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• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 2Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Book I: Speaking Italian in Everyday Settings 5Chapter 1: Exploring Pronunciations and Italian You May Already Know 7You Already Know Some Italian! 8Getting to the root of cognates 9Picking up popular expressions 9Mouthing Off: Basic Pronunciation 11Starting with the alphabet 11Vowels 12Consonants 14Stressing Syllables Properly 18Chapter 2: Dealing with Numbers, Dates, and Time 21Counting from Zero to a Billion: Cardinal Numbers 21Building numbers in Italian 23Speaking numbers like a native 25Making sense of addresses 26Putting Things in Order: Ordinal Numbers 27Looking at the Calendar: Days, Months, and Seasons 29Days of the week 29Months and seasons of the year 30Specific dates 31Telling Time 34Familiarizing Yourself with the Metric System 38Converting the temperature to/from Celsius 39Measuring in metric units 40Chapter 3: Buongiorno! Salutations! 41Looking at Common Greetings and Goodbyes 41Issuing a greeting 41Deciding between formal and friendly 43Replying to a greeting 43Specifying your reunion 44Making Introductions 44Introducing yourself 45Introducing other people 47Talking about Language, Countries, and Nationalities 49Finding out whether someone speaks Italian 49Talking about where you come from 50Extending and Responding to Invitations 54Chapter 4: Making Small Talk 55Discovering Interrogative Pronouns 55Asking simple questions 56Taking care of basic needs 58Talking About Your Family 60Discussing What You Do 61Talking shop 62Discussing your job 62Chatting about the Weather 64Chapter 5: Casa Dolce Casa: Home Sweet Home 67Describing Where You Live 67Stating your country and hometown 67Noting the type of home you have 68Taking a Tour of Your Home 69Il soggiorno: The living room 69La cucina: The kitchen 71La sala da pranzo: The dining room 72La camera da letto: The bedroom 75Il bagno: The bathroom 76Other areas around the house 77Chapter 6: Using the Phone and Talking Business 81Phoning Made Simple 81Connecting via cellphones, texts, and video 82Calling for business or pleasure 84Making Arrangements over the Phone 86Asking for People and Getting the Message 88Discussing Your Job 91Referring to coworkers 92Interviewing 92Covering compensation and breaks 93Describing things around the office 93Chapter 7: Food, Glorious Food, and Drink 97Eating, Italian-Style 97Having breakfast 97Eating lunch 98Enjoying dinner 100Drinking, Italian-Style 103Expressing your love for espresso 103Beverages with even more of a kick 105Dining Out, from Start to Finish 106Making reservations 106Paying for your meal 108Shopping for Food 109Dal macellaio (butcher shop) 109Pesce (fish) 109At the panetteria (bread shop) 110Chapter 8: Shopping, Italian-Style 115Checking Out Stores 115Deciding between department stores and boutiques 116Navigating the store 116Admiring shop displays 118Clothing Yourself 119Checking out various items 119Sizing up Italian sizes 119Talking definitely and indefinitely 123Coloring your words 124Choosing the right fabric 125Accessorizing 126Narrowing Your Options 127Comparing items, more or less 128Considering price 129Book II: Exploring and Wandering About 133Chapter 1: Where Is the Colosseum? Asking Directions 135Finding Your Way: Asking for Specific Places 135Mapping the quarters and following directions 137Expressing verbs on the move 140Exploring Italian Cities and Towns 143La piazza: The heart of the Italian city 143Viewing famous sites and architectural styles 143Finding the places you’re looking for 144Chapter 2: Having Fun Out on the Town 147Experiencing Italian Culture 147Taking in a movie 149Going to the theater 150Exploring a museum 152Experiencing a local festival 153Taking in the Italian Music Scene 154Catching a concert 154Exploring the world of Italian opera 156Popular Italian music 158Inviting Fun 159Chapter 3: Exploring the Outdoors, Sports, and Hobbies 163Getting Close to Nature 164Playing and Watching Sports 166Using the right names and verbs for sports talk 167Watching sports 171Talking about Hobbies and Interests 173Speaking Reflexively 176Chapter 4: Planning a Trip 179Deciding When and Where to Go 179Going to agriturismo 181Going to the beach and spa 182Visiting castles, palaces, and estates 182Taking a Tour 183Booking a Trip outside of Italy 185Arriving and Leaving with Arrivare and Partire 187Using the Simple Future Tense 188Chapter 5: Money, Money, Money 189Going to the Bank 189Changing Money 190Using Credit Cards 193Looking at Various Currencies 195Chapter 6: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses 199Getting through the Airport 199Checking in 200Dealing with excess baggage 202Waiting to board the plane 203Coping after landing 204Dealing with lost luggage 204Going through Customs 204Renting a Car 206Navigating Public Transportation 208Calling a taxi 208Moving by train 209Going by bus or tram 210Reading maps and schedules 212Being Early or Late 213Chapter 7: Finding a Place to Stay 215Choosing a Place to Stay 215Reserving a Room 216Checking In 219Chapter 8: Handling Emergencies 223Getting Help Fast 223Receiving Medical Attention 224Describing what ails you 224Understanding professional medical vocabulary 228Getting what you need at the pharmacy 228Braving the dentist 229Handling Legal Matters 229Reporting an accident 229Reporting a robbery 230Reporting a lost or stolen passport 233Getting legal help 235Dealing with Car Trouble 236Book III: Grasping Basic Grammar Essentials for Communication 239Chapter 1: What Do You Know? Parts of Speech 241Recognizing the Parts of