synonyms and popular idiomatic phrases -Updated business and money sections.

Author Biography

GABRIELLE EUVINO, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Learning Italian, has been teaching Italian since 1986 and is the president and founder of La Bella Lingua, an educational immersion program where students visit Italian historical landmarks while learning the language and culture of Italy. She teaches Italian at the Learning Annex in New York City.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Essenziali: The Basics	1	(94)
1 Why You Should Studyla Bella Lingua	3	(6)
Steering Your Linguistic Ship	4	(1)
The Top Ten Most Common Reasons to Study Italiano	4	(1)
Integration Is the Soluzione	4	(1)
Immerse Yourself-Literally!	5	(4)
2 Immersione Italiana	9	(14)
Just Kicking Around	9	(1)
Latin Lovers	10	(3)
Il Dialetto: Dialect	11	(1)
Tuscan Italian	12	(1)
Idiomatically Speaking	13	(1)
Happy as a Lark	13	(1)
So What's Your Storia?	13	(1)
Your Dictionary Is Your Best Friend	14	(1)
Grammar Stammer	15	(3)
Persona, Place, or Pasta: Nouns	15	(1)
Descriptively Speaking: Adjectives	15	(1)
Who's He?	16	(1)
Objectively Speaking	16	(1)
Have I Got a Preposition for You	16	(1)
I Verbi Are Where the Action Is	16	(1)
Who's the Subject?	17	(1)
Name That Subject	18	(1)
It All Depends on How You Look At It	18	(1)
Practice Makes Perfetto	18	(1)
What's the Object? Who's the Subject?	19	(1)
Drawing from Esperienza	20	(1)
Read It, Write It, Say It	21	(2)
3 Getting Your Bocca Around the ABCs and 123s	23	(18)
Italian Pronunciation	24	(1)
Your ABCs	24	(3)
A Is for Ancona	25	(1)
Getting the Accent	26	(1)
Don't Get Stressed Out	27	(1)
I Giorni: Days	28	(1)
I Mesi: Months	28	(1)
Rolling Your Rs	29	(1)
The Long and the Short of It: Vocali	30	(1)
The Hard and Soft of It: Consonanti	30	(3)
Practice Those Vowels	32	(1)
Give Me the Combo	33	(3)
C Is for Casa	33	(1)
G Is for Gamba	34	(1)
S Is for Scandalo	35	(1)
Diphthongs	36	(1)
Double Consonants	36	(1)
Bambino, I Got Your Numero	37	(2)
Number Crunching	39	(1)
Get Help!	39	(1)
Pazienza and Pratica Pay Off	40	(1)
4 You Have Amid : Cognates	41	(14)
Cognates: A Bridge Between Languages	41	(2)
Did I Hear Biscotto?	42	(1)
Trucchi of the Trade	43	(1)
If It Looks Like a Duck	43	(4)
Where in the Mondo: Places	44	(1)
It's About Time	45	(1)
How Intelligente You Are!	46	(1)
Adjectives: How Grande!	46	(1)
Sostantivi Nouns	47	(3)
Masculine Nouns	47	(1)
Feminine Nouns	48	(1)
English Words Used in Italiano	49	(1)
Trojan Horses-False Friends	50	(2)
How Much Do You Understand Already?	51	(1)
Your Turn	51	(1)
Verbi	51	(1)
Put It All Together	52	(3)
Traduzione, Per Favore	52	(1)
What's Your Take?	53	(1)
Are You Well Read?	53	(2)
5 Person, Place, or Cosa: Nouns and Articles	55
Come Sta?	56	(3)
Ciao	56	(1)
Straniero in a Strange Land	56	(1)
The Most Important Frasi in Any Language	57	(1)
Informal Greetings and Salutations	58	(1)
Comunicazioni	59	(1)
Expressing Your Honest Opinione	59	(1)
Nouns	60	(1)
Determining Gender: He vs. She	60	(1)
