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Italian Language/Questions Answered by Expert Chris Platamone
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Sorta di resa | 1/13/2012 |
| 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 |
| 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 ... | |
| Question | 1/11/2012 |
| 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 ... | |
| phrase | 1/4/2012 |
| Q: I read that phrase in "qui italia". The phrase is from an interview with an author who watched ... A: I thought at first that he was referring to some kind of child's toy, but I did not grow up in Italy ... | |
| Aver | 1/3/2012 |
| Q: Ciao Is there a difference between: dopo aver fato. And dopo ho fato? When do we use "aver" Grazie A: Isi, "dopo aver fatto" is the equivalent of the English phrase "after having done.." Note it uses ... | |
| Use of "in" or "a" with certain words | 1/3/2012 |
| Q: I am using two different sources to learn Italian myself (a CD audio course and a DVD course). One ... A: and they don't necessarily correspond to the way we use them in English. For this reason, they are ... | |
| alla and la/il and al | 12/29/2011 |
| Q: I am studying Italy by my self and i would be thankful if you answer my question what is the ... A: Hamed, "alla" is simply the contraction of a + la, or in English, "to the". In this example, Bambina ... | |
| Learning Italian | 11/3/2011 |
| Q: Kindly tell me which Italian newspapers or books are presented freely both in English and Italian so ... A: Mehrdad, you can easily find the "Corriere della Sera", which is a very large daily newspaper in ... | |
| use of "la speciale" | 10/19/2011 |
| Q: Would you please answer another question about the same dialogue from my previous question. I am ... A: Rich, in this case, it appears that "speciale" is being used as an adjective that modifies "pizza". ... | |
| la frutti di mare | 10/19/2011 |
| Q: My question is about the use of “la” before “frutti di mare” in line [6] of the following dialogue. ... A: Rich, the article "la" in this case is referring to "pizza", even though the word is left out. So if ... | |
| pronouns "niente" and "nessuno" | 9/29/2011 |
| Q: Can you please help me to better understand the basic difference between the pronouns "niente" and ... A: Rich, Nessuno is definitely used to refer to people, i.e. nobody or no-one. Niente is used for ... | |
| mica vs non...mica | 9/23/2011 |
| Q: I thought I was ready to move on to a new subject area, but realized I still have another question ... A: Rich, there is no real grammatical reason that I can give you for this--I suppose it's just part of ... | |
| use of "mica" | 9/22/2011 |
| Q: once again, for your help with all my questions about the word "mica". Thanks to you, I have come a ... A: No problem at all Rich, you can ask questions any time. I think I would agree that "mica" is very ... | |
| placement of "mica" in a sentence | 9/21/2011 |
| Q: Sorry to bother you again. Can you please help me with the correct placement of the word "mica" ... A: Yes you are correct in this but I would add that when you use the passato prossimo, "mica" generally ... | |
| use of | 9/21/2011 |
| Q: My question is about the use of the word "mica". My computer course states that "non…mica" means ... A: Rich, sorry if I was not clear-- Mica capisco still has the same negative connotation as if it had ... | |
| use of "mica" | 9/21/2011 |
| Q: And, "yes" – your explanation does help. But, "me being me", I still do not completely get it. ... A: Yes you are right that mica has a negative connotation whether or not it is used with the negative ... | |
| use of "mica" | 9/20/2011 |
| Q: My question is about the use of the word "mica". My computer course states that "non…mica" means ... A: Rich, you are correct that "mica" can be used with or without "non" and it still means "not really". ... | |
| use of "neanche" | 9/17/2011 |
| Q: Can you please tell me of "neanche" is ever used in a sentence without "non". I understand that ... A: Rich, let me clarify some of your examples-- Non capisco neanche.---this is fine as Italian does ... | |
| Italian menu terminology | 9/13/2011 |
| Q: I'm preparing a printed menu for a wedding in which the bride would like to have the various ... A: Stephanie, the Buffet Dinner would be "Cena a Buffet". For Champagne Toast, there really is no ... | |
| use of "non…più" | 9/12/2011 |
