I live
Abito nel Galles.I live in Wales.Abito da sola.I live alone.Abitiamo in un appartamento.We live in a flat.Adesso vivo in Italia.I live in Italy now.Im staying
Sto allHotel Belvedere.Im staying at the Hotel Belvedere.Sto da amici.Im staying with friends.Mi fermo a Milano per una settimana.Im staying in Milan for a week.To say that youve done something for a given length of time, use da (for) with the present tense. Another common way of talking about things youve been doing for a while is to use sono che.
I have been for
Faccio linfermiera da cinque anni.Ive been a nurse for five years.Vivo in Italia da dieci anni.Ive been living in Italy for ten years.Sono a Ravenna da due settimane.Ive been in Ravenna for two weeks.Sono sei mesi che studio litaliano.Ive been learning Italian for 6 months.Sono tre mesi che insegno inglese in Italia.Ive been teaching English in Italy for 3 months.ASKING FOR INFORMATION
When youre chatting socially, you will want to ask any number of questions. One simple way of finding out information from someone is to say mi parli di (tell me about) to someone you dont know very well, or parlami di to someone younger. These come from the verb parlare (to speak). For more information on this verb, see here.
Tell me about
Mi parli della sua famiglia.Tell me about Your family.Mi parli un po di lei.Tell me a bit about Yourself.Parlami del tuo nuovo ragazzo.Tell me about your new boyfriend.Dimmi in che consiste il tuo lavoro.Tell me what your job involves.Ma basta parlare di me. Dimmi di te, adesso.Enough about me. Now tell me about you.Another common way of asking for information in spoken Italian is to use question words: Come? (How?), Cosa? (What?), Dove? (Where?), Quando? (When?) and so on.
How?
Come va?How are things?Come sta?How are You?Come stai, Marco?How are you, Marco?Volevo chiederti, comè andata la vacanza?I meant to ask, how was your holiday?Come va con luniversità?Hows university going?What?
Cosa fai nella vita?What do you do?Cosa le piace fare nel tempo libero?What do You enjoy doing in your free time?Cosa farai quando finisci luniversità?What are you going to do when you finish university?Whats your name?
Come si chiama?Whats Your name?Ciao! E tu come ti chiami?Hi! Whats your name?Come si chiama sua moglie?Whats Your wifes name?Come vi chiamate?What are your names?Where?
Doveabita?Where do You live?Dove lavora?Where do You work?Dovè il suo ufficio?Where is Your office?Di dove sei?Where do you come from?When?
Quando arrivi?When will you get here?Quando parte?When are You leaving?Quando ci troviamo?What time are we meeting?Quandè il tuo compleanno?When is your birthday?If you want to ask how long someone has been doing something, use Da quanto tempo? or just Da quanto? (How long for?) followed by the present tense. For more information on the present tense, see here.
How long have?
Da quanto tempo lavori qui?How long have you been working here?Da quanto tempo è sposata?How long have You been married?Da quanto stai in Italia?How long have you been in Italy?Sometimes youll want to ask why a friend or acquaintance did or didnt do something. You can use Perché? (Why?) and the past tense to ask. For more information on the past tense, see here.
Why?
Perché hai cambiato casa?Why did you move house?Perché si è licenziata?Why did You quit your job?Perché non mi hai telefonato?Why didnt you call me?Perché non cè andata?Why didnt You go?SAYING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO
When youre talking to friends or colleagues you will often need to be able to talk about what you would like to do. To say what you want to do, use vorrei (Id like). vorrei comes from the verb volere (to want). For more information on volere, see here.
Id like to
Vorrei ringraziarla dellaiuto.Id like to thank You for your help.Vorrei parlare con la signora Martini, per favore.Id like to speak to Mrs Martini, please.Vorremmo invitarvi a bere qualcosa.Wed like to take you out for a drink.Vorremmo presentarle un amico.Wed like You to meet a friend of ours.You can also use voglio (I want) to talk about what you want to do. If you want to say that you want someone to do something, you use voglio che followed by the subjunctive. For more information on the subjunctive, see here.
I want to
Voglio organizzare una festa.I want to organize a party.Voglio invitare un po di amici per il mio compleanno.I want to have a few friends over for my birthday.Voglio che tu venga con me.I want you to come with me.Voglio che la serata vada bene.I want the evening to be a success.MAKING SUGGESTIONS
One easy way of making suggestions to your friends and colleagues is to use si potrebbe (we could) followed by the verb in the infinitive. potrebbe comes from the verb potere (to be able). For more information on potere, see here.
We could
Si potrebbe chiedere a Paul di venire con noi.We could ask Paul to join us.Si potrebbe uscire a bere qualcosa insieme.We could go out for a drink.Ci si potrebbe incontrare unaltra volta.We could meet another time.Ci si potrebbe trovare al Caffè San Marco.We could meet at the Caffè San Marco.Just as in English you can make a suggestion by simply asking Perché non ? (Why dont ?).
Why dont?
Perché non ci troviamo uno di questi giorni?Why dont we get together sometime?Perché non invitiamo Fabio e la sua ragazza?Why dont we invite Fabio and his girlfriend?Perché non li chiami?Why dont you phone them?Perché non viene a pranzo con me?Why not meet me for lunch?You can also make a suggestion using the Italian phrase E se? (How about?) which is followed by a verb in the imperfect subjunctive. For more information on the subjunctive, see here.
How about?
E se li invitassimo a cena?How about asking them round for dinner?E se venisse con noi?How about if You came with us?E se passassi a prenderti la mattina?How about if I picked you up in the morning?Use Dovrei? (Should I?) followed by the verb in the infinitive to ask if you should do something. dovrei comes from the verb dovere (to have to). For more information on dovere, see here.
Should I?
Dovrei invitare Anna?Should I invite Anna?Dovrei richiamarla?Should I call her back?Dovrei scusarmi?Should I apologize?EXPRESSING OPINIONS
When talking to people in a social or work situation, you may wish to express your opinion of something. In Italian you can use credo or penso (I think). When you use credere and pensare with che, the verb which follows is in the subjunctive. For more information on the subjunctive, see here.