Speak Italian like a nativewhen you use theItalian verb “Prendere”!
In this blog,“Use ‘Prendere’ to Speak Italian Like a Native, “we will focus on how and when to use the Italian verbprendere during daily conversation. This is the second topic in a new series, and I will try to post an in-depth analysis of a different Italian verb every few months.
The heart of any language is its verbs. Too often, language teachers focus on verb conjugation drills and provide a few example sentences, assuming that the student then has the tools he or she needs to communicate. Although many Italian verbs have similar meanings to those in English, and it is sometimes easy to transition between English and Italian during conversation, other times the use of an Italian verb will vary from its English counterpart. I believe that to speak fluently in any language it is important to have an in-depth understanding ofhow each verb is usedin real life situations.
In which situation will one verb commonly be chosen over another? How will the point one is making change depending on the verb chosen? How will the meaning of the chosen verb change with use of the reflexive counterpart of the verb? This information must be studied and understood so it can be easily accessible when it comes time to have a conversation. Since this information is not commonly found in text books, I have decided to make it the focus of a blog series.
“Prendere,”the Italian verb that means“to take”and is one of those verbs that is important to “take seriously” if one wants to use it correctly.
Enjoy the second topic in this series:Use “Prendere” to Speak Italian Like a Native.
—Kathryn Occhipinti
Special thanks to Italian instructor Maria Vanessa Colapinto.
Parts of this blog have been reposted fromItalian Phrases We Use EVERY Day! – “The Many Uses of the Italian Verb “Prendere”fromConversational Italian!a blog by the same author.
Speak Italian Like a Native:
Italian VerbPrendere
Prendere most commonly means“to take,”butcan also be translated as“to bring,”“to pick up,” “to get,”or“to buy/acquire.”
The past participlepresocan also be used to describe liking someone or something a lot. This use stretches the meaning ofprenderea bit, but there is a similar expression in English — being“taken with”someone — that also expresses the same idea.
In its reflexive form,prendersiis used to convey how a person can “catch/come down with”an illness.
When you are able to visit Italy, useprenderewhen ordering food in a restaurant to really sound like a native!
Prendereis also commonly used by Italians in reference to earning money, taking medicine, or being “overtaken” by an emotional or physical condition.
Finally, the Italian expressions for “to tease” and “to sunbathe” useprendere.As you can see, this verb is used in many ways in Italian!
The present tense, familiar imperative (command) tense, and future tenses ofprenderehave a regular conjugation, and are used frequently in daily conversation.
Prendereis also commonly used in the past tense in order to describe what we“took,” “brought,” “picked up,” “got,”or“caught.”
To describe a one-time event that occurred in the past withprendere,we will most often use the helping verbavere(to have)with the irregular past participlepreso.For conversation, we will focus on theioandtuforms.We can begin a statement with theioform, such as,“Ho preso…”for“I took…”We can ask questions with thetuform by simply stating,“Hai preso…?”
In the expressions that describe the subject “liking,” or “being taken with” a person or a thing,essere(to be)is used as verb that links the subject with the past participlepreso.
The passato prossimofor the reflexive verbprendersineeds the helping verbessere,as do all reflexive Italian verbs. Remember to leave out the subject pronouniowhen you want to say,“Mi sono preso un raffredore ieri.”(I caught a cold yesterday.)And, of course, when usingessereas the helping verb withprendere,remember our usual rule for past participles: if you are female, or your subject is a group of people, make sure to change the past participlepresotopresa, presi,orprese!
Examples follow below for the many ways to use the Italian verbprendere:
1. Useprendereto describe the act of “taking,” “bringing” or “picking up” something
In order to direct someone to take something and put it in a different place, useprendere.This includes when the object is on the ground or resting on another object, and you must literally “pick it up” from that place.
When directing someone to take something in Italian, it is important to use the command form ofprendere,which has the same“i”ending as thetuform in the present tense. (To use the familiar command form, just use the present tense subjunctive mood ending. The familiar command form will not be used in our examples, but more information can be found atItalian Subjunctive (Part 7): Italian Subjunctive Commands).
Remember that for events in the recent future, Italians use the present tense. To emphasize that something will happen for sure in the recent future or well into the future, use the future tense.
Notice that in the past tense we must useavereas the helping verb with the irregular past participlepresoto describe what we“took,” “brought,”or“picked up.”
“Prendi quella roba che nessuno vuole e mettilalì!”
“Take that stuff that no one wants and put it there!”
“Prendi il vino a tavola per cena!” (Porta il vino a tavola.)
“Take/Bring the wine to the table for dinner!”
“Quando faccio la spesa domani, prendo la tua macchina. Non voglio camminare con troppi bagagli pesanti.
“When I go grocery shopping tomorrow, I (will take) your car. I don’t want to walk with so many heavy bags.
Prenderò tante cose da portare alla famiglia quando viaggerò in America tra cinque anni.
I will take many things to bring to the family when I travel to America in 5 years.
“Prendi il piatto che tu hai lasciato cadere per terra!
“Pick up the plate that you let drop on the floor!”
“Prendo tutta la spazzatura nella tua stanza e la butto via domani.”
” I will pick up all the garbage in your room and throw it out tomorrow.”
“Hai preso il vino da portare alla nonna per la cena?”
“Did you take the wine to bring to grandma for dinner ieri?”
“Si, ho preso una buona bottiglia di vino specialmente per la nonna ieri sera.”
“Yes, I took/brought a nice bottle of wine especially for grandma last night.”
2. Useprendereto describe “picking up” someone
Useprenderewith the verbpassarewhen you want to“pass by”and“pick someone up.”As we’ve already seen in our blog aboutpassare,these two verbs arecombined to make the important every day expression“passare a prendere,”which means “to pick (someone) up.”The reference now-a-days is usually to driving in a car, but the same expression could be used when taking someone on a walk.
In the examples given below, the pronounstiandmiare given in red to demonstrate that they are attached to the end ofprendere.
“Passerò/Passo a prendertialle otto.”
“I will (pass by and) pick you up at 8 AM.”
Grazie! Passa a prendermialle otto! Sto aspettando!
Thanks! Pick me up at eight. I (will be) waiting!
Side note: if you want to ask someone to “pick you up” from a particular place,venireis used withprendere:
“Può venire alla stazione a prendermi?”
“Can you (polite) come to the station and get me?”
3. Useprenderewhen describing what food you would like to order/eat
“Prendo un piatto di spaghetti per il primo piatto.”
“I will take (have) a plate of spaghetti for the first course.“
“Stammatina prendo un buon caffè prima di andare al lavoro.”
“This morning I will take (have) a good (cup of) coffee before going to work.”
“Dai, prendi l’ultima fetta di pane!”
“Come on, take the last slice of bread!”
“Che cosa vuole prendere per dolce, signore?”
“What would you like to have (take) for dessert, sir?”
4. Useprendereto describe the act of taking medicine
“Devo prendere una pillola ogni mattina per l’ipertenzione .”“I have to take one pill every morning for hypertension.”
5. Useprendereto describe buying, acquiring or earning something
“Ho preso un chilo di mele ieri dal fruttivendolo in piazza.”
“I bought a kilogram of apples yesterday from the fruit vendor in the piazza.”
Lui ha preso la casa per pochi soldi la settimana scorsa.
He aqcuired (bought) the house for very little money last week.
“Ho preso cinquanta euro al lavoro iera sera.”
“I earned 50 euros at work last night.”
Lui non ha preso molti soldi l’anno scorsa a vendere le scarpe.
He did not earn much money last year selling shoes.
6. Use the past participlepresowith these expressions to describe liking something or someone a lot.
The phrase“Sono preso da…”is similar to the phrase“Sono innamorato di…”and conveys the ideas of“I really like/I’m in love with…”
Other Italian expressions that describe the different ways we can like someone are:“Sono cotto di…”” I have a crush on…”and“Sono colpito da…”“I am impressed with..”
Notice that some of these phrases take the conjunctionda, while others use the conjunctiondi.
To form the past tense for these phrases, we must add the past participle ofessere, which isstato,and change the ending ofstatoto(a,i,e)as necessary to reflect the gender and number of the subject.
“Sono preso(a) da questo libro.”
“I like this book a lot.” (I am really taken with this book.)
“Sono preso(a) da te.”
“I like you a lot!” (“I am really taken by you!”)
“Sono stato(a) preso da questo libro.”
“I liked this book a lot.” (I was really taken with this book.)
“Sono stato(a) preso da te.”
“I liked you a lot!” (“I was really taken by you!”)
“Io e Anna siamo presi molto l’uno dall’altra.”
“Ann and I (we) like each other very much.”
Anna e Michele non sono presi molto l’uno dall’altra.
Ann and Michael (they) don’t like each other very much.
Side note: if you want to describe how someone or something has so enthralled or dazzled you, in effect “blinding you” literally or figuratively(abbiagliarsi)so that you make a mistake, use the expressionprendere un abbaglio.
“Ha preso un abbaglio.”
“I made a mistake.”
7. Useprendersito describe getting sick, as in “catching a cold,” or “coming down with” an illness
Remember the Italian use of reflexive verbs to indicate “to get” in English. If you would like to review this topic, check out our blog How to Say “To Get” in Italian.