Masculine or Feminine	60	(1)
Everyone Must Agree	61	(1)
An Article Is Not What You Read in a Giornale	61	(2)
The Definite Article	62	(1)
An Indefinite Article	62	(1)
Singular Nouns	63	(3)
Hermaphrodites	64	(1)
Irregular Masculine Nouns	65	(1)
Irregular Feminine Nouns	65	(1)
Rules Are Made to Be Broken	66	(3)
Disconcerting Genders	66	(1)
More Misbehaving Males	66	(1)
Those Rebellious Females	67	(1)
Sex Changers	67	(1)
The Apple Doesn't Fall Far	68	(1)
Practice Makes Perfetto	68	(1)
Compound Nouns	69	(1)
Masculine Compound Nouns	69	(1)
Feminine Compound Nouns	69	(1)
More Is Better: Making Plurals	70
Do We Agree? Plural Noun Markers	71	(1)
The Rules	72	(1)
Plural Spelling	72	(1)
La Pratica	73	(1)
Irregular Plural Nouns	73	(1)
Always Plural	74	(1)
Practice Those Plurals	74	(1)
What Have You Learned About Gender?	74
6 Che Bella Famiglia: Adjectives and Adverbs	11	(84)
One of the Famiglia	77	(1)
Are You Possessed?	78	(1)
Using Di to Show Possession	79	(1)
Forming Contractions with Di	79	(1)
Possessive Adjectives	80	(1)
A Sense of Belonging	81	(1)
Making Introductions Using Demonstratives	81	(1)
Questo Is My Brother	82	(1)
Who Is Who	82	(1)
Alto, Bruno, e Bello	83	(5)
Modifying Adjectives	83	(1)
Modifying Those Adjective Endings	83	(1)
Character Analysis	84	(1)
Take the Brutto with the Bello	84	(1)
Antonimi (Antonyms)	85	(1)
I Colori	86	(1)
One Yellow Banana, Please	87	(1)
It's a Colorful Mondo	88	(1)
Bello and Quello	88	(1)
Make the Connection	89	(1)
Buono Is Good	89	(1)
How Are You? Adverbs	90	(1)
Forming Adverbs from Adjectives	90	(1)
Take Your Place	91	(1)
Molti Adverbs	91	(1)
Adverbs of Time	92	(1)
Adverbs of Place	93	(1)
The More Things Change	93	(2)
Part 2: Building Blocks: treating a Strong Base	95	(104)
7 Avventura Italiana: Regular Verbs	91	(28)
Your Loyal Subject	98	(1)
Subject Pronouns	98	(2)
When to Use Italian Subject Pronouns	98	(1)
Tu, Lei, Voi, and Loro: All You	99	(1)
Hey You!	100	(1)
Infinitively Importante	100	(1)
All in the Famiglia	101	(1)
The Anatomy of a Verbo	101	(1)
The Present-Tense Conjugations	102	(1)
The -are Family	102	(7)
P Is for Parlare	103	(1)
Regular -are Verbs	103	(5)
Exceptions	108	(1)
Practice Makes Perfetto	109	(1)
The -ere Verbs	109	(4)
S Is for Scrivere	109	(1)
Regular -ere Verbs	110	(2)
Practice Makes Perfetto II	112	(1)
The -ire Family	113	(1)
D Is for Dormire	113	(1)
The -ire Verbs (Group I)	113	(1)
More -ire Verbs (Group II)	114	(2)
C Is for Capire	114	(1)
The -ire Verbs (Group II)	114	(2)
Asking Questions	116	(3)
The Tags Vero? No? and Giusto?	116	(1)
And the Risposta Is	116	(1)
A Whole Lot of Niente	116	(3)
8 The Most Important VerbiYou'II Ever Learn	119	(16)
The Birds and the Bs	120	(1)
The Verb Essere	120	(1)
The Verb Stare	121	(1)
Essere vs. Stare: What's the Differenza?	121	(2)
When to Use Essere	121	(1)
Come Sei Intelligente!	122	(1)
When to Use Stare	122	(1)
Chitchat	123	(1)
C'è and Ci sono (There Is, There Are)	123	(2)
Using Ci to Ask Questions	124	(1)
Making a Negative Impression: Non	124	(1)
