An Italian Grammar - Forgotten Books

AN ITA LIAN GRAMMAR

WITH EXERCISES

MARY VANCE YpUNGProf essor of Romance Languages . Mount Holyoke

'

CoHege

NEW YOR!

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

1 904

Copyright , 1904,

BY

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

ROBERT DRUMMOND, PRINTER, NEW YOR!

PREFACE.

TH IS book is intended for class use and reference .

Practical ut ility has been considered more than harmony

of . design . This will explain what might be taken for a

lack o f plan . For instance ,the general rules for the

inflection of adj ectives being given in the first chapter ,the chapter on adj ectives is placed after those on verbs

and pronouns . In order that regular verbal inflection

may be thoroughly learned before irregular forms are

taken up the chapter on irregular verbs is rather widely

separated from that on the regular ,and for the same

reason the regular conjugations are given before the

auxiliaries (the present tenses of the principal auxiliaries

being familiar to the pupil from the first lesson) ; the

chapter on the modification of nouns by means of pre

fixes and suffixes do es not fo llow that on nouns ,and

numerals are treated of quite at the end of the book .

Numerals belong rather to the dictionary than to the

grammar and may conveniently be learned in conne ction

with reading or oral exercises . This chapter ,as well

as that on prepositions , is intended largely for reference .

Although every part of the book has been independentlyworked out , it in no way claims to be a work o f investiga

tion .

f Among grammars consulted in its preparation

should be mentioned Mo ise’

s Regole ed Oss ervazioni della

Lingua I taliana,from which material for the lists o f

iii

iv PREFACE.

prepositions ,etc . ,

has been drawn,and Mariotti

’

s Gram

mar; and for certain parts Meyer-Lubke ’

s , Grandgent’

s,

Sauer ’

s , and Benelli-Marucelli’

s have also given hints .

The dictionaries of Rigutini-Fanfani and of Edgren ,

Josselyn’

s E tude sur la phonetique i talienne , and the section

on the Italian language in Grober’

s Grundriss der Romani

scherz Phi lologie have been helpful.

The author returns thanks to Mr . T . Comba ,who furnished

the material for several exercises and read most o f the

book in manuscript ; to Mr . Freeman Josselyn , Jr . ,who

read the chapter on phonetics and made valuable sug

gestions ; to Mr . Grandgent and Messrs . D . C. Heath C0 . ,

by whose permi ssi on a device for representing to the eye

the irregularities of certain verbs , similar to that em

ployed in Mr . Grandgent’

s Grammar was adopted ; to

Mr . Ramsey,by whose permission the paragraphs on

the correspondences between Italian and English words

have been borrowed from his Spanish Grammar ; and t o

Messrs . Fraser and Squair ,who se French Grammar fur

nished the model for N0 . 1 90 seq . in the chapter on prepo

sitions .

The material for the exercises has been gathered from

various sources . In that taken from an Italian school

history no responsibility for facts is assumed . Only

a few oral exercises are furnished ,since the teacher will

usually prefer to make his own from the vocabulary in

the exercises .

The author hopes that this Grammar may be useful to

her Romanic fellow workers , and that they in return will

kindly po int out its defects .

MARY VANCE YOUNG .

MOUNT HO LYO ! E CO LLEG E,Septembe r, 1 903 .

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PRONUNC IATION ,O RTHOGRAPHY ,

AND GRAPH IC SIGN SCHAPTERS

I . F IRST PR IN C IPLES . ART ICLES AND N0UN SII . ART ICLES W ITH PRE PO SIT ION S . SYN TAX O F THE AR

T IGLEIII . N0UNS ,

TH E IR GENDER AN D NUM BERIV . REGULAR VERBS .

V . AUX IL IARY VERBSVI . PERSONA L PRONOUNS . D ISJUNCT IVE PERSO NAL PRO

VII . CONJUN CT IVE PERSONAL PRONOUN S . RE FLEX IVE VE RB s

VIII . ADJ ECT IVE S AND PART IC IPLES .

IX . PO SSESSIVES .

X . DEMON STRAT IVES . RELAT IVES . INTERRO GAT IVES . IN

DE F IN ITES .

PRE F IX E S AND SUFF IX ESXII . IRREGULAR VERBS . IM PERSO NAL VERBS . D EFECT IVE

VERBS .

XIII . PRE PO SIT ION S . D E PENDENT IN F IN ITES .

X IV . CONJUNCT IONS . MO O DS AND TEN SESXV . ADVERB S . NUM ERALS AND NUMER ICAL VALUES . IN

TE RJ E CT IO N S .

IRREGULAR VERBS BY CO NJUGAT IO N SALPHAB ET ICAL TABLE O F IRREGULAR VERB S .

EX ERC ISESITAL IAN-ENGL ISH VO CABULARYENGLISH-ITAL IAN VO CABULARY .

INDEX . .

0 0 0 0 0

1 0 2

I I I

ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

PRONUNCIATION ORTHOGRAPHY,AND GRAPHIC

SIGNS .

I . THE following tables contain all the sounds ordi

narily used in spoken Italian , Classified according to

the locality and to the manner Of their production .

(a ) Vowels are distinguished with reference to their

locality only,as front and back vowels . (fl) Consonants

are classified (a) according to locality , as : ( I ) bi

labials , formed by the upper and lower lips ; (2) labio

dentals , formed by the lower lip and the upper teeth ;

(3 ) linguo -dentals , by the tongue and upper teeth ;

(4) front-palatals , by the tip Of the tongue against

the front part Of the hard palate ; (5 ) back -palatals ,by the ridge of the tongue against the back part of

the hard palate ; (6) gutturals , by the ridge of the

tongue against the soft palate ; (b) according to

manner of production , as : ( 1 ) stops, to form which

the breath is s topped by the actual touching or Closing

Of the organs , as in p ; (2 ) continuants , in which the

breath is only squeezed , not stopped,as in f ; (3 )

liquids , which differ from other continuants in that

they partake more of the character Of vowels , as I.

These classes Of consonants must also be subdividedinto voiceless

,in the production of which the vocal

cords do not vibrate , and voiced,in which they do

vibrate . For instance , p is the voiceless bi-labial

stop ,i .e . ,

in forming it the breath is stopped by the

ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

t ouching of the upper against the lower lip , the vocal

cords not vibrating, and b i s the same with vibration of

the vocal cords . An Italian key-word 1s given for each

sound,the letter representing the sound in question

being printed in heavy type . The approximate English

correspondent in each case is given below (5 , 12 sq .

2

) .

VOWE LS .

FRONT VOWELS. BAC! VOWELS.

i (inni) u(una)i (inn i) (rumore)e (fremere)

e (fremere)g (tremer

a (ama)a (ama)

CONSONANTS .

(a) S IMPLE CO NSONANTS .

B i-labial . Labio -dental . Linguo -dental .

Vo ice less . Vo iced . Vo ice less . Vo iced . Vo iceless . Vo iced

Stops . D (Pena ) b (babbo ) t ( tento ) d (donna )Continuants . u (uorno ) f (tango ) v (vero )

m (mano )

Front—palatal.Guttural.

Vo iceless Voiced . Vo iceless .

k (corte ) g (go la ) ng* (vengo )

sh (sciagurJ (PienO )

o o o o o o o o o o o

1 (taglio )fi (maligno )

Th is sound can as yet be only tentatively c lassified

1 Any simple wo rk on phonetics may serve to furthe r e luc idatethe tables .

2 Heavy-fac e figures re fer to paragraphs .

CONSONANTS . 3

(b) COMPOUND CON SO NANTS .

Front-palatal .

2 . These thirty—six sounds are graphically repre

sented by twenty-two letters,k

,w

,x

,and y not occur

ring in the Italian alphabet . Otherwise it is the same

as the English .

3 . The letters of the alphabet and their Italian

names are as follows :

a a g gi

b bi1 h acca

C ci i i

d di j je or i lungo

e e l glle

f effe m emme

(a ) ! ,x

, y ,w

, occurring only in foreign words ,are

called cappa ,iccase or ics ,

ipsilon ,dgppio vu.

(b) The names o f the letters are the same in the pluralas in the singular : i bi , the b

’

s ; gli a , the a’

s .

(c) The gender of the letters o f the alphabet is some

what variable , but in general a and e and the consonantending in a and e are feminine (1a zeta , the z l’enne= la

enne with elision O f the a —“

the n while the other letters , i .e .

,i,o, n ,

and the consonants ending in i 0 or n,are

masculine .

4 . The number Of sounds being so much in excess

Of that of the letters used to represent them,it is evi

These name s b eing Italian words,the pupil should refer to 5

and 1 2 sq . before attempting to pronounce them .

4 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

dent that one'

character must be used to represent

more than one sound . The Italian orthography ,how

ever,is much more nearly phonetic than is the Eng

lish or French,and with care and instruction every

student Should acquire a really good pronunciation

Of the language . The rules given below (5 sq . ) will

be found useful,although the pupil should always

bear in mind that the comparisons therein made wi th

sounds already known to him are only approximate,no

I talian sound being quite the same as the English sound

most nearly resembling i t. The sound should be

learned by imitation . The teacher is therefore advised

to pronounce the Italian k ey-word slowly

,the pupil

noting carefully his pronunciation .

VALUE OF THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET.

(a) Value of the Vowels.

5 . I has approximately the sounds Of English eel

in meet ” .

I has approximately the sounds of English i in$ 7

pin or , when at the end Of a word (as m poi) , Of yin hurry ” 2

E,called “

clo se e has approximately the soundOf English a in mate

E,called the “

open e has approximately the

sound o f English e in “ met

1 That is,o f the firs t part O f the ee in meet This

,as all

English vowe ls ,is really a diph thong , wh ile the Italian vowe ls

are pure .

2 The two i’

s wil l no t be graph ica lly d istinguish ed in this bookth e pupil may learn th em by ear and by imitation . The first i

will in the mean time answer all purpo ses .

3 That is,O f the firs t part o f the sound . Cf . above

,foo t-note I .

VALUE OF THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET . 5

A has approximately the sound of a in “ father

A is a more neutral a difficult to describe . The

pupil may at first content himself not to distinguish

between these two sounds . Later his ear,if he has

the apportunity Of hearing Italians speak , will detect

the difference .

9 ,called “

open a has no English equivalent . It

is a sound between the a in paw and the o in pop

nearly that given in parts Of Maine to the o in road

“coat The sound , although difficult Of explana

tion , may be readily learned by imitation .

0, called “

clo se has approximately the sound

Of o in“ pope ”

.

U has approximately the sound Of 00 in too

U has approximately the sound Of 00 in toot

Between the open and the close e,the open and the

clo se 0, there is an intermediate sound which the stu

dent may detect by ear and learn by imitation ,such

subtle shades Of sounds not being capable of defini

tion .

6 . Attention is called to the fact that the vowel

sounds , produced alone and in the order given in para

graph 1, beginning with i and going down the left side

Of the triangle , then up the right , recede continuallyand regularly in the mouth . Therefore the i-e-a

series is called the front, the a-o-u the back series .

From a to u the lips are also regularly more and more

rounded .

1

1 Mr . Josse lyn (E tude sur la phoné tique ita lienne , p . 1 3 ) for thisreason ca lls the a-o-u se ries the labial , giving to th e i-e—a se riesthe name o f anterior . His anterior there fo re = our front, hi s labial

our back se ries .

6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

7 . All vowels as well as all consonantal sounds

are produced in a quicker , more energetic manner in

Italian than in English (although the former are some

what less energetic than the French vowels) . One

must really work harder in pronouncing them .

The vowels never tend to become neutral, nor do

the consonants ever take after them a neutral vowel,as is the case in English .

This is what gives to spoken Italian its peculiarly

staccato effect .

8 . The only real difficulty Offered by the vowelsis the distinction Of open and close e and o .

In words of popular development,i . e . , such as have

always been a part Of the spoken language , the Latine or

‘

1‘

is represented generally in Italian by an e, the

Latin e or ae by an e, 6 or ii by 9 , 6 or an by 9.

It follows that accented e and o in the groups1 ie

and no are open :Piede ,

foot bugno , good

But : godere ,to en joy capello ,

hairloro ,

their volto ,face (< v1

‘

il

tum) .

M ORE SPE CIA L RULE S FOR THE Q UA L ITY OF TH E VOWELS .

9 . E is close :

( 1 ) In unaccented syllables .

2

(2 ) In monosyllables , 3 whether standing alone or

in composition with o ther words :1 The first e lement in these groups being a consonant

,they can

no t be called diph thongs . See 28 , Rem . also tab le o f conso

nants ,whe re the i is registered as j , the u as W.

2 This e is really medium Close, but for practical purposes may

be regarded as c lo se .

3 Wo rds which are not no rmally mono syllabic but wh ich have

VALUE OF THE LETTERS OE THE ALPHABET 7

Me,me ; meco ,

with me (a compound O f me and the

prepo sition con ) ; e,and ; i tre re the three k ings ; Che

that , which .

EXCEPTIO s is ; eh ! (exclamation ) ; Che, nonsense !;re (musical note ) ; be (imitation O f the bah o f sheep) .

Also words O f foreign origin ; as ,i1 te, t ea .

(3 ) In oxytones ending in a vowel, 2 which vowel

is regularly marked by the grave accent (see 3 2 a ):

Perche, why , because ; teme, he feared .

Exceptions : (a ) Proper names ; as ,Mos

‘

e,Moses ;

Giosue, Jo shua .

(b) Nouns O f foreign origin3

; as ,caff

‘

e, co ffee ; canape,sofa .

(c) The interjections ahime,imme, chime; also

that is , that is to say

(4) In the accented ending Of the infinitive,imper

feet indicative and subj unctive,and Of the preterite

indicative Of —ére and Of -ere verbs . (See 67

(5 ) In the endings-remo

,

-rete Of verbs Of all con

jugations :Mostreremo

,we shall Show ; temerete , you shall fear .

(6 ) In the adverbial ending-mente and the sub

stantive ending-ment0

'

Felicemente , happily ; andamento , go ing, gait .

5

10. O is close :

be come SO by contraction naturally do no t come unde r th is r ule .

Ex . : se’

(no t for sei , thou art

1 No tice that this has th e grave accen t to d istinguish it from e

con j . O r,mo re exact ly

,the con junction do es not take the grave

to d istinguish it from th e ve rba l fo rm (3 2 (b)2 But no t in pie, contraction O f piede . Cf . no te to 93 These neve r con fo rm to rule .

‘1 No tice th e compoundin g w ith e,5 In cases not covered by th e ru le s th e e is Open .

8 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

( 1 ) In unaccented syllables .

1

(2 ) In monosyllables ending with a consonant 2 ‘

Con ,with ; non ,

not .

1 1 . But in monosyllables and in oxytones ending ina vowel i .e .

,where accented 0 ends a word , that 0

is open89, I know ; hg, I have ; mostrerg, I shall show .

EXCE PT IONS : L9 , definite article and pronoun ; a lsocontractions .

W M all cases not covered by the first rule (paragraph 9 ( 1 ) and paragraph 10 i . e . , all accentede

’

s and o’

s , will in this book have their quality indicated by diacritic signs , e and 9 indicating the close ,

9 and 9 the open pronunciation .

(b) Value of the Consonants.

12 . P, b, f, v, m,n,1,and q

3are pronounced approxi

mately as in English , the stops being,however , more

explosive,

4and the n and 1 being made farther forward

in the mouth .

13 . T and d are so much farther forward as to come

into a different sound-category . They are not , as in

English ,post-dentals

,but linguo -dentals , the tip Of

the tongue touching the back Of the teeth in producingthem .

1 Cf . 9 No t where the 0 is a contrac tion o f no in cor ,for

cuore ,h eart

2 No tice the d iff e rence be tween e and o .

3Q is no t to be found in the tab le O f consonan ts because it is

no t a simple consonant but equals k fo l lowed by w . The Italianq always represents th is sound ,

like English q in quick It

never represents k .

4 Cf . 7 .

VALUE OF THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET. 9

I4 . C and g represent two quite different sounds .

Before the back vowels , a , o , u , they represent theback-palatal stops

,c the

“

voiceless , somewhat as in

English cat”

k id g the voiced , somewhat as in

English got

Canto ,I sing (c as in English can

gola , throat (g as in English go

15 . But before the front vowels,e and i :

(a ) C represents a sound somewhat like that Of

English ch,i . e . ,

it passes into the category Of com

pound consonants :Cielo , sky (c pronounced like ch in cercare ,

to look for (the first c pronounced ch,the second k ) .

(b) G also becomes a voiced compound consonant,

corresponding to the voiceless c and represents a

sound like that in English gentle”

,but more forci

ble :

Gentile ,nice g almost as in the cognate gentle

legislatura (g almo st as in the corresponding English

word ) .

REMARK . Cc , gg before e and i have the same soundas the simple consonant

, only prolonged :Caccio ,

I hunt (cc like tch in catch ”

, but prolonged ) ;saggio ,

wise (gg like g in“

Sage but prolonged ) .

16 . Where a c or g representing the back -palatalstop stands before one Of the front vowels , an h is

inserted to indicate the voiceless pronunciation :

Chi ave ,k ey (the initial sound as in the English

word ) .

Ghirlanda, garland (the initial sound as in the English

word ) .

Ch never has the sound given to it in English chin

17 . Ng is like the English sound in , for instance ,

I o ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

coming with a distinct hard g after it , the two ,

however , forming but one sound :

Vengo , I come (pronounced venggo ) ; lingua ,tongue

(linggua ) .

This same ri g sound is given to an n alone before

the stop 0 or before q :

Ancora ,again (angkara ) ; dunque ,

therefore (dungkwe) .

18 . Consonantal u,i . e . ,

unaccented 11 followed by a

vowel,

1 has almo st the sound Of English W'

Ugmo,man (u almost like w in “

woman

guanto , glove (gwanto ) .

U never has the sound given to it in English museumwhich might be written

“

mew

19 . S has two sounds in Italian : ( 1 ) it i s voiceless

as in English see”

,hearse ”

; (2 ) it is voiced likethe s in hears or the z in maze ”

. The general

rule is :

S initial followed by a vowel or by one Of the voice

less consonants c ,f, p, q,

t ; s medial followed by a

vo iceless consonant , also ss,are voiceless as in see

’

Santo,saint ; sasso

,stone ; spiare , to spy ; fresco ,

fresh ;

asfalto,asphalt .

S medial between vowels , 2 s medial or initial before

the voiced consonants b ,d, g,

m,n

,l,r,are voiced as

in”

use’

HW C‘V Q I

Sgridare ,to scold ; museo ,

museum .

But intervocalic s is vo iceless :

(a ) After the prefixes de ,di

, pre , pro ,re

,ri

, tra

(where the s is really initial)1 A ccented 11 fo llowed by a vowe l retains its vowe l sound . EX

due , two”

(11 as in the English2 This rule does no t apply to cases l ike dicesi , “ th ey say wh e re

the s is real ly initia l , si dice . In compounds l ike girasole , sun

flower”

, the s is also initial.

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‘ 3 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

spindle naso. nose Mussulmano . Mussul

mun"; parasite .

“ 1

[inrusite Pisa (name of city ) :suslno. plum-t ree

"; and compounds of these ; also

in s ome rare words.

‘

10. Se before a fro nt vowe l has somewhat t lu

s ound o f sh in shiver”

; befo rea back vowe l that

o f sk in“

skinnish'”

Sd gnzn. science ; sclqcco . stupid (sh in bo th ) ; but scuqla.

schoo l (same sound as in the English word ) ; scfltola. bo x.

at . When St: has the sk sound be fore a front vowe l

that fact is graphically indicated by the insertion of

an 112

Scherzo, play , joke ; schigna, spine .

like Ge rma nch in ich , but less gut tur ul. English y in

don’

t you”

(pronounced rapidly but clearly. no t“

don

chew”

l o r in e mphatic“

yes”appr oximates th is sound

‘:

23 . J is only ano ther graphic Sig n for i . It is em

ployed as initial in a numbe r o f wo rds taken from the

Latin ; us , juridico ,

“

juridical Jacopo ,

“

j ames”

;

also in conjugate , to co njugate and frequent ly in

the plural o f nouns in 10 : as , giudizio , judgment".

pl. gludixj (of. 6 1 , no te) .

1Which are given by Moise , ! igali: ! Im m : twin Hum

(M inna , Fi rearm, Coppini, 15 354 ,

1 (Meme nto ! i in th e combinations do . do . d o . ( in. ( in.

rs a mere graphic sign , ind ica ting tha t the c or g is a compa red

co rmut b drm one o i the buck vowels. Its insert io n serves

m isd v the opposi te o t tltut o i ttye h be to re tro ut vowe ls as mesh

1c lear-omi t fo llowe d by at “ one ! re tains its v owe l szwed . Bx

fi t , Emotional fo r tfl.“

(Lay um,

“

powe r“

. Ctr no te to 18.

VALUE OF THE Lic'

r'

rlcus o r Tun 13

24 . Cl ind ica te s usually the. liquid I, : 1 so und so me

whnt like tha t o f III in brilliant"

,o r o l

'

II in Ilrzlzil

inn’”

Briglia , hrid le ; gli (a rt ic le, and pro no un ) .

(a ) But in neglige re ,to negle c t

”

,a nd its de riva t ive s

,

the gl is so unded as in English ,a lso in Angli , Anglicano ,

gerogliflco , glicerina , and a low o the r rnrc Wo rds .

The se wo rds a re no t tho ro tughly ltuliuni'ned .

25 . Cu repre se nts liqu id 11, a so und wh ich bears the

s ame re la tio n to n as do e s liqu id I to I It somewha tre semble s the, so und o f ui in

“ unio nthat o l

'

ng in [french montagne

”:

Vergogna , shame ; agnello ,land ) .

26 . Z and 22 usually rerurc scut ( 1 ts ve ry e ne rge ti

cally enunc iz-ttcd,but some time s the. u

'

n'

re spo nd ing

Vo iced sound dz.

In general a 2 de rived from La tin t , ct , o r pt has

the Vo icele ss (ts ) so und ,o ne. from La tin (1 o r ( lre c lc

Cthe vo iced (dz)Gré zia , grace ,

favo r az ione , ac tio n ( < ac

ti6nem) ; nozze , wedd ingr ( < nuptias ) with ts so und .

But : rozzo , rude zona ,zo ne — with dz

sound .

The fo llowing rule s may a lso be he lpful.

The sound is Vo icele ss :“i f;

Gene rally when it is initial o r whe n it is med ia l

after a conso nant

‘

o nio n o r

1 '

l‘

his compa riso n , as we l l as tha t give n lw lo w fo r the l iquid 11 ,

is ve ry inndcdu utc . The so unds a re. M'

m/rlr . In fo rm ing l lwm

the midd le o f the to ngue l ie s a lmo s t llul niznins t l lu' hurd pnlnl t:

and make s the o rd in ary n ,l in wilhd rnwing the t ip from its po s i

t io n nea r the bac k o f the uppe r tee th .

2 See no te to 24 .

4 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

Z io ,uncle ; avanzo , remainder .

(b) When it is followed by i plus a vowel :Prezigso , precious ; gizio ,

leisure ; avarizia ,avarice .

It is voiced : ots

(a ) In verbs of more than four syllables ending'

-izzare : as

Armonizzare ,to harmonize ; utilizzare ,

to utilize .

EXCE PT IONS : Attizzare , dirizzare , guizzare ,rizzare ,

stizzare have on the contrary the voiceless 2 . Theircompounds , such as indirizzare , keep this voiceless sound .

In zglo ,zeal

”

, and its compounds ; in azzurro ,

azure ”bazar , “

bazaar”

; dozzina ,dozen ”

; mezzo ,

middle and its compounds '

orizzgnte ,

“ horizon ”

;

pranzo , dinner”

ribrezzo , shivering zéfi ro ,

zephyr zgna , zone”

,and some rare words .

1

2 7 . H is silent in Italian . It is found as initial only

in the verbal forms hg,“

I have ”

; hai , thou hast

ha ,

“

he has”

; hann o ,

“ they have ”

,and in a few

exclamations such as hura (really not Italian) . It

serves graphically to indicate the pronunciation of cer

tain combinations (see 16 and and sometimes

to show that two vowels coming together preserve

each one its separate value,as in ahi .

Vowel Groups.

28 . Diphthongs and triphthongs exist apparently in

great number in Italian, but there are in reality few

diphthongs and no triphthongs at all,many of the

vowels having consonantal value,and many diph

thongs in appearance being really dissyllables .

1 Fo r which see Mo ise — I t wil l be no ticed that the wo rds givenunde r (b) e ithe r have the Latin (1 ( < z) o r are o f fo re ign extraction .

VALUE OF THE LETTERS or THE ALpnAs ET .1 5

In biigno ,figliii

i

glo ,for instance , the 11 before 0 is a

consonant and the i after gl is a part o f the I

(cf. In other combinations given under 22 ,

foot-note 3 ,i is a mere sign .

In biigii the u is a consonant and the final i forms a

syllable .

A real diphthong is two vowels produced by one and

the same breath —impulse ,one of which receives the

accent .

1 A diphthong in which the second element

is the accented is called a ris ing diphthong,one in

which the first bears the accent a falling diphthong,

Ex . : (a ) Rising diphthongs : pae’

se,country ; pafira

z,

fear .

(6) Falling diphthongs : assai , very ; aura , breeze ,air ;

lei , she , to her ; stqiico ,stoic .

REMARKS. ( I ) In all (apparent ) rising diphthongs inwhich the first member is i or u , that first member is con

sonantal :Piede ,

foot ; bugno , good .

( 2 ) In compounds where the principal accent is removed

from the diphthong,that diphthong becomes dissyllabic ,

i .e ., the two vowels form each a separate syllable , thus

dissolving the diphthong :Paese (ae diphthong) , paesano (ae dissyllabic ) ; paura ,

pauroso .

Syllabication.

29 . With the few exceptions of the diphthongs and

vocalic dissyllables (see Italian words have as

many syllables as vowels,and the syllables are divided

1 Cf . Hempl , German O rt hography and Phono lo gy , 146 .

2 Care must be taken in th e pronunc iation o f an . The sound

is no t aw or ow, but ah-oo , pronounced ve ry rapid ly .

1 6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

in such a way that each begins with a consonant . In

the division

( 1 ) A consonant between two vowels goes with thesecond l z

A-mo ,I love ; l o

-na ; ug-mo .

EXCE PTIONS : Compound words , which are divided intotheir component parts . Ex . : Mal-a-gé—vo-le ,

“

diffi cult ”,

from mal and agevole ; ab-u-sare , to abuse

(2 ) Double consonants are divided :

An-no,year ; mez—zq doz-zi-na .

(3 ) Usually in medi al groups of two or more con

sonants one goes with the preceding, the other one

or two with the following :Al-to , high ; al—tro , other .

EXCEPTIONS Z Z ( I ) In groups composed of a stop or a

continuant plus a liquid o f p, b , t , d , c , g, f , v, plus1 or 11) both members go with the following syllableMa—dre , mother ; a-cri-mij—ui-a , acrimony ; te-a-tro

,

the atre ; a-pri-re , to open ; se-gre-to , secret .

(2 ) In the case of 6 —H] there is difference o f usagea-cquistare and ac-quistare .

Groups o f S followed by one more consonant (s impura)are usually said also to make exception ; but while the

question is scarcely decided ,it is probable that they are

divided in the usual way :

1 The syllab les must be sharply divided , and the pupil mustresist a tendency to attach a consonant between two vowels to

the first . He has been accustomed to say ,for instance

,med-z

cz'

ne,the d be longing dec idedly to the first sy llab le , the c (5 sound)

more to the second than to the third . He must in Italian dividethe same wo rd thu s : me-di-ci—na .

2 The liquid n and I being simple sounds go with the fo llowingsyllab le acco rding to the gene ral rule . Ex . : i-gnu

—do ,

“

naked ”

;

bri-glia ,

“

bridle ".

VALUE or THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET .1 7

os-cu-ro , dark (not o-scu-t o ) ; mgs-tro , I show

(not mg-stro) .

Accentuation .

30. The large majority of Italian words are strongly

accented on the penult (that is , the syllable beforethe last)mano , hand ; castigo , punishment .

There are, however, many words bearing the tonic

accent on the antepenult or even farther back ; also

a considerable number bearing it on the last syllable :Mostro,

lhe showed ; mostrarono , they showed ; con

siderano , they are considering ; virtix, virtue ; proprieta,

property.

Graphic Accents.

3 1 . Three graphic accents , the grave , the acute,and

the circumflex,are used in Italian . The grave is much

more frequent than the others .

3 2 . The grave accent is placed :

(a ) On a final vowel stressed in pronunciation :Mostrera la sua bonta. He will show his goodness .

(b) On monosyllables by nature or by contraction

ending in a vowel :

Gia,already ; piii ,more ; e, is ; si , yes ; pie(contracted

from piede ) , foot .EXCE PT IONS : ( 1 ) A number of homonyms (that is ,

words the same in appearance and often in sound , but

different in meaning) , such as

Receives the grave accent . See fo llowing paragraph .

I 8 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

to dis tinguish i t fromH l ‘ ( t

(2 ) Certain verbal forms,as : fa , he does , makes ; va, he

goes ; sta , he stands ; sa, he knows ; (but pu‘

g, he can ) .

(0) Also often as a distinguishing mark on :

( I ) Shortened forms of the preterite to distinguish

them from shortened forms of the infinitive :mostrar (for mostrarono ) ,

1 they showed ; mostrar (for

mostrare ) , to show .

tem‘

er (for temerono) , they feared ; temer (for temere) ,to fear .

partir (for partirono), they departed ; partir (for par

tire) , to depart .

(2 ) Other verbal forms which have homonyms

dai , thou givest ; dai (prep . plus

danno ,they give ; dann o , damage ,

harm .

vgi (for vugi) , thou wishest ; voi , you .

abitino ,let them dwell ; abitino

,

3 little dress .

(3 ) The accented penult of polysyllables ending in

two vowels :

1 This and the fo llowing (co rresponding) fo rms o f the o therconjugations are accented ,

in speaking , on the antepenult : mos

tré rono ,temerono , partirono .

2 Th is usage is optional and arbitrary . Some write rs use the

acute accen t in th ese cases .

3 Accented on the penult acco rding to the general rule .

I

,is ;

sé , self ;

Si , yes ;

di , day ;

ne, neither ;151, there ;li there ;da , he gives .

2O ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

(b) Sometimes on the i,plural of the noun and ad

jective ending-io l :

Studi , studies ; necessari , necessary .

3 5 . It will be observed that there is a good deal of

latitude and some lack of unanimity among Italians

as to the use of the graphic accents . Sections 3 2 (a ) ,

(b) , and exceptions , and 34 (a) cover the ordinary

usage . my In this book the acute accent will be

employed only to show the stressing in pronunciation

of a syllable other than the penultimate or than the

ultimate bearing the grave accent 2 This indication,

together with the marking of the clo sed and open e

and 0 (see note under is peculiar to it . The

accent and marking are to be observed in pronuncia

tion,but not to be employed in wri ting the exercises .

Elision ,Contraction

,Truncation

,etc .

36 . Besides 10 la , gli , le, una (article 19 , la , gli ,

le, mi , ti , ci ,4vi , ne, si (pronominal) , the preposition

di and the conj unctions se and che5are regularly

elided before a vowel. All words of more than one

syllable ending in an unaccented vowel may elide that

vowel if another vowel follows ,6 or truncate it before

-io no t -io . Specia l attention should be paid to the accentu

ation o f words ending in -io ,-ia . No rule can be given for it .

A good d ictionary should be the guide .

2 The acute will a lso be placed on all wo rds end ing in -ia ,-io ,

whethe r the i be stressed o r unstressed .

3 For which see 4 1 .

4Which becomes c on ly be fo re e and i , since it would o the rwise lo se its proper sound . Cf . 14 .

5 Pre ferab ly on ly be fo re e and i .

9 E lision is much mo re frequent in poetry than in prose .

VALUE OF THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET .2 1

any initial consonant except s followed by another

consonant ; but compounds o f the conjunction che,

as dacche, giacche, benche, are the only oxytones

which elide their accented vowel . Contractions such

as a’

(for ai) , pg’

(pgco ) are common .

(a ) The conjunctions e and o and the prepo sition a

o ften add (1 before a vowel ; the preposition su adds I :

ed , 9d , ad, sur.

(b) A word beginning with s impure ,when preceded by

a consonant prefixes i : scugla , school ; in iscugla ,in school .

Use of Capitals .

3 7 . Capitals are employed as in English save that :

(a) The pronoun io ,I”

,is not written with a

capital unless it begins a sentence,whereas Lei , Ella ,

“

you”

,are often capitalized .

(b) Adj ectives of nationality are not written with

a capital. The same words used as nouns are usually

capitalized

Ecco un libro italiano . Here is an Italian book . EItaliano . He is an Italian .

(c) The names of months and of days of the weekare usually written with a small letter

,also titles such

as signor,“

Mr”

.

1

(Exercise I .)

Correspondence between Italian and English .

38. There are in Italian a large number of words

corresponding so nearly both in form and meaning to

the English ones that they may be easily recognized

1 Greater individual freedom in the use o f capitals exists inItalian than in English .

22 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

by the pupil. The following lists of correspondingterminations will aid in this recognition .

Nouns .

(The le tter f or m at the beginning of the line indicates th e gender . )

f . ade becomes ata : brigata, cascata.

m . age becomes aggio : paggio, personaggio .

1

m . al becomes ale : animale, canale (or allo : corallo

,

cristallo,metallo ) .

m . alt adds 0 : asfalto, cobalto .

2

m . an adds 0 : cristiano, veterano .

m . ant adds e : diamante,instante .

m . arian becomes ario : centenario,unitario .

m . ate becomes ato : carbonato,stato .

m . ator adds e : creatore, oratgre .

m . ce becomes cio (zio, zzo ) : commercio or commerzio,

palazzo (sometimes palaccio ) , precipizio .

3

m . cle becomes colo , or chio : circolo (or cir

culo) or (more commonly) cerchio, ostaculp .

m . ct becomes tto : contatto,effetto, intelletto .

5

f . cy becomes zia : aristocrazia, pote‘nzia .

m . ent adds e : accidente, agente, oriente ; or adds 0

contgnto, convento, talento .

m . ge becomes>l<gio z privilegio, vestigio .

m . gen adds 0 : nitrtjgeno .

6

1 Many o thers in wh ich the co rrespondence is not so perfectare yet easily identified ,

as : viaggio ,

“

voyage ”

,

“

journey ”

; corag

gio ,

“

courage ”

; o ltraggio , outrage ,e tc .

2 A1so assalto ,assault

,e tc . For the f in asfalto see p . 2 6

,

Rem . 3 (b) .

3 Also solazzo , so lace, spazio ,

space ,e tc .

4 Terminations marked with an aste risk indicate that wo rds so

ending are accented on the an tepenultimate syllab le .

5 Also prodotto , produc t ” .

6 Idrijgeno ,hydrogen "

, ossigeno ,oxygen e tc .

VALUE on THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET .23

m . graph becomes grafo : g eografo, foncjgrafo .

1

f . ic adds *a : aritmetica musica,légiea .

f . ice becomes izia : avari zia,malizia .

f . ine becomes ina : disciplina, medigna .

f . ion adds e : confusione , religione .

isan becomes igiano : artigiano , partigiano .

2

isk becomes isco : asterisco,basilisco .

ism adds 0 : despotismo, pessimismo .

ist adds a : artista,dentista.

. i te becomes ito : appetito, granito, sito .

mentadds 0 : fragmento (or frammento ) ,monumento .

meter becomes>kmetro : anemcjmetro

, gasémetro .

f . mony becomes monia : ceremcfmia, parsiménia.

f . nce becomes nza : danza,intelligenza, ssignza.

3

m . on adds e : barone, sermone .

m . or adds e : errore, splendore, vapore .

4

f . ose becomes osa : glucosa, rgsg.

m . at adds a : de’

spota, patri§ta (patri ij tta) .

m . phone becomes *fono : gramtjfono, teléfono .

m . ry becomes>l‘rio : consist io

,misterio .

m . scope becomes scopio : microsccjpio, telescépio.

f . sis becomes Si : crisi (or crise ) , sinopsi .5

m . ter or tre becomes tro : ggntro, ministro , registro .

f . tion becomes zigne : condizione , nazigne .

f . tude becomes>l‘tfidine : amplitudine, multitudine , soli

tfidine .

8

8

8

8

8

8

8

1 This ph regularly becomes f : filosofo ,e tc . Cf . Remark (3 )

(b) , p . 26 .

2 Also cortigiano ,courte san e tc .

2 Also eccellenza ,exce llence circonferenza ,

c ircumferenceetc . In o th er cases nce gives ncia ; as , provincia , province e tc .

4 Also autore , autho r , onore ,hono r ,

e tc .

5 Also tesi , thesis ,

”etc .


f . ty becomes ta: eternita,societa.

1

m . nle becomes *ulo : capsulo (or capsolo) ,mbulo .

f . are becomes ura : figpra, natura.

m . um becomes 0 : museo, prémio .

m . as becomes 0 : genso, génio .

f . y (not o therwise provided for above) becomes

anatomia,energia, geografia, zoologia.

V

Adjectives .

2

acions becomes ace : capage, sagace, verace.

al adds e : centrale,immortale .

an adds 0 : americano, pagano .

ant adds e :'

dominante, vacante .

ar adds e : circolare,solare .

arions becomes ario : precario, vicario.

ary becomes ario : contrario,ordinario.

ate becomes ato : duplicato, ornato .

ble becomes *bile : n§bile, notabile , solfibile .

ct becomes tto : intatto, perfetto .

ense becomes enso : denso, immenso .

ent adds e : evidente, prudente (or 0 : contento) .

est adds 0 : manifesto, onesto .

eons becomes *eo : calcareo

,erréneo, igneo .

ferons becomes>kfero : aurifero

,carbonifero .

ic or ical becomes ico : misantr§pico, satirico .

2

iqne becomes ico : antico .

id adds >l‘o : rapido , s§1ido, valido .

ile remains unchanged : facile, fertile, fragile .

1 Also citta,city e tc .

2 Only the masculine singular o f the Italian adjectives is3 Also pdbblico ,

“

pub lic”

,e tc . But musicale as given

under al .

VALUE OF THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET .2 5

ine becomes ino : aquilino , divino .

i te becomes ito : erudito , infinito .

ive becomes ivo : decisivo , definitivo .

1

lent adds 0 : violento .

nal becomes no : dinmo,eterno .

ocions becomes oce : atroce , feroce, precoce .

ory becomes orio : merit io, preparat io .

2

ose or ons becomes oso : verboso , famoso, furioso,luminoso .

3

tial becomes ziale : potenziale .

and becomes ondo : moribondo , rubicondo .

nre becomes uro : futuro, puro .

Verbs.

ate becomes are : calcolare,investigare .

fy becomes ficare : fortificare , magnificare .

ize becomes izzare : civiliy re,organizzare .

e becomes often are : cominciare,continuare

,curare

,

etc .

4

REMARKS . ( r) The fact that most Italian words

end in a vowel is evident .

(2 ) It will further be observed that (a ) English x

(which is not a Simple consonant = k s) is replaced

by c or s : eccellenza , excellence ossigeno , oxy

gen (b) On or u are often replaced by 0 : corrag

gio , courage”

; cortigiano , courtesan circolare ,

circular ”. (c) In combinations of two stops assim

1 Also attivo , active e tc .

2 Preparativo is ,however

, mo re used .

3 Also giocoso ,

“ j o co se ”

,lussurioso ,

luxurious e tc .

4 These English e verbs are mo stly de rive d from French verbso f th e first con jugation , i .e . , er verbs . Th e comparison here o f

the th ree languages with the Latin is interesting .


ilation occurs :

perfetto , perfect man ifattore ,

manufacturer (d) H is omitted : onore , honor”

;

teatro ,theatre reumatismo , rheumatism ”

(cf.

(3 ) In words of Greek origin :

(a) Y becomes i : simpatia , sympathy tipo

grafico , typographical

(b) Ph becomes f : filosofo , philosopher orto

grafia , orthography

(c) Initial pn , ps , and pt drop the p : neumatico ,

pneumatic salmista , Psalmist Tolomeo , Ptol

emy”

.

(4) It is not unusual in Italian to find two develop

ments of the same termination , or two forms of the

same word : palacio and palazzo , circolo and circulo .

(5 ) There are in Italian many words beginning with

consonant groups strange to the English ,which never

theless correspond to English words sviluppare ,

“

to

develop ”

; smontare,

to dismount The develop

ment of the words may be made clear by the consider

ation of such doublets as sviare and the older disviare ,

to lead out of the way”

,etc .

(if Words corresponding in the two languages , or

which may be understood and formed by the help of

the foregoing directions , will be spaced in the exercises

in this book and will not appear in the vocabularies .

Where two or more Italian terminations correspondto one English one

,the Italian word will be given ,

but it is hoped that the table will even in these cases

help to impress the word upon the memory .


“lLo scolare , the scholar ; gli scolari , the scholars .

v L’ugmo

,the man ; gli ugimini , the men .

l ’ Italiano , the Italian ; gl’ Italiani , the Italians .

Feminine :

Singular la , plural le.

La becomes 1’ before any vowel,le may become 1’

before e only 1 :JLa mano , the hand ; lemani , the hands .

t ’

erre ,the letter R ; 1’ erre , the R

’

s .

L ’economia , the economy ; 1’ economic , the economies .

J L’epistola ,

the epistle ; 1’epistole , the epistles .

4 1 . The forms of the indefinite article are :

Masculine :

(a) Um, corresponding to il and accordingly used

before any consonant except impure s and z . The

same form is used before all vowels .

’

2

(b) Uno ,

3corresponding to 19 , and used like it be

fore impure S and z 4 '

J Un libro ,a book ; uno scolare ,

a scholar ; un uqmo ,a

man .

Feminine :

una , contracted to nu’ before a

vUna ragazza ,a girl ; un

’

gra ,

42 . From the foregoing s and examples

is abstracted the following general rule for gender and

number :

1 This is the rule for ordinary prose .

2 Strict ly Speaking the form when used be fore a vowe l is uno

with contraction o f the 0 , but Since the con traction is neve r Ind icated by an apostrophe it seems best to consider it as identic alwith un .

3 Compare the use o f English a and an

The indefinite article has no plura l .“ Some alcuni .

ARTICLES WITII PREPOSITIONS .29

The Sign o f the masculine Singular is o ; o f the mas

culine plural i .

The Sign of the feminine Singular is a ; o f the femi

nine plural e .

This general rule applies to articles,nouns

, pro

nouns , and adjectives .

Exceptions will be noted Ialer.

(Exercises I I and III .)

(Read II and wri te III .)

CHAPTER II .

ARTICLE S WITH PRE POS IT IONS .

Syntax of the Article .

43 . Italian nouns are not inflected . Their rela

tions are indicated by the use of prepositions . When

the definite article is used with a preposition the two

are usually contracted into one word . The contrae

tions are :

di,o f del dei (de

’

) dello degli della delle dell ’a,to al ai (a

’

) allo agli alla alle all’

da,by dal dai (da

’

) dallo dagli dalla dalle dall ’in

,in nel nei (ne

’

) nello negli nella nelle nell ’C011, With 001 coi (co

’

) collo cogli colla col le col l ’su

,on sul sui (su

’

) sullo sugli sulla sulle sull ’Pen for Pel Pello Pegli Pella Pelle P¢11

’

REMARKS . ( 1 ) Per is less often contracted than

the other prepositions .

3 0 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

(2 ) The forms de’

, a’

, etc .,are pronounced almo st as

though written dei , ai ,1etc

“ 11 libro del ragazzo . The boy ’

s book .

11libro dello scolare esulla tavola. The scholar ’

s bookis on the table .

L ’ iinmégine nello spe’

cchi o. The image in the mirror.

Syntax of the Definite Article .

REMARK It is advised that only the rules given in

coarse print be learned at this point , although others may

be referred to .

44 . The definite article is used in Italian where it

would not be in English :1 ) Before abstract nouns and nouns denoting a

whole class of beings as obj ects :1 L’

attenzione‘

enecessé n a. Attentioni

s necessary .

La carita i; una virtil . Charity is a virtue .

V L’11n

‘

emortale . Man is mortal .

l/Gl’ Italiani amano la musica. Italians love music .

(2 ) Before a title followed by a proper name :

11 reVittgrio Emanuele . ! ing Victor Emmanuel.I II Signor Bernasconi . Mr . B .

‘La contessa Cesaresco . Countess C.

E XCE PT IONS : (a ) Where the title is a vocative .

(b) Often be fore papa ,re conte ,

and maestro2:

Papa or il Papa Innoce‘nzro

,Pope Innocent .

1 De la ,e tc .

,o ften seen o f late

, are pronounced as though w rittendella ,

e tc . The ear o ften dec ides as to whethe r a fo rm Should o r

should no t be contracted . Ex : Domando con 1111 cert’ atto trascurato ma col cuqr sospeso , 9 con 1

’orrécchio all’ erta.

— Con gli occhi

stralunati (Manzon i , I Prome ssi Spo s i , Cap . II) .

2 But the artic le can neve r be omitted be fo re imperatore ,em

peror

ARTICLES WITH PREPOSITIONS . 3 1

(c) In the titles Carlo magno , Charlemagne Alessandro magno ,

1 “ Alexander the Great ” ; Maria Vergine ,

2

the Virgin Mary

3 ) Before the surnames of well- known persons 2 °

Il Machiavelli emorto . Machiavelli is dead .

La Duse eattrice . Duse is an actress .

(4) Before the given names of women

Ecco l’ Albina. Here is Albina .

4

REMARK . This rule is sometimes extended to the givennames of well-known men , to given names in the vocative

preceded by the possessive , and o ften to diminutives :Dante ,

or il Dante .

5

Parlami, il mio pgivero Enrico ! Speak to me , my poor

Henry !II Carlino . Charlie .

(5 ) Before the names of continents , countries ,prov

inces , mountains , lakes , seas , rivers , but not cities 6:

1 But no tice that magno is rea lly a Latin wo rd, and an ad j ective

,

no t a title , and that Carlo ,Alessandro ,

are baptismal,no t family

names . (See fo llowing rules . )2 But la Vergine Maria — Where th e wo rds Madama , Madami

gella are fo l lowed by a title th e artic le comes between as in

French (th e wo rds being bo rrowed from that language ) : Madama

1a Contessa Cesaresco ,Madam the Countess C .

3 The re is in these cases an adjec tive implied such as we l lknown ”

,e tc . Compare rule be low .

— Neith er is th is rulea lways obse rved by good writers : Senza aver gran cognizione di

Condillac. Without having great knowledge o f C . II secolo di

Voltaire ,Vo ltaire ’

s century (Pe llico , Le Mie Prigioni Cap XX I) .

The artic le is no t used where th e given name and th e surname

are expressed .

4 Here again one migh t supply our”

,

“

our goo d e tc .

5 No tice ,however , that Dante is prope rly speakn no t a sur

name .

6 Exceptions : il Cairo , 1a Mirando la, 1a Bastia, la Mecca ,la Roc

cella, l’ Aia.

2 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

J Abitiamo 1’ America del Nerd. We live in North America .

4 L’ Italia

‘

e una penisola. Italy is a peninsula .

V

II Piemente‘

e una parte dell’ Italia . Piedmont is a part

o f Italy .

(11Tevere

‘

e nu fiume presso Roma. The Tiber is a river

near Rome .

But :

Firenze‘

e una bella Citta. Florence is a beautiful city .

EXCE PTIONS : The article is omit ted :

(a) After in ,meaning either going to or dwelling in

a countryv Vado in Italia. I am go ing to Italy .

Eccomi in Francia. Here I am in France .

