It's About Time...

In commemoration of one month of successful living in Italy (and so we can fully live our last few days here), I thought I'd post some useful Italian words and phrases.

This isn't the most chemistry-oriented blog post (I'll make it up with my next one, don't worry!) but I figured we can try integrating the language in our everyday interactions with our fellow neighbors, students and gelaterians. And I can stop trying to speak Spitalian (Spanish+Italian) with them!

First off: Pronunciation

C
=”K” before a, o, u and consonants

=”CH” before e and i

Ex. Ciao!

G

=”GAH” like in “good” before a, o, and uand consonants
Ex. in Good

=”JAH” like “general” before e and i

 

H is silent.

For other letters, it's generally safe to read it as it sounds.

 

Numbers are infinitely helpful, I’ve realized.

1	uno	11	undici	21	ventuno	31	trentuno
2	due	12	dodici	22	ventidue	32	trentadue
3	tre	13	tredici	23	ventitré	33	trentatré
4	quattro	14	quattordici	24	ventiquattro	40	quaranta
5	cinque	15	quindici	25	venticinque	50	cinquanta
6	sei	16	sedici	26	ventisei	60	sessanta
7	sette	17	diciassette	27	ventisette	70	settanta
8	otto	18	diciotto	28	ventotto	80	ottanta
9	nove	19	diciannove	29	ventinove	90	novanta
10	dieci	20	venti	30	trenta	100	cento

Oh, what about those greeeetings?

Ciao: casual, “hello”
Buongiorno: “good day”, formal, use in morning and early afternoon
Buono sera: “good evening”, formal, use in evening into the night
Arrivederci: “goodbye”

Ooo, I’m doing well. And you…?

Come stai? How are you?
Come va? How are things?

If we're talking to more than one person we say…

Come state? How are you?
 

Respond with…

Bene, grazie. E lei? Good, thank you. And you?
Benissimo. E lei? I’m very well, and you?
Non ce male. Not bad.

My name is…

Mi chiamo . . . My name is…
Come ti chiami? What’s your name?
Piacere - pleased to meet you

For nationality, you can use “Sono”

Ex.
Sono italiano/italiana
 

I would like a… (At a restaurant)

Caffé: a small and mighty shot of espresso
Latte Macchiato: milk with very little coffee
Cappuccino: cappuccino

Prendo un cappuccino - I'll have a cappuccino.

Il conto, per favore. The bill please.

“Quante”or “Quanto costa?” How much is it?

FACT: Italy consumes 220,000 tons of Gelati a year.

 Cono o coppetta? Cone or a tub?

Interesting toppings on La Pizza, Italy's favourite fast food.

melanzane aubergines
acciughe anchovies
capperi capers

The all important meats:

la carne	meat
il manzo	beef
il vitello	calf
il maiale	pork
la pecora	sheep
l'agnello	lamb
il pollo	chicken
il coniglio	rabbit
la gallina	hen

Oh, and most importantly! Questions to ask when you meet a sweaty armpit…

Quanti anni hai? How old are you?
Hai fratelli? Do you have brothers or sisters?
Hai bambini? Do you have children?
Che lavoro fa? What do you do for a living?
Lei è sposato? Are you married?
Lei è fidanzato? Are you engaged?
 

You know when to walk away when he says something like mia ragazza or fidanzata or donna. This means he’s talking about his girlfriend, sadly.

Common words

Dove Where
Molto very
ex. Molto grazie! Thank you very much

moglie wife

figlia daughter
figlio son
bambini children
piccolo small
più more
Olio oil
Aceto vinegar
A sinistra To the left
A destra To the right
Accanto all’albergo Next to the Hotel
Notti night
per stasera tonight

And lastly…

Andiamo, which means “Let’s go!”

Resources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/talk/transcripts/
http://www.tantarobina.com/2008/3/23/pollo
http://italian.about.com/cs/pronunciation/ht/pronounceconson.htm