We’re glad to hear, via the comments, that readers are finding these labels useful. If you missed our previous posts here are the links:
The Kitchen
The Bathroom
The Bedroom
And if you haven’t tried it yet have a go, it really is a powerful tool for reinforcing your Italian vocabulary.
Basic Vocabulary in the First Person Singular
vado in soggiorno = I’m going into the living room
esco dal soggiorno = I’m leaving the living room
mi siedo sul divano = I’m sitting on the couch/sofa
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| il divano letto! photo (CC) by David K |
preparo il divano letto = I’m getting the sofa bed ready
mi siedo in poltrona = I’m sitting on the armchair
accendo/spengo la televisione/la TV = I’m switching on/off the television / the TV, pronounced ‘Tee Voo’ in Italian
guardo la televisione/la TV = I’m watching the television
cerco un libro nella libreria = I’m looking for a book in the bookshelf/bookcase
metto un libro nella libreria = I’m putting a book in the bookshelf/bookcase
spolvero lo scaffale = I’m dusting the shelves, n.b. lo scaffale is a set of shelves, rather than il ripiano, which is a single shelf
metto qualcosa sullo scaffale = I’m putting something on the shelves
spolvero il ripiano = I’m dusting the shelf
ascolto lo stereo = I’m listening to the stereo/the Hi-Fi
metto il mio caffè sul tavolino = I’m putting my coffee on the coffee table
apro/chiudo le tende = I’m opening/closing the curtains
accendo/spengo la lampada = I’m switching the lamp on/off
apro la vetrina = I’m opening the display case
il quadro/la foto è appeso/a al muro = the picture/the photo is hanging on the wall
BONUS! In The Living Room With Guests
si accomodi = make yourself at home, formal/polite
accomodati = make yourself at home, informal (friends/relatives), singular
accomodatevi = make yourself at home, plural
si sieda = have a seat, formal/polite
siediti = have a seat, informal (friends/relatives), singular
sedetevi = have a seat, plural
cosa le offro = what can I offer you (to drink), tè, caffè … ? formal/polite
cosa ti offro = what can I offer you (to drink), tè, caffè … ? informal (friends/relatives), singular
cosa vi offro = what can I offer you (to drink), tè, caffè … ? plural
Comments:
Me:
Please note there’s a typo. ScafFale is written with two “f”, and you write it correctly once but not always.
Geoff:
@Me Grazie per l’avviso, l’ho appena messo a posto.
saluti da Geoff
Michael Stevens:
I just wanted to make a general comment about how wonderful these posts are. Both entertaining *and* helpful. I’m planning to visit Italy for a month or so late Spring. Remembering the admonition that there’s always one place in any city where bad Italian is spoken (the language school) I’m wondering if you have any suggestions how I could best spend my time, which means maximum opportunities to speak with native Italian speakers. Thanks!
–Mike Stevens
Geoff:
@Michael Stevens Grazie per i tuoi gentili complimenti.
If you really want to maximise your opportunities to speak with native Italians then you’d be best off visiting small places without many tourists. If you go to Firenze of Venezia for example, you will be identified as a foreign tourist and people will automatically try to speak to you in English.
In the average small out of the way Italian town you won’t find many English speakers. That will force you to make an effort to communicate and ‘survive’ in Italian.
Which part of Italy are you planning on visiting?
A presto, Geoff