| Q: Can you please tell me if the following sentences are correct or not: Non voglio più spaghetti. = ... A: Rich, your sentences are correct in Italian, and I would say your analysis of the parts of speech is ... | |
| Does LEI have multiple meanings? | 9/5/2011 |
| Q: I am learning Italian and there is something I cannot figure out. Typically, when I see Lei, it ... A: Michele, What you are used to seeing is the use of lei as the third person singular subject pronoun ... | |
| definite article | 8/28/2011 |
| Q: My question is about the use or non-use of "definite articles" I have copied a lesson from my ... A: Rich, I have to be honest with you--when I read #7 and repeat it back to myself quickly, I would ... | |
| "a" or "di" | 8/27/2011 |
| Q: I'm studying Rosetta Stone Grammar Italian Lesson 3 and I'm doing pretty well but I have come across ... A: John, the first thing you have to understand is that the proper use of prepositions is usually the ... | |
| "ah" or "oh" | 8/27/2011 |
| Q: I always see the Italian interjection "ah" translated as "oh" in English. Is there any special ... A: Rich, first of all, translators do take some liberties at times, so I would have to see both sides ... | |
| use of "pesci" | 8/24/2011 |
| Q: Can you please help me to understand when to use the Italian singular word for fish - "pesce" and ... A: Actually Rich, I think it's much more complicated in English than it is in Italian--we use the ... | |
| formal sentences in italian | 6/12/2011 |
| Q: I was just wondering if you could tell me how to say formal sentences like 'you have a good dog ... A: Elisabeth, word order is not so important in Italian as long as you have the correct forms in there ... | |
| direct and indirect object pronouns | 5/28/2011 |
| Q: I seem to be having some difficulty learning the difference between direct and indirect object ... A: Liz, the examples you are working from are really terrible because they contain adverbs and object ... | |
| Learning Italian | 5/25/2011 |
| Q: What do you suggest is the best way or method to learn Italian? I have picked up some by reading and ... A: Marianne, you need to give yourself every opportunity possible to learn in different ways, i.e. by ... | |
| Italian tenses | 5/19/2011 |
| Q: I have been learning Italian by myself for a month now and am having difficulty with the tenses. I ... A: Vargab, I would advise you to get any one of a number of books available that will give you all the ... | |
| Need help with some Italian translation | 5/18/2011 |
| Q: Ciao. I am getting a tattoo in Italian soon and I want to make sure the spelling and punctuation on ... A: Paige, there is more than one way to say this in Italian, so I would advise you to get as many ... | |
| Dialects that does not translate | 5/16/2011 |
| Q: I have relatives in southern Italy. They speak a dialect and write That does not translate. How do ... A: Marianne, I am not familiar with the dialect of that area, but I know that some of the dialects can ... | |
| italian grammar | 5/9/2011 |
| Q: I was just wondering if you could help me out with some basic italian grammar problems I've been ... A: Liz, I would be happy to help you. What you are talking about are possessive pronouns, but they ... | |
| fare+noun+di | 4/30/2011 |
| Q: would you please explain to me the construction fare+noun+di. Sometimes the preposition di can be ... A: Ray, I think I was not as clear as I should have been in our previous exchange. My point was that ... | |
| fare+noun+di | 4/30/2011 |
| Q: would you please explain to me the construction fare+noun+di. Sometimes the preposition di can be ... A: Ray, when you are using Fare+noun+di you are exploring poetic territory that may not be as ... | |
| Italian work plzzz helpppp | 4/11/2011 |
| Q: Italian future tense-- Why do verbs ending in -ciare and -giare drop the i from the ending? ... A: Gianna, the i is there only to soften the sound of the g or c preceeding it--it's not really ... | |
| Intransitivo | 3/29/2011 |
| Q: The forums,through which I just went through are of great help! I appreciate your efforts. Thanks a ... A: Kashish, Intransitivo means that the verb does not usually take an object---for example, you can ... | |
| Help with 3 words! | 2/2/2011 |
| Q: I am getting a tattoo tomorrow and would like to incorporate three Italian words. These are dream, ... A: Emma, it would sound better to say "Sognare, Amare, Ridere" which means "to dream, to love, to ... | |
