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Italian Language/Questions Answered by Expert Chris Platamone
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Piacere | 5/29/2008 |
| Q: Can one correctly say: "Piacciamo mangiare al fresco"? I hope you can answer since it is a grand ... A: Maria, the verb piacere is not used this way. In Italian, the thing that is doing the pleasing is ... | |
| Intermediate Italian | 5/14/2008 |
| Q: I wrote a small scrittura which is due tomorrow, could you please check my grammar and correct if ... A: Eugene, sorry this is probably too late for you, but it looks good to me with the following ... | |
| i need major help with this translation ASAP | 5/8/2008 |
| Q: that afternoon Michelle left the office very early, he was tired and wanted to go home. "as soon as ... A: Quel pomeriggio Michele lascio' l'ufficio presto, era stanco e voleva andare a casa. "Appena arrivo ... | |
| Platamone | 5/1/2008 |
| Q: "PLATAMONE CASTLE" Firstly can you please let me know what the correct pronunciation of Platamone ... A: Laurence, the name Platamone is pronounced phonetically as it appears, with the "a" being an "ah" ... | |
| Question about article | 4/10/2008 |
| Q: Could you help me to figure out this problem? I read in a book a sentence like this: "Vado in banca ... A: Tung, this is an interesting observation. There's no doubt that one goes "in banca" but "alla posta" ... | |
| cappello vs cappelli | 3/18/2008 |
| Q: Would you please explain why I sometimes see the singular form of the Italian word for hat ... A: Yes, it has to be this way because to use the plural would cause a syntactical ambiguity between ... | |
| cappello vs cappelli | 3/18/2008 |
| Q: Would you please explain why I sometimes see the singular form of the Italian word for hat ... A: Rich, the answer to this is quite simple: Cappello is a hat Cappelli is hair In Italian, hair is ... | |
| tavolo vs tavola | 3/17/2008 |
| Q: Could you please explain what the difference is between the masculine noun "tavolo" and the feminine ... A: Rich, there really is no noticeable difference between the two words for the average speaker. My ... | |
| Tenses | 3/3/2008 |
| Q: Ciao, puoi dirmi la differenze tra queste frase: - 1. Io volevo che lui mangiasse 2. Era possibile ... A: Iain, 1. is the 3rd person singular of the imperfect subjunctive: I wanted him to eat (literally "I ... | |
| Learning Italian | 3/3/2008 |
| Q: Can you tell when do you use the following two. "La cucina e nella casa/La bambina e ... A: Cindy, "nella" is simply the contraction of "in" plus "la". All prepositions follow similar patterns ... | |
| definite article | 2/28/2008 |
| Q: I came across the following sentences in a computer program that I am using to study Italian: un ... A: Well, I can't fall back on any normal logic...it just is what it is. This is a construction that ... | |
| "Mi metto i jeans." vs "Metto i jeans." | 2/28/2008 |
| Q: I am trying to understand the difference in translation between the following sentences: "Metto i ... A: Rich, definitely using the reflexive here means you put them on yourself, so that means you dress ... | |
| Valentine's Day | 2/17/2008 |
| Q: Do Italians have a "Valentine's Day"? If so, how does one say "Happy Valentine's Day" in Italian. ... A: Yes, they have Valentine's Day, though I don't recall it being nearly as big of a deal as it is ... | |
| Learning Italian | 1/23/2008 |
| Q: My son lives in Italy and I wish therefore to learn Italian. I visit but cannot spend extended ... A: Chris, I am not familiar with Auralog, but I have checked out Rosetta Stone and found it to be ... | |
| andare via vs lasciare | 1/12/2008 |
| Q: Would you please explain the difference in meaning between the following two sentences: Enrico va ... A: "Enrico goes away from the hotel" That's exactly what it means. I don't think it's any more common ... | |
| andare via vs lasciare | 1/12/2008 |
| Q: Would you please explain the difference in meaning between the following two sentences: Enrico va ... A: These verbs are treated just the same in Italian as they are in English, except for the past tense. ... | |
| grazie di or grazie per | 1/11/2008 |
| Q: To thank someone for a gift or an act of kindness, do you say grazie per or grazie di? A: Anita, either one is acceptable, but if I had to choose which sounds more correct (and perhaps ... | |
| ritirare | 1/11/2008 |