(b) After di,where the preposition and name of

country could be replaced by an adj ective Of nation

ality °

Il parlamento d’ Inghilterra . The English parliament .

L’ imperatore di Germania . The German emperor .

Il Piemente‘

e una provincia d’ Italia. Piedmont is an

Italian province .

(c) Before Candia, Cipro , Corfii , Isch ia, Malta .

The article is generally used before a noun

qualified by a possessive or a possessive -relative 1

pronoun ,or by any adj ective excepting one of

quantity :v I miei libri. My books . La Sua mano . Your hand .

vLa ragazza 1a di cui mamma e qui. The girl whosemother is here .

I bueni ragazzi sono studiosi. Good boys are studious .

2

Ecco 1a mia mano destra . This is my right hand .

( 7 ) After the verb avere in descriptions o f physical orspiritual characteristics :

1 Compare 134 , 1 3 5 , 147 (a) .

2 This example would also fa ll unde r rule

ARTICLES WITH PREPOSITIONS . 3 3

L ’ Albina ha le mani piccole . A . has small hands .

Ernestino ha il cugre bueno . Little E . has a good heart .

(8 ) Instead o f the po ssessive in cases where there is nodanger o f ambiguity (see 13 7

Io apro la mano . I Open my hand .

Chiudo i pugni . I close my fists .

Mestri il braccio Sinistro . Show your le ft arm .

(9 ) Before an infinitive or other part o f Speech used as

a noun :/ L’

andare ed il tornare . The go ing and returning.

/ Il bene e il male . Good and evil .

( 1 0 ) Before numerals indicating the year without indication o f month ,

etc .,also before tho se indicating the

day o f the month , and the hour o f the day :

Era nel mille etto cento (or nel It was in 1 800 .

J Eil 13 settembre . It is the 1 3 th O f Septemberv La leziene comincia alle neve . The lesson begins at nine

O’

clock .

Seno le undici . It is eleven O’

clock .

( 1 1 ) Distributively :

(a ) In specifying price ,etc .

,where in English the in

definite article is used :Bup lire il metro . Two liras a meter . UM

J Ueva a trenta seldi la dozzina. Eggs at thirty cents a

dozen .

J Una velta la settimana . Once a week .

(b) Before the names o f the days o f the week where inEnglish the plural would be used to indicate a certa in day

o f every week :J He una leziene il mercoledi e il Sabato . I have a lesson

on Wednesdays and on Saturdays .

( 1 2 ) Before the names o f the months when a certainmonth is Specifically indicated

‘:

1 No tice the indication o f time in ( 1 and


VNell

’ottebre mille gtto cento .

l In October (o f the year)1 800

45 . The definite article being so muc h more fre

quent in Italian than in English ,it may be easier for

a b eginner to recollect first the substantive construe

tions in which it does not occur . It is,as we have

seen, not used before the names of cities

,or before

those o f countries after in and di with certain mean

ings It is further not used :

( 1 ) Before a vocative :( Buen

.gierno , Signor Bernardo . Good morning,

Mr . B .

Senta, amico mio . Listen,my friend

2 ) Before the name of a near relative in the singular

and without other modifiers than a possessive :! M ia madre

,mio padre e il mio amico . My mother ,

father,and friend .

Mio fratello e lemie sorelle . My brother and sisters .

REMARK . But the article is used with diminutives ,or

where the noun has other~

modifiers than the possessive :

Il mio fratellino‘

e cella mia cara madre . My littlebrother is with my dear mother .

3 ) Before a noun qualified by a demonstrative or

numeral adjective :Mestro quell

’ uemo . I am pointing at that man .

Ha parecchi libri . He has several books .

He due braccia. I have two arms .

(4 ) Before nouns having a very vague , generalSense :

Vende carta e penne . He sells paper and pens .

(a) In certain set phrases . Cf . 136

(5 ) Before ordinal numbers used with names of

1 One m ight also say : In ottobre del mille etto cento , o r Nel mese

d’ ottobre mille etto cento , but no t Nell ottobre del mille etto cento .

Compare rule It will be seen that regard fo r euphony playsa certain rOle here .


48 . This partitive form is however, not used where

the English“

some or any”

add nothing to the

sense :

Nuele pane? DO you want (some ) bread ?

x/Vuele del pane? DO you want some (o f the ) bread ?

REMARKS . ( I ) The partitive is not used in a neg

ative sentence :v Ha qualche cesa per me? Have you something for me ?

JHe della carta,nen he lapis. I have some paper . I

have no pencils .

vNen abbiamo fieri. We haven’t any flowers .

(2 ) The construction is less frequent in Italian than

in French . Its use is seldom obligatory and often

arbitrary, varying greatly with the individual.

Syntax of the Indefinite Article .

49 . The indefinite article is never used in Italianwhere it would not be in English .

It is , on the contrary,omitted in Italian where it

would be expressed in English :

( 1 ) Before a predicate noun,expressing occupation ,

rank ,or nationality

,without qualifiers , and following

the verbs essere (to be ) and fare (to make ,do )

(Also divenire,diventare ,

nascere,morire ,

mostrarsi,

parere , proclamare,sembrare

,essere dichiarato . )

E Italiano . He is an Italian .

Eanche principe . He is also a prince .

Si fara impiegato . He will become an O ffi cial . (Lit

erally ,

“

he will make himself.

REMARK . But a noun accompanied by an adjective ,

or a noun answering the question who is he ?”

(it will beOb served that in the examples under ( 1 ) all answer “

what

is takes the article :

NOUNS, THEIR GENDER AND NUMBER . 3 7

VF, un Ital iano patrietico . He is a patriotic Italian .

E 1111 bugn principe . He is a good prince .

VChi e quell’ uemo? E un me

’

dico . Who is that man ?

He is a doctor ( =That is a doctor) .

(2 ) Before a noun in apposition :Il Tevere fiume presso Rema. The Tiber ,

a river near

Rome .

Ce’

sare Bergia, uemo senza misericerdia. Caesar Borgia ,

a man without pity .

7 Dante , gran poeta d’ Italia. Dante ,

a great Italian po et .

(3 ) After da ,meaning

“

as”

,

“

like ” :

Parlo da amico . I Speak as a friend .

Si travesti quattro velte, da pellegrino , da marinaio,da

soldato, da acrobata. He disguised h imself four times,as

a pilgrim ,as a sailor ,

as a soldier as an acrobat .

(4 ) Before the numerals cento ,hundred ”

,mille

,thou

sand” 2

YSeno cento uemini . They are,there are

,a hundred men .

y Depo mille anni . After a thousand years .

( 5 ) In certain adverbial expressions ,such as :

76 A casa,

“at home

”

; a scuela (or in igscuola) , at

school”

; in Camera,

“

in the bedroom”

(6) In certain exclamations ,for which see 15 7 .

(Exercises VI and VI I .)

CHAPTER III .

NOUNS , THE IR GENDER AND NUMBER .

50. All Italian nouns are either masculine or femi

nine (cf . The gender and number are usually

indicated by the ending,Singular 0 , plural i being

the typical masculine endings , Singular a,plural

1 Cf . French je ‘parle en ami .

2 Cf . 29 1 (c) .


e the feminine . However, not all masculine nouns

end in 0 ,neither do all those ending in 0 take i in the

plural , nor are these endings always proof that the

noun exhibiting them is masculine .

GENDER .

General Rules for Gender.

( 1 ) Nouns denoting male and female beings usually

keep their natural genders

/ 11 re,the king ;

“la regina ,

the queen .

Un lavandajo ,a fuller :

una lavandaja ,a washerwoman .

Il tero ,the bull ; 1a mia gallina ,

my hen .

Tuo padre ,thy father ; nestra madre

,our mother .

EXCEPTIONS ; Guardia ,

“

guard”

; guida , guide

recluta, recruit sentinella , sentinel ” ; spia ,

“

spy

are feminine in Spite of the fact that they usually

designate male beings . Here the grammatical gender

prevails over the natural (compare following para

graph) .

(2 ) Nouns ending in 0 are masculine ,in a feminine .

1

These are,as already noted

,the typical endings of

the two genders :

\/ L’ abito , the coat ?”la camicia , the Shirt , blouse .

VIl naso , the nose ;( 1a becca , the mouth .

v 11muro,the wall ;

Ila stanza , the room .

EXCE PTIONS : (a) Feminine nouns which are mas

culine in ending :

l Latin masculines and feminines as a rule retain the ir gender .The common masculine accusative Singular -um give s -0 , the

feminine accusative singular -am > a . Nouns coming from Latinn euter Singulars are usually masculine , those from the pluralsfeminine ,

the end ings be ing here dec isive . Templum > (il) tempio ,

folia< (1a) feglia . Masculine nouns in o with a plura l in a are rem

nants o f the Latin neuter dec lension . Cf . 63 and 64 .

NOUNS, THEIR GENDER AND NUMBER.

‘/La man0 ,

1 “

the hand Also eco , echo and a

few o ther rare words :

(b) Masculine nouns of feminine ending :

V II poeta ,duca ,

“

duke ”

,i monarcq, mon

arch Also “

colera ,

“

sofa and a

few other words of foreign extraction2; enigma ,

problema , problem and other words in-ma derived from the Greek ,

many geographical

names,and qualcgsa , something (properly a phrase

,

not Single word) .

3 ) Nouns ending in u are feminine :V

la virtii ,“

virtue ”

;Vla gioventii ,

3

gru,

crane”

.

EXCE PT IONS : A few foreign words , such as bambir,bamboo also other parts o f speech used as nouns , as

\/ i1piil ,4 “

more”

; and ban ,

“

dog’

s bark ”

; meu,

“

fennel

v Peril , Peru

More Special Rules for Gender.

Of nouns ending in e and i some are masculine,

feminine .

5 The meaning of the word may de

Masculine are :

1 From Latin manus ,manum ,

which , though a femin ine o f the

fourth dec lension ,exact ly resemb les in fo rm th e masculines o f the

second .

2 No tice that wo rds impe rfec tly Italianized usua lly make ex

c eptions . Cf . fo llowing paragraph ,exceptions ,

a lso 24 (a ) , foo tno te 5 , p . 1 1

,etc .

3 No tice that these nouns are names o f abstractions . Cf . 5 1(b)

4 Cf . 5 1 (a)5 Since all really Ita lian noun s end in a vowe l

,th e above clas si

fication inc ludes all but a ve ry few substan tives,such as il lapis ,

lead penci l etc .


( 1 ) Names of trees , metals , generally of mountains,months , and days :Il limeme ,

lemon-tree .

“II rame

,copper . 11 San Salva

tere , (mountain of) San S .

VL ’ Aprile ,

April .“

11 martedi ,

Tuesday .

REMARK . This rule is constantly crossed by that givenin 50 (2 ) (p . For Instance ,

le Alpe , or Alpi , the

Alps”

, probably because the first form would suppo se a

Singular , Alpa . Most names o f mountains end in 0, or

H H

else mente ,

“

mount mountain ”is understood :

L’

Etna , or Mente Etna ,Etna

All the days o f the week aremasculine except 1a domenicaSunday and all names o f metals except 1a latta ,

t in

(2 ) Other parts of speech used as nouns :L’

andare e il venire . Going and coming.

VIImangiare e bueno . The food is good .

\/ Mi dava del Si e del 119. He would give me no positiveanswer . (Literally , he gave me yes and

(b) Feminine are :

( 1 ) Names of abstractions :La spe

’

cie,the species . L ’

ambiziene ,ambition . La

quiete , quiet , rest .

(2 ) Many names of fruits , 1 the same word used as

a masculine indicating often the tree :

J 11nece ,the walnut-tree . La noce

,walnut

,nut .

EXCE PTIO s In a certain number o f cases the same

masculine word designates as well the fruit as the tree thatbears it :

V II limeme ,lemon-tree , lemon .

2

1 This rule is also c rossed by 5 0 the names o f many fruitsbeing feminine by termination : L’ arancia ,

“

the o range ”

; una

mela ,an apple But the re exists a lso the masculine arancio ,

meaning as we ll the tree as its fruit .

2Fico and dattero , bo th masculine by te rmination ,also mean

bo th tree and fruit .

NOUNS,THEIR GENDER AND NUMBER. 4 1

5 2 . A certain number ‘

O f nouns are indifferently

masculine or feminine ; as , il or 1a fine ,end

”.

REMARK . The pupil is advised to connect imme

diately with every substantive learned ,whether its

gender be according to ordinary rule or exceptional,

its appropriate article,and to make them one concept .

Gender of Compound Nouns .

5 3 . Mo st compound nouns retain the gender o f their

second component :Lamappa ,

flat piece o f cloth ,table-cover .

Il mendo ,world . 11mappamendo ,

map o f the world .

EXCE PT IONS ; There are many,but they are usually

explained by an analysis of the word :/ Il capo ,

head , chief ; “ la caccia,hunt ; il capocaccia ,

master o f the hunt . Salvare,to save ;

"la gente , people

d salva-gente ,life-preserver .

l/ Battere,to beat , thresh out ;

Vla lana,wool ;

v

i1battilana,wool- comber . (Cf . 5 1 (a )

Formation of the Feminine .

5 4. ( 1 ) Many masculines in 0 and some in e form

a feminine in a :

V II ragazzo ,the boy ; 1a ragazza ,

the girl .

n zio,the uncle ; 1a zia

,the aunt .

“ II padrene ,the master , proprietor ; la padrona .

(2 ) Tho se in a and some in e take essa :L ’

arciduca,the archduke ; l’ arciduchessa ,

archduchess .

LIl dottere ,

doctor/

1a dottoressa .

Il poeta , poet ; 1a poetessa .

V II profeta , prophet ; lay

profetessa .

(3 ) Mo st O f tho se in -tere take -trice (dottere be ing an

exception ) :L’ imperatere ,

the emperor ; 1’ i

/

mperatrice ,the empress .

v 11direttere ,the director ; 1a direttrice .


(4 ) But many masculines and feminines beari ng a

certain relation to’

one another are totally different inform :

v L’ uemo

,man ; la dgnna ,

woman .

NUMBER .

General Rules for the Formation of the Plural .

5 5 . Masculines in 0 and a , masculines and femininesin e form their plural by changing these terminations

to i :

11 libro,i libri ; un ragazzo , tre ragazzi ; il poeta, i poeti ;

le zio, gli zii ; il padre , i padri ; la madre

,le madri ; uno

scolare, gli scolari

‘

; la leziene , the lesson ,le lezieni ; 1

’ape,

the bee ,leapi, bees ; l

’ ipocrita, hypocrite , gl’ ipocriti ; ilmio

ne‘

me , my name,i nestri nemi, our names .

REMARKS . ( I ) Also la mano,le mani .

(2 ) In nouns in —i0 the plural may be written i, i,11,or j . In any case only one i is pronounced :Studio

,study ; plural studi, studi

,studii

,studj .

5 6 . Feminines in unaccented a form their plural in e

N,La tavola

,the table .

‘Delle tavole ,some tables .

r La tua penna ,thy pen . ,Le vestre penne ,

your pens .

5 7 . Monosyllables and nouns accented on the last

syllable (whether the word end in a vowel or con

sonant) , also nouns ending in i (stressed or unstressed )and ie , do no t change in the plural :II brindisi

,the health ,

toast .

J Fare melti brindisi , to

drink many toasts . VUn di,a day ; sette di , seven days .

J Uh barbagianni , an owl ; i barbagianni. 11 re d’ Italia

,

the king Of Italy . I tre re the three kings .i Una me

1 These wo rds being familiar to the pupil are no t translated .


which have an i in the Singular only to indicate the

nature of a c or g omit that i in the plural1 :Il linguaggio ,

the language , dialect ; i linguaggi d’ Italia.

L ’arancio ebello ,

the orange-tree is beautiful ; gli aranci

sono belli .

La‘

caccia,the chase , hunt ; le cacce .

Una guancia resea ,a rosy cheek ; le sue guance ,

2 her

cheeks .

62 . In the case of masculines in -00 and -go the qual

ity of the c or g sometimes remains the same in the

plural and sometimes changes . In most cases the

accentuation may serve as a guide ,nouns stressed

on the penult taking -chi , -ghi , tho se stressed on the

antepenult -ci , -gi z

Un gineco ,a game ; i giugchi dei bambini , children

’

s

plays .

11 castigo severo ,severe pun i shment

,i castighi ,

UmFranco,a Frank ; i Franchi . Il fueco ,

fire ; i fuechi .

But :11medico ,

the physician ; i me'

dici tastano il pelso do ctorsfeel the pulse . Il fisielogo ,

the physiologist ; i fisielogi .Il collegio ,

the college ; i collegi .

L ’equivoco ,

ambiguous expression , gli equivoci ,2

1 See 2 2,foo t-no te . This rule o f course does no t apply to

nouns in which th e i is accen ted,as il leggio ,

“ reading-desk ”

pl. leggii ; zio,zii ; la farmacia ,

“

pharmacy ”

, pl . farmacie . In

nouns like écchio ,eye

”

,studio , study etc . ,

where the 1 al

though no t accented is sounded,th e o rtho graphica l usage varies ,

Fo rme rly ecchj , studj we re commone r,now eechi , studi are mo re

usual . Occhii,studii are also seen .

2 But provincie ,audacie re tain th e unnecessary i .

3‘The adj ec tive e quivoco is treated in the same way ,and

adj e ctive s in genera l fo l low th e rule as given for nouns : pubblicopub l ic

”

, pl . pubblici , fem . pubbliche ; cattelico ,Catho lic

diplomatico,diplomé tic diplomatici , diploma

tiche . Cf . 1 16 .

NOUNS,THEIR GENDER AND NUMBER . 4 5

EXCE PTI ONS ; There are many exceptio ns to thisrule . Words in -

go follow it more unifo rmly 1 thanthose in -c0. The student is advised to learn each

word and its article in the Singiilar and plural forms .

The following are the commonest exceptions ;

(a) Words in -c0 stressed on the penult, yet fo rm

ing their plural in -ci°

Un mio amico,a friend o f m ine ; i nestri amici

,our

friends .

Ecco il nemico,here is the enemy ; i miei nemici le

dicono,my enemies say so . 11 perco ,

the pig ; due perci .

(b) Words in -c0 stressed on the antepenult, yet

forming their plural in -chi ;

Ecco il suo carico,it is his charge ; i carichi .

Umgran fendaco ,a large warehouse ; melti fendachi

II manico del coltello ,the knife—handle ; i manichi .

Le stemaco,the stomach ; gli stemachi . LO sterico

della guerra civile,the historian o f the civil war ; gli ste

Il tessico ,the poison ; dei tessichi ferti . Il traffi co della

ferrovia,railway-traffic ; i trafl

‘ichi,

2

REMARKS . ( 1 ) Greco as a noun takes -ci , as an

adjective chi :

UmGreco ,a Greek ; i Greci , the Greeks .

UmVino greco ,a Greek wine ; vini grechi , Greek wines .

So also mago in the sense of“ wizard ” takes a

1 Yet all tho se accented on th e an tepenult excepting spérago ,

asparagus taking -gi in th e plural , possess besides the fo rm s

in -gi paral le l on es in -

ghi . Sparago has on ly sparagi . Catalogo ,

catalogue ”

,h as only cataloghi .

2 O th er exceptions are SO rare as scarce ly to be long here . The

studen t is advised to consult h is dictionary for plurals O f such

nouns .


plural maghi , but in the expression the three wise

men it takes magi , i tre re magi1

( 2 ) Fi sico ,natural philo sopher and musico

,musi

eian take either Ci or Chi .

63 . A certain number of masculines in 0 form their

plural irregularly in a and become feminine . They

are :

11 centinaio,the hundred (about a hundred ) ; neve

’

ngono

delle centinaia,hundreds o f them are coming.

Un migliaio ,a thousand or thereabouts ; due miglie

’

tia .

2

Un paio ,a pair ; due paia .

Un miglio ,a mile ; due miglia.

2

64 . Many other masculines in 0 have two plural

forms,one in a and one in i ;

11 dito,finger ; le dita (i diti) .

Il braccio,the arm ; he due braccia (bracci) ,

4

Il calcagno ,the heel ; le calcagna (le calcagne ,

i cal

cagni) ,

Il gine’

cchio,the knee ; le ginecchia (ginecchie) (i gin

gochi) .

Il labbro,the lip ; le labbra (i labbri) .

1 Observe that this latte r fo rm is preserved by the B iblicalph rase ,

i . e . ,magi is th e La tin plura l , maghi bein g made afte r the

singular whose hard g it keeps . Natura lly a plural is made aftera singular on ly wh ere the latter is the O ftener used . In the case

o f greco ,the noun plura l was o ften used

,the adjective less often ,

so on ly th e latter was re-formed .

2 Mile ,a thousand ”

,takes also lemila .

3 No tice that these are all nouns designating number in a rathervague way . Centinaj , migliaj , are some times seen .

4 Th e plural mo st common ly used is placed first . Braccia , ginec

ch ia ,labbra

,orecchie (no tice this latter in e) are generally em

ployed to deno te two arms , etc .,o f the same body . Th e termina

tion a (e) has here a so rt o f co llective sense . Compare German

nouns beginning with Ge .

NOUNS,THEIR GENDER AND NUMBER . 4 7

IImembro ,the member ; lemembra (membre ) , ( i mem

bri) .

L ’orecchio ,

the ear ; le orre'

cchie (orecchia) , (gli orecchi) .

L ’

esso ,the bone ; le essa (esse ) , (gli essi) .

L ’nevo ,

the egg ; le ueva (gli uevi) .

1

REMARK . In some cases the two forms are differ

entiated in meaning ;

I] frutto,fruit ; le frutta ,

fruits ; i frutti , profits .

Il legno ,wood ; i legni , carriages , Ships ; lelegna ,

firewood .

Il muro,wall ; i muri , walls ; lemura ,

city-walls .

Ilmembro ,the member .

Le braccia seno membri del cerpo umano . The arms are

members o f the human body . Una commissiene di settemembri . A committee of seven members .

But ;

Le membra del cerpo . The members (all the members )o f the body .

65 . Plurals altogether irregular.

L’ala

,the wing le ali (le ale) .

Il bue, 0x ; i bueI .

Il dio, god ; gli dei or dn (with which the article is always

gli) .

Lameglie ,wife ; lemegli

L’ uemo,man ; gli uemini .

PLURAL OF COMPOUND NOUNS .

66 . Most compound nouns change their ending in

the regular way ,i .e . , the second component is made

plural, the first remaining unchanged :Il mappamendo ,

map o f the world ; i mappamendi .

Il parafueco ,fire - screen ; i parafuechi .

1 The re are many o ther nouns wh ich may take the two plurals .

Obse rve tha t such are usua lly Latin neuters wh ich have the irplura l in a . In such the i fo rms are late r . But the fc rma t ion has

extended to o ther wo rds . Cf . 5 0, (2) foo t-no te .


EXCE PTIONS ; There are many , most Of which may ,

however, be explained by an analysis of the word

(Cf .

II capocaccia ,master o f the hunt ; i capicaccia

Il battilana,wool-comber ; i battilana .

Il portale’ ttere

,the letter-carrier ; i portale

’

ttere,

But in other cases the explanation must be sought

in the fact that in some compounds the components

are still felt to be independent words and are inflectedas such ,

while in others one or both Of them has lost

its individual life . In other words , the fusion is more

or less complete ;

11 sordomuto,the deaf-mute ; i sordomuti ,

But :La mezza-luna

,crescent ; le mezze-lune ,

La madreperla,mother-Of-pearl ; le madreperle or le

madriperle .

Il sottolume,lamp-mat ; i sottolumi .

Il rompicapo ,tormentor ; i rompicapo.

(Exercises X and XI . )

CHAPTER IV.

REGULAR VERBS .

1

67 . All Italian verbs end in the present infinitivein - t e . The vowel preceding this syllable may be a

,

1 The regular verbs are placed be fo re the auxiliaries because thelatte r are irregular and it is considered desirab le for the studen tto familiarize h imse l f first with th e regular fo rms . Teachers whopre fe r to do so may tak e Chapte r V be fo re this one . The presen ttenses O f the auxiliaries have been given (Vocabulary to Exerc isesI and II) , and iso lated partic ipial

'

forms are also given in o the rvocabularies . It being taken for granted that the studen t O f

Italian knows th e parts ,moods ,

tenses ,e tc .

,o f verbs

,no explana

tion o f such matters is given .

REGULAR VERBS . 49

e (accented or unaccented ) , or i . This vowel, which

is called the characteristic vowel, recurs throughout

the conj ugation .

Verbs are divided according to their characteristic

vowel into

( 1 ) -are verbs , or first conj ugation .

(2 ) -ére and -ere verbs , or second conj ugation .

(3 ) -ire verbs , or third conj ugation ;

Mostrare . TO Show , point out . Temere ,to fear . Pe

’

r

dere,to lose .

Partire,to go away , set out (also to divide ) ,

68. The rOle played by the characteristic vowel,which constitutes , as we have seen ,

the main differ

ence between the conj ugations , is seen in the follow

ing tables . The part Of the infinitive preceding the

characteristic vowel is the stem , the characteristic

vowel and what follows it the ending of the infinitive .

The various parts of the verb are formed by adding

various terminations to the stem.

TABLE OF VERBS .

INFIN ITIVE .

Mostr are Tem ere Perd ere Part ire 1Presen t Participle mostr and02 tem end0

2

perd endo part endo 2Pas t Participle mostr ato 3 tem uto 4 perd uto part ito

1 Sometimes transitive to divide”

,but usually intransitive

to depart ” .

2 The r e are also fo rms mostr ante , tem ente , part ente , which ,

though real ly represen ting the Latin partic iples (the fo rms in

-and0 ,-end0 being ge runds) , are much less frequen t , and which

may be regarded as verbal adjectives . Cf . 1 1 1 . Iente fo r -ente( = end0) appears on ly in finiente , impediente , leniente , obbediente,partoriente ,

some times aperiente and moriente .

3 The past partic iple o f a few ve rbs O f the first conjugation is

sometimes con tracted ,especial ly in poetry , showing 0 fo r -ato

,

dest0 = destato ,etc . For compound ten ses c f . 76 .

4 No tice that th is is the on ly one o f th e th ree conjugations Show

ing a past part iciple with an accented vowe l o ther than its Charac teri stic vowe l .


mestr 01

IMPERFECT .I Showed

,was sh owing

,etc .

mostr ava4 tem eva5

perd eva,

6etc . part iva2

mostr avi tem evi part ivimostr ava tem eva part ivamostr avamo tem evamo part ivamomostr avate tem evate part ivate

mostr avano tem evano part ivano

1 The subject pronoun is omitted . Cf. 88 .

2For the use O f these fo rms (“

you Show”

) c f. 9 1 .

2 This -0,as also final -no in the th ird plural future o f all con

jugations , is o ften dropped : mestran ,

“ they Show”

, temeran ,

“ they will fear etc .

4 0 is ve ry frequen tly used (indeed almost universally ‘ where

there is danger o f ambiguity) instead o f this -a as the fina l vowe lo f the fi rst singular imperfect o f all conjugations .

5 Ve rbs of the se cond and third conjugations (never o f the

fi rst) O ften drop the v o f the imperfect : i0 temea , egli partia ,e tc .

5 It being suffi ciently eviden t that perdere is con jugated preciselylike temere ,

the forms of the latte r only will henceforth be given .

(For the parallel irregular fo rm o f perdere see alphabe tical table ,

p . The second conjugation comprises the verbs o f bo th the

se cond and third Latin conjugations . In o the r words ,the second

conjugation in Italian comprises verbs diff e ren t in the infinitivebut alike in all o ther parts . The third

,on the contrary ,

comprisesverbs alike in all parts save the present indicative and subjunc

t ive,but different in these

,i .e . ,

it consists o f ; (a) verbs O f the

Latin fourth conjugation ; (b) Latin inchoatives . The latter arenow much th e mo re numerous

,i .e most -ire verbs have passed

into the inchoative conjugation .

e tc .

part O , I depart , orpart isco ,

I divide

part i or part iscipart e or part iscepart iamo

part ite

part 0110 or part iscono


SU BJUN CT IVE .

Presentpart a, I may depart ,

mestr 1 tem a

part isca, I may d ivide

tr tepart a, thou mayes t depart ,

mes l,m a

part isca, thou mayest dividepart a, h e may depart ,

mestr l tem a

part isca, h e may divide

part iamo

part iateth t ,

mestr ino tem anopart ano, ey may deparpart iscano, they may divide

Imperfec t

Remark s on Regular Verbs of the First Conjugation .

69 . ( 1 ) Verbs ending in-care and -

gare insert an

h after the c or g before endings beginning with e or i

in order to mark the preservation of the hard sound 2 ;Dimenticare

,to forget ; nen dimentichi , do not forget ;

dimentichere, I Shall forget . Pagare ,to pay ; nen desidero

chepaghiate niente ,I do not desire that you pay anything ;

paghino lero ,let them pay .

(2 ) Verbs in -ciare ,-giare , sciare in which the i is

inserted merely to keep the c , g, so soft before the

next sounded vowel , which is a ,drop this i in parts

where the termination contains an i or an e3;

Cominciare,to begin ,

commence ; comincio,I am be

1 The subjunctive presen t is indicated by a change of the charac

teris tic vowel,the first con jugation taking that there to fo re char

acteristic o f the th ird,th e th ird with the second,that o f the first .

2 Cf . 16 and 5 9 .

2 Cf . 22 ,foo t-no te 3 , and 6 1 .

REGULAR VERBS . S3

ginning ; comincerebbe ,he would begin . Passeggiare ,

to

take a walk ; passe’

ggino ,let them go to walk ; passeggere

anch’ io I shall also take a walk . Lasciare

,to leave

,

let ; lasc1 stare ,let it alone . Bruciare

,to burn ; brucera,

it

will burn .

(3 ) Verbs in -chiare and -g1iare drop the i only

before an i in the termination,not before an e

°

Picchiare,to knock ; picchi (not picchii) , thou knock est ,

but picch iere, I shall knock .

1Consigliare ,

to counsel ; conSiglierebbe ,

he would advise ; consigli , let him advise .

(4 ) Of other verbs in -iare those retain this i :

(a ) In which it has in the infinitive a secondary accent,

the secondary accent becoming in the indicative presentfirst singular the principal one ;

Desiare ,

2to desire ; io desio , tu des11. Spiare ,

to spy ,i0

spio ,che spiino .

(b) In which there might be confusion with anotherverb :

Odiare,to hate , tu edu ,

not edi , which latter = thouhearest (from udire) .

(c) Appropriare , contrariare , sentenziare , spaziare , strabiliare also commonly Show the ii . Others drop the i before

an ending beginning with i , retaining it before e ;

Annoiare,

3to annoy ; tu annei, tu annoierai .

(5 ) Certain verbs having an open 0 in the first syllable diphthongize it where it receives the accent

in the three persons of the singular and third person

plural of the present indicative and subj unctive and

in the imperative second person singular) :Giocare

,

‘1 to play ,i0 gineco .

1 The second i in picchiere is distinct ly h eard .

2 That this i has a secondary accent is eviden t from the factthat the verb is a contracted fo rm o f desiderare .

3 Th is i is really a semi-consonant .

1 B esides giocare , arrolare , infocare ,rotare ,

and sonare exhibit


Remark s on Regular Verbs of the Second Conjugation.

70. ( I ) Verbs ending in-cere and -

gere insert an i

to keep the c or g soft before the u of the past partici

ple ,not , however , before terminations beginning with

a or 0 ,in which latter case the c or g becomes hard ;

Pascere,

1to feed , pasture , pasco ,

ch ’egli pasca , pasciuto .

(2 ) There are but few regular verbs in this conju

gation ,

2and these present , for the most part

, the

double forms given in the table for the preterit . The

forms in -ci , -e, -e'

ron0 are really the regular ones , cor

responding to the -ai of the first conj ugation ,-11 of the

third . The following verbs and their compounds takeonly the -ci , -e, -

e’

r0n0 ; battere , competere , convergere ,

divergere ,lficere ,

mescere ,mietere , pascere , prudere ,

ripetere ,

stridere,te

’

ssere , tendere"; also cempiere and e

’

mpi

ere when of this conj ugation (they are frequently in

flected according to the third)

this change ,also frequently rinnovare and tonare , and

,rare ly ,

provare and trovare . Notare ,

“

to notice ”

,neve r do es

,in o rder

,

probab ly ,no t to be con fused with nuotare , “

to swim”

. The same

may .

be said o f votare and vuotare .

1 This and me’

scere are the on ly regular verbs exhibiting all

these fo rms . O f th e irregular some exhibit them all,as

,crescere ,

cresco , cresciuto (but pret . crebbi) ; conescere , conosco , conosciuto(but pret . conobbi) ; o th ers on ly a part , as tacere taccio ,

taciuto ;piangere , piango , pret . piansi ; past particip le pIanto ,

etc . See

Tab le o f Irregular Verbs .

2 The entire ly regular are : battere, cedere, competere, credere,fendere, gemere

,godere, mescere, mietere, pascere, pendere, perdere,

premere,ricevere, rifiettere, ripetere, splendere, temere, tendere, ven

dere,also cempiere and empiere when o f this conjugation . See

Tab le . It will be seen later that the great majo rity o f the irregular verbs are -ere verbs o f th is conjugation .

3 Many O f th ese verbs are de fective .

REGULAR VERBS . 5 5

(3 ) Some verbs having an open 0 in the first syllable present the same phenomenon remarked under69 ,

Cuecere or cecere ,to cook ; cueco ,

coceva . Muevere or

mevere ,to move ; muevo ,

moveva .

These verbs are otherwise irregular .

Remark s on Regular Verbs of the Third Conjugation .

7 1 . Most verbs of this conj ugation take in the present indicative and subj unctive the -isc0 endings , not

having the -0,-i

,-e endings at all. The following is

the model for their present tenses .

Capire ,to understand .

capisco ,I und erstand

,

capisci

capisce

capisca ,I may understan d

,

capisca

capisca

capisci , unde rstand (th ou) .

1

(a) The following regular verbs take the 0 forms

onlyDormire

, to Sleep ; fuggire , to fly ,flee ; partire in the sense

o f to depart”

; pentire ,

2sentire ,

to feel , hear ; servire , to

serve ; sortire ,

3 in the sense o f“

to go out vestire , to

clothe .

1 Th ese form s are derived from th e Latin inchoatives ,hence per

haps th e ir use in the presen t on ly ,

“

I understand ,

— am beginningto unde rstand ”

2 Pentire is a reflexive ve rb . Sec 106 .

3 Sortire , to draw lo ts ”

,as partire , to divide take s the -isco

fo rms . No tice that in bo th c ase s it is th e trans iti ve ve rb thattakes the -isco fo rms .

6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

(b) The following verbs may take either termina

tion , but usually take -isc0'

Abborrire , to abhor ; bollire , to bo il ; inghiottire , to swale

low ; languire , to languish ; mentire , to lie ; muggire , to

bellow ; nutrire , to nourish ; ruggire , to roar ; sorbire , to

Sip ; tossire , to cough ; also verbs in -Vertire ,as avvertire ,

divertire , etc .

1

(c) Proseguire, to pro secute , pursue has usually

prose’

guo, but sometimes proseguisco

72 . The verb is more interrogative by placing the

pronoun (if expressed) or other subject after it ;Vei mostrate

, you show ; mostrerete vei ? Shall youShow ?

Non partira vestro fratello? Will not your brother goaway ?

73 . The imperfect tense is used to express unfin

ished, habitual, or repeated action

,the preterit to

express that which was finished at a certain time,

which time is quite past2:

Io mostravo il libro quando entre. I was Showing thebook when he entered .

(Exercises X I I and XI II .)

CHAPTER V .

AUX ILIARY VERBS .

74 . The principal auxiliary verbs in Italian are

essere ,

“to be

”, and avere ,

“to have” . Both are 1rregular

but especially the first .1 A number o f irregular verbs , such as aprire , 00prire ,

ofi‘rire ,

soffrire , cucire ,and its compounds , a lso be long to th is c lass . See

Tab le .

2 Cf . 226 and 228 .

AUXILIARY VERBS.

INFIN IT IVE .

I

Present Participle . Pas t Part ic iple .

essendo statoImperfect .

era

eri

era

eravamo

eravatee’ rano

COND IT IO NAL . IM PERAT IVE .

sarei S11 (sia) , be (thou)saresti siate , be (you)sarebbesaremmo

sarestesarebbero

SUBJUNCT IVE .

Present Part ic iple . Past Part iciple .

avendo avutoImperfe c t .

aveva2

avevi

aveva

avevamo

avevateavevano

1 Sieno is also used .

2 Th ese fo rm s are regular .3 This and th e fi rst and s econd plura l are regular .These forms are regular , averei be ing con tracted into avrei ,

Cf . 1 74 and 1 77 .

S7


Present . Imperfect. labbia avessi

abbi (abbia) avessi

abbia avesse

abbiamo ave’

ssimo

abbiate avesteabbiano ave

’

ssero

75 . Each of these verbs forms its compound tenses

by compounding with itself .

Seno stato qui. I have been here .

Seno state qui le Sue sorelle? Hone your s is ters been here?

Aveva avuto il denaro . He had had the money .

Use of Auxiliary Verbs.

76 . Avere +the past participle forms the compound

tenses Of all transitive and Of most intransitive verbs .

Following is a synopsis of the compound tenses of

mostrare :Infinitive . ave

’

re mostrato,to have shown .

Past participle . avendo mostrato,having shown .

Past indefinite . hemostrato,I have shown , etc .

Pluperfect . avevamostrato,I had shown , etc .

Future anterior . avremostrato,I shall have s hown,

etc .

Conditional anterior . avrei mostrato, I should have

shown, etc .

SUB JUNCT IVE .

Past indefinite . abbia mostrato,I may have shown ,

etc .

Pluperfect . avessi mostrato,I might have shown ,

etc .

7 7 . Essere+ the past participle forms the compound

tenses of all reflexive and reciprocal verbs and of some

1 Which is regu lar th roughout .

60 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

SUB J UNCT IVE .

Past indefinite . Sia andato ,I may have gone , etc .

Pluperfect .

’

fessi andato ,I might have gone , etc .

REMARKS . ( I ) It will be Observed that essere is

more frequent than the English“

to be although itis not used to express the progressive present , English“

I am Showing”

,etc .

,which is to be translated Simply

mestro .

1

(2 ) A past participle used with e’

ssere to form the

passive always agrees with the subj ect of the verb .

If the verb be intransitive by nature (compoundingwith e

’

ssere in the sense Of “ to have ”

) it also agrees

with the subject . In the case Of reflexive or recip

rocal verbs it may , but does not always,agree . (Cf .

103 and

E melto amata. She is much beloved .

Seno partiti . They have departed .

Ci siamo amati. We have loved one another .

Auxiliary with Intransitive Verbs .

78 . All really transitive verbs , i .e .,all verbs that

require a direct Obj ect to complete their meaning,

form their compound tenses with avere , and have a

passive voice formed from e’

ssere . All reflexive f or

reciprocal verbs form their compound tenses with

e’

ssere . (Cf . All really intransitive verbs,i .e .

,

verbs which cannot take a direct Obj ect and which

have no passive voice,form their compound tenses

with essere , with the exception of the verbs :

1 Stare and andare,however

,are some times used to express the

progressive action . Cf . 8 1 (a) and (d) ( I ) .

AUXILIARY VERBS .6 1

desinare,to dine . Sbadigliare ,

to yawn .

dormire,to Sleep . sonnecch iare

, to slumber,do ze .

passeggiare ,to walk . sternutare

,to sneeze .

79 . The commonest necessarily intransitive verbs

which always take e’

ssere are ;

andare,to go . morire

,to die .

arrivare,to arrive . nascere

,to be born .

avvenire ,to happen . pare

’

re,to appear .

cadere ,to fall pervenire ,

to arrive .

comparire ,to appear . rimanere ,

to remain .

cerrere ,to run . riuscire

,to succeed .

divenire ,to become . uscire

,to go out .

venire,to come .

(a) A certain number Of intransitive verbs com

pound sometimes with avere and sometimes with e’

ssere ,

the general distinction being that they take avere when

action is denoted , while essere denotes the state or

condition resulting from action . With avere the verb

has usually an obj ect,Often an infinitive ,

to complete

its meaning,with e

’

ssere it has not .

- 80. Verbs which take either ave’

re or essere are ;

camminare,to walk . partire ,

to depart , divide .

cessare,to cease . passare ,

to pass .

crescere ,to grow . perire ,

to perish .

degenerare ,to degenerate . ritornare ,

to return .

dimorare, to dwell . scappare ,

to escape .

fuggire ,to flee . scendere ,

to descend .

giungere ,to arrive . succe

’

dere,to succeed , happen .

invecchiare ,to grow old . tacere ,

to be Silent .

vivere,to live .

La guerra ecessata. The war has ceased .

La guerra ha cessato di devastare i paesi . The war has

ceased to devastate the lands .


Other Verbs Used as Auxiliaries.

8 1 . Other verbs sometimes used instead of essere for

English“

to be”are :

(a) Stare ,“

to stand which always expresses a

state ,frequently a state of health .

Stava parlando . I was talking.

Ceme sta How are you , how do you do ?

Sta male . He is not well .

Stare per or e’

ssere per (followed by an infinitive ) means

to be about to do a thing”

Stepermostrarlo . I am just going to Show it .

(b) Venire ,“

to come”

,which is sometimes used in

the formation of the simple tenses of the passive 1 ;L’ombrello venne trovato . The umbrella was found .

(c) Rimanere ,“

to remain is used like venire , but

less frequently ;Rimango arrestato . I am arrested I remain in a

state o f arrest) .

(d) Andare ,2 to go is used to express ;

( 1 ) A state or condition ;Che andate cercando What are you looking for ?

(Literally, What do you go seeking?(2 ) Duty or Obligation ;Non va detto cosi . That must not be said

,it cannot be

SO expressed .

Se aveva fatto bene ,andava incorragito . If he had done

well he ought to have been encouraged .

1 Venire expresses the action indicated by the princ ipal verb morethan does essere ,

and is o ften pre ferred to it in elegant style . Neithervenire nor rimanere are ever used in the compound tenses . Il libro

evenuto trovato ,for estato trovato ,

would be barbarous .

2 No tice that,like stare , andare when it expresses a state takes

the present participle .

AUXILIARY VERBS .63

L’amicizia va coltivata cen tutta 1a possibile delicatezza .

L’amere va superato cella ferza . Friendship must be cul

tivated with all possible delicacy . Love must be con

quered by force .

82 . Dovere ,“

to owe potere , to be able, volere ,

to wish”

, fare ,“

to do “ make ”

,and some times

sapere ,“

to know must be classed as modal auxil

iaries , since they have ,when followed by an infinitive ,

a sort of auxiliary function .

“

Ought Should ”

,

“

must etc are rendered by the appropriate tenses

of dovere ; might can could ”

,by

those of potere ; will ”,would when they express

volition,not simple futurity , by tho se of volere ; can

“

could ”

,etc . ,

by those of sapere . These verbs are all

irregular ,

1 but not defective as are the English modal

auxiliaries,SO that Shades of meaning,

as well as time

of action,may be more exactly rendered by them than

by the English equivalents2:

Devo partire . I ought to go ,must go (in the present)

Dovrei partire . I ought to go (which do es not mean I

must go ,and is less precise as to time than devo partire )

3

Doveva partire . I had to go .

Avrei dovuto partire . I ought to have gone .

Pesso partire May I go?

veglio partire . I will go .

Nen senuotare . I cannot swim.

Il bambino non sapeva ancera discerrere. The child

could not yet talk .

1 See Tab le o f Irregu lar Verbs .

2 Compare th e German moda l auxiliaries k onnen ,mogen ,

e tc .

,

which are also complete in the ir c onjugations .

3 One would say devo partire perhaps on rising to go , dovrei partire without going immediately .


RE MARK . The same idea of ability rendered in the

last two examples by sapere is sometimes idiomatic allv

expressed by e’

ssere bueno a ;

Seno buena a sonare il pianoferte . I can play

‘

the

piano .

83 . Fare ,to do

”

,

“

to make and lasciare , to

let”

,are auxiliaries in such expressions as : Fare fare

un abito ,

“

I am going to have a coat made”

; lascia

fare ,

“

let it be done”

,

“

let it be 1’ he fatto fare ,“

I

have had it done ”

REMARKS . ( I ) Fare is used to express the idea ;

rendered in English by the verb“

to be in such ex

pressions as melto tempo fa ,

“

it is a long time ago”:

fa bel tempo,“

it is beautiful weather ”. But e

’

ssere

is used in : e l’una,

“

it is one o’

clock”

; seno le undici ,“

it is eleven O’

clock(2 )

“ There is ”,there are must be translated

where ecco is not used by vi e, vi Seno , c’ 1

e, ci seno :

Vi seno tre bottiglie . There are three bottles . C’

emelto da fare . There is a great deal to do .

Idiomatic Uses of Avere .

84 . Avere is used in the following expressions where

the English uses the verb“

to be”:

avere bisegna (di)2

,to be avere freddo ,

to be cold .

in need o f,to need . avere paura ,

to be afraid .

avere fame, to be hungry . avere vergegna ,

to be ashamed .

avere sete ,to be thirsty . avere qualche cesa ,

to be the

avere caldo ,to be warm . matter with .

Avevate paura Were you afraid ? Ne,aveva fame . No ,

I was hungry .

1 For Ci,cf . 36 ,

no te 4 .

2 Cf . 2 1 2

PERSONAL PRONOUNS .05

Ces’ ha ? Nen he niente . What is wrong with you

?

Nothing.

Also(a ) In expressions denoting age :

Che eta ha? How Old is he ? Ha sette anni . He is

seven .

(b) With da and an infinitive to express Obligation ,

“

to have toHe da parlare . I must speak .

Aveva da partire . He had to go .

(Exerci s es X IV and XV.)

CHAPTER VI .

PE RSONAL PRONOUNS . DISJ UNCTIVE PERSONALPRONOUNS .

85 . There are in Italian two kinds of personal pro

nouns ; ( 1 ) the tonic or stressed ; (2 ) the atonic or

unstressed . The tonic may be separated in the sen

tence from the verb,or may appear without a verb .

This fact that they are not joined to the verb has giventhem the name of disjunctive , absolute

,or independent

pronoun s . The atonic forms are so-dependent on the

verb that they always appear j oined to it . They are

therefore called conjunctive or dependent personal pro

nouns .

REMARK . The nature o f these two classes o f pronouns‘

may be made clearer by the following examples : Mestro ,

1 Which are Simply th e diff eren t fo rm s O f one and the same Latinword , deve loped under diffe ren t c ircumstance s

,me emphas ized

giving me, un emphatic mi . Cf . the differen t pronunc iation o f

English “ me”and

“

him”in

“ give it to me”

,

“ give it to him”

.

and give it t o me , not to him


I am showing Chi mostra ? Who is showing? 10 !

Io mestro . I ! I am showing. Che cesa mestra ?“ What are you showing? Mestro me,

1 “

I am Showing

myself.”

All Of these pronouns , emphasized in English ,

are rendered in Italian by the disjunctive forms . But in

Mi mestro ,

“

I am showing myself”

; Che cesa fai?“ What

!a re you do ing?”Mi ti mestro ,

I am showing myself to

you there is no stress laid upon the pronoun , thereforein Italian the conjunctive forms are used .

Disjunctive Personal Pronouns.

86 . The disjunctive pronouns are 2 :

io,I noi we

,us

me,me

tu,thou vei , you

te,thee

egli ,2 lui

, esso , he eglino ,

6 lero , essi , theylui

, esso , him lero , essi , them

ella ,

4 lei , essa ,

5she (you) elleno ,

5 lero , esse ,they

lei , essa ,

5 her (you ) lero , esse ,them

se, himself, herself , themselves

87 . These forms are always more or less emphatic .

They are used ;

(a ) As the subj ect of a verb .