Speech 241Nouns 245Pronouns 246Articles 246Verbs 247Adjectives 247Adverbs 248Prepositions 249Conjunctions 249Interjections 250Conjugating Verbs in the Present Tense 250Identifying infinitives 250Establishing subject-verb agreement 251Moving on to Other Verb Tenses 251Composing a Simple Sentence 252Chapter 2: Noun and Article Basics: Gender and Number 253A Primer on Articles 254Definite articles: Dealing with “the” 254Indefinite articles: Saying “a” or “an” 256Distinguishing between Masculine and Feminine Nouns 257Recognizing common noun endings 257Sorting nouns into classes 258Moving from Singular to Plural: Basic Rules 260Making Exceptions to the Basic Rules on Number 261Changing more than just the ending 262Changing only the article 263Using nouns only in the singular or the plural 263Deciding When to Include an Article 264When (and when not) to use a definite article 264When (and when not) to use an indefinite article 266Chapter 3: All about Pronouns 267Meeting the Subject Pronouns 268Knowing when to use subject pronouns 269Adapting subject pronouns for informal and formal usage 269Emphasizing Stressed Pronouns 270Digging into Direct Object Pronouns 271What direct object pronouns are and what they do 271Where to place direct object pronouns 272Investigating Indirect Object Pronouns 273Forming Double Pronouns 274Figuring out how to replace direct and indirect object pronouns 275Checking out common double pronouns 276But Wait, There’s More! Special Italian Pronouns 276The adverbial pronoun ci 277The pronoun ne 278When the Subject Is Also the Object: Reflexive Pronouns 280Chapter 4: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Comparisons 281Matching Adjectives to Nouns in Gender and Number 282Regular adjectives 283Irregular adjectives 284Invariable adjectives 285Associating One Adjective with More Than One Noun 286Putting Adjectives in Their Place 286Recognizing the adjectives that come before nouns 287Using placement to change an adjective’s meaning 287Forming Adverbs the Italian Way 288Original adverbs 288Derived adverbs 290Finding a Place for Adverbs 290Making Comparisons 292Comparisons of equality 292Comparisons of inequality 293The best and the worst: Superlatives 294Special comparatives and superlatives 295Chapter 5: Meeting the Challenge of Prepositions 297Combining Basic Prepositions with Articles 298Forming Complements (Preposition + Noun, Name, or Pronoun) 299Possession and specification 299Qualities and functions 300Place 300Place and function 302Time 303Purpose and agent of action 305Tools, reasons, and causes 305Chapter 6: Demonstrative, Indefinite, and Possessive Qualifiers 307Pointing to Something with Questo and Quello 308Conveying Something Indefinite 309Indefinite words used as adjectives or pronouns 310Indefinite words used solely as pronouns 317Indefinite words that express a part of a set 319Assigning Ownership with Possessive Qualifiers 320Chapter 7: Making Connections with Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns 323Linking Words and Clauses with Conjunctions and Prepositions 323Connecting words or sentences with coordinating conjunctions 324Joining a dependent clause with an independent one 325Joining Clauses That Belong Together 328Dealing with your average relative pronouns 329Economy of speech: Combined pronouns 333Chapter 8: Asking and Answering Questions 335Looking at Ways of Asking Questions in Italian 336Adjusting your intonation 336Inverting the word order 336Asking some common questions 337Digging Deeper: Asking More Complex Questions 337Employing interrogative adjectives 338Requesting the location and time: Interrogative adverbs 339Inquiring about who, what, which one, and how many: Interrogative pronouns 341Providing Detailed Answers to Questions 342Answering Questions Negatively 343Book IV: Mastering Italian Verbs and Tenses 345Chapter 1: Jumping into Action with Italian Regular Verbs 347Conjugating Regular Verbs in Italian 348Conjugating -are verbs 349Conjugating -ere verbs 353Conjugating -ire verbs 354Moving Past the Present Tense 356Communicating Quickly with Verbs 357Looking More Closely at Personal Subject Pronouns 358Chapter 2: Talking in the Present Tense with Irregular Verbs 361To Be or Not to Be: Conjugating Essere 362To Have and to Hold: Conjugating Avere 363To Make or to Do: Conjugating Fare 364To Give: Dare 364To Ask How Others Are: Stare 365To Come and to Go: Venire and Andare 366Declaring Needs, Wants, and Abilities: Dovere, Volere, and Potere 367Do Tell: Dire 368Stepping Out: Uscire 369Bottom’s Up: Bere 370The -orre, -urre, and -arre Verbs 370Using Irregular Verbs in Idiomatic Expressions 371Idiomatic expressions with essere 372Idiomatic expressions with fare 372Idiomatic expressions with dare and stare 373Chapter 3: Using Reflexive Forms and the Imperative Mood 375Reflecting on Reflexive Verbs 375Pairing reflexive pronouns with reflexive verbs 376Using reflexive verbs throughout the day 377Altering the position of reflexive pronouns 378Giving and taking with the reciprocal form 380Using the impersonal si 381Giving a Commanding Performance with the Imperative 381Constructing commands (of the tu, noi, and voi variety) 382Dealing with irregular imperatives for tu, noi, and voi 383Commanding politely: Forming the Lei and Loro forms of the imperative 384Adding pronouns to imperatives 385Checking out commonly used commands 387Chapter 4: Declaring Your Likes (And Dislikes) with Piacere 389Understanding How to Use Piacere 390Working with indirect object pronouns 390Conjugating piacere in the present tense 391Combining piacere with indirect object pronouns 392Using piacere as a noun 394Expressing Likes (And