Italian Language & Grammar Review Notes

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering Italian verb conjugations, pronominal verbs, grammatical concepts, and thematic vocabulary from the lecture notes.

Cuocere

To cook.

Aggiungere

To add.

Tagliare

To cut.

Versare

To pour.

Mescolare

To mix or stir.

Salire

To go up or ascend (e.g., "salga al secondo piano").

Asciugare

To dry.

Ricordarsi

To remember.

Dimenticare

To forget.

Proteggere

To protect.

Volare

To fly.

Adattarsi

To adapt.

Promettere

To promise.

Diventare

To become.

Andarsene

A pronominal verb meaning "to leave" (e.g., "me ne vado").

Farcela

A pronominal verb meaning "to make it" or succeed in doing something (e.g., "ce l'ho fatta").

Cavarsela

A pronominal verb meaning "to get by" or handle a situation (e.g., "me la sono cavata").

Volerci

An impersonal verb indicating the time or effort needed to do something (e.g., "ci vuole 1 ora", "ci vogliono 2 ore").

Metterci

A pronominal verb expressing the amount of time an individual takes or spends to complete an action (e.g., "ci metto 1 ora").

Scendere

To get off or descend (e.g., "scendere alle 3 fermate").

Spegnere

To turn off or switch off.

Affidarsi (a)

To rely on or trust in (e.g., "mi affido al mio istinto").

Preposizioni di luogo: A vs In

"A" is used with cities and villages (e.g., "a Milano"), whereas "in" is used with islands, regions, countries, continents, and public places (e.g., "in Lombardia", "in università").

Piacere (Verbo)

A verb meaning "to be pleasing to"; it is conjugated primarily in the third-person singular ("piace" + singular noun/infinitive) or plural ("piacciono" + plural noun) and used with indirect pronouns.

Preposizioni Articolate

Compound prepositions formed by combining simple prepositions ("di", "a", "da", "in", "su") with definite articles ("il", "lo", "l'", "la", "i", "gli", "le").

Si Impersonale

An impersonal construction formed with "si" + third-person verb ("si mangia" / "si mangiano") to express actions performed in general without a specific subject.

Pronomi Diretti

Direct object pronouns ("mi", "ti", "lo/la", "ci", "vi", "li/le") placed before the verb; in compound tenses with "avere", the past participle agrees in gender and number with third-person forms.

Il Partitivo

A grammatical structure using "di" + definite article ("del", "della", "dei", "degli", "delle") to mean "some" or indicate an unspecified part of a whole.

Pronome "Ne"

A pronoun used to replace phrases starting with "di" ("about it/them") or to specify a quantity or number of previously mentioned items.

Imperativo Negativo (con "Tu")

The negative imperative for the informal second person singular ("tu"), formed with "non" followed by the verb's infinitive (e.g., "non ascoltare").

Imperfetto

A past tense used for habitual actions, parallel ongoing actions, physical/psychological states, or setting the background scene in the past.

Passato Prossimo

A compound past tense used to express completed, specific events that occurred at defined times, or consecutive actions in the past.

Condizionale Semplice

The simple conditional tense used to express desires in the present/future, give indirect advice, or make polite requests ("chiedere qualcosa in modo gentile").

Condizionale Composto

The compound conditional tense formed with the conditional of "avere" or "essere" + past participle, expressing unfulfilled past wishes or disappointment over unperformed actions.

Stare + Gerundio

A progressive verbal construct expressing an action currently taking place at the moment of speaking (e.g., "sto mangiando").

Fare la fila

To wait or stand in line.

Neanche

Me neither; neither; not even.

Soprattutto

Especially; above all.

Di solito

Usually; almost always.

Asciugacapelli

Hairdryer.

Asciugamano

Hand towel.

Non c'è di che

You are welcome; don't mention it.

Portafortuna

Good luck charm; lucky.

In bocca al lupo!

Good luck! (an Italian idiom wishing good fortune).

Viziato

Spoiled (e.g., a spoiled child or pet).

Testardo

Stubborn.

Parsimonioso

Thrifty, economical, or stingy (synonymous with "avaro").

Ne vale la pena

It's worth it.

Roba da matti!

"That's insane!" or "crazy stuff!" (an expression used to indicate astonishment or disbelief).

Che peccato!

What a shame! / What a pity!

Smettere

To stop or quit doing something (e.g., "smettere di fumare").