| Q: Would you please tell me if the verb "ritirare" is used in Italy when a guest at a hotel picks up ... A: Rich, there are almost countless ways that the idea of "get" is rendered in Italian, depending ... | |
| reflexive verbs | 1/8/2008 |
| Q: In my studies I have come across the following sentence: Vorrei fermarmi per tre notte. which I ... A: Rich, embedded in your question is the notion (mistaken, of course) that for every word in English, ... | |
| ecco | 1/4/2008 |
| Q: Can the word "ecco" be used to say "there is" and "there are"? Thank you very much for your help. ... A: Rich, you are correct about ecco with the direct object pronouns; however keep in mind that ... | |
| Sicilian Dialect | 1/4/2008 |
| Q: I am of Sicilian lineage. I believe my grandfather came from Cefala Diana, Sicili. I have only ... A: Joe, I am also of Sicilian background, though second generation here. My grandparents spoke various ... | |
| ecco | 1/4/2008 |
| Q: Can the word "ecco" be used to say "there is" and "there are"? Thank you very much for your help. ... A: Not really "There is"--that is rendered by "c'e'". Ecco can mean "Here (or there) it is, he is, she ... | |
| Italian bottle label | 12/31/2007 |
| Q: On a project in southern Colorado, dating to the early 20th century, we found a bottle with this ... A: Claire, I am much more likely to believe the latter suggestion. G. Prodam (maybe Giusseppe?) ... | |
| reflexive verbs | 12/30/2007 |
| Q: Would you please tell me the definition of the verb "fermare" and the definition of the verb ... A: Rich they are using "fermarsi" as a way of saying he stops there, or he stays there for one night. ... | |
| reflexive verbs | 12/30/2007 |
| Q: Would you please tell me the definition of the verb "fermare" and the definition of the verb ... A: Fermare is simply "to stop" and fermarsi is "to stop oneself". I'm not sure how they specifically ... | |
| reflexive verbs | 12/30/2007 |
| Q: Would you please tell me the definition of the verb "fermare" and the definition of the verb ... A: Rich, in Italian, many verbs can be made reflexive, especially in the spoken language. It can, as ... | |
| need help responding to an email | 12/28/2007 |
| Q: I need to respond to an email from a business acquaintance wanting to know the details of my ... A: Here you go Vic: Io staro' all'albergo XXX, e il numero di telefono e' 555-5555. Note that the ... | |
| italian tattoo | 12/24/2007 |
| Q: I wanted to get a tattoo reading either "live to love" or "live for love" in italian but im having ... A: Brit, here are a few ideas: live to love = vivere per amare live for love = vivere per amore love ... | |
| the history of the Italian modern language | 12/23/2007 |
| Q: The Italian language started In about 10 A.D. from what I found from scholars that I read, but more ... A: George, you are talking about Latin here, not Italian. The "Vulgate", being spread across Europe, ... | |
| infinitive use | 12/16/2007 |
| Q: I have a portion of a sentence that I cannot figure out. It's from an ancient (fourth century) greek ... A: Cara, I would never pretend to know anything about ancient texts, but I can shed some light on this ... | |
| Quick Translation | 12/15/2007 |
| Q: My sister and I are getting tattoo's and we would like to each get "big sister/older sister" and ... A: Nicole, there are two ways to approach this. Sorella maggiore and sorella minore are older sister ... | |
| english to italian | 12/13/2007 |
| Q: It is a family tradition before every meal my dad would say "whoever eats the fastest eats the ... A: Dan, there is no way that I know of to translate this and keep the spirit of the ungrammatical rhyme ... | |
| Translation of Thank You note into Italian | 12/8/2007 |
| Q: Could you please help me translate the following: We are so grateful for the hospitality you showed ... A: Pam, I don't know your relationship to the recipient of this note, but judging from the tone of this ... | |
| "chi" with sungular verb | 12/5/2007 |
| Q: Is it true that the interrogative pronoun "ch" (who) is used with the third person singular verb for ... A: Rich, the subject pronoun "chi", when used in the scenarios you describe, will allways take the 3rd ... | |
| "dolce" vs "dessert" | 12/3/2007 |
| Q: Would you please tell me when I should say the Italian word "dolce" as opposed to saying the ... A: Rich, "dessert" is not an Italian word, but rather, French. Sometimes Italians will use it just to ... | |
| ambasciata | 11/26/2007 |
