Do you know how to use time schedules in Italian…or book a table at a restaurant, read opening and closing information at la pasticceria or il museo, etc.?
Also, did you know that “ferie” from the Latin word “feria” meaning holiday / party, while “feriale” means work day (from Monday to Friday)?
“Today’s use of the feminine plural noun “ferie” maintains the original meaning of ‘festive period, mostly summer rest’ .The weekday adjective (from the Latin ferialis) follows, semantically, the ecclesiastical calendar and indicates the days of the week not holidays (not dedicated to the celebration of the solemnity of Jesus or of Our Lady), therefore working days. In French, however, the ancient meaning has remained in the formula “jours fériés”, ‘holidays’.” via Accademia della Crusca
These situations all require the use of the prepositions ”da” and ”a” in the following cases:
Day
from Monday to Friday – Da lunedì a venerdì
Month
from April to October – da aprile a ottobre
Date
from the 7th to the 14 of August – dal 7 al 14 agosto
Time
from 10AM to 2PM – dalle 10 alle 14
Vocabolario:
giorno festivo – holiday
giorno feriale – weekday
chiuso – closed
aperto – open
giorno di chiusura – closed on…
orario – time schedule
orario estivo – summer schedule
orario invernale – winter schedule
pomeriggio chiuso – closed in the afternoon/lunchbreak
orario continuato – open in the afternoon/lunchbreak
Practice making appointments in the comments. Are there any other situations where you need to make an appointment in Italy?
Ricordo da bambina a casa dei nonni non mancava mai dopo il pranzo la tanto attesa domanda: “Mirella, lo vuoi il gelato?” seguita dai miei salti di gioia e la corsa verso la gelateria. I nonni, poverini, faticavano a starmi dietro!
Purtroppo tanti bambini non avevano e non hanno questa fortuna.
Quest’articolo parla di un’associazione italiana che regala gelati a bambini meno fortunati. Buona lettura, Mirella
p.s. Non perdere la prossima settimana la seconda parte di how to use “potere”
I remember when I was a child at my grandparents’ house, I never missed the long-awaited question after lunch: “Mirella, do you want ice cream?” followed by my leaps of joy and the rush to the ice cream shop. My grandparents, poor them, struggled to keep up with me! Unfortunately, many children did not have and do not have this luck.This article is about an Italian association that donates ice cream to less fortunate children. Enjoy, Mirella
A quale bambino non piace il gelato? Per molti bambini è il cibo più squisito – perfetto in una calda giornata estiva! Ma per alcuni bambini è una gioia della quale devono fare a meno perché le loro famiglie non possono permetterselo. Ma adesso, grazie a Salvamamme, un’associazione che aiuta le famiglie in situazioni difficili, questi bambini, meno fortunati, possono godersi un cono gustoso e rinfrescante.
What child doesn’t like ice cream? For many children it is the most scrumptious food – perfect on a hot sunny day! But for some children it is a joy they must do without because their families are not able to pay for it. But now, thanks to Salvamamme, an association that helps families in difficult situations, these less fortunate children can enjoy a tasty, refreshing cone.
Salvamamme è nata quasi venti anni fa. L’associazione risponde ai bisogni delle famiglie in crisi, intervenendo nei momenti cruciali e offrendo aiuto alle donne vittime di violenza. Per saperne di più su Salvamamme, vai al sito www.salvamamme.it.
Almost 20 years ago, Salvamamme was born. The association responds to the needs of families in crisis, intervening in crucial times and offering help to women victims of violence. To learn more about Salvamamme, go to the website www.salvamamme.it.
Nel 2015 Salvamamme ha avuto un’altra buon’idea. Sapeva che in estate, quando fa caldissimo, ci sono tanti bambini che chiedono ai genitori, “Posso avere del gelato?” Sfortunatamente, molte di queste famiglie, in una difficile situazione economica, non hanno i soldi per comprare un cono. Che delusione!
In 2015 Salvamamme had another good idea. They knew that in the summer, when it is very warm, there were many children that would ask their parents, “Can I have some ice cream?” Unfortunately, many of these families, in a difficult economic situation, did not have the money to buy a cone. What a disappointment!