“Mi sono preso un brutto raffredore improvvisamente.”
“I caught a bad cold all of a sudden.”
“Mi sono preso l’influenza ieri.”
“I came down with the flu yesterday.”
8. Useprendereto describe “being overtaken” by an emotion or sickness, andprenderselawhen offended/angered
“Sono stato preso(a) da un grand tristezza quando ho incontrato il mio amore perduto.”
“I was overtaken by a great sadness when I met my lost love again.“
Me la sono presa con te ieri sera durante la riunone!
I was offended by you last night during the meeting!
9. Two more common phrases that useprendere
Prendere in giro=to make fun of, to tease
Mio fratello maggiore mi prende sempre in giro.My big brother is always teasing me.Non mi prendere in giro!(negative command)Don’t make fun of me!
Prendere il sole=to sunbathe
Oggi prendo il sole sulla spiaggia per tutta la mattina.Today I will sunbathe on the beach all morning.
Remember how to usethe Italian verbprenderein conversation and I guaranteeyou will use this verb every day!
And remember to study ourConversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Verbs”book if you want more real life examples of all the important Italian verbs you will need to know!Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Verbs” book to learn Italian.
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of theConversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area.“Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
How to talk aboutmovies and TV in Italian:Important Italian phrases and vocabulary you need to know when talking about the shows you watch with Italian friends and colleagues!
This blog series,“How to Talk About… in Italian”will focus on the topics that have come up most frequently in my everyday conversations with Italian family, friends and colleagues. We willfocus on the important Italian phrases and Italian vocabulary we all need to know to become more fluent when we speak about everyday events in Italian!
The topic for this month —movies and TV — comes up frequently during daily conversation, both when making small talk with acquaintances and also when planning activities with family, friends, and co-workers. In the“How to Talk About Movies and TV in Italian”blog for this month, we will focus on common Italian phrases needed to describe the type of show you have watched, if liked it, and why . As usual, the focus will be on common Italian expressions that can be used to describe your own interests.
Enjoy the third topic in this “How to Talk About…” series,“How to Talk About Movies and TV in Italian.”—Kathryn Occhipinti
In Italian, a few simple sentences will suffice to say if we liked what we saw — or not. You may recall that Italians use the irregular verbpiacereto convey the idea that they like something.For a refresher on how this verb works, please refer to the beginning Italian blogs in my Conversational Italian! blog,“Piacere — How Italians Say, ‘I like it!” and “Piacere: How Italians Say, ‘I liked it!’
The most important thing to remember is that the conjugation ofpiacerewill have toagree with the number of thingsthat are being liked.
So, when speaking in the present tense, if one thing is liked, simply use the third person singular conjugationpiace.
If many things are liked in the present, use the plural third person, which ispiacciono.
For the past tense, we can use thepassato prossimo third person singular forms“è piacuto”and“è piaciuta”for the one-time event when weliked something.
If many things are liked, the third person plural forms“sono piaciuti”for the masculine plural (and mixed group plural) and“sono piaciute”for the feminine plural are used.
Then put the indirect object pronoun“mi”before the verb to make the simple sentence: “To me, this is/was pleasing!” Or, as we would say in English,“I like/liked this!”
To ask a friend if they like or liked something, put“ti“before the verb, for “Is/was this pleasing to you?” Or, as we would say in English,“Do/Did you like this?”
If, for some reason, we do NOT like what we have watched, just start your sentence with the word“non.”
What we might say about our favorite TV show or movie that we like:
Mi piace questo film.
I like this movie.
Mi è piaciuto questo film.
I liked this movie.
Mi piace molto questo film.
I really like this movie.
Mi è piaciuto molto questo film.
I really liked this movie.
Ti piace questo film?
Do you like this movie?
Ti è piaciuto questo film?
Did you like this movie?
What we might say about our favorite TV show or movie that we did NOT like:
Non mi piace questo film.
I don’t like this movie.
Non mi è piaciuto questo film.
I didn’t like this movie.
Mi piace molto questo film.
I really don’t like this movie.
Mi è piaciuto molto questo film.
I really didn’t like this movie.
Ti piace questo film?
Don’t you like this movie?
Ti è piaciuto questo film?
Didn’t you like this movie?
Using common expressions to say we like a TV show or movie…
Of course, there are many common expressions in Italian that go beyond the simple: ” I like it” or “I didn’t like it.” Just like in English, we might say, “It was cool,” or “It was out of this world,” It seems like new expressions are invented almost every day for how we feel about things! So, it should come as no surprise that Italians also have invented colloquial expressions that express feelings that go deeper than simply liking. Here are a few you might want to try to surprise your Italian friends.
If you want to ask your friend if it is worth your time to watch a certain movie, you can use the phrases,” Vale la pena?”for“Is it worth it?”“Voleva la pena il film?”means,“Was the film worth it?”
In the table beloware some answers to this question that you might hear from a native Italian if they liked the film you are talking about:
Mi piace un sacco!
I like it a lot! (lit. a sack full)
Mi è piaciuto un sacco!
I liked it a lot!
È stato bello!
It was great!
È / È stato meraviglioso!
It is / was wonderful!
È / È stato stupendo!
It is / was amazing / cool!
È / È stato fantastico!
It is / was fantastic / cool!
È / È stato fico / figo!
It is / was cool!
È / È stato fichissimo / fighissimo!
It is / was the coolest!
È / È stato da paura!
It is / was cool!
È / È stato il meglio!
It is / was the best!
È il migliore film che io abbia mai visto.
It is the best film that I have ever seen.
How do I say, “TV show” and “movies” in Italian?
The programs we watch on a television set( il televisore)or on a screen(lo schermo)are referred to most commonly in both English and Italian as“TV.” The pronunciation, of course, is different in each language. In Italian, “TV” is pronounced as an Italian would pronounce the letters “t” and “v”, which sounds like “tee-vooh.” Notice from the table below that there is an Italian word for TV,“la televisione,”and therefore the abbreviation is feminine as well.
TV
La TV / La televisione
Cable TV
La TV via cavo
Satellite TV
La TV sattelitare
RAI-TV
Italian state television (Radio-Televisione Italiana)
Television set
Il televisore
TV or computer screen
Lo schermo
TV show
Un programma Un programma televisivo
TV series
Una serie TV Un telefilm
Episode
Una puntata
Situation Comedy
Una serie TV sitcom Una commedia
Comedy show
Un programma comico
To talk about a movie in Italian, we could refer to“la pellicola,”but this word is no longer in common use. Instead, Italians most often refer to a movie in general with the word“film.” Movies in general are either“i film,”with the borrowed English word preceded by the plural masculine definite article in Italian, or“il cinema,”a collective masculine noun.
The usual verbs for“to watch,”“guardare,”and“to see,”“vedere,”describe the act of watching a screen to see a TV show or movie.
Movie theater
Il cinema
Film studio
Lo studio cinematografico
Movie
Il film (La pellicola)
Movies
I film / Il cinema
to capture an image for a film
filmare / riprendere / girare
to be recorded
essere filmato
to watch a movie
guardare un film
to watch a movie
vedere un film
Using common expressions to say what we prefer…
The verbpreferiremeans“to prefer,”which is a regular -isc conjugated -ire verb.“I prefer,“is“Io preferisco…”To ask a question of someone else, say,“Tu preferisci…?”
If you want to say you prefer one movie genre over another, just use the adjectivepreferito.This also works for your favorite movie, TV show, color, etc. Just make sure to change the ending ofpreferito (a,i,e)to reflect what it is you are describing, whether masculine or feminine, singular or plural.
Here are examples from the dialogue below:
È il tipo di film che io preferisco.It’s the type of film that I prefer.
Non per me. Il mio film preferito è un buon giallo.Not for me. My favorite movie is a good mystery movie.
If you might want to say,“I liked (film) better than…”use the sentence construction:
“Mi piace…(film) più di + definite article…(film).
Mami piaceLa Vita è Bellapiù delCommissario Montalbano.I likeLa Vita è Bellamore thanDetective Montalbano.
Another way to make a comparison between films:“This film is much better than…”
“Questo film è molto meglio di + definite article…”
Questo film èmolto meglio delCommissario Montalbano, sono sicuro!This film is much better thanDetective Montalbano, I am sure.
Finally, to mention who has written or directed a movie, use the conjunction“di”to mean“by.”
Some common movie genres
Action
Film d’azione
Adventure story
Storia d’avventura
Costume drama (historical TV show with costumes)
Sceneggiato in costume
Costume drama (historical film with costumes)
Film in costume
Comedy
Film comico / commedia
Comedy drama
Commedia drammatica
Dark comedy
Commedia nera
High comedy
Commedia sofisticata / da intenditori
Low comedy (bawdy)
Commedia popolare
Slapstick comedy
Farsa / Pagliacciata*
Musical comedy
Commedia musicale
Romantic comedy
Commedia romantica
Documentary
Un documentario
Drama
Storia drammatica
Drama movie
Film drammatico / Dramma
Detective movie
Un poliziesco / Un giallo**
Film noir (thriller genre)
Film noir
Foreign Film
Film straniero
Horror
Film horror / Film dell’orrore
Mystery
Un giallo**
Science Fiction / Sci-fi
Film di fantascienza
Psychological thriller
Thriller psicologico
Thriller (suspense film)
Thriller / Giallo
Western
Film Western
*Reference to the opera “Pagliacci,” whose main character is a clown that performs slapstick humor with puppets.