| Q: Is the word "ambasciata" pronounced as ahm bah shah' ta or, should I include the English "e" ... A: Rich, the "i" that follows either a "c" or a "g" is really only there to make the preceeding ... | |
| modal, non-modal, auxiliary verbs | 11/26/2007 |
| Q: Would you please explain the difference between Italian modal verbs, non-modal verbs, and auxiliary ... A: Rich that is a very big question that would lead you to an entire semester of college-level Italian. ... | |
| word intricacies | 11/25/2007 |
| Q: I have been trying to find the perfect way to express something in Italian, but have been running ... A: Seek: cercare is good, or perhaps scovare as in "to seek out" Fear: either paura or timore is ... | |
| verb | 11/21/2007 |
| Q: I am having a hard time understanding the translation of: "E pronto per ordinare?" It would help ... A: Rich, the reason it confuses you is because you are assuming that for every word in Italian there is ... | |
| verb "ordinare" used as noun | 11/21/2007 |
| Q: I am having a hard time understanding the translation of: "E pronto per ordinare?" It would help ... A: Rich, you have to think of "per" in this case as meaning "in order to" like "per imparare una ... | |
| omission of definite article | 11/19/2007 |
| Q: Would you please tell me why the definite article is omitted before "cena" in "prenotare una tavola ... A: Rich, you often make the most subtle points of syntax that I have to really think about. I think ... | |
| "formaggio" "formaggi" | 11/1/2007 |
| Q: Would you please help me understand the use of the words "formaggio" and "formaggi" I know that in ... A: Rich, I have to disagree with you. It is certainly not incorrect to say cheeses in English, as in ... | |
| verdura verdure | 10/29/2007 |
| Q: Would you please help me understand the use of the words "verdura" and "verdure". My dictionary ... A: Rich, technically "verdura" is the singular and "verdure" is the plural, as with any feminine nound ... | |
| sciva | 10/25/2007 |
| Q: Is there an Italian word, SCIVA? A: Rich, I have never heard this word, and it is not in any dictionary I own. That is not to say that ... | |
| Your Sister | 10/25/2007 |
| Q: I would like to know how to say "your sister" in Italian. Is it "sua sorella" or "tua sorella" and, ... A: Joann, "your sister" is "sua sorella" if you are speaking to someone in the formal "Lei". You would ... | |
| bancomat | 10/23/2007 |
| Q: Does "bancomat" mean "ATM"? If I was in Italy and asked a stranger for help by saying -"Dov'e un ... A: It does indeed, and you will not find this word in older dictionaries. A lot has changed in the ... | |
| mattino vs mattina | 10/22/2007 |
| Q: Would you please explain the difference between using "mattina" vs "mattino" for "morning". I know ... A: Rich, there's no difference that I can tell, which is rare in Italian. Since there is a limited ... | |
| Giorno - Giornata | 10/20/2007 |
| Q: What is the difference between "giorno" and "giornata"? A: Finn, "giorno" refers to a day in general, like "buongiorno" or "il giornio dopo domani". "Giornata" ... | |
| verb tense | 10/19/2007 |
| Q: I would like to know how to say the following sentence in Italian. "I think (or I hope) we will ... A: Dennis, in this case you can just use the future tense: Penso che ne avremo bisogno di tutto. The ... | |
| Translation | 10/19/2007 |
| Q: How are you? Sorry to be a bore but would you mind translating the following for me because I ... A: Actually not boring Amy, on the contrary quite sexy: Ciao, I hope at your place it's not too cold. ... | |
| subject and verb | 10/19/2007 |
| Q: My question concerns identifying the subject and verb in an Italian sentence when the verb is used ... A: Rich, first let's identify terms: "I", like "Io" is a subject pronoun. In Italian, the subject ... | |
| italian translation | 10/18/2007 |
| Q: I have been receiving emails from an italian who speaks very little English. Could you please tell ... A: Amy, good for you, here's a translation: You are as beautiful as a rose (I assume it's rosa and not ... | |
| Beautiful song | 10/17/2007 |
| Q: It is called "Anema e Core" which is suppose to tranlate to Soul and Heart. I cannot obtain the same ... A: Mike, it's impossible to tell with just these two words--there are a lot of dialects that would ... | |
| Pronunciation of Villa d'Este Hotel in Cernobbio near Lake Como | 10/16/2007 |
| Q: Do you pronounce the e at the end of Este ? A: Donna, regional accents and dialects aside, standard Italian is a very phonetic language, so yes you ... | |