Fill In the Blankety-Blanks	124	(1)
Ci and Vi	125	(1)
It's Time to Have Some Fun: Avere	125	(3)
Ho una fame da lupo! (I am hungry as a wolf!)	126	(1)
An Idiot's Guide to Idioms with Avere	126	(1)
Express Yourself	127	(1)
Things to Do: The Verb Fare	128	(2)
Idiomatic Expressions Using Fare	129	(1)
Professionally Speaking	130	(1)
In My Professional Opinion	130	(2)
So, What's Your Story?	132	(1)
Ecco! You Got It!	133	(2)
9 Rain or Shine: It's Time to Talk About Tempo	135	(18)
Keeping Tempo	136	(2)
Time Will Tell	138	(1)
Talking About the Weather: Che Tempo Fa?	138	(1)
Il Clima	139	(2)
Dipinto di Blu	140	(1)
La Temperatura: What's Hot and What's Not	141	(1)
Le Quattro Stagioni	142	(1)
Its a Date!	142	(1)
Talking About i Mesi	142	(1)
What Century?	143	(2)
A.D	143	(1)
B.C	144	(1)
1,000 Years Later	144	(1)
Everything in Good Time	144	(1)
Do You Have un Appuntamento?	145	(2)
About Last Night	145	(1)
The Dating Game	146	(1)
How Often?	147	(1)
Quando Quando Quando?	147	(1)
From What Realm Are You?	147	(1)
What's Your Sign?	148	(1)
It's Good to Know	149	(4)
Sapere: To Know Something	150	(1)
Conoscere: To Know Someone/To Be Acquainted	150	(3)
10 Buon Viaggio: Travel Terms and the Imperative	153	(18)
I Mezzi Pubblici: Public Transportation	154	(1)
Asking Questions	154	(1)
The Tags Vero? No? and Giusto?	154	(1)
And the Risposta Is	154	(1)
A Whole Lot of Niente	155	(1)
Which One?	155	(1)
On the Road	155	(4)
Behind the Wheel	156	(1)
Automobile Parts	157	(1)
The Road Less Traveled	158	(1)
More Travel Verbs and Expressions	159	(1)
What, When, and How Much: Questions	160	(1)
Questions, Questions	160	(1)
Ask Away	161	(2)
All Aboard	162	(1)
Getting On with Salire	163	(1)
Going Crazy: The Verb Andare	164	(3)
Give Your Mind a Trip	164	(1)
Going, Going, Gone	165	(1)
All Verbed Up and Everywhere to Go	166	(1)
Practice Those Conjugations	166	(1)
Prepositions: Sticky Stuff	167	(1)
A Few Points on Prepositions	168	(1)
Contractions	168	(3)
Switcharoo	169	(2)
11 Using the Modal Verbs at I'Hotel	171	(12)
Una Grotta Will Do	172	(5)
A Room with a Vista	173	(1)
Simply Said	174	(1)
Get Comodo	174	(1)
Room Service Per Favore	175	(1)
Una Camera, Per Favore	175	(1)
Practice Makes Perfetto	176	(1)
Don't Forget la Mancia	177	(1)
Help, I Lost My Passaporto!	177	(1)
Feeling Moody: The Modal Verbs	177	(3)
I Want What I Want!	178	(1)
I Think I Can, I Think I Can!	178	(1)
I Have to	179	(1)
I'm in the Mood for	179	(1)
A Review of the Irregular Verbs	180	(3)
Practice Makes Perfetto II	181	(2)
12 Lezione di 6eografia: Sightseeing	183	(16)
Seeing Is Believing	183	(1)
Andiamo a Vedere	184	(1)
Critters	185	(2)
Asking for Indicazioni	186	(1)
More Irregular Verbs	187	(4)
Uscire	187	(1)
Venire	188	(1)
Rimanere	188	(1)
Your Turn	189	(1)
Practice Makes Perfetto	190	(1)
Dire	190	(1)
The Power of Suggestion	191	(1)
Perche Non?	191	(1)
Let's	191	(1)
How About ...?	192	(1)
Using Non to Make Suggestions	192	(1)
Yes or No	193	(1)
The Big, Blue Marble	193	(1)
We, the People	194	(2)
Nationalities	194	(1)