(b) As the Obj ect either emphasized or governed bya preposition .

1 O r me stesso .

2 The personal pronouns are the on ly real dec lension fo rms le ftin Italian .

2 Some times shortened into ei o r gli .1 Some times sho rtened to la : Ti raccomando una buena sedia.

— Se

la vi sara. Be care ful to ge t a go od carriage — I f the re is one .

2Ella, lei, are used for you

",but essa is not .

2 Seldom used in modern Italian .


you for the plural . At present the following are

in use ;

voiSing.

Ella1

(Lei1

Of these tu (generally to be translated you is

used in addressing a near relative ,an intimate friend ,

or a child ; also in elevated or poetical language and

to express anger or scorn ; vei as a plural in addressing

two or more relatives , friends , or children ,also as a

singular somewhat less familiar than tu yet less formal

than Ella , Lei , used ,for instance ,

in addressing ser

vants . Its use is also frequent in poetry ,and in the

south of Italy it is more frequently employed than

Ella even in speaking with strangers . Excepting in

the south the ordinary form of address is Ella ,plural

L910 . These forms were originally of the third per

son ,representing some such antecedent as Signoria ,

Vossignoria ,

“

Your Highness Eccellenza, Altezza ,

etc . All such words being feminine ,the pronoun was

naturally feminine .

2 (Cf .

Vossignoria vuel cenare? Your Highness wishes to sup?

Ella eservita. She is served you are served

(a) Ella is the proper grammatical form in this case ,but Le1, really a dative form ,

has come into common

use,supplanting Ella ,

especially in conversation .

Lero (Ler signeri, Ler signere ) is the corresponding

plural :Lero verranno . You will come .

1 Also written with a sma ll initia l,ella , lei , lero .

2 An adj ec tive o r partic iple qualifying Ella , Lei takes the gendero f the person represen ted by that pronoun . Thus one would say

in speaking to a man : Lei etreppo bueno (not buena) .

D ISJUNCTIVE PERSONAL PRONOUNS .6 9

This use of the third fo r the second person co rre

sponds in origin to our own formal usage , but is much

more extended and not really formal now . It is the

ordinary form of address and the only one the fo r

eigner is likely ever to hear addressed to him or to need

when Speaking. He Should learn to recognize all

the forms and the Shade s Of meaning conveyed by

them,but should in practice confine himself to the

Ella , Lei , Lero forms ;

E tu figliuelo mio , che diventerai? And what will become o f you ,

my son ? 0 figli miei, vei che Siete stati lamia speran za. O my children , you who have been mv

hope .

Come state, poverino? How do you do , you poor man ?

E Lei,1 Signor Bardi, ceme sta? And how d o you do

,

Mr . B

Stanno bene Lero tutti ? Are you all well ?

92 . Me, te, se are Often compounded with the prepo

sition cen : meco ,

“ with me seco ,

“

by himself

etc . Occasionally am is placed also before this com

pound 2 ;Vieni meco (cen meco) . Come with me .

(a ) Esso may also be used redundantlywith meco ,teco ,

seco ; (cen) nei , vei , lui , lei , lero z

Restate con esso nei . Stay with us .

E cen esso lui se n’ande nel giardino . And he went

away with him into the garden .

1 This pronoun is omitted under th e same c ircum stance s as the

o thers , the context showing wh e th er the ve rb is to be tran slatedwith “

you”

,

“

he”

,or

“

She”

as sub j ec t .

2 Seco may= cen 1uiz He inteso , parlere Seco . I understand

, I

shal l Speak with him . Co rre sponding fo rm s o f the plura l are the

rare, po e tica l nesco and vosco (compounds no t o f nei and voi , but

o f the archaic nos , ves .

2 Cf . Spanish conmigo , contigo , consigo .

7o ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

(b) Altri is frequently added to nei , vei , in speaking of a whole class of persons

l :

Venite meco Voialtri. Come with me,all o f you .

Nei altri (or noialtri) Romani siamo altieri . We Ro

mans are proud .

93 . The reflexive Se is obj ective only . The subject

forms I myself ” ,

“

we ourselves ”

,etc . ,

are rendered

by adding the adj ectives stesso or medesimo to the

pronoun :Andreio medesimo . I shall go myself.

Lero stessi seno qui . They themselves are here .

Ma Signet e , Loro medesime l’hanno detto ! But,ladies !

you said so yourselves .

But ;L’ ha fatto da se. He (she ) did it by himself (herself) .

Seno partiti da se. They have gone away by themselves

(or : o f their own free will) .

94 . It”

,the subj ect of an impersonal verb

,never

being in the slightest degree emphatic,is not expressed

in Italian 2 °

Pieve , nen evero?3 It is raining,

isn’t it ?

95 . Although these pronouns have distinct case

1 Cf . Spanish nosotros ,vosotros , now meaning Simply we

you”

. The we’

uns”

,

“

you’

uns”

of the Tennessee moun

tain eer migh t a lso b e adduced .

2 But a somewhat less impersonal it may be rendered by gli(86 ,fo o t-no te G11 e teco cortesia l ’esser villano (O rlando Furioso ,

2 7 ,

“

It is courtesy to be rude with thee ”

(literally ,

“

it, th e

b eing rude with thee ,is Ella (la) is also used in a so rt

o f neuter sense ; In verita, ella e cosi . In truth it is SO

”. La

serebbe bella.

“ That would be nice (sarcastica lly) .

2 Th is expression ,non e vero ,

literally “

is it not true is con

stantly used in I talian . I t is a mere call for assent on the part o fthe hearer , which call is rendered in English by repeating the verb .

DISJUNCTIVE PERSONAL PRONOUNS . 7 I

forms for the subj ective and obj ective,the obj ective

is Often used as subj ect . It is so used ;

(a) With the verb e’

ssere in phrases where theremight be some uncertainty as to the construction

,as

in the case of predicate pronouns and where the sub

j cet is really understood with the verbal form and

then repeated for the sake of emphasis (redundant con

struction) Observe also the almost constant use Of

Lei ,“

you as a nominative (9 1Costui che

‘

e um altro me. That one who is my otherself.

Esso credeva ch ’ io fossi te. He thought I was you .

Ma te, tu sei piiI gievane di me. But you are youngerthan I .

Tanto i suei fratelli che lui seno melto cortesi. Both he

and his brothers are very polite .

Sta bene Lei ? Are y ou wellBut where there is no un certainty as to the con

struction ,i . e .

,where there is a verb expressed with

only one pronoun near it,the construction is like the

English one ;

Seno io .

1It is I . Seno essi. It is they .

(b) Absolutely , i . e . ,where there is no verb expressed

,

with the pronouns of the third person only ;Sfortunata Lei ! You unfortunate one !

Studiesi ceme lui nen conesco altri . I know no one else

as studious as he (is ) .

(Exerc ises XVI and XVII .)

1 Contrast French c’est moi . The obj ective for sub j ec tive is

O ftener used in conve rsation than in w riting . The substitution isO ftenest made in the fo rms for the third person . Cf . be low , (b) .

72 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

CHAPTER VII .

CONJUNCTIVE PERSONAL PRONOUNS . REFLEXIVEVE RBS .

96. Pronominal particles or conj unctive personal

pronouns,as their name indicates

,cannot be separated

from the verb of which they are the Object , either

direct or indirect , without a preposition .

The forms found correspond to the unstressed ac

cusative and dative cases . They are ;mi disjunctive me, a me, me

,myself, to me

,to my

self

te, a te, thee , thyself , to thee , to thyself

lui, esso ,

him, it

a lui , to him

lei , essa ,her (yOu)

a lei , to her (to you)se, a se, himself

, herself , themselves ,to himself

,to herself , to themselves

nei , a nei , us , ourselves , to us , to our

selves

Vei , a vei , you ,yourself, yourselves ,

to you ,to yourself , to yourselves

lero ,them ,

to them (masculine )lero ,

them ,to them (feminine )

a lero ,to them

1 11 is sometimes used in place o f this 19 , especially in older

Italian and in po etry . Bo th fo rms must be care fully distinguishedfrom the article il , 19 .

2 Ne is some times used instead o f this ci , e spec ially in o lde rItalian .

2 Gli is the indirec t object , li the direc t , but gli is O ften used

instead o f 11be fo re a vowel,a liquid con sonant , h ,

or s impure .

‘ The righ t of this form to be called conjunctive may be dis

CONJUNCTIVE PERSONAL PRONOUNS. 73

9 7 . To these must be added the pronominal ad

verbs : me,1of it

,of him

,Of her

,O f them

,some

,any,

hence , thence ; ci ,2VI,

2’ 3 to it,here

,there .

Mi vede . He sees me . M i lavo . I am wash ing mv

Self ,Mi da un fiere . He gives me ( = to me ) a flower .

Ti dicono . They tell thee .Le vedo . I see him . Gli de

il calamaio . I give him ( = to h im ) the ink - stand . Le

parlavi ? Did you Speak to her ? Si vede . He sees him

self,he is seen , people see him .

4 Si parlano . They are

talking to one another .Ci cercan o . They are look ing

for us . Vi vedeva di rado . I seldom saw you . Ne he

(or n’ he) . I have some o f it . Vi e(or V

’

e, C’ There is

(some ) .

N .B . To be emphasized these pronouns must all

be replaced by the corresponding disj unctive forms,

as ; vede me nen te,“

he sees me,not you

”

; partirecen lui .

Remark s on the Conjunctive Pronouns.

98. ( 1 ) L9 5and ne ,

and less Often other conjunctiy es , are sometimes used where in English they would

be pleonastic ;

puted . It must a lways fo llow th e verb (c f . I t is 1010 dis

junctive,but u sed with out a prepo sition ; Gli dico

,or (mo re em

ph atic) dico 1910 ,or (still more emphatic) dico a 1910,

“

I te l lth em

1 =French en

2 In function as in meaning bo th fo rm s =French y .

2All th e monosyllabic fo rms are sub j ec t to e lision ,lo, gli , la ,

le

(th ese last also wh en “

to you”

) under the same c ircumstances as wh en artic les ; mi , ti , Si , vi , ne before any vowel , ci onlyb e fore e and i . Cf . 36 .

‘1 Cf . 104 and 1 05 .

2 This 19 is one o f the very few neuter fo rm s le ft to the Italian .

I t may represent a who le c lause : Sperava che verrebbe ma 11011 10


E stanco? Are you tired ? Le seno , I am. Ne abbiamo

dei libri .1 We have some books .

La tavola l’ ho vista.

I have seen the table .

(2 ) The pronominal particles are Often used with

the articles in place of possessives (cf . 13 7

Mi duele la testa. My head aches .

Le gettai le braccia al cello . I threwmy arms aroundher neck .

Si ruppe una gamba. He has broken his leg.

Mi‘

e merto un amico . A friend o f mine has died , I

have lost a friend .

(3 ) Two particles , one of which is really a dative,

are often used together where in Engli sh a prepositionwould be necessary ;Glielo

2cerchere. I will look for it for you .

Ci , vi , and me as pronouns are to be distinguished

from ci , vi , me as adverbs 3 by the context ;Ci vede . He see s us . Ci va. He is go ing there .

N’ ha. He has some . Ne Viene . He is coming from

there .

(5 ) A verb may be accompanied by two conj unctivepronouns only when one is a direct , the other an in

sapeva ,I hoped you would come

,but did no t know it

you would come) . La , le, and una are also n eute r in idiomaticph rases where th ey represent an indefinite Object not expressed :Darla a gamba ,

“

to run away Ha fatto una delle sue,

“

he has

committed one o f his ordinary b lunders ”

,

“ that is like him”

;

Nen ce ne perdonava una ,

“

he treated us all alike ”. The appar

ently feminine fo rm is explained by comparison with the Latinneuter plural.

1 The repetition h ere gives emphasis . The Italian ph rase may

mean much mo re than the English we have indeed some books ,yes indeed ,

we have some”

. In the Second example 19 is really anadverb .

2 Cf . 101 .

2 E tymologi cally th e wo rds are iden tical.


(b) The conj unctive pronouns except gli (and glie

gli or le, for which see 1 01 ) double their initial con

sonant when the verbal form to which they are added

is a monosyllable or a polysyllable ending in an

accented vowel, 1 as comincigllo ,

“

he began it”

dimmi

(di’ from dire ,

“

to say”

,

“

to tell (thou) me” 2 °

Mgistragli il giornale . Show (to ) him the newspaper .

Eccolo . Here it is .

mostratolo Vieni qua a parlarmi . And when you haveshown it (literally ,

“

and it having been shown”

) come

here to talk to me .

Mostrandolo sei stato obbediente . In showing it youwere obedient .

Dammi la mano, vgiglio condurti 3 a spasso . Give me

your hand ,I will take you to walk .

Parliamo loro . Let us talk to them .

REMARK . A conjunctive pronoun depending upon a

dependent transitive infinitive may either be united to

the infinitive or may precede the principal verb :

Desidero sentirlo or 19 desidero sentire . I desire to hear

him . (Since an intransitive verb cannot take a direct ob

ject , it follows that where the dependent infinitive is intransitive the object always belongs to the principal verb .

Therefore phrases like“

I see him coming must be translated 19 vedo venire

,or 19 vedo venendo

‘

,or 19 vedo che

vigne , but never vedo venirlo . ) But there is not alwaysthis freedom of choice ; the following cases must be distin

guished :

(a ) When the principal verb is impersonal the pronounmust always go with the infinitive :

1 Th is doub ling in composition is no t confined to th is compound .

Da+ ci = dacci , e tc .

2 In these as in all the above c ompounds the verbal form is ao

cented as usual , the pronoun unaccen ted .

3condurre te.

CONJUNCTIVE PERSONAL PRoNoUNs . 7 7

B isggna sentirlo . One must hear h im (not 10 bisogna

sentire ) .

(b) Where in I talian a prepo sition must stand betweenthe principal verb and its dependent infinitive ,

the pro

noun must go with the infinitive :Ane a farlo . I shall go to do it (not 10andrba fare ) .

(0) Where the principal verb has already a pronominal

obj ect o f its own it takes also that o f the dependent infinitive , which it governs directly

“

M e 1’ ha visto fare . He has seen me do it .

(d) In case the princ ipal verb is fare and the dependentinfinitive has a pronominal direct obj ect , the obj ect o f fareis made indirect and placed be fore it , and the infinitivekeeps its obj ect attached to it :Gli fa le

’

ggerlo . He makes him read it .

2

(e ) Lasciare ,sentire , udire ,

and vede'

re may also takethis construction ,

and lasciare usually does :Gli lascerQ vederlo . I shall let h im see him .

100. Where two conj unctive pronouns accompany

one verb 3the indirect obj ect precedes the direct :

Mi vi mostrava . He was showing you to me . Mostratomivi . Having pointed you out to me .

EXCEPTION : Infringements of this rule are not un

common . L0r0 regularly comes last :

Vi mostrava lgro . He showed you to them .

Mostratovi loro . Having po inted you out to them .

Me gli accostai . I drew near him .

101 . Mi , ti , si , ci , vi , when they are followed by 10

la ,li , le, me, change their i to e . Gli and le,

“

to him

1 I . e . ,without a prepo sition b etween it an d th e infin it ive . Cf .

(b) above .

2 This is an exten sion o f th e principle that a tran sitive verb can

have only one direc t ob j ec t,léggere b eing in th e example th e direc t

ob j ect o f fa . This con struction is found also in French .

3 Cf . 98


‘

and to her to you before the same forms be

come glie , and are written as one word with the other

particle :Te 10mgstro ; ce 10mostrava ; ve ne parlo ; gliene par

ler91

; egli me li avevamostrati.Exercises XVIII and XIX .

Reflexive Verbs.

102 . Any transitive verb may be made reflexive bygiving it throughout the appropriate conj unctive pro

nouns, i .e those of the same person as the subject .

Following 13 a synopsis of a reflexive verb :

Infinitive. vestirsi , to dress one’

s self

Present participle . vestendosi

Past participle . vestitosi

Present .

1 The context will in such cases show whether the meaning isI shal l speak to him about it ” or I shall speak to her about it ".

INDICATIVE .

(io) mi vesto , I dress myself

(tu) ti vesti, thou dressest thyself

(egli) si veste , he dresses himself

(ngi) ci vestiamo, we dress our

selves

(vgi) vi vestite , you dress yourselves

(essi) si vestono , they dress themselves

mi vestiva , etc .

mi vestii, etc .

mi vestirQ etc .

mi vestirei , etc .

IMPERAT IVE .

vestiti

vestitevi

REFLEXIVE VERBS . 79

SUB JUNCT IVE .

mi vesta ,etc .

mi vestissi,etc .

Compound Tenses .

1

IND ICAT IVE .

Past indefinite .

Pluperfect .Past anteriorFuture anterior .

Conditional.

SUB JUNCT IVE .

Past indefinite . mi sia vestito, etc .

Pluperfect . mi fossi vestito, etc .

Remark s on Reflexive Verbs .

103 . As has been already observed all re

flexive verbs form their compound tenses from e’

ssere

the past participle . The past participle agrees often

est with the direct object (which is of course of the

same number and gender as the subj ect)3:

La signgra mi disse che s’

era alzata alle sette . The

lady told me that she had gotten up at seven o’

clock .

Essendosene vergognata mglto la pévera piccina. The

poor little girl having been much ashamed of it .

REMARK . There is no distinction of form between

reflexive and reciprocal verbs , but 1’ un 1’ altro ,one

another ” ,may be added in order to avoid ambiguity :

Le dgnne s’amano le une le altre . The women love one

another .

1 Cf. 78 and 103 .3 Or m’

era vestito .

1 Cf . a lso 1 14 .

mi sgno vestito , e tc .

mi 2 era vestito , etc .

mi fui vestito, etc .

mi safevestito ,etc .

mi sarei vestito , etc .


104 . The third person of the reflexive is often usedwith (a ) a passive sense ; (b) an impersonal (neutral)sense .

(a) In the first case the verb is naturally alwavs a

transitive one (since only a transitive may become

passive ) , and the verb agrees with its subj ect, si being

its direct obj ect :Questi libri si cémprano dappertutto . These books are

sold everywhere (literally ,sell themselves

Il libro che mi si diede . The book which was given tome

(b) In the second case the verb may be and often is

intransitive . It has no subj ect expressed,and the si

which accompanies it,although it is not its subj ect ,

may conveniently be translated “

one”

,

“ they”

,

“ people ”

,

“

we”

‘

Si dice . It is said ,they say .

Semeparla. People are talking about it .

Si ballera. There will be dancing.

Semeva. People are leaving.

Io sperava che gggi si sarebbe stati allegri insieme .

I hoped that we would have been happy togetherto -day .

105 . The fact that there are these two constructions

with the reflexive and that they are not clearly under

stood by all has given rise to a certain amount of con

fusion . Where the subj ect follows and the si precedes

the verb the latter is often made singular as though si

were its subj ect :Queste cgse ngn si pgssono fare . These things cannot

be done .

Or :

Non si pubfare queste cgse .

REFLEX IVE VERBS . 8 1

(0 ) Or a verb in the singular may be fo llowed by a

plural noun or adj ective :Quando si e costretti . When one is constrained .

Si diede nugve pgco consolanti . 1 There was bad news .

(b) Si may serve with a passive to mark a change o f

tense :

E creduto . It is believed . Si ecreduto ( =estato credu

to ) . It has been believed .

2

106 . Many verbs are reflexive in Italian which are

not so in English ,and there are many essentially re

flexive verbs , i .e . ,verbs which are never used except

as reflexives , as pentirsi ,“

to repent accgrgersi , to

perceive”

,etc . Many reflexive verbs require a prepo

sition to complete their meaning,as :

abituarsi a, to get accustomed to .

rallegrarsi di , to rejoice over ,etc .

3

107 . The verb andarsene ,“

to go away deserves

special mention,as it takes two conj unctive pronouns

throughout :memevado ,

I am go ing away .

seme andava , he was go ing away .

sene andranno ,they will go away .

vé teme, go (thou) away ; andatevene , go (ye , you) away .

non’

semevadano ,let them not go away .

esse’

ndosene andati,they having gone away , etc .

(Exercises XX arid XXI . )

1 Literally,

news little conso ling2For this curious usage c f . Mo ise , Regole ed Osservazioni della

Lingua I taliana , § 3 3 2 , p . 298 .

3 Cf . lists under 2 1 1 (3) and 212

82 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

CHAPTER VIII .

ADJE CTIVE S AND PARTICIPLE S .

108 . Adjectives and participles used as adjectives

agree with their nouns in number and gender . Gen

erally speaking,this agreement is indicated by the

termination .

1

(a) An adjective or participle qualifying two or

more nouns of different number and gender is usually

made masculine plural, but it may agree only with

the noun n earest to it :Signgre, signgri, dgnne del pgipolo, operai, ufficiali, ngnne ,

serve , tutti cgi ragazzi per una mano e i libretti di promo

zigne nell’ altra,empivan la stanza d’ entrata e 19 scale .

Ladies , gentlemen,women o f the lower classes ,

workmen,

o fficials , grandmothers , servants, all holding boys by one

hand and the certificates of promotion in the other ,filled

the entrance and the stairways .

Il padre, i fratelli e le sorelle sgno partite . The father,

brothers , and sisters have gone .

(b) A plural . noun may take two or more adj ectives

in the singular in cases where in point of fact each

adj ective should be accompanied by a noun in the

singular :Le lingue francese e tedesca s0n0 lingue moderne . The

French and German languages are modern languages .

109 . All adj ectives (with the exception of those few

mentioned under 1 18) end in the masculine singular

in either 0 or e . Tho se in 0 have a corresponding form

in a, and both masculine and feminine form their plural

1 Cf . 42 .

84 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

Remark s on the Participles .

1 1 1 . The present participle in —ante , -ente , where

it has not become a noun is always an adj ective and

so takes the forms of an adj ective :

E una ragazza amante . She is an affectionate girl.Le ragazze seno amanti.I deridenti egui credenza 19 dicono . Those who scoff

at all belief say so .

a ) There is a large class of words made up o f these part iciples substantivized ; as ,

amante,cantante

,comandante

,

rappresentante ,etc . Deridenti in the last example above

is almost a substantive .

1 12 . The present participle in -and0,-end0 is never

used as an adj ective,but always with verbal force

,

and is therefore invariable :

Essendo ammalati nen pgissono andare a trovarlo . B eing

ill ( = since they are ill) they cannot go to see him .

Dicendo cosi essa mi lascie. Thus saying she left me .

1 13 . The past participle may be either an adj ective

or a verb :

(a) Used With e’

ssere (venire ,rimanere — cf . 8 1 ) it

is a predicate adjective and as such agrees with its

noun ,i .e . , with the subject of essere :

Il libro viene mostrato,The book is (b eing) shown .

I libri seno stati mostrati.

(b) Used with avere the past participle is a verb .

1

1 The diffe rence o f function o f the participle when used withthese two verbs may be made c lear by turning th e phrase underconsideration into a question . Thus

,taking the examples gi ven

at th e end of th e paragraph : I have sh own the books . What haveI done ? I have shown (which is an action) . Here are the bookswhich I have shown . What books are these ? They are the bookswhich I have shown . (N0 action here , shown

”

qualifying

ADJECTIVEs AND PARTICIPLES .8 5

As such it may remain invariable in the mascu

line singular) .

But it is evident that the action is done to the dire ct

obj ect of avere ,so the past participle may agree with

that direct obj ect .

It usually agrees with a personal pronoun precedingthe verb ,

and often with an obj ect other than a per

sonal pronoun when it precedes the verbH9 mostrato i libri . l

Ecco i libri che ho mostrato (or mostrati ) .

Ecco i libri , li hemostrati . 2

1 14 . The ease of reflexive and reciprocal verbs is

somewhat different from either of those mentioned

above .

3 The verb is here essere , which has , however ,an active sense . The past participle is therefore a

verb ,not a predicate adj ective , and as such it may

agree with a direct object preceding it . As noted

above ,it usually does agree when this obj ect is a

personal pronoun :

Ci siamo amati. We have loved one another (or our

selves ) .

Le dgnne si seno amate . The women have loved one

another (or themselves ) .

But the reflexive pronoun is frequently not the

direct object :

books just as any o ther adj ective migh t . ) Taking the two

question s : “

He is— what ? He has done— wha t it is c lear thatth e answer to the first is a noun or adj ec tive ,

that to th e second a

verb .

1 H9 mostrati i libri is very unusual .2 Li he mostrato would be ve ry unusual . I t is

,howeve r

,evi

dent that the tendency is in Italian to make th e pas t part ic iplewith avere invariab le .

2 Cf . 103 .

6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

Ci siamo parlati . We have Spoken to one another .

In this case ,where there is no direct obj ect ex

pressed , the participle usually agrees with the subj ect

(or the indirect obj ect,it would be difficult to say

which ,since with these verbs the same person per

forms and receives the action) . But where there is a

direct obj ect expressed the participle may agree either

with that or with the subj ect , or may remain invari

able

Ci siamo detti (detta, detto) la verita. We have toldone another the truth .

1

(a) The qualifiers of two ormore nouns either singular

or plural, not of the same gender, are made masculine

pluralL’

uemo e le denne seno venuti. The man and the

women have come .

11 fratello e la sorella seno belli tutt’

e due . Both thebrother and the sister are

‘

handsome .

Forms of Adjectives.

1 15 . Bello , grande , and santo drop their final sylla

ble , bugno its final vowel before a singular masculine

noun beginning with a consonant :

Un bel libro . Un gran ragazzo . Un buen cane .

San Carlo . Saint Charles .

(a) Before a singular masculine beginning with a

vowel bello becomes bell’

; grande , grand’

; santo ,

sant’ ; bueno, buen2:

1 Literally , We have said to one ano ther the truth It is

probab le that we have here a case o f mental confusion , the speakerno t knowing what the partic iple qualifies . But the latitude of

the Italians in this matter ligh tens it for the fo reign e r .2 Note that there is no apo strophe . Cf . 41 , no te 2 . Compare

throughout the fo rms o f the definite article .

ADJECTIVES AND PARTICIPLES .87

Un bell’ uemo , un grand

’ uemo , un sant’ uemo , un buen

amico .

(b) Before impure s or when predicated the regular

forms are used :Umbello spe

’

cchio . L ’ uemo egrande .

(c) The plural forms are :

( 1 ) For bel, gran , san ,buen : bei , grandi , santi , bugni .

(2 ) For bell’

, grand’

, sant’ , buen : begli, santi, grandi,bueni .

(3 ) For bello , grande , santo , bueno : belli , santi, grandi ,bueni .

REMARKS . ( 1 ) These latter are the regular forms .

It will be observed that bello is much more irregularthan the others

,being the only one irregular also in

the plural .

(2 ) Gran for grande also occurs in the feminine singular ,

especially as qualifier o f a noun ending in cl

,and some

times takes the place o f grandi in the masculine plural :Una gran naziene . La gran Brettagna.

La gran via. The highroad . I gran casi. Great events .

Tutti eltre alla grande patria, alla gran madre che ci

racceglie setto le sue ali,abbiamo una pi

'

ccola patria : 1a

citta ed il villaggio che ci ha visti nascere . We all have

besides the great native land ,the great mother who gathers

us under her wings , a little country— the city or village

which witnessed our birth .

1 16 . Adj ectives in -c0 and -g0 form their plurals

according to rules closely resembling those given for

nouns having these terminations (cf .

( 1 ) Adj ectives in -go may always

,and do usually,

form their plural in -ghi :

1 Also in the expression s una gran bella cesa ,una gran brutte

cosa , a very good th ing ”,

“

bad thing


I casi analoghi (or analogi) . Analogous eases .

Uno stival e largo . A wide boot . Stivali larghi .

(2 ) All feminines , as well in -ca as in —ga ,

likewisepreserve the quality of the guttural :Cucina casalinga . Home cooking,

middle-class cookery ,

homelike foo d . Abitudini casalinghe . Domestic habits .

Una larga camera A wide room . Camere larghe .

(3 ) Adj ectives in -00 having the accent on the penult

take in the plural -chi ; tho se stressed on the ante

penult -ci 1°

11vento efresco . The wind is fresh . Venti freschi .L ’uemo

‘

e caduco . The man is feeble . Ecco due uemini

caduchi .

Eun gusto ammalesco . It is an animal taste,the taste

of an animal . Gusti animaleschi .

Sente un qualche sueno ,armonico Do you hear some

kind of a harmonious sound ? Si , sento dei sueni armonici .

E 1’opiniene d

’nu uemo laico . That is the Opinion of a

layman .

Siamo tutti laici qui .Un autere classico . Degli auteri classici.Umpoema lirico . Dei poemi lirici .

1 17 . Adjectives in -i0 also follow the rules given

for nouns of the same termination :11 cavallo

‘

e restio . This horse is re s tive . Cavalli restii .Un fiere flescio . A faded flower . Dei fieri flesci .

Un pezzo di legno marcio . A bit o f rotten wood .

Acque marce . Putrid waters .

Il ragazzo nen e sazio . The boy is not satisfied . Le

ragazze sono Sazie .

1 Cf . 6 1 and foo t-note . In acco rdance with this ru le all adjeC ~

tives in -esco take -eschi , those in -ico take -ici . So eccentricoi , filantre

’

pico-ci , magnifico

-ci , periedico -ci, pratico -ci , prob

lematico -ci , but antico , antichi . Pudico is an exception ,forming

plidichi.

ADJECTIVES AND 89

1 18 . Q uite irregular adj ectives are :

(a) Pari ,“

equal”

; impari ,“ unequal ogn i ,

every ”. Pari and impari have only the one form

for both genders and numbers . a i has naturally

no plural ; it has also no formal distinction of gender .

These three are the only adj ectives in i .

(b) Qualche ,“

some”

,has no plural form

,and noun s

used with it remain singular even though their mean

ing be plural1 °

Comprerequalche fiore . I shall buy some flowers .

(0) Parecchi ,“

some”

,

“

several”

,has no singular .

2

Its feminine is parecchie .

(d) Fu and gia,“

formerly (the first a part of the

verb e’

ssere , the second an adverb of time) , are in

variable :

La Signora Bianco fu (or gia ) Cesaretti. Mrs . B . ,whose

maiden name was Cesarott i .

(e) Dabbene ,dappeco are adverbial phrases and

therefore invariable :Un uemo dabbene . A well-meaningman

,a good man .

(Exercises XXII and XXII I . )

Comparison of Adjectives .

1 19 . The quality expressed by an adjective may be

affirmed as simply existing or as existing in a certain

degree . The Simple affirmation ,i . e . ,

the simple formof the adjective

,implies no comparison

,although it

has often been called the positive degree (as compared

1 The implication with qualche is a few

migh t mean a great many .

2 It is in fact th e plura l o f parecchio ,like

meaning . There is also an adverb parecchi o .

whe reas dei fiori

with change o fi


with the‘

comparative and superlative degrees) . There

are five possible degrees of comparison ,expressive of

( 1 ) Comparative equality (in comparing two things) .

(2 ) superiority (in comparing two

things) .

inferiority (in comparing two

things) .

superlativeness (in comparingmore

than two things) .

(5 ) Absolute superlativeness (in which the quality

is affirmed as existing in a superlative degree , and yet

without comparison) .

This may be made clear by the following English exam

ples :

( 1 ) This ro se is as beautiful as that . ( 2) This ro se is

more beautiful than that . 3 ) This rose is less beautifulthan that . (4 ) This is the mo st beautiful ro se of all.

(5 ) This is indeed a most beautiful ro se .

l

120. All these degrees may be and usually are ex

pressed in Italian analytically , i .e . , by the use of

adverbs, the form of the adj ective itself remaining

unchanged (cf. 122 ,

Comparison of Equality.

12 1 . The comparison of equality is expressed by

cosi— ceme , tanto—ceme , tanto—

che, tanto—

quant0,

2

come or quanto alone :

I!: cosi grande ceme suo fratello . He is as large as his

brother.

1 In This rose is beautiful we have the so-called po sitivedegree

2 Cosi-quanto is rather antiquated ,also si-quanto (Si be ing simply

th e abbreviation o f cosi) . Altrettanto tanto .


grande ,large , great , maggiere ,

11maggiere or massimo ;

piccolo ,little

,minore ,

il minore or minimo .

(a) All these adj ectives may also be compared regu

larly : alto , piu alto , il piti alto , etc . (cf . The

forms have become differentiated by‘

usage , superiore ,inferiore , being usually employed to signify

“

superior ”

“

inferior pin alto , piu basso ,to mean

“ higher

lower”

,in the material sense . Migliore and peggiore

do not differ in meaning from p1u bugno and pin cat

tivo , but are oftener used than these latter forms .

Q ttimo and pessimo have become so dissociated from

the group that they may be regarded as independent

adjectives meaning“

Very good”

,

“

very bad ”

, being

thus absolute,not comparative

,superlatives 1 The

same may be said of massimo and minimo , very

large” “

very small”

, semmo ,

“

very high , great , and

infimo ,very low,

base”

Maggiere and minore have usually the sense of

older”

,

“ younger”

; piu grande , piti piccolo meaning

larger”

,

“

smaller” 2

124 . The adj ectives in -errim0 and -issim0 must also

be regarded as remnants of the Latin system . They

are absolutely superlative in meaning.

3 Those in-errim0 are rare

,those in -issim0 very common

,any

adjective being made an absolute superlative by cut

ting off its final vowel and adding this ending. The

1 That is , the quality described is in ful l measure without though tof comparing that measure with any o ther .

2Esterno , esteriore ,estremo ; interno ,

interiore ,intimo ; ulteriore ,

filtimo,can scarce ly be regarded as still building groups o f com.

parison .

2 As is natural , adverbs are also frequently used to fo rm the

absolute superlative : Emolto bello, assai bello , oltremgdo bello, e tc .

ADJECTIVES AND PARTICIPLES . 93

c or g preceding this final vowel does no t change its

quality :

E umpoeta celeberrimo . He is a very celebrated poet .

Scrive dei versi dolcissimi . He writes very sweet ver ses .

Pochissimi poeti scrivono cosi bene. Very few poets writeso well.

(a ) Adj ectives ending in-dico and -fic0 (fice ) have an

-issimo superlative which might seem irregular : maledico,

maledicentissimo,benefico ,

beneficentissimo .

These forms are really derived from maledicente (present participle ) , beneficente .

Adj ectives in -evole have similar forms : male'

vole,male

volentissimo .

125 . The comparison of inferiority is formed in the

same manner as that of superiority,using meno ,

“

less instead of pin:

E 1a meno bella delle sorelle . She is the least beautifulo f the sisters .

Esse seno men ferti che gli uemini . ,They are less strong

than men .

Manco1 infelice di me. Less unhappy than I .

Comparison bymeans of di and che.

“ Than in comparisons whether of superiority

or of inferiority is rendered by di or che.

(a) Di is used in comparisons of :

( 1 ) Nouns accompanied by articles (or demon

strative pronouns) .

(2 ) Nouns or pronouns by means of their adj ectives .

1Manco is o ftenest used in the adve rb ial expression manco male ,

not so bad",

“

no t so bad ly2 Th is paragraph ,

for th e sake o f completene s s , go e s beyond the

sub j ec t o f adj ec tive s and inc ludes compari son also o f o the r parts o f

speech .


(3 ) Numerals between pin or meno and a nu

meral) .

(b) Che is used in comparisons of

( I ) Nouns without articles .

(2 ) Nouns or pronouns bymeans of their verbs .

(3 ) Adj ectives .

(4) Verbs . (See also

(5 ) Adverbs, and in all cases where than means

rather than ” 1:

Mi piace questo vino pindell’altro . I like this wine more

than the other (a ,

Mi piace piuttesto questo vino che 1’altro . This wine

pleases me rather than the other (b,Il vino emeno chiaro dell

’acqua. Wine is less clear

than water (a ,

Il vino 2; pinbueno che bello2

(b 2, or b,

Meglio dormire che tormentarsi . It is better to sleep

than to worry (b,Non pesso dormire piudi sette ere . I cannot sleep more

than seven hours (a ,

Tu sei piii giovane di me . You are younger than I (a ,

Lavera pin in fretta che bene . He works rather fastthan well (b,

E meglio tardi chemai. Better late than never (b,

E piu fortunato che felice . He is more fortunate thanhappy (b, 3 , or b, 5 rather fortunate than

Egli me recavepiil danno che utile . He go t more harm

than good out o f it (b, 1 ,or b

, 5—

“

rather harm than

good’

fi.

1 Che may be used to avo id a repetition o f di , as : Villari eindagatore sagace non meno de

’ mali presenti che delle passate vicende

d’ Italia . V . is a wise investigato r no t less o f the presen t ills thano f th e past vic issitude s o f Italy .

2 Or : piuttqsto buquo che bello .


Ne seno tanto felici. They are so happy over it .

Vi seno tanti libri. There are so many books . QuantiHow many ?Treppi. Too many. E treppo lontano . It is too far.

(a) Adverbial phrases such as : I returned them just asI received them ” “

in the state in which they were whenI received them ”

) are to be rendered by the adjectivestale quale :

L1 he renduti tali quali li he recevuti.

Place of Adjectives.

129 . Numerals and pronominal adjectives , most ad

jectives of size and quantity, adjectives of emotion,

also (usually) hello and bueno precede the noun :He tre libri . Questi 1 libri seno grandi. Ecco i miei

grandi libri.

He ancera melti libri . Mestro i miei bei libri al mio

caro ami co .

130. Participles used as adjectives, adjectives modi

fied by an adverb or a suffix , adjectives of nationality,Shape , color, and of material qualities generally, fol

low the noun

E un figlio amato . E una cesa ben conosciuta. It is

a well-known thing. Seno libri italiani. E uno specchio

rotendo .

Ecco un abito nero. L’uemo ecieco. Un bell

’uccello.

But :Un uccello bellino.

13 1 . Euphony often decides as to the placing of the

adjective . In general one of fewer syllables than its

noun precedes , as is the case with hello and buenomentioned above Where two or more ad

1 =“ these

PLACE OF ADj ECTIVES. 9 7

jectives qualify one noun they usually follow , although

sometimes one precedes and the other follows :

E un uemo onesto . He is an honest man .

E un uemo onesto e simpatico . He is an honest and con

genial man .

Sente il profumo delle rese primaverile Do you smell

the perfume o f the Spring roses ?

Vedete pure la bell’ erba verde ! Only see the beautiful

green grass !

13 2 . A certain number of adjectives take a different

meaning when placed elsewhere than is usual . When

out of their usual place ,whether that be before or

after the noun , they have ordinari ly the literal mean

ing1:

Un uemo grande . A large man . Un grand’ uemo . A

great man .

Un uemo galante . A gallant man . Um galantuemo .

An honorable man .

Um caro ami co . A dear friend . Una casa cara. Acostly house .

Una deppia scrittura. A double copy . La scritturadeppia. Double-entry book-keeping.

E la sela mia figlia. She is my only daughter . Mia figlia

sela>l’ha sentito . Only my daughter has heard it .

(Exercises XXIV and XXV.)

1 Cf. 130,a lso the French usage of the same adjectives .

"


CHAPTER IX .

POSSE SSIVE S .

133 . Possessives are either adj ectives or pronouns

according to their use in the sentence . In ecco il mio

libro ,mio is an adj ective and is treated as such . But

in ecco il mio ,mio is a pronoun representing an ante

cedent (this being in the above case libro) . In Italian,

however,the form of the possessive is the same

,

whether its function be adj ective or pronominal . In

other words,

“

my”

and“

mine”

are rendered in

Italian by one and the same word 1:

E il suo fazzoletto, nevvero This is your handkerchief ,isn

’t it ?Ma ne, nen

‘

e il mio . No,it is not mine .

134. The article being used with most nouns (cf.

it follows that it in mo st cases immediately pre

cedes the possessive qualifying the noun . The pro

nominal possessive ,representing a noun

,is treated as

a noun,that is

,it also usually takes the article . Thus

the possessive is seldom found without an article,and

that article being generally the definite , the latter is

given with the forms of the possessive , which are

Singular .

masc . (il) mio

fem . (la) mia

masc . (il) tuo

fem . (1a) tua

masc . ( il) suo

fem . (la) sua

my ,mine .

thy ,thine (your , yours) .

h is ,h er

,h e rs (your , yours) .

1 Cf. French momand le mien ,wh ich mo re resemble the English.

1 oo ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

Queste seno mie figlie . These are my daughtersdaughters o f mine

,some of my daughters ) .

But

Queste Seno lemie figlie . These are my daughtersall of my daughters ) .

Quel libro emio . That book is mine ( = it is one of mybooks

,no t o f yours ) .

Quelli seno i miei libri . Those are my books ( =all the

books now in question ) .E Sua questa casa Do you own this house ?

E la Sua casa IS this your home ?1

(2 ) In anumber of set phrases,such as :

Cen vestra licenza. By your leave .

Nen ecelpa mia. It is not my fault .Per causa vestra. On your account .

Da parte mia. For my part .

Vado in tua vece . I go in your stead .

13 7 . The use of the possessive is much more re

stricted in Italian than in English ,it being replaced

by ( 1 ) the definite article ; (2 ) the definite article and

a conjunctive pronoun .

( 1 ) Where the subj ect of the sentence is the pos

sessor, or where for other reasons there could be no

ambiguity, the definite article is used instead of the

possessive 2:

Prendo il quaderno nella man0.

3I take the copy-book

in my hand .

Pertami il soprabito . Bringme my overcoat .Dammi lamano . Give me your hand .

1 However , casa mia is O ften used for at home without the

artic le .

2 Cf . 443 Sometimes even the artic le is omitted : Prendo il quaderno in

mano

POSSESSIVES .I O 1

He freddo ai piedi or He i piedi freddi M y feet arecold .

1

11bambino cerca 1amamma. The childzis loo king for , his

mother .

(2 ) With reflexive verbs , or with verbs not reflexivebut accompanied by a conj unctive personal pronoun

indicating the person to whom, the possessive is re

placed by an article 2 °

Si lavi la faccia Let h im wash his face,he must wash

his face (literally , let him wash to himself the face

Mi seno retto una gamba. I have broken my leg (oneO f my legs ) .Le hanno tagliato i capelli . They have cut o ff her hair .

138 . The possessive agrees in person with the pos

sessor, in gender and number with the noun denotingthe obj ect possessed . It follows that suo padre means

as well “

her father ” as his father ”

, sua madre ,“

his

mother or her mother The meaning is in most

cases made clear by the context , but where the sense

might be ambiguous di lui , di lei are used instead of

the possessive of the third person singular :Egli nen ha mai conosciuto la di lui madre ; ama melto

la di lei. He never knew h is mother ; he loves hers dearly

(Exercises XXVI and XXVII . )

1 Cf. 84 .

2 Cf . 98

102 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

CHAPTER x.

bé floNSTm ‘

ivé'

sr

j k ELATIVES, INTERROGATIVE S ,INDEF INITES.

139 . Demonstratives,like possessives , may be either

adjectives or pronouns . They have forms which may

be used as either and forms which are always used

pronominally and only to represent persons .

1 . Adjective or Pronominal Forms.

S ingu lar .

this,these .

masc . cotesto1

fem .0011

.35 ta

that,those .

masc . quellofem . quella

2 . Pronominal Forms (used only of Persons) .

questi , this man . costero ,these men

,these

costui,this man

,o t a ue 1i .

3

f en m q , g. that man .

[women

contemptuous sense ,thi s colui ,

fellow. colei , that woman . [women .

costei , this woman . colero , tho se men , those

140. TO these must be added cie, this that

1 Or codesto , codesti , etc .

2 Sometimes shorten ed into que’ .3 No tice that th e fo rms m eaning this all have some trace o f

th e Latin Iste , th o se meaning that with th e single exc eption o f

cotesto , some trace of ille . For th e contemptuous sense o f costuicf . that o f iste . Costei , costoro , colui , colei , colero ,

sometimes, but

not frequent ly ,have this contemptuous sense .

P lural .

questi

questecotesticoteste

quelli, quegli,quelle


He parlato cen Alessandro , e he capito che questi (or

questo Alessandro, but not questo alone ) ti vuel bene . I

have Spoken with Alexander and I understood that he

( = this one ,this Alexander o f whom we are Speaking) is

well inclined towards you .

Hal parlato con quegli altri ? Have you Spoken withthose others ?

Quelli (or 001910) che hevisto nen hanno voluto parlare .

Those whom I saw did not want to talk .

Relatives.

145 . The relatives are :

che,who ,

whom , that , which .

il quale ,i quali , 1a quale ,

le quali , who ,whom , thatwhich .

cui,whom , to whom , whose .

chi, the one who , any one who , whoever .

ende ,o f whom ,

of which ,with whom , with which , by

whom , by which ,etc .

(a ) These forms are all pronouns , although il quale issometimes used with a noun :Il quale padre Cristeforo . This Father Christopher .

(b) The first three are much more frequent than the

others .

Remark s on the Relatives .

146 . Che is invariable . It is generally used only as

subj ect or direct ob ject . I] quale , which is inflectedthroughout by combination with the various forms of

the article,is used for all cases . AS a subj ect or direct

obj ect chel is preferred to it exceptingwhere ambiguity

might result from its invariableness of form :

1 Che is a noun in the expressions : un bel che, nu gran che.

RELATIVES . 105

L ’ uemo che parla emio padre . The man who is speaking is my father .

Il giovane che vede li‘

e il mio amico . The young man

whom you see there is my friend .

L ’ uemo del quale parliamo eil suo nemico . The man of

whom we are Speaking is your enemy .

Ecco l’ uemo colla denna 1a quale abbiamo vista ieri .There is the man with the woman whom we saw yesterday

(Ecco l’ uemo colla donna che abbiamo visto would beambiguous , since che might refer either to the man

, the

woman or both . )Sono i figli della signora la quale abbiamo incontrata.

They are the children Of the lady whom we met .

(a) Che, meaning“

which ”and referring to a whole

clause,is a sort of neuter . It usually takes the definite

article 1 :Lei non dice niente, il chevuel dire che non m

’

econtentoYou say nothing, which indicates that you are not pleased

about it .

147 . Cui is invariable . It is used as an indirect

obj ect , generally but not always with a prepo sition .

2

It is interchangeable in many cases with del quale ,della quale , dei quali , al quale , etcLa signora cui (a cui

, alla quale ) parla emia zia. The

lady to whom he is talking is my aunt .

Ecco la persona cui (di cui, della quale) Le he parlato .

Here is the person o f whom I Spoke to you .

Questa‘

e la ragione per cui presto partir risolvo. Thisis the reason on account o f which I am resolved to go awayat once .

1 It is found in Older Italian without it .

2 Cui is sometimes found instead o f il quale as direct Object, butthis usage is rare and is real ly contrary t o the nature o f cui . Cf.no te 1 , p . 1 06 .


(a) When cui , meaning who se is used withoutthe preposition di

,it should be placed between the

noun qualified and the article belonging to that noun :L’

autore le cui epere abbiamo letto, or L’autere di cui

abbiamo letto le epere .

In this example the difference in the use o f cui and il

quale is clear . One could substitute for the latter phrase :L’

autere del quale abbiamo letto le epere ,but one could

not say : L’autore i quali epere abbiamo letto . Cui com

prehends in itself a notion o f some prepositional relationShip .

1 which il quale do es not,therefore the preposition

which may be omitted with the former must be expressed

with th e latter .

148 . Chi is invariable . It is less frequent , but

where used often more elegant , than colui che, colei

che, coloro che, which have the same meaning :

Chi ama,teme (or colui che ama, teme) . He who loves ,

fears .

Chi cerca trovera. He who seeks shall find .

Consigliatevi con chi ha esperienza. Take counsel withthose who have had experience .

Troverai chi t’ aiutera. You will find somebody who will

help you .

(a ) Chi chi is to be rendered by some some

some others ”

,

“

the one the other ”

,or the like :

Chi va,chi Viene . Some are go ing, some com ing.