| Wedding Invitation in Italian | 1/8/2011 |
| Q: We are inviting some relatives in Italy to our wedding. How would express the idea of Mr. Scopetta ... A: Ashley, here are some ideas: E' con gioia che vi invitiamo ad assistere al nostro matrimonio Il ... | |
| Name pronunciation | 12/22/2010 |
| Q: I married a man with the last name Nunnaro and though I have kept my name I would love to know how ... A: I would pronounce this Noo-NNA-doh Usually (as a basic rule of thumb), Italian words stress the ... | |
| Si impersonale | 12/7/2010 |
| Q: While I have been studying for an italian final, I have come across a question in my practice ... A: Emily, I am not sure what your question is. If you just want an explanation of the trapassato ... | |
| Carlo Gesualdo | 11/10/2010 |
| Q: I need help translating this piece. Google did an ok job on some of the words but got hung up on a ... A: Joe, here is a rough translation: Fuggan dunque le noie, e'l tristo pianto Omai si cangi in dolce e ... | |
| appena and non appena | 11/9/2010 |
| Q: Can you explain to me the difference in meaning between appena and non appena? Which verb tenses ... A: Beverly, Appena and non appena can both be used to mean "as soon as" as in: Chiamami non appena ... | |
| use of andare with prepositions | 9/24/2010 |
| Q: Is there a rule for the use of a, al and in for the following? Andare a cavallo. Andare al cinema. ... A: Patricia, there is absolutely no grammatical rule for the use of prepositions. How could one ... | |
| dialects and surnames | 9/21/2010 |
| Q: 1) Can you explain the different characteristics of regional Italian surnames. I know few famous ... A: Dan, I can't help much with the surnames, except to say that Piemonte has a heavy French influence ... | |
| allergies in Italian | 8/28/2010 |
| Q: I'm going to Italy for a week(Rome and Capri) with my mum who is severly allergic to:yeast, oranges, ... A: Nan, you can say on behalf of your mother: "Mia madre e' severamente allergica al lievito, alle ... | |
| Translation help, please :) | 8/24/2010 |
| Q: I recently met with a horrible accident that broke my femur bone, gave me multiple concussions & ... A: Tina, the choice is up to you--here are all three: 1. Perche' il nostro amore e' piu' profondo ... | |
| translation | 8/19/2010 |
| Q: Would you please translate the following for me: Il centro storico è una definizione urbanistica, ... A: Rich, it's pretty dry writing, and would take some thought and some liberty to render into any kind ... | |
| Laura's response re: Cara mia | 8/17/2010 |
| Q: A question about the usage of "cara mia" was answered thusly: "Cara mia" is now used only ... A: Mary Ann, "Hironically" has no meaning in the English language that I know of. I can only assume ... | |
| Difference between "dei" & "i" and "del" & "il" | 8/7/2010 |
| Q: I'm using Rosetta Stone to learn Italian and have found myself confused on one aspect. I've seen the ... A: Jasmine, "Dei" is a contraction of di+i and is used with plural nouns--in your example, "panini". ... | |
| pasta | 8/2/2010 |
| Q: Can you please help me to understand what Italians mean when they say “pasta”? I looked up “pasta” ... A: Rich, the word "pasta" is really a catch-all term for pastry or dough. Of course the most common ... | |
| congiuntivo | 7/15/2010 |
| Q: In perusing the internet, I am getting mixed signals as to whether the congiuntivo is required after ... A: Pat, there is a lot of confusion over this, even amongst Italians. Technically, these two words are ... | |
| Modal volere | 6/12/2010 |
| Q: In French I would say to the cab driver (or think I would) “Voudriez-vous nous conduire a la tour ... A: Carl, they are both simple conditional tense in the formal form, just as your French example is. The ... | |
| pronunciation | 6/9/2010 |
| Q: My question is about the correct way to pronounce the word "prego". I am wondering if the "e" in ... A: Rich, I think you have it backwards. An open "E" is more like the vowel sound in the word "Pray". ... | |
| Translation | 5/17/2010 |
| Q: My sister and I are wanting to get tattoos in Italian. I have looked online for the translation but ... A: Courney, sorry for the delay, it seems the alert never came through to my email. Big Sister can be ... | |
| Penso che followed by imperfect subjunctive or conditional? | 5/1/2010 |
| Q: Buongiorno! I'm really hoping you'll clear my doubts over this subject. I've been studying Italian ... A: I have to say, I wasn't expecting that answer and it's confused me even more if I'm honest. Wouldn't ... | |