Religion	195	(1)
I Continents	196	(1)
Once Upon a Time	196	(5)
A Refresher	197	(2)
Part 3: La Doke Vita	199	(96)
13 Pane, Vino, e lioccolata: Expressing Your Pleasure	201	(18)
To Market! To Market!	202	(8)
B Is for Bere	202	(1)
Dal Negozio	202	(1)
I Love Olives	203	(1)
La Frutta	204	(1)
In Macelleria	205	(1)
Got Milk? La Latteria	206	(1)
Di Bocca Buona	207	(1)
Fruit of the Sea: La Pescheria	207	(1)
What's in a Name?	208	(1)
This Drink's on Me	209	(1)
Dolcezza!	210	(1)
Expressing Quantitá	210	(3)
It's the Quantitá That Counts	210	(2)
Give Me Some!	212	(1)
Some or Any: The Partitive Ne	212	(1)
Some Practice	213	(1)
What's Your Pleasure? The Verb Piacere	213	(3)
Using Piacere	214	(1)
Using the Verb Piacere	215	(1)
Using the Verb Piacere II	216	(1)
A Special Treat	216	(3)
14 Buon Appetito: Dining Out	219	(22)
Who's on First?	219	(2)
The Ordinal Numbers	220	(1)
So Many Restaurants	221	(15)
Two for Dinner, Please	222	(1)
What's the House Special?	223	(1)
A Table Setting	224	(1)
In the Kitchen	225	(1)
Il Bar	225	(1)
Il Caffè	226	(1)
Etiquette for Idiots	226	(1)
The Courses	227	(1)
What's on the Menu?	227	(2)
Ristorante Gabriella	229	(2)
La Pizza e it Formaggio	231	(1)
That's the Way I Like It	231	(1)
Spice Up Your Life	232	(1)
Special People Have Special Needs	233	(1)
You Call This Food?	234	(1)
Fine Wine	234	(1)
A Bellini Please	235	(1)
What's Your Fancy?	235	(1)
I Dolci	236	(1)
Comparatives and Superlatives	236	(5)
Better Than the Best	239	(1)
Irregular Comparisons	239	(1)
Comparisons of Equality	240	(1)
Absolutely, Totally Superlative	240	(1)
Infinitive Verbs and Prepositions	241	(3)
Alone at Last	242	(1)
Oddballs	242	(1)
The Preposition a	243	(1)
Learning by Example	244	(1)
Present Progressive Tense (-ing)	244	(1)
Making Progress	245
15 Made in Italia: Using Object Pronouns and Shopping	241	(30)
Stores Galore	247	(12)
La Cartoleria	249	(1)
La Profumeria	250	(1)
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend	250	(1)
Say "Mozzarella"	251	(1)
It's in the jeans	252	(1)
Accessories	253	(1)
How Do I Look?	254	(1)
One Size Does Not Fit All	255	(1)
Smooth as Seta	256	(1)
If the Shoe Fits	257	(1)
The Dirt on Dirt (and Other Mishaps)	257	(1)
The Florist	258	(1)
Sock It to Me!	258	(1)
Objection!	259	(1)
A Little Review	259	(1)
Objectify Me, Baby	260	(6)
Follow the Rules	260	(1)
When to Use the Direct Object Pronoun	261	(1)
When to Use Indirect Object Pronouns	262	(1)
Verbs That May Use an Indirect Object	262	(1)
Who's in Command?	263	(1)
Who's Who	264	(1)
Who's Who II	265	(1)
Who's Who-Final Round	265	(1)
Double Object Pronouns	266	(1)
Stressed Out	267	(4)
Stressful Exercise	268	(3)
16 Life's a Carnevale: Il Passato Prossimo	271	(14)
Name Your Game	272	(3)
You're Playing with My Head	273	(1)
Festeggiamo!	273	(1)
Out in Left Field	274	(1)
Don't Play with Me!	275	(1)
Il Passato Prossimo	275	(10)
Constructing the Past Participle	276	(1)
Forming the Past with Avere	276	(1)
Irregular Past Participles Used with Avere	277	(1)
Forming the Past with Essere	278	(1)