Chi ride , chi piange . One laughs , the other weeps .

149 . Q nde is invariable . It always has a sense of

prepositional relationship :I 0

L’anima gloriesa ende si parla (or della quale si parla ) .

The glorious soul Ofwhich we are speaking.

1 It is the Latin dative ,which expresses the no tion o f possession ,

the no tion o f the prepo sition “

of”as well as that o f the preposi

tion “

to”

. Cf . French : A qui est ce chapeau?


Chi‘

e? Who is it ? Chi sono queste denne? Who are

these women ?

Di chi parlate? Of whom are you speaking?Di chi seno questi fiori? Who se flowers are these ?

154 . Che is sometimes a pronoun , sometimes an ad

jective . It is always invariable . As a pronoun it isused only of things, as an adj ective it may also be used

of persons :Che cerca? What are you looking for ?Chepersena ha visto? (less common than Chi ha visto?)

What person have you seen ?

(a ) Che cesa is frequently used for whatChe cesa ha visto?

15 5 . Quale is either a pronoun or an adj ective . It

is in either case inflected like any adj ective ending in e .

It is used both of persons and things :Quale dei due ragazzi

‘

e Which of the two boys isthere ?

E un uemo che aspetta. It is a man who is waiting.

Qual uemo? What man ?

Quali ragioni ha per crederlo? What reasons have you

for thinking so ?

15 6 . Quanto is either a pronoun , an adjective , or an

adverb .

1 Except in the latter case it is inflected likeany adj ective ending in 0 :

Quanto vuele? Howmuch do you want ?

Quante Sedie senvi? How many seats are there ?

(a) Tutto quanto -i,-a

,-e) means all

’ “

Li ha visti tutti quanti . He has seen them all.

15 7 . All these interrogatives except chi may also be

used in exclamations . They are not accompanied bythe article as in English :

1 Cf . 12 1 and 128 .

INDEFINITES .I O Q

Che peccato ! What a pity !Qual uemo ! What a man l

Quanti dispiaceri ! How many troubles !

Indefinites.

15 8 . The following are the principal indefinite pronouns :alcuno

,-i

,-a

,-e

,some

,any . niente ,

nulla,nothing.

altri,another (altri altri

,ognuno ,

everybody .

one another) . parecchi , several.

altrui,o f another

,to another , piu,

i piil ,most,the most .

o f others ,to others . qualchecesa ,

something,any

altro,something else ,

any thing.

thing else . qualcuno , qualcheduno ,any

certuno ,

1a certain person . one .

ciascuno ,ciascheduno , every ,

taluno,

3such an one .

every one . tutto,

-i,-a

,-e

, everything,

checchesia (checchessia) , every one,all.

checche,2 whatever ,

any veruno,nobody .

whatever . uno, one .

chiunque ,chicchesia

,who 1’ uno e 1

’altro

, gli uni e gli

ever,any one whatever . altri ,

‘1 both .

nessuno,niuno

,no one .

1 Rare . This,like ciascuno , nessuno ,

etc . , is a compound of uno ,

one”

2 No t o ften used in mode rn Italian . Ob serve that th is is formed

from che+ che, checchesia from che+che+ sia , chicchesia from chi

+ che+ sia ,etc .

3 Rare .

4 Fem . l ’una e l’altra

, le une e le altre . Ambedue also means

both ”

, but the commonest expression is tutti e due . All

three ” =tutti e tre, all four ” =tutti e quattro , etc .

I I O ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

Remark s on the Indefinite Pronouns.

1 5 9 . Altri 1 is used as either subj ect or obj ect ,‘

altrui

always denotes some prepositional relationship . Bothare used of persons only , altro only of things :Altri elieto , altri misero . One is happy ,

the other (another ) miserable .

Io nen veglio (la) reba altrui (or d’altri) . I do not want

other people’

s property .

Nen ha detto altro? Ne, niente di piu. Did he not say

anything else ? N0,nothingmore .

160. Checchesia and chicchesia being really phrases

are not used as the subj ect of a verb . Other phrases

meaning“ whatever ”

are : qualsiveglia, qual siasi , tutto

quel che, quale che sia , per quant0,

2etc

Non 19 direa chicchesia. I shall not tell it to any one

whatever .

Nen dire checchesia. I Shall not say anythingwhateverQuali che siano i suei talenti, nen parla bene . Whatever

his talents may be , he does not speak well.Chiunque tema terni a casa.

Per quanti talenti abbia, non lavora. Whatever talentshe may have , he does not work .

16 1 . Nessuno is commoner in every-day Italian than

niuno or veruno ,and niente than nulla . Nulla is more

adapted to the elevated style . Non is often used with

all these negatives :Vi

‘

enessuno in casa? Is there nobody at home ?

Non vi enessuno . There is nobodyChe cesa dice? Niente . What are you saying? Noth

ing.

1 A feminine,altra , is also found .

2 Mo st ph rases o f like meaning are fo llowed by the subjunctive .

Cf . 23 2 (4) (a) .

I I 2 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

Arcibello ,very beautiful ; arcibriccene ,

arch-scoundrel ;

soprabbonde'

vole,superabundant ; sopraeccitabile , very ex

citable ; sopraeccitabilita,overexcitability ; sopraccarico ,

overburdened ,overloaded ; il sovrappiti , the excess ; sovrap

pieno ,overfull ; straera ,

an unusual , unreasonable hour ;stragrande , very large .

165 . Suffixes are very numerous . They may ex

press shades Of meaning so vari ous and sometimes so

elusive that only wide reading can enable the foreigner

fully to understand their use . They constitute,how

ever, one of the great charms of the language .

Suffixes may be classified according to their meaning

as diminutives , augmentatives , as terms expressive Of

endearment,of disparagement, or of deteriori ty.

1

166. The principal diminutives are (those oftenest

used being placed first) : -ino -cin0,

2 -icino ,-iccino ,

-olino) ; -ett0

-0sett0) (Often with a sense of endear

ment) ; -ello

-cello ,-af ello , erello ,

-icello) ; -uccio (Oftenwith a pejorative sense) ; -uelo

-elo ,

-eruelo ,-ettuelo ,

-ici0ttalo ,-icolo ,

-iccuelo) ; -etto (used as a noun di

minutive only in speak ing of the young of animals

cf .-ecci0 ; -6gnolo ,

-iccio ; -ign0 ;-astro ,

-ficolo ,

uzzo ,—uzzolo (all four pejorative) 3 :

Ragazzo , boy ; ragazzino ,

4ragazzuelo ,

little boy ; ragazzetto , dear little boy ; ragazzficcio ,

naughty little boy .

1 In Italian : diminutivi , accrescitivi , vezzeggiativi , peggiorativi(dispregiativi)

2 Cf . 1 7 1 (b) .

3 Added to adjec tives O f co lo r -astro is a diminutive : giallo , yel

low giallastro ,

“ ye llowish ”. O therwise it is pejo rative .

-Iccio ,

-igno , and -6gnolo are all used with adj ectives : gialliccio ,

"yel

lowish asprigno ,somewhat harsh

1Wo rds to which a suffix has been added are accented as thoughthat suffix were an integral part o f them : ragazzino , e tc .

PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES . 1 1 3

Fiume,river ; fiumicello ,

little river ; fiumicolo,insig

nificant little stream .

Figlio , son ; figliuelo (which has lo st its d iminutive sense ) ,figliuolino ,

little son .

Braccio,arm ; bracciuelo ,

arm o f chair .

Via,street ; viuzza ,

narrow street,alley

Cane,dog ; cagnolino , pretty little dog.

Aquila , eagle ; aquilletto ,eaglet .

Orso, bear ; orsacchietto , bear

’

s cub .

Grande ,large ; grandino , somewhat large .

Caro,dear ; carino ,

winning,Deary (epithet) .

Paillido , pale ; palidficcio , rather pale .

Grazioso , graceful , pleasing ; graziosetto , graziosettino ,

pretty , charming.

Grasso,fat ; grasseccio , plump .

Verde , green ; verdastro , greenish .

Piano ,so ftly ; veniva pianino , he came quite so ftly ,

quietly .

167 . The principal augmentatives are : -ene -cione,

-accione ,-0ncione) , —

etto ,

1and for adj ectives -ut0 :

Denna ,woman ; il donnene , the bigwoman .

Ragazzetto , big strong boy .

Naso,no se ; nasuto (adj . formed from it ) , long-nosed .

168. The principal suffixes indicative of endearment

are -in0,-olin0,

-ett0,

already mentioned under dimin

utives . The context shows whether the meaning is

endearing or diminutive .

169 . The principal pejoratives are -acci0,-astro ,

azzo , and those already mentioned under diminutives-ficolo ,

-uzzo ,

Poeta , po et ; poetastro , poor poet , poetaster .

2

1 Added to the names O f animals -etto is ,as stated in 166

, a.

diminutive .

2Which is in fac t the Italian word .

l

1 1 4 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

Gievine ,youngman ; giovinastro ,

dissolute youth .

Stefano ,Stephen ; Stefg a

’

ggig,naughty Stephen .

Amore,love ; amorazzo

,illicit love .

Frate,monk ; fratuzzo ,

monk o f bad habits .

1 70. The suffixes have in many cases lo st their origi

nal meaning :

Conte ,count , contessa ,

countess ; il contino e la contessina

,the young (not little ”

) count and countess (for instance , the son and daughter-in-law o f the cente ) .

Casa, house ; casino , country-house ,

club-house . (Casetta ,

casuccia little house ”— the latter usually wretched lit

tle house

(a ) In the same way fratello ,originally a diminutive

from frate (which latter now means only brother in a

religious order”

,

“

monk means“

brother and a

new diminutive formed from it, fratellino little

brother ”In figliastro , stepson ”

, there is no sense

of disparagement , j ust as there is none of the diminu

tive in matrigna ,stepmother or in matrina ,

“

god

mother ” 1

1 7 1 . The final vowel is usually dropped before a

suffix :Testa , head ; testolina ,

little head .

Pazzo . fool ; pazzerello ,Contadina

, peasant woman ;

contadinetta ,strong peasant woman .

(a) If the consonant preceding this final vowel be ac or a g it retains its quality :Peco ,

little ; pochino ,a little bit .

Fresco ,fresh

, 0001. Per non scendere gii‘

I in chiesa, a

mattutino , quando faceva freschetto , avevano ordinato la1 In all th ese wo rds the suffixes have simply been inco rpo rated ,

being used as an e lemen t fo r wo rd-building . In o thers ,as scodella ,

dish”

,t he diminutive sense O f the suffix was probab ly lost in

Latin .

I I 6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

CHAPTER XII .

IRREGULAR VE RBS . IMPE RSONAL VE RBS .

DE FE CTIVE VERBS.

173 . We have seen (67 and 68 ) that regular verbs

form their tenses by adding certain endings , which vary

with the conjugation (67 ) to a stem which is invariable .

1 In many irregular verbs the s tem is variable .

2

The variations of the stern are the result of : (a) contraction ; (b) the stressing Of the stem .

-vowel .

3

All irregular verbs except e’

ssere have certain parts

which remain regular .

1 74 . Contraction of the infinitive may occur espe

cially where the initial vowel of the infinitive ending

is unstressed ,that is to say ,

in -ere verbs :

Dire,to say (contracted from dicere ) .

One cannot call the form dire itself irregular, yet

the fact that parts of the verb are quite regularly

formed from the uncontracted infinitive dicere 4 give

the whole system an appearance Of irregularity :Dic-eva. He was saying.

5

175 . The future and conditional being form ed from

the infinitive ,

e exhibit , where the latter is contracted ,

the same contracted form :

1 In o ther words , regular verbs are weak . I rregular verbs are

for the mo st part strong .

2 Some grammarian s pre fer to say that the verb has severalstems .

3 The secret o f all variations is really change o f stress .

‘1 Wh ich do es no t exist in modern Italian .

3 Which is in fac t a perfec tly regular fo rm .

3 These tenses are composed o f the infinit ive fo llowed by the pres

IRREGULAR VERBS .1 I 7

Dire. I shall say . Direbbe . He would say

But they may be contracted when the infinitive isnot and cannot be :Tene

’

re,to hold . Terre. I shall hold .

1

176 . Those parts of the verb in which the accent

falls on the stem ,i .e . ,

the present, indicative and sub

j unctive (except the second person plural) , the singular

imperative ,and the preterite (except the second person

singular and the first and second persons plural) are

the parts oftenest irregular . The past participle is

also frequently irregular :Trarre

, to draw (contracted from traere ) ;Traggo ,

I draw ; Trassi , I drew .

But : Traeva ,I was drawing,

e tc .,regular .

17 7 . As we have seen Italian irregular verbs

are,with the single exception of e

’

ssere , regular in cer

tain parts . In the model irregular verbs given below

those which are regular in all irregular verbs (except

those mentioned under 180) are marked with an

asterisk .

(a) Trarre (contrac ted from traere) to draw,drag.

Present Partic iple . Past Participle .

*traendo trattoINDICAT IVE .

Present Future .

traggo traiamo

trai (traggi) 2 *traetetrae (tregge) traggono

ent or the pre terite o f ave’

re — mostrare+he> mostrere (literally ,

“

I have to servire +ebbe > servirebbe (“

he had to

1 This is because the accent,wh ich in the infinitive falls on the

an tepenult , preventing con trac tion (tenere) IS in the compound

th rown on the penult — tenere +h9> tenere> terr‘

e. Tenere doesnot exist in modern Italian .

2 The fo rms bracketed are less frequent .3 Regularly formed from the infinitive trarre.

I I 8 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

IND ICAT IVE .

Imperfect Conditional

2

Preterite Imperative .

traete

SUBJUNCTIVE .

Present Imperfec t

(b) Venire , to come .

Present Participle . Past Participle .

*venendo venutoIND ICATIVE .

Present Future .

Imperfect Condit ional .

verremmo

verresteverrebbero

Preterite Imperat ive .

venite

SUBJUNCTIVE .

Present . Imperfect .

venga (vegna) veniamo 3 *venissi *venissimo

venga (vegna) veniate *venissi *venistevenga (vegna) vengano (vegnano) *venisse *venissero

1 These parts are regularly fo rmed from the infinitive traere .

2 These parts are regularly formed from the infinitive trarre .

3 Sometimes venghiamo .


sapete , y ou know : sappiate , you may know .

sappiate ,know (ye ) .

1

(c) It will be Observed that in the model verbs as

in many o thers,the first person singular and the

third person plural of the present differ slightly in

their irregularity from the other persons of that tense ,and that the present subj unctive follows these two

forms :

Traggo ,traggono ,

tragga ; vengo ,vengono ,

venga ,etc .

(d) It will also be observed that all the irregular

forms except the future and conditional (which are

simply contracted forms) are strong,i .e . , stressed on

the stem . Cf. 1 76 .

Constructing Irregular Verbs.

179 . By Observing for certain verbs the remark s

under 180,any irregular verb (except e

'

ssere) may be

constructed after these models, the infinitive , the par

ticiples, the present indicative , and the first personSingular of the preterite and future 2 being known .

The first person singular of the present indicative

gives the third person plural,3and the present sub

junctive,except , in some verbs , the first and second

persons plural. The second person Singular of the

present indicative gives the singular imperative . (Cf .

also 180 The first person singular of the preterite

gives the third persons singular and plural.

1 Cf . 1802 This latter is necessary only with verbs which contract thefuture but leave the infinitive uncontracted . Otherwise the futuremay be fo rmed from the infinitive .

3 Except in the verbs andare , avere , dare , fare , sapet e , and stare .

IRREGULAR VERBS .1 2 1

Other Irregularities of Certain Verbs .

180. Essere is,as before noted ,

entirely irregular,and must be considered as a case apart (cf .

It must further be remarked that :( 1 ) Dire (for dicere) and fare (for facere) have in

the second person plural of the present indicative diteand fate , 1 and dare , stare , have date , state .

(2 ) Dare , fare , stare , form in the future and condi

tional dare, darei ; fare, farei ; start) , starei . This is

explained by the fact that these verbs are only appar

ently , not really,of the first conj ugation .

2

The ordinarily regular persons of the preterite and

the whole of the imperfect subj unctive are also slightly

irregular in dare and stare , the a changing to e : desti ,“ thou gavest

”

, demmo ,

“

we gave”

, dessi , I might

give”

,etc . ; also stesti , stemmo , steste , stessi , etc .

(3 ) The imperative , which ordinarily follows the

present indicative , is in the verbs avere , sapere , and

volere like the present subj unctive : abbi , abbiate ;sappi , sappiate ; vegli , vogliate .

Verbs whose stem ends in 1,n

,or r frequently drop

the final i of the singular imperative :Pen ! Put it down !Vien qua! Come here !

Andare , dare , dire , fare , and stare also drop this i

va’

,da’ , di

’

, fa’

, sta’.

(4) Most compound verbs follow the irregularitiesof their primary . Those that differ from it in anyway

1 Cf . French dites , faites.

2 Cf . the Latin fo rms .


are given special mention (cf . Table of Irregular Verbs,fare , stare ,

Impersonal Verbs . Defective Verbs.

18 1 . A defective verb is one only certain forms Of

which exist .

1 An impersonal verb is one used only

in the third person singular . Even this form has no

real subj ect (although gli is sometimes the apparent

subj ect ; cf . 86 , foot-note 3 ,and since the verb

precludes all idea of any person or thing producing or

receiving the action which it denotes . Impersonal

verbs are either essentially so or occasionally so used

Verb s essentially impersonal are : pievere , to rain

avvenire , to happen ”

; bisognare , to be necessary

etc .

Verbs Often used impersonally are : convenire , to

be fitting parere ,“

to appear ”

; bastare ,“

to be

enough”

,etc . ; also e

’

ssere and fare :

Pieve? NO,ne

'

vica. Is it raining? No,it is snowing.

Faceva caldo ieri e tonava melto . It was warm yesterday and it thundered a great deal .

Le piace questo poema? DO y ou like this poem ?Punto . Pare che 1’ autere sia uno stupido . Not at all.

It seems as though the author were a blockhead .

E meglio cosi . It is better thus .

(Exercises XXXII , XXXIII , and XXXIV.)

1 The defective verbs are inc luded in th e alphabe tical list , p . 198 .


centro ,

1against . fra (tra) , among, between .

depo ,after. senza ,

without .verso ,

toward .

(a) The usage of di before a personal pronoun is not

Obligatory with fra (tra) and verso :Le faredopo pranzo . I Shall do it after dinner .

Seno venuti depo di me. They came after me .

E rimasto senza danaro . He was without money .

Mia figlia non pue andare senza di me. My daughtercannot go without me .

11 1910 astio era tanto acre contro di lei quanto centro

Raimendo . Their wrath was as fierce against her as

against Raymond .

But : Fra nei or fra di n01 among us Verso lui or

verso di lui ,“ toward him

184 . The following prepositions are usually followed

by a :

accanto ,

2attraverso ,

across,

besi de , near .

accesto , avanti (davanti ) , in frontaddesso ,

3 upon (one’

s back ) , (o f) .about . conferme

,according (to ) .

allato,beside . davanti ,

before ,

a mezzo (In mezzo) , in the dinanzi .midst (o f) . dintemo (intemo ) , around .

appetto ,facing,

opposite . dirimpetto , oppo site .

appresso ,near , beside entro ,

within (o f time ) .

atterno ,around

,fino

,

‘1 until,as far as .

1 Cf . 186 .

2 Takes also di .3 Also an adverb . Used in many idioms where it canno t be trans

lated ,as : Ha febbre addesso ,

“

h e has feve r ” .

1 U sed also with da and with in : Andre fino a Firenze ,he wil l

go as far as Florence ”

; Non l ’ he visto fino da ieri ,“

I have no t

seen him sinc e yeste rday ”

; Vado fino in cima,

“

I am going tothe top

”.

PREPOSITIONS . DEPENDENT INFINITIVES .1 2 5

innanzi, before . [around inquantO ,

incirca (or circa) , about , in riguardo ,in regard (to ) .

in faccia, oppos ite .

in rispetto ,

in fendo ,at the end

,bottom

,rasente ,

close (to ,by ) .

in the midst Vicino,near (by) .

(a ) Insieme,together ,

usually takes con ,o ccasionally a.

185 . The following prepo sitions and prepositional

l'

ocutions are usually followed by di'

a causa,

a malgrado ,notwithstand

a motivo ,on account (o f) .

1 ing.

a ragione ,appi

‘

e,at the foot (o f) .

al di 15,on the other side ad onore ,

in honor (o f) .

(of) . ad enta ,in spite (o f) .

al di qua,this side (o f) . in cambio

,in exchange .

a disp tto ,in spite o f) . in ln o

,

a favo

gre

,in the favhr (o f) . invec

ge

g

,

r

mStead (Of)

a ferza , by means (o f) , with per mezzo , by means (o f) .

much . prima, before .

fueri or all’ infueri , outside (o f) .

186 . The following tak e either a or di,di preferably

before a personal pronoun 2 °

centro (contra) , against . eltre , beyond ,besides .

dentro ,within . presso ,

near,close by

dietro , behind . sopra ,above .

in mezzo ,in the midst . setto ,

beneath .

187 . The following take da :di 15

,that Side . di qua,

this side .

(a ) The following take da or di :

gin, down . lontano,

lungi ,

(b) Gin, down and su,

“ up may also be fol

owed by per, especially if they are preceded by di :

1 It will be observed that many of these take o f in English .

2Cf. 183 .


Correvano giuper la scesa. They were running down

the Slope .

Egli ha preso di su per la collina. He has taken the up

hill road .

188. Prepositions regularly precede the word gov

erned . The simple prepositions are usually repeated

before each of several substantives governed1:

Il padre di Giovanni e di Giuseppe . The father of j ohn

and Joseph .

Carico d’ anni e d’ onori . Loaded with years and honors .

Idiomatic Distinctions .

189 . The usage and meaning of prepo sitions is in

all languages most idiomatic . It can be thoroughly

learned only by careful observation and long practice .

The following paragraphs show different renderings for

the commoner English prepo sitions .

190. AB OUT .

( 1 ) In the sense of around = attorno a,intorno a

,

dintorno a :

Andava solo attorno alla chiesa. He went alone aboutthe church .

(2 ) In the sense of concerning = di, a :

Parlavamo di lui . We were talking about him .

A che cesa pensa? What are you thinking about ?

(3 ) In the sense of“

approximately ” = circa, presso

a peco ,su

,in su,

da :

V’

e'

rano circa due cento ue’

mini . There were about twohundred men .

Che era e? Sono lo undici presso a peco . What time is

it ? About eleven .

1 Cf. 46 .


193 . BE CAUSE OF.

=a causa di , per motivo di :

A causa della sua stanchezza. Because o f her fatigue .

194 . BE FORE .

( 1 ) Denoting time prima di,innanzi (a) , di

nanzi a :Pat ti prima di me. He left before me .

Innanzi quel tempo, or innanzi a quel tempo . Before

that time .

Dinanzi a me non fur cese create . Before me was nothing created .

(2 ) Denoting place =davanti , dinanzi :Davanti (or dinanzi) al giudice . Before the judge , in

the presence o f the judge .

195 . BY .

( 1 ) Denoting the agent after a passive =da :Lo scolare venne punito dal maestro . The pupilwas pun

ished by the teacher .

(a) Or descriptive =di :Eu ferito di una spada. He was wounded by a sword .

(2 ) Denoting way ,means , etc .

=per :

E venuta per la pesta. It came by post .

Viaggia per terra. He is traveling by land .

Lo afl’errepel vestito . He seized him by his clothes .

3 ) Denot'

ngmeasure = di , su zPiil grande di due piedi . Bigger by two feet .

Due metri su quattro . Two meters by four .

(4) Denotingmanner da :

L ’ ho fatto da me. I did it by myself .

(5 ) In the sense of beside” = accanto a :

Era seduto accanto a lui. I was sitting beside him .

(6 ) Unclassified :Di giorno e di nette . By day and by night .

PREPOSITIONS .DEPENDENT INFINITIVES .

1 29

Lo conosco di vista. I know h im by sight .

A due per velta. Two by two .

Imparatelo a mente . Learn it by heart .

Muoiono a migliaia. They are dying by thousands .

La riconosco al color dei capelli . I know her by the coloro f her hair .

196 . FOR .

( I ) In the sense of instead Of on account of

per

L’ he fatto per lei. I did it for you .

L’ hepreso per suo fratello . I took him for his brother .

Eccone uno per voi . Here is one for you .

Bisogna partire per Pisa. We must start for Pisa .

I miei consigli li serbo perme. I keep my own counsel ,I keep my opini ons to myself .

(2 ) Deno ting duration of past time =da :

Dimora a Roma da molti anni . He has been living in

Rome for many years .

Li cercava da tremesi. He has been looking for themfor .three months .

3 ) Deno ting duration of present time =per, durante— or for

”is often not rendered at all in Italian :

Gemmati era andato a Pistoia per un paio di giorni. G .

had gone to Pistoia for a couple o f days .

Durante sei anni . For six years .

Resteraquattro mesi . He will remain for four months .

197 . FROM .

( 1 ) Denoting separation= da

,di 1 :

Vengo da Parigi . I come from Paris .

Partii Subito di casa. I left home at once .

(2 ) Denoting the time from which =fin da

1 The separation is mo re forcibly expressed by da . Cf . 2 13 ,

Remark 2 .


Fin da quel momento non neparlepiu. From that mo

ment he spok e no more O f it .

3 ) Denoting cause = di :Soffre di nevralgia . She is suffering from neuralgia

198 . IN ,INTO .

( I ) Denoting time or place = in :Avenue in marzo . It happened in March .

E andato in campagna. He has gone into the countryMette

’

tevelo in tasca. Put it in your pocket .

(2 ) In the sense of“ within ”

in speaking of time

fra :

Verranno fra due giorni . They will come in two days .

3 ) Denoting place after a superlative ,also the time

of day (morning,afternoon ,

etc . ) =di :

E il piti bel paese delmondo . It is the mo st beautiful

country in the world .

Erano lo tre del dopopranzo . It was three in the afternoon .

(4) In description = di :

Erano vestite di bianco . They were dressed in white .

(5 ) Unclassified“

E a casa? Is he in ?

Avanti ! Come in !

Era cieco da un ecchio . He was blind in one eye .

Stava colla spada alla mano . He stood sword in

hand .

199 . OF.

( I ) = di :Alcuni di loro sono degl

’ ingrati. Some o f them are un

grateful .

E un uemo d’ ingegno . He is a man of talent .

(2 ) Unclassified :Il cuore mi batteva come ad un ragazzo di quindici

anni . My heart beat like that of a lad o f fifteen .


203 . TILL UNTIL .

fino a, smo a :

Vi starefino a domani alla sera. I shall stay there untilto -morrow evening.

204 . TO .

( 1 ) Denoting the indirect Obj ect =a (ad before a

vowel)L’ hedato ad nu mio arh ico . I gave it to a friend .

(2 ) Denoting the end ofmotion Often = in :Sono andati in 1 Francia. They have gone to France .

E caduto in terra. It has fallen to the ground .

3 ) In the sense of to the house Of or to a person

da :

Sono andati dal Signor Bardi. They have gone to(4 ) In the sense of

“ towards =vers0 :

Con amore verso Dio e verso gli uomini . With love toGod and man .

(5 ) In the sense of within = fra :

Dissi fra me . I said to myself.

205 . TOWARDS .

=vers0 . Cf . 204

206 . UNDER,UNDERNEATH .

sotto ,di sotto :

E sotto la tavola. Guardate sotto di voi . Cf . 186 .

207 . WITH .

( 1 ) In the sense of along with = con or insieme

09112 .

Vanno con noi,or Vanno insieme con noi.

2 They are

go ing with us .

(2 ) Denoting instrumentality = con :

1 In is so used be fo re the name o f a coun t ry ,neve r be fore that

o f a c ity : Sono andati a Parigi .2 Or insieme a. Cf . 184 (a) .

PREPOSITIONS . DEPENDENT INFINITIVES .1 3 3

L ’ ha fatto con una Semplice matita . He d id it with an

ordinary pencil .

(3 ) Descriptive = a ,da ,

di,or con :

L ’ uemo ai (dai, coi) capelli canuti . The gray-haired man .

Col suo pugnale del manico bello . With his dagger withthe beautiful handle .

Cammina a capo chino . He walks with bowed head .

( 4) In the sense of“

at the house Of”

,etc .

= da :

Dimorava molti anni da 1 noi . He lived many years with

(5 ) With of specification = di :Fu punito di met te . He was punished with death .

(6 ) In the sense of from“

on accoun t of ” , and

after a number of verbs and adj ectives =di :Piangeva di rabbia. She was weeping with rage

E dotato di molti talenti . He is endowed with manytalents .

7) Unclassified :Che fece delle forbici ? What did she do with the

scissors ?

208 . WITH IN .

( 1 ) In the sense of inside of = dentro (di , a)’

Dentro di me. Within me .

Dentro al mio cuere . Within my heart .

H H

(2 ) In the sense of between in the course of

Ira (tra) , dentro :Fra 2

(or dentro a) queste mura. Within these walls .

Fra tre giorni . Within three days .

209 . WITHOUT .

( 1 ) In the sense of outside of = fueri di :

Puet i delle mura. Without the walls .

(2) Denoting deprivation = senza :

1 Cf . 2 13 .

2Cf. 204


Senza l’assistenza di nessuno . Without the assistance o fanybody .

Use of a,di

,and da .

2 10. Since a di,and da are the prepositions oftenest

used ,and since they are often used where they have in

English no equivalent , special instruction concerning

their use is necessary .

2 1 1 . A is used in general to express an idea of direc

tion towards,often where there is no such notion in

English . It is used .

( 1 ) To indicate the indirect Obj ect ,— that to or for

which the action is performed :

Datemelo ame. Give it to me .

Fammi questo favore a me. DO me this favor .

(2 ) Before an infinitive after verbs of motion,also

after verbs of accustoming,attaining, beginning,

com

pelling,continuing,

hastening, helping,learning, pre

paring,and teaching. All these verbs express dirco

tion towards some goal . A in this case renders English“

to or“

and”:

Andiamo a vederlo . Let us go and see him .

M ’

era abituato ad andarvi . I was in the habit o f goingthere .

Cominciarono a parlarne . They began to speak o f it .

Seguitava a seccarmi . He went on boring me .

I piccin i imparavano a scrivere . The children werelearning to write .

Insegno a mio fratello a leggere . I am teaching mybrother to read .

3 ) In general after verbs which imply direction

towards,as :

Avvicinati a me . Come near me .

1 3 6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

(5 ) After a noun followed by another noun descrip

tive of or limiting the first (but not indicative of

material, in which case di is used , 2 12 ,or purpose ,

which is expressed by da ,

Usually the two nouns form in English a compound

noun :

Una barca a vela. A sailboat .

Una scala a lumaca. A winding stairway .

Uno sgabello a trepiedi. A three - legged stool.Una macchina a vapore . A steam -engine .

(6 ) In a number of idioms,such as :

Leggere ad alta voce . To read aloud .

Averselo a male . To take a thing ill .

A prima giunta. At first .

Non potere a meno di . Not to be able to help .

2 12 . Di expresses in general a sense of possession .

It is used to indicate the person possessing,also some

quality possessed ,as the material of which an article

is made,its origin ,

nationality,or o ther character

istic :

La casa del mio amico . My friend’

s house .

Un anello d’

ero . A gold ring (= ring o f gold) .

Vino di Sciampagna. Champagne ( =wme from Cham

pagne )L ’

ambasciatore di Svizzera. The Swiss ambas sador .

(a) The sense of description,of a quality possessed ,

is also expressed in many cases where the first noun ismodified by a second :

Un chilogramma di burro . A kilogram o f butter .

Una tazza di te. A cup o f tea .

Un bambino di cinque anni. A child o f five years .

La strada di Roma. The road to Rome .

Un maestro di scuela . A schoolmaster .

PREPOSITIONS . DEPENDENT INFINITIVES

Male di testa . Headache .

C01 suo pugnale del manico bello .

the beautiful handle .

It is further used :

1 3 7

With his dagger with

( 1 ) Before an infinitive after all verbs except tho se

specified under 2 1 1 (2 ) and 2 14 :

Cerce di richiamare gl’ Italiani all’ indipendenza . He

Sought to recall the Italians to a state o f independence .

Sapeva che suo padre smetteva di scrivere a mezzanotte .

He knew that his father stopped writing at m idnight .

(a ) In some cases the di may be omitted :Non sapete, 0 fingete non saper in quale stato voi las

Certo , fingo di non saperlo , ma se.

1

(2) After the following verb s (and o thers less com

ciate .

mon)

abbisognare ,to have

avere bisogno need (o f) .

abbondare ,to abound (in )

abusare,to abuse ,

make an

ill use (of) .

burlarsi,to make fun (o f) .

congratularsi , to congratu

late (one On something)contentarsi , to content one ’

s

self (with ) .

divertirsi,to amuse one

’

s

self (with ) .

dubitare,to doubt (o f) .

fidarsi,to trust

, have confi

dence (in ) .

impadronirsi , to take pos

session (of) .

incaricarsi,to take upon

one’

s self .

informarsi,to inform one

’

s

self (of) .

intendersi , to understand,

have skill (in ) .

lagnarsi , to complain

lamentarsi, (o f) .

maravigliarsi , to wonder

(at ) .

occuparsi , to o ccupy one’

s

self (with ) .

pentirsi , to repent (o f) .

profittare ,to profit (by ) .

ricordarsi,to remember .

ridere to laugh (at ) .

ridersi,to make fun (of) .

1 Go ldoni , Il Vero Amico ,I I

, 3 .


(3 ) After many adj ectives , such as :

abbondante ,abundant , rich meritevole ,

deserving.

(in) . pago ,contented (with ) .

ammalato ,ill . pieno ,

full (o f) .

avido , greedy ,desirous (of) . pevero , poor (in ) .

capace ,

1capable (o f) . ricco

,rich (in ) .

certo ,

1certain (o f) . soddisfatto , satisfied (with ) .

contento ,contented (with) . vestito ,

clothed (with ) .

degno ,worthy (of) . vueto , empty .

fecondo ,fruitful . etc .

(4) To express the partitive sense (cf . 47 and 48)Ho dei fiori. I have some flowers .

5 ) In comparisons (cf .

Mi piace questo vino piudell’altro . I like this wine bet

ter than the other .

Se n’ande, facendo a den Abbondio un inclino men pro

fondo del Selito . He went away ,making Don A . a less pro

found bow than usual .

(6 ) Before a noun in apposition :

Quel benedett’ uomo del Signor curato ! That blessed

curate !

(7 ) In many adverbial expressions,such as :

Di nette . At night . Dire di s'

i,di no. To say

Di primavera . In Spring yes,no

Di vista . By Sight . [time .

2 13 . Da denotes (a ) the agency by which . It also

expresses in general (b) a sense of removal, of sepa

ration from :

(a ) E unamacchina fatta da lui . It is a machine made

by him .

Essa elodata da tutti . She is praised by every one .

1 Also incapace ,incerto .


Ha veduto la Duse da Camelia? Have you seen Duse as

Camille ?

Egli ti fara da padre . He will be a father to you .

(f) With adj ectives of separation , deprivation ,and

the like ,as

1:

alieno ,foreign ,

averse . indipendente ,independent .

distante,distant . lontano

,far

,remote .

diverso , different .

Dependent Infinitives.

2 14. The following verbs rule a dependent infinitivedirectly

,i .e . ,

English“

to”is not to be translated :

ardire, to dare . parere , to appear ,

seem .

bastare,to suffice . occorrere

,to be necessary .

bisognare ,to need . osare

,to dare .

convenire,to be suitable . potere ,

to be able .

desiderare,to desire . Sapere ,

to know .

dovere ,to owe

,must

,Ought . sentire

,to feel

, hear .

essere d’uepo to be need vedere ,

to see .

essere mestieri , ful . volere ,to wish .

lasciare,to let , allow. udire

,to hear .

2

It will be Observed that mo st of these verbs mightbe called modal aux iliaries in the wider sense of the

term .

Bisogna farlo subito . It must be done at once , it is

necessary to do it at once .

Ne, non conviene farlo . No ,it is not proper to do it .

Desidera partire adesso? DO you desire to go now?No, veglio partire alla sera . NO ,

I want to go in the

evening.

1 Cf . (b) above .

2Bramare,

“

to long for and dubitare,

to doub t also some

times rule the infinitive direc tly .

PREPOSITIONS .DEPENDENT INFINITIVES .

I 4 1

I bambini non sanno ancora discorrere . The children

cannot yet talk .

Suel venire alle sei . He usually com es at six .

Avremmo dovuto saperlo . We ought to have known it .

2 15 . After verbs of motion and those others men

tioned under 2 1 1 English“

to before an infinitiveis to be rendered by a

, otherwise by di (2 1 2 except :

(a) to”in the sense of

“

in order to”

,i . e . ,

denot

ing purpose , which =per1

;

(b) to in the sense of something to ,also to

denoting duty or necessity ,which = da 2 :

Devo partire sfibito per arrivare a tempo . I must leaveat once in order to arrive in good time .

C’

erano scale da sce’

ndere e salire,lungh i corridoi da

percorrere , cortili da attraversare . There were stairs to

be descended and ascended ,long corridors to be passed

through ,courtyards to be cro ssed .

Ve’

ngano tutti, non c’

e da temere ! Come,all o f you !

There is nothing to be afraid o f

Aspettavamo per vedere il tramonto . We were waitingto see the sunset .

Quello che ha da fare‘

e cesa di peco tempo . What he

has to do is an affair o f a short time .

Non m’ ha da pre

’

mere la mia vita. My life need not be

a burden to me .

Quanti conti S’ ha da re

’

ndere ! Howmany accounts must

be given !3

Io gli dava da here . I gave him something to drink .

1 Stare or essere per to be about to do anyth ing Cf . 8 1 (a) ,

It is evident that afte r a verb o f motion e ithe r a or per may o ftenbe used .

2 Cf . avere da to have to 84 (b) .

3 This construction is O ften best transleted by an English pas

Sive .


Ha qualche cesa da fare? Si, he moltissimo da fare .

Have you anything to do ? Yes , I have a great deal to do .

2 16 . A preposition placed after a verb often modi

fies its meaning :

assistere ,to aid ; assistere a

,to be present at .

cercare,to seek ; cercare di

,to seek after .

credere , to believe ; credere a ,to believe in (a person) .

1

domandare ,to ask ; domandare a

,to ask o f (a person) ;

domandare di,to ask after (a person) .

giocare ,to play ; giocare a , to play at (a game ) .

pensare , to think ; pensare a ,to think o f (a person) ; pen

sare su, to reflect .

toccare,to touch ; toccare a , to be the turn of, etc .

(Exercises XXXV and XXXVI .)

CHAPTER XIV.

CONJUNCTIONS , MOODS AND TENSES.

2 17 . Following are the simple conj unctions :

anche ,also .

29 , or

che, that . ma,

come,as . pero,

e and (e e, both . and) . pure , yet .

no, neither (ne .n

‘

e, neither se, if , whether.

nor) .

2 18 . Following are the principal secondary conjunctions , also words sometimes conj unctions and some

times relative adverbs and conj unctional locutions :

1 But credere in Dio , in Cristo .

2Anche, che, also nemmeno and neppure elide the final vowel

be fo re e and i .

144

that che that is ,cioe.

therefore ,dunque , perci

‘

e,

quindi .though ,

benche, ancorche,

quantunque .

unless,a meno che, a meno

che non ,ecettuato che se

non .

ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

until,finche, fin ch

‘

enon ,Sino

a che,infino a .

whence , per lo che.

whereas ,considerando che.

whether ,se, Sia ,

sia che.

while ,whilst , mentre che.

yet , nulladimeno , pure , pere.

2 19 . The following are sometimes followed by the

subjunctive ,sometimes by the indicative (cf . 23 3 )

anche se,even if .

appena che,as soon as .

di medo che,so that .

dopoche, after .

finche, until f~

onde ,wherefore .

se,

tantoche, as long as .

tostoche, as soon as .

220. The fo llowing are always followed by the sub

j unctive (cf . 23 2

accioche,affinche,a condizione che, provided

that .

a mono chenon ,unless .

an corche, even i f .

a patto che, on conditionthat .

avanti che, before .

avvegna che,

bench‘

e, 5case (che) , in case .

come se,as if .

dato che, granted that .

eccetto che non ,unless .

finchenon ,until .

in order that .

although

notw1thmalgrado che,

stand ingnon ostante che, that .

perche,i

in order that .

posto che,supposing that .

prima che, before

purche, provided that .

quandanche ,even if .

quantunque ,although .

quasi , as if .

sebbene ,although .

sempreche, provided .

senza che except .

soloche, if only, provided

that .

supposto che,supposingthat .

MOODS AND TENSES .14 5

MOODS AND TENSES .

The Infinitive .

22 1 . The infinitive is a verbal noun . AS a noun itmay be accompanied by an article and governed by a

preposition , and as a verb it mav at the same time

rule an obj ect :I! le

’

ggere dei bueni libri‘

e fitile alla gioventti . Readinggood books is useful to the young.

Mi secca ol suo eterno chiacchierare . She bores me withher ceaseless chattering.

11non aver egli risposto mi fece dubitare . His no t hav

ing answered made me feel doubtful .

(a) The infinitive used as a noun is lly to be

rendered in English by the present pa Cf . 222 .

(b) The article may be omitted w the infinitive

omitted after the prepo sitions di , dofio di , invece di,

prima di , and senza :Cominciare emostrare, a proprio rischio e pericolo, una

via non battuta e da battersi . To begin is to po int out , atone

’

s own risk and peril , an unbeaten road ,a road that

mu '

st be beaten .

Scrive invece di venire . He writes instead of coming.

c) The infinitive after the words che, chi , come,

donde ,dove ,

'

Orms with them one substantive con

cept,which may then be used as the obj ect Of a verb ,

etc . :

Non se dove andare , ne che fare . I do not know whereto go nor what to do .

(d) In the same way an infinitive after‘

e with an

adj ective or adverb forms one concept


E me’

glio non dirlo It is better not to say it

to -say- it is better

The student should reason out the cases presented . For

instance :

E pii‘

I facile criticare che far me’

glio . It is easier to criticise than to do better criticism is easier than doingbetter) . Therefore the phrase should. be as above and not :

E pitl facile di criticare che di far meglio .

(e) An English infinitive is Often to be rendered in

Italian by the subjun ctive . Cf . 23 2

The Present Participle .

222 . Neither the present participle in -ante,-ente

nor that in -and0,—endo ,

may ever be used as a noun .

The English present participle where it is a verbal

noun must be rendered by the only verbal noun exist

ing in Italian ,i .e . , by the infinitive (of . above , 2 2 1

and The question occurs with regard . 0 every

such English construction : Is the participle really a

verb or a noun ?

Three categories may be distinguished :

( 1 ) Where the participle is evidently a verb :

I saw him go ing to the city (= I saw him . He was go ing

to the city) .

In this case the corresponding verbal form,i .e . , the

participle in -and0,-end0 is used :

L ’ hevisto andando alla citta. (Or L’ ho visto che andava

alla citta. )

(2 ) Where the participle is apparently, but not

really and necessarily , a noun . In this case it is in

English governed by a preposition, but an attempt

1 Cf . 1 1 1 and 1 1 2 . The -ante,-ente forms where not adjectives

become nouns,but they are never verbs used as nouns .


The Past Participle .

223 . The English past participle when it follows a

transitive ,especially a verb of perceiving,

also e’

ssere,

fare ,lasciare ,

is to be rendered by the Italian infini

tive . An English passive infinitive is also rendered

by the active infinitive after lasciare and often after

the preposit on da

L’ he sentito dire . I have heard it said .

Lo vidi ammazzare . I saw him killed .

He fatto fare un abito . I have had a co at made .

E nu uemo da teme’

re . He is a man to be feared .

Non Si lasciano mai vedere . They never let themselves

be seen .

Che cesa eda fare? What is to be done ?

(a ) The use of the passive is avoided 1 in many o ther

cases in Italian by using the infinitive :Credevo esser severamente ferito . I thought I was

severely wounded .

2 24 . A whole protasis,relative clause

,or the like ,

is often,and elegantly ,

expressed in Italian by a pres

ent participle,a past participle

,or an infinitive '

Essendo malatamiamadre non pesso venire . My motherbeing ill (or : Since my mother is ill) I cannot come .

Guardandolo bene , ne sarebbe sicuro . If he looked at

it well he would be sure o f the matter .

Disse esser lui uemo ricco . He said that he was a rich

man .

Vedutagli tale disposizione , un fratel suo lo telse con se

a bottega . A brother O f his who had seen h is bent tookhim

'

into the shop with him .

Passata questa settamana,nonm

’appagheropindi chiac

1 The pass ive is much less frequen t in Italian than in English.

Cf . 104 (a) .

MOODS AND TENSES . 3

chi ere. Once this week is over I shall no longer contentmyself with talk .

Dette che ebbe queste parole se no ande. As so on as he

had said these words he went away .

A vederlo se lo crederebbe un mendicante . From his

appearance one would think him a beggar .

Mio padre diceva esser difficile salvar umuemo che non

voleva salvarsi lui . My father used to say that it washard to save a man who did not want to save himself.

Rendering of Past Tenses in Italian .

225 . An action represented as unfinished and still

continuing is Often expressed by the present tense :Quant’ e che Siete qui ? How long have you been here ?

Sono in Italia da Sei mesi . I have been in Italy aboutsix months .

(a) A past action if finished in the past is more

vividly described by the use of the present tense :Aspettavo un ’

era piuomeno , eppoi eccolo che viene . I

waited an hour,more or less

,and then he came .

226 . An action represented as :

( 1 ) Incomplete ;

(2 ) Habitual ;

3 ) Going on when some other past action took place ;is expressed by the imperfect tense :IO 1’ aspettava ancora. I was still waiting for him .

Dormivo sempre bene allora. I always slept well then .

11 cagnino seguiva ordinariamente . The little dog

usually followed .

Leggevo d alta voce quando egli entre. I was read

ing aloud when he entered .

227 . An action represented as having taken placein the past , but in a past either recently or not yet

ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

n tirely elapsed ,and at a moment not definitely in

dicated ,is rendered by the past indefinite :

Glien’ heparlato . I have Spoken to him about it .

Le ha viste? Have you seen them ?

228 . An action entirely past,completed in the past

,

and which happened at a fixed time in the past,is

rendered by the preterite1 This is the Italian narra

tive tense . It is more used in books or formal public

address than in conversation or easy correspondence :Gli parlai un mese fa. I spoke to him a month go .

Levidi in ottobre I saw them in October .

Che bella gita feci Ieri con mio padre ! What a delightful excursion I took yesterday with my father !(a) The difference in the usage of these tenses may

be made clearer by the following examples :Ha perduto la sua borsa ? Have you lost (at a time no t

indicated ) your purse ?Si , ma 1

1 he ritrovata. Yes , but I found it again .

La perdei 1a settimana passata, e la ritrovai ieri 1’altro .

I lost it last week and found it again day before yesterday .

The usage of all tenses is best learned by careful

reading.

The Future

229 . The future is used in Italian where it is not in

English”:

( 1 ) In dependent clauses in which in English the

present tense really expresses futurity :

Partiredomani se farabel tempo . I shall leave to-mor

row if the weather is fine .

1 It fo llows that the preterite must be used after appena che,

testo che,“

as soon as”

,and the like .

2 For the future o f impending action , c f. 8 1 (a) and 2 15 (a) .


Sem’ interrogava, gli rispondeva di no. If he had asked

me I Should have answered him no .

