{"id":3684,"date":"2013-07-22T09:48:21","date_gmt":"2013-07-22T09:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=3684"},"modified":"2013-07-24T14:20:01","modified_gmt":"2013-07-24T14:20:01","slug":"it-doesnt-make-sense-but-it-has-sense-doesnt-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/it-doesnt-make-sense-but-it-has-sense-doesnt-it\/","title":{"rendered":"It doesn’t make sense but it has sense … doesn’t it?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s very easy to get caught out by the verbs avere<\/strong> (to have) and fare<\/font><\/strong><\/a> (to do \/ to make), as they both have a wide variety of uses beyond their usual literal translation.<\/p>\n

Take the expression \u2018to make sense\u2019 for example. If we translate this literally into Italian we get fare senso<\/strong> which has an entirely different meaning: \u2018to give one the shivers\u2019, e.g. i ragni mi fanno senso<\/strong> (spiders give me the shivers). When we want to say \u2018make sense\u2019 in Italian we use the verb avere<\/strong>: ha senso<\/strong> = it makes sense, e.g. questa frase non ha alcun senso<\/strong> (this sentence doesn\u2019t make any sense).<\/p>\n

In Italian we often use avere<\/strong> (\u2018to have\u2019) where in English you would use \u2018to be\u2019. Let\u2019s have a look at some examples:<\/p>\n

Physical Sensations<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

We use the verb avere<\/strong> followed by a noun to describe a physical sensation, e.g. avere caldo \/ freddo<\/strong> (to be hot\/cold), avere sete \/ fame<\/strong> (to be thirsty\/hungry), avere sonno<\/strong> (to be sleepy) e.g. Ho freddo, mi vado a mettere la felpa<\/strong> (I\u2019m cold, I\u2019m going to put my sweatshirt on) or Se hai sonno perch\u00e9 non vai a fare un riposino? <\/strong>(If you are sleepy, why don\u2019t you go and take a nap?)<\/p>\n

Feelings and Emotions<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n

Avere<\/strong> is often followed by nouns describing feelings and emotions, e.g. avere paura \/ timore di<\/strong> (to be scared \/ afraid of), avere coraggio \/ forza<\/strong> (to be courageous \/ strong), avere piet\u00e0 \/ compassione di<\/strong> (to feel pity \/ compassion towards), avere passione \/ amore per<\/strong> (to be passionate about), avere voglia di<\/strong> (to be in the mood for) e.g. Luca ha paura del temporale<\/strong> (Luca is scared of the thunderstorm) or Ho proprio voglia di un caff\u00e8<\/strong> (I\u2019m really in the mood for a coffee)<\/p>\n

Here are a few more instances in which we use the verb avere<\/strong>, where in English you would use \u2018to be\u2019: avere torto \/ ragione<\/strong> (to be wrong \/ right), avere colpa<\/strong> (to be guilty), avere fortuna \/ sfortuna<\/strong> (to be lucky \/ unlucky), avere l\u2019obbligo di<\/strong> (to be required), avere valore \/ importanza<\/strong> (to be valuable \/ important) e.g. Povero Gianni, lo hanno punito anche se non aveva alcuna colpa<\/strong> (Poor Gianni, he was punished even if he wasn\u2019t guilty at all) or Quando guido ho l\u2019obbligo di portare gli occhiali <\/strong>(when I drive I am required to wear glasses)<\/p>\n

Finally, we use the verb avere<\/strong> when talking about age, e.g. avere \u2026 anni \/ mesi<\/strong> (to be \u2026 years \/months old) e.g. Quanti anni hai?<\/font><\/strong><\/a> Ho quindici anni<\/strong> (How old are you? I\u2019m fifteen), or Quanto tempo ha la bambina di Costanza? Ha cinque mesi<\/strong> (How old is Costanza\u2019s child? She\u2019s five months old). N.B.<\/strong> when talking about a little child we use the word tempo<\/strong> (time) instead of anni<\/strong> (years).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s very easy to get caught out by the verbs avere (to have) and fare (to do \/ to make), as they both have a wide variety of uses beyond their usual literal translation. Take the expression \u2018to make sense\u2019 for example. If we translate this literally into Italian we get fare senso which has…<\/p>\n

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