Dislikes) in Any Tense 395Conjugating piacere and dispiacere in the subjunctive and past absolute 395Checking out more conjugations for piacere and dispiacere 396Looking at Other Verbs that Work Backward 399Verbs that carry the indirect object in their constructions 400The verb mancare 401Chapter 5: The Future Tense and the Conditional Mood 403Focusing on the Future 403Forming the regular future tense 403Spelling out -are exceptions in the future tense 405Working with irregular roots 407Talking about the future with some handy expressions 409Could-ing and Would-ing: The Conditional Mood 410Covering the uses of the conditional 410Forming the regular conditional 410Creating the irregular conditional 412Using dovere, potere, and volere in the conditional 412Chapter 6: Getting into the Subjunctive Mood 415Forming the Present Subjunctive Mood 415Mastering the Present Subjunctive 418Spelling exceptions 419Irregular forms 419Making the Present Subjunctive a Valuable Tool 421Expressing desires, wishes, commands, emotions, doubts, and beliefs 421Working with impersonal expressions 423Handling conjunctions and words that end in -unque 424Checking out a few other uses of the present subjunctive 426Understanding the Imperfect Subjunctive 426Conjugating the imperfect subjunctive 427Forming the imperfect subjunctive to express doubts, desires, and wants 428Getting a grip on irregular imperfect subjunctives 430Book V: Building Compound Tenses 433Chapter 1: Been There, Done That: Talking in the Past Tense 435Forming the Present Perfect Tense 436Past participles 436Auxiliary verbs: Avere and essere 438Over and Done with: The Past Absolute 443Once Upon a Time: The Imperfect Tense 446Forming the imperfect 446Perfecting the use of the imperfect 448Adding Nuance to Meaning with Verb Tense 449Chapter 2: Reflexive Verbs in the Past 451Forming the Present Perfect of Reflexive Verbs 452Using Reciprocal Verbs in the Present Perfect 454Forming the Imperfect of Reflexive Verbs 455Checking Out Reciprocal Verbs in the Imperfect 457Picking the Present Perfect or the Imperfect for Reflexive Verbs 458Recognizing Reciprocal Verbs in the Past Absolute 459Chapter 3: Second-Guessing Actions with the Past Conditional and Past Perfect 461Forming the Past Conditional 462Using the Past Conditional to Play “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda” 463Expressing Responsibilities, Desires, and Abilities in the Past Conditional 464Forming and Implementing the Past Perfect Tense 465Chapter 4: I Hope That You’ve Had Fun!The Subjunctive Mood in the Past 469Forming the Past Subjunctive 469Composing the Past Perfect Subjunctive 471Sequencing Your Tenses in the Subjunctive 473Chapter 5: “If” Clauses, the Impersonal, and the Passive 477Hypothetically Speaking: “If” Clauses throughout the Tenses 477Expressing conditions within the realm of reality 478Examining hypothetical constructions of probability and possibility 479What-iffi ng the impossible 480Come se: In a category of its own 481Putting a Personal Touch on the Impersonal and the Passive 482Forming the impersonal in the present 482Applying the impersonal in other tenses 483Getting proactive about the passive voice 485Chapter 6: Progressing through Gerunds in Italian 487Forming Gerunds in the Present Tense 488Working with Irregular Gerund Forms 489Creating Gerunds in the Past Tense 489Putting Gerunds in the Present Progressive 490What Were You Thinking? The Imperfect Progressive 491Book VI: Appendixes 493Appendix A: Verb Tables 495Italian Helping Verbs 496Regular Italian Verbs 498Irregular Italian Verbs 518Appendix B: Italian-English Mini-Dictionary 529Appendix C: English-Italian Mini-Dictionary 545Appendix D: Fun & Games 561Appendix E: Audio Tracks 615Discovering What’s on the Audio Tracks 615Track Listing 616Index 619

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• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 2Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Book I: Speaking Italian in Everyday Settings 5Chapter 1: Exploring Pronunciations and Italian You May Already Know 7You Already Know Some Italian! 8Getting to the root of cognates 9Picking up popular expressions 9Mouthing Off: Basic Pronunciation 11Starting with the alphabet 11Vowels 12Consonants 14Stressing Syllables Properly 18Chapter 2: Dealing with Numbers, Dates, and Time 21Counting from Zero to a Billion: Cardinal Numbers 21Building numbers in Italian 23Speaking numbers like a native 25Making sense of addresses 26Putting Things in Order: Ordinal Numbers 27Looking at the Calendar: Days, Months, and Seasons 29Days of the week 29Months and seasons of the year 30Specific dates 31Telling Time 34Familiarizing Yourself with the Metric System 38Converting the temperature to/from Celsius 39Measuring in metric units 40Chapter 3: Buongiorno! Salutations! 