L’idea geniale si basa su un’antica tradizione napoletana che si chiama “caffè sospeso” che significa un caffè in attesa. Dopo la seconda guerra mondiale, per esprimere solidarietà con quelli meno fortunati, quando una persona andava al bar a bere un caffè, ne pagava due e lasciava il secondo in “sospeso” per una persona che non aveva la possibilità di pagarlo. Quest’usanza si è diffusa attraverso l’Italia ed oggi è possibile regalare un caffè in molti bar italiani.
The brilliant idea is based on an ancient Neapolitan tradition that is called “caffè sospeso”which means “coffee in waiting.” After the Second World War, in order to express solidarity with those less fortunate, when a person went to the bar to have coffee, they would pay for two of them and would leave the second in “sospeso” for a person without the ability to pay for it. This custom spread across Italy and today it is possible to gift a coffee in many Italian bars.
E quindi è nata l’idea del gelato “sospeso”. Oggigiorno dal 1 giugno fino al 31 ottobre, quando compri un gelato per te o per i tuoi bambini, puoi lasciarne uno in “sospeso” per un bambino meno fortunato. Sul bancone della gelateria c’è un vaso di vetro dove puoi lasciare l’offerta. Accanto al vaso c’è una locandina che dice, “Noi aderiamo alla campagna gelato sospeso. Lascia pagato a un bambino un gelato.” Sono tantissime gelaterie in tutte le regioni italiane che partecipano a questo progetto generoso. Dal 2015 al 2017 sono stati donati più di 100.000 gelati!
And so the idea of ice cream “sospeso” was born. Nowadays from June 1 until the 31st of October, when you buy an ice cream for yourself or for your children, you can leave one in “sospeso” for a child less fortunate. On the counter of the ice cream shop there is a glass jar where you can leave the offering. Next to the jar there is a little poster that says, “We enroll in the ‘gelato sospeso’ campaign. Leave an icecream paid for, for a child.” There are a great many ice cream shops in all the Italian regions that participate in this generous project. From 2015 to 2017 more than 100,000 ice creams have been donated!
Se vai in Italia quest’estate e hai voglia di un gelato, fai attenzione a questi vasi trasparenti. È un’opportunità di donare un gelato, ma anche un sorriso. Troverai le gelaterie aderenti al progetto al sito www.gelatosospeso.it Ci vuole poco per rendere felice un bambino e scommetto che ti sentirai molto felice, anche tu.
If you are going to Italy this summer and you have the desire for an ice cream, look for these transparent jars. It is an opportunity to donate an ice cream but also a smile. You will find the ice cream shops that are enrolled in the project at the site www.gelatosospeso.it. It doesn’t take much to make a child happy and I will bet that you too will feel very happy!
Condividi quest’articolo con i tuoi amici così la prossima volta che andranno in Italia anche loro potranno regalare un gelato sospeso!
Share this article with friends so the next time they go to Italy they can donate un gelato sospeso!
*Le informazioni in quest’articolo sono state raccolte dal podcast “Al dente 138 (20 luglio 2018) e dal sito www.gelatosospeso.it
About the author: Linda Caprio Cooper is an Italian-american with a great passion for her Italian heritage who has been studying Italian with Mirella for over 2 years. She enjoys writing short stories in Italian and exploring the Italian language and culture.
A challenge for many Italian students is learning how to use tutto, tutti, tutta, tutte correctly. This simple explanation will help you master them.
There’s a quiz waiting for you to make sure that è tutto chiaro, everything is clear.
A challenge for many Italian students is learning how to use tutto, tutti, tutta, tutte correctly. This simple explanation will help you master them.
There’s a quiz waiting for you to make sure that è tutto chiaro, everything is clear.
1. “Tutto” by itself means “everything” • Tutto andrà bene. (Everything is going to be alright.) • Ho fatto tutto. (I did everything.)
2. Tutto/tutta in front of nouns mean “the whole…”, “the entire…” • Abbiamo mangiato tutta la torta. (We ate the whole cake.) • Abbiamo trascorso tutto il mese insieme. (We spent the whole month together.) • Hai visto tutta la partita? (Did you see the whole match?)
3. Tutti by itself means “everyone”/”everybody” • Tutti vanno in spiaggia durante l’estate. (Everyone goes to the beach during the summer.) • Ho comprato regali per tutti. (I bought gifts for everyone.)