| translating desired emphasis | 10/15/2007 |
| Q: Can you please help me with the translation of the desired emphasis in the following statement: (A ... A: Rich, you are right that the person responding is putting emphasis on the "Lei" but it's really not ... | |
| identify Italian direct object | 10/11/2007 |
| Q: In the statement "Mi scusi" is the word "mi" the direct object pronoun "me"? Do the questions ... A: Mi scusi: mi= direct object me D.O. answers the question "who" or "what" I.O. answers the question ... | |
| indirect object pronouns | 10/11/2007 |
| Q: In the structure "Mi dispiace" (I'm sorry) is the word "Mi" being used as an indirect object ... A: Rich, unfortunately you will just have to memorize which verbs take direct objects and which take ... | |
| interrogative sentences | 10/6/2007 |
| Q: I just posted a question to you about an interrogative sentence at 7:00 am. I hope you don't ... A: Hmmm.. I suppose they usually are, if there is in fact a subject or subject pronoun used. Here are ... | |
| sentence structure | 10/6/2007 |
| Q: I am trying to understand the structure of the following sentence: Cosa significa questo? Is the ... A: Rich, you are absolutely right on with this. Remember that "cosa" and "che" are interchangeable as ... | |
| contracted infinitives | 10/2/2007 |
| Q: I often observe infinitives like fare or andare contracted to far, andar, yet I have yet to see an ... A: Tony, Italian is kind of flexible in this regard. There are various reasons for chopping off the end ... | |
| use of: "piacere di conoscerLa, Filippo" | 10/1/2007 |
| Q: I am trying to understand the following A man named Philip has just introduced himself to a lady. ... A: Rich, "piacere" means simply "pleasure". So just as we might say in English upon being introduced to ... | |
| elision of "come" and "andiamo" | 9/28/2007 |
| Q: Is "come andiamo" suppose to be elided as "com'andiamo" I have seen this phrase written as two ... A: Rich, these words should not be elided any more than "going to" should be "gonna". People have ... | |
| Conjugation | 9/23/2007 |
| Q: How do i conjugate the following verbs potere dovere volere A: James, these are important verbs and are all used in the same constructions--you can ask later if ... | |
| use of definite article | 9/23/2007 |
| Q: My question is about using the definite article in Italian. I have tried very hard to understand ... A: Rich, the definite articles are used a lot more in Italian than in English; just to name a couple of ... | |
| "informazione" vs "informazioni" | 9/21/2007 |
| Q: I am trying to understand the use of the word "information" in Italian (without additional ... A: Rich, they mean this as an abstract concept. Information is almost always rendered in the plural in ... | |
| placement of "ci" | 9/19/2007 |
| Q: My question concerns the placement of the adverb "ci" (there) in a sentence. I thought that "ci" ... A: Rich, when you say "Andiamoci.." you are using an imperative construction, so it's not "we go ... | |
| placement of "come" | 9/19/2007 |
| Q: Is the interrogative adverb "come" always placed before the verb as in "Come andiamo a Venezia?" ... A: Rich, word order is not so important in Italian. You form a question only by the inflection of your ... | |
| Conjugation of verbs and sentences | 9/18/2007 |
| Q: i am in first year uni and have only just started studying italian, i studied french from year 7 to ... A: Rebecca, you did a great job, but there is too much grammar here for me to go over each item with ... | |
| Name for Trilled R | 9/16/2007 |
| Q: Ciao, Chris - può aiutarmi? C'e un nome officiale (italiano o inglese) per il "rolled/trilled r" ... A: Alan, not that I know of. The verb "to trill" is simply "trillare" in Italian. I can tell you, ... | |
| dates | 9/16/2007 |
| Q: When saying a date out loud, eg 1492, how do Italians actually say this? (e.g. In English we would ... A: 2001 = duemilauno You are right about quattrocento and cinquecento, etc. and I suppose it can go all ... | |
| definite article | 9/12/2007 |
| Q: My question is about using the definite article. Is the definite article always used with the ... A: Rich, I don't know of any grammatical reason for using the definite article in these examples--it ... | |
| trilled vs tapped r | 9/11/2007 |
| Q: The Italian language has trilled r and tapped r. Is there a linguisitic rule as to when you us one ... A: Randall, there is a general rule of thumb that will serve you well: a single r is tapped and a ... | |