41Looking at Common Greetings and Goodbyes 41Issuing a greeting 41Deciding between formal and friendly 43Replying to a greeting 43Specifying your reunion 44Making Introductions 44Introducing yourself 45Introducing other people 47Talking about Language, Countries, and Nationalities 49Finding out whether someone speaks Italian 49Talking about where you come from 50Extending and Responding to Invitations 54Chapter 4: Making Small Talk 55Discovering Interrogative Pronouns 55Asking simple questions 56Taking care of basic needs 58Talking About Your Family 60Discussing What You Do 61Talking shop 62Discussing your job 62Chatting about the Weather 64Chapter 5: Casa Dolce Casa: Home Sweet Home 67Describing Where You Live 67Stating your country and hometown 67Noting the type of home you have 68Taking a Tour of Your Home 69Il soggiorno: The living room 69La cucina: The kitchen 71La sala da pranzo: The dining room 72La camera da letto: The bedroom 75Il bagno: The bathroom 76Other areas around the house 77Chapter 6: Using the Phone and Talking Business 81Phoning Made Simple 81Connecting via cellphones, texts, and video 82Calling for business or pleasure 84Making Arrangements over the Phone 86Asking for People and Getting the Message 88Discussing Your Job 91Referring to coworkers 92Interviewing 92Covering compensation and breaks 93Describing things around the office 93Chapter 7: Food, Glorious Food, and Drink 97Eating, Italian-Style 97Having breakfast 97Eating lunch 98Enjoying dinner 100Drinking, Italian-Style 103Expressing your love for espresso 103Beverages with even more of a kick 105Dining Out, from Start to Finish 106Making reservations 106Paying for your meal 108Shopping for Food 109Dal macellaio (butcher shop) 109Pesce (fish) 109At the panetteria (bread shop) 110Chapter 8: Shopping, Italian-Style 115Checking Out Stores 115Deciding between department stores and boutiques 116Navigating the store 116Admiring shop displays 118Clothing Yourself 119Checking out various items 119Sizing up Italian sizes 119Talking definitely and indefinitely 123Coloring your words 124Choosing the right fabric 125Accessorizing 126Narrowing Your Options 127Comparing items, more or less 128Considering price 129Book II: Exploring and Wandering About 133Chapter 1: Where Is the Colosseum? Asking Directions 135Finding Your Way: Asking for Specific Places 135Mapping the quarters and following directions 137Expressing verbs on the move 140Exploring Italian Cities and Towns 143La piazza: The heart of the Italian city 143Viewing famous sites and architectural styles 143Finding the places you’re looking for 144Chapter 2: Having Fun Out on the Town 147Experiencing Italian Culture 147Taking in a movie 149Going to the theater 150Exploring a museum 152Experiencing a local festival 153Taking in the Italian Music Scene 154Catching a concert 154Exploring the world of Italian opera 156Popular Italian music 158Inviting Fun 159Chapter 3: Exploring the Outdoors, Sports, and Hobbies 163Getting Close to Nature 164Playing and Watching Sports 166Using the right names and verbs for sports talk 167Watching sports 171Talking about Hobbies and Interests 173Speaking Reflexively 176Chapter 4: Planning a Trip 179Deciding When and Where to Go 179Going to agriturismo 181Going to the beach and spa 182Visiting castles, palaces, and estates 182Taking a Tour 183Booking a Trip outside of Italy 185Arriving and Leaving with Arrivare and Partire 187Using the Simple Future Tense 188Chapter 5: Money, Money, Money 189Going to the Bank 189Changing Money 190Using Credit Cards 193Looking at Various Currencies 195Chapter 6: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses 199Getting through the Airport 199Checking in 200Dealing with excess baggage 202Waiting to board the plane 203Coping after landing 204Dealing with lost luggage 204Going through Customs 204Renting a Car 206Navigating Public Transportation 208Calling a taxi 208Moving by train 209Going by bus or tram 210Reading maps and schedules 212Being Early or Late 213Chapter 7: Finding a Place to Stay 215Choosing a Place to Stay 215Reserving a Room 216Checking In 219Chapter 8: Handling Emergencies 223Getting Help Fast 223Receiving Medical Attention 224Describing what ails you 224Understanding professional medical vocabulary 228Getting what you need at the pharmacy 228Braving the dentist 229Handling Legal Matters 229Reporting an accident 229Reporting a robbery 230Reporting a lost or stolen passport 233Getting legal help 235Dealing with Car Trouble 236Book III: Grasping Basic Grammar Essentials for Communication 239Chapter 1: What Do You Know? Parts of Speech 241Recognizing the Parts of Speech 241Nouns 245Pronouns 246Articles 246Verbs 247Adjectives 247Adverbs 248Prepositions 249Conjunctions 249Interjections 250Conjugating Verbs in the Present Tense 250Identifying infinitives 250Establishing subject-verb agreement 251Moving on to Other Verb Tenses 251Composing a Simple Sentence 252Chapter 2: Noun and Article Basics: Gender and Number 253A Primer on Articles 254Definite articles: Dealing with “the” 254Indefinite articles: Saying “a” or “an” 256Distinguishing between Masculine and Feminine Nouns 257Recognizing common noun endings 257Sorting nouns into classes 258Moving from Singular to Plural: Basic Rules 260Making Exceptions to the Basic Rules on Number 261Changing more than just the ending 262Changing only the article 263Using nouns only in the singular or the plural 263Deciding When to Include an Article 264When (and when not) to use a definite article 264When (and when not) to use an indefinite article 266Chapter 3: All about Pronouns 267Meeting the Subject Pronouns 268Knowing when to use subject pronouns 269Adapting subject pronouns for informal and formal usage 269Emphasizing Stressed Pronouns 270Digging into Direct Object Pronouns 271What direct object pronouns are and what they do 271Where to place direct object pronouns 272Investigating Indirect Object Pronouns 273Forming Double Pronouns 274Figuring out how to replace direct and indirect object pronouns 275Checking out common double pronouns 276But Wait, There’s More! Special Italian Pronouns 276The adverbial pronoun ci 277The pronoun ne 278When the Subject Is Also the Object: Reflexive Pronouns 280Chapter 4: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Comparisons 281Matching Adjectives to Nouns in Gender and Number 282Regular adjectives 283Irregular adjectives 284Invariable adjectives 285Associating One Adjective with More Than One Noun 286Putting Adjectives