If you found Lucia’s list of typical student errors interesting, you’ll be pleased to hear she’s let me have “part 2” of her list…
Students of any level can profit from analysing typical errors – they often reveal fascinating differences between your own language (in this case English) and the language you are learning.
So thanks, Lucia. We look forward to “part 3”!
Italian students’ most popular mistakes! Part 2
A Bologna c’è tanta gente.(Singular)
In Bologna there are lots of people. (Plural)
Qualche persona studia troppo. (Singular)
Some people study too much. (Plural)
Non è possibile fare questa cosa.(No prepositions here)
It’s not possible to do that.
È giusto condannarlo. (No prepositions here)
It is right to condemn him.
Voglio restituire questo libro che ho preso in prestito. (Not “ritornare”)
I want to return this book that I borrowed.
Lei è la ragazza più bella del mondo. (Not “la ragazza la più bella”)
She’s the most beautiful girl in the world.
Voglio scattare una foto. Dammi la macchina fotografica. (Not “la camera”)
I want to take a picture. Give me the camera.
Lui ha un grave problema. (Not “una problema”)
He has a serious problem.
Daniel Resheter says
Two questions
On example 4, I would have translated it as “it is a just sentence”. Is the difference minor or have I missed something?
On example 5″ Why ‘restituire’ and not ‘ritornare’? Is it because ‘restituire’ means returning something that has been taken whereas ‘ritornare’ is to return as in returning to a city, a room, ecc where there was not an object that had been taken?
AND- why is ho not always translated- such that the translation is not “…that I have borrowed”?
Daniel says
Hi Daniel,
I think “condemn” is more like “convict”, the sentence is the penalty imposed subsequently.
I’m not an Italian teacher but the translation looks OK to me.
Your reasoning is correct in the second example. “Return” and “Bring back” are partial synonyms in English, in the sense that at least one of their meanings is synonymous. In Italian, invece, the words are not synonyms, which explains why Lucia picks it up as a frequent error.
Per quanto riguarda your third question, the difference between “I borrowed” and “I have borrowed” is one that many students of English have problems with. Translated into Italian, they’d both be the passato prossimo (ho preso in prestito – I took in loan), translated into English, you’d need to choose whether or not to use the “perfect aspect”, which would communicate some connection with the present (recently, just, in my life, etc.), or not, in which case you’d by referring to a past time (last week, yesterday, etc.).
Hope that helps!