Buondì.
Our regular ebook writer, Francesca, obviously got fed up reading articles that were basically me moaning about emails from our shop containing download links occasionally not making it to buyers who insist on using unreliable ‘legacy’ email accounts for their purchases (there was another over the weekend, imagine the fun I had!)
So she emailed the below text, which she thought you might prefer. Thanks, Fra!
This gift horse has no halitosis, so do have a squint in its mouth.
N.b. I haven’t edited her text much, apart from her apparently random use of ‘punti’ (full stops.) Doesn’t she write well in English?!
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5 errori comuni da evitare – Francesca Colombo
1) Uno momento per favore!
The right article here is “un”, so the right expression is: “Un momento” (without the “o”). Why not change from time to time, and say something like:
– “Scusa un secondo!”
– “Dammi un attimo.”
– “Un secondino!”
– “Un attimino!”
2) È necessario per me di studiare di più
The expression “è necessario per me di” is gramatically incorrect plus no Italian would say “è necessario” in this context. When you want to say “have to/ need to …” just use “dovere + infinitive”. For instance:
– “Devo studiare di più per parlare meglio.”
– “Devo assolutamente vedere il film.”
– “Io e mio fratello dobbiamo andare dal medico perché stiamo male.”
– “Luca deve essere a casa prima delle 11:00 di sera.”
3) Sono da Londra
To say “I’m from” and the city where one is was born, there are two options:
– essere + di: “Sono di Londra.”
– venire + da: “Vengo da Londra.”
You cannot swap the prepositions. “Venire” is always followed by “da”, while “essere” requires “di”. So it is correct to say:
– Gabriele viene da Mantova.
– Gabriele è di Mantova.
– Roberto è di Genova.
– Roberto viene da Genova.
– Marina è di Firenze.
– Marina viene da Firenze.
4) Il mio amico è dalla Spagna
To express nationality, with the verb “essere”, an Italian would simply use the adjective “spagnolo”. We don’t say “is from + country” but rather “is + nationality”. So for example:
– Il mio amico è spagnolo.
– Questa ricetta è italiana.
– La sua fidanzata è tedesca.
– Il direttore del film è indiano.
5) Vado per una passeggiata
The verb “andare” is hardly ever followed by “per”. In English you’d say “I go for a walk” but in Italian you’d say “andare a” + an infinitive, which expresses the action. For instance:
-Vado a fare una passeggiata.
-Vado a bere un caffè.
-Vado a comprare lo zucchero.
-Vado a prendere una birra con gli amici.
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Wasn’t that helpful?
A mercoledì.
New A2 (pre-intermediate) Ebook ‘Easy Reader’ – 25% Off this week!
We have another new ‘easy reader’ ebook this week, but at a significantly lower level than last week’s western, ‘Per un pugno di dollari‘, from our Italian Cinema series.
This week’s story is Il ciclista and its level is A2, which means that it’s SHORT and hopefully EASY.
Find out just how short and easy by checking out the FREE sample chapter (.pdf), which also contains a link to the audio for the entire story (all 8 chapters!), available to listen to online, no purchase necessary.
What’s it about? Well a cyclist, obviously!
A big-city journalist takes a much-needed break in a picturesque Umbrian village. On her first morning there she heads to the only bar for breakfast, and is suprised to find an older man asleep in his wheelchair…
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
- .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
- 8 chapters to read and listen to
- Comprehension questions to check your understanding
- Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
- Suitable for students at any level
- Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
How do I access my ebook?
When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment is confirmed), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook (.mobi/Kindle-compatible, .epub) cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them.
Sound like your sort of thing? Then get a copy this week while they’re 25% off the usual price, so just £5.99 rather than our standard ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99. Spookily, that offer will finish on Sunday.
Buy Il ciclista, just £5.99 | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog
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Jane says
Thank you Daniel and Francesca. That’s really useful.
Leslie Ross says
While I often enjoy your rants, and your sense of humor in general, this was really useful! You should have Francesca “pinch hit” (a baseball metaphor as we wind up baseball season here in the US) for you more often!
Daniel says
She’s more than welcome to help, but keeps busy writing the ebooks and summer series material.
Also, consider please that not all of our club members (or Francesca’s students, I imagine) are native English speakers. What’s useful to use might be irrelevant or obvious to someone else.
Samantha Hallam says
Thank you Daniel and Francesca. Yes this was very helpful and well explained making it easy to understand when you are studying Italian on a daily basis and your brain is frazzled. This was a nice bitesize gem.