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Italian Cognates Posted by Geoff on Jul 25, 2018
Identifying similarities between Italian and English words can be a very useful way of expanding your vocabulary, but it also has its pitfalls. English is a Germanic language which has been heavily influenced by the Romance languages throughout its history. The Renaissance period in particular brought a huge influx of Latin words, and it’s estimated…
All’Isola Di Montecristo – Translation Posted by Geoff on Jul 23, 2018
Here’s my English translation of part nine of ‘The Strange Case Of The Irregular Body’. Sono le 4.25 di una notte buia e tranquilla quando un peschereccio arriva nelle acque al largo dell’isola di Montecristo. A bordo insieme al capitano ci sono l’Ispettore Augusto e il Tenente Ciceri travestiti da pescatori: giacca e cappello di…
The Other Side Of The Mountain – Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Jul 11, 2018
We’ve come to the Fondazione Magnani Rocca in Emilia Romagna to see an exhibition of work by Italian traveller and artist Alberto Pasini (Busseto 1826 – Cavoretto 1899). Pasini is best know for his magnificent depictions of the orient. With superb draughtsmanship and expert use of tone and colour, he captured the dazzling light, dry…
The Other Side Of The Mountain – Part 1 Posted by Geoff on Jul 5, 2018
Today, we’re on our way to the wonderful Fondazione Magnani Rocca about 10 km south of Parma. We emerge from the long gallery that cuts through the towering rock between Toscana and Emilia Romagna, and everything changes. It’s hard to believe that two neighbouring regions can differ so much in terms of climate, landscape, architecture…
How To Use The Imperfetto Posted by Geoff on Jul 2, 2018
Today we’re going to continue exploring the complex topic of using the past tense in Italian. In Using The Passato Prossimo In Italian – Part 1 and Part 2 we looked at how to construct the present perfect tense using the auxiliary verbs essere and avere followed by a past participle. Whereas the passato prossimo…
Alle Otto Di Sera – Translation Posted by Geoff on Jun 29, 2018
Here’s my English translation of Serena’s Alle Otto Di Sera. Livorno, otto di sera. Livorno, eight o’clock in the evening. Nella sua bella villetta sulle colline presso il Santuario della Madonna di Montenero vicino a Livorno, l’Ispettore Augusto è a cena con la famiglia. A tavola regna un silenzio pieno di attesa, perché tutti sanno…
Using The Passato Prossimo In Italian – Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Jun 25, 2018
In part 1 we looked at how to construct the passato prossimo (present perfect) in its simplest form. Today we’re going to find out what happens when a direct object is replaced by a direct object pronoun in the past tense. Read on and all will be explained. Let’s begin with an example and an…