**Mystery books and films are referred to by the color“giallo,”which is derived from the yellow cover all mystery books were given in the past.
Below is a simple dialogue between two friends, Maria and Anna, talking about their favorite movie and TV show. There are, of course, many variations. Think about your favorite movie and create your own!
Maria:
Ieri sera, ho guardato il film,La Vita è Bella,di Roberto Benigni.
*
Last night, I watched the movie, “Life is Beautiful,” by Roberto Benigni.
*
*
Anna:
Ne è valsa la pena?
*
Was it worth it?
*
*
Maria:
Si, vale la pena. Mi è piaciuto molto questo film!
*
Yes, it is worth it. I really liked this film!
*
*
Anna:
È una storia drammatica?
*
Is it a drama?
*
*
Maria:
Si, è una storia drammatica, ma la prima parte è anche un po’ comica.
*
Yes, it is a drama, but the first part is also a bit funny.
*
*
Anna:
Ah, una commedia drammatica.
*
I see, a comedy drama.
*
*
Maria:
È il tipo di film che io preferisco.
*
It’s the type of film that I prefer.
*
*
Anna:
Non per me. Il mio film preferito è un buon giallo.
*
Not for me. My favorite movie is a good mystery movie.
*
*
*
Commissario Montalbano è figo.
*
Detective Montalbano is cool.
*
*
Maria:
Boh. Ho visto molte puntate del Commissario Montalbano sul TV.
*
Well. I have seen many episodes of Detective Montalbano on TV.
*
*
*
Ma mi piaceLa Vita è Bellapiù delCommissario Montalbano.
I likeLa Vita è Bellamore thanDetective Montalbano.
Questo film è molto meglio delCommissario Montalbano, sono sicuro!
*
This film is much better thanDetective Montalbano, I am sure.
*
*
Anna:
Allora, devo guardareLa Vita è Bellaun giorno.
*
Well, then, I will have to watchLa Vita è Bellaone day.
Remember how to talk aboutmovies and TVin Italian and I guarantee you will use these Italian phrases every day!
Conversational Italian for Travelers Just the Important Phrases (with Restaurant Vocabulary and Idiomatic Expressions) is YOUR traveling companion in Italy! All the Italian phrases you need to know to enjoy your trip to Italy are right here and fit right into your pocket or purse.
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the Italian language.Meraviglioso!
But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently?Can you use the Italian subjunctive mood when you are speaking in the past tense? To express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, as we only rarely use this tense in English, and this is something that I am always working on! This is the third blog in the“Speak Italian” series that willfocus on how to conjugate and use theimperfettosubjunctive mood,or“il congiuntivo”for speaking in thepast tense.
Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian by using theimperfettosubjunctive moodwhile speaking in thepast tense.In this segment, we will discuss when the helping verbsdovere, potereandvoleretake the subjunctive mood.
We will also repeat the Italian conjugation of the imperfetto subjunctiveform for theregular and irregular -are,-ere, and-ire verbs and then presentthe conjugation of the modal, or helping, verbs dovere,potere,andvolere. Finally, we will revisit thetrapassatosubjunctive mood from our previous blog on Italian hypothetical phrases. Example sentences will follow!
In each blog in the “Speak Italian” series about theimperfetto Italian subjunctive mood (“il congiuntivo”), we will first present phrases that take the Italian subjunctive mood.
Then, we will review how to conjugate theimperfettosubjunctive mood.
Finally, we will present common phrases from daily life that take theimperfettosubjunctive mood.
Remember these examples as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you must speak Italian and try out theimperfettosubjunctive mood in your next Italian conversation!
Enjoy the third blog in this series,“Imperfetto Subjunctive for Past Tense (Part 3): Speak Italian!” —Kathryn Occhipinti
Once Again… Italian Phrases That Take the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Italian has a subjunctive mood that is used to expressbeliefs, thoughts,orhopes with the verbscredere, pensare,andsperare.
The subjunctive mood is also said to “open up” a conversation to discussion about a particular topic by expressing doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling.
Certain phrases are commonly used to start a sentence in order to introduce the subjunctive mood, and these initial phrases will be in the indicative tense (the “usual” present or past tense). These initial phrases imply uncertainty and trigger the subjunctive mood in the phrase to follow.
We have already learned to use theimperfettosubjunctive mood with the conditional tense in ourblogs about Italian hypothetical phrases! Now, as stated before, we will focus on the use of theimperfettosubjunctive mood after introductory phrases that are in thepast tense.
In this blog, we will discuss phrases that express feelings (any emotion, fear, or surprise) in Group 9 and describe the situations in the past in which they are used to introduce theimperfettosubjunctive mood.
We will also now discuss Group 10, in which we list individual words that refer to the purpose or timing of an action that, when in the past, must be followed by theimperfettosubjunctive mood. These words are part of “adverbial clauses” that modify verbs. As such, they are often used in the phrase that completes a sentence, but can also be found at the beginning of a sentence. Many of these words are easy to recognize since they end in-che.
Finally, Groups 11 and 12 are individual adjectives or pronouns that can introduce another clause and when describing the past must be followed by theimperfetto subjective mood.
At the end of the list, we will also include the topic of a series of blogs onItalian hypothetical phrases, to complete our discussion of specific words or phrases that can be used to introduce the subjunctive mood.
Groups 1-9: “Noun Clauses”
Group 10: “Adverbial Clauses”
Groups 11 and 12: “Adjective/Pronoun Clauses”
Phrases that use the verbs credere (to believe),pensare (to think),andsperare (to hope). These verbs use the pattern:[verb+ di+ infinitive verb] to describe the beliefs, thoughts, or hopes that one has. When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the subjunctive clause that follows, the pattern changes to: [verb+che+ subjunctive verb].*
Impersonal constructions that begin with,“It is…”such as,“È possibile che…”
Phrases that express a doubt, such as,“I don’t know…”or“Non so che…”
Phrases that express suspicion, such as,” I suspect that…”or“Sospetto che…”
Phrases that express uncertainty, such as,“It seems to me…”or“Mi sembra che…”and” To wonder if…” or “Chiedersi se… “
Impersonal verbs followed by the conjunctionche,such as,“Basta che…” “It is enough that,”or“Si dice che…” “They say that…
Phrases that use the verbsvolere, desiderare, chiedere, esigere when the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows. In this situation, these verbs will be followed byche.
Phrases that use the verbspiacereanddispiacerewhen the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows. In this situation, these verbs will be followed byche.
Phrases that express feelings (any emotion, fear, surprise) and use the pattern:[avere, essere, oraugurarsiverb + di+ infinitive verb]. When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows, the pattern changes to: [avere, essere,oraugurarsi verb +che+ subjunctive verb].
Sentences that begin with words that end in –ché,or complex conjunctions that end with che:affinché, perché (so as, so that, in order that), purché (as long as, provided that, only if)**, a meno che, senza che (unless), può darsi che (it may be possible that, possibly, maybe), prima che (before that). Also the many words that mean although/even though,one of which ends in-che: benché (alsosebenne, malgrado, nonostante).***
Sentences that begin with adjectives or pronouns that include the idea of anyin a description of a person, place or thing: qualsiasi, qualunque (any), chiunque (whoever), dovunque (anywhere).
Sentences that begin with adjectives or pronouns that include the idea ofnothingoronly in a description of a person, place, or thing:niente che, nulla che (nothing that), nessuno che (nobody that), l’unico, il solo, a che (the only one that).
Hypothetical Phrases: Phrases that begin withse (if)in certain situations. Phrases that begin with come se (as if),magari (if only)andammesso che (assuming that).
As usual, there are summary tables in the next section that shows how to use these phrases. The present tense is in the left columns. Theimperfettopast tense has been chosen for the right columns, although in some situations, thepassatto prossimopast tense can be used as well. We will then present examples for the past tense.
Points to remember about the subjunctive mood:
In Italian,the introductory phrases that take the subjunctive mood (those that trigger doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling) usually end with a linking word,also known as a conjunction, which will be che. In this situation,chemeans that.The clause that follows our introductory phrase will then describe what the uncertainty is about.
We now see from Group 9 that some introductory words or phrases already have -chéorcheintegrated into the word itself. In these cases,cheis not repeated.
*When the speaker in the introductory phrase will carry out the action in the phrase to follow, Italian will use the following construction to link the phrases forcredere, pensare,andsperare : di+ infinitive verb. Example:Penso di andare a Roma domani. = I think I will go to Rome tomorrow. (Use pensare a when thinking ABOUT something or someone.)
**solo sealso meansonly ifbut does NOT take the subjunctive mode.
***anche sealso meanseven though/ifbut does NOT take the subjunctive mode.
How to Express One’s Feelings with “Di” and “Che” and the Italian Subjunctive Mood – Present Tense
Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Di” in Italian
When expressing one’s feelings in Italian in the first person (ioconjugation), many common Italian expressions are followed bydi(of). In this case, whendiis followed by another verb,the verb in the second phrase will be inthe infinitive tense(if you remember, infinitive verbs end in-are, -ere, -ire, and translate as “to…”). Below are some examples of these phrases, along with example sentences, adapted fromChapter 7 of theConversational Italian for Travelerstextbook.
avere bisognodi
to have need of
Ho bisognodi… riposare.
