Archive for October, 2009
Il Congiuntivo Part 3 – Passato Posted by Serena on Oct 10, 2009
In part 1 of this series on the congiuntivo I explained how to use it in the present tense, il congiuntivo presente. Part 2 consisted of a list of the most common irregular verbs and their present tense conjugations. This included the two verbs essere (to be), and avere (to have) which are essential to…
La Vendemmia – un po’ di vocabolario Posted by Serena on Oct 7, 2009
One of the great pleasures of living in our little village in Lunigiana, is being surrounded by nature and her changes of season. The lives of the contadini (peasant farmers) are still closely tied to the ancient rituals that have always accompanied natures rhythms. Late September, for example, is the period of la vendemmia, a…
Il Congiuntivo Part 2 – Verbi Irregolari Posted by Serena on Oct 4, 2009
As I promised in part one of this article: il congiuntivo part-1 presente, here is a list of the most useful irregular verbs conjugated in the congiuntivo presente (present subjunctive). Essere (to be): io sia, tu sia, lui/lei sia, noi siamo, voi siate, loro siano Avere (to have): io abbia, tu abbia, lui/lei abbia, noi abbiamo, voi abbiate…
Il Congiuntivo Part 1 – Presente Posted by Serena on Oct 1, 2009
Several readers have asked me to explain how and when to use the congiuntivo (subjunctive), a verb form which is not used very much in English but is quite common in Italian. This is quite a big topic, so in order to make it more ‘digestible’ I have decided to divide it into several “chapters”. Let’s begin with the Congiuntivo Presente (present subjunctive). The…