Verbs Taking Essere	279	(1)
Additional Applications of the Passato Prossimo	280	(1)
Adverbs in Compound Tenses	281	(1)
Direct Object Pronouns in Compound Tenses	282	(1)
Indirect Object Pronouns and the Passato Prossimo	282	(1)
The Passato Prossimo and Double Object Pronouns	283	(2)
17 The Arts and the Imperfetto	285	(10)
The Arts	285	(4)
Il Cinema	286	(1)
La Musica	286	(2)
Life Imitates Art	288	(1)
I Was What I Was: The Imperfect	289	(2)
Formation of the Imperfect	290	(1)
Fill in the Spazio	291	(1)
La Pratica	291	(1)
What's Done Is Done	292	(1)
A Review	292	(3)
Part 4: Minutiae	295	(60)
18 Using the Body to Test YourRiflessivi: Reflexive Verbs	291	(22)
What a Bod!	298	(5)
Farsi	299	(1)
Express Yourself	299	(1)
What Ails You?	300	(1)
Tell Me Where It Hurts	300	(1)
This Isn't Funny Anymore	300	(1)
Feeling Strano	301	(1)
This Is What You Have	302	(1)
Al Dente?	303	(3)
La Farmacia	303	(1)
Dall'Ottico	304	(1)
Make Me Look Like That: Hair	305	(1)
You've Got Good Reflexes	306	(4)
I Call Myself	307	(1)
Flexing Those Muscles	307	(1)
A Little Reflection	308	(1)
Mirror, Mirror	308	(1)
Test Your Reflexes	309	(1)
Reciprocity	310	(3)
19 Che Sarà, Sarà: Communicating in the Futuro	313	(8)
Love and Consequences	314	(1)
Il Telefono	315	(3)
Types of Phone Calls	315	(1)
Reach Out	315	(1)
Call Me Sometime!	316	(1)
Say What?	317	(1)
Hello, Operator?	318	(1)
Just the Fax	318	(1)
Rain or Shine: The Post Office	319	(2)
Rain or Shine	320	(1)
Dear Gianni	320	(1)
Che Sarà Sarà: The Future	321	(4)
What Will Be Will Be	322	(1)
What Will You Have?	323	(1)
Look for the Pattern	323	(1)
Irregular Stems	324	(1)
Back to the Futuro	324	(1)
The Future Perfect	325	(1)
The Future Perfect Examples	325
20 There's No Place Like Casa to Learn the Condizionale	321	(10)
Your Home Away from Home	327	(4)
Inside Your Home	328	(1)
Useful Verbs	329	(1)
Bright, Spacious, and Cheap	329	(1)
How's Your Italian?	330	(1)
That Would Be Nice: The Conditional Tense	331	(1)
Forming the Conditional Tense	331	(1)
What Would You Have?	332
Look for the Pattern II	332	(1)
Stem-Changing Verbs	333	(1)
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda	334	(1)
Practice Makes Perfetto	334
21 Brass Tacks: Money, Business, and Tecnologia	331	(24)
Il Computer	338	(2)
Computer- and Internet-Related Verbs	339	(1)
Italian Emoticons	339	(1)
Bank On It	340	(3)
The Wheel of Life	343	(1)
Everyone Has Needs: Il Congiuntivo	344	(5)
Using the Subjunctive	344	(2)
Oh, So Moody	346	(1)
Dependent Clauses and the Subjunctive	347	(2)
Cara Silvia-Practice Makes Perfetto	349
The Past (Present Perfect) Subjunctive	349	(1)
Purely Speculation: The Imperfect Subjunctive	350	(1)
The Past Was Pei feet	350	(1)
Once Upon a Time: Il Passato Remoto	351	(1)
Ci Fu Una Volta (Once Upon a Time)	352	(1)
Cose Da Vedere	352
Appendixes
A Answer Key	355
B Verb Tables	311	(8)
C Idiomatic expressions	319	(66)
D Italian Grammatica at a Glance	385	(4)
E Italian Sinonimi	389	(10)
F Further Resources	399	(4)
G Word List	403	(36)
Index	439