| Penso che followed by imperfect subjunctive or conditional? | 4/30/2010 |
| Q: Buongiorno! I'm really hoping you'll clear my doubts over this subject. I've been studying Italian ... A: Natalie, the congiuntivo does take some practice to get used to, and if it's any consolation for ... | |
| definite article with infinitive | 4/25/2010 |
| Q: When reading the definition of liberazione it was defined as "il liberare; il venire liberato". I ... A: Joseph, when you use the definite article with the infinitive, you are using the verb as a noun, ... | |
| "let go" | 4/2/2010 |
| Q: I'm trying to find out how to say "let go" in Italian, but it seems like every single person I have ... A: That's a good point, Melissa. You cannot assume that for every word in English (or every thought for ... | |
| Out-of-Place Words | 4/1/2010 |
| Q: G'day, I'm currently putting myself through the process of self-teaching. It's very interesting, ... A: Alex, you have a lot of questions, not all of which can be answered, as there is not necessarily a ... | |
| Verbs | 3/4/2010 |
| Q: Finire in the passato proximo is ho finito. Apparently if it is intransitive, it is e finita. Does ... A: Arleen, it's not necessarily true to say the the intransitive form would be "finita". It would ... | |
| Italian grammer | 2/28/2010 |
| Q: Can you tell me please how to use piacere in a sentence with the 3rd person plural. Thank you A: Penny, "piacere" is generally used only in either the 3rd person singular or plural, though you can ... | |
| help with translation | 2/24/2010 |
| Q: I have a cousin in Benevento Italy and would like to write to her from time to time. I understand ... A: Toni, I don't know of any really good ones. I have used a few, including MIcrosoft Word translator ... | |
| Obama speech commentary translation | 2/8/2010 |
| Q: Ciao Chris, I had previously asked for help regarding a translation of commentary on President ... A: 1. Come presidente, io prometto di terminare questa guerra. 2. Nell'Afganistan, dobbiamo aumentare ... | |
| Grammar: Pronouns | 1/27/2010 |
| Q: "I love you" in Italian is translated at "Ti amo", but "I miss you is translated as "Mi manchi". How ... A: Lauren, the fundamental issue here is that with the verb amare, the person doing the loving is the ... | |
| A short letter translation | 12/30/2009 |
| Q: Caio Chris, I have a short statement to send an Italian friend. I appreciate your help in the ... A: Kim, this is difficult to translate literally, but I will try to give it the same feeling. 2010, ... | |
| translation from english to italian | 12/29/2009 |
| Q: elisa: We thank you for the beautiful gifts. elisa's ceramic dishes,shirts,scarf,photo calender,etc. ... A: Elisa, Ti ringraziamo per i regali bellissimi. I piatti di ceramica, magliette,sciarpa, il ... | |
| English to Italian | 12/23/2009 |
| Q: Translation: Live through (as in lived through and/or survived) and the words breath as well as ... A: Brandi, I would not use vivere attraverso as it gives the sense of living vicariously through ... | |
| Rolling R | 12/21/2009 |
| Q: Is the Rolling R needed in Italian? I'm asking this because I seem to be unable to roll my R's no ... A: Matthew, Technically, any double r in Italian should be rolled, and a single r should at least be ... | |
| Using the Impersonal | 11/28/2009 |
| Q: In an online class recently I was instructed that for the impersonal construction one uses the ... A: Yes, I am aware of this type of construction, and I can only tell you that it is an idiomatic ... | |
| tutto | 11/27/2009 |
| Q: My question is about the word “tutto” when “tutto” is used as an adjective, adverb, and noun. ... A: Rich, this is Chris here-- Your explanation is all correct, but it can get pretty complicated ... | |
| Using the Impersonal | 11/21/2009 |
| Q: In an online class recently I was instructed that for the impersonal construction one uses the ... A: Lucille, here's how it works gramatically: 1. In questo ristorante, si mangia della pizza ... | |
| Re : Compound noun phrase | 10/26/2009 |
| Q: Recently, I came across the following interesting piece of syntax : "La confezione sottovuoto ... A: Clive, I would say that either your explanation is correct or the package inscription is incorrect. ... | |
| translation for tattoo | 8/29/2009 |