(b) The conditional anterior is often used where we

Should expect the simple tense :La scala distava dal davanzale un buen tratto . Come

avre’

bbero potuto attaccarvisi ? The ladder was quite a

distance from the window-sill . How could they get hold

of it ?‘Imbarcandolo a Ge

’

nova sul finir d’ aprile, i suei non avevan

pensato che in America egli avrebbe trovato l’ inverno, e

l’ avevan vestito da estate . His family, putting him on

board sh ip in Genoa at the end of April , had not reflectedthat in America he would find winter ,

and had dressed him

suitably for summer .

The Imperative .

23 1 . The imperative is used as in English ,i .e . , to ex

press a command . The missing persons are supplied

from the present subj unctive :Non lo faccia. Do not (you) do it .

Che non paiano . Let them not appear .

Non domandare che quello che ti enecessario . Ask only

what is necessary for you .

(a) The imperfect subjunctive may also express com

mand . Cf. 232 .

The Subjunctive .

232 . A verb expressing an action indicated by what

has gone before as in some way doubtful is made sub

j unctive .

It follows that the subjunctive is usually found in a

subordinate clause . It is used :

( 1 ) After verbs expressfve of command , consent ,

MOODS AND TENSES .1 5 3

denial, desire ,fear

,hearsay ,

hope ,ignorance ,

necessity,

opinion (belief , approval, disapproval, preference,

surprise ,will

,wonder ,

and the like :Desidero che venga Sfibito . I want him to come soon .

Si dice che essa sia partita per Inghilterra . They say that

she has gone to England .

Vorrei solamente che mi credessero . I only want them

to b elieve me , only wish that they would believe me .

Non mi piace che facciano cosi . I do not like them to

do so .

Mi maraviglio che siate ancora qui . I am surprised that

you are still here .

Credevo che fossero partiti . I thought they had gone .

Pensi Lei quanto ciemi afli iggesse . Think how much

this (must have ) distressed me .

Bisogna che ci scrivano . They must write us .

Non vorrei mai che credeste ch’ io avessi scritto per pas

sione . I should never wish you to think that I had writtenout o f passion .

(2 ) In expressions Of emotion or sentiment :Peccato che non sia arrivatO ! What a pity that he has

not come !

Volesse Di0 ! 1 God grant it ! Would to God !

Potessi scoprir l’arcano ! 1 Could I but discover the

secret !

(3 ) When the antecedent is qualified by a com

parative superlative or by solo ,finico

, primo,or ultimo :

E la prima velta che l’ abbia visto . It is the first time

that I have seen it .

Tu sei l’finico amico di cui pessa fidarmi . You are the

only friend in Whom I can confide .

(4 ) After a qualifying or restrictive relative clause :

1 This is an example of what is som etimes cal led th e “

independ

ent subjunctive ”

,or

“

subjunctive in a principal c lause


Cerco d’nu servo che parli inglese . I am looking for a

servant who speaks can speak ) English .

Scelga un alle’

ggio dov’

Ella pessa stare piii tranquillo.

Choose a dwellingwhere you can be quieter .

(a ) Also after indefinite relatives such as chiunque , any

one”

,

“ whosoever and indefinite adjectives such as qual

unque ,whatever

Chiunque sia, non veglio vederlo . Whoever he may be ,

I do not want to see him .

5 ) After the conj unctions given under 220

Andredovunque sia egli. I will go wherever he is .

Gli scrivereprima cheparta. I shall write him before he

leaves .

Lodico accioch‘

e no sappiano la verita. I say it in order

that they may know the truth about the matter .

Quand’ anche non l’ avessi detto . Even if I had not said it .

233 . After the conjunctions given under 2 19 and in

many other cases 1 the question ,Shall the indicative or

the subj unctive be employed ? is to be decided by

determining whether or not the action is indicated as

doubtful :Se studiera

,suo padre sara contento . If he studies

,h is

father will be satisfied .

Se studiasse suo padre sarebbe ccontento. If he wouldstudy (but o ften he does not ) , his father would be satisfied .

Si (121 per certo che la pace sia fatta. They say for cer

tain that peace is made .

E certo che 1a pace efatta. It is certain that peace ismade .

E la piti bella denna che io abbiamai vista. She is (as far

1 In some cases o f so-called subjunctive in a principal clauseone o f these conjunctions is understood : Fosse anche un magistrato

sarei contrario alla sua opinione . Were he ( =if he were) a magistrate I should no t agree with him .


gli attestati . They were waiting for the twelve boys to

come in to bestow the certificates .

Avrei piil fidficia in lui se avesse piiI veglia d’ imparare .

I should have more confidence in him if he had more desire

to learn .

(a ) The compound tenses in general follow the rules

laid down for the primary ones , the aux iliary beingreckoned as the verb :

He dubitato che ve’

ngano . I have doubted whether theywould come .

Aveva dubitato che venissero . I had doubted whetherthey would come .

(b) The past definite may ,however

, be followed byeither the present or the imperfect subj unctive

,de

pending on whether the action related in the secondary

clause is represented as taking place in present or inpast time :

Iddio ci ha dato la ragione , afiinch‘

eceno serviamo . God

has given us reason in order that we may make use Of it .

E come si vendicasse il Buondelmonte lo avete saputo .

And you know , you have heard before , how B . avenged

himself .

(Exercises XXXVI I and XXXVIII .)

CHAPTER XV .

ADVERBS . NUMERALS AND NUMERICAL VALUES.

INTERJE CTIONS .

ADVERBS .

236 . Adverbs may be distinguished as : 1 ) Adverbsof manner ; (2 ) Adverbs of place ; (3 ) Adverbs of degree and of comparison ; (4) Adverbs of affirmation

ADVERBS . 1 5 7

and of negation ; (5 ) Adverbs of time ; (6 ) Numeri

cal adverbs .

Adverbs of Manner.

23 7 . Most adverbs of manner are formed from ad

jectives by adding-mente to the feminine

1singular :

certo ,certain ; certamente ,

certainly .

franco,frank ; francamen ’

e,frankly .

Onesto , honest ; onestamente , honestly .

sincero , sincere ; sinceramente ,sincerely .

(a ) Adj ectives ending in e2 when that e is preceded

by any consonant except 1 and 1 simply add -mente ;those ending in e preceded by 1 or 1 drop the e and

add -mente 3 :felice

, happy ; felicemente , happily .

ferte ,strong ; fortemente , strongly .

facile,easy ; facilmente , easily .

diff icile,difficult ; difficilmente ,

in a diffi cultmanner,with

diffi culty .

particolare , particular ; particolarmente, particularly .

(b) Altrimenti “

otherwise (from altro-a) , and parimentiin like manner (pari ) , are irregular ,

isolated forms,and

guarimente , (no t ) much”

, (not ) long”

, quasimente ,

almost ”,are remarkable as showing

-mente added to an

adverb .

238 . Other adverbs of manner,fewer in number ,

end in e or i :

bene , well . male, badly .

cosi,thus ,

in this manner . volentieri , gladly.

1 Mens,ménte

,be ing a Latin femin ine .

2Which have but one termination for masculine and femin ine .

Cf . 109 .

3 Adj ectives in -lle do not drop the e : melle ,molle

mente ,“

softly ”


(a ) A certain number ending in 0 are really adjectivesused as adverbs 1 '

alto ,loud . presto , quickly .

basso ,low.

sfibito ,suddenly ,

at once .

etc .

239 . Another class of adverbs is formed by means

of the suffix -one

-oni ) , added usually to nouns °

E caduto boccone . He has fallen on his face .

Andar brancolone (or tastone ) . To grope one’

s way .

Andar carpone . To go on all fours .

Star gomitoni . To lean on one’

s elbows .

In the same way :

cavalcione ,astride . rotolone ,

rolling.

ginocchioni , kneeling. sdrucciolone ,slipping.

240. Adverbial locutions are common ,as

:

a gara ,competing. indarno

,

in vain .

a malincuore ,unwi llingly . mvano

,

a vicenda ,by turns . in fretta ,

in haste .

adagio ,slowly . senza dfibbio ,

doubtless .

etc .

(a) Such locutions are found also among the o ther

classes of adverbs :

appena ,as soon as

, hardly d’ ora innanz i , henceforth .

di quando in quando ,from fra peco ,

soon .

time to time . per tempo , betimes, early .

di rado,seldom . talvolta ,

sometimes .

1 Some adjectives from wh ich the -mente adverb has been regularly fo rmed are yet used in their adj ective fo rms in certain ex

pressions : Parlar chiaro , to speak plainly ”

; Vivere felice ,

“

to

live happily ”


Ve n’ ‘

emolti . There are a great many of them .

Viene dalla citta? N0,vi torna . Is he coming from the

city ? N0, he is returning to it .

Venite qua.— Andate li . Come here — Go there .

Fatti in costa. GO that way (the way near you) .

Mia moglie edi 18 . My wife is there in the nextroom) .

Adverbs of Degree and of Comparison .

244 . The principal adverbs of comparison are cosi ,

come,

1

piiI , meno ,

2di

,and che.

3

Following are the principal adverbs of degree (some

times called adverbs Of quantity) :

abbastanza,

enough ,suffi peco ,

little .

ciently . quanto ,how much ,

asmuch .

alquanto ,somewhat . tanto

,so much .

assai,very . treppo ,

too much .

1

molto ,much .

Adverbs of Affirmation and Negation .

245 . The principal adverbs of affirmation are

davvero ,indeed

, truly , of

course .

sicuro, yes indeed ,

o f course .

(a) Gia5 is used in assenting to a self-evident truth ;in other cases si is employed :Pieve? Si . Is it raining? Yes .

Pieve a catinelle .—Gia. It is pouring — Q uite true .

1 Cf . 1 2 1 .

2 Cf . 122 and 125 .

3 Cf . 1 26 .

1 For molto , peco ,quanto , tanto ,

troppo ,adj cf . 128 .

“ Gia gia Il sole toccava gia gia la cima

del monte . The sun was almo st touching the mountain peak .

ADVERBS .I 6 I

246 . The principal adverbs of negation are :

no, no ,not . mai

,

non ,not . giammai , never .

non-mica

,non-mai

non-punto ,

not at all . non-piii , no longer .

niente affatto

(a) No is sometimes used in the sense of non . It

is then placed after the noun or the statement of fact

which is made negative :Ha denari ma amici 119. He has money but not friends .

Sa parlare , pensare ne. He can talk , he cannot think .

(b) Non always immediately precedes the verb 1un

less the latter is accompanied by a conj unctive pro

noun ,which then stands between . In the locutions

non-mica ,

non-mai

,etc . , the verb stands between the

two members :

Non parla— Non dice niente .

Non emica tardi . Non ha mai detto cosi .1

Non lo faremai piii .

(c) Non has not a negative value in the che non of

comparison ,

2nor in finch

‘

e non ,

“ until '

se non che,“

except that ” , etc

Hepiti di denaro chenon credevo . I have more moneythan I thought .

Lo studierefinchenon l’avreimparato . I shall study it

until I have learned it .

Non noha che due .

3 He has only two .

1 In a compound tense the auxiliary is considered the verb.

Cf . 23 5 (a) .

2 Cf . 1 27 .

3 =“

h e has not but two

I 6 2 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

Adverbs of T'

me .

247 . The principal adverbs of time are

adesso quando ,when .

ora ,

now.

sempre ,always .

allora ,then ,

subito,at ~ once .

di buen’

ora ,talvelta ,

sometimes .

per tempo ,tardi , late .

domani,to -morrow.

testo ,soon .

ieri yesterday filtimo,at last .

eggi , to-day . prima

,at first .

1

etc .

Comparison of Adverbs .

248 . Adverbs are regularly compared like adjec

tiy es (of . 1 19

Lofa cosi facilmente come suo fratello .

Lo fa piti facilmente che suo fratello .

Lo fa meno facilmente . Lo fa il piiI facilmente di tutti.Lo fa molto facilmente . Lofa manco male di me.

249 . The following are compared irregularly :

bene ,wel l meglio ,

be tte r ilmeglio ,

2 bestbenissimo

,

ottimamentemale

,bad ly peggio ,

wo rse il pe’ ggio ,

worstmalissimo

,

pessimamente , jvery badlymolto ,

much (ve ry) piii , mo re il piii , mo stmoltissimo

,very much

peco ,litt le meno ,

less ilmeno least,

pochisslmO, ivery little

2very well

1 Che is an adve rb o f t ime =quando in sentences l ike : IO 1’ he

visto che faceva ancor piiI caldo . I have seen it wh en it was stillhotter .

2 Meglio is an adj ec tive-noun in such expre ssions as : Questo gliparve ilmeglio 0 flmeno male ,

th is seemed to him the best course ,

or the least bad ”. In fare alla meglio it is again an adjective ,

maniera or some such noun being understood .

164 ITALIAN GRAMMAR

mediately . An adverb qualifying an adj ective , another

adverb , or a phrase usually precedes it :

Rarissimamente incontravano due 0 tre viaggiatori a

cavallo . They met at very long intervals two or threetravelers on horseback .

Appena arrivati sono venuti a trovarmi . They came to

see me as soon as they arrived .

Essa ealquanto piuattempata. She is somewhat older .

L’ han fatto appesta . They have done it purpo selyEgli guardava il ragazzo sempre piii fissamente . He

looked always more fixedly at the boy .

NUMERALS

Cardinal Numerals .

25 1 . The cardinal numerals are :

1 uno 1 8 diciotto2 due 1 9 diciahneve

3 tre 2 0 venti4 quattro 2 1 ventuno 25 cinque 2 2 ventidue6 sei 2 3 ventitre 1 0 1

7 sette 24 ventiquattro8 etto 2 5 venticinque9 neve 2 6 ventisei1 0 dieci 2 7 ventisette 200

1 1 undici 2 8 ventotto 31 2 dodici 2 9 ventinove1 3 tredici 3 0 trenta1 4 quattordici 3 1 trentuno 1 1 000

1 5 quindici e t c . 2000

1 6 sedici 40 quaranta1 7 diciasette

1

5 0 cinquanta

(a) Uno is the only cardinal which has a feminine

1 O r diciassette 3 O r vent’ otto .

5 Or cent’ uno .

2 Or vent’ uno .

1 Or trent’ uno .

sessanta

settantaottantanovantacentocentuno 5

e tc .

cento venti,e tc .

dugento (duecento,ducento)

trecentoe tc .

milledue mila

NUMERALS . 1 6 5

form : una .

1 If the noun modified by ventun o,trent

uno ,etc . ,

follows the numeral, it is made singular ; ifit precedes it , it is regularly made plural :Ventuna settimana. Twenty-one weeks .

Lire centuna One hundred and one liras .

(b) Millione ,million

”

,billione ,

“

billion trillione,

trillion ”

,etc . ,

are nouns of number , having a regu

lar plural,millioni , billioni , etc . ; the plural mila has

already been given . With these exceptions and that

of uno , the cardinals are indeclinable .

(c) NO article is used with cento ,

“

a hundred and

mille,

“

a thousand ”NO conj unction is used between

the different parts of a number :Cento quarantacinque (centoquarantacinque ) , one hun

dred and forty-five .

(d)“

Eleven hundred,

” “ twelve hundred etc . ,must

be translated“

one thousand one hundred etc .,and

not counted by hundreds :Nell’ anno mille neve cento due . In the year nineteen

hundred and two .

(e) Both ” = tutti e due or i due ,all three = tutti e

tre or i tre, etc .

(f) The numerals after twenty may be written as

two words or as one (ventidue or venti due ) except

when the second number is one or eight, in which case

they must be written as one :

Trentuno or trent’ uno,trentotto , etc .

From one hundred and forty on cento may be

shortened into cen :

Cenquaranta ,censettanta

, etc .

25 2 . The ordinal numbers are :

1 As an adjective it has the plural fo rms : gli uni , lo une .


rst primo 2 1 st ventesimo primo or

2d secondo ventunesimo

3d terzo 2 2d ventesimo secondo or

4 th quarto ventiduesimo

sth quinto e tc .

6 th sesto 3 o th trente’ simo3

7th settimo 4o th quarantesimo3

8th ottavo etc .

oth neno 1 00th centésimoro th de

’

cimo 1 1 0th centodecimo1

1 1 th undecimo or décimo primo1

1 1 5 th centoquindicesimo1 2th duodecimo or decimo secondo

1e tc .

1 3 th tredecimo or decimo terzo 200th dugentesimo or ducen

1 4th quattordicesimo or tesimo or duecen

de’

cimo quarto te’

simo

1 5 th quindicesimo o r de’

cimo quinto 300th trecentesimo

1 6 th sedicesimo or decimo sesto etc .

1 7th diciassettimo or decimo settimo I o o o th millesimo

1 8th diciotte’ simo o r decimo ottavo 2000th duemillesim0

1 9th diciannovésimo o r de’

cimo neno e tc .

2o th ventesimo2

1 000000th millionesimo

etc .

(a) The ordinals are all adj ectives :La trente

’

sima parte di novanta e tre . The thirtieth of

ninety is three .

(b) Fractions are expressed by the regular ordinal num

bers except“

one half” =un mezzo ,

una meta. Of thesemezzo is an adj ective

,me

‘

a a noun :In mezzo minuto ci salgo . In half a minute I shall come

up there .

Datemene solamente la meta. Give me only half o f it .

Un quinto ,Due decimi , 1

23

. Due e mezzo ,

(c)“

Firstly secondly ” =prim0

,secondo , or pri

mieramente , secondariam nte,etc .

1 Undicesimo , dodicesimo,also exist .

2Vigésimo is also found .

3 Trigésimo , quadragésimo,are rare .

1 Centesimo decimo,etc . , are not allowable .


Questi messo a compassione dell’

amico,nell

’ottobre del

183 3 lomeneseco a Napoli. Moved with compassion for

his friend ,in October 1 83 3 he took him with him to Naples .

(b) The definite article is used before the numeral

indicating the day of the month as in English , but it

is not omitted in dating letters etc . ,as it is in English :

Quanti abbiamo del mese? Oggi e il dieci . What dayo f the month is it ? TO -day is the tenth .

Allora scriviamo : Firenze , il 10 (or il dieci) maggio, 1902 .

Then let us write : Florence ,May 1 0

,1 902 .

(c) Primo is the only ordinal used in indicating the

days of the month ; otherwise the cardinals are em

ployed :Il1

pnmo (di) maggio, il due maggio, il di tre di maggio .

Time of Day.

25 6 . The definite article is used with numerals indi

cating the time of day and ora , ore ,is understood with

all. It follows that the article is feminine,and that

,

except in the case of“

one O’

clock the verb is plural :Che ora

‘

e? Sono le findici . Sono le neve . Sono lo

etto emezzo.

Sono le cinque meno dieci .

(a) II tocco is commonly used instead of l’ una , one

O’

clock(b) Mezzo giorno noon mezzanotte

night Antimeridiano“

in the morning”

,

pomeridiano =“

in the afternoon ”

,

Arrivano alle cinque pomeridiane . They will arrive at

5 P .M .

1 Li or ai may also be employed : Vienna li cinque (ai cinque)aprile .

“

Vienna,April

NUMERICAL VALUES .1 69

Numerical Titles .

25 7 . Ordinals are used in the numerical titles Of

rulers , also in indicating a book'

,chapter ,

etc .,but no

article intervenes as in English'

Carlo quinto . Charles the Fifth .

Libro quarto , capitolo terzo , paragrafo neno . Book theFourth , chapter three , paragraph nine .

Luigi de’

cimo sesto era un re sfortunato molto . Louisthe Sixteenth was a very unfortunate king.

Duration of Time . Age .

25 8 . The verb avere is used to denote age :

Che eta (or Quanti anni) ha suo figlio? Ha cinque anni

e tremesi. How Old is your son ? Five years and threemonths .

Avre sessantadue ann i nell’aprile dell

’anno venturo .

Cosi rono adesso nel mio sessantesimo secondo anno . I

shall be sixty-two years old next April. SO I am now in

my sixty- second year .

25 9 . The verb fare,or less Often e

'

ssere ,is used to de

note duration of time :

Un anno fa, or E un anno . A year ago .

Dedici anni fa, or Sono dodici anni . Twelve years ago .

E molto tempo che‘

emerto . He died a long time ago .

Miscellaneous Numerical Idioms .

260. Twice two are four = due via due , quattro .

Two and two are four ” = due e due fanno quattro .

Six minus three leaves three ”—

sei meno tre, tre .

A table . long by . . broad = un a tavola della

lunghezza di e della larghezza di


I NT E R J E CT I O N S .

26 1 . The commoner interj ections and expressions

used as interj ections are :

1 ) Expressive of joy,admiration ,

approval, and

the like :Ah ! Ah ! Oh ! Oh ! Bene ! Well ! Good ! Bravo !

1

Good ! Well done ! Che!2 What !

(2 ) Grief , pain ,fear, pity , and the like :

Ah ! Ahi ! Ohi ! Ahime(or Ohime) ! Alas ! Ahi misero !

Oh povero me! Wretched being that I am !Peccato (or Che peccato) ! What a pity !Pieta! Pity ! Mercy ! Oh

, poverino ! Oh , poor thing !Deh ! Alas ! Woe !

3 ) Surprise :Oh bella ! Curioso ! Strange ! Ehi ! Ahi ! E cosi ! Per

Bacco ! Mah !

(4) Disdain ,disgust , disapproval :

Oibe! Fie ! Vergogna ! Shame ! Guai ! Beware ! Woe !

Eh,via

,sciocchezze ! Oh , come ,

nonsense ! Questa‘

e

bella ! A fine state o f affairs !

5 ) Encouragement :0111111 Come now ! Animo ! Courage ! Di su l Speak

out !

Via ! via ! che imperta? Come, come

,what does it mat

ter ?

(6 ) Enthusiasm ,applause

Evviva ! Hurrah ! Viva l’ Italia ! Long live Italy !

1 This is an adjective . Thus to two pe rsons one would say ,

Bravi l ; to a woman,Brava !

2 Che or O che is o fted used,especially in Tuscany ,

to introducea question implying doubt : Che l ’ abbia gia fatto ! “

Can it be thathe has already done it !


it ; if the future is not given ,it and the condi tional are

to be constructed from the infini tive .

For. the construction of the preterite see 178 and 179 .

The imperative, unless otherwise stated ,

is like the

corresponding forms Of the present indicative .

IRREGULAR VERBS OF THE F IRST CONJUGATION .

There are but four irregular verbs of the first conjugation .

1

1 . Andare, to go ,

andato ; andai ; andre (andere) .

2

Present Indi cative . Imperative . Present Subjunc tive .

Vado or vo andiamo Vada andiamo

vai andate Va’ andate vada andiate

va vanno vada vadano

Like andare :

riandare, to go back again , to examine

trasandare, to go beyond , to neglect .

2 . Dare , to give ,dato ; diedi or detti , dare.

Pres . Ind. Imperative .

Do diamo diedi or detti demmo

dai date desti deste da’ date

(15. danno diede or dette3 die’ dero or dettero

Present Subjunc tive . Imperfec t Subjunctive .

dia diamo dessi dessiamo

dia diate dessi deste

dia diano or dieno desse dessero

Like dare :ridare

, to give again . sdare,to become idle .

REMARK . The first and third Sing. ind . pres . (ride,

rida) tak e the written accent .

1 Really only one ,dare ; fare and stare not belonging here o rigi

nally,as their pre terites Show . (Cf . Latin fo rms .)

2 Forms bracketed are for re fe rence and are not to be learnedfor use in exe rcises . Fo rms preceded by

“

or”are alte rnate .

3 Diealso exists , pl . diet , diero ,or dierono .

IRREGULAR VERBS .1 73

3 . Fare ,to do ,

make ; facendo ,fatto ; feci , fare.

Pre sent Indicative . Imperat ive Present Subjunctive .

faccio or to facciamo faccia facciamo

fai 1 “ fate fa’ fate faccia facciatefa 1 fanno . faccia facciano

Like fare :

afiarsik to suit , become . liquefare , to liquefy .

assuefarsi, to accustom one

’

s malfare,to do mischief.

self. mansuefare , to tame .

confarsi,to be suitable . rifare

, to do again .

contraffare, to counterfeit . soddisfare

, to satisfy.

disfare (sfare) , to undo .

REMARK . All these verbs take the written accent

on the 1 st and 3d sing. ind . pres . : disfa, 1112, etc .

4 . Stare ,to stand ,

be ; stato ,stetti , stare.

Pres . Ind . Imperat ive . Present Subjunctive .

ste stiamo stia stiamo

stai state sta’state stia stiate

sta stanno stia , stiano or stieno

Like stare :

ristare, to cease . sovrastare

, to stand over , to

soprastare , to stand over , to tarry .

command . sottostare, to be subject .

Rista, etc . , are accented like the compounds of dare

and fare .

(a) Distare , to be distant,is regular in the present.

and has no present participle ; otherwise it is like stare ;constare

, contrastare , instare , ostare ,etc . ,

are regular

verbs.

(Exercises XLI and XLII .)

1 Faci , face ,are also found .


IRREGULAR VERB s OF THE SE COND CONJUGATION .

263 . The great majority Of the verbs of the second

conj ugation are more or less irregular .

1 Of those end

ing in-ere ,

only two , gode’

re and temere , are perfectly

regular , i .e . ,have all the regular forms without alter

nate irregular ones .

The following2are all the -ere verbs that are per

fectly regular :

battere me’

scere

credere mie’

tere

fremere pascere

gemere pendere

(a) Irregular Verbs of the Second Conjugation in -ere.

264. Most of these verbs are strong,i .e . , stressed on

the stem-vowel,only in the present indicative and sub

junctive,and in the preterite

,

4 the past participle being,

except in persuadere and rimanere , weak ,i .e . ,

ending

regularly in -t’

i to . The infinitive,the vowel of the

antepenult being stressed,is never contracted ; the im

perfect tenses may therefore be formed directly from

it . The future and conditional are in some verbs con

tracted .

I .

Verbs irregular in the present tenses,

5 but havingthe regular weak preterite :

1 Converse ly,the great majo rity o f all irregular ve rbs are o f the

second conjugation .

2 And their compounds .

3 In the sense of to medi tate . See 6 8, p . 184 .

1 Some have th e weak prete rite .

1 Sometimes with contracted future .


Like cade'

re

accadére,to happen . ricadére , to fall again.

decadé re, to deeov. scadé re , to fall off .

9 . Sapere , to know ,saputo ; seppi , sapre.

Present Indicative . Imperative . Present Subjunctive.

so sappiamo sappia sappiamo

sai sapete sappi sappiate sappiate

sa sanno sappiano

1 0 . Tenere , to hold ,tenuto ; tenni , terre.

Present Indi cative . Present Subjunctive .

tengo teniamo (tenghiamo) tenga teniamo (tenghiamo)tieni tenete teniate

tiene tengono tengano

Like tenereappartenere , to belong. [to . ottene

’

re, to obtain.

attenersi , to belong, to hold rattenere , to detain .

contenere , to contain . ritenere , to detain , to retain.

intrattene’

re,to entertain ,

sostenere , to sustain .

delay. [keep. trattenere , to entertain , keepmantenere , to maintain , waiting.

I 1 . Volere , to wish ,voluto ; velli or velsi , vorre.

Present Indicative . Imperative . Present Subjunctivevoglio vogliamo voglia vogliamo

vuoi volete vegli vogliate vogliatevuole vogliono vogliano

Like voleredisvolere (svolere) not to rivolere ,

to wish again , to

wish , to refuse . have a mind to do again.

Preterites in -si

1 2 . Calere , to matter , make a difference ,caluto

,calse .

Impersonal. Imperative , present participle ,future and

conditional lacking.

1

Present Indicative . Present Subjunctive .

cale caglia1 Moise gi ves carra (caleré ) and carrebbe (calerebbe) , but they

are not in use . Caluto is also almost never used .

IRREGULAR VERBS . 1 7 7

1 3 . Dolere ,to grieve ,

hurt,doluto ; delsi , dorre.

Present Indicative . Present Subj unctivedelgo (doglio) dogliamo delga (doglia) dogliamo (dolghiamo )duoli do lete dogliateduele dolgono (degliono) dolgano (dogliamo)Like dolere

condolere , to condole . ridolere , to grieve again .

1 4 . Persuadere ,to persuade , persuaso ; persuasi .

Regular except in the preterite and past participle .

Like persuade’

re :

dissuade’

re, to dissuade .

1 5 . Rimanere , to remain ,rimasto (or rimaso) ; rimasi

,

rimarre.


rimango rimaniamo (riman rimanga rimaniamo (rimanghi

ghiamo) amo)rimani rimanete rimanga rimaniate

Hrimane rimangono rimanganoLike rimane

'

re :

permanere , to remain .

1 6 . Valere , to be worth ,valuto (valso) ; valsi , varre.

Pre sent Indi cat ive . Present Subjun ctive .

valgo (vaglio) vagliamo (val valga (vaglia) vagliamo (valghighiamo) amo)

vali valete vagliatevale valgono (vaglione) valgano (vagliano)Like valere :

equivalere , to be equivalent , invale’

re, to become valid .

of the same worth . rivalere , to recover,

avail

prevalere , to prevail. one’

s self again .

Preterite in -vi°

I 7 . Parere , to seem , appear , paruto or parso ; parvi , parte.


pai o paiamo or pariamo paia paiamo or pariamopari parete paiatepare paiono paiano


Preterite in -equi1:

1 8 .Giacere ,

to lie , g1a01uto ; giacqui , giacere.


giaccio giacciamo giaccia giacciamo

giaci giacete giacciategiace giacciono giacciano

Like giacere :piacere , to please . tace

’

re,to be silent .

VI .

Solere and vedere are somewhat different from any

of the other irregular verbs of this conj ugation :

1 9 . Solere , to be in the habit of , Selito ,

2 has no impera

tive, preterite ,

future ,nor conditional.

Present Indicat ive . Present Subjunct ive . Imperfec t Subjunctive .

soglio sogliamo s6g1ia sogliamo so lessi , etc .

suoli so lete sogliatesuele sogliono sogliano

20 . Vedere , to see ,veduto or visto ; vidi (veddi) , vedre.


vedo (veggo , veggio) vediamo (veggiamo)vedi

3vedete

vede vedono (veggono , véggiono)Like vede

’

re :

antivedere ,

‘1 to foresee . provvede’

re,

° to provide .

avvedérsi , to perceive .re ravvedere ,

to improve ,re

mark . form . [again .

divedé re,

5 to convince . rivede’

re, to see , examine

prevedere , to foresee . travedere ,to see indistinctly.

(Exercises XLIV and XLV . )1 Cf . Class (b) , nascere, 1 1 4 , p . 1 90 .

2 Used only as an adj ective . Ex . era solito ,I was accustomed .

3 Sometimes Shortened in to ve’ in familiar conve rsation . The

imperative singular may a lso become ve’

1 Past part iciple on ly anteveduto .

3 Only the infinitive is used .

1 Future and conditional provvedero , provvederei .

I 80 ITALIAN GRAMMAR

29 . Chiddere ,to close ,

chiuso ; chiusi .

Like chifidere :

acclt’

Idere, to enclose . inclfidere . to include .

concludere,to conclude . precludere , to preclude .

esclfidere, to exclude .

30 . Collidere, to collide ,

colliso ; collisi . Rare .

3 1 . Conquidere ,to conquer ,

conquiso ; conquisi . Rare .

3 2 . Contfindere,to bruise ,

contuso ; contusi .

3 3 . Correre, to run

,corso ; corsi .

Like correre :

accorrere, to run in haste . percorrere , to pass rapidly,

concorrere, to flock , to com run through .

pete . ri correre, to have recourse to .

discorrere, to discourse . soccorrere

, to succor.

incorrere, to incur . scorrere

, to pass away.

occorrere, to happen . trascorrere to run over.

34 . Decidere, to decide ,

deciso ; declSl .

Like decidere :circoncidere

, to cut round . precidere , to cut OE.

coincidere,

1to coincide . recidere

, to cut .

incidere,to cut into .

3 5 . Dife'

ndere, to defend ,

difeso ; difesi .

Like dife’

ndere :

offe’

ndere, to Offend .

36 . Dividere, to divide ,

diviso ; divisi .

3 7 . Elidere, to elide ,

eliso ; elisi or elidei .

38 . Espellere , to expel, espulso ; espulsi .Like espellere :

compellere , to compel.2

repellere , to repel.

impellere , to impel.

3 9 . Esplodere , t o explode ,esploso ; esplosi .

1 Also regular . 2 Rare .

IRREGULAR VERBS . I 8 I

40 . Evadere , to evade ,evaso ; evasi .

Like evadere :

invadere,to invade .

4 1 . Fondere , tomelt , fuso (fonduto) ; fusi (fondei) .

Like fendere :confondere

,

1 to confound .

4 2 . Immergere , to immerse ,immerso ; immersi .

Like immergere :mergere ,

2to plunge .

43 . Intridere , to dilute ,intriso (intrito) ; intrisi .

44 . Intrfidere , to intrude ,intruso ; intrusi .

4 5 . Le’

dere, to hurt , Offend ,

leso ; lesi . Rare .

46 . Melcere , to soothe . Pret . mulse . Defective . Rare .

4 7 . Merdere to bite ,merso ; mersi .

Like merdere :rimerdere , to grieve .

48 . Pe’

rdere to lose , perso (oftener perduto) ; persi

(oftener perdei or perdetti) .

49 . Prendere ,to take , preso ; presi .

Like pre’

ndere

apprendere , to learn . ripre’

ndere, to retake .

comprendere , to comprehend . sorprendere , to surprise .

50 . Radere , to shave ,raso ; rasi .

Like radere :sorradere

, to graze .

5 1 . Rendere , to render ,reso (renduto) ; resi (rende1 ren

detti) .

Like re’

ndere

arrendere , to yield , surrender .

1 Which does not have the weak fo rms exhibited by its primitive .

3 Thi s , the primitive , is rarely used .


5 2 . Ridere to laugh ,riso ; risi .

Like ndere :

arridere,to smile upon ,

to favor.

sorridere,to smile .

5 3 . Rodere, to gnaw ,

roso ; rosi .

Like rodere :corrodere

,to corrode .

54 . Scendere (discendere 1) , to descend ,sceso ; scesi .

Like scendere :

ascendere ,to ascend .

5 5 . Spargere , to strew ,sparso (sparto , poetical) ; sparsi .

Like spargere :

cospargere ,to sprinkle .

5 6 . Spendere , to spend ,speso ; spesi .

5 7 . Spe’

rgere to scatter ,sperso ; spersi . Rare .

Like spergere :aspergere ,

cospe’

rgere ,

to sprinkle .

dlSpergere , to (115116 186

5 8 . Te’

ndere,to extend ,

teso ; tesi .2

Like tendere :attendere ,

to attend ,wait . oste

’

ndere, to show.

conte’

ndere,t

’

b contest . ste’

ndere to ex

inte’

ndere,to understand . tend .

59 . Te’

rgere ,to wipe ,

terso ; tersi . Rare .

Like te’

rgere :

aste’

rgere ,to absterge . Rare .

60 . Uccidere,to kill, ucciso ; uccisi .

Like uccidere :ancidere

, to kill. Rare .

1 Discendere is the older fo rm o f sce’

ndere .

2 This is the transitive ve rb ; the intransitive is regular , but hasno past participle .

6 5 . Discri tere ,t o di s cus s , discusso ; discussi .

concfitere ,t o shak e . Only past participle concusso

incfitere,t o in spi

r e . infuse .

Feindere

,t o spli t , fenduto or fesso ; fendei (fendetti

07 . n gere (figere ) , t o fix ,fisso or fitto ; fimi (fisi ) .

so 61 re,t o hun t

,hi de one

’

s self .

68 Flettere t o bend,

‘

I

Lik e flertere :

w uflettere ,t o kn eel . Rare .

riflettere ,t o reflect . Also reflettnto and riflefi ei .

1

69 . Infifiere t o influen ce ,inflnsso ; influsm.

2

70 Mer ere (muovere) , to move,movendo messo ; rnessi .

2

Lik e m (u)evere :

comm (u) overe . t o azf ct . rim (u)evere ,to remove .

prom tfl givere 10 promot e . somm (u)overe ,t o stir up .

7 1 . Scindere,t o se

"scindei or scissi .

7 2 . Scotere (scuotere) , t o shakh e,

scessi .

Lik e 81: (u )etere :

perc t o strik e . risc (u)etere , to shake (up) .

~

3 Sfiggere ,t o su ck . No t par t iciple . Preterit e

5 115 51 or suggei . Rare .

Pres ent Imp erative . Presen t 5 113 111115 15 e .

11 go sugga ,et c .

sa ggi . e t c .

I\

Past p art iciple in-10 pre t erit e in -51:

Accorgere (accergersi) , t o p ertc ie ve ,accerto ; accersi .

Lik e accergere :scergere . t o perce ive .

1 Riflefrtere is um ally weak wh en it 7 : c ans t o medi t a t e

wh en i t mean s“

to reflec t li gh t Cf 263 .

2 In duire . a regu lar ve rb o f th e thir d con jugat icn , is o ft en er u se1 Ci . 70 (3)

SI TOT!g

IRREGULAR VERBS .

7 5 . Assgilvere , to abso lve,assglto or assoluto ; assolvei ,

assolvetti or assqlsi .

1

Like assgilvere :

risgilvere ,to melt

,disso lve .

76 . Assg’

rbere,to absorb assgrto ; assgrsi . Rare .

7 7 . Assfimere,to assume

,assunto ; assunsi .

Like assumere :

consumere, to consume . presumere

,to presume .

78 . Cingere (cignere) , to gird ,cinto ; cinsi

,cingerQ

(eignerg) .

Present Indi cat ive . Present Sub junc t ive .

cingo (cigno) cingiamo (cigniamo) cinga (cigno) cingiamo (cigniamo)cingi (cigni) cingete (eignete) cingiate (cigniate)cinge (cigne) cingono (cignono) cingano (cignano)

Imperat ive .

cingi (cigni ) cingete (cignete)Like cingere :

grungere (giugnere) , to ar

rive , giunto ; giunsi .

raggit'

mgere , to rejoice .

mfignere (mungere) , to mi lk ,

munto ; munsi .

piangere (piagnere) , toWeep ,

pianto ; pian si .

compiéngere , to bewail .

rimpiangere , to regret .

pingere (pignere) , to paint .

dipingere (dipignere) , to

paint .

1 The strong fo rms are po etica l . For ri sélvere ,to dete rm ine

cf . sgilvere ,1 22

, p . 1 9 1 .

2 The fo rms with gn are,however

, qui te as common as tho se with

3 This di fiers from cingere on ly in having the past partic iplestretto .

pungere (pugnere) , to prick ,

punto ; punsi .

spe’

gnere to ex

t inguish ,spento ; spensi .

spingere (spignere) , to push .

stringere to

brush stretto or strinto ;

strinsr 3

tingere (tignere ) , to dve .

ugnere (ungere) , to ano int,

unto ; un si .


79 . Cgigliere (cgrre) , to gather ,cogliendo ,

cglto ,cglsi ,

coglierQ (corte) .

Present Indicative . Pre sent Subjunc tive .

cglgo (cgiglio) cogliamo (colghiamo) cglga (céglia) cogliamo (colghi

cggli cogliete cogliate [amo)cqglie cq

’

lgono (cégliono) célgano (cégliano)

Imperative like present indicative .

Like cg’

gliere :

accgigliere ,to receive ,

wel raccgigliere , to collectcome . scigigliere (scigirre ,

asc19gli

prosci§gliere ,to absolve . ere

,discigigliere) , to untie .

Also with change o f vowel (e for 0 throughout) :

prescégliere , to choose be sce’

gliere (scerre) , to choose .

fore , select with care . trascégliere , to select .

And

tggliere (tgrre) , to take ,take

to dissolve ,divert from . away.

80 . Cgilere , to revere,eglto or culto . Defective . Only

present indicative 0910 and ogle in use . Rare .

8 1 . Distinguere , to distinguish ,distinto ; distinsi .

Like distinguere :estinguere ,

to extinguish .

8 2 . Ergere ,to erect

, et to ; ersi . Rare .

83 . Fingere , to feign ,finto ; finsi .

84 . Frangere (fragnere) , to break ,franto ; fransi .

Like frangere :infra

’

mgere , to crush,infringe .

8 5 . Ffilgere , to shine . No present participle . Preteritefulsi . Rare .

Like ffilgererifulgere , to shine . Also rare

,defective

,and

poetical.

1 Here ,as always ,

the present participle is fo rmed from the umcontracted infin itive : scegliendo ,

togliendo ,e tc .

I 88 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

95 . V§lgere or vg’

lvere , to turn ,vglto ; vglsi .

Like v§1gere zav lgere (avvgilvere) , to invglgere , to wrap up.

wrap. riv§lgere , to turn ,revolve .

devgilvere , to devolve (past sconvélgere ,to overturn .

participle devoluto) . sv§lgere ,to unfold .

V .

Past participle in -tto,

preterite in -ssi :

96 . Affligere ,to affl ict

,afi‘litto ; afi

‘lissi .

97 . Condurre , to conduct , conducendo ,condgtto ; con

dussi .

Like condurre :

addurre, to bring,

allege . introdurre,to introduce .

dedurre, to deduct (dedgtto produrre ,

to produce .

or dedutto) . ridurre, to reduce .

dficere ‘, to conduct . sedurre

, to seduce .

indurre,to induce . tradurre

, to translate .

98 . Correggere , to correct , corretto ; corressi .

Like corre’

ggere :

dirigere , to direct . reggere2, to govern .

erigere ,to erect .

99 . Cgicere (cugicere) , to cook,cocendo ,

cgtto ; cgssi?

1 00 . Friggere , to fry ,fritto ; frissi .

1 0 1 . Le’

ggere , to read,letto ; lessi .

4

Like le’

ggere :

eleggere , to elect .

prediligere , to have a partiality for.

1 0 2 . Lficere, to shine . Defective . No past participle .

Preterite lusse . Rare .

Like lficere :rilucere

,to shine . Pret . rilussi or rilucei .

1 This ,the primitive ,

is used on ly in poetry . The infinit ive isnot o ften contracted into durre . Dutto

,duct is e tymo logica lly

its past partic iple .

2 The primitive ,but much less used than corréggere .

8 Cf. 70 Cf. 70.


1 03 . Negligere , to neglect , negletto ; neglessi .

1 04 . Proteggere ,to protect , protetto

°

protessi .

1 05 . Scrivere , to write ,scritto ; scrissi .

Like scrivere :

ascrivere, to ascribe . [scribe prescrivere ,

to prescribe .

circoscrivere, to circum proscrivere ,

to proscribe .

descrivere, to describe . sottoscrivere

,to subscribe .

inscrivere,to inscribe . trascrivere

, to transcribe .

1 06 . Strfiggere (distrfiggere ) , t0 destroy ,dissolve ,

strutto ;

strussi .

1 0 7 . Trarre (traere) , to draw,traendo ,

tratto ; trassi,

trarrg.

Like trarre :attrarre

, to attract . estrarre, to extract .

contrarre , to contract . protrarre ,to protract .

detrarre, to detract . ritrarre , to draw back .

distrarre, to divert from . sottrarre , to subtract .

VI .

Past participle in -sto ,in -si :

108 . Chie’

dere, to ask ,

ch iesto ; chiesi or chiedei .

Like chiedere°

inchie’

dere,to inquire . ere

,to request .

109 . Nascéndere , to hide ,nascg o ; nascgsi .

Like nascéndere :ascéndere

1

, t o hide .

1 10 . Pgrre (penere)2, to put , ponendo , pgstq ; posi .

Present Indicative . Present Subjunc tive .

pongo poniamo ponga poniamo

a i ponete poniatepone péngono péngano

1 The primitive ,but less used than nascéndere .

2 This , the uncontracted fo rm,is stil l used .


Like porre :antepgrre ,

to prefer . intrapgrre ,to interpose .

appgrre (appcjnere) , to affix,

oppgrre ,to oppose .

impute . pospgrre ,to postpone .

dispgrre ,to dispose . prepgrre ,

to prefer .

espgrre (espcjnere ,spgrre ) , ripgrre , to replace .

to expound . soppgrre , to place under.

impgrre , to impose . suppqrre ,to suppose .

1 1 1 . Rispcjndere , to respond ,risposto ; rispgsi .

Like rispéndere :

corrispéndere , to correspond .

VII .

Verbs showing reduplication in the preterite .

(a) Preterite in -bbi,past participle regular :

1 1 2 . Com-iscere , to know (by the s ens es) , conosciuto ;

congbbi .

Like confiscere

ricontjscere ,to recognize .

scomjscere (disconcjscere) , not to know.

I I 3 . Crescere ,to grow ,

cresciuto ; crebbi .

Like créscere :

accrescere , to increase . increscere ,

decrescere ,to decrease . rincréscere

‘

,

(b) Past participle regular or in -to ,preterite in -equi

1 1 4 . Nascere, to be born ,

nato ; nacqui .

to be sorry.


nasco nasca ,etc .

nasci , e tc .

1 1 5 . Nécere (nugcere) , to harm ,nociuto ; nocqui .


nuqco or néccio nociamo nuqca or néccia nociamo

nugci nocete [ciono nociate [cianonugce nutj cono or mj c nuécano or mic

(0) Past participle in -tto,preterite in -

ppi :

1 Impe rsonal. 2 Cf . giacére ,18

, p. 1 78 .


IX .

1 23 .Vivere

,to live

,vissuto (vivuto) , vissi

,viverb or

vivr9.

Like vivere :convivere

, to live together j eat or drink together.

rivivere,to revive .

IRREGULAR VERB S or THE TH IRD CONJUGATION ,

l

I .

(a) Verbs irregular in the present tenses but havingthe regular weak preterite ;

1 24 . Cucire , to sew,cucito

,cucn .

Present indicative cficio or cucisco, etc . Present sub

junctive cficia or cucisca, etc . (This verb inserts i before

a and 0,but not before e and i . )

Like cucire :sdrucire (sdruscire) or scucire , to rip.

1 25 . Empire or empiere , to fill, empiendo ,empito ,

empu.

Present Indicat ive . Pre sent Subjunctive .

empio (empisco) empiamo empia empiamo

empi (empisci) empite empiate

émpie (empisce) e’

mpiono (empiscono) empiamo

These irregular forms are from empiere .

Like empire

adempire (adempiere) , to accomplish . (This verbhas also the past participle adempiuto . )compire (crjmpiere) , to perfect . (Past participle

compiuto . Ctjmpito is used as an adj ective . )

2For verbs wh ich do not show ,or do not always show

, the -isc0

forms see 7 1 .


1 26 . Sal ire ,to ascend ,

sal ito,salii or salsi .

Pre sent Indicative .

salgo.

(salisco) saliamo (sagliamo, salghiamo)

sali (se lisci) salitesale (salisce) salgono (saliscono)

Present Subjunctive .

salga (salisca) saliamo (sagliamo, salghiamo)

sagliate

sale (salisce) salgano (saliscano)Like salire :

assalire,to assail. risalire

,to reascend .

1 2 7 . Seguire , to fo llow ,seguito ,

seguii .

The stem e may diphthong under the accent :

or sie’

guo ,etc .

1 28 . Udire , to hear ,udito

,udu

,udirb, or 11e .

Present Indicative . Present Subjunc tive .

gdo udiamo‘

gda udiamo

Q di udite udiateQ de gidono §dano

1 29 . Uscire (escire) , to go out , uscito ,uscu .


esco usciamo esca usciamo

esci uscite usciateesci e

'

scono éscano

Like uscire :riuscire

,to succeed , to turn out .

(b) Verbs irregular in the present and preterite :1 30 . Sparire , to disappear ,

sparito ,sparii or sparvi .

Present Indi cative . Present Subjunc tive .

spa mor sparisco spariamo spaia or sparisca spariamo

spari or spari sci sparite [riscono spariate [cano

spare or sparisce spaiono or spa spaiano or Sparis

Like sparire

apparire , to appear ,apparito comparire ,

to appear ,com

ar apparso ,apparvi , ap parso or comparito ,

com

parsi , apparu . parsi , comparvi , comparii .