| cardinal numbers used as adjectives | 9/11/2007 |
| Q: Chris, Must a cardinal number, when used as an adjective, always be placed before the noun as in ... A: Rich, "binario otto" is a compound noun. Think "binario (numero) otto"--track number 8. Since ... | |
| definite article | 9/11/2007 |
| Q: My question is about using the definite article. Is the definite article always used with the ... A: Rich, you are correct that tre and dieci are part of compound nouns in the examples you give, ... | |
| aspettare | 9/11/2007 |
| Q: I have several reference and Italian text books that state that the verb "aspettare" (to wait for) ... A: Rich, what they mean is that aspettare does not require a preposition like the verb "to wait (for)" ... | |
| Italian verb conjugation for beginners | 8/31/2007 |
| Q: What is the best way to begin learning how to conjugating Italian verbs? I'm a beginner (studying on ... A: Annie, here's how to approach the Big Green Book: start with getting to know the regular ... | |
| bathroom terms | 8/29/2007 |
| Q: First of all - thank you for the excellent help in my previous question about the subject pronoun ... A: Rich, Toletta is used both for the room and the facility, and even for the general cleaning that ... | |
| Asking a question in Italian | 8/28/2007 |
| Q: My question concerns asking a question in Italian. I do not understand the technique of placing the ... A: Rich, these are very good questions. You are correct in your translation. In Italian, word order is ... | |
| di quanto | 8/12/2007 |
| Q: Chris, Would you be kind enough to give me the translation of the following sentence, and explain th ... A: Tony, If "Di" has an accent mark on it, then it is an imperative (command form) of the verb "dire", ... | |
| anche | 8/8/2007 |
| Q: Long story short.My boyfriend in italy was living a double life, and now this is what the girl ... A: Susan, "anche" in this case means "even" or "too" as in: "You make me laugh sometimes. EVEN Michele ... | |
| La donna e mobile | 8/5/2007 |
| Q: Something amazing happen to me today. I was taking a shower with my 6 years old son and I began to ... A: Ricardo, first of all, sorry for the delay. This song has been translated many times and many ... | |
| Please help Urgent | 8/1/2007 |
| Q: MY mom's funeral is tomorrow. 8/2 She loved the Italian song "Al di la" Can you please interpret it ... A: Mike, I'll give you the literal words, and then you can get as poetic as you want in your own ... | |
| Di, Del, Della etc | 7/30/2007 |
| Q: I am just beginning to learn Italian (it's only been 3 weeks)! I understand "Ho bisogno di una ... A: Annie, what you are talking about is the possessive. In Italian, you say "Il mio cappello" ... | |
| help!!!! | 7/20/2007 |
| Q: XXXXX A: Rebecca, you have the two words that I understand: "putana" and "morte". I have no idea what ... | |
| Song Comprehension | 7/19/2007 |
| Q: I am a self-taught student of Italian. I started studying it after formal study of Spanish and ... A: Greg, I have taught entire classes that revolve around deciphering the colloquialisms of popular ... | |
| Italian grammar | 7/11/2007 |
| Q: I am a new student. I just read a passage, 'non possiamo fare una frase senza verbi.' Why did they ... A: John, the verb is "potere", an irregular verb. I'm sure you have the conjugation in the index of ... | |
| Surname | 7/10/2007 |
| Q: I am Italian-American of Sicilian, Calabrian and Friulian descent. My father was born in Friuli, ... A: Daniela, I have to be honest with you, your surname is not familiar to me at all, in fact I don't ... | |
| Surname | 7/10/2007 |
| Q: I am Italian-American of Sicilian, Calabrian and Friulian descent. My father was born in Friuli, ... A: Daniela, those names ending in "N" most certainly had a vowel (e or i) which got chopped off at some ... | |
| passato prossimo or imperfettp | 6/16/2007 |
| Q: I'm currently studying italian but am finding it really difficult when translating a piece of text ... A: Adam, the passato prossimo is used in Italian much like our simple past: Ieri sono andato al cinema= ... | |
| I found a watch with an Italian letter to translate please | 6/14/2007 |
| Q: I recently found a pocket watch that had a hand written Italian letter inside. I have tried ... A: Noel, you have many vague or incorrect spellings, maybe some missing words, but it's still quite ... | |