| Q: I have a few phrases I'm thinking about for tattoo's and I'm quite adamant to have the meaning ... A: Sophia, some of these are awkward or just donot translate well in Italian and so would not be ... | |
| Difference Between di da de d' | 8/16/2009 |
| Q: Just curious: Quite a few Italian friends of mine have last names that appear to begin with an ... A: Ed, Di and Da are prepositions and can mean of, from, or by in Italian, depending on context. They ... | |
| piacciami AGAIN! | 8/15/2009 |
| Q: Chris, you have already resonded to a question about 'piacere', but something still confuses me. I ... A: would it be adequate to say 'Mi piaci' (You are pleasing to me)? Yes, that is perfectly fine, as ... | |
| piacciami AGAIN! | 8/14/2009 |
| Q: Chris, you have already resonded to a question about 'piacere', but something still confuses me. I ... A: Gareth, that's because piacere is most commonly used in 3rd person singular or plural, i.e. one ... | |
| Dante's Italian | 7/11/2009 |
| Q: I'm just began self-studying Italian to read literature and maybe visit the country in the future. ... A: Glenn, This is a very interesting question, though it's one that I can't answer specifically of ... | |
| Conjugation of Amare | 7/10/2009 |
| Q: I recently asked for the translation of "Live, Laugh, Love" I was told use the infinitve of the ... A: Sharron, these are not infinitives but rather imperatives--command forms, and they are indeed ... | |
| Dante l'inferno, canto 1, line 103 | 7/6/2009 |
| Q: Line 103 reads: "Questi cibera terra ne feltro" "Questi" is nom. masc. sing. and "cibera" is 3 ... A: I am by no means an expert on Dante, but this I can tell you: Questi is actually masculine plural. ... | |
| translation of a sentence | 6/20/2009 |
| Q: is it weird to translate " do you want me to get you a glass of fresh orange juice?" as " vorresti ... A: Ebru, Yes, it is weird and it's wordy, whether in English or Italian, and your example is actually ... | |
| infinitive or conjugation? | 6/17/2009 |
| Q: how do i ask " do you want me to get you a glass of fresh ( or squeezed) orange juice? " in Italian? ... A: Ebru, there are many ways to say this, both formally and informally, depending on the relationship ... | |
| use of "fare" | 6/14/2009 |
| Q: Is it right to say “(mi) feci pubblicare i libri” to mean “I got/made the books published.” Would it ... A: Cynthia, if you keep the indirect object pronoun "mi" there, it gives this sentence a slangish ... | |
| gerund and conjunction | 6/14/2009 |
| Q: I'm having difficulty analyzing why gerundio is used in the sentence below (cercando and ... A: John, here the subject is "la legge Turco-Napolitano", so you could simply begin the sentence with ... | |
| translation | 6/8/2009 |
| Q: Are there any grammar rules that would forbid the dropping of preposition "a" in the common ... A: John, idiomatic expressions are what they are--you can't play around with prepositions without ... | |
| che in interrogative sentence | 6/8/2009 |
| Q: My question is regarding the use of “che” in “che siano gia andati via?” “che mi sia ingannato?” ... A: This is a very subtle part of the language, and I think could most accurately be compared to the ... | |
| che in interrogative sentence | 6/7/2009 |
| Q: My question is regarding the use of “che” in “che siano gia andati via?” “che mi sia ingannato?” ... A: Cynthia, this is not a modal. The word "che" in these cases can be translated as "that" and ... | |
| preposition | 5/30/2009 |
| Q: Is it acceptable to drop "a" in "ho qualcosa a dire." ANSWER: John, no that is not correct. I ... A: Actually the subject of the infinitive does not take the dative case--if it did, you would replace ... | |
| subjunctive | 5/30/2009 |
| Q: which would be correct & why? * se la festa sarebbe in agosto OR se la festa sia in agosto * ... A: Louise, all three of these must be congiuntivo, and not conditional or indicative. Any time you have ... | |
| preposition | 5/29/2009 |
| Q: Is it acceptable to drop "a" in "ho qualcosa a dire." ANSWER: John, no that is not correct. I ... A: John, I'm not sure why you are referring to dative case in these sentences, as Italian does not ... | |
| Subjunctive | 5/24/2009 |
| Q: they would have left a message' ie Se fosse importante, avrebbero lasciato un mesaggio. Is is OK to ... A: Vivky, this is incorrect whether in English or in Italian. The statement should be: "If it had been ... | |
| translation - quanto | 5/24/2009 |
