Archive for September, 2017
Italian Bread And Apple Pudding Posted by Serena on Sep 28, 2017
A delicious Italian pudding made from two very humble ingredients: apples and leftover bread! Perfect for us since we’re still working our way through the bumper crop that our two small apple trees have produced this summer. Here’s the recipe for this simple but very tasty budino di pane e mele: Ingredienti: 50 grammi di…
When is a non not a not? Posted by Geoff on Sep 26, 2017
The Italian word non means ‘not’, right … beh, non sempre! (well not always!) The pleonastic non is a rather sneaky little character who likes to hang around in otherwise straightforward sentences with the sole purpose of confusing hapless students of Italian. Well dear readers, fear not, for we know his dirty little tricks and…
Il Mio Primo Giorno Di Scuola Posted by Serena on Sep 21, 2017
Le scuole hanno appena riaperto per migliaia di studenti italiani. Chi di voi si ricorda il primo giorno di ritorno a scuola? Io me ne ricordo vari, ma soprattutto mi ricordo il Primo vero giorno di scuola, quello con la lettera maiuscola, quello della prima elementare! Beh, non è che mi ricordo tutto di quella…
Beat It! Posted by Geoff on Sep 18, 2017
In Italian, you’ll often encounter groups of words deriving from the same root which have subtly different meanings. Battere, sbattere and abbattere are one such group. With three words all based on the root battere (to beat), it can be difficult to know which to apply in a particular situation. Let’s take a look at…
Il Periodo Ipotetico – An Exercise Posted by Serena on Sep 15, 2017
Here’s an exercise based on last week’s article il Periodo Ipotetico (conditional sentences). Fill in the gaps in the Italian sentences below. The answers are hidden at the bottom of the page. Buon Lavoro! 1. Periodo Ipotetico della Realtà N.B. The periodo ipotetico della realtà presents situations which are real or possible. For this reason…
Musica a Pontremoli Posted by Serena on Sep 13, 2017
Cosa c’è di più bello dell’ascoltare la musica classica suonata da grandi professionisti in luoghi che sono dei veri e propri gioielli architettonici? E’ questo il regalo che ci ha fatto il maestro Giulio Plotino la settimana scorsa qui a Pontremoli: sette concerti, uno per ogni sera della settimana, e per di più tutti gratuiti!…
Come Dio Comanda Posted by Geoff on Sep 11, 2017
I’ve always loved to read, and feel lost without a good book around. In fact I’m reading a great one right now! For the last few years I’ve committed myself to reading in Italian, but it can be tough finding just the right books in your second language. Written Italian tends to be a very…