in Their Place 286Recognizing the adjectives that come before nouns 287Using placement to change an adjective’s meaning 287Forming Adverbs the Italian Way 288Original adverbs 288Derived adverbs 290Finding a Place for Adverbs 290Making Comparisons 292Comparisons of equality 292Comparisons of inequality 293The best and the worst: Superlatives 294Special comparatives and superlatives 295Chapter 5: Meeting the Challenge of Prepositions 297Combining Basic Prepositions with Articles 298Forming Complements (Preposition + Noun, Name, or Pronoun) 299Possession and specification 299Qualities and functions 300Place 300Place and function 302Time 303Purpose and agent of action 305Tools, reasons, and causes 305Chapter 6: Demonstrative, Indefinite, and Possessive Qualifiers 307Pointing to Something with Questo and Quello 308Conveying Something Indefinite 309Indefinite words used as adjectives or pronouns 310Indefinite words used solely as pronouns 317Indefinite words that express a part of a set 319Assigning Ownership with Possessive Qualifiers 320Chapter 7: Making Connections with Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns 323Linking Words and Clauses with Conjunctions and Prepositions 323Connecting words or sentences with coordinating conjunctions 324Joining a dependent clause with an independent one 325Joining Clauses That Belong Together 328Dealing with your average relative pronouns 329Economy of speech: Combined pronouns 333Chapter 8: Asking and Answering Questions 335Looking at Ways of Asking Questions in Italian 336Adjusting your intonation 336Inverting the word order 336Asking some common questions 337Digging Deeper: Asking More Complex Questions 337Employing interrogative adjectives 338Requesting the location and time: Interrogative adverbs 339Inquiring about who, what, which one, and how many: Interrogative pronouns 341Providing Detailed Answers to Questions 342Answering Questions Negatively 343Book IV: Mastering Italian Verbs and Tenses 345Chapter 1: Jumping into Action with Italian Regular Verbs 347Conjugating Regular Verbs in Italian 348Conjugating -are verbs 349Conjugating -ere verbs 353Conjugating -ire verbs 354Moving Past the Present Tense 356Communicating Quickly with Verbs 357Looking More Closely at Personal Subject Pronouns 358Chapter 2: Talking in the Present Tense with Irregular Verbs 361To Be or Not to Be: Conjugating Essere 362To Have and to Hold: Conjugating Avere 363To Make or to Do: Conjugating Fare 364To Give: Dare 364To Ask How Others Are: Stare 365To Come and to Go: Venire and Andare 366Declaring Needs, Wants, and Abilities: Dovere, Volere, and Potere 367Do Tell: Dire 368Stepping Out: Uscire 369Bottom’s Up: Bere 370The -orre, -urre, and -arre Verbs 370Using Irregular Verbs in Idiomatic Expressions 371Idiomatic expressions with essere 372Idiomatic expressions with fare 372Idiomatic expressions with dare and stare 373Chapter 3: Using Reflexive Forms and the Imperative Mood 375Reflecting on Reflexive Verbs 375Pairing reflexive pronouns with reflexive verbs 376Using reflexive verbs throughout the day 377Altering the position of reflexive pronouns 378Giving and taking with the reciprocal form 380Using the impersonal si 381Giving a Commanding Performance with the Imperative 381Constructing commands (of the tu, noi, and voi variety) 382Dealing with irregular imperatives for tu, noi, and voi 383Commanding politely: Forming the Lei and Loro forms of the imperative 384Adding pronouns to imperatives 385Checking out commonly used commands 387Chapter 4: Declaring Your Likes (And Dislikes) with Piacere 389Understanding How to Use Piacere 390Working with indirect object pronouns 390Conjugating piacere in the present tense 391Combining piacere with indirect object pronouns 392Using piacere as a noun 394Expressing Likes (And Dislikes) in Any Tense 395Conjugating piacere and dispiacere in the subjunctive and past absolute 395Checking out more conjugations for piacere and dispiacere 396Looking at Other Verbs that Work Backward 399Verbs that carry the indirect object in their constructions 400The verb mancare 401Chapter 5: The Future Tense and the Conditional Mood 403Focusing on the Future 403Forming the regular future tense 403Spelling out -are exceptions in the future tense 405Working with irregular roots 407Talking about the future with some handy expressions 409Could-ing and Would-ing: The Conditional Mood 410Covering the uses of the conditional 410Forming the regular conditional 410Creating the irregular conditional 412Using dovere, potere, and volere in the conditional 412Chapter 6: Getting into the Subjunctive Mood 415Forming the Present Subjunctive Mood 415Mastering the Present Subjunctive 418Spelling exceptions 419Irregular forms 419Making the Present Subjunctive a Valuable Tool 421Expressing desires, wishes, commands, emotions, doubts, and beliefs 421Working with impersonal expressions 423Handling conjunctions and words that end in -unque 424Checking out a few other uses of the present subjunctive 426Understanding the Imperfect Subjunctive 426Conjugating the imperfect subjunctive 427Forming the imperfect subjunctive to express doubts, desires, and wants 428Getting a grip on irregular imperfect subjunctives 430Book V: Building Compound Tenses 433Chapter 1: Been There, Done That: Talking in the Past Tense 435Forming the Present Perfect Tense 436Past participles 436Auxiliary verbs: Avere and essere 438Over and Done with: The Past Absolute 443Once Upon a Time: The Imperfect Tense 446Forming the imperfect 446Perfecting the use of the imperfect 448Adding Nuance to Meaning with Verb Tense 449Chapter 2: Reflexive Verbs in the Past 451Forming the Present Perfect