| Q: Disregarding its English translation, what part of speech does "quanto" mean in the sentence ... A: Eli, you are correct that quanti means "as many as" in this sentence...however I think you are ... | |
| translation - quanto | 5/23/2009 |
| Q: Disregarding its English translation, what part of speech does "quanto" mean in the sentence ... A: Eli, in this sentence, "quanti" means how many. Note that it is plural, to agree with the implied ... | |
| translation | 5/16/2009 |
| Q: Is it acceptable in standard Italian to use "E" to refer to "it"? Ex. It says that very few have ... A: Sorry Cynthia, this is absolutely not correct. The impersonal "It" in Italian is simply implied ... | |
| infinitve | 5/16/2009 |
| Q: Is a preposition required/optional for the ff. sentences? “Credo essere ferito.” = I think I'm ... A: The rule of thumb is that if the person remains the same from first clause to second clause (as in I ... | |
| subjunctive | 5/15/2009 |
| Q: Can you help again, this time about the use of subjunctive mood in "Sono felice lei abbia vinto" = ... A: John, there is an implied word in your example that you are missing: "che" (that). This word often ... | |
| infinitve | 5/14/2009 |
| Q: Is a preposition required/optional for the ff. sentences? “Credo essere ferito.” = I think I'm ... A: Yes, in both cases the preposition "di" is required: Credo di essere ferito/Spero di comprare la ... | |
| participial phrase as adjective | 5/12/2009 |
| Q: Kindly help determine which of two verbals, gerundio or present participle, is appropriate for the ... A: Eli, In number one, both choices are wrong as "indossante" is an adjective and "indossando" as any ... | |
| Italian Translation for tattoo | 4/30/2009 |
| Q: I am wanting to get a tattoo in Italian that will read "Live Love Life" can you please translate (i ... A: Casey, In English, it is ambiguous as to whether you are using live and love as nouns or as verbs, ... | |
| subjunctive | 4/27/2009 |
| Q: as a native english speaker, how could you translate the subjuntive form of a verb? EG: se ... A: Louise, the subjunctive tense implies uncertainty, hypothesis, or the classic "if..then" scenarios, ... | |
| impersonal pronoun | 4/20/2009 |
| Q: Is si in "si passivante" the same as impersonal pronoun? Ex. Molti libri si vendono = Many books are ... A: Cynthia, actually this can get rather colloquial. Italians will usually say simply "si vendono" or ... | |
| impersonal pronoun | 4/19/2009 |
| Q: Is si in "si passivante" the same as impersonal pronoun? Ex. Molti libri si vendono = Many books are ... A: Cynthia, Yes, this is the impersonal construction. You are right that the literal translation is ... | |
| Writing an informal letter | 4/18/2009 |
| Q: I have reserved an apartment in Sardinia and would like to write a friendly greeting and ... A: Herre you go Betty (note that an apostrophe is actually an accent mark leaning backwards): Cara ... | |
| reflexive pronoun | 4/10/2009 |
| Q: May I ask your assistance again, this time to determine the semantic function of “si” as used in ... A: Eli, Prepositions are the last thing one learns in a foreign language, simply because there is no ... | |
| si in reflexive verb | 4/9/2009 |
| Q: I have difficulty determining the semantic function of "si" in Italian reflexive verb (I mean the ... A: Eli, How much does the structure of our language frame our view of the world? To the Italian, "Si ... | |
| Italian grammar - "to you all" | 4/9/2009 |
| Q: I am confused in the translation of the following: "Happy Easter to you all" Is the translation ... ... A: Paul, Word order in Italian is really not as important as it is in English. You can say this ... | |
| help with translation of letters | 3/31/2009 |
| Q: In another letter, Gram writes to my mother who lives a 1000 miles away and says:" Ho ricevuto la ... A: Linda, here are a few thoughts and corrections. Everything else looks good in your translation. "I ... | |
| continuation of 3/27 | 3/30/2009 |
| Q: I don't know if there is a more direct way for me to respond to your reply to my question. I saw no ... A: Well Linda, I would say that you answered your question yourself. I can easily give you literal ... | |
| translation of Italian letters of grandparents | 3/27/2009 |
| Q: I am translating 55 of my grandparents letters. I have limited knowledge of Italian, and their ... A: Linda, "dispetti" are "spiteful things", so I think this is more than just about becoming a Nonna. ... | |
| Diphthong SC pronounciation | 3/2/2009 |