*
*
avere pauradi
to be afraid/have fear of
Ho pauradi… guidare.
*
*
avere vogliadi
to feel like
Ho vogliadi… mangiare una pizza.
*
*
essere certodi
to be certain of
Sono certo(a)di… ricordare il tuo nome.
*
*
essere sicurodi
to be certain of
Sono sicuro(a)di… ricordare questo posto.
*
*
essere felicedi
to be happy to
Sono felicedi… incontrare mio cugino oggi.
*
*
essere fortunatodi
to be lucky to
Sono fortunato(a)di… mangiare questa cena.
*
*
essere liberodi
to be free to
Sono libero(a)di… viaggiare.
*
*
essere stancodi
to be tired of
Sono stanco(a)di… lavorare.
*
*
temeredi…
to be afraid of
Temodi… essere in ritardo.
*
*
augurarsidi…
to wish/to hope (of)
Mi augurodi… fare una buona vacanza.
How to Express One’s Feelings with “Di” and “Che” and the Italian Subjunctive Mood – Past Tense
Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Che” and the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Some of the expressions listed in the following table are most commonly used with the same subject for the second phrase. As noted in our previous discussions, these phrases will be followed with“di”and an infinitive verb. They are reprinted here to correspond with the previous table, followed by an asterisk and an explanation in parentheses.
For most of the expressions of feeling that we have been talking about, though, it is possible to express a feeling that the speaker(io)has regardinganother person or people. In this case, then,these expressions must be followedbyche, andthe subjunctive mood should be used for the verb in the second phrase.
The above rule for usingche + subjunctiveapplies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.However, if the introductory verb is in the past tense, theimperfetto subjunctiveform is the form to follow!
In our example table, we will illustrate this by following the Italian phrases in which the subjects can be different with...che tu,which we know means…that you,although of course, this rule follows no matter which subject pronoun we use.
Phrases Used to Express Feelings with “Che” and the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mode
Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase Group 8
Past Tense Subjunctive Phrase Group 8
Ho bisogno…che tu
I need…that you*
*(This expression is not commonly used in Italian to tell another person what needs to be done;vogliocheis used instead.)
Avevo bisogno…che tu
I needed…that you*
*(This expression is not commonly used in Italian to tell another person what needs to be done; volevocheis used instead.)
Ho paura…che tu
I am afraid…that you
Avevo paura… che tu
I was afraid…that you
Ho vogliadi…*
I feel like… * *(always used with the same subject +diin both phrases)
Avevo voglia…*
I felt like…*
*(always used with the same subject +di in both phrases)
Non sono certo(a)… che tu
I am not certain… that you
Non ero certo…che tu
I was not certain…that you
Non sono sicuro(a)… che tu
I am not certain… that you
Non ero sicuro…che tu
I was not certain…that you
Sono felice…che tu
I am happy…that you
Ero felice…che tu
I was happy…that you
Sono fortunato(a)…che tu
I am happy…that you
Ero fortunato(a)…che tu
I was fortunate…that you
Sono libero(a)di…*
I am free… * *(always used with the same subject +diin both phrases)
Ero libero(a)… *
I was free… * *(always used with the same subject +di in both phrases)
Sono stanco(a)di…
I am tired…*
*(always used with the same subject +diin both phrases)
Ero stanco(a)… *
I was tired…*
*(always used with the same subject +di in both phrases)
Temo…che tu
I am afraid… that you
Temevo…che tu
I was afraid…that you
Mi auguro…che tu
I hope…that you
Mi auguravo… che tu
I hoped…that you
Idiomatic Use of the Italian Subjunctive Mood
The final group of words in the table below take the subjunctive mood when used to start a sentence. These conjunctions, adjectives, and pronouns imply that a second phrase is necessary to complete the sentence.
The above rule for usingche + subjunctiveapplies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.However, if the introductory verb is the past tense, theimperfetto subjunctiveform is the form to follow!
Only the most commonly used have been given in the table. For a more complete list, see the list in the first section of this blog.
Phrases Used to Introduce the Subjunctive Mood—Idiomatic
Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase Groups 9, 10, 11
Prima che
Before that (Prima cheis used to mean“before that” and followed by the subjunctive when the subject in the first phrase is different from the subject in the second phrase; usePrima di + infinitive verb when the subject of both phrases is the same.)
Benché, Sebbene
Although, Even though, If
Può darsi che
It may be possible that, Possibly, Maybe
Affinché
So as, So that, In order that
Perché
So that(Perchéis only used in the subjunctive mood when it means“so that.” Other meanings ofperchéinclude“why”and“because,”and in these cases, the subjunctive mood is not used.)
Purché
As long as, Provided that, Only if
Finally, our usual reminder:
DO NOT USE THE SUBJUNCTIVE WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE PHRASES!
Forse =Perhaps
Per me= For me
Secondo me= According to me
The above may seem like exceptions to the rule, but perhaps… because these phrases already express doubt or your personal opinion… in the Italian way of thinking, it would be redundant to use these phrases along with the subjunctive!
And, two more phrases we can now add that DO NOT take the subjunctive mood:
How to Conjugate the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood for -are, -ere, and -ire Verbs
Luckily, there are only a few irregular stem forms to learn for the imperfetto subjunctive mood, making it an easier tense to learn than the present, future, and conditional tenses.
Also, the imperfetto subjunctive mood endings are always regular and will be the same for all three conjugations!
To change any regular infinitive verb into theimperfettosubjunctive mood, first drop the final-re, from our infinitive-are, -ere,and-ireverbs to create the stem.
This will create stems that end in the letters –a for the –are verbs, -e for the –ere verbs, and–i for the –ire verbs. Then add the endings given in the first table below to the stem that has been created. Examples for each verb type are given in the second table below.*
The wordche is included in parentheses in the subject pronoun column as a reminder that these verb forms typically are used withthe conjunction che. Also, use the subject pronoun in your sentence afterchefor clarity, since the endings for the singular forms are all the same!
Practice the subjunctive verbs out loud by sayingche, the subject pronoun and then the correct verb form that follows!
Subjunctive Mood – Imperfetto Endings
io
ssi
tu
ssi
Lei/lei/lui
sse
noi
ssimo
voi
ste
loro
ssero
The following table will put together our stems with our imperfetto subjunctive mood endings. A few notes about this:
When pronouncing the imperfetto subjunctive mood verbs, the stress will always be on the syllable that begins with the last two letters of the stem and will incorporate one –s letter from the ending. (Remember the rule for Italian double consonants: one consonant will go with the syllable before and the second with the syllable after, in effect also stressing the double consonant itself.) The stressed syllables are underlined in our example table below.
Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood – Example Verb Conjugations
Abitare(to live)
(lived/were living)
Vedere(to see)
(saw/had seen)
Finire(to finish)
(finished/were finishing)
(che)io
abitassi
vedessi
finissi
(che)tu
abitassi
vedessi
finissi
(che)Lei/lei/lui
abitasse
vedesse
finisse
(che)noi
abitassimo
vedessimo
finissimo
(che)voi
abitaste
vedeste
finiste
(che)loro
abitassero
vedessero
finissero
How to Conjugate the Italian Subjunctive Mood Imperfetto Tense for the Modal Verbs
Here are the Italianimperfettosubjunctive forms for the modal verbs. If you remember, modal verbs are auxiliary verbs that are also called “helping verbs.” These verbs are often used in the subjunctive mood in written and spoken Italian. As you no doubt recall, these three helping verbs give additional information about the main verb in the phrase. In the subjunctive mood,volerecan also be translated as“to need.”
Dovere – to have to/must – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
(che)io
dovessi
I had to
(che)tu
dovessi
you (familiar) had to
(che)Lei
(che)lei/lui
dovesse
you (polite) had to she/he had to
(che)noi
dovessimo
we had to
(che)voi
doveste
you all had to
(che)loro
dovessero
they had to
Potere –to be able (to)/can – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
che)io
potessi
I was able to/could
(che)tu
potessi
you (familiar) were able to/could
(che)Lei
(che)lei/lui
potesse
you (polite) were able to/could
she/he was able to/could
(che)noi
potessimo
we were able to/could
(che)voi
poteste
you all were able to/could
(che)loro
potessero
they were able to/could
Volere – to want/ to need – Imperfetto Subjunctive mode
(che)io
volessi
I wanted/needed
(che)tu
volessi
you (familiar) wanted/needed
(che)Lei
(che)lei/lui
volesse
you (polite) wanted/needed
she/he wanted/needed
(che)noi
volessimo
we wanted/needed
(che)voi
voleste
you all wanted/needed
(che)loro
volessero
they wanted/needed
The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Commonly Used Regular and Irregular Verbs
A review from the second blog in this series:
Luckily, most verbs are regular in the imperfetto subjunctive mood. So, there are many, many more regular than irregular verbs! Below are some commonly used regular verbs, some of which are irregular in the present tense and most other tenses! Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.
Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood Conjugations – Commonly Used Regular Verbs
Andare(to go)
(went/were going)
Sapere (to know)(knew/had known)
Venire(to come)
(came/had come)
Vivere(to live)
(lived/were living)
io
andassi
sapessi
venissi
vivessi
tu
andassi
sapessi
venissi
vivessi
Lei/lei/lui
andasse
sapesse
venisse
vivesse
noi
andassimo
sapessimo
venissimo
vivessimo
voi
andaste
sapeste
veniste
viveste
loro
andassero
sapessero
venissero
vivessero
The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Commonly Used Irregular Verbs
There are a few important irregular verbs to know in the imperfetto subjunctive mood. You will find them in the tables below. Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.
Fare – to do/make – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
io
facessi
I did/ made
tu
facessi
you (familiar) did/made
Leilei/lui
facesse
you (polite) did/madeshe/he did/made
noi
facessimo
we did/made
voi
faceste
you all did/made
loro
facessero
they did/made
Dare – to give – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
io
dessi
I gave
tu
dessi
you (familiar) gave
Leilei/lui
desse
you (polite) gaveshe/he gave
noi
dessimo
we gave
voi
deste
you all gave
loro
dessero
they gave
Dire – to say/tell – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
io
dicessi
I said/told
tu
dicessi
you (familiar) said/told
Leilei/lui
dicesse
you (polite) said/toldshe/he said/told
noi
dicessimo
we said/told
voi
diceste
you all said/told
loro
dicessero
they said/told
How to Conjugate Italian Verbs “Essere,” “Avere,” and “Stare” in the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
A review from the first blog in this series:
In the tables below are theimperfettosubjunctive forms for the Italian auxiliary verbsavere, stare,andessere,which are often used in the subjunctive mood in written and spoken Italian. These are important verbs to commit to memory!
You will notice thataverehas a regular conjugation in theimperfettosubjunctive mood, whereas essere andstarehave an irregular conjugation.
Avere—to have—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
(che)io
avessi
I had
(che)tu
avessi
you (familiar) had
(che)Lei
(che)lei/lui
avesse
you (polite) had
she/he had
(che)noi
avessimo
we had
(che)voi
aveste
you all had
(che)loro
avessero
they had
Essere—to be—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
(che)io
fossi
I were
(che)tu
fossi
you (familiar) were
(che)Lei
(che)lei/lui
fosse
you (polite) were
she/he were
(che)noi
fossimo
we were
(che)voi
foste
you all were
(che)loro
fossero
they were
Stare—to stay/be—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
(che)io
stessi
I stayed/were
(che)tu
stessi
you (familiar) stayed/were
(che)Lei
(che)lei/lui
stesse
you (polite) stayed/were
she/he stayed/were
(che)noi
stessimo
we stayed/were
(che)voi
steste
you all stayed/were
(che)loro
stessero
they stayed/were
The “Trapassato” Subjunctive Mood
“Essere” or “Avere” + Past Participle
To form thetrapassatosubjunctive mood to describe an event that started and was completed in the past, simply use eitheressereoraverein theimperfettoconjugation, and add the past participle of the verb.
In English, any event that started and was completed in the past simply needs “had” inserted in front of the past participle! This is a bit easier than Italian, but with a little practice, you will get used to the Italian in no time!
Below are thetrapassatosubjunctive mood conjugations for the auxiliary verbsavereandessere, using the past participles for two Italian verbs that are commonly used in this tense –fareandandare.
Remember that action verbs of direction, reflexive verbs, other verbs of growing and changing, andpiacereall takeessereas a helping verb when making these compound verbs. All other verbs takeavere. If you need a review of the use of helping verbs for the Italian past tense, please refer to our blog Speak Italian: A Story About… Love!
You will notice thataverehas a regular conjugation in theimperfettosubjunctive mood, whereas essere has an irregular conjugation. The past participle forfare (fatto)is irregular, but that ofandare(andato)is regular. If you need a refresher on how to form past participles, please refer to our blog Speak Italian: A Story About… Love!
In hypothetical clauses, because the trapassatosubjunctive mood is introduced byse,(se)is included in the subject pronoun column as a reminder. When conjugating these verbs, say“se”before the subject pronoun and each verb form to reinforce this way of thinking!
Avere (to have) + Fare (to do/make) — Trapassato Subjunctive Mood
Example Phrases Using the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood in the Past Tense
To follow are some examples of how the Italian subjunctive mood in the past tense might be used in conversation during daily life.
Notice that English sentence structure differs from Italian in most of these sentences. We can make a similar sentence in English as in Italian, but it would be considered an “awkward” sentence.
The biggest difference is that we English speakers do not use the subjunctive form, whether or not the subject in the two phrases is the same or different. Also, we often leave out the word “that” from our sentences that contain two phrases. But, the Italian word for “that,”“che,” is not an option when linking two Italian phrases – except if the introductory word itself ends in-che.
For the translations, the Italian sentence structure is given first for some examples to help us to think in Italian. The correct English is in bold.
We will use the example introductory phrases from earlier in this section. How many more combinations can you think of?
Ho voluto che tu cucinassi una cena speciale per la festa ieri sera.
I wanted that you cooka special dinner for the party tonight. =
I wanted you to cook a special dinner for the party last night.
*
Ieri sera, ho avuto paurache lui guidassi troppo veloce.
Last night, I was afraidthathe drove too fast. =
Last night, I was afraid,since he drovetoo fast.
Non ero certoche Lei ricordasse quello giorno.
I was not certainthat you remembered that day.
Non ero sicuroche noiricordassimo il posto corretto.
I was not surethat we rememberedthe right place.
Sono stato feliceche voi abbiate incontrato mio cugino oggi.
I was happythat you all have metmy cousin today.=
I was happy you all metmy cousin today.
Sono stata fortunata che voi abbiate mangiato con me ieri sera per il mio compleanno.
I was luckythatyou all ate with me last night for my birthday.=
I was luckyyou all ate with me last night for my birthday.
Temavo che loro non fosseropersone perbene.
I was afraidthat they were notgood people.
*
Mi auguravo che loro facesserouna buona vacanza.
I was hoping that they hada good vacation. =
I was hoping they had a good vacation.
The Italian Subjunctive Mood: Examples for Idiomatic Phrases and Modal Verbs
Here are some examples for the introductory phrases “before that” and “after that,” which, as we have discussed in the earlier section, should take theimperfettosubjunctive mood when the reference is to the past.
These phrases seem to be most useful in situations in which we talk about plans peoplewould have liked toorhad made for themselves or others, and therefore helping verbs many times also come into play.
Lei ha dovuto prepare molto bene i tuoi documenti primache tu dovessi andareal lavoro.
She had to prepare your documents very well before (that) you had to come to work. =
She had to prepare your documents very well before you had to go to work.
*
Primache mio figlio potesse andaredove ha voluto, io sono dovuto venire a casa.
Before(that) my son could gowhere he wanted to, I had to go home. =
Before my son could go where he wanted to, I had to come home.
*
Primache noi dovessimo partire perRoma, è stato buono che avete riposato un po’ in campagna.
Before (that) we had to leavefor Rome, it was good that you all rested a little bit in the country. =
Before we had to leave for Rome, it was good that you all rested a little bit in the country.
*
Prima chevoi poteste andare a trovare* i vostri parenti in America, tuo padre ha dovuto guadagnare un sacco di soldi.**
Before(that) you all could visityour relatives in America, your father had to make a lot of money. =
Before you all could visit your relatives in America, your father had to make a lot of money.
*
Il mio assistente ha dovuto portarli al riunione primache loro possano mangiarela cena.
My assistant had to bring them to the meeting before(that) they could eatdinner. =
My assistant had to bring them to the meeting before they could eatdinner.
*andare a trovareis an idiomatic expression that means“to go to visit (someone).”Visitareis used when going to visit a place.
** un sacco di soldiis an idiomatic expression that means“a lot of money.”
The Italian Subjunctive Mood: Examples for Idiomatic Phrases
The final group of words that take the subjunctive mood on an idiomatic basis imply that a second phrase is necessary to complete the sentence. These are essential phrases to remember if we want to express complex thoughts in Italian. Here are some examples. How many more can you think of?
Benchéio volessi andarein Italia, non è stato possibile l’anno scorso.
AlthoughI wanted to goto Italy, it was not possible last year.
*
Sebbenelui volesse andareall’università, non ha ricevuto voti abastanza buoni al liceo.
Althoughhe wanted to goto college, he did not get good enough grades in high school.
*
Sebbenenoi volessimo viaggiare, abbiamo dovuto lavorare nel’ristorante di famiglia per molti anni.
Thoughwe wanted to travel, we had to work in the family restaurant for many years.
*
Perchéla crostatafosse fatto buona, hai dovuto usare le fragole fresche.
So thatthe pie was madewell, she had to use fresh strawberries. =
She had to use fresh strawberries so thatthe pie was madewell.
*
Sono venuto alla festa, purché(lui non ci fosse.
I agreed to come to the party, provided thathe was not (going to be) there. =
I agreed to come to the party, provided thathe was notgoing to be there.
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood Past Tense (Part 3): Speak Italian!
Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the Italian language.Meraviglioso!
But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently?Can you use the imperfetto subjunctive mood when you are speaking in the past tense? To express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, as we only rarely use this tense in English, and this is something that I am always working on! This is the second blog in the“Speak Italian” series that willfocus on how to conjugate and use theimperfettosubjunctive mood,or“il congiuntivo”for speaking in thepast tense.
Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian by using theimperfettosubjunctive moodwhile speaking in thepast tense.In this segment, we will discuss whenvolere,desiderare,piacere, anddispiacere take the subjunctive mood.
We will also learntheconjugation of the imperfetto subjunctive mood for the -are,-ere,and-ire verbsand the commonly used irregular verbsandare,dare, dire, fare,sapere,andvenire.Example sentences will follow!
In each blog in the “Speak Italian” series about the imperfetto subjunctive mood (“il congiuntivo”), we will first present phrases in the past tense that take theimpefettosubjunctive mood.
Then, we will review how to conjugate theimperfetto subjunctive mood.
Finally, we will present common phrases from daily life that take theimperfettosubjunctive mood.
Remember these examples as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you must speak Italian and try out theimperfettosubjunctive mood in your next Italian conversation!
Enjoy the 2nd blog in this series,“Imperfetto Subjunctive for Past Tense (Part 2): Speak Italian!” —Kathryn Occhipinti
Once Again… Italian Phrases That Take the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Italian has a subjunctive mood that is used to expressbeliefs, thoughts,orhopes with the verbscredere, pensare,andsperare.
The subjunctive mood is also said to “open up” a conversation to discussion about a particular topic by expressing doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling.
Certain phrases are commonly used to start a sentence in order to introduce the subjunctive mood, and these initial phrases will be in the indicative tense (the “usual” present or past tense). These initial phrases imply uncertainty and trigger the subjunctive mood in the phrase to follow.
We have already learned to use theimperfettosubjunctive mood with the conditional tense in ourblogs about Italian hypothetical phrases! Now, as stated before, we will focus on the use of theimperfettosubjunctive mood after introductory phrases that are in thepast tense.
To follow in this blog is an explanation of several more phrases that can be used to introduce theimperfettosubjunctive mood, which we have added into our original list as Group 7 and Group 8.
Groups 1-8: “Noun Clauses”
Phrases that use the verbs credere (to believe),pensare (to think),andsperare (to hope). These verbs use the pattern:[verb+ di+ infinitive verb] to describe the beliefs, thoughts, or hopes that one has. When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the subjunctive clause that follows, the pattern changes to: [verb+che+ subjunctive verb].*
Impersonal constructions that begin with,“It is…”such as,“È possibile che…”
Phrases that express a doubt, such as,“I don’t know…”or“Non so che…”
Phrases that express suspicion, such as,” I suspect that…”or“Sospetto che…”
Phrases that express uncertainty, such as,“It seems to me…”or“Mi sembra che…”and” To wonder if…” or “Chiedersi se… “
Impersonal verbs followed by the conjunctionche,such as,“Basta che…” “It is enough that,”or“Si dice che…” “They say that…
Phrases that use the verbsvolere, desiderare, chiedere, esigere when the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows. In this situation, these verbs will be followed byche.
Phrases that use the verbspiacereanddispiacerewhen the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the clause that follows. In this situation, these verbs will be followed byche.
As usual, there is a summary table in the next section that shows how to use these phrases. The present and present conditional tense is in the left columns, with the passatto prossimo and theimperfettopast tenses in the right columns. We will then present examples for the past tense.
Points to remember about the subjunctive mood:
In Italian,the introductory phrases that take the subjunctive mood (those that trigger doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling) usually end with a linking word,also known as a conjunction, which will be che. In this situation,chemeans that.The clause that follows our introductory phrase will then describe what the uncertainty is about.
*When the speaker in the introductory phrase will carry out the action in the phrase to follow, Italian will use the following construction to link the phrases forcredere, pensare,andsperare : di+ infinitive verb. Example:Penso di andare a Roma domani. = I think I will go to Rome tomorrow. (Use pensare a when thinking ABOUT something or someone.)
How to Use the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood withVolere and Desiderare
When expressing one’s desire in Italian in the first person (ioconjugation),voglio/vorreianddesideroare used in similar situations to meanI wantandI would like. In this case,these helping verbs are followed directly by another verbthat is inthe infinitive tense(if you remember, infinitive verbs end in-are, -ere, -ireand translate as“to…”). Of course, these verbs can also be followed by a noun, the “object of our desire”!
Voglio imparare l’italiano.I want to learn Italian.
Vorrei viaggiare in Italia. I would like to travel to Italy.
Desidero andare al cinema. I want to go to the movies.
But when these same verbs—voglio/vorreianddesidero—are used to express a desire for something that the speaker in the first person(io)wantsanother personto do, thenthese helping verbs must be followed byche,and thenthe subjunctive mood should be used for the verb in the next phrase.
In the same way, I can ask that someone do something using the verbchiedere or insist that they do it with the verbesigere. But just asking someone else or even insisting does not mean that it will be done (as those of us who have children know). So, in these cases as well, the verbschiedere andesigere will be followed by the conjunctioncheand the next phrase will use a verb in the subjunctive form.
The above rule for usingche + subjunctiveapplies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.* However, if the introductory verb is in the past tense, theimperfetto subjunctiveform is the form to follow!
*Be careful withchiedere andesigere,though, when using thepassato prossimopast tense, since their past participles are irregular. Forchiedere,the past participle ischiestoand foresigere,the past participle isesatto.
Esattois, of course, also used as an adjective, meaning “exact” or “precise” as well as an interjection with the meaning of “Exactly!”
How to Use the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood withPiacere and Dispiacere
The verb forms mipiace,mi piacerrebbeandmi dispiace,mi dispiaccerebbefollow the same rule given for the verbs in Group 6 we just discussed: when the verb that follows these introductory phrases refers to the speaker (ioform), then a verb in the infinitive form follows directly. When the verb that follows refers to someone else,cheis used as a link to a verb in the subjunctive mood in the second clause.
The above rule for usingche + subjunctiveapplies whether the introductory phrase is in the present tense or the past tense.However, if if the introductory verb is in the past tense, theimperfetto subjunctiveform is the form to follow!
In our example table that follows, we will illustrate the use ofchefollowed by a different speaker from the introductory phrase with...che tu. This conjunction means …that you. Of course, we can replacetuwith any of the other subject pronouns, and then the phrases would be:….che Lei, che lei, che lui, che noi, che voi,or che loro.
Phrases Used to Introduce the Subjunctive Mood with Volere, Desiderare, Piacere, Dispiacere
Present Tense & Conditional Tense Subjunctive Phrases Groups 6 and 7
Past Tense & Past Conditional Tense Subjunctive Phrases Groups 6 and 7
*
*
Voglio…che tu
I want…that you
*
Volevo…che tu Ho voluto…che tu
I wanted…that you
Vorrei…che tu
I would like… that you
*
Volevo…che tu Ho voluto…che tu
I wanted…that you
Desidero…che tu Chiedo... che tu Esigo…che tu
I want…that you I ask…that you I insist... that you
*
Desideravo… che tu Chiedevo… che tu Esigevo… che tu Ho desiderato…che tu Ho chiesto…che tu Ho esatto…che tu
I wanted…that you I asked... that you I insisted…that you
Mi piace…che tu
I like…that you
*
Mi piaceva…che tu Mi sono piaciuto(a)… che tu
I liked…that you
Mi dispiace…che tu
I am sorry…that you
*
Mi dispiaceva…che tu Mi sono dispiaciuto(a)…che tu
I was sorry…that you
Mi piacerebbe… che tu
I would like… that you
*
Mi sarebbe piaciuto(a)…che tu
I would have liked… that you
Mi dispiacerebbe… che tu
I don’t mind… that you
*
Mi sarebbe dispiaciuto(a)… che tu
I didn’t mind… that you
Finally, a word of caution:
DO NOT USE THE SUBJUNCTIVE WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE PHRASES!
Forse =Perhaps
Per me =For me
Secondo me= According to me
The above may seem like exceptions to the rule, but perhaps… because these phrases already express doubt or your personal opinion… in the Italian way of thinking, it would be redundant to use these phrases along with the subjunctive!
How to Conjugate the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood for -are, -ere, and -ire Verbs
Luckily, there are only a few irregular stem forms to learn for the imperfetto subjunctive mood, making it an easier tense to learn than the present, future, and conditional tenses.
Also, the imperfetto subjunctive mood endings are always regular and will be the same for all three conjugations!
To change any regular infinitive verb into theimperfettosubjunctive mood, first drop the final-re, from our infinitive-are, -ere,and-ireverbs to create the stem.
This will create stems that end in the letters –a for the –are verbs, -e for the –ere verbs, and–i for the –ire verbs. Then add the endings given in the first table below to the stem that has been created. Examples for each verb type are given in the second table below.*
The wordche is included in parentheses in the subject pronoun column as a reminder that these verb forms typically are used withthe conjunction che. Also, use the subject pronoun in your sentence afterchefor clarity, since the endings for the singular forms are all the same!
Practice the subjunctive verbs out loud by sayingche, the subject pronoun and then the correct verb form that follows!