4. Tutti/tutte (followed by a noun) mean “all of (something)” or even “every one of (something)” • Ho visto tutti i film di Fellini. (I’ve seen all of Fellini’s films.) • Luca ha parlato con tutte le ragazze della festa . (Luca talked to all of the girls at the party.) • Tutti i giorni studio in biblioteca. (I study at the library every day.)
Also, remember that tutto/tutti is masculine (singular/plural) and tutta/tutte is feminine (singular/plural).
Now you’re ready for the quiz!
Tutto chiaro? Try the quiz
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T___ andrà bene.
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Hai letto t____ il libro?
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Angelo mangia sempre t_____ la sua pappa.
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T_____ sono andati a sciare questo fine settimana.
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T_____ le domeniche vado a pranzo dai nonni.
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Metterò in ordine t_____!
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Sabato vado sempre al supermercato e faccio t_____ la spesa per la settimana.
5 May 1945, Credit: Lieut. Michael M. Dean / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada – Photographer: Michael M. Dean
History was not il mio forte in high school although that changed later on in life. The reason for this is that the Italian school system is text based. Not much fun and, despite the fact that we were surrounded by that same history we were studying, there were no field trips, but only hours bent over textbooks remembering names, dates and battles. As we all know, Italy’s history is very ancient and complex, therefore it makes sense that our first huge volume in the 1st year of high school begins with Preistoria, Prehistory – a long way to go before we reach modern days.
l° anno: dalla Preistoria ai primi due secoli dell'impero Romano;
2° anno: dall'età dei Severi alla metà del XIV secolo;
3° anno: dalla crisi socio-economica del XIV secolo alla prima metà del Seicento;
4° anno: dalla seconda metà del Seicento alla fine dell'Ottocento;
5° anno: il Novecento.
It’s only during the 5th year of high school, 5° anno superiore, (grade 13) that we start learning about the 20th century, il novecento, and we finally discover our recent past – familiar names and faces appear making the tedious textbooks more interesting and exciting. But we barely cover WWI and WWII, LaPrima e Seconda Guerra Mondiale. The words Fascism and Communism remain abstract concepts.
For example, who knew that Italy was rescued by Canada… I didn’t learn this in school, but found out that Italy was liberated from the Fascist invasion thanks to brave young Canadian soldiers. In fact in July 1943 the men of the First Canadian Division landed on the beaches of Sicily, and fought their way north eliminating Hitler and Mussolini.
During history class educational documentaries such as the following would have helped us relate to our ancestors and make connections which we are still missing today.
I highly recommend watching these two videos which will be available online until Apr 29, 2017.
The Forgotten Army: Canadians in Italy, 1943 – Ep. 3
The Forgotten Army: Canadians in Italy, 1943-1945 – Ep. 4
Today, November 11th, is Remembrance Day in Canada, and there is no better time than now to remember the sacrifice of many brave soldati dimenticati – the forgotten soldiers, humans and animals. The cemeteries where they lay across Italy are often unknown and ignored. Tourists rarely visit them.
Let us honor and not forget the soldiers who gave their lives so that we could be free from repression and hate.
Being able to compare things (comparare, fare paragoni) is essential especially if you are among Italians: “This coffee is stronger than that one” … “That train is slower than the other” …
In these videos I explain how to use the comparative in Italian in 3 different cases.
Special Comparatives and Superlatives
adjective
comparative
relative comparative
absolute superlative
buono – good
cattivo (brutto) – bad
grande – big
small – piccolo
alto – high
basso – low
migliore – better
peggiore – worse
maggiore – bigger
minore – smaller
superiore – higher
inferiore – lower
il migliore – the best
il peggiore – the worst
il maggiore – the biggest
il minore – the smallest
il superiore – the highest
l’inferiore – the lowest
ottimo – excellent
pessimo – terrible
massimo – maximum
minimo – minimum
supremo – supreme
infimo – worthless
Examples:
1) He is the worst politician in the Italian history. – Lui è il peggiore candidato nella storia italiana.
2) This wine is terrible. – Questo vino è pessimo.
3) In the winter Canadian weather is worse than Italian weather. – In inverno il clima canadese è peggiore di quello italiano.
Let me know in the comments which comparativo è più bello!