| Q: How does one pronounce in Italian the diphthong sc. I have had people tell me it sounds like sh and ... A: Dick this is one of the fundamental rules of Italian pronunciation, which is otherwise very ... | |
| correction translation | 2/28/2009 |
| Q: I would like to know if I corrected these sentences correctly. Thanks Mya Please note there has ... A: Mya, Here is a version that I think sounds better, however I would encourage you to also run this ... | |
| Definite article | 2/27/2009 |
| Q: Could you tell me please whether the definite article needs an upper case before a noun that is ... A: Lottie, if you are attaching a preposition to the article, for example a + la = alla, then it is ... | |
| italy | 2/22/2009 |
| Q: its been my dream to go to italy but before i go i have no idea how to speak the launauge? any ... A: Zach, there are lots of them out there--Rosetta Stone is a great program, but it's not cheap. Books ... | |
| imperfect or perfect | 2/22/2009 |
| Q: can you give me a good guide as to when to use these? i know to use imperfect for "used to" & "was ... A: Louise, you are right about the uses of the imperfect, and it's not really much more complicated ... | |
| use of "un" | 2/21/2009 |
| Q: Would you please help me with the translation of the following sentence: "La bambina beve un succo ... A: Rich, Semantics scholars ponder these things, and I guess they would have an answer to this. What I ... | |
| pronciation question | 2/19/2009 |
| Q: Pomodoro di Lusso - "Lusso" I thought it was pronounced "lew-so", but what I've read recently has ... A: Tina, that website is no longer active, which does not surprise me because I assure you, they don't ... | |
| Angels & Demons italian trailer | 2/19/2009 |
| Q: just when I set out to learn english I tried to start with things I liked like music and movies. Now ... A: E' in questa notte che nella citta' del Vaticano, ha luogo un antico rituale. Il mondo intero ... | |
| pronciation question | 2/18/2009 |
| Q: Pomodoro di Lusso - "Lusso" I thought it was pronounced "lew-so", but what I've read recently has ... A: Tina, you are correct in your pronunciation. Italian is very phonetic and not at all open to ... | |
| Italian translation | 2/17/2009 |
| Q: Could you translate the following paragraph? Many thanks. Thank you very much for sharing your book ... A: Grazie di aver condiviso il tuo libro di poesia con me. Complimenti sulla sua publicazione. Mi ... | |
| what are the 4 ways to say "the" in italian | 2/8/2009 |
| Q: Can you tell me the 4 ways to say "the" in italian, and when to use them? My son is in his first ... A: Maryann, "the" is the definite article, and in Italian it must agree with the noun in number and ... | |
| English to Italian translation? | 2/7/2009 |
| Q: I was hoping to get an accurate translation of "good tomato" - is it buono pomodoro? Or not quite? ... A: Tina, you can say either "buon pomodoro" or "pomodoro buono". The pronunciation is just as it looks, ... | |
| translation to English | 2/5/2009 |
| Q: s'io credessi che mia risposta fosse a persona che mai tornasse al mondo questa fiamma staria senza ... A: Louise, this is very poetic and antiquated Italian--I will do my best to render it into readable ... | |
| 2 verbs | 1/26/2009 |
| Q: Often I see two verbs together & the first one has dropped a final -e vowel. For example: saper ... A: Yes, but it can get more complicated than that. For example, you can add object pronouns to the end ... | |
| In, Nel, Nella, Al and Alla.. I don't know which one to use... | 1/16/2009 |
| Q: I am learning Italian and I'm just not sure when to use: In, Nel, Nella, Al or Alla. I think they ... A: Isaac, prepositions are the last thing one learns in a language, and that is because there are no ... | |
| "queta" meaning | 1/15/2009 |
| Q: i wanted to know if "queta" means "quiet" or something else fron dante's inferno "Allor fu la paura ... A: Roy, you are right that it means quiet, calm, or still. In modern Italian it is quieto or quiete. As ... | |
| Pizza Quattro Stagioni | 1/15/2009 |
| Q: Greetings, Am I right in thinking that "Quattro Stagioni" means "Four Seasons" i.e. spring, summer, ... A: Simon, you are right, and the reason for the name is that the Quattro Stagioni has 4 toppings in ... | |
| 2 verbs | 1/14/2009 |
| Q: Often I see two verbs together & the first one has dropped a final -e vowel. For example: saper ... A: Louise, there is no exact grammatical rule, but you will see this when an infinitive is followed by ... | |