Subjunctive Mood – Imperfetto Endings
io
ssi
tu
ssi
Lei/lei/lui
sse
noi
ssimo
voi
ste
loro
ssero
The following table will put together our stems with our imperfetto subjunctive mood endings. A few notes about this:
When pronouncing the imperfetto subjunctive mood verbs, the stress will always be on the syllable that begins with the last two letters of the stem and will incorporate one –s letter from the ending. (Remember the rule for Italian double consonants: one consonant will go with the syllable before and the second with the syllable after, in effect also stressing the double consonant itself.) The stressed syllables are underlined in our example table below.
Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood – Example Verb Conjugations
Abitare(to live)
(lived/were living)
Vedere(to see)
(saw/had seen)
Finire(to finish)
(finished/were finishing)
(che)io
abitassi
vedessi
finissi
(che)tu
abitassi
vedessi
finissi
(che)Lei/lei/lui
abitasse
vedesse
finisse
(che)noi
abitassimo
vedessimo
finissimo
(che)voi
abitaste
vedeste
finiste
(che)loro
abitassero
vedessero
finissero
The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Commonly Used Regular Verbs
Luckily, most verbs are regular in the imperfetto subjunctive mood. So, there are many, many more regular than irregular verbs!
Below are some commonly used regular verbs, some of which are irregular in the present tense and most other tenses! Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.
Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood Conjugations – Commonly Used Regular Verbs
Andare(to go)
(went/were going)
Sapere (to know)(knew/had known)
Venire(to come)
(came/had come)
Vivere(to live)
(lived/were living)
io
andassi
sapessi
venissi
vivessi
tu
andassi
sapessi
venissi
vivessi
Lei/lei/lui
andasse
sapesse
venisse
vivesse
noi
andassimo
sapessimo
venissimo
vivessimo
voi
andaste
sapeste
veniste
viveste
loro
andassero
sapessero
venissero
vivessero
The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Commonly Used Irregular Verbs
There are a few important irregular verbs to know in the imperfetto subjunctive mood. You will find them in the tables below. Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.
Example Phrases Using the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood with the Past Tense
To follow are some examples of how the Italian subjunctive mood in the past tense might be used in conversation during daily life.
Notice that English sentence structure differs from Italian in most of these sentences. We can make a similar sentence in English as in Italian, but it would be considered an “awkward” sentence.
The biggest difference is that we English speakers do not use the subjunctive form, whether or not the subject in the two phrases is the same or different. Also, we often leave out the word “that” from our sentences that contain two phrases. But, as mentioned previously, the Italian word for “that,”“che,” is not an option when linking two Italian phrases!
For the translations, the Italian sentence structure is given first in italics to help us to think in Italian. The correct English is in bold.
We will use the example introductory phrases and verbs from earlier in this section. Some sentences will work with both theimperfettoandpassato prossimointroductory phrases if we add a time frame. In these cases, thepassatto prossimois given in blue.
You can see from our first example that use of the past subjunctive in the opening phrase really does allow one to make complex sentences. The first example has been completed to express a complex situation. Have fun expanding the sentences we have given. How many more combinations can you think of?
Volevo che tu tornassi presto. Ho voluto chetu tornassipresto ieri sera perché dovevo parlarti di una cosa importante.
I wanted that you returned early. = I wanted you to have returned early. I wanted you to have returned early last night because I had to talk to you about something important.
Volevo che lui vendessila macchina vecchia. Ho voluto chelui vendesse la macchina vecchia l’anno scorso.
I wanted that he sold the old car (last year). = I wanted him to have sold the old car (last year).
Desideravo che lei andassevia. Ho desiderato chelei andassevia ieri sera.
I wanted that she went away (last night). = I wanted her to have gone away (last night).
Desideravo che Lei facesseuna bella torta per la festa. Ho desiderato cheLei facesseuna bella torta per la festa ieri.
I wanted that you made a nice cake for the party (yesterday). = I wanted you to have made a nice cake for the party (yesterday).
Mi piaceva che tu venissi a Roma ogni giorno.
I liked (It was pleasing to me) that you came to Rome every day. = I liked (that fact that) you came to Rome every day.
Mi dispiaceva che lui non sapesse questa informazione.
I am sorry (It made me sorry) that he doesn’t knowthis information. = I am sorry he doesn’t know this information.
Volevo che noi tornassimo presto. Ho voluto chenoi tornassimopresto ieri sera.
I wanted that we returned early (last night). = I wanted us to have returned early (last night).
Volevo che noi vendessimo la macchina vecchia. Ho voluto chenoi vendessimola macchina vecchia l’anno scorso.
I wanted that we sold the old car (last year). = I wanted us to have sold the old car (last year).
Desideravo che voi andaste via. Ho desiderato chevoi andastevia ieri sera.
I wanted that you all went away (last night). = I wanted you all to have gone away (last night).
Desideroche voi faceste una bella torta per la festa. Ho dovuto chevoi faceste una bella torta per la festa ieri.
I wanted that you all made a nice cake for the party (yesterday). = I wanted you all to have made a nice cake for the party (yesterday).
Mi piaceva che voiveniste a Roma ogni giorno.
I liked (It was pleasing to me)that you all came to Rome every day. = I liked (that fact that) you all came to Rome every day.
Mi dispiaceche voinon sapestequesta informazione.
I am sorry (It made me sorry) that you all don’t knowthis information. = I am sorry you all don’t know this information.
Volevo che loro tornassero presto. Ho voluto chenoi tornassero presto ieri sera.
I wanted that they returned early (last night). = I wanted them to have returned early (last night).
Volevo che loro vendessero la macchina vecchia. Ho voluto cheloro vendessero la macchina vecchia l’anno scorso.
I wanted that they sold the old car (last year). = I wanted them to have sold the old car (last year).
Desideravo che loro andassero via. Ho desiderato cheloro andasserovia ieri sera.
I wanted that they went away (last night). = I wanted them to have gone away (last night).
Desideroche loro facessero e una bella torta per la festa. Ho dovuto che loro facessero una bella torta per la festa ieri.
I wanted that they made a nice cake for the party (yesterday). = I wanted them to have made a nice cake for the party (yesterday).
Mi piaceva che loro venissero a Roma ogni giorno.
I liked (It was pleasing to me) that they came to Rome every day. = I liked (that fact that) they came to Rome every day.
Mi dispiaceche loro non sapessero questa informazione.
I am sorry (It made me sorry) that they don’t knowthis information. = I am sorry they don’t know this information.
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
Imperfetto Subjunctive for Past Tense (Part 2): Speak Italian!
The blog title, “Mom’s Best Italian Meatballs,” came about during an event I attended with the Chicagoland Italian American Professionals (CIAP) this fall. The executive director, Salvatore Sciacca and his group, feature Italian-American “cooking competition” events several times a year, and I have to say, they are always a delicious and entertaining way to spend a Sunday afternoon with my family.
So, when I was invited to be one of the home cooks for this fall’s event, The First Annual Meatball Fest, I quickly checked my calendar, noted I was available, and signed up for another Sunday afternoon of Italian-American food and fun.
I had learned my family recipe for Italian meatballs from my Sicilian-American mother and grandmother long ago, and have been preparing meatballs for my own family for Italian Sunday dinners for about 20 years now. I was happy to share my family’s recipe with other families at the event, and also looking forward to tasting what the other home cooks had to offer.
Growing up in an Italian-American household as I did, I really did not have to do anything special to prepare for the Italian meatball event held by the CIAP group – at least, I thought I didn’t have to do anything special!
As it turned out, though, after hearing the other home cooks talk about their method for making meatballs, I came home curious about the origins of this very common Italian-American dish and ended up doing a bit of researchafter the event!
The morning of the CIAP event, I rummaged around the basement to find my trusty crock pot, rinsed it off, and set a pot of tomato sauce to cook on the stove. I set a large bowl on the counter and followed the same routine as I have done many times before for my family: put ground beef and all other ingredients into the large bowl, mix gently, and roll into balls.
Italian meatball ingredients ready to mix
One Italian meatball ready to fry!
I am from the “Italian Mom’s Cooking School” that fries, rather than bakes meatballs to brown them.( Sorry, I hope I haven’t offended anyone – I know there is a BIG debate about this in the Italian-American community, but I think browning dries out the meatballs and is better left to restaurants making large batches of meatballs at one time.)
I browned my meatballs in olive oil carefully, turning each with tongs to get them browned on all sides.
Italian meatballs frying in olive oil
Turn Italian meatballs gently to brown all sides evenly.
After the meatballs had browned, I added them gently to the simmering pot of tomato sauce on the stove to finish cooking.
I was taught to always stir my tomato sauce with a wooden spoon, and have a small collection of wooden spoons – some with long handles, some with short handles; some I save just for sauteing onions and garlic, others for “non-onion” savory or sweet dishes – but recently have been using my favorite wooden spoon for my tomato sauce, which I bought as a part of a fundraiser for the National Italian American Foundation.
TheNIAFrecently started a “Make Sunday Italian Again” campaign, which I love, as it not only promotes Sunday time together with family, but also raises money for their scholarship program by selling these “Nonna spoons” that have the slogan “Make Sunday Italian Again” engraved on the wooden handle. Check out theNIAFwebsite, if you like, after you finish reading this blog, of course!
Italian meatballs cooking in tomato sauce
After about 30 minutes, the meatballs had finished cooking and the sauce had a nice, meaty taste. I adjusted the salt and pepper, put all into the crock pot and left to join the event.