of Reflexive Verbs 452Using Reciprocal Verbs in the Present Perfect 454Forming the Imperfect of Reflexive Verbs 455Checking Out Reciprocal Verbs in the Imperfect 457Picking the Present Perfect or the Imperfect for Reflexive Verbs 458Recognizing Reciprocal Verbs in the Past Absolute 459Chapter 3: Second-Guessing Actions with the Past Conditional and Past Perfect 461Forming the Past Conditional 462Using the Past Conditional to Play “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda” 463Expressing Responsibilities, Desires, and Abilities in the Past Conditional 464Forming and Implementing the Past Perfect Tense 465Chapter 4: I Hope That You’ve Had Fun!The Subjunctive Mood in the Past 469Forming the Past Subjunctive 469Composing the Past Perfect Subjunctive 471Sequencing Your Tenses in the Subjunctive 473Chapter 5: “If” Clauses, the Impersonal, and the Passive 477Hypothetically Speaking: “If” Clauses throughout the Tenses 477Expressing conditions within the realm of reality 478Examining hypothetical constructions of probability and possibility 479What-iffi ng the impossible 480Come se: In a category of its own 481Putting a Personal Touch on the Impersonal and the Passive 482Forming the impersonal in the present 482Applying the impersonal in other tenses 483Getting proactive about the passive voice 485Chapter 6: Progressing through Gerunds in Italian 487Forming Gerunds in the Present Tense 488Working with Irregular Gerund Forms 489Creating Gerunds in the Past Tense 489Putting Gerunds in the Present Progressive 490What Were You Thinking? The Imperfect Progressive 491Book VI: Appendixes 493Appendix A: Verb Tables 495Italian Helping Verbs 496Regular Italian Verbs 498Irregular Italian Verbs 518Appendix B: Italian-English Mini-Dictionary 529Appendix C: English-Italian Mini-Dictionary 545Appendix D: Fun & Games 561Appendix E: Audio Tracks 615Discovering What’s on the Audio Tracks 615Track Listing 616Index 619

Select Guide Rating

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 2Beyond the Book 3Where to Go from Here 4Book I: Speaking Italian in Everyday Settings 5Chapter 1: Exploring Pronunciations and Italian You May Already Know 7You Already Know Some Italian! 8Getting to the root of cognates 9Picking up popular expressions 9Mouthing Off: Basic Pronunciation 11Starting with the alphabet 11Vowels 12Consonants 14Stressing Syllables Properly 18Chapter 2: Dealing with Numbers, Dates, and Time 21Counting from Zero to a Billion: Cardinal Numbers 21Building numbers in Italian 23Speaking numbers like a native 25Making sense of addresses 26Putting Things in Order: Ordinal Numbers 27Looking at the Calendar: Days, Months, and Seasons 29Days of the week 29Months and seasons of the year 30Specific dates 31Telling Time 34Familiarizing Yourself with the Metric System 38Converting the temperature to/from Celsius 39Measuring in metric units 40Chapter 3: Buongiorno! Salutations! 41Looking at Common Greetings and Goodbyes 41Issuing a greeting 41Deciding between formal and friendly 43Replying to a greeting 43Specifying your reunion 44Making Introductions 44Introducing yourself 45Introducing other people 47Talking about Language, Countries, and Nationalities 49Finding out whether someone speaks Italian 49Talking about where you come from 50Extending and Responding to Invitations 54Chapter 4: Making Small Talk 55Discovering Interrogative Pronouns 55Asking simple questions 56Taking care of basic needs 58Talking About Your Family 60Discussing What You Do 61Talking shop 62Discussing your job 62Chatting about the Weather 64Chapter 5: Casa Dolce Casa: Home Sweet Home 67Describing Where You Live 67Stating your country and hometown 67Noting the type of home you have 68Taking a Tour of Your Home 69Il soggiorno: The living room 69La cucina: The kitchen 71La sala da pranzo: The dining room 72La camera da letto: The bedroom 75Il bagno: The bathroom 76Other areas around the house 77Chapter 6: Using the Phone and Talking Business 81Phoning Made Simple 81Connecting via cellphones, texts, and video 82Calling for business or pleasure 84Making Arrangements over the Phone 86Asking for People and Getting the Message 88Discussing Your Job 91Referring to coworkers 92Interviewing 92Covering compensation and breaks 93Describing things around the office 93Chapter 7: Food, Glorious Food, and Drink 97Eating, Italian-Style 97Having breakfast 97Eating lunch 98Enjoying dinner 100Drinking, Italian-Style 103Expressing your love for espresso 103Beverages with even more of a kick 105Dining Out, from Start to Finish 106Making reservations 106Paying for your meal 108Shopping for Food 109Dal macellaio (butcher shop) 109Pesce (fish) 109At the panetteria (bread shop) 110Chapter 8: Shopping, Italian-Style 115Checking Out Stores 115Deciding between department stores and boutiques 116Navigating the store 116Admiring shop displays 118Clothing Yourself 119Checking out various items 119Sizing up Italian sizes 119Talking definitely and indefinitely 123Coloring your words 124Choosing the right fabric 125Accessorizing 126Narrowing Your Options 127Comparing items, more or less 128Considering price 129Book II: Exploring and Wandering About 133Chapter 1: Where Is the Colosseum? Asking Directions 135Finding Your Way: Asking for Specific Places 135Mapping the quarters and following directions 137Expressing verbs on the move 140Exploring Italian Cities and Towns 143La piazza: The heart of the Italian city 143Viewing famous sites and architectural styles 143Finding the places you’re looking for 144Chapter 2: Having Fun Out on the Town 147Experiencing Italian Culture 147Taking in a movie 149Going to the theater 150Exploring a museum 