| is it 'si' passive or impersonal? | 1/12/2009 |
| Q: I'm hoping for some explanation on the following. ...si affittano o si vendono appartamenti.... ... A: Louise, this is not really the passive that you are talking about here. An example of passive voice ... | |
| Sicilian Expression | 1/2/2009 |
| Q: When she was still alive, my Sicilian grandmother used an expression that I would love to know how ... A: Lauren this is a tough one. I too come from a Sicilian background so I am trying to imagine my ... | |
| definite article | 12/29/2008 |
| Q: Ho trovato questa frase sul internet: Ci sono bancarelle dappertutto che vendono le caldarroste. ... A: Pasquale, I think you are asking about the definite article here missing before bancarelle but ... | |
| m'avea? | 12/4/2008 |
| Q: hey ! what is the meaning of "che m'avea - from dante's INFERNO "che m’avea di paura il cor ... A: Roy, "m'avea" is Dante's way of saying "mi aveva"--he was actually forging a written standard for ... | |
| Queste/Questi | 11/24/2008 |
| Q: *I was wondering when introducing my friends to someone and my friends are both male and female, ... A: Cindy, this is actually 3 questions but here goes: 1. any time there is a mix of masculine and ... | |
| old letter | 11/17/2008 |
| Q: Would you please translate this letter from Italian to English? ... A: Tammie, the attachment did not come through on the email to me. On the All Experts website, only one ... | |
| old letter | 11/17/2008 |
| Q: Would you please translate this letter from Italian to English? A: Tammie, this is a husband writing to his wife and family--some of the words are very hard to read, ... | |
| Italian test | 10/8/2008 |
| Q: Do you think having a test about articles, verbs, naming objects, and not one word of Italian IS a ... A: Nick, it's only hard if you have never studied the grammar of your native language, presumably ... | |
| the word preveda | 9/14/2008 |
| Q: i know this is the subjunctive form of the prevedere, and also the imperative. In my knowledge of ... A: Casey, you are right that Preveda is the subjunctive or the formal imperative of prevedere, however ... | |
| the word ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,some | 8/24/2008 |
| Q: there are so many ways to say,some, in italian...dei, del etc. why not just use qualche, which means ... A: Ron, you can use "qualche" but not in all cases. You have to make the distinction between "some ... | |
| phrase translation | 8/22/2008 |
| Q: I am trying to translate a phrase for a friend of mine, and they tell me there are different ... A: Stephanie, just as in English, there may be different renderings of this biblical phrase in ... | |
| knowing where to place the accent | 7/31/2008 |
| Q: I am aware that most often Italian words are accented on the next to the last syllable Here are ... A: Stanley, that's a great question that I have been asked many times. Unfortunately, there is no clear ... | |
| Della? | 7/16/2008 |
| Q: Curious about Piero della Francesca's name. Did it genuinely intend to mean Peter of Francesca (his ... A: Clint, "della" means literally "of the" and can mean you are from either a place or a person. There ... | |
Italian Language
Answers by Expert:
Chris Platamone
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer all basic to advanced grammar questions. I have read much of Italian literature, but I teach Italian grammar from the point of view of an English speaker, and therin lies my expertise: Italian is not my native tongue, but I have an excellent handle on all things grammatical and can help people bridge the gap between English and Italian.
Experience
I attended school in Florence, Italy for 1 and a half years.
Organizations
I am already an expert on Allexperts.com--this is a new application because my email address has changed.
Publications
I have published a translation of a short story in an anthology of Italian women writers, and I have had a letter published on the web site of Italian journalist Beppe Severgnini.
Education/Credentials
Bachelor's degree, Italian language and literature, San Francisco State University, 1984. Secondary Teaching Credential, San Francisco State University, 1990.
Past/Present Clients
I have taught hundreds of students in both high school and adult education classes over the past 18 years.
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