1 3 1 . Venire ,to come

,venuto ,

venni , vee .

Present Ind icative . Pre sent Subjunctive .

vengo (vegno) veniamo (ven venga (vegna) veniamo (ven

ghiamo) gh iamo)venite veniateve

’

ngono (veg vengano (vegnono) nano)

Like venire :avvenire

,to happen . prevenire ,

to hinder .

convenire,to agree . [come provenire (provvenire) , to

divenire (devenire) , to be pro ceed from .

intervenire , to intervene . sovvenire,to relieve .

invenire,to find out . svenire

, to faint .

(c) Verbs irregular in the present and past participle ,

or present , past participle ,and preterite

1 3 2 . Morire,to die

,mgrto ; morii

,morrbor

Pre sent Indicative . Present Subjunc tive .

mugro (mugro)1 moriamo or muo muéia (mugra) moriamo or muo

iamo iamo

mugri or muqi morite muoiatemugre mutjiono (mué muéiano (mugi

rono) rano)

1 3 3 . Dire ,to say ,

dicendo ,detto ; dissi , dirQ .

Present Indicat ive . Imperat ive . Pre sen t Subjunctive .

dico diciamo dica diciamo

dici dite di dite diciatedice dicono dicano

Like dire :addire

,to assign . indire to announce .

benedire (benedicere) , to maledi re, to curse .

bless . predire ,to predict .

disdire (sdire) , to deny . ridire,

2to repeat .

1 In all fo rms whe re the d iph thong uo o ccurs 0 is some times foundreplac ing it .

2 Redire ,to return (po e tical ,) has no thing to do with dire.

Cf. 1 5 3 , p . 1 96 .

ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

I 4 5 . Compe’

tere, to compete . No past participle . Other

wise regular .

1 46 . Convergere ,to converge . No past participle .

Otherwise regular .

1 47 . Delinquere , to be delinquent . No past part iciple .

Otherwise regular . Poetical.

1 48 . Divergere , to diverge . No past part iciple . Otherwise regular .

149 . Estgillere , to extol. Only estglle found .

1 50 . Fe’

rvere,to be hot . N0 past participle . Used only

in the third person .

I 5 1 . Fie’

dere,to wound . N0 past participle . Otherwise

regular . Poetical. Rare .

1 5 2 . Gire ,to go , gito .

Present Indicative . Imperfect . Imperative . Present Sub junctive .

giamo giva (gia) , e tc . giamo

gite gite giate

Future and conditional girb, girei , etc . , regular .

Poetical.1 5 3 . Ire

, to go ,ito .

Present Indi cative . Imperfect Imperative . Imperfect Subjunctiveiva ivamo

ivi

iva

Preterite Indicative .

isti iste

Like ire :redire

, to return .

1 54 . Illanguidire , to grow faint . NO past participle .

Otherwise regular .

1 5 5 . Lambire ,to lick . No past participle . Used only

in the third person .

1 5 6 . Lécere (licere) , to be lawful, lecito (licito) .Present Indicativelece (lice)

No other arts found . Poetical .

DEFECTIVE VERBS .I 9 7

1 5 7 . Olire , to smell. Only imperfect indicative oliva

and olivano used .

1 58 . Perire , to perish . No present participle . Otherwise regular.

1 59 . Prfidere , to itch . No past participle . Used onlyin the third person .

1 60 . Rie’

dere, to return .

Present Indicative . Present Subjunc t ive .

riedo

11nriede riedono rieda riédano (Poet )

1 6 1 . Stridere ,to shriek . N0 past participle . Otherwise

regular .

1 6 2 . Tangere ,to touch . Has only tange .

1 63 . Urgere , to urge . Has only urge ,urgeva ,

urgesse .

1 64 . Vertere , to turn . Regular ,but used only in the

indicative present and imperfect .Like vertere :controvertere , to controvert .

1 65 . Vigere , to be in force ,to flourish . No past parti

ciple . Used only in the third person.

INDEX OF IRREGULAR AND DEFECTIVE VERBS .

Verbs con jugated in the same manne r as some o th er verb are in

this index se t in from the margin . The commone r compound

verbs are so placed . Rare compounds , obso lete and very unusual

verbs , are not included here .

Accadere , 8

Accéndere ,2 1

Acclfidere,2 9

Accégliere , 79

Accorgere , 74

Accérrere , 3 3

Accrescere ,1 1 3

Acquisire ,1 4 3

Addire ,1 3 3

Addurre , 9 7

Adempiere (adempire) ,Affarsi

, 3

Afiliggere , 96

Algere,2 2

Allfidere,2 3

Amméttere ,6 1

Ancidere,60

Andare,1

Annéttere ,6 2

Antepqrre ,I I O

Antivedére ,20

Apparire ,1 30

Appartenére ,I O

Appe’

ndere,24

Apporre ,I I O

Appréndere , 49

Aprire ,I 34 Benedire ,

1 3 3Ardere ,

2 5 Bere (bévere) , 1 1 7Arrendere , 5 1

Arridere , 5 2 Cadére , 8

Arrégere ,2 6

Ascéndere , 5 4

Asciggliere , 79

Asciglvere ,88

Ascéndere ,1 09

Ascrivere ,1 0 5

Aspe’ rgere

, 5 7

Assalire,1 26

Assidere ,2 7

Assistere ,1 1 9

Assl ere , 7 5

Assérbere , 76

Assuefarsi , 3

Assfimere , 7 7

Astérgere , 5 9

Attendere , 5 8

Attene’ rsi

,1 0

Attércere , 93

Attrarre , 1 07Avellere ,

2 8

Avére , cf . 74

Avvedersi , 20Avvenire

,1 3 3

Avvincere, 94

Avvgilgere , 9 5

200

Disdire ,1 3 3

Distare , 3

ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

E'

ssere . 74

Estinguere ,8 1

Disméttere (sméttere) , 6 1 Esttj llere (estégliere) , 149Dispérgere , 5 7

Disporre ,1 1 0

Disrémpere ,1 1 6

Dissélvere ,1 2 2

Dissuadére ,I 4

Distare, 4

Disténdere , 5 8

Distinguere ,8 1

Estrarre ,1 07

Evadere , 40

Disttj gliere (distgrre) , 79Distorcere , 93

Distrarre,1 07

Distrfiggere ,1 06

Disvéllere 9 2

Divedére ,20

Divégliere (divéllere) (di

vgrre) , 9 2

Divenire,1 3 1

Dive’

rgere,1 48

Dividere, 3 6

Dolére , I 3

Dovere , 5

Dficere, 97

E leggere ,1 0 1

E lidere, 3 7

Elfidere,23

E quivalére ,1 6

Ergere ,8 2

Erigere, 98

Erompere ,1 1 6

E saurire ,1 3 9

Escire (uscire) , 1 30

Esclfidere,2 9

Esigere , 1 2 1

Esistere,1 20

E spellere , 3 8

Esplédere , 3 9

Esporre ,1 1 0

Esprimere,64

Genufle’

ttere ,68

Giacére ,1 8

Gire , 1 5 2

Gifingere (giugnere) , 78

Fare, 3

Fe’

ndere ,66

Fe’

rvere ,1 5 0

Fiédere ,I 5 1

Figgere (figere) , 6 7Fingere ,

83

Fléttere ,68

Fondere , 4 1

Framméttere ,6 1

Fré ngere ,84

Friggere ,1 00

Ffilgere , 8 5

Illanguidire ,1 54

Illfidere,2 3

Immérgere , 4 2

Impellere , 3 8

Impendere ,24

Imporre ,1 1 0

Imprimere,64

Inchie’

dere,1 08

Incidere, 3 4

Inclfidere ,29

Incérrere , 3 3

Incréscere ,1 1 3

Incfitere ,6 5

Indire,1 3 3

Indurre, 9 7

Infifiere ,69

Infrangere,84

Insistere , 1 1 9

INDEX OF IRREGULAR AND DEFECTIVE VERBS .20 1

Inscrivere (iscrivere) , Nécere (nuécere) , 1 1 6

Instruire ,1 3 7

Inténdere , 5 8

Intercedere ,6 3

Interrompere ,1 1 6

Intervenire ,1 3 1

Intraporre ,1 I O

Intrattenére ,1 0

Intridere , 4 3

Introdurre , 97

Intrudere , 44

Invadere , 40

Invalere ,1 6

Invenire ,1 3 1

Invélgere , 95Ire ,

1 5 3

Irrompere ,1 1 6

Lambire ,1 5 5

Lécere ,1 5 6

Ledere , 4 5

Leggere ,1 0 1

Li quefare, 3

Lficere ,1 02

Lfidere ,2 3

~c

l

Maledire ,1 3 3

Malfare , 3

Manomettere ,6 1

Mansuefare , 3

Mantenere ,I O

Mergere , 4 2

Mettere , 6 1

Molcere , 46Mordere , 4 7

Morire ,1 3 2

Mévere (muévet e) , 70

Mfingere (mfignere) , 78

Né scere ,1 1 4

Nascéndere ,1 09

Negligere ,1 03

Occérrere , 3 3

Ofi éndere , 3 5

Ofi erire (ofi rire) , 140

O lire,1 5 7

Opporre ,1 1 0

Opprimere,64

Orire,1 4 1

Osténdere , 5 8

Ottenére ,I O

Parére ,1 7

Percipere ,1 20

Percorrere , 3 3

Percgitere (percuétere) ,Perdere , 4 8

Perire,1 5 8

Permanere ,1 5

Permettere ,6 1

Persistere ,1 1 9

Persuadere ,1 4

Piacere ,1 8

Piangere (piagnere) , 78Pingere (pignere) , 78

Piévere ,1 1 9

Pérgere ,86

Porre (pénere) , 1 1 0

Pospe e ,1 1 0

Possedere , 7

Potére ,6

Precidere, 34

Preclfidere,29

Prediligere ,1 0 1

Predire ,1 3 3

Preméttere , 6 1

Prendet e , 479

Preporre ,1 1 0

Prescie’

gliere , 79

Prescrivere ,1 05

Presfimere , 7 7

Prevalére ,1 6

2o 2 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

Prevedére ,20

Prevenire ,1 3 1

Produrre , 97

Prométtere ,6 1

Promévere (promuévere) , 70

Prorompere ,1 1 6

Prosciégliere , 79

Proscrivere ,1 05

Proteggere ,1 04

Protrarre ,1 0 7

Provenire (provvenire) 1 3 1

Provvede’

re ,20

Prfidere ,1 5 9

Pfingere (pfignere) , 78

Raccégliere , 79Radere

, 5 0

Raggifingere , 78

Rattene’ re ,I O

Ravvedere ,20

Recidere, 34

Redimere,8 7

Redire ,1 5 3

Reggere , 98

Rendere , 5 1

Repe’ llere

, 3 8

Reprimere,64

Resistere ,1 1 9

Riaccendere ,2 1

Riandare,1

Ricadére ,8

Richiedere ,1 08

Riconéscere ,1 1 2

Ricérrere , 3 3Ridare ,

2

Ridere , 5 2

Ridire,1 3 3

Ridolere ,1 3

‘

9Ridurre , 9 7

Riedere ,1 60

Rifare , 3

Rifléttere, 6 8

Riffilgere , 85Rilficere ,

1 02

Rimanére ,1 5

Riméttere , 6 1

Rimérdere , 4 7

Rimpiangere , 78

Rimg’

were (rimuévere)Rincréscere , 1 1 3Ripréndere , 49

Ri t t e , 1 1 0

Risalire , 1 26Riscuétere , 7 2

Risedére , 7Risélvere , 7 5 and 1 26

Risorgere , 90Risp6ndere , I 1 I

Ristare , 4

Ritenere , I O

Ritércere , 93Ritrarre

,1 07

Riuscire, 1 29

Rivalére , 1 6

Rivedére , 20

Rivenire , 1 3 7

Rivivere , I 2 3

Rivolére , 1 1

Rivolgere , 9 5

Rodere , 5 3

Rémpere ,I 1 7

Salire,1 26

Sape’ re

, 9

Scadere , 8

Scégliere (scerre) , 79Scendere , 5 4Scindere

, 7 1

Sciégliere (sciqrre) , 79Scrgilvere ,

88

Scomméttere , 6 1

Sconéscere ,1 1 2

Sconvélgere , 95S00prire , 1 3 7

29 4 ITALIAN GRAMMAR

Ugnere (fingere) , 78 Vértere , 1 64Urgere , 1 63 Vigere , 1 65

Uscire , 1 2 9 Vilipéndere , 24Vincere , 94

Vale’

re ,1 6 Vivere , 1 24

Vede’

re,20 Volére , 1 1

Ve’

llere (verre) , 92 Vélgere (vélvere) , 95Venire, 1 3 2


VOCABULARYil ragazzo , the boy , pl . i ragazzi piccolo , small, piccoli ; piccola,

la ragazza , the girl , pl. 19 ragazze piccole 0

lo sco lare ,the pupil , pl. gli quanto ,

how much , pl. quanti ,sco lari (fem . la sco lare , le how many (fem. quanta ,

scolari) quante)il signore , the gentleman (signo r , gcco , here is , here are (literally

sir, Mn ) , pl . i signori e, and

la signora , the lady , pl . 19 signora due, two

l ’uqmo , the man , pl . gli uémini non , no ,not

inglese , English , pl . inglesi (fem. si , yes

the same , cf. 109) essere , to be ; avere , to have

io sono , I am io ho I have

tu sei , thou art tu hai , thou hastegli 9, he is egli ha , he has

noi siamo , we are 110i abbiamo , we have

voi siete , ye (you) are voi avete , ye (you) have

essi sono ,they are essi hanno, they have

INTERROGAT IVE .

ho io?, etc.

NEGAT IVE .

io non sono io non ho, etc .

tu non sei, etc .

Remarks . ( 1 ) The pronouns are usually not expressed.

2

Sono . I am .

Ha . He has .

Non hanno i libri? Haven’t they the books ?

(2) The second person singular o f these and all verbs (tu) is usedin addressing a near re lative ,

an intimate friend , or a child,its

plural , voi , in addressing two or mo re relatives , friends , or children ,

but this usage o f voi is in the south o f Italy o ften extended even

t o strangers . Tu and voi are a lso much used in poetry , but the

o rdinary fo rm o f address is the feminine 3d sing .

1,E lla or Lei e, Lei

ha ,

3etc .

1 Cf . 7 2 .

2 For fuller explanations see 87 and 88 .

3 Cf . 9 1 .

1 Only the third person singular will be used in the firstexercises , the o ther fo rms being introduced later.

EXERCISES . 209

EXERCISE II .

Ecco umragazzo. Il ragazzo ha un libro . Eumlibro i t a l i anSi, 9 nu libro i t a l i a n o . Ecco una ragazza. Ha due libri . Sonolibri i t a l i a n i . N0, non sono i t a l i a n i , sono inglesi . La ragazza eAm e r i c a n a, il ragazzo eI t a l i a n o . La ragazza am e r i c a n a

ha libri inglesi, il ragazzo i t a l i a n o ha libri i t a l i a n i. Il ragazzoeuno scolare. Il ragazzo e la ragazza sono scolari . Gli sc olarihanno libri. L ’

uomo ha un libro, e uno sco lare? N9, non 9 m m

scolare . E000 10 scolare . $000 due scolari . Gli sco lari hannolibri i t a l i a n i . Gl’ I t a l i a n i sono scolari . E scolare Lei?

Si , sono uno scolare, e houn libro . L0scolare i t a l i a n o epiccolo .

E piccola la ragazza am e r i c a n a Si, 9 picco la. Quanti libri ha

Lei, Signor pr o f e s sor e? H9 due libri. Gli uémini hanno libri.

1 For the capitalization see 3 7 .

2Note the position o f the'

adjective .

EXE RCISE III .

( 1) Here is a book. (2) Here are two books. (3) They 1 are

English books . (4 ) The Am e r i c a n boy has two I t a l i a n books.

(5 ) He is a pupil . (6) Is the man a pupil? (7 ) Yes, he is a pupiland he has a book. (8 ) Is the girl a pupil? (9) Yes, she is a

2

pupil. ( 10) She has two I t a l i a n books. ( 1 1 ) The boy and the

girl are pupils. ( 1 2 ) The pupils have English books. ( 1 3 ) Have

you books? ( 1 4 ) Yes, I have two I t a l i a n books. ( 1 5 ) I am a

( 2 ) ( I )3

pupil. ( 1 6 ) The men are not pupi ls. ( 1 7) The men have no’

books. ( 1 8) Yes, they 1 have I t a l i afii book s. ( 1 9) Are the men

I t a l i an s? (20) Yes , they 1 are I t a l i a n s. (2 1 ) Have the

I t a l i a n s English books? (2 2 ) They1 have I t a l i an books and

English books.

NOTE .

— The pupil should in writing use only accents,etc .

,com

mouly employed in Italian ,no t the diacritical signs used in this

book to indicate the p ronunciation .

1 Omit .

2 Una-scolare— taking the logical gender.

3 In translating arrange words in o rder as numbered.


VO CABULARY .

NOTE — B e fore beginning Exe rc ise IV the pupil should learn the

present indicative o f the model verb o f the first conjugation , mo

to show , pointLike mostrare :

salutare ,to salute ,

say goodmo rning to

dimorare ,to live

,dwell

amare,to like ,

loveguardare ,

to look atil giorno ,

the day

bueno , goodbuen

1 giorno ,good-day ,

goodmorning

il mae’

stro ,the maste r

,teacher

il ritratto ,the picture , portrait

il re,the king

il paese ,the country ,

i paesi

il fifime,the river , i fifimi

l’ indice ,the index finger

l’ écchio ,the eye , gli ecchi

la mano,the hand ,

lemani

la tavola ,the tab le

,le tavo le

mio ,my ,

mine,miei ; fem . mia ,

mie

1910,

strare ,

their , theirs (does not

change its fo rm e ither in fern .

o r in pl .)destro ,

righ t,destri ; fem . destra ,

destrealtro ,

o ther,altri ; fem . altra,

altremerto ,

dead,merti ; fem . mgrta ,

met temolto ,

much,very much

,molti ,

many ; fem . molta, meltebel ,

1 bello ,beautiful ; fem . bella,

terzo ,third [bel le

fitile ,use ful , pl. litili (fem . like

masc .)Vitterio Emmanuele ,

Emmanuel

Chiara,Clara

Italia ,Italy

1’ Eurépa (fem )il Tevere ,

the Tiberdove ,

whe reda , with , at the house of

, among

Victor

1 Cf . 1 1 5 .

EXERCISE IV .

Saluto i miei sco lari .giorno , Signor maestro !Ecco il mio libro .

Buen giorno , signore e signori.Hanno i 1910 libri ?

~

Si,abbiamo i libri.

H9 il libro nella mano destra.

Buen

Il libro e sullatavo la . Mestro il libro coll ’ indice della mano destra. Guarda illibro

,Carlo Si

,guardo il libro cogli eochi. E il libro del Signor

maestro . Ecco umaltro libro . E il libro della ragazza. Eum libroi t a l i a n o .

Emmanuele I .

l

Dove dimera il re d’ Italia?

paese .

l’ Italia.

Ecco un ritratto d’ un re i t a l i a n o,del re Vittério

E merto il re Vitterio Emmanuele?Dimora in Italia.

Il Tevere e un fiume dell ’ Italia .

D imora Dante in Italia. ?

Si, emerto .

L ’Italia e un bel

Ama l’ Italia? Si,amo

Ne, Dante e merto . E la

2 I 2 I TALIAN GRAMMAR .

EXERCISE VI .

Siamo in Italia? NO , siamo in America, paese dell’emisfero

dell ’ (west. L ’ America del Nerd e un gran paese . Vi sono degl’

I t a l i a n i nell’ America del Nerd? Si

, vi sono molti I t a l i a n i .Vi sono degl ’ I t a l i a n i neb i l i . Vi sono anc

‘

he dei Tedeschi e deiFrancesi. Hanno gl

’ I t a l i a n i in America libri i t a l i a n i ? Si,

ecco dei libri italiani sulla tavola. Seno le 6pere del DanteNon vi e altra cesa? Si

,vi e un calamaio con dell ’ inchiestro

dentro. H9 anche delle penne per gli sco lari. Non hanno lapisgli scolari? Si

,hanno dei lapis, ma non penne Seno I t a l i a n i

gli sco lari? N9, sono Am e r i c a n i. Hanno dei libri i t a l i a n i ,e anche Hanno della carta e dell' inchiestro . Io sono

il mae’

stro . Il padre del ragazzo col libro inglese e anche maestro .

Eun buon maestro di lingua francese. Insegna il francese , linguabella e molto mu s i c a l e. Ha degli scolari ? Si

,ha degli scolari

am e r i c an i,non ha scolari i t a l i an i. Non e a scuela adess0, e

a casa.

1 “

some English ones .

EXE RCISE VII .

( 1 ) Have you any ink ? (2) No, I have no 1 ink ; I have some

paper and some pencils. (3) I have some books too,some Italian

books . (4) I have some of the works of Dante. (5 ) Dante wasa poet. (6) Was Dante a Frenchman? (7) No, he was an Italian ;he was an Italian poet. (8) He lived in Florence. (9) Florenceis a city of Italy. ( 1 0) It is in Tuscany, a province of Italy.

( 1 1 ) Dante was a Tuscan. ( 1 2) He was a politician. ( 1 3 ) Hespeaks as

2a2poet and as

2a2po litician. ( 1 4) He speaks for Italy.

( 1 5 ) Italy speaks with the mouth of Dante. ( 1 6) They 3say

3 that 2

Dante was not a noble .

1 I have not ink -placing not be fo re have

2 Cf. 492 Si dice che.

VOCABULARY.

il piede , the foot la direttrice, the directressil leone ,

the lion 1a maestra, the mistress , teacheril mare, the sea

,ocean I’ essere , the being

il fratello , the bro the r 1’ insetto , the insectil direttere , the director 1’ autere , the author

EXERCISES .2 13

la pittura ,

1 the picture questo , th isla montagna ,

the mountain suo h is .her

, suei ; fem. sua,sue

la sedia , the seat nestro ,our

la panca , the bench certo ,short

la lavagna , the blackboard , slate lungo , long , lunghi ; lunga ,

la matita , the pencil , crayon lunghela lezione , the lesson umano ,

human

la settimana , the week spagnuelo ,Spanish

la s pugna ,the sponge cinque , five

1'

ala , the wing . le ali poiche, for , since

1’ ape . the bee ceme , like ,as

la regina , the queen studiare,to study

le Alpe (or Alpi) , the Alps danno ,they give (from dare

, irr.)tutto, all

1 Cf . 38, -ure, and Remark 2 (c) .

EXERCISE VIII .

Sulla mia té vola vi sono libri gressi e piccoli, italiani , inglesi,francesi, spagnueli , e tedeschi . Ecco un libro di Shakespeare . L0

Shakespeare e un autere inglese . Dante e l’ Ariesto sono auteri

italiani. E il Goethe? E un autore tedesco . Tutti questi autorisono f amos i. Ecco un ritratto del lo Shakespeare. Ha anche

ritratti di Dante e dell ’ Ariosto? Si,sono nei libri . Dove sono i

libri? Nella scuela, sulla tavola. Siamo in una scuela, vi sono

molte scuele in questo edificio . Nella mestra scuela vi seno sedi e,panche, tavole e lavagne. Vi sono anche delle penne e dei lapis ,delle matite e una spugna. Vi e dell ’ inchiestro nei calamai . Gli

scolari d i l i g en t i 1 stfidiano. Stfidiano una lezione italiana.

Hanno anche delle lezioni inglesi e delle lezioni di g e o g r a f i a.

Hanno una certa lezione di g e o g r a f i a. Hanno cinque lezionila settimana.

1 Observe the position o f the adjective .

EXERCISE IX .

( 1 ) Here is our school . (2) There are many classrooms in1 it 1.

(3 ) The scho lars have Italian books. (4) There are a great manytables . (5 ) Here are the director and directress of the schoo l .(6) They give the lessons to the scho lars . ( 7 ) The girl on the

bench is d i l i g e n t. (8) The two boys, her brothers , are alsod i l i g e n t. (9) They have long English lessons and short Itali anlessons. ( 1 0) Here are pictures of two kings of Italy. ( 1 1 ) Here

2 14

is a picture of the Alps.

( 2 ) ( 3 )of the week.

ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

( 1 2) The scholars are in school five days( 1 )

(1 3 ) The teachers (masters and mistresses) 2 also .

( 1 4 ) The boys and girls 2 have desks,

3pencils , pens , books, paper,

and ink . ( 1 5 ) They are‘1studying “ g e o g r a ph y. ( 1 6) Geog

raphy Speaks of continents,countries

,oceans

,rivers

,mountains

,

and cities.

is the king of a n im a l s.

have kings.

have feet.

1 Omit .

2 Cf . 46 .

( 1 7) Z o o l o g y speaks of a n i m a l s .

( 1 9) For a n im a l s,

(2 o ) Bees have queens , not kings.

insects,but insects are a n im a l s.

Tavo le.

( 1 8) The lionlike human beings

,

(2 1 ) Bees are

(2 2) Bees have wings,men

4= “ they study — stfidian0.

VOCABULARY.

il pelso ,the pulse

il me’

dico,the docto r , i medici

il singo lare ,the singular

il plurale , the plura lil nome

,the name

il pellice ,the thumb

il dito annulare ,the ring-finger

il duco ,the duke ,

i duchi

l’ Egiziano ,the Egyptian

il monarca ,the monarch

,i mo

narchiil figliuqlo ,

th e little son

1’ uemo dabbene, the good man

(lit . the man o f good)1’ amico , the friend , gli m m

1’ inimico , the enemy, gl’ inimici1’ uccello, the bird1’ est , the east1’ unghia

,the nail

, le I'

Inghie

la gamba ,the leg

1’ estremita,the extrem ity

,le

estremital’ ecce zione , the exception , 1

’cc

cezienil’ erre , the

“

r”

, l’

erri1a regola, the rule

la pronfincia ,the pronunciation

la guancia,the cheek

,le guance

la scarpa ,the shoe [perieri

superiore ,superio r , upper , su

attaccato,

attached,

attaccati ;attaccata

,attaccate (p . part .

o f attaccare)sinistro

,left

, sinistri ;sinistre

irrego lare,irregular

,irrego lari

difficile,difficult

,difi icili

ferte ,strong

,ferti

pqvero , poo r , péveri ;pevere

réseo , rosy , rései ; résea ,resee

antico,ancien t

,antichi ; antica

,

antichenessuno, no ,

none,nessuni ; nes

suna ,nessune

savio , wise , savi ; savia , savie

tastare ,fee l (first conj .)

imparare , to learn (first conj .)vede , you see , pl . vedono (fromvedere ,

to see,irr. )

si unisce , is united (lit .

from unire

sinistra ,

pevera,

unites

2 I 6 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

( 1 8) N0, monarchs are not always good men. ( 1 9) Have you read

about 5 the three wise men? That is to say, the three kings of theEast. 2

1 Piu ferti di (with 2 Non ha nessuni.

Construct from the word given for little son by changingthe ending .

1 “

is it not true ? Cf.

'

62 ,Remark 1 .

VOCABULARY .

il levare ,the rising , sun rise (the

infinitive used as a substan

tive ,cf . 5 1 (a)

il sole ,th e sun

il cello ,the neck

il cane ,the dog

il coraggio ,the courage

il sentimento ,the sentimen t

Torino,Turin

la Spagna , Spainla perta , th e doo r , gate [co rn e rla svoltata ,

th e turn,

streetla strada ,

the streetla via ,

the way , roadla spesa ,

the costla tranquillita,

the tranquillityla vita ,

the lifenei , we

, us

essa , sh e

me, mi , me,mysel f

se, himse l f,herse lf

,itse l f

giévane ,young

Q ggi , to -day

il mercoledi , Wednesdayquando ,

when

benche, although (fo llowed by

subjunctive)cosi , so ,

thuspere, but , howeverfra , within , to

subito,soon

, quicklylentamente , s low lyvo lentieri , glad lydavvero ,

indeed,truly

al tre velte ,fo rme rly

fino a, as far as

, untilinsieme

,together

consigliare,to coun sel

pensare ,to think

sperare ,t o hOpe

mancare ,to lack

accompagnare ,to accompany

singhiozzare ,to sob

gettare , to th row ,cast

restat e ,to remain ,

staytornare , to returnpicchi are ,

to knockdimenticare ,

to fo rge tpasseggiare ,

to walkviaggiare ,

to travelchiamare , to call

incontrare ,to meet

lasciare ,to leave ,

let

lamentarsi , 1 to complain

stare ,to be (o f hea lth) , 3d pe rs .

sing . ind . pres . sta , pl . stannorispondere , to reply (irr. pre t .

rispesi)

piangere, to weep

abborrire , to abhor

EXERCISES .2 I 7

aprire ,to Open sentire ,

to feeldire

,to say (irr . pret . dissi , I capire ,

to understandsaid) tossire ,

to coughfinire , to finish era ,

I was

1 Si isthe reflexive pronoun . Cf . 96 and 102 .

EXERCISE XII .

Mancava un’era al levar del sole quando parti i . Mia madre

m ’ 1accompagn9 alla perta. Io

,singhiozzando

,le

2 gettai le bracciaal cello e dissi : N9, mamma ! Non parto ! Resteri) con te ! Cominclava a

spiangere anche lei , e temeva di 2 parlare . Io restava un

m o men t o in istrada 1a guardare la casa

,1a perta. Picchiere?

Chiamere la mamma ad aprire? Ma me, dicevo fra me, ma no,

lascia stare,mestra che sei uemo

, parti s6 bit0 ! Coraggio l E pas

seggiavo lentamente per la via. Incontrai alla svo ltata d ’una

strada nu mio amico .

5 -Ma ceme,mi domande, partite?— Si

,

risp9si ,—

parto per la Spagna.— Capisco , ma '

perche non Siete con

tento di partire? Viaggerei sempre io,se non temessi le grandi

spese . Lascerei eggi la casa, e senza lamentarmi . — E davvero ,

quando vi 6 penso adesso finisco per dire ’ : Cem’

ero sciecco ! E mi

sento , pere, sempre 19 stesso ! Capisco ancora i sentimenti del bambino d ’ allora. Abberro il momento del partire . E consiglierei atutti di restare in casa

,bencheviaggiassi molto quando era giovane.

Perdiamo molto tutti , perdendo la tranquillita della vita di casa.

Cosi,non viaggiamo piiI !

1 M ’ for mi be fo re a vowel.2 Le al col lo “

around h er neck Cf . 982 For the use Of a and di be fo re a dependen t infin itive c f . 2 1 1

2 1 2 ( I ) .

1 Istrada for strada because preceded by in . Cf . 36 (b) .

5 “ A friend Of mine .

” 2 “

Of it .

7 “ By saying .

ORAL EXERCISE .

( I ) Quanto tempo mancava al levar del Sole quando parti ilragazzo?(2) Chi l ’ accompagnealla perta?(3) Che cesa faceva partendo , e che cesa diceva?(4) Ha parlato la mamma?

(5 ) Perche119?(6) Restava ancora qualche tempo in istrada?(7) Cesa voleva fare? Cesa diceva fra se

1?

2 I 8 ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

(8) Chi incontree dove?

(9) Che domande l ’ amico?( 1 o) Che cesa rispese 2

( 1 1 ) Perch‘

e non parte 1’ amico per la Spagna?( 1 2 ) Lascerebbe Lei la casa per viaggiare?( 1 3) Teme le grandi spese?( 1 4) Capisce i s e n t im en t i del ragazzo? Abborrisce il

m om en t o del partire?( 1 5 ) Ha viaggiato molto?( 1 6) Viaggerebbe ancora vo lentieri? Viaggerebbe volentieri con

me?

( 1 7) Quando partiremo?

1 to h imse l f .2 From rispondere— preterite third person singular.

EXE RCISE X III .

( 1 ) It is still an hour before sunrise . (2) I sleep well , and so I

did not hear when you knocked. (3) Who accompanied you1 to

the h ouse? (4) Your brother ; he 2 travelled with me.

3 (5 ) Oh , I

understand. You met him13 in Turin,did 4

you4not ‘ ? (6) When

did you5 leave Turin? (7) I left 11 Turin yesterday, but I left home

on 2 Wednesday. (8) I hope that you will stay with us a2 long 7

time. (9) I shall stay a week,then I shall trave l as far as Rome .

( 1 0) Let us hope , then, that you wil l return to us . ( 1 1 ) Do not

forget your friends . ( 1 2) I shall not forget. ( I 3) I shall showyou

8 that I do not forget. ( 1 4) Let us speak of your mother andof your brothers ; are they well? ( 1 5 ) Yes, they are well . ( 1 6) Mymother coughs a little, but she feels 9 well . ( 1 7) Shall we take 1°

a1°

walk10 together? ( 1 8) Yes , I will gladly take a walk. ( 1 9) Mybrother will accompany us .

11(2 0) There is a dog; do not be

afraid 12012 him.

” (2 1 ) I am not afraid of him. (2 2) My sisterused 11 to be afraid 14

of dogs, but now she does 1 5 not fear them .

16

(23) Let us return to the house now. (24) We shall not go out

any2 more to—day.

1 T ’ be fore verb .

2 Omit . 2 Me.

1 Is it not true ?5 Use second pe rson plural preterite .

2 Use partire fo llowed by di 7 “ much .

8 Ti befo re verb .

2 Supply si be fo re verb . walk .

” 11 Ci be fore Verb .

12 fear . ” 13 Lo be fore verb .

14 feared fo rmerly . Use imperfect .

15 “ fears no mo re .

1“ Li befo re verb .


romana era agli estremi, fu da Ottavio e

.

dagli altri due triumviricondotta una colg

’

mia militare a Firenze , e a ciascuno dei so ldativenne

"assegnata una porzione di terreno . E ssendo numerosi

questi colgni la citta e divenuta subito molto piti grande . Vi sono

ancora molte traccie delle edificazieni del periodo . Cosi nel luegodove eggi sono le piazzette di San Simone e dei Peruzzi v’

era nu

anfiteatro r om a n 0 Firenze , fin dai primi tempi , ebbe molti diritti ,era per

‘

e in uno stato di dipendenza asso luta da Roma, e le cese di

Roma andavano male . Eu alla met te dell ’ imperatore Teodesio in3 9 5 che l’ impero venne diviso fra i suei due figli. Firenze eranaturalmente della parte Occidentale dove fu signore Oncjrio.

1 Cf . 3 6 .

2 “ This dear city o f ours .

2 “ We h old it as certain that .

” 4 Read quaranta. Cf . 25 1 .

5 Th ird person singular preterite indicative o f venire . Cf . 8 1 (b) .

ORAL EXE RCISE .

( 1 ) Euna citta antica Firenze?(2) Che cesa va perdendo?(3) E interessante la steria dell’ origine di Firenze?(5 ) Da chi fu condotta la colenia militare a Firenze nell’ anno

40 avanti Gesti Cristo?(6) Ch

’

era allora la condizione della repubblica romana?

(7) Erano numerosi i co leni?(8) E divenuta grande la citta di Firenze?(9) Sonvi ancora traccie delle edificazioni del periodo?( 1 0) Vi era un anfiteatro romano? Dove?( 1 1 ) Era indipendente la citta?( 1 2) Quando venne diviso l ’ impero romano?

( 1 3) Di che parte era Firenze?( 1 4 ) Chi fu signore della parte occidentale?( 1 5 ) Dimenticheranno i Fiorentini la steria dell ’ origine

citta?

EXERCISE‘

XV .

( 1 ) Are you sleepy? N0 ! (2) Then let us talk about 1 the history of Florence . (3 ) I should be 2 very glad to listen.

2(4) I have

not been in Florence long,

3 but I love it. ‘1(5 ) It is an old city

,but

it is changing 5 very 6 much . (6) It was an old city when Co lumbuswas a baby. (7) So it has had a very 7 long history. (8) We should

0( 1 ) ( 2 )

have to study a long time (In order) to know Its h Istorywell . (9) A

EXERCISES .22 I

R o m an colony was brought to Florence by Octavius . (10) Butthere were men in the city who were not Romans. ( 1 1 ) Listen !It is believed that the Etruscans were from Greece . Th ey emigratedinto Italy. ( 1 Fieso le was an E truscan city

,and the first co lonists

of Florence were from Fieso le . ( 1 3) We have spoken of Fi§solebut who that 2 has not been in Florence knows Fi§sole? ( 1 4) And

who does not know Florence? ( 1 5 ) Fi §sole w a s,but Florence

is— and wil l be,let us hope!

o f.

2 = “ listen gladly .

2 much time .

‘1 L ’ be fo re verb .

2 Cambiandosi . For the rendering o f is”cf. foregoing exercise .

2 Omit . 7 Molto .

2 Che.

VOCABULARY.

19 stre' pito ,the noise

il genitore ,the paren t

il piacere ,the ple asure

per piacere ,as a favo r

, pleaseil cugino ,

the cousin

la zia,th e aun t

1a grazie,the grace

,favor ;

grazie,thanks

tranquil lo , quie tpiccino ,

litt le,litt le ch ild

tanto ,such a

,so much

niente ,noth ing

nemmeno ,n or e ith er

da,to (a person)

EXE RC ISE XVI .

Parla Lei? No, parla lui. Dica 1910 per piacere che non veglio

tanto strepit0.— Nemmeno io . Vei , bambini , state tranquilli ! E

tu,Carlino

,vieni con me. Cosi . Starai bueno adesso tu? Il

cugino ride di te.

— N9, 119, zia,non ride di me ! E ssi ridono

,ma

ridono di se, non di me.—N9n fa niente. Io vado dalla mamma

,

vuqi venire 0911 me? Si,si

, Vieni anche tu.

— Io 119, vedo li il mio

amico Enrico, veglio giocare cen lui . — Oh

,cattivo ! E i genitori ,

nen saresti contento di vederli 1 ? Mi rincresce.

2— Ebbene , venite

qui , hereli , therevolere ,

to wish (irr . veglio , vuei ,

I wish , thou wishest)venire ,

to c ome (irr . Vieni , come

thou)giocare (giuocare) to playrincrescere (impersonal) , to be

so rryrincre

’

scere di,to be so rry fo r

ridere,t o laugh

ridere di,to laugh at

star (e) bueno , t o be good , quie t


voialtri— Grazie,signora, Lei emolto buena, studiere bene adesso

io,senza di loro .

— Vedete , piccini? E lui che econtento .

1 Li them a conjunctive fo rm .

2 I am so rry — a conjunctive fo rm .

EXERCISE XVI I .

( 1 ) Who is talking so much? (2) It is they, not I ; chi ldren,it

is you, isn’t it? (3 ) You, Charlie ! Be quiet! I want to study.

(4) B e quiet now, please , you ( = th0u) and he and all of you!

(5 ) He is quiet, and so is she. (6) The two little girls are verygood. (7) Yes, they are good— but you! (8) Mrs . Baretti, whereare you? (9) I? I am here ; don ’

t you see me1? ( 1 0) We are all

here ; talk with us. ( 1 1 ) How do you do? And your brother,how

is he? ( 1 2) I am well , but he has been ill. ( 1 3 ) Oh you poor

thing 2! ( 1 4) We were speaking of him yesterday,of you and of

him. ( 1 5 ) I am so sorry for him. ( 1 6) Let us speak to them

about him. They 2 will be so sorry too .

1 Non mi vede— mi being a conjunctive fo rm .

2 Omit .

2 Translate “to them ”

. Cf . Exe rc ise XVI .

VOCABULARY .

la voce , the voice

ad alta voce ,a loud

la vista ,the sight

a prima vista,at (first) sigh t

la lettura ,the reading

1’ immagine,the picture ,

cut

interessante ,interesting

solamente ,only

ebbene ,well

,ve ry well

allora ,then

peco littlema

,but

gia, already

EXERCISE XVIII .

Dev’e il libro? -Eccolo .

-Dateme10.

— Grazie ! Ne parleremo un

p9’.— Oh

,signer maestro , 119! La prego di scusarmi

, poiche non

l’ he letto . E perche n9?— N9n ne he avuto il temp0.

— Ebbene,

assicurare ,to assure

scusare ,to excuse

Spiegare ,to explain

dare,to give (irr . )

sapet e ,to know (a thing) , (irr .

SQ , I know)pote

’

re,to be ab le (irr . pesso , I

can, pub, he can)

piacere ,to please (irr . and o ften

used impersonally— mi piace ,

I like)prendere ,

to take (irr . p . part .

preso)


vispo ,me rry

,live ly

stesso , same,the ve ry

afi‘inche, that , in o rder that

durante,during

non— mai , neve r

ora ,now

allentare ,to loo sen

buttare to throwcontrari are ,

to vex

saltare ,to jump

esclamare ,to exclaim

abbassare ,to lowe r

,cast down

sbacciuccare ,to kiss repeatedly

ripigliare ,to resume

EXERCISE XX .

Durante la vostra assenza-disse il nonno ai tre giovani-parlero ioun po

’ di cose fiorentine a’nostri ragazzi .— O che se no ricorda Lei

di certi studj?— domando Adolfino con arditezza poco rispettosaIl nonno abbasso gli occhi

’si fece un po

’ rosso e disse con dolcezzaad Adolfo, il quale gia s

’

era pentito della sua domanda inconsiderata.

Si , figliuolo , me no ricordo . Ai miei tempi si studiavano meno cose ,

ma quelle poche s’ imparavano bene, in modo da non dimenticarle

mai piii . Oh, erano altri tempi quelli ! Ora.

Povero signor Leopoldo ! Non gli tu p o s s i b i l e proseguire lasua tiratina. Adolfo gli era saltato sulle ginocchia, gli aveva

buttate lo braccia al collo e se lo sbaciucchiava tutto,come so fosse

stato un bambino . Il nonno fingendo d’

esser contrariato , cercavadi liberarsi da quelle carezze t um u l t uos e ; ma in fondo ci aveva

uh gusto matto, e si sarebbe ben guardato di allentare lo braccia

del vispo nipotino .

— Se il nonno sara1 contento di voi— disse il signorLeone , accomiatandosi— emolto p r o b a b i l e ch ’ io vi faccia venirda me per um paio di giorni . Torneremo a Firenze insieme .

— Oh

bene , oh bene l— esclamarono i due fanciulli , e stréttisi1al nonno , lo

pregarono afiinche 1a sera stessa ripigliasse . il corso di quelle con

versazioni, cosi presto interrotto .

1 “

having pressed up close to’

,past partic iple o f stringersi . Cf . I 02 .

2 Cf . 229 .

EXERCISE XXI .

( 1 ) Let us talk (to one another) about the affairs of Florence .

”

(2) Oh yes, grandfather, let us talk together to one another)

cercare , to seekliberare

,to free

osservare ,to observe

,no tice

crollare ,to shake

applicarsi , to apply one’

s se lfcontentarsi

,to con ten t one ’

s selffarsi

,to become

accomiatarsi,to take leave

stringere ,to press ,

draw c lo sefingere

,to feign

interrompere ,to inte rrupt (irr.

p . part . interrotto)proseguire ,

to continuepentirsi , to repent

EXERCISES .2 2 5

about them.

”(3)

“ We ll,boys , do you remember what you have

studied about Florentine history? ” (4 ) We do not remember it asyou do ,

1 grandfather ” ,said little Adolph . (5 ) I have noticed that ”

,

said their grandfather. (6 ) Ado lph grew rather red. ( 7 ) He

repented h is remark . (8 )“ More things are studied now ”

,said he .

(9) The old man shook his head. ( 1 0) But Ado lph jumped on his

knees and threw his arms about his neck . ( 1 r) The o ld man freedhimse lf from those stormy caresses. ( 1 2 ) But he real ly took greatpleasure in them. ( 1 3) Well ”

,said the grandfather

,

“ let us con

tent ourse lves with what wc have .

”( 1 4)

“ Let us go away now ;

since Mr. Leo is taking leave,let us go with him.

”( 1 5 ) We wil l

apply ourselves to the study of Florentine h istory when we come

back.

” 2( 1 6)

“ These things cannot be done in a moment. ”

1 Omit .

2 Trans late “ when we shall come back .

VOCABULARY .

il danno ,the damage ,

loss ,c o st

il fatto ,the fact

il popo lo ,the people ,

nation ,rac e

il potere ,the powe r

il regno ,the kingdom

il ve leno , th e poison

il soggetto ,th e subjec t

il caso ,the case

il famigliare ,th e fam iliar , inti

mate friend1’ invasore ,

th e invade r1’ animo

,the mind

,heart

,cour

il verso ,th e verse

il Longobardo ,the Longobard

il Franco ,the Frank

la gente ,the race

,nation

la signoria,the rule ,

lordship1a salvatichezza,

the wildness,

rudenessla pieta,

th e pie tyla grandezza ,

th e greatnessla vivacitA,

th e vivacityla violenza ,

the vio lence

la caduta,the fall

lo armi,arms

la Germania,Germany

breve ,b rie f

, shortscellerato

,wicked

i llegale,un law ful

barbaro,barbarous

, barbarianrestio

,restive

analogo,analogous

sfortunato,un fo rtunate

verso ,towards

subito, soon , quickly

solo ,alone

,only

prima,at first

indi,afte r ward

,from the re

uscire,to go (or come) ou t

cadere ,to fal l (irr . p . part . ca

duto, pret . caddi , etc .)

togliere (torre) , to take,take

away,to carry o ff o r away

distruggere,to destroy (irr . p .

part . distrutto)ammansirsi

,to grow mild


arrichirsi , to enrich one’

s se lf narrare ,to narrate , te ll

avvicinarsi , to approach lodare ,to praise

fermarsi , to stop intitolare ,to entitle ,

ca llconservare ,

to keep guidare ,to guide

passare ,to pass fondare , to found

EXE RCISE XX I I .

Chi erano i Longobardi, caro nonno?—domando Adolfo .

— Eranogente p a ga n a— rispose ii buon vecchio ,— usciti 1 dalla Pa n non i a.

Guidati dal loro f e roc e re Alboino , si fermarono prima nella partesuperiore dell’ I tal i a, che per questo fatto ha conservato il nome

di L om b a r d i a ; e indi, passati gli Appennini , si avvicinaronoverso la Toscana, che in gran parte cadde subito in loro potere .

Presere Firenze. Ma breve tu il regno dello scellerato Alboino ;poiche il veleno , datogli, come si narra

,da nu suo fami gliare

,lo

tolse di vita dopo soli cinque anni di signoria.— Ne sono contenta!

esclamo l ’ Adalgisa.

— Ma col tempo s’ammansi la feroce salvati

chezza dei Longobardi ed ebbero re lodati per pieta, valore e grandezza d’ animo . La loro dominazione cadde per le armi dei Franchi ,altri po’ poli barbari— Scusi , nonno ,— domando con molta vivacitaAdolfino— i Franchi non avevano per re il f amos o Carlomagno ,

figlio del re Pipino? — E ,nonno

— esclamol’ Adalgisa, divenendo un

po’

rossa— la bella tragedia di Alessandro Manzoni intito lata

A d e l c h i parla della caduta dei Longobardi, non e vero?— Si.

Oh la bella tragedia, nonno ! Oh i bei versi !1 As a co llec tive gente may take a plural modifier.

EXE RCISE XX III .

( I ) The good old man was talking to his grandsons about theLongobards. (2) They were listening

,they were 1 a t t e n t i v e.

(3) A large part of Italy had fallen into the pow er of the wickedLongobards . (4) They had drawn near to Tuscany

,beautiful

Tuscany. (5 ) But their unlawful dominion, being2 founded upon

vio lence , was destroyed by vio lence . (6) The Franks,a race come

forth in ancient times from Germany, came from France into Ita ly.

