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| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| asking questions | 2/9/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Can you please tell me which verb tense or tenses can be used to ask questions in Italian. I am ... A: First of all I have to point out that "Mi dà una ricevuta, per favore?" means “Do you give me a ... | ||
| Meaning of an Italian expression | 2/8/2012 | Maria |
| Q: In the movie Fatso, Anne Bancroft used the expression (I'm not sure of the spelling)casciabang'. ... A: FOLLOW UP Hello again Stephen, by the light of what you have told me in your kind rating, i.e. that ... | ||
| translation | 2/7/2012 | Maria |
| Q: My question is about the following sentence that came from my computer course: "Mi dá una ricevuta ... A: Actually the verb form “dà” in "Mi dà una ricevuta per favore?" must be written with a grave ... | ||
| phrase | 2/4/2012 | Maria |
| Q: What does pelo mean in "il sacco a pelo"? Thanks a million. A: in “il sacco a pelo” which is a sleeping bag , i.e. “ a large, warmly lined, usually zippered bag ... | ||
| Da Vinci Quote Translation | 2/3/2012 | Francesco Marchesani |
| Q: I have been searching the net for both the Italian and Latin translations of the following Leonardo ... A: I have to apologize, I had absendmindedly mistranslated your quote! Punisce is of course the correct ... | ||
| talking about cheese | 2/2/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Can you please help me to understand the correct way to talk about cheese in Italian? My computer ... A: The phrase "un po' di gorgonzola, per favore" is correct, as this cheese, originally produced since ... | ||
| use of "Ne" | 2/2/2012 | Francesco Marchesani |
| Q: I saw the sentence "I'm looking for a jacket" written two ways: "Cerco una giacca." and "Sto ... A: Ne means "of him/her/it/them", "from him/her/it/them, "about him/her/it/them": it is a pronoun that ... | ||
| tu form of imperative for andare | 2/1/2012 | Maria |
| Q: My question is about the tu form of the imperative for the verb andare. I am not sure if this form ... A: The “tu” form of the imperative for the verb “andare” is not “và” which is absolutely wrong, but ... | ||
| Di+articolo determinativo vs. Un po' di? | 1/31/2012 | Lauren O' Hagan |
| Q: My question is regarding Il partitivo. I am a bit confused on when it is best to use 'di+ articolo ... A: The general rule is that the partitive is used to indicate imprecise or approximate quantities. Its ... | ||
| use of: "Occhio però all'acqua alta!" | 1/31/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Your answers have helped me very much. I can never thank you enough for your help. I hope that you ... A: The adversative conjunction “però” in the statement "Occhio però all'acqua alta!" we read in the ... | ||
| wedding invitation | 1/30/2012 | Lauren O' Hagan |
| Q: I have composed my italian wedding invitation but am not sure if it is gramatically correct can you ... A: There are just a few things to tweak. The message is: Angela cara, ( name of the bride) e ( name ... | ||
| translations | 1/30/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Can you please help me with some questions about the dialogue that is included below. I am ... A: Actually the translation “No thanks, but it's very kind" for "No grazie, molto gentile" is ... | ||
| proper verb for "looking" | 1/29/2012 | Francesco Marchesani |
| Q: I saw the sentence "I'm looking for a jacket" written two ways: "Cerco una giacca." and "Sto ... A: "Looking" is translated in many different ways, depending on the preposition it goes with. So, in ... | ||
| use of "la" e "là" | 1/29/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Would you please help me with the following sentence: "Posso accompagnarla?" My computer courser ... A: you are right: the correct translation for "Posso accompagnarla?" where "accompagnarla" is a ... | ||
| use of preposition "in" | 1/28/2012 | Maria |
| Q: The computer course that I am using to study Italian states that the words "città" (city), ... A: It is true that the words "città", "campagna", and "montagna" use the preposition "in" as in:”in ... | ||
| object of the infinitive | 1/27/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Would you please help me with some questions about the following sentence: "Voglio viaggiare per il ... A: It is so: in the sentence "Voglio viaggiare per il mondo" (I want to travel through the world) "per ... | ||
| forms of the italian passivant. | 1/26/2012 | Lauren O' Hagan |
| Q: I would be grateful if you could enlighten me on the italian passivant. Specifically, the usage and ... A: There are various usages of the passivant tense in Italian. In the first example that you have ... | ||
| "diritto" e "dritto" | 1/26/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Would you please help me to understand the words: "diritto" and "dritto". My computer course used ... A: First of all "diritto" and "dritto" are just different forms for the same word, since “dritto” is ... | ||
| Football teams | 1/25/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Can you please tell me if there are any rules about the gender of Italian clubs? I can see why it's ... A: Actually there is no set rule about the gender of Italian clubs as this gender depends on what is ... | ||
| identification of Italian direct object pronouns | 1/24/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Would you please tell me if "mi" is a direct object pronoun in the following sentence: "Può ... A: It is exactly the same in Italian where direct objects can be identified by asking "what" or "whom" ... | ||