| Italian translation help | 5/30/2007 |
| Q: i have a letter to translate fo my boss, from English to Italian, could you please help do it for ... A: Edouard, here you go (note this is written in the informal "tu", assuming you are on familiar terms ... | |
| grammar/translation | 5/25/2007 |
| Q: A small grammar point first. Could you tell me if the substitution of (for example) 'Dovevi farlo' ... A: Dovevi farlo is not strictly correct as a substitution for Avresti dovuto farlo, however it is a ... | |
| italian verbs | 4/20/2007 |
| Q: how are the verbs conjugated in Italian? A: Laxmi, I can only give you a general overview of verbs in the space provided by this forum. Italian ... | |
| Learning Italian | 4/14/2007 |
| Q: I am an adult learner, and have been studying Italian for a few months now. So far, I have been ... A: Laura, first of all, congratulations. There are predictable phases of language learning, and you are ... | |
| thank you note | 4/13/2007 |
| Q: I am addressing the note to an husband and wife. I don't know if it is to familiar to address it as ... A: Corin, if they are friends of yours, then Dear is fine, as in Caro or Cara. If they are simply adult ... | |
| prounce "figlia" | 4/9/2007 |
| Q: How would I (an American) prounce the Italian word "figlia"? A: Terry, the "gli" is what gives people trouble. Think of the "ll" in the word "million". It's like an ... | |
| this tattoo 4 my dad | 4/1/2007 |
| Q: well i wanted to get a tattoo in itlian because im proud of my heritage and its for my dad. Any how ... A: Kipapa, I would go with a simple "umilita'", which means "humility". Note that the ' is really an ... | |
| Translation | 3/31/2007 |
| Q: I posted a question yesterday and I didn't realize that I didn't really make it clear what I wanted ... A: That I can do as a literal translation, though I must warn you that the term "flower girl", when ... | |
| translate help please | 3/29/2007 |
| Q: I'm trying to write a letter for an Italian lawyer to ask for details on a specific lawsuit. ... A: Eusebio, here is a translation of your original that flows better. I would, however, encourage you ... | |
| Basic Italian Grammar | 3/24/2007 |
| Q: I am going to Italy and Greece with a group from school in about 2 weeks and I'm nervous because we ... A: Bekki, congratulations, sounds like a fun trip. Your question, unfortunately, is way to much to ... | |
| Basic grammar | 3/21/2007 |
| Q: What are the subject and object pronouns in Italian? A: Ellen, that is a very straightforward question. Subject pronouns are: io = I tu = you informal lui= ... | |
| italian love poems | 3/19/2007 |
| Q: can you write me an Italian love poem for a beautiful girl? i also want to learn how to pronnounce ... A: Sorry, I could only plagiarize Petrarca. Since Francesco is on vacation, I am going to have to refer ... | |
| LEARNING SOMETHING NEW | 3/6/2007 |
| Q: I'M A HISPANIC MOSTLY ENGLISH SPEAKING WOMAN BUT AS I GET OLDER I'M PUSHING MY LIMITS I'M INTERESTED ... A: Anna, that's an interesting question. I can tell you that the two languages are very close to ... | |
| Small village in No. Italy | 2/27/2007 |
| Q: Recently I have discovered the towns my great grandparents came from while researching my family ... A: Amanda, I would be happy to do any translations you need. I can't however, assist in any research of ... | |
| iolasus: relate [essere & avere] to [presente, passato prossimo & imperfetto]? | 2/21/2007 |
| Q: chris, your answer was very precise ;-) however, i just want to clarify something.. in order to ... A: First question is about futuro semplice: yes it is necessary as Italians will use it quite ... | |
| verbo transitivo della I conjugazione | 2/20/2007 |
| Q: . salve! your previous answer was very helpful.. grazie.. i did a further search for verbs and i ... A: Well, you pretty much said everything there is to say about the verb mangiare. I'm not sure what you ... | |
| imperfect/passato prossimo | 2/19/2007 |
| Q: Chris, thanks for the swift answer, I'd be grateful if you could just clarify the 'scenario' my ... A: Gary, this makes sense and here's why: if your statement involves conjecture or a hypothetical ... | |
| presente dei verbi regolari | 2/18/2007 |
| Q: i currently reading up on presente dei verbi regolari.. i found this.. (io) abito (tu) abiti (lui, ... A: You are right that there are 3 major types of regular verbs in Italian: are, ere, ire. You have ... | |
| imperfect/passato prossimo | 2/18/2007 |