152Experiencing a local festival 153Taking in the Italian Music Scene 154Catching a concert 154Exploring the world of Italian opera 156Popular Italian music 158Inviting Fun 159Chapter 3: Exploring the Outdoors, Sports, and Hobbies 163Getting Close to Nature 164Playing and Watching Sports 166Using the right names and verbs for sports talk 167Watching sports 171Talking about Hobbies and Interests 173Speaking Reflexively 176Chapter 4: Planning a Trip 179Deciding When and Where to Go 179Going to agriturismo 181Going to the beach and spa 182Visiting castles, palaces, and estates 182Taking a Tour 183Booking a Trip outside of Italy 185Arriving and Leaving with Arrivare and Partire 187Using the Simple Future Tense 188Chapter 5: Money, Money, Money 189Going to the Bank 189Changing Money 190Using Credit Cards 193Looking at Various Currencies 195Chapter 6: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses 199Getting through the Airport 199Checking in 200Dealing with excess baggage 202Waiting to board the plane 203Coping after landing 204Dealing with lost luggage 204Going through Customs 204Renting a Car 206Navigating Public Transportation 208Calling a taxi 208Moving by train 209Going by bus or tram 210Reading maps and schedules 212Being Early or Late 213Chapter 7: Finding a Place to Stay 215Choosing a Place to Stay 215Reserving a Room 216Checking In 219Chapter 8: Handling Emergencies 223Getting Help Fast 223Receiving Medical Attention 224Describing what ails you 224Understanding professional medical vocabulary 228Getting what you need at the pharmacy 228Braving the dentist 229Handling Legal Matters 229Reporting an accident 229Reporting a robbery 230Reporting a lost or stolen passport 233Getting legal help 235Dealing with Car Trouble 236Book III: Grasping Basic Grammar Essentials for Communication 239Chapter 1: What Do You Know? Parts of Speech 241Recognizing the Parts of Speech 241Nouns 245Pronouns 246Articles 246Verbs 247Adjectives 247Adverbs 248Prepositions 249Conjunctions 249Interjections 250Conjugating Verbs in the Present Tense 250Identifying infinitives 250Establishing subject-verb agreement 251Moving on to Other Verb Tenses 251Composing a Simple Sentence 252Chapter 2: Noun and Article Basics: Gender and Number 253A Primer on Articles 254Definite articles: Dealing with “the” 254Indefinite articles: Saying “a” or “an” 256Distinguishing between Masculine and Feminine Nouns 257Recognizing common noun endings 257Sorting nouns into classes 258Moving from Singular to Plural: Basic Rules 260Making Exceptions to the Basic Rules on Number 261Changing more than just the ending 262Changing only the article 263Using nouns only in the singular or the plural 263Deciding When to Include an Article 264When (and when not) to use a definite article 264When (and when not) to use an indefinite article 266Chapter 3: All about Pronouns 267Meeting the Subject Pronouns 268Knowing when to use subject pronouns 269Adapting subject pronouns for informal and formal usage 269Emphasizing Stressed Pronouns 270Digging into Direct Object Pronouns 271What direct object pronouns are and what they do 271Where to place direct object pronouns 272Investigating Indirect Object Pronouns 273Forming Double Pronouns 274Figuring out how to replace direct and indirect object pronouns 275Checking out common double pronouns 276But Wait, There’s More! Special Italian Pronouns 276The adverbial pronoun ci 277The pronoun ne 278When the Subject Is Also the Object: Reflexive Pronouns 280Chapter 4: Adjectives, Adverbs, and Comparisons 281Matching Adjectives to Nouns in Gender and Number 282Regular adjectives 283Irregular adjectives 284Invariable adjectives 285Associating One Adjective with More Than One Noun 286Putting Adjectives in Their Place 286Recognizing the adjectives that come before nouns 287Using placement to change an adjective’s meaning 287Forming Adverbs the Italian Way 288Original adverbs 288Derived adverbs 290Finding a Place for Adverbs 290Making Comparisons 292Comparisons of equality 292Comparisons of inequality 293The best and the worst: Superlatives 294Special comparatives and superlatives 295Chapter 5: Meeting the Challenge of Prepositions 297Combining Basic Prepositions with Articles 298Forming Complements (Preposition + Noun, Name, or Pronoun) 299Possession and specification 299Qualities and functions 300Place 300Place and function 302Time 303Purpose and agent of action 305Tools, reasons, and causes 305Chapter 6: Demonstrative, Indefinite, and Possessive Qualifiers 307Pointing to Something with Questo and Quello 308Conveying Something Indefinite 309Indefinite words used as adjectives or pronouns 310Indefinite words used solely as pronouns 317Indefinite words that express a part of a set 319Assigning Ownership with Possessive Qualifiers 320Chapter 7: Making Connections with Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns 323Linking Words and Clauses with Conjunctions and Prepositions 323Connecting words or sentences with coordinating conjunctions 324Joining a dependent clause with an independent one 325Joining Clauses That Belong Together 328Dealing with your average relative pronouns 329Economy of speech: Combined pronouns 333Chapter 8: Asking and Answering Questions 335Looking at Ways of Asking Questions in Italian 336Adjusting your intonation 336Inverting the word order 336Asking some common questions 337Digging Deeper: Asking More Complex Questions 337Employing interrogative adjectives 338Requesting the location and time: Interrogative adverbs 339Inquiring about who, what, which one, and how many: Interrogative pronouns 341Providing Detailed Answers to Questions 342Answering Questions Negatively 343Book