( 7) The Franks were no longer a heathen people. (8) They hada king called Charlemagne , a great 3 man and a very wise “ king.(9) He tamed the wild f e r 0 c i t y of his restive subjects. ( 1 0) The

Franks were called the l i b e r a t o r s of Italy, but l i b e r a t i o n

means, in this case and in analogous cases, only a new i n v a s i o n

228 ITALIAN. GRAMMAR .

fronto tra grandissimi uomini, tra sommi poeti, a difi icile , non evero? Ha sentito 1’ aneddoto del frate predicatore che faceva un

discorso su Sant ’ Antonio ? Ecco il discorso .

“ San Paolo,fratelli

miei , era nu gran santo , e San Pietro , cari fratelli miei , era nu

grandissimo santo . Ma Sant’ Antonio ! wh wh fiuuiiiu ll

ORAL EXE RC ISE .

Chi e l ’ autore della Divina Comme’ dia?Ha scritto il Racine delle comme

’

die?

Nomini nu famoso autore tedesco .

Chi epiugrande , il Goethe o il Racine?

E facile il confronto tra uomini grandissimi?Era facile pel frate predicatore il confronto tra certi santi?Racconti l ’ ane’ ddoto del suo discorso .

EXERCISE XXV .

( 1 ) Victor Emmanuel II . was a great man,a good man

,a man of

g e n e r o u s instincts . (2 ) He is often called “the honorable king .”

(3) And h e was indeed more honorable than certain other kings.(4) Here is the anecdote related concerning the origin of his wellknown name . (5 ) Massimo d’ Azeglio

,a poet and a politician, and

a man of S p a r t a n character,had a profound affection for the

young monarch . (6) He remarked one day to the king : “ Honorable kings have not been n um e r o u s in the world.

”(7) It would

be beautiful to begin the series,would it not? (8) Victor Emmanuel

was younger than many monarchs,but wiser than most. (9) He

never said more than he meant. ( I O ) He had sworn faith to the

Statute,and his word was more precious to him than gold

,more

dear than power. ( 1 1 )“ I shall keepmy word,” he said. ( 1 2) Th e

word of a smaller man than Victor Emmanuel is as precious as his

word was. ( 1 3) The wisest men feel that.

EXE RCISE XXVI

(For this and the fo llowing exerc ise s no spec ial vocabulary isgiven . The pupil is expected to use the genera l vocabulary foundat the end o f th e book and the tab le o f irregular verbs

, pp 1 9 8 and

2 4 5 SCI )Roma

,2 marzo 1 900.

Caro Carlo,La tua cara le

’ ttera l ’ ho ricevuta otto giorni fa. Non ho

potuto ri sponderti presto perche mi sono fatto male alla mano . Ed

ecco come . 11 babbo ha um cosi bel temperino , mentre che il mio

EXERCISES .229

e um orrore , un vero orrore. Gli ho detto parecchie volte : Papamio

, prestami il tuo temperino , voglio aguzzare i miei lapis . Efinalmente me 1

’ ha dato in mano e— mi sono tagliato subito l ’ indice

della destra.

1 Ma adesso sta quasi bene .

— Il nostro viaggio miha fatto tanto piacere . Anche ai miei genitori. La citta di Roma

mi piace moltissimo,coi suoi vecchi palazzi , colle sue grandi vie e

col suo bel sole sopra tutto . Lo zio Andrea ci ha condotti , le sorelline e me, al Campidoglio e al Vaticano . Ci fu detto che Sua

Santita Leone XIII faceva precisamente la sua passeggiata in

carrozza in mezzo alle sue guardie ma naturalmente non abbiamo

potuto vederlo . Siamo andati dai tuoi amici gli Altavilla. Il signorAltavilla estato molto buono per noi. Ci ha detto- casa mia ecasa

vestra .

— Sua moglie e tanto gentile. Anche i loro figli mi sono

simpatici. Abbiamo parlato di te e della tua famiglia . Come

stanno i tuoi cugini? Hocomprato dei libri per loro . Non abbiamo

visto Sua Maesta il re Umberto , ma abbiamo visto la sua camera

da letto. Abbiamo visto tante belle cose che me sono stanco.

Buona nette lIl tuo affmo .

2amico

,

Enrico .

1 =man0 destra.

2 Fo r affettionatissimo,th e o rdinary Ita lian abbreviation .

EXE RCISE XXVI I .

( 1 ) Where is your brother? (2) Is my little sister with him?

(3 ) I have lost my little sister. (4) Have you my book, my pen,and my pencils? (5 ) My friend has cut his finger. (6) I am looking for my mother. (7) Your parents are not here , they are withtheir friends . (8) Where are our hats ? (9) Mine is here , but Ido not see yours. ( I o ) Is not this your hat ? ( 1 1 ) No , it is h is.

( 1 2) I have seen His Excel lency the Governor and his wife. ( 1 3 ) I

like her face. ( 1 4) Is this one of your dogs ? ( 1 5 ) Yes , the two

dogs are mine. ( 1 6) Give me your hand. ( 1 7) Have you a bookunder your arm? ( 1 8) Yes , but it is yours, not mine . ( 1 9) Thyfriends (feminine) are here.

EXE RCISE XXVI II .

Il l ibro che cerchi non c’

e.— Non ne sono sicuro

,lo cerchero

ancora nu po’.— Non puoi

1adoperarne qualche altro ? -No, nessun

altro servira,so lamente quel lo li . Bisogna ben2 trovarlo , e quello

che devo avere per preparare la mia lezione. Chi 1’ ha avuto


l’ultimo? Sara3 quel lo cheme 1’avra3 perduto .

- Chi equell’ amicoa cui lo imprestasti ieri l’ altro? E il figlio della signora la quale ciha fatto “ visita questa mattina. Avra3 mai dimenticato di re’ nderlo?— E sempre possibile, glielo domandero, e se edavvero lui che 1’ ha,non glielo impresteropiu per nu pezzo . Chi non pensa a rendere

non dovrebbe 5 pigliar in prestito .

— Ma guarda dalla finestra, non elui che viene adesso?

— Ma si, e col mio libro sotto il braccio .

— Me

ne rallegro per te come se il libro perduto fosse mio. Buon giorno,Enrico , eccoti il libro che mi hai imprestato. Te ne ringrazio e ti

prego di perdonarmi la mia dimenticanza. Avrei° dovuto6 ripor

tartelo gia ieri. Ma ho avuto una visita di mio cugino, il chem’ ha

fatto restare in casa tutto ieri. Quale cugino era — Non lo conosci

tu. E fratello di quello ch ’era da noi l ’ anno scorso , quello che

aveva il cane da cui fui morso . Ma con tutto cioera un bel cane ,

quello , vero? E parlando di cani , di chi e quel lo che ho visto nel

vostro giardino?— E mio , non e vero che e bel lo? Mio padre me

1’ ha dato .

7 Tutte le cose che mi da7sono belle .

‘

Ha gusto lui !

Vieni con me e lo vedremo, quel cane ! Chi vuol vederlo venga8

con noi .

1 “

Can you not — second person singular indicative pre sent o fthe irregular potere .

2 “

I must really .

3 Future o f probability— “

it must have been h e who . Cf .229

4 Made from fare .

5 “

Ought no t to bo rrow .

I ought to have .

” 7 From dare . See tables .

8 Let him come .

”See venire in tab les .

EXE RCISE XXIX .

( 1 ) Who is knocking? (2) It is I, Henry,and nobody else ;

1

who did you think it was? (3 ) I thought it was 2 my cousinwhomI have been expecting. (4) I am glad to see you ; I wanted

3 to‘

speak to you about that new boy who is in our class now. 5 ) That‘one

5 who is so pale and thin? (6) Yes, that is the one . (7) We

ought6 to 4 do something for him,we who are more fortunate than

he . (8) My father was speaking about him to my mother,and she

said she would go to"see his mother. (9) He who does not thinkof the misfortunes of others does not deserve to8 be happy himself

,

as our copy-book says. ( 1 0) Who was it who was asking you

yesterday about that other poor boy, the one with

9the ragged coat?


(2 2) He wi ll hear . (2 3) The little-old-woman9 is bringing him.

(24) Let us rest 1° now on the short grass (2 5 ) I am a- little tired.

1 Use accio .

2 Trans late are greenish 2 Che.

4 Bene with -in0.

5 Bene with -one .

6 Contadino with a dim inutive suffix .

7 Scappare .

8Prestiesimo

2 Omit woman”

, using on ly the appropriate wo rd formed fromve

’

cchio .

1° Reflexive .

VOCABULARY.

Infinitive . Pre s Part . Pas t Part . Preterite Future .

dire,to say ,

speak , tell dicendo detto dissi

pare’

re,

1 to appear , seem paruto or parso parvipiacere ,

1 to please piaciuto piac quiuscire

,

1 to go out uscito uscii

volere , to wish voluto vol li1 Compounds with e’ ssere .

EXERCISE XXXII .

Note — All fo rms required are to be constructed from those givenby the rules given in 1 79 . The presen t participle and future whenno t given are regu lar .( 1 ) He was saying . (2) It

1

pleases me . (3) They have goneout. (4) It had seemed to me . (5 ) They wish ed.

2(6) Wi l l you

go out ? (7) Wish ing and having wished. (8) They said. (9)They had said. ( 1 0) They would say. ( 1 1 ) They might go out

(imperfec t subjunc tive) . ( 1 2 ) They appeared.

2( 1 3 ) They would

appear. ( 1 4) It appears to me . ( 1 5 ) Would th ey go out ?

( 1 6 ) Pleasing me . ( 1 7) D id you say2so ( 1 8) They wished ” it.

( 1 9) He wi ll go‘

out. (20) It has pleased me . (2 1 ) I have said

(2 2 ) Does it seem to you? (2 3 ) Did they wish it? (24) Would itplease you? (2 5 ) It might please you (impe rfect subjunctive) .

(2 6) They wished to say it. (2 7) She has gone out.

1 Omit .

2 Express in two ways .

3 I have said it .

EXE RCISE XXX II I .

La Signora Carniola, direttrice di una scuola, mi raccontava t e

centemente questo fatto : aveva visto in una del le sue classi un

po’

vero bambino di otto anni con i piedi che uscivano dal le scarpe ,e aveva fatto in modo di procurargliene un paio dal Patronato

EXERCISES . 233

scolastico . Il bambino ch iamato in Direzione a rice’

vere questescarpe, rosso di gioia, ringraziava con tanta efiusione che la direttrice , commossa della sua ingenua riconoscenza, gli regalo due

soldi. Il giorno dopo il bambino va in Direzione tutto contento,battendo i tacchi sul pavimento , e con un pacchettino in mano .

Signora direttrice, la mia madre le manda questo con tante riverenze .

” La signora apre e trova nel pacchettino quattro biscottidi quelli buoni per i canarini ! Dopo qual che giorno la madre

viena a ringraziare la direttrice del paio di scarpe , e la direttrice,

schermendosi, la vuole ringraziare del gentile pensiero del pacchettodi biscotti. “ Ma che biscotti la povera donna dice non sapernenulla : si interroga il bambino

,il quale tutto rosso confessa che li

aveva comprati lui con i due soldi della direttrice.

—Gli era parsa 1aforma piii adatta di dimostrar la sua riconoscenza : non un fiore,

ne un’ immagine

,che avrebbe pure potuto acquistare 0011 i due

soldi , ma i biscottini , che essendo la cosa piu desiderata per lui, glipareva dovesse esserlo anche per la direttrice. E questa gentilezzaegli 1’ aveva voluto fare a nome della madre

, perche gli sembravameglio ch ’ essa partisse da una persona piii importante di lui. Cosiaveva rinunciato per lei all’ onore e al piacere della sua iniziativa.

O RAL EXE RC ISE

Chi raccontava l ’ aneddoto del povero bambino riconoscente?Che eta (quanti anni) aveva il bambino ?

Era contento d’ ave’ re le belle scarpe nuove ?

Come ringraz iola direttrice?Che cosa gli regaloessa?Cosa tiene in mano il giorno dopo quando va in D irez ione?Cosa dice?Ch '

era nel pacchettino?Quando viene la madre e perche?Chi aveva regalato i biscotti alla signora direttrice?Con che denari li aveva compratiPerche ha sce lto dei biscotti

EXE RC ISE XXX lV .

( r) I will te ll you an anecdote,if you like . (2) It is a fact to ld

me recently by the directress of a schoo l . (3 ) She said that therewas in one of the c lasses a poo r l ittle girl of six years who came to

schoo l with her ' feet coming through her shoes. (4) The teacher


managed to get her a pair of new ones . (5 ) The child came to

schoo l a few days after red with j oy, c licking the heels of her1 new

shoes on the floor. (6) She was carrying in her hand some flowersand a little picture of Saint Catherine of Sienna. (7) She went

into the directress ’ room and made her a present of them.

2(8) This

appeared to her the best way to show her gratitude . (9) The

picture was very beautiful to her and it seemed to her that it mustbe so also to the directress . ( 1 0) But the flowers were really morebeautiful than the picture , and the kindly thought more beautifulthan the flowers. ( 1 r) I like flowers very much ; do you likethem too?

1 How is th is t o be translated ?2 Regalare takes a direc t objec t . Cf . Exerc ise XXXI II .

EXE RCISE XXXV .

NOTE .

— The pupil wil l explain the use o f th e prepositions foundin this extrac t

,re fe rring to the paragraphs above . Th is and

Exerc ises XXXVI,XXXVI I

,and XXXVIII are an adaptati on o f

De Am icis ’

l’

Infe’

rq gre di Tata . (Capra )La mattina d’ un giorno piovoso di marzo

,un ragaz zo vestito da

campagnuolo , tutto inzuppato d’ acqua e infangato,con un involto

di panni sotto il braccio , si presentava al portinaio del l ’ Ospedale deiPel legrini di Napo li, e domandava di suo padre , presentando una

lettera. Aveva nu bel viso o v a l e d’ nu bruno p a l l i d o , gli occhipensierosi , e due grosse labbra semiaperte , che lasciavan vedere identi bianchissimi . Veniva da un villaggio dei dintorni di Napoli.Suo padre , partito di casa 1’ anno addietro per andare a cercar lavoroin Francia

,era tornato in Italia e sbarcato pochi di prima a Napo li

dove , ammalatosi improvvisamente , aveva appena fatto in tempoa scrivere un rigo alla famiglia per annunziarle il suo arrivo e dirleche entrava all’ ospedale . Sua moglie deso lata di quella notizia

,

non potendo moversi di casa perche aveva una bimba inferma e

nu piccino , aveva mandato a Napo li il figluolo maggiore , con

qualche soldo , ad assistere suo padre . Il ragazzo aveva fattodieci miglia di cammino . Il portinai o , data un

’occhiata alla

le’ ttera

,chiamo um infermiere e gli disse che condusse 1 il ragazzo

dal padre.

— Che padre? —domando l ’ infermiere.

Il ragazzo,tremante2 per il timore d’ una trista noti zia, disse

il nome .


desolation of his mother at the arrival of the letter. And he

thought of death,

15 he saw his father dead,his mother dressed in“

black, the family in misery.

1opened .

2entering in .

3 Omi t .4 Tran slate through air.

” 5 = “

arrived .

‘1What pronoun would be used ? 7 Reflexive .

8 how much .

9 = “

He had the face swo l len .

” 1° recognize . Use voi .“

to breathe .

” 12 Use stare with the presen t participle .

13 Cf . 222 3)14Translate with reflexive verb to sink one ’

s se lf1 5 Cf . 2 16 .

1° Cf . 1 98

EXERCISE XXXVII .

E stette molto tempo cosi . Quando una mano leggiera gli toccouna spalla, ed ei si riscosse :

i

era una monaca.

— Che cos’ ha1 mio

padre?— le domandosubito.

-E tuo padre ? — disse la suora, dolce

mente .— Si

, e mio padre , son venuto . Che cos’ ha? Coraggio ,

ragazzo,

— rispose la suora, ora verra il me’

dic0.— E s

’allontano,

senza dir altro .

Dopo mez z ’ ora vide entrare in fondo al camerone il medico ,accompagnato da un assistente ; la suora e nu infermiere li seguivano. Cominciaron la visita, fermandosi a ogni letto . Finalmentearrivarono al letto vicino. Prima ch ’ il medico si staccasse da

questo il ragaz zo si levoin piedi, e quando gli s ’ avvicino, si mise a

piangere.-E il figliuolo del malato

,disse 1a suora. Fatti animo ,

figliuolo , disse il me’

dico . E grave , ma c’

e ancora speranza. Il

ragazzo avrebbe vo luto domandar altro ; ma non oso. E alloracominciola sua vita d’ infermiere .

Non potendo far altro accomodava le coperte al malato , gli davada bere. Il malato lo guardava qualche velta ; ma non dava segnodi riconoscerlo . Senonche il suo sguardo si arrestava sempre pina lungo sopra di lui . E cosi passeil primo giorno . Il giorno dopoparve che gli occhi del malato rive lassero umprincipio di coscienza.

Alla voce carezzevo le del ragazzo pareva che nu’e s p r e s s i on e

vaga di g r a t i t u d i n e gli bril lasse un m o m en t o nelle pupille , euna volta mosse un poco le labbra come se vo lesse dir qualche cosa.

Dopo ogni breve assopimento , riaprendo gli occhi, sembrava che

cercasse il suo picco lo infermiere . Verso sera, avvicinandogli il

bicchiere alle labbra,il ragazzo credette di veder sulle labbra gonfie

un leggierissimo sorriso . E allora comincio a riconfortarsi , a

sperare . E con la speranza d’ essere inteso , almeno confusamente ,gli parlava, gli parlava a lungo

, e lo esortava a farsi animo . E

EXERCISES .23 7

benchedubitasse sovente di non esser capito , pure parlava, perchegli pareva che, anche non comprendendo , il malato asco ltasse con

un certo piacere la sua voce.

1 Cf . 84 .

EXERCISE XXXVIII .

( I ) And so passed the second1 day, and the third, and the fourth .

(2 ) The hours , the days passed, and the boy was always there withhi s father

, palpitating at his every sigh,tossed without c easing

between h0pe and discouragement. (3) Th e fifth day, unex

pectedly, the sick-man grew worse. (4) The doctor when2 interrogated shook his head, as if2 to “ say that it was finished.

4

5 ) The

boy wept and yet one thing conso led him. (6) In Spite of2 the2

fact2 that he was growing worse it seemed to him5 that the sick-man

was“ slowly regaining a little i n t e l l i g e n c e . (7) He lookedalways more fixedly at2 the boy, he wished to take his m e d i c i n e

only from him,and he often made a movement of the lips as if he

wished to say something. (8) And the boy continued to watchhim. (9) Suddenly about four in7 the afternoon a man entered theroom

,fo llowed by one of the sisters. ( 1 0) On seeing him the boy

gave a sharp cry, the man turned “and also 2 gave a cry Father ! ”

“ Beppo ! My little Beppo ! ”— (r r)“But how is th is

,

”exc laimed

the father, looking at the sick-man,

“ they have taken you to the

bed of another ! ” ( 1 2)“Oh

,how glad I am ! how glad I am ! ”

stammered the boy. ( 1 3) And he could say no more. ( 1 4 ) And

now,my son

,I am well

,come

,let us go home. ( 1 5 ) We can still

reach home this evening.” ( 1 6) The boy turned “to look at the

sick-man, who at that moment Opened his eyes and looked at

2

h im. ( 1 7) No, papa,

”said he

,

“ wait— I cannot. ( 1 8) There is 12that oldman.

2( 1 9) I have been

11 with h im about five days. (20) I

thought he was you. (2 1 ) He always looks at me,he looks at 2 me

and then I give h im something 2 to 12 drink. (2 2) I do not knowwhohe is

,but he wants me

,he would die alone ; let me stay here

,dear

papa !”(2 3)

“ Stay,

”said the father

,

“stay ; you have a heart.

(24) I shall go home at once to relieve your mother of anxiety.

(2 5 ) Here is money for your needs. Good-by, my brave son.

”

1 Cf . 25 2 and 1 29 .

2 Omit .

3 Cf . 2 1 5 (a) .

‘1 Use feminine fo rm ; This and s imilar case s are a so rt o f neute r .5 Use d is junc tive fo rm . Why ? Cf . 8 1 (d) .

7 Cf . 1 982 Reflexive verb .

2 Place “

he also at end o f sentence .

1° C ’ e. Cf . 242 .

11 Cf . 2 2 5 .

12 Cf . 2 1 3 (d) .


EXE RCISE XXX IX .

Quante volte la settimana hanno lezione d’ italiano?— Quattrovolte, il lunedi , ilmartedi , il giovedi e il venerdi . Non abbiamo lezioneil merco ledi , me il sabato , e la Domenica efesta.

— Quanti abbiamo

del mese?— Eoggi il quindici. Oggi e venerdi . Domani l’ altro eDomenica. Merco ledi pro

’

ssimo sara il venti luglio, e l’ anniversario della nascita del poeta Petrarca. Ha le opere del Petrarca,signorina? — Sissignore,1 ne ho qui un vo lume. E iI secondo.

Ecco il mio sonetto prediletto alla pagina dugento trentasette.

Leggo spesso il Petrarca.— Mi dica qualche cosa della sua vita.

Volentieri, ma capira che non posso aver sulla punta delle dita

tutti i partico lari pinminuti della vita di messe’

r Francesco. Eglinacque in Arezzo .

— Allora non era fiorentino? —Mah ! Arezzo e‘

cosi vicino a Firenze ! Neppur Giovanni Boccaccio e nato a

Firenze, ma chi oserebbe non chiamar fiorentine le sue novelle

immortali ?— Bravo ! Continui.— Ebbene, Francesco Petrarca nac

que ad Arezzo il venti luglio del milletrecento quattro. Suo padre ,

amico di Dante e anch ’esso del partito ghibe llino , era stato bandito

da Firenze, dove esercitava un m o d es t o ufficio pubblico. Ripa

ratosi a Pisa, afli doi primi studj del figlio suo,allora in eta di sette

anni,ad un ve

’

cchio grammatico di quella citta. Due anni dopo,

avendo la morte dell’ imperatore Enrico se’ ttimo tolta ogni speranza

ai Ghibellini, il padre del Petrarca condusse la sua famiglia ad

Avignone, dove Clemente quinto aveva trasferito 1a corte pontiffcia. Nel milletrecentoventisette, il Petrarca, che aveva ventitreanni, s

’ invaghi d’ una be llissima giovane avignonese, chiamata

Laura. Se ella fosse stata libera, certo il Petrarca non avrebbeesitato un m om en t o a farla sua moglie, ma era sposa ad Ugo

di Sode. Nulladimeno, secondo l’usanza di quel secolo e special

mente di quel paese , comincioa scrivere per lei poesie-

che subito

lo resero illustre . Due amori dominano tutta la vita del Petrarca,l’ amore di Laura e quello della patria. Fu trovato morto il dici

otto luglio del milletrecentosettantaquattro nella sua biblioteca

ad Arqua. Aveva la testa piegata sopra un libro aperto, che era

1’ Ene’

ide di Virgilio.

1 Frequen tly used for si signore.

EXERCISE XL .

( 1) The fourteenth century was the go lden age of Italian literature. (2) Dante was born in Florence in the month of May, 1 265 ,


imparare bene , e il parroco mi dara le le zione .— Posso far cosi

anch ’ io,mamma Faremo il p o s s i b i l e tutt ’ e due , non fateci

andar via !— Ebbene, ne parleremo um’altra Volta, vi siete riposati,

facciamo ancora un pé di passeggiata.

1 Cf , 99 (b) .

2 See mtétere , 6 1 .

3 From venire,1 3 2 .

4 From c (u) ocere , 99 , From riuscire,1 30 .

EXE RCISE XLII .

( 1 ) It was very beautiful weather yesterday. (2) Did you take 1 aWalk (3) Yes, we took a walk together, Andrew and I . (4) We

went1 into the country and stayed there all day. 5 ) Do you remem

ber that day, two years ago ,when you and I went to Fiesole togetherYou and Charles and I . (6) Yes, we all remember that

,I am sure .

and shal l remember it always. (7) Now we are going to schooltogether, all three of us. (8) Our parents were thinking of entering us two years and a half ago , but Charles was not well then.

(9) The rector gave him lessons at home until he was we ll enoughto go away. (1 0) But he did all that he could at home. ( 1 1 ) We

will all do our best 2 in schoo l so that our parents may be proud of

us and glad when we go 3 home . ( 1 2) Do they give you long lessons? ( 1 3) Yes, they gave us very long lessons last year

, but we

had time also to take a walk every day. ( 1 4) It does one good totake a walk every day. ( 1 5 ) We often went into the country and

stayed there all day. ( 1 6) We rested under the trees and had

beautiful games, then when we were rested we walked on

4a little

farther. “ ( 1 7) How pleasant it is under the trees after one“ has

had “a walk !1 Preterite .

=possible .

3 Use future .

4 Omit . 5 “

ye t a litt le .= “

to have had .

”

EXE RCISE XLIII .

( 1 ) Sit down. (2) Why are you so troubled? (3 ) Because Iam going to my sick friend ’s house .

1(4) I must go there some !

time or other, although I cannot bear the thought of it. (5 ) Can

you go with me ? (6) Yes, but I have to finish my letter first.(7) I can

2 do it in a few minutes . (8) I ought to have 3 written ityesterday , but I could not do so

4 because my little brother wasslightly-ill “ and I had to amuse him the who le afternoon . (9) I

will wait. ( 1 0) Very well . We can go in ten minutes,can we

not ? ( 1 1 ) Yes.— Now I am ready.

“( 1 2) I am so glad that you

can go with me ; I really could not 3 have gone alone .

1 Da.

2 Future .

3 Cf . 82 .

4 “

it .

” 3 Cf . 1 66 . Use ecco .

EXERCISES .24 1

EXERCISE XLIV .

Anche il cammello e un a n i m a l e molto i m p o r t a n t e-non si

sa qui in Europa come’

e i m p o r t a n t e . Noi non abbiamo che

quelli che ci vengon fatti vedere ne’serragli

, e si suole pensarvicome a curiosita. Pero

.

non sono a n i m a l i piii fitili agli abitantidi certi paesi che i camelli. Paiono fatte queste povere bestie perquei v a s t i d e s e r t i sabbiosi , che non offrono al povero viaggiatore me un sorso d’ acqua, ne un filo d’ erba, né un asilo che valgaa difenderlo da’ raggi cocenti del sole . Ma i mercanti che debbonoportare le loro merci da un paese all

’altro

,debbon pure traversarli

que’

piani desolati ; guai a loro pero se non avessero i cammelli !Possono questi sopportar la sete molti giorni e non ne dogliono

come dorrebbero per ese’

mpio i cavalli . Dopo umgiorno di viaggiofaticosissimo giacciono tutta la notte sulla sabbia senza dolersene .

Po’ rtano con un movimento che piace a molti le persone sedute sul

dosso . Si pu‘

o chimarli, e con ragione, le navi del deserto . Ma

dovremmo sape’ re che anche queste navi fanno alle volte naufragio .

Esauriti finalmente cadono su quella sabbia cocente dove rassomigliano a quelle altre navi naufragate che si ve

’

dono sugli scoglipericolosi e sul le piagge crudeli , battute

,mezzo coperte dal l ’

e l em en t o che una volta era per loro solo un cammino sotto ipiedi .

EXERCISE XLV .

( I ) (3 )

( 1 ) We1 Eur0peans do not know how i m p o r t a n t ah

2animal2

(4) (5 ) ( 2)the camel is. (2 ) We are wont to think of the horse as the mostuseful a n i m a l . (3) We see came ls only in menageries ; neverthelesss we ought not to think of them as mere curiosities. (4) Manypoor trave lers would be3 lost in the great sandy deserts where no

horse could live , were it not that these pocr beasts seem made for

such countries . (5 ) A merchant,an inhabitant of a dry, sandy

land,told me that hi s camel did not suffer from thi rst during many

days of mostwearisome travel,and that it bore his wares over those

deso late plains without complaining. (6) The motion of the

camel was also very agreeable to h im,as to many people. (7) By

day he traveled seated on hi s camel ’s back,and by night he lay on

the sand by its side. (8) There were no trees which could defendhim from the scorching rays of the sun

,and his4 head ached some

times from the heat. (9) But it mattered nothing to the camel;


it seemed as though he did not notice “ the heat. ( 1 0) The desert

is wont to inspire fear in“ Europeans who do not know that thecamel is a ship which can cross it safe ly . ( 1 1 ) And yet it some

times happens that these c u r i o u s and interesting ships makeshi pwreck . ( 1 2) I have seen some which had fallen upon the hot

sand and were lying there like the wrecks seen on crue l reefs bythe seashore . ( 1 3) Th ese shi ps be long to the desert and at last are

conquered by their proper e l em e n t— that is,the sand— as those

other ships belong to the sea and at last fall,conquered by the

water. ( 1 4) I have wished7 to see the ships of the desert

,and now

I am 3content. ( 1 5 ) I know they can with reason be called so .

( 1 6) If I am ever obliged to cross the desert I shall choose a faithfulcamel as my ship, and I shall not be silent concerning 2 its virtues.

( 1 7) I am not silent concerning 2 them now. ( 1 8) Did it please youto hear about these a n im a l s ? ( 1 9) We ought to know more

about them than we generally do .

“

1 Noialtri .

2 Omit .

3 Use rimanere .

4 Use gli , .

Use badare .

2 to .

7 Preterite .

3 Repeat sapere.

ABBREVIATIONS .

adf. adjectiveadv. adverbart. artic leaug. augmentativeconj . conjunc tioncontr . c ontractiondef. definitedem. demonstrativedim . diminutivef. feminine noun

indef. indefinite .

inf infinitivein terj . interj ectioninterrog. inte rrogative

masculine noun

noun

Irregula r verb s are pre ceded by an aste risk .

Wh ere f. ,fo l low th e second o f two nouns bo th are o f the

same gende r .Wh e re va .

,vu .

,fo llow the second o f two verb s bo th are active

o r neuter as indicated .

A dash indicates th e repetition o f th e subj ec t-wo rd .

nume ralparticipleperson—

pe rsonalpluralpossessive

past partic ipleprope rprepositionpresen tpronounreflexivere lativesingularverbactive verbneute r verb

ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Aa prep ,

at , to

a = ai , cf. art. il, 40 , 43

abbassare ,t a . ,

to lowe r ; gli

occhi , to cast down the eye sabbastanza ,

adv. and n .,enough

,

suffic ientlyabbondanza , f ,

abundance

abitante ,m .

,inhabitant

aborrire,va .

,to abho r

accom iatare ,va . ,

to take leaveaccomodare

,va .

,to accommo

date,to put in o rde r

,to ar

rangeaccompagnare ,

va .

,to aecom

panyacqua , f ,

wateracquistare ,

va .,to obtain ,

t o gainadatto

,adj . ,

suitab leaddietro ,

adv,b eh ind

adesso ,adv.

,now

adoperare ,va .

,to use

,to make

use o f

afl anno,m .

,grie f

affannosamente ,adv.

,with diffi

cultyaffetuoso ,

adj ,affectionate

afi ezione , f. ,a ffection

aflidare,va . ,

to entrustaflinche, adv ,

in o rder to,to the

end thataguzzare

,va . ,

to sharpenala , f.

,wing

allentare ,va .

,to lo osen

allontanarsi , va . , to go away

allora ,adv. ,

thenalmeno ,

adv. ,at least

Alpe , f. pl. ,the Alps

altro,adj .

,o ther

,diff erent

,any

th ing e lseamare

,va .

,to love

,to like

amico,m .

,friend

ammalare,va .

,to fall ill

ammansire,va . ,

to tame ; ou .

,to

become m ildamore ,

love,affection

analogo,adj .

,analogous

anche,adv ,

alsoancora ,

adv. , still , yet*andare

,ou . ,

to go

ane’

ddoto, anecdo te

anfiteatro,m .

,amph itheatre

animo,

mind,courage

,h eart ;

fare to take courageanniversario ,

m .,anniversary

anno,m.

,year

annunziare,va . ,

to announce

ansioso ,adj . , anxious ,

uneasyantico ,

adj . , ancient , oldanulare ,

m .,ring-finger

ape , f ,bee [culty

appena ,adv

,scarce ly

,w ith diffi

*apprendere ,zia .

,to learn

*aprire ,va .

,to open

arditezza, f ,

bo ldnessaria , f. , air , lo ok ,

mien

arrestarsi,

ref ,to stay

,to res t

arrichirsi,

ref ,to grow rich

arrivare,vu . ,to reach

,to arrive at

arrivo ,vu.

,arrival


asco ltare ,va . ,

to listenasilo ,

rm,asylum , re fuge

assegnare ,va . ,

to assignassenza , f ,

absence

assicurare ,va .

,to assure

assistente ,one who ass ists ,

an attendant*assistere ,

va . ,to assist

asso luto ,adj . ,

ab so luteassopimento ,

drowsin e ss ,

coma

attaccare , va . ,to attach ,

un iteautore ,

autho ravanti , adv. ,

be fo re*avere ,

va .,to have ; sonno ,

to be sleepyAvignone , pr . n . ,

Avignonavvicinarsi , ref. ,

to approach

Bbadare, ou .

,to no tice

bambino ,m .

,baby ,

childbanca , f ,

bench

bandire , r1a . to ban ish

barbaro ,barbarous

battere ,va . ,

to beat , strikebello ,

adf. , beautifulbenche, adv. ,

alth oughbene , adv. ,

well*bere (bévere) , va .

,to drink

bestia , f. ,beast

bianco ,adj . , white

biblioteca ,lib rary

bicchiere ,rm ,tumb ler , glass

bimbo ,in fant

biscotto ,m biscuit

bisognare ,ou . ,

must , to be necessary

bocca , f ,mouth

braccio ,m . ,

arm

bravo ,adj .

,brave

,skill ful ; 19n

terj . , expressive of approval

breve ,adj ,

brie f,sho rt

brillare,ora,, to shine

bruno ,adj . ,

b rown,dark

bue,

0x ; carne di bee fbuono ,

adj .,good

,kind

buttare ,va .

,to th row

,fling

C*cadere ,

va .,to fall

caduta, f.

, fallcafle, co ffeecalamaio , inkstandcaldo ,

adj .,warm

,hot

calzoni , m . trowserscambiare ,

va .,to change

camera, f. , room ,

chambe rcamerone ,

m . aug. o f camera, big

room ,ward (o f a hospital)

cammello , camel

cammino, road

campagna ,f .

,country

campagnuolo , m. and adj . ,rus

t ic

Campidoglio ,m . , the Capitol (at

Rome )campo ,

m.,fie ld

canarino , canary-birdcane

,m .

,dog

capire ,va .

,to understand

cappello , hat

carattere,rm

,characte r

carezza , f.,caress

carezzevo le ,adj .

,caressing

Carlo, pr . Charles

carne, f.

,meat

caro,adj . , dear

carrozza , f. ,carriage

carta, f.

, pape rcasa

, f. , house

cavallo , m ho rsecercare , va . , to search

, seekcerto , adj . , certain


destra, f.,right hand

di, prep ,

of

di,m .

,day

diciotto ,mun

,eighteen

dieci , mura .,t en

*dife’

ndere,va .

,to de fend

, pro tectdifl icile

,adj ,

difficultdimenticanza .

, f.,forgetfulness

dimenticare,va .

,to fo rget a,

dimorare,vu .

,to live

,dwe ll

dimostrare,va . ,

to show, prove

dintorno ,m. ,

environsdipendenza , f.

,dependence

*dire,va .

,to say ,

te ll,re late

direttore ,m. ,

directo rdirettrice , f. ,

directressdirezione , j ,

managemen t,di

rector ’s officediritto

,m .

,right

discorso ,m . ,

dis c ourse,sermon

dito ,finge r

*divenire ,vm.

, t o become

*dividere ,va .

,to divide

dolce ,adj ,

swe e t,so ft

do lcemente ,adv.

,so ftly

,gent ly

do lcezza , f.,sweetness

,mildness

*dolere , vu . ,to suffer ; — dolersi ,

ref. ,to lamen t , complain o f

domando, f.

,demand

, questiondomandare

,va .

,to demand

,ask ;

di,to ask for

,ask after

domani,

adv. ,t o m o r r o w ;

l ’ altro,day after to -mo rrow

Dome'

nica , f. ,Sunday

dominat e ,va .

,to dominate ,

com

mand

dominazione , f. ,domination

donna , f. ,woman

dopo , prep. and adv. ,after , after

wardsdosso ,

back

dove ,adv.

,where

*dovere , va . , to be necessary,

must , oughtdubitare ,

vu . ,to doubt , fear

duca ,duke

due,num. , two

dugento ,num.

,two hundred

durante ,adj and prep ,

during

e, conj ,and

ebbene ,interj ,

very welleccezione , f. , exceptionecco ,

adv. and interj ,h ere is

,

there is , beho ldedificazione , j . e d i f i c a t i o n ,

buildingEgiziano ,

adj and E gyptianelemento ,

m .,e lemen t

emigrare ,vu . ,

to emigrateemisfero ,

rm,h emisphere

Enrico , pr . Henryentrare ,

va .

,to enter

erba , f.,herb

, grasserre , f. ,

the le tte r r "* esaurire ,

va . ,to exhaust

esclamare ,va .

,to exc laim

esempio ,m . ,

example ; per for

instanceesercitare ,

va . ,to exerc ise

,fo l

low some business , fill o fficeesitare ,

vu .,to h esitate

esortare ,va .

,to exhort

espressione , f.,expression

essa , pers . pron ,she

*essere , vu .,to be

essere ,rm,

beingesso , pers . prom,

he

estremita, f.,extremitv

estremo,m .

,extreme

,extremity

eta, f.

,age .

Etrusco,adj and m .

,E truscan

Europa , i . pr . Europe

ITALIAN ENGLISH VOCABULARV

Ffamiglia , f. ,

fam ilyfamigliare ,

m .,familiar , intimate

friendfanciullo

,m child ,

little boy* fare

,va to do ,

make ;— entra1e ,

to put ; male , to injure ,hurt ;

una passeggiata ,to take a

walk ; vento ,to b low ; tre

mesi fa ,three months ago ;

farsi , ref ,to become

faticoso ,adj ,

labo rious ,fatigu

ing,hard

fatto,fact

fatto,ad] and pp. of fare ,

com

ple te ,finish ed

favorito,m . ,favo rite

fede , f. ,faith

fermare,va . ,

to stop ; fermarsiref to stop . pause

festa , f.

,ho liday ,

festivalfiglio

,m son ,

ch ildfiglia

, f daugh te r,child

figliuolo ,m .

,son ,little son

filo ,m . , th read ,

b ladefin

,fino

,fino a

,adv.

,until , as far

as ; da, fromfinale , adj , finalfinalmente , adv. ,

finallyfinestra , f. , window*fingere ,

va . ,to feign

finire ,va .

,to finish

fiore ,m .

,flower

Fiorentino , pr . n . and adj ,Flo r

entine

Firenze , pr . Flo rencefiume ,

m.,river

fondo ,m .

,depth ,

bo ttom ,heart ,

end

forma , f. ,fo rm ,

manne r , way

forte ,adj ,

strongfra , prep ,

with in,among , to

249

francese , adj and pr . rt . ,French

Francia, f. pr . France

franco,adj and pr . Frank

frate , m. ,monk

, bro ther (in a

re ligious o rder)fratello , m .

,bro the r

fuori, prep ,without

, outs ide

gamba, f.,leg

genitore , m .

, paren tgente, f.

,nation , people , race

gentile,adj ,

gentle,

courteous,

nice

gentilezza, f. , courtesy ,kindn ess

Germania, f. , pr . Germany

gettare,va .

,to throw

ghibellino,adj and pr . n .

,Gh i

bellinegia, adv.

,already

giacchetta, f.

,j acke t

*giacere , vn .

,to lie down

giardino,m .

,garden

gino’

cchio,m . ,knee

gioia, f.

, joy ,m irth

giorno , day

giovane (giovine) , adj ,young

giovane (giovine) , m . and f.,

youth,young man

,young

woman

giovedi,m Thursday

giocare (giuocare) , va .

,t o play

giuoco , m .,gam e

,sport

giurare,va .

,to swear

grammatico,m .

,grammarian

grande,adj ,great , b ig,

wide

grandezza, f.,greatness

,large

ness

grave, adj , heavy , seriousgrazia

, f. , grace pl. grazie,thanks

Gre’

cia, f. pr . n . ,

Greece


grosso ,adj ,

big, fullguai , interj ,

woe ! b eware !guancia , f. ,

cheekguardare ,

va .,t o look at

guardia, f.

,guard

guidare,va .

,to guide

guizzare,vn .

,to glide

,s lide

gusto ,m. ,

taste ,satis faction ,

pleasure

I

ieri , adv. ,yesterday ; l ’ altro ,

day be fo re yesterdayil

,def. art. ,

cf. 40 , 43

illustre adj ,illustrious ,

famous

immagme, f. , picture , image

immortale ,adj ,

immo rtalimparare ,

va . ,t o learn

imperatore ,m .

,empero r

importante ,adj ,

impo rtantimprestare ,

va . ,to lend

improvvisamente ,adv. ,

unex

pectedly ,sudden ly

in, prep ,

in,into

inchiostro ,m . ,

ink

inconsiderato ,adj ,

inconsider

ate,foo lish

incontrare ,va .

,to mee t

indi,adv.

,afterwards

indice,m. ,

index-finger

infangare ,va .

,to soil with mud

infermiere ,m. nurse

,attendant

infermo,adj ,

infirm , ill

ingenuo ,adj ,

ingenuousinglese ,

adj and pr . Englishinimico ,

m. and adj ,enemy , in

iniziativa , f. , initiative [imical

insegnare ,va . ,

to teachinsetto ,

rm,insect

insieme,adv. and prep ,

togethe r*intendere ,

va .,to understand

,

intend ,mean

interessante,adj ,

interestinginterrogare ,

va .

,to inte rrogate

,

ask ,examin e

*interrompere ,va . ,

to inte rruptintitolare

,va .

,to entit le

invaghire ,va . and ref.

,to fal l in

love withinvasore ,

m . , invaderinvolto , rm, bund le , packe tinzuppare ,

va .

,to soak

io, pers . pron ,

I

irregolare,adj ,

irregularItalia, pr . n .

,Ita ly

labbro ,m. ,

lip

lamentarsi,v. ref ,

to lamentlapis , m. , pencil

lasciare,va . ,

to leave,let

latte,m. ,

milklavagna

, f. ,blackboard

* le’ ggere

,va .

,to read

leggiero ,adj ,ligh t

lei , pers . pron ,h er

, she (you) ;dare del to use th e pronounlei (

“

you in addressing oneleone , lion

Leone , pr . Leo

lettera , f.,lette r

letto , bed

lettura, f.

,reading

levare ,va .

,to li ft ; v. ref ,

to rise,

arise ; risinglezione , f. , lessonli

,adv.

,th ere

liberare,va . ,

to liberate ,set free

libero,adj ,free

libro,m. ,

bookLi dia, f. pr . n .

,Lydia

lingua, f. ,tongue , language

lo,def. art. and pers . prom, him ,

it , the


naufragio ,m. ,

shipwrecknave

, f. , shipne, pers . pron , us , to us

,some

,

o f it , for it ; adv.

,thence

n‘

e, conj ,neither

,nor

nemmeno ,adv. ,

neither,nor

e ither,not even

neppure ,adv.

,neither

,nor-e ither

nessuno ,adj and indef. pron ,

no,none

,nobody

nevvero ,contr . of non evero

niente ,m .

,nothing

nipote , m .,nephew

no, adv.,no

,not

noi , pers . pron ,we

,us

nominare ,va .

,to name

non ,adv. ,

no,not ; che, only

nonno ,grandfather

nostro , pom ,our

,ours

notizia, f. ,news

,notice

notte , f. ,nigh t

novella , f. ,story

,tale

nulla ,m . and adv.

,no thing

nulladimeno ,adv.

,neverthe less

nuovo ,adj ,

new

0,in ierj ,

oh !

occhiata, f.

,glance

occhio ,m . ,

eye

occidentale,adj ,

o 0 C i d e n t a lwestern

*offrire,va .

,to offer

oggi , adv. ,to-day

ogni , adj ,every

omino,dim. of uomo

,young

man,little man

onorabile,adj ,

honorab leonore ,

m . ,honor

opera , j ,work

, piece o f work,

literary productionOperaio ,

m. ,workman

ora , f.,hour ; adv.

,now

ordinario,adj ,

ordinary,usual

ordiniariamente ,adv.

,o rdinarily

origine, f. ,

o riginoro ,

m.,go ld

orrore ,ho rror

osare,vu .

,to dare

ospedale m .,hospital

osservazione , f.,observation

otto ,num .

,eight

ovest , m.,west

P

pacco , package ; dim , pacchetto

pace , f., peace

padre ,father

paese ,m .

,country

pagina , f., page

paio ,m .

, pairpalazzo ,

m ., palace

pallido ,adj , pale

panno ,m .

,c lo th ; pl. , c lothes

papa,m .

, papa ,father

parecchi , adj pl.

,severa l

*pare

’ re,vn .

,to seem

,appear

parlare ,vu . ,

to speak ,talk

parola , f. , wordparte , j . partparticulat e ,

adj , particularpartire ,

vn .,to go away ,

come

from, proceed from

partito , partypassare, vu . ,

to pass , go

passeggiata , f.,wa lk

,drive

,turn

passeggio ,m . , walk

patronato ,rm, patronage ; co~

lastico , pro tection ,assistance

pavimento , pavement , pavedfloo r

pellegrino , pilgrim ,stranger

penna , f.

, pen

pensare , va .,to think

ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY .

pensiero ,m .

,thought

pensieroso ,adj ,

thoughtful, pen

sive

pentirsi , . v. ref ,to repent

per , prep ,for

,by ,through

,to ,

in o rder toperche, adv. ,

why , because

*perdere ,

va .

,to lose

perdonare ,va .

,to pardon ,

for

giveperfino ,

adv.,even

pericoloso ,adj , peri lous ,

dan

gerous

periodo ,m .

, periodpero, conj ,

therefore,but

persona , f., person

Petrarca , pr . n .

,Petrarch

pezzo m . ,bit

,sho rt time

*piacere ,

vn . to please ; m ., pleas

ure ; per please ,kindly

piaggia , f.

,shore , strand

*piangere (piagnere) ,vn . to weep

piano ,m . and adj , plain

piazzetta , f. , small square ,mar

k et-piace

picchiare ,va . ,

to knock [one

piccino ,adj ,

small ; m . ,little

piccolo ,adj ,little

piede ,foo t

piegare ,va . ,

to bend ,bow

pieta, f. , piety , pitypietra , f. ,

stonepietruzza , f.

,dim. of pietra

pigliare ,va .

,to take ; in pre

’

s

tito ,to borrow

piovoso ,adj , rainy

piu,adv. and m . ,

mo re ; i piix,majo rity ,

the most,most peo

ple

poco ,adj and adv.

,lit tle

,few

,

no t much

poesia , f., poetry , poem

2 5 3

poeta ,m. , poet

poi , adv.

,then

poiche, adv. ,since

,because

poli tico ,m .

, po liticianpollice ,

m .,thumb

polso ,m . , pulse

popo lo , people ,nation

,race

portare ,va to carry

possibile ,adj , possib le ; ilmio

my bes t*poté re ,

e .,to be ab le ; power

povero ,adj , poo r ; poverino ,

dire , poor , dearprecisamente ,

adv.

,exactly ; pre

ciso,adj , precise

predicatore ,m . , preacher

prediletto ,adj , prefe rred ,

fa

vorite

pregare ,va . , to pray , beg

*prendere ,

va . ,t o take

preparare ,va .

,to prepare

presentare ,va .