| stato in luogo | 1/23/2012 | Maria |
| Q: I am having a difficult time translating "complementi di stato in luogo". Can you please help me ... A: I am glad to have helped you with your previous questions. As for the indirect object we call ... | ||
| follow-up to "bene", "buono". | 1/23/2012 | Lauren O' Hagan |
| Q: What is the difference in meaning of the words "bene" and "buona" and how does one know when it is ... A: To express that something that is good in general, Italians would actually tend to use 'bello' ... | ||
| use of "centro" | 1/22/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Can you please tell me why the preposition "in" is articulated in the following sentence: "Abito nel ... A: In Italian we say “Abito in centro” without including the definite article, if “in centro” in not ... | ||
| use of "bene", "buona" | 1/22/2012 | Lauren O' Hagan |
| Q: What is the difference in meaning of the words "bene" and "buona" and how does one know when it is ... A: Buono is an adjective that expresses a positive judgment, usually referring to the aspect of the ... | ||
| use of "con affetto" | 1/21/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Can you please tell me what type of "complemento indiretto" is "con affetto" (with love) when this ... A: You are right: “con affetto" (with love) when this expression is used as a complimentary close to a ... | ||
| use of "vada" | 1/20/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Would you please help me to better understand the following statement by Captain Gregorio De Falco: ... A: In the peremptory order "Vada a bordo" used very rightly by Captain De Falco the verb "vada" is ... | ||
| scusare | 1/19/2012 | Maria |
| Q: My question is about the verb "scusare". In the past, I had thought that the "imperative" of ... A: the "imperative" of "scusare" is just used to excuse oneself. Therefore the verb forms of the ... | ||
| vigile del fuoco | 1/18/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Can you please help me to understand the construction: "vigile del fuoco" To help my ... A: It is so: "vigile del fuoco" is composed of the complemento indiretto "del fuoco" that follows and ... | ||
| imperative/subjunctive | 1/17/2012 | Maria |
| Q: I am trying to understand how to classify the verb forms that are sometimes called the "hortatory ... A: Strictly speaking, the verb forms listed as the 3rd person singular, the 1st person plural, and the ... | ||
| use of "prima" and "seconda" | 1/16/2012 | Maria |
| Q: My question is about how to correctly use the words "la prima" and "la seconda" when talking about ... A: in “Prenda la seconda a destra” (Take the second turning on the right) or “Prenda la prima a destra” ... | ||
| "straight" vs "straight on" | 1/14/2012 | Lauren O' Hagan |
| Q: Can you please tell me if there is any difference between saying "straight" and saying "straight on" ... A: No, there is no distinction between the two terms in Italian so 'andare diritto' will be used for ... | ||
| use of "uva" | 1/14/2012 | Maria |
| Q: My question is about the word "uva". Can you please tell me how to translate the word "uva". I was ... A: the word "uva", which is a feminine singular noun, can only be translated into the English plural ... | ||
| Sorta di resa | 1/13/2012 | Chris Platamone |
| Q: Che significa " sorta di resa"? Grazie ANSWER: Isi, "sorta di resa" is an idiomatic expression that ... A: In this case it can be talking about bourgeois as we use it in the English sense (class, group) or ... | ||
| Sorta di resa | 1/13/2012 | Chris Platamone |
| Q: Che significa " sorta di resa"? Grazie A: Isi, "sorta di resa" is an idiomatic expression that can mean a showdown, a reckoning, an accounting ... | ||
| "castel" | 1/13/2012 | Maria |
| Q: Can you please tell me if the word "castel" in "Castel Gandolfo" is a way to say "castello" in a ... A: the word "castel" in "Castel Gandolfo"(Castle of the Gandolfi family) is just an apocopation ... | ||
| Italian word "lo" | 1/12/2012 | Lauren O' Hagan |
| Q: I currently learning Italian on my own . I'm fom Romania , and romanian language is very closely ... A: The point of 'lo' in this sentence is translated as the word 'it' in English. It is used as a ... | ||
| spaghetto del carbonaio | 1/12/2012 | Maria |
| Q: I recently read the following sentence in my computer course on Italian: "Of course, there are many ... A: Actually “carbonara” in “spaghetti alla carbonara” is a feminine adjective agreed with the implied ... | ||
| Grammar | 1/11/2012 | Jelena |
| Q: Greetings, I don't quite understand the difference between fu and stato in Italian grammar, e.g. Lui ... A: Cm! I'm sorry that it took me so long to answer your question! "Fu ucciso" is Passato Remoto and ... | ||
| Question | 1/11/2012 | Chris Platamone |
| Q: What is the difference between: ci mancherebbe altro,and questa non ci voleva? A: These are both very common expressions in Italian that don't translate very well literally, but they ... | ||
| spaghetto del carbonaio | 1/11/2012 | Maria |
| Q: I recently read the following sentence in my computer course on Italian: "Of course, there are many ... A: Firstly Fratticiola, also known as Fratticiola Selvatica, is a “frazione”, i.e. a type of ... | ||
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Italian is my mother tongue and I'll be glad to answer any questions concerning Italian Language.
Over 25 years teaching experience.
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I received my Ph.D. from Genova University (Italy).

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