IV: Mastering Italian Verbs and Tenses 345Chapter 1: Jumping into Action with Italian Regular Verbs 347Conjugating Regular Verbs in Italian 348Conjugating -are verbs 349Conjugating -ere verbs 353Conjugating -ire verbs 354Moving Past the Present Tense 356Communicating Quickly with Verbs 357Looking More Closely at Personal Subject Pronouns 358Chapter 2: Talking in the Present Tense with Irregular Verbs 361To Be or Not to Be: Conjugating Essere 362To Have and to Hold: Conjugating Avere 363To Make or to Do: Conjugating Fare 364To Give: Dare 364To Ask How Others Are: Stare 365To Come and to Go: Venire and Andare 366Declaring Needs, Wants, and Abilities: Dovere, Volere, and Potere 367Do Tell: Dire 368Stepping Out: Uscire 369Bottom’s Up: Bere 370The -orre, -urre, and -arre Verbs 370Using Irregular Verbs in Idiomatic Expressions 371Idiomatic expressions with essere 372Idiomatic expressions with fare 372Idiomatic expressions with dare and stare 373Chapter 3: Using Reflexive Forms and the Imperative Mood 375Reflecting on Reflexive Verbs 375Pairing reflexive pronouns with reflexive verbs 376Using reflexive verbs throughout the day 377Altering the position of reflexive pronouns 378Giving and taking with the reciprocal form 380Using the impersonal si 381Giving a Commanding Performance with the Imperative 381Constructing commands (of the tu, noi, and voi variety) 382Dealing with irregular imperatives for tu, noi, and voi 383Commanding politely: Forming the Lei and Loro forms of the imperative 384Adding pronouns to imperatives 385Checking out commonly used commands 387Chapter 4: Declaring Your Likes (And Dislikes) with Piacere 389Understanding How to Use Piacere 390Working with indirect object pronouns 390Conjugating piacere in the present tense 391Combining piacere with indirect object pronouns 392Using piacere as a noun 394Expressing Likes (And Dislikes) in Any Tense 395Conjugating piacere and dispiacere in the subjunctive and past absolute 395Checking out more conjugations for piacere and dispiacere 396Looking at Other Verbs that Work Backward 399Verbs that carry the indirect object in their constructions 400The verb mancare 401Chapter 5: The Future Tense and the Conditional Mood 403Focusing on the Future 403Forming the regular future tense 403Spelling out -are exceptions in the future tense 405Working with irregular roots 407Talking about the future with some handy expressions 409Could-ing and Would-ing: The Conditional Mood 410Covering the uses of the conditional 410Forming the regular conditional 410Creating the irregular conditional 412Using dovere, potere, and volere in the conditional 412Chapter 6: Getting into the Subjunctive Mood 415Forming the Present Subjunctive Mood 415Mastering the Present Subjunctive 418Spelling exceptions 419Irregular forms 419Making the Present Subjunctive a Valuable Tool 421Expressing desires, wishes, commands, emotions, doubts, and beliefs 421Working with impersonal expressions 423Handling conjunctions and words that end in -unque 424Checking out a few other uses of the present subjunctive 426Understanding the Imperfect Subjunctive 426Conjugating the imperfect subjunctive 427Forming the imperfect subjunctive to express doubts, desires, and wants 428Getting a grip on irregular imperfect subjunctives 430Book V: Building Compound Tenses 433Chapter 1: Been There, Done That: Talking in the Past Tense 435Forming the Present Perfect Tense 436Past participles 436Auxiliary verbs: Avere and essere 438Over and Done with: The Past Absolute 443Once Upon a Time: The Imperfect Tense 446Forming the imperfect 446Perfecting the use of the imperfect 448Adding Nuance to Meaning with Verb Tense 449Chapter 2: Reflexive Verbs in the Past 451Forming the Present Perfect of Reflexive Verbs 452Using Reciprocal Verbs in the Present Perfect 454Forming the Imperfect of Reflexive Verbs 455Checking Out Reciprocal Verbs in the Imperfect 457Picking the Present Perfect or the Imperfect for Reflexive Verbs 458Recognizing Reciprocal Verbs in the Past Absolute 459Chapter 3: Second-Guessing Actions with the Past Conditional and Past Perfect 461Forming the Past Conditional 462Using the Past Conditional to Play “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda” 463Expressing Responsibilities, Desires, and Abilities in the Past Conditional 464Forming and Implementing the Past Perfect Tense 465Chapter 4: I Hope That You’ve Had Fun!The Subjunctive Mood in the Past 469Forming the Past Subjunctive 469Composing the Past Perfect Subjunctive 471Sequencing Your Tenses in the Subjunctive 473Chapter 5: “If” Clauses, the Impersonal, and the Passive 477Hypothetically Speaking: “If” Clauses throughout the Tenses 477Expressing conditions within the realm of reality 478Examining hypothetical constructions of probability and possibility 479What-iffi ng the impossible 480Come se: In a category of its own 481Putting a Personal Touch on the Impersonal and the Passive 482Forming the impersonal in the present 482Applying the impersonal in other tenses 483Getting proactive about the passive voice 485Chapter 6: Progressing through Gerunds in Italian 487Forming Gerunds in the Present Tense 488Working with Irregular Gerund Forms 489Creating Gerunds in the Past Tense 489Putting Gerunds in the Present Progressive 490What Were You Thinking? The Imperfect Progressive 491Book VI: Appendixes 493Appendix A: Verb Tables 495Italian Helping Verbs 496Regular Italian Verbs 498Irregular Italian Verbs 518Appendix B: Italian-English Mini-Dictionary 529Appendix C: English-Italian Mini-Dictionary 545Appendix D: Fun & Games 561Appendix E: Audio Tracks 615Discovering What’s on the Audio Tracks 615Track Listing 616Index 619