,to present ; v.

rej , presentarsi , to appearprestito ,

m . ,bo rrowing

presto ,adv.

, quicklyprezioso ,

adj , prec iousprima , adv. ,

before,at first

primo ,adj ,

firs tprincipio ,

m.,beginning

procurare , va .,to procure , h e lp

to ,cause to give

pronto ,adj , ready , prompt

pronunzia, f. , pronunc i ationproprio ,

adj , proper , peculiar ;adv. , real ly

proseguire . va to pursue

prossimamente , adv soon

shortlypross imo

,adj ,

near , nex t

punta , f. , po rn t . end

pupi lla , f. , pupil o f the eye

pure ,conj , ye t , still also


Qqualche ,

adj ,some

,any ,

few ;

volta ,some times

quale ,adj and pron ,

wh ich ,what

quando ,adv. ,

wh en

quanto ,adj ,

h ow much ,how

many,all ; abbiamo del

mese , what day o f the monthis it ?

quarto ,mum. adj ,

fourthquasi , adv. , almostquattro ,

awn ,four

quello ,adj and dem . pron , that ,

that oneque

’ rcia , j , oak

qui , adv. ,h ere

quindici,wa rm

,fifteen

quinto ,num . adj ,

fifth

Rraccontare ,

va . ,to te l l , re late

ragazzo ,rm ,

boy

raggio ,rm

,ray ,

beam

ragione , f.

,reason

rallegrare ,vn . and ref ,

to re

jo ice ,be glad

rammentarsi , v. ref ,to rem em

b er ,recall

rapa , f. ,turnip

rassomigliare ,e . ,

to resemb lere, m .

,king

recare ,va .

,to bring

,give

recentemente ,adv. , recen tly

regalare ,va . ,

to present , make a

pres ent o fregno ,

m . , kingdomregola , f. ,

rule*rendere ,

va . ,to render , give

back ,make

restat e ,vu .

,to remain , stay

restio , adj ,restive

Ssabato , m. ,

Saturdaysabbia , f. , sand

riaprire ,va . , to re -Open

Ricciardo , pr . Ri chardricevere ,

va . , t o rece ive “

riconfortarsi , v. rej ,t o take

couragericonoscente ,

adj ,grateful

riconoscenza , f.

,gratitude

*riconoscere , va .,to reco gnize

ricordarsi , v. rej ,to remember

* ridere ,laugh ; di

,

-to

laugh at

rigo,m . ,line

*rincrescere ,vu .

,to be s o rry

ringraziare ,va .

,to thank

rinunziare ,va . ,

to renounce,

give upriparare ,

vn . ,to reso rt

,fly for

sh e lterripigliare ,

va . , to resume,take

againriportare ,

va . ,to bring back

riposarsi , v. rej ,to rest

*riscotere (riscuotere) , va .

, to

tremb le,shake ,

to re turn to

one’

s senses .

riso ,m . ,

rice

rispettoso ,adj ,respectful

*rispéndere ,vn . ,

t o answe rritratto ,

m . p icture , po rtrait* riuscire ,

vrz. ,to succeed ,

turnout to be , become

rivelare ,va . ,

to revealriverenza , f.

,reverence

,respect ,

saluteriverrre ,

va . ,t o revere ,

hono r,

saluteRoma

, pr . Rome

rosso ,adj ,

red

56 ITALIAN GRAMMAR.

Spagna , pr . Spainspagnuolo ,

adj and pr .

ish

spalla , f. ,shoulde r

specialmente ,adv.

,e specia lly

speranza , f.,hope

sperare ,va .

,to hope

spesa , f.,co st

,expense

spesso ,adv.

,o ften

spiegare ,va . , to explain

staccarsi , v. rej ,to de tach , leave

stanco ,adj ,

tired ,fatigued

*stare,vu.

,to stand ,

to be

stile,m .

,style

* stringere (strignere) va .,to bind ,

draw toge th erstudiare ,

va .,to study

stfidi o ,m. ,

studysubito ,

adv. ,sudden ly

,soon

, at

once

sublime,adj ,

sub lime

suo, pass . ,

his,her

,he rs

suora , f. ,sis ter

,nun

superiore ,adj , supe rio r , upper

svoltata , f.,turn

,co rner (of a

stree t)

Ttagliare

,va . , to cut

tanto,adj and adv.

,so much

,so

many,such a

tastare ,va . ,

to touch , fee ltata ,

m . ,father

,daddy (infam

tine wo rd)ti vola , f. ,

tab lete, pers . prom ,

thee,thou

tedesco adj and pr . n German

tempermo,m .

, penknifetempo ,

time,weathe r

* tene’ re ,va .

,to have ,

h o ldterra , f.

,earth

terreno ,m .

,ground

,land

terzo ,m. and mum . adj ,

third

testa , f. ,h ead

Tevere , pr . n . ,Tibe r

timore ,m . ,fear

,apprehension

tiratina , f. ,debate ,

contention ,

sco ldingtoccare

,va . ,

to touch* togliere (torre) , va .

,to take ,

take awaytornare ,

vn . , to return,

“

come

backToscana

, pr . n .,Tuscany

toscano,adj and pr . Tuscan

tossire ,vu .

,to cough

traccia, f.

,trace

tragedia , f. , tragedytranquillitA, f.

, tranqui llitytranquillo , adj ,

tranquil , quiettrasferire ,

va . , to trans fe rtratto ,

m . , turn , time ; ad

all at once

traversare ,va .

,to cross

tre,mun ,

th reetremare ,

vn ., to tremble

trenta,mun ,

th irtytristo ,

adj ,sad

, bad

triumviro,m .

,triumvir

trovare,va .

,to find

tuo, poss . ,

thy ,th ine

Torino , pr . Turintutto ,

adj ,all

Uuccello ,

m. ,b ird

ufl icio ,m. ,

o ffi ce,charge

ultimo , adj ,las t

umano ,adj ,

human

Umberto , pr. 7L ,Humbert

unghia, f.

,nail

uno ,ind . art. and mura. , a

,

one

uomo,m.

,man

ITALIAN-ENGLISH VOCABULARY

usanza, f. , use ,

custom>“uscire

,vu .

,to go out

,come out

utile,adj ,

use ful

V

vago,adj ,

vague

*valére ,

vu .

,to suffi ce

,have the

powe r , be worthvasto ,

adj ,vas t

Vaticano , pr . n .,the Vatican

ve’

cchio,adj ,

o ld ,ancient

*vede' re ,

va . ,to see

veleno ,m . , po ison

venerdi,m . ,Friday

*venire

,v u.

,to come (to be)

venti , 1mm . ,twenty

vero ,adj ,

true ,real

verso , prep ,towards

vesti re ,va .

,to dress

via , f., street , way ,

roadvia , adv. ,

more,much more

,

away

viaggiare , vn . , to travel , j ourney

2 5 7

viaggiatore ,m trave ler

viaggio , j ourney,fare un

to take a tripvicino

,adj and prep ,

near,next

violenza , f.,vio lence

visita, f visit

viso ,111 face

vispo ,adj ,

me rry,live ly

vista , f. ,sight ; a prima

(first) sigh tvita

, j lifevivacité

, f.,vivaci ty

voce , f. ,vo ice

voglia , f. ,will , des ire

vo lentieri , adv. , willingly , glad lyvelta , f. , turn , time ; alle volte ,

at times,sometimes

volume , volume

vostro , poss . , your , yours

ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY.

Aabho r , va . ,

aborrireab le ,

t o be vu ., potére

about , prep ,circa di

absence , assenza ,

abso lute,adj ,

assoluto ‘

accompany ,va .

,accompagnare

ach e ,dole

’ re,vn .

afraid ,t o be temere ,

va .

,aver

pauraafter

, prep ,dopo

afte rnoon ,dopopranzo ,

m .

a fterwards,adv.

,indi

, piti tardiago ,

an h our un’ora fa

air , aria ,

all,adj ,

tuttoa lmost

,adv. ,

quasia lone

,adj ,

soloa loud

,adv.

,ad alta voce

Alps , pr . le Alpea lso

,conj ,

anche

always,adv. ,

sempreamong

, prep ,da

amphith eater , anfiteatro , m .

amuse , divertire ,trattene’ re ,

va .

ancient,adj ,

anticoand

,conj , e

anecdo te , aneddoto ,m .

anniversary . anniversario ,m .

ano ther , adj and altro,um

altroanxiety , pena ; f.

appear , *parere ,vn .

apply ,applicar , va . ; applicarsi ,

ref.

approach ,avvicinarsi

,v. ref.

arm braccio,m .

weapons) , le armi, pl.

arrival,arrivo

,m.

arrive,arrivare , vn .

as,adv.

,siccome

ascend ,*ascendere

,

* salire,va .

ask ,domandare

,va .

assure,assicurare

,va .

aunt,zia

, f.

autho r , autore ,m.

Bbaby , bambino , 144 .

back,dosso ,

m .

bank,sponda ,

riva, f.

be ,*e’

ssere , vu . ; to hungry,

th irsty ,hot

,co ld

,aver fame

,

sete ,caldo

,freddo ; to ten

years o ld , aver dieci anni ;

how are you how do you

do) , come sta

bear, portare ,

sopportare ,va .

beast,bestia , i .

beat to give b lows) , battere ;to conquer) , vincere ,

va .

b eautiful,bello ,

adjb ecause ,

conj , percheb ecome

,

*farsi , v. ref.bed , letto ,

m.

bee,ape , f.

begin, cominciare ,

va . ;*metter

si a,v. ref.

be ing , e'

ssere,m .

be long , *appartenere , w .

25 8


demand,domanda

, j ; to excellence ,ecc

e

ellenza ,

mandare ,va . exception ,

eccezione , f.

departure , partenza , f. exclaim,esclamare

,va .

dependence ,dipendenza , f. excuse

, scusare ,va .

dese rve,meritare

,va . explain ,

spiegare ,va .

deso late ,adj ,

deserto eye , occhio ,m.

destroy ,*distruggere ,

va .

die ,*morire

,vn .

difficult,adj ,

difl icile

difficulty, diffi colta, j ; with viso

,m

affannosamente ,adv.

director,direttore ,

rn .

direc tress,direttrice

, i.do

,

* fare,va .

doc to r , medico ,rrz.

dog,cane

,m .

door , porta ,

dry , adj ,arido

duke,duca

,rn .

during, prep ,

durante, per

dwell,dimorare

,m .

E

each, pron ,

ciascuno

edifice ,edificazione , j

E gyptian ,adj and pr . rL. ,

egi

zianoeith er

,conj ; nor neppure ,

nemmeno

empire ,impero ,

744 .

end,fondo ,

m .

enemy,nemico

,inimico

,m .

enough,adv. ,

abbastanzaenrich

,arrichire ,

va .

enter,entrare

,vn .

entitle,intito lare ,

va .

E truscan,adj and pr . rt

,etrusco

Europe ,Europa , pr . rt .

even ing , sera , i.eve r

,adv.

,mai

every,

adj and pron , ogni ,ognuno

,ciascuno

face,faccia

, j ;fact

,fatto

,m.

faith,fede , i.

faith ful,adj ,fedele

fall,

*cade

’

re , vrt . ; caduta, f.

familiar , adj and familiarefamily , famiglia , jfar , adj and adv.

, lontano ; adv. ,

lungefast

,adv.

, presto , so l lecitamentefather

, padre ,m .

feel, sentire , tastare , va .

feign,*fingere ,

vn .

few,adj and qualche ; pochi ,

m . , poche , i .find

, trovare ,va .

finge r,dito

,rn

finish,finire , va .

first,adj , primo ; adv. , prima

five, cinque , 1mm .

fixedly ,adv.

, fissamente

fligh t (of stairs) , branco ,m.

floo r, pavimento ,

m .

Florence,Firenze , pr . n .

Flo rentine ,adj and pr . n .

,

fiorentino

flower, fiore ,

m.

fo llow ,

* seguire , seguitare ,va .

foo lish,adj ,

inconsideratofoo t

, piede ,m.

fo r, prep , per ; conj , poiche

fo rmerly,adv.

,altre volte , f. pl.

fo rtunate,adj ,fortunato

ENGLISH -ITALIAN VOCABULARY .

found,fondare

,va .

fourth , adj ,quarto

free,liberare ,

va .

French ,adj and pr . n . ,

francesefriend , amico ,

m.

gain , acquistare ,va .

game,giuoco ,

m.

gate, porta , f.

gaze ,to at , guardare ,

va .

generally ,adv.

,generalmente

gentleman , signore , rn.

German,adj and pr . tedesco

Germany , Germania , f. pr . n .

girl , ragazza , i .

give,

*dare ,va .

glad ,adj ,

contentogladly ,

adv. , volentierigo ,

*andare ,vn . ; to away ,

an

darsene , ref ; to out ,*uscire ,

vrt .

go ld, oro ,

m.

go lden ,adj ,

d ’oro ,m .

good ,adj , buono ,

dabbene

(placed after noun) ; day ,

buon giorno ; by , addio ; to

do to,far bene a

governo r , governatore ,m.

grace ,grazia , f.

grand ,adj ,

grande ; — father ,nonno ,

rm; —son,nipote ,

m .

grass, erba , f.

gratitude ,riconoscenza , i .

great , adj ,grande ; greater ,

maggiore ; very great , sommo

greatness , grandezza , f.

Greece, Grecia , f. pr. 11.

green ,adj ,

verdeground

,terreno ,

m .

guide , guidare , va .

26 1

H

hal f , adj ,mezzo

hand,mano

, f.

happen ,

*accade’ re

,vn .

happy ,adj , felice

hat, cappello ,

m .

have ,

*avere ,va .

head,capo ,

m .

h ear , *udire ,sentire , va .

heart , cuore , m .

heat , calore ,m .

hee l , tacco ,m .

hemisphere ,emisfero ,

m .

Henry,Enrico , pr . 11 .

h ere ,adv. , qui , qua;

— is , ecco

his, pass , suo

h istory , storia , f.home

, casa , f.

honorab le , adj ,onorabile ,

ono

re’

volehope ,

sperare ,va . ; speranza , f.

ho rse, cavallo ,

m.

ho t,adj ,

caldohouse , casa , j ; at the o f

,da

,

prep.

how,adv. , come

, quantohoweve r

,adv.

,benche pero

human,adj , umano

if,conj ,

se ; as come se

ill,adj ,

malato ; dint , somewhatill, s ickly ,

malatri ccio

indeed ,adv. and interj

, davveroindex (finger) , indice ,

m .

inhabitant , abitante ,m .

ink -well , calamaio ,m.

insect , insetto ,m .

inspire ,inspirare , va .

instinct , istinto , m .

interesting , adj ,interessante

interrogate ,interrogare

,va .


intimate,adj ,

intimo

invader , invasore ,m .

irregular , adj ,irrego lare

Ita ly,Italia

, f. prf n .

I

John, Giovanni , pr . rt .

journey , viaggio , m.

jump ,saltare

,vn .

!

keep ,conservare ,

va .

kindly ,adj ,

buono

king,re, m.

kingdom,regno ,

m .

kiss,baciare ; — rep e a t e d -l y

,

sbacciuccare , va .

‘

1

knock, picchiare ,

va .

know,

— by the senses *conosce

re ; recognize ,

by th e m ind ,* sapere

Llack , mancare

,vn .

lady,signora , 7

“

land, terreno , ,

rn .

language,lingua

, f.

last , adj ,ultimo

,scorso ; at

adv.

,finalmente

laugh ,

*ridere,vn .

lav *porre ,

va .

learn,imparare, va .

leave,lasciare va . ; to take

accomiatarsi,ref.

lecture,fare u~n discorso , parlare , f. ,

medici

vn .

le ft,adj ,

sinistroleg, gamba , flesson

,le zione

le tte r,le

’ tte ra, i

lie,

down,

*giacere p

vn .

life, vita, f.

like,adv. , come

like to love ) , amare,va

piacere ,e .

lion,leone ,

m .

lip ,labbro

,m .

lite rature ,letteratura

, f.little

,adj , picco lo , piccino ; adv.

and adj , poco

lively ,adj , vispo

long , adj ,lungo

look, at

‘

,guardare ,

va . ; to

for,c ercare ,

.va .

loosen ,allentare , va .

lo rdsh ip ,signoria

, i.

lose ,va .

love ,amore

, m.

love,amare

,va .

lowe r,abbassare

,va .

Lydia,Lidia

,rt .

M

mad,adj ,

mattomake

,

*fare,va .

man,uomo

,m.

manage ,fare in modo di

manner , modo ,m .

many , adj and m ,molti , rm;

molte , j ; so many , tanti , — e

master,maestro , padrone ,

m .

matte r,cosa , j ; t o impor

tare ,vn .

may ,maggio ,

m.

me, pers . prora ,

me, mi

m ean ,*intendere ,

va .

medicine , medicina

nale m .

meet,incontrare ,

va .

menagerie,serraglio

,m.

me rchant , mercante ,m.

mere,adj , puro ,

semplicemild

,to grow ammansirsi ,

ref.


part , parte , f.

pass , passare ,vn .

peace , pace , 72° r (lette r o f the alphab et ) , erre ,

pen , penna , f.

pencil , lapis , m . ,matita , f.

people , popo lo ,gente , f.

pe riod , periodo ,m .

picture , pittura , f. , ritratto ,m . ,

immagine, f.

piety , pieta, f.

plain , pianura , jplay , giocare (giuocare) , va .

pleasant , to be fare beneplease ,

*piacere ,

vn .

pleasing , adj , piace’

vo lepleasure , piacere ,

m .

plump ,adj ,grassotto

poet , poeta ,m.

poison , veleno ,m.

po litician , politico ,m.

poo r , adj , poveropo rtrait , ritratto ,

742.

power, potere ,

m .

praise ,lodare ,

va .

preacher , predicatore ,m.

precious , adj , preziosopresent , regalo ,

dono ,m . ; to

make a fare uh regalo ,un

dono

present , presentare ,va

press ,

* stringere ,va .

pro found ,adj , profondo

pronunciation , pronuncia , f.

prope r , adj , proprioproud ,

adj , superbo ,contento

province , provincia , f.

pulse , polso ,m .

pupil , scolare ,m.

Q rise , levarsi , v. ref.

queen ,regina , f. river

, fiume,m .

quickly ,adv. ,

subito road ,strada ,

via, f.

quiet , adj ,tranquillo ro sy

,adj , roseo

f.

race, gente , f.

ragged , adj ,stracciato

raise ,levare

,va .

range ,allungarsi

,v. ref.

rascal,briccone ,

furfante , m.

ray ,raggio ,

m.

read,* leggere ,

va .

reading , lettura , f.ready ,

adj , pronto

really,adv. davvero

reason ,rag1one , f.

recall,ricordarsi

,v. ref.

recently ,adv. , recentemente

reco gnize ,*riconoscere ,

va .

recto r, parroco ,

m.

red , adj ,rosso

ree f,sco

'glio , m.

regain , riacquistare ,va .

relate ,raccontare ,

va .

re lieve,levar (uno) di pena

remain ,

* stare ,restare ,

vn .

remark,osservare ,

va .

remembe r,ricordarsi , vn .

repeat , ripe' tere ,va .

reply ,

*rispondere ,vn .

republic ,repubblica , f.

respectful , adj , rispettoso

rest , riposarsi , v. ref.

restive , adj ,restio

resume,ripigliare ,

va .

right,diritto

,m .

righ t,adj ,

destro ; adv. ,a destra

ring-finger , dito anulare ,anulare ,

m

ENGLISH-ITALIAN VOCABULARY .

row ,fi la

, f.

rule ,rego la , f. ; (=dominion)

signoria , f.

run>“correre ; away ,

scappare ,

Ssad ,

adj , tristesafe ly ,

adv.

,sicuramente

salute ,salutare ,

va .

same,adj ,

stessosand ,

sabbia , f.

sandy ,adj ,

sabbioso

Saturday , sabato ,m.

say ,

*dire,va .

school , scuola , f.

sco lding , tiratina , f.

sco rching , adj ,cocente

sea,mare ,

m .

seasho re ,spiaggia, f.

seat , sedia , f.

second ,adj , secondo

see ,

*vede

’ re,va .

seek ,cercare ,

va .

seem ,

*parere ,

sembrare ,me .

September , settembre ,m .

series , serie , f.

shak e'

th e head ,cro l lare il capo

sharp ,adj ,

acutoshe , pron , essa

sh ip ,nave , f.

shipwreck , to make naufra

gare ,vn .

sh oe ,scarpa , f.

shoulde r , spalla , f.

show ,mostrare ,

va .

s ick,adj and m .

,malato

side ,lato ,

m .

sigh,sospiro ,

m .

s igh t , vista , f.

s ilent , to be *tacere ,vn .

Simon , pr. n .

,Simone

since ,conj , poiche

2 6 5

s ingular , singo lare ,m .

s ink,

* imme’ rgersi

,v. ref.

s iste r , sorella ; nun, suora , f.

sit (down ) , accomodarsi,v. ref.

s ix,mura.

,sei

s late , lavagna , f.

s leep ,sonno ,

m .

s leepy ,t o be aver sonno

s lowly,adv.

,lentemente

smal l,adj , piccolo

so,adv.

,cosi ; that

,afli nche

sob,singh iozzare

,vu .

so ldier , so ldato ,m .

some, pron ,

alcunisome thing , qualche cosa , f.

sometime ,or o the r

,umgiorno

o l ’ altrosome times

,adv. , qualche volta

soon,adv.

,subito

so rry , to be>1<rincrescere ,

vrt .

Spanish ,adj and pr . spa

gnuolo

speak , par lare ,vn .

spite ,in malgrado

sponge ,spugna , f.

square ,=park , piazza , f.

stair,scala

, f.

stammer . balbettare ,vn .

stare , guardar fissostaring , adj ,

fisso

statue,statua , f.

statute ,statuto

,m .

stay ,

* stare , restare ,vn .

stick , bastone ,m .

stone ,sasso

,m .

, pietra , f.stop , fermarsi

,v. ref.

stream ,ruscello ,

m .

street,strada

, f.

street- corner , svoltata , f.

strong , adj ,forte

study , studiare va .

,stfidio

,m.

stupid ,adj , scrocco

266

style ,stile , or .

subj ec t , soggetto ,rn .

sub lime,adj sublime

such ,adj and adv.

,tanto

suffer,

* soffrire,va .

, patire ,vn .

sun,sole ,

—rise,il levare del

solesupe rio r , adj , superioreswear , giurare ,

vn .

swe l l, gonfiare ,

vn .

swo llen,adj , gonfio

Ttab le ,

tavola , f.

take ,

>kprendere ,

* togliere ,va . ;

to — a walk,fare una pas

seggiata

teach ,insegnare

,va .

teache r,maestro ,

maestra , f.

tear,lagrima

,to burst into

tears ,scoppiare in lagrime

te ll,raccontare

,narrare

,va .

than ,adv.

,di

,che

thank ,ringraziare ,

va .

thanks,grazie

, f. pl.

that , pr . and dem . adj , quel ,quello ,

quel tale ; is,cioe

that , rel.

,che

their, poss .

,loro

then,

adv. ,allora , poi ; conj ,

dunquethere

,adv.

,II ; are ,

vi e, vi sono

thin,adj ,

magroth ing

,cosa , f.

think, pensare ,

va . ; credere , va .

th ird ,adj ,

terzothirs t

,sete , f.

this,dem. , questo

thought, pensiero ,

rn .

three,rmrn . , tre

through, prep , per

ITALIAN GRAMMAR .

verse , verso ,m .

ve ry,adv.

,molto ; adj ,

stessovex

,contrariare ,

va .

Vic to r Emanue l , pr . VittorioEmmanuele

th row , gettare , buttare ,va .

thumb, pollice m .

thus,adv. ,

co sr

Tibe r,Te’ vere ,

m .

time,tempo ,

Wt, volta , f.

tired,adj ,

stancoto -mo rrow

,adv.

,domani

to o,adv. ,

anche

toss, agitare ,

va .

towards, prep ,

verso

trace, traccia , f.

tragedy,tragedia , f.

tranquillity ,tranquillita, f.

trave l,viaggiare

,vrt ,

viaggio,m.

trave ller,viaggiatore , m.

tree,albero

,m .

trio,trio

,m .

triumvir,triumviro ,

rrt

troub le,*afli iggere ,

affannare,va .

true,adj ,

verotruly

,adv. ,

davveroTurin

, pr . n .,T0rino

turn,

va .

Tuscan,adj and pr rt ,

toscanotwo

,rmrrt

,due

Uunderstand

,capire ,

va .

unexpec ted ly ,improvvisamente

unfortunate,

adj ,sfortunato ;

— ly ,adv.

,sfortunatamente

un ite,unire ,

va .

until, prep ,

fino a

us, pron . pers . ,

noi

usually,adv. ,

ordinariamente

INDEX.

Q“ Heavy-faced figures refer to paragraphs .

a,masculine noun pl .

, p . 3 8 ,n . 1 ;

feminines in , 5 0 , 5 6 ; pl . o f

masc . o nouns ,63 ,

64 ; sign o f

feminine sing , 42 , 5 0 ; use o f

prep ,2 1 1 ; value o f

, 5 ; a,ad

,

3 6 (a) , p . 1 2 3 ,n . 3 .

ability ,idea o f

,rendered by o

'

s

sere buono a, p . 64 ,

Rem .

abstract nouns , 44 5 1 (b) ,

( I ) ; 5 0 ( 3 ) , n 3

accent , 3 1 , 3 2 , 3 3 , 3 4 , 3 5 ; fa lling on stem o f irr . verb ,

1 7 6 ;

role o f , in irr . vbs ., p . 1 1 7 ,

n . 1 .

accentuation , 3 0 ; o f wo rds to

which suffix added, p . 1 1 2 ,

n .

4 ; o f verba l fo rms com

pounded with conj . pron . , p .

76 ,n . 2 .

acute accen t,u se o f

, 3 3 .

ad for a, 3 6 (a ) .

addosso ,not to be translated

,

p . 1 24 ,n . 2 .

ad j ective , 44 agreement o f,

1 08 ; forms o f,1 09 ; used as

n .

,1 09 ,

Rem . 1 ; as pron .

,1 09 ,

Rem . 2 ;"

in -11e,fo rmation

adv . from, p . 1 5 7 ,

n . 3 irr .

,

1 1 8 ; place o f, 5 8 ,

1 2 9 ,1 3 0 ,

1 3 1 ,1 3 2 ; preceded by a ,

2 1 1 by di,2 1 2 by

da,2 1 3 ; used as adv .

,2 3 8 (a) ,

p . 1 5 8 ,n . I .

adverbs , c lasses o f , 23 6 ; o fman

ner,2 3 7 ,

2 3 8 ,2 3 9 ,

240 ; o f

place ,24 1 ,

242 ,243 ; o f de

gree and comparison ,

'

1 2 1, 1 2 2 ,

1 25 ,244 ; o f affirmation and

negatio'

n,245 ,

246 ; o f time,

247 ; comparison o f,248 ,

249 ;

po sition o f,2 5 0 ; fo rmation o f

,

o f manne r, 2 3 7 ,

238 ,23 9 ;

from -issimo and -errim0 adj . ,

249 (a) ; adj . sometimes,1 28 ;

fo rm abso lute superlative , p .

9 2 ,n . 3 ; modification o f

, 163 ,

p . 1 1 1,n . I .

ai in dates, p . 1 68

,n . r .

Alessandro magno, 44 ex.

(0) and n . 1 .

Alpe , 5 1 Rem .

altri added to noi, voi , 9 2 (b) .

altrimenti,2 3 7 (b) .

ambiguity o f possess ive avo ided ,

1 3 8 .

analytical and synth e tic com

parison ,1 20 .

andare used to expre ss progre ssive action , 8 1 (d) t o ex

pre ss duty ,8 1

andarsene ,1 07 .

2 70

-ando , pres . part . in,1 1 2 .

—ante, pres . part . in ,

1 1 1 ;-ante

for -ando in pres . part ., p . 4 9 ,

n . 1 ;-ante ,

-ente, part . in ,

be

comes noun , p . 1 46 ,n . 1 .

antimeridiano ,A .M . (ante meri

diern) , 25 6 (b) .

apposition ,nouns in , 49

arci 1 64 .

artic le ,repetition o f

, 46 ; def . ,

with superlative ,1 22 (a) ; in

def . ,omitted in exclamation ,

1 5 7 ; omitted with cento ,

mille ,etc .

,2 5 1 (c) ; in nume ri

cal titles ,2 5 7 .

assimilation , p . 2 5 ,Rem . 2 (c) .

-astro ,with adj . o f co lo r , p . 1 1 2 ,

n . 3 .

audacie , p . 44 ,n . 2 .

augmentative suffixes,167 .

auxiliary verbs , 74 ; tab les o f ,

RP 5 7 , 5 8 ; use o f, 7 6 , 7 7 ;

synopsis , 76 , 7 7 , 7 7 (a) and (b) .

78 , 79 ,80 ; modal aux .

,dovere ,

potere ,volere , fare ,

sapere ,as ,

lasciare as ,83 ; moda l

auxs .

,2 14 ; auxiliary reck

ened as vb .

,23 5 (a) .

avere , 74 ; in description , 44

verbs compounding with , 78 ,

79 (a) , 80 ; translating ,

Eng

lish to be in idioms ,84 ;

avere da ,84 (b) ; irr . o f , 1 80

past part . with ,1 1 3 (b) ,

p . 84 ,n . 1 ; to denote age ,

25 8 .

b ,value o f, 12 .

back vowels ,6 .

“

both ”

,rendering o f

,25 1 (e) ,

2 5 4 , p . 1 09 ,n . 4 .

bravo ,interj .

,as adj . , p . 1 7o ,

n . 4 .

INDEX .

cen for cento ,2 5 1 (f) .

cento ,without art .

, 49 25 1

(c) .

-cere ,y bs . in , 70

ch,value o f

, 1 6 .

characte ristic vowels o f reg.

vbs 67 , 68 , p . 5 1 ,n . 2 ; p . 5 2 ,

c,value o f

,14 ,

1 5 (a ) , 1 6 ; cc ,1 5 ,

Rem . ; c be fo re suffix ,1 24 ,

1 7 1

(a) .

-ca,adj . in ,

1 1 6 masculine sin

, 5 9 ; feminines in ,60 .

capitals , use o f, 3 7 .

cardinal numerals,

2 5 1 em

ployed in speaking o f days o f

month,25 5

-care ,y bs . ending in

, 69

Carlo magno , 44 Ex . (0) and

n 1

n . 1 .

che,rel . ,

145 ,146 ; as neuter ,

146 (a) ; as noun , p .

'

1 04 ,n . 1 ;

inter . , 1 54 ; in comparison ,

1 26 (b) , p . 94 ,n . 1 ; che non ,

1 2 7 ; t o introduce questionimplying doubt , p . 1 70 , n . 2 .

chi , rel .

,145 ,

148 ; chi-chi,148

(a) ; in ter . , 1 5 3 .

-chiare vh s . ,69

adv . use and place o f,242 ,

243 .

-ciare vbs . ,69

cio, 140.

circumflex accent , use o f , 34 .

cl instead of ch in learned wo rds ,

1 9 (c) ; except ion , p . 1 1 .

close e, 5 , 8 ; representing Latin

6 and i , 8 ; rules for , 9 .

close 0, 5 ,

8 ; representing Latin6 and ii , 8 ; rules for , 10,

1 1 .

2 7 2 INDEX .

1 26 (a ) , p . 9 5 ,Rem .

,2 1 2

in adv . expression ,2 1 2

diacritic signs, 3 5 .

-dico,adj . in ,

1 24 (a) .

diminutives,art . used w ith

, 45

Rem .

diminutive suffixes,1 66 .

diph thongs ,28 .

dire,irr . o f

,1 78 (b) , 1 80

disjunctive pers . pron ,85 ; ta

ble o f,86 ; use o f

,85 ,

87 ,88 ,

89 . 90 , 9 1 , 9 2 , 93 , 9 5 ; dis

junctive fo rms used wheretwo objects 98

doubling o f ini tial cons . in conj .

pron ., 99 (b) and n .

dropping o f vowe l, 99 (a ) ; be

fo re suffixes, 1 7 1 .

dappoco ,1 18 (e) .

E

e , value o f, 5 , 9 ; c and g be fo re

,

1 5 (a) , (b) ; gender o f nounsending in

, 5 1 ; pl . o f a (fem . )nouns in

, 5 6 ; sign o f fem . pl. ,

42 , 5 0 ; o f masc . pl . ,

ed for e, 3 6 (a) .

ei =egli , p . 66 ,n . 3 .

egli , ella used o f bo th personsand th ings

, p . 6 7 ,n . 2 .

eglino se ldom used in mode rnItal ian , p . 66

,n . 5 .

elision, 3 6 , p . 7 3 ,

n . 3 ; o f anche ,

che,nemmeno

,neppure , p .

1 4 2 ,n . 2 .

Ella ,Lei you 9 1 .

elleno se ldom used in modernIta l ian

, p . 6 6,n . 5 .

emo tion,subjunctive o f

,23 2

endearmen t,suffixes o f

,1 68 .

-ente ,

for end ) in pres part ., p .

4 9 ,n .

,

1 ; pres . part . in ,1 1 1 .

g.

11

value o f,

14 ,1 5 (b) , 16 ;

doub led ,I 5 ,

Rem . ;

suffix ,1 24 ,

1 7 1 (a) .

be fo re

-errimo,adj . in

,124 .

essere ,conj . o f

, 74 ; as aux . o f

refl . vbs . , 78 ,1 03 ,

1 14 ; irr of,

1 73 ,1 78 (b) , 1 79 ,

1 80 ; deno t

ing duration o f t ime,2 5 9 ; in

expressions o f time o f day ,

83 ,Rem . 1 ; past part . with ,

1 1 3 (a) , 1 14 ; use o f, 7 7 ,

Rem .

1 (p . vbs . compoundingwith

, 78 , 79 , 80 ; vhs . used in

stead of,8 1 .

esso , essa ,used o f both persons

and things, p . 6 7 , n . 2 ; used

redundantly with meco ,etc . ,

9 2 (a) .

euphony in placing adj . ,1 3 1 ; in

suffixes ,1 7 1 (b) .

-evole ,adj . in ,

1 24 (a) .

F

f,value o f , 1 2 ; for ph in wordso f Greek o rigin , p . 26

,Rem .

3 (b)fare

,conj . pron . with , 99 (p .

Rem . (d) ; irr . o f ,

use o f , 82 , 83 ; denotingduration o f time

,2 5 9 .

feminine ,fo rmation o f 5 4 ; nouns

masc . in ending , 30 ( 2) (a) .

-fico, adj . in ,

1 24 (a)finou sed with a

,da

,and in ,

184

and 11.

fractions , 2 5 2 (b) .

front vowe ls , 6 .

tu,1 18 (d) .

future ,fo rmed from inf . , 1 7 5 , p .

1 1 6 ,n . 6 ; use o f , 2 29 .

INDEX .273

—ga , adj . in ,

1 16

H

h,omission o f, p . 26 ,

Rem . 2 (d) ;in —care and —gare vbs .

,69 ;

value o f,16

,2 1

,2 7 , 5 9 .

hundreds , h ighe r numbers no t

counted by , 25 1 (d) .

I

1,c be fore

,1 5 (a) ; for y in wo rds

o f Greek o rigin, p . 26 ,

Rem .

3 (a) ; g be fore ,1 5 (b) ; gen

der o f nouns ending in , 5 1 ;

pl . o f nouns ending in, 5 7 ;

prefixed be fo re impure s, p .

1 2 3 ,n . 4 ; sign o f masculine

plura l , 42 , 5 0 ; to indicate pronunciation

,6 1

,69 70 ;

value o f, 5 ,

22 .

-iare y bs .

,69

il for 10, p . 7 2 ,

n . 1 .

ille , fo rms from, p . 1 02

,n . 3 .

11 quale,145 ; distinguished from

cui, 147 (a) .

impari , 1 18 (a) .

imperative , fo rce o f future,229

use o f,23 1 .

imperfect tense , 7 3 ; imperf . ind .

for conditional,2 3 0 (a) .

impersonal vbs .,

18 1 ; conj .pron . with

, 99 ,Rem . (a ) (p .

in, p . 3 2 ,

Ex . (a ) ; d eno ting end

o f mo tion,204 ( 2 ) and n . ;

with credere , p . 1 4 2 ,n . r .

inchoatives,Latin

, p . 5 0 ,n . 6 .

indefinite artic le ,forms o f

, 4 1 ;

syntax o f, 49 .

indefin ites,1 5 8 ,

1 5 9 ,160

,1 6 1

,

162 ; phrases used as,

160 ;

subjunctive with , p . I 1 0,n . 2 .

j,sem i-consonant

,tab le p . 2

, p .

6,n . 1 ; value o f

,2 3 , p . 44 ,

n . 1 .

k,no t o ccurring in Italian alphabet

,2 ; pronunciat ion o f

, 3 (a) .

1,value o f

,1 2 .

lasciare,conj . pron . w ith

, 99 ,

Rem . (e) (p .

infinitive,conj . pron . with , 9 9 ,

Rem . (pp . 76 ,for nega

tive imperative , p . 5 1 , n . 4 ; de

penden t , preceded by a,

2 1 1

by without prep . ,

2 14 ; used as noun ,

art . with, 44 English ,

rendered by sub j,22 1 (e) ; 23 2

( I ) rendering Eng. past part223 .

insieme used with con and witha

,184 (a) .

inte rjec tions,26 1 .

interrogat ives,fo rms o f , 1 5 2 ;

used in exc lamations ,1 5 7 .

interrogative vb . , 7 2 .

-ire vhs . , taking either termination , 7 1 (b) , 7 1 (c) ; that dono t take -isco fo rms , 7 I (a ) .

-io, plura l o f nouns in , 5 5 ,

Rem .

2, p . 44 ,

n . 1 ; o f adj . in , 1 1 7 .

irregular verbs,stem o f

,1 7 3 ;

mode ls o f,1 7 7 (a) , (b) ; con

struction o f , 179 .

-isco endings 7 1 .

—issimo,adj . m

, 1 24 .

iste,forms pron .

, p . 1 02 ,n . 3 .

it,tran slation o f , 94 and n .

274 INDEX .

Latin noun s retain gender , p .

3 8 ,n . 1 .

letters o f alphab e t , 3 .

li for il in dates , p . 2 7 ,n . 2

, p .

1 68,n . I .

lo,neuter , p . 73 ,

n . 5 .

locutions ,adve rb ia l

,248 ; con

junctional , 2 18 .

loro ,art . with ,

1 3 5 (a) ;

p . 7 2 ,n . 4 .

m,value GI , 1 2 .

madama, p . 3 1 ,

n . 2 .

madamigella , p . 3 1 ; n . 2 .

mago, pl . o f , p . 4 5 ,

Rem .

manco in comparison , 1 2 5 and

n . 1 .

mano, 5 0 (a) , 5 5 ,

Rem .

Maria Vergine , 44 E x . (0)and n . 2 .

masculine nouns feminine in

ending , 5 0 ( 2 ) (b) .

me, Lat . ,two developments o f ,

p . 6 5 ,n . I .

meco , 92 .

meglio , p . 9 1 ,n . 1 ; as adj . noun

,

p . 1 6 2 ,n . I .

-mente as adv . suffi x,2 3 7 .

millewith out art ., 49 2 5 1 (c) .

molto ,1 28 .

monosyl lab les ,by contraction

,

p . 6 ,n . 3 ; pl . o f , 5 7 .

multiplicat ive s ,2 5 3 .

11, value o f , 1 2 ,1 7 .

names o f cit ies,o f continents

,o f

countrie s,o f lakes

,o f rive rs

,

o f seas, 44 o f days o f

week, def . art . with

, 44 ( 1 1 )(b) ; o f mon ths

, 44

ne for ci, p . 7 2 ,

n . 2 .

near relat ive s,name s o f , 4 5

neuters ; Latin , p . 3 8 ,n . 1 .

ng, va lue o f,1 7 .

nofor non 246 (a) .

“

nobody , rende ring o f , 16 1 .

non , place o f, 246 (b) ; without

negative value, 1 2 7 ,

246

non e vero , p . 70 ,n . 3 .

nosco , p . 6 9 ,n . 2 .

no thing , rende ring o f , 1 6 1 .

nouns preceded by a,2 1 1

by di , 2 1 2 (a) ; in appo sitionpreceded by di , 2 1 2

numbe r. 3 9 . 42 . 5 5 , 5 6 , 5 7 . 5 8 ,

5 9 , 60 , 6 1 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ;

nouns o f, 2 5 1 (b) .

nume rals, 44 2 5 1— 26 1 .

numer1cal Idi oms,260.

0,value o f

, 5 ,8 ; diph thongized

in verba l fo rms,69 7 0

dropped in questo and cotesto ,

14 1 ; for a in imperf . ,‘

p . 5 0 ,n .

4 ; Open 0, 5 ,

8 ; represen tingLatin 0 and au

,8 ; in mono

syllab les ,1 1 ; sign O f masou

line singular, 42 , 5 0.

objective fo rms used for Sub

ject ive , 9 5 .

9d for 0, 3 6 (a)

ogni , 1 1 8 (a) , 1 62 .

onde ,145 ,

1 49 ; de rivation o f, p .

1 0 7 ,n . 1 .

-one ,1 67 ,

1 7 2 (a) .

-one ,

-oni as adv . suffix,2 3 9 .

Open 0, 5 ,

8 .

order o f two con j . pron . , 1 00.

276 INDEX .

provincia , p . 44 , n . 2 .

pseudonimo,take s 10 , p . 2 7 , n . 3 .

purity o f Itali an vowe ls , p . 4 ,

n . 1 .

q ,value o f , 1 2 , p . 8 ,

n . 3 .

qualche ,1 1 8 (b) , p . 8 9 ,

n .

qualcosa ,gende r o f , 5 0 ( 2 ) (b) .

quale , 1 5 5 .

quanto , 1 2 1 ,1 28 ,

1 5 6 .

quasimente ,2 3 7 (b) .

quegli , 1 3 9 th e fo r

mer 1 43 .

quello ,infle ction o f

,14 1 ; use o f ,

142 ; = “

th e fo rme r ”,1 43 .

questi = th e latter ” ,143 .

questo ,use o f , 142 ,

143 .

re cipro ca l y bs .

,1 03 ,

Rem . ; pastpart . with

,1 14 .

recluta , 5 0 ( I ) , Exc .

redundan t construction, 9 2 (a) ,

9 5 (a ) , 98

reflexive vbs . ,compound with

e’

ssere ,1 14 ; past part .

with , 1 14 ; possessive with,

1 3 7 synopsis o f , 1 02 ,1 06 .

re lative , indefinite ,sub j . after

,

2 3 2 (4) (a)re lative clause , rendered by in f .

,

2 24 ; sub j . in,23 2

re latives, 1 45

— 1 5 1 ; a lways ex

pressed in I ta lian , 1 5 0°

repetition o f adv . to form supe rlative

,249 (c) .

rimanere used instead o f essereto fo rm p ass ive , 8 1 ( c) .

S

s,1 9 ; impure , 3 6 (b) . p . 2 7 ,

m. 1

adj . b e fo re,1 1 5 (b) .

santo , fo rms o f,1 1 5 .

sapere , irr . o f,1 78 (b) , 1 80

30,value o f

,20

,2 1 .

-sciare,vbs .

,69

se, 9 3

seco , 9 2 and n .

sentinella , 5 0 Exc .

sentire , conj . . pron . with, 99 ,

Rem . ( e) (p .

sestina no t a co l lec tive, p . 1 6 7 ,

n . 3 .

sequence o f tenses,2 34 , 23 5 .

constructions with, 1 04 .

1 05 .

sieno for siano, p . 5 7 ,

n . 1 .

sopra 1 64 .

sovra 1 64 .

spia , 5 0 Exe .

stare,irr . o f

,1 80 used

to express progressive action8 1 (a) .

stare per ,8 1 (a) , p . 1 4 1 ,

n . 1 .

stem,o f reg. vbs .

,68 ; o f

'

irr .

vbs . ,1 7 3 ,

1 7 8 , p . 1 1 6,n . 2 ;

stressed stem , 1 76 ,1 78 (d) .

stra 1 64 .

strong y bs .

, p . 1 1 6,n . 1 .

su,1 82 (b) ; fo llowed by per ,

1 8 7

(b) .

subj . imperf . o f c ommand,2 3 1

subj . pres . fo r impe rative , p . 5 1 ,

n . 5 .

subj ,use o f

,23 2 ,

2 3 3 .

subo rdinate c lause,sub j . in ,

2 3 2

suffixes,1 63 ,

1 6 5— 1 7 2 ; lo ss o f

meaning in ,1 70 ; with adv . ,

b

INDEX . 27 7

1 63 , p . 1 1 1 ,n . 1

,249 (a ) and

(b) .

superlative , subj . afte r , 23 2sur for su

, 3 6 (a) .

surname s , 44

syllabication ,29 .

synthetic fo rms,1 2 3 ,

1 24 .

t,va lue o f

,1 3 .

tanto,1 28 .

teco , 9 2 .

‘ there is

Rem . 2 .

titles , 44 1 3 5 (b) .

“ to rendering o f,2 1 1 2 1 2

tocco ,for l ’ una

,2 5 6 (a ) .

triph thongs ,28 .

troppo ,1 28 .

truncation , 3 6 .

tu,use o f

, 9 1 .

two forms same wo rd , p . 26 ,

Rem .

rende ring o f, 83 ,

u, 5 ; accented , fo llowed by a

vowe l , p . I O,11 . 1 ; conso

nantal,1 8 ; Eng. replaced by

O, p . 2 5 ,

Rem . 2 (b) ; nouns

end ing in, 5 0

udire ,conj . pron . with

, 9 9 ,Rem .

(e) (p .

uncertainty expressed by condi

t ional , 2 3 0

unde, fo rm from , p . 1 0 7 ,

n . 1 .

uno,

-a, 2 5 1 (a ) ; noun modified

by ventuno,trentuno

, e t c .,

25 1 (a) .

W,no t o ccurring in Ital ian al

phabe t , 2 ; pronunc iation o f,

3 (a) .

weak vb s ., p . 1 1 6

,n . 1 .

“

what rendering o f,1 5 1 , 1 5 4

(a) .

x,no t o ccurring in Italian a i

phabe t , 2 ; pronunc iation o f,

v,1 2 ; o f impe rf . dropped , p . 5 0 ,

n . 5 .

vedere,

conj . pron . w ith, 99 ,

Rem . (e) (p .

venire used instead o f essere tofo rm passive , 8 1 (b) .

verba l noun,2 2 1

,2 22 .

verbs,reg. conjugation o f

,6 7 ;

tab le o f, p . 4 9 ; o f second conj .

,

p . 5 4 ,n . 1 and 2 .

vi,adv . place and use o f

,242 ,

243 .

vocative, 44 Exc . (a ) , 45

voi , use o f, 9 1 .

vo iced consonan ts , p . 1 .

vo iced s,1 9 .

vo ice less consonants , p . 1 .

vo ice less s ,1 9 .

vole’ re

,irr . o f

,1 80

vosco, p . 69 ,

n . 2 .

vowe l,Italian nouns end in

, p .

2 5 ,Rem . p . 3 9 ,

n . 5 .

vowe l,su be fo re , 3 6 (a) , p . 1 2 3 ,

n . 5 .

vowe ls,c lassification o f

,1 ; ta

ble, p . 2 .

278 INDEX .

3 (a) ; Eng. c or s replaces , p . you rende ring of, p . 5 0, 2

,

2 5 , Rem . ( 2 ) (a) . 9 1 .

Yy

,no t occurring In I talian al

phabet , 2 ; pronunciation o f, z

,22 , value o f

,26 ; il or lo be

3 (a) . fore , p . 2 7 , n . 3 .

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