| Q: Chris, I have been told by an Italian friend that there are different meanings when using verbs of ... A: Gary, this is a huge subject but I will try to put some perspective on it for you. The difference ... | |
| pronouns "tu" & "Lei" | 1/14/2007 |
| Q: Explain, please, when a non-Italian should use "tu". I assume that "Lei" should always be used ... A: Yes, this is a downfall of many study programs because if you are traveling, the great majority of ... | |
| Exploratory Italian | 1/2/2007 |
| Q: Chris. Would it be possible for you to describe the Italian for Dummies book and CD? I almost ... A: Beth, the Dummies book is excellent. The order of things is a bit strange, but it does cover ... | |
| Exploratory Italian | 1/1/2007 |
| Q: Happy New Year, Chris. I am primarily a French Teacher, but I will be teaching a 9-week course of ... A: Beth, to be honest with you, I have never taught Italian to such young students, so my experience is ... | |
| HELP!!! | 12/31/2006 |
| Q: can you please translate "Alla centrale della polizia Il commissario dice che volete che sia quel ... A: "At police headquarters the chief said that you all want it to be whatever happened it won't stop ... | |
| HELP ME! | 12/13/2006 |
| Q: can you please translate "hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno non si sa neanche il perché avrà fatto qualche ... A: "They killed Spiderman, no one even knows why He probably wronged some coffee (caffe?) business ... | |
| Famous Italian song in English. | 11/24/2006 |
| Q: I am studying the hit song 'Il Volo" by Zucchero. It has both Italian and English versions, but the ... A: I have walked through the streets with the sun of your eyes it takes a moment to say goodbye What a ... | |
| Learning to read Italian | 11/21/2006 |
| Q: I am completing a History Ph.D. and would like to learn Italian for reading knowledge only. Could ... A: Anne-Marie, there are no books that I know of that will provide an easy answer for you. A knowledge ... | |
| How to determine if a verb is transitive or intransitive, thence if it takes 'essere' ot 'avere'. | 10/17/2006 |
| Q: Well, my question has probably been asked by many thousands of English speakers grappling with the ... A: First of all, that's "Ciao". You were doing fine until the intransitive part. Generally, ... | |
| translation please | 10/15/2006 |
| Q: I want to get a bracelet engraved that says "Happy Birthday" in Italian. So, I got the "tanti ... A: Cara mia means "My Dear" but note that it is directed to a woman. "Caro Mio" would be directed to a ... | |
| love | 10/8/2006 |
| Q: My husband and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding Anniversary and I would like to say to him "my ... A: Try this: "Tesoro mio, ti amero' sempre!" This means literally "My treasure, (very common term of ... | |
| Use of essere/avere | 10/5/2006 |
| Q: Do you have specific uses for essere and avere verbs. I mean, in which specific cases we use ... A: Carla, The verbs avere means "to have" and essere means "to be". They are both used in the ... | |
| Passive Infinitive | 9/4/2006 |
| Q: Many thanks for the clarification - I think I am almost there! I believe what you are saying in ... A: Gary, you are making correct literal translations, however they are Anglo constructions that an ... | |
| Passive Infinitive | 9/2/2006 |
| Q: however, unfortunately the expert who replied is now maxed out and I didn't want to leave it there ... A: Gary, You are absolutely right that the sense of Dovere is rather straightforward as in "I must be". ... | |
Italian Language
Answers by Expert:
Chris Platamone
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer all basic to advanced grammar questions. I am not an expert on Italian Literature, though I have read much of it. 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 studied in Florence, Italy for a year, have returned numerous times, and currently teach Italian classes.
Publications
I have had a translation published in an anthology of women writers (Italian to English) and a letter posted on the web site of Beppe Severgnini, a famous Italian journalist with the Corriere della Sera.
Education/Credentials
I have a B.A. in Italian and a Secondary Teaching Credential in Italian, both from San Francisco State University.
Past/Present clients
I have tought literally dozens of students of all ages, both through my classes and individual tutoring.
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