When I arrived at the event, with my tried and true “Mom’s Best Italian Meatballs”, I learned that I was one of 10 different contributors to the dinner! I named my meatballs “Mom’s Best”, because it seems to me thateveryItalian mother’s meatballs are loved and considered the best by her family!
Author/Blogger Kathryn Occhipinti at the CIAP 1st Annual Meatball Fest, September 2018
I was happy to see Italian-American home cooks of all ages, and both men and women contributed their meatballs for the event. There were two long tables of meatballs and a long line formed as everyone tried to taste them all.
Enjoying Italian meatballs at the CIAP 1st Annual Meatball Fest
At first, I had thought this would be a competition, but as it turned out, just as I had suspected, although all the meatballs were made with different ingredients, EVERYONE’s meatballs were delicious, and in the end, no vote was taken!
Italian Meatballs to sample
More Italian Meatballs
Even more Italian meatballs!
Below is a picture of those who participated, holding signs with the names of the type of meatballs they contributed. (I am in the back row and the Executive Director, Salvatore Sciacca, is just to my left.)
Italian home cooks holding signs of the names of their meatballs at CIAP’s 1st Italian Meatball Fest
Read on for the recipe that I used to make my “Mom’s Best Italian Meatballs”. Additional tips I learned from reading about meatballs are given in green italic lettering. As a bonus, I am including my family’s recipe for basic Italian tomato sauce. For tips on making Italian tomato sauce, please visit my blog Braciole – Italian Beef Rolls for Sunday Dinner. Of course, your ownfavorite tomato sauce will be fine as well!
But don’t stop after reading the first recipe, because when I went home I did a bit of research in Ada Boni’s cook book and discovered more tips on making “the best” meatballs in different styles that you may want to try yourself!
1 medium onion, chopped finely 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 Tablespoons olive oil +more for frying 1 lb. ground beef (80% lean best) 1 egg 3/4 cup Progresso brand Italian bread crumbs 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped finely Salt and Pepper to taste.
This recipe will serve 4 people; it can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd!
Coat a small frying pan lightly with some olive oil and add the chopped onion and garlic and a pinch of salt. Saute gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onions and garlic have softened and given their flavor to the olive oil.
(I find that sauteing the onions and garlic gives both a nice mellow taste, and I would recommend not skipping this step. In fact, when my daughter was young, she insisted that she didn’t like onions, so I would remove the onions after competing this step and she never caught on to my trick!)
Put the sauteed onions and garlic, with the olive oil, into a large bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients: 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil, ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs and parsley.
Sprinkle with salt and a grind of fresh pepper to taste (some people like more pepper, others less).
Mix gently with your hands, careful not to work the meat too much or this may make the meatballs tough!
Adjust amount of breadcrumbs as needed – more if you more, less to make a more “meaty” meatball. If too dry, add a few drops more of olive oil.
(What I learned from researching meatballs – moisten the breadcrumbs in a bit of milk to make for a more tender meatball.)
When the meatball mixture consistency is to your liking, pull a bit of the meat mixture off and roll into a ball to make a meatball. Size of the meatballs is to taste, but of course the larger meatballs will need to finish cooking longer in the tomato sauce.
Set a frying pan coated with olive oil over medium-high heat.
Place the newly rolled meatballs gently into the frying pan. Fry on medium high heat (adjusting as necessary during the frying time), turning each with tongs so all sides become browned.
(What I learned from researching meatballs – roll each in a bit of flour to aid browning if you want.)
After the meatballs have browned, immediately remove them with tongs and gently place into a pot of simmering tomato sauce (recipe below) to finish cooking.
Serve with spaghetti for the Italian-American presentation, or continue on to the following Italian recipes for other serving ideas.
1 medium onion, chopped finely 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 can (28 oz.) Contadina brand tomato pureeorchopped tomatoes 1 can Contadina brand tomato paste 1/4 cup dried parsleyorchopped fresh parsley leaves 1 Tablespoon dried basilor2 Tablespoons torn fresh basil 1 Tablespoon of saltorto taste
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onions and garlic with a wooden spoon until softened.
Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, parsley, and basil to the same pot.
Add 2 cups of water.
Cover, bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low.
Simmer on medium-low heat with the lid partially covering the pot, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for at least 1 hour, so the sauce does not stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
Cook for at least 1 hour; at least 1.5 hours if adding meat to the sauce. (Brown any meat in a separate skillet before adding it.)
Add additional water if the sauce becomes too thick, or cook for additional time with the lid of the pot off if the sauce becomes too thin.
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How to Make Italian Meatballs – My research…
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Ada Boni, (1881 – 1973) the author of one of my favorite Italian cook books,Italian Regional Cooking, was a well-loved Italian author and food writer. According to the back flap of the edition of my book, Ada Boni is known throughout Italy as the author of the classic bestselling cook book,Il Talismano della Felicità.
Boni worked as a magazine editor in Italy. This book is a collection of the series of food articles about regional Italian cooking that was originally written for the Italian monthly magazine “Arianna”. The magazine articles cataloged in depth recipes for the entire range of food served in the 14 major regions of Italy, long before the importance of regional cooking was understood here in America. Boni was and still is well-known for the authenticity and variety of her recipes.
The book Italian Regional Cookingis beautifully illustrated, with a spectacular photo montage of each Italian region to be covered at the beginning of each chapter that provides a backdrop for Italian tables laden with dishes from appetizer to dessert that evoke a special family gathering. (There are no images for each individual recipe, however). Although I have an edition from 1969 translated into English, the book is still listed on Amazon today. I found this book about 30 years ago in a book store in California and my cover is tattered by now!
The book cover from “Italian Regional Cooking” by Ada Boni
When I wanted to research Italian meatballs, I searched this cook book in particular for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to discover if the way Italian-Americans now make meatballs differs significantly from how an Italian in southern Italy makes meatballs. Second, I wanted to see if I could figure out the origins of the meatballs I make today.
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The Ingredients in Sicilian Meatballs
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In answer to my first question – do we make meatballs differently over here than they do in Italy, I searched the chapter inItalian Regional Cookingthat lists the recipes for Sicily. I was pretty certain when I started my search that my family’s recipe was authentic, as it has been handed down from my grandmother, who spent her first 22 years in Sicily, and as the oldest child had been helping her mother with the household cooking since she was a young girl.
It turns out that the ingredients in Ada Boni’s Sicilian“Polpette di Maiale con Pitaggio”are almost identical to my family’s meatballs. “Polpette”*is the Italian word for what we call“meatballs”in America, but the translation given is,“Pork Rissoles with Vegetables”.
**********
The meatused for the meatball recipe from Sicily is pork, rather than beef, which of course would be more easy to come by in Sicily. If I have ground pork or ground turkey on hand, I occasionally will use this meat to “lighten up” the meatballs. The CIAP cooks used a variety of different meats (see about Neapolitan meatballs below). The meatballs were rolled in a bit of flour before frying, which is an idea I will use from now on.
Instead of breadcrumbs,the recommendation is to soften the “pith of a small roll” with milk and “squeeze it dry.” Several of the home cooks at the CIAP event mentioned using this method instead of bread crumbs, and I will have to try this on my next attempt at making meatballs. And, of course, Progresso brand is an American invention, so here is how we changed the meatball over in America for sure!
Other than that, the ingredients listed for Sicilian Polpette were about the same as the meatballs I had learned to make.The onion my family puts into meatballs was left out, but included were garlic, fresh parsley, grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, and a bit of flour to coat the meatballs before frying. The flour is another good tip! Most of the CIAP cooks included these ingredients.
How to serve Sicilian meatballs:Suggested serving was with sauteed artichokes (with chokes removed), green peas and fava beans in the same oil used for frying the meatballs.
I have not seen meatballs served this way, but plan on trying this suggestion, which sounds good since true Italian meatballs (I am told, but am not quite convinced) should served with Italian bread, rather than pasta.
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The Ingredients in Neapolitan Meatballs
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When I searched the chapter inItalian Regional Cooking that lists the recipes for Napes-Capagna, I discovered“Polpette di Carne”,translated into“Meatballs in Tomato Sauce Neapolitan Style.”
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The meatused for the meatball recipe from the Naples region is beef, which is probably the most common meat used in America today, although the CIAP cooks used ground pork and a mixture of been and pork as well. One cook even made vegetarian meatballs of her own invention using zucchini flowers (Salvatore’s mother) and I have to say, they were delicious. Again, the meatballs were rolled in a bit of flour before frying.
Breadcrumbs were used in the Neapolitan recipe, of course grated from stale Italian bread, and first moistened with a little milk. This seems like a good idea to me, and I am going to include this tip from now on when I make meatballs.
The remaining ingredients listed for Neapolitan Polpette differed significantly from the meatballs we see most frequently in America today in that they called for yellow raisins, pine nuts, and a bit of lard. Onions were again left out. The remaining ingredients of garlic, parsley, eggs, and Parmesan cheese were the same basic ingredients given in the Sicilian recipe.
I tried the Neapolitan style meatballs one night for dinner (you might notice some pine nuts in the images of my mixing bowl from the first section of the blog!), warning my family that they would taste sweeter than our usual meatball. I have to say the addition of milk and a bit of lard made them the most tender meatballs I have ever had!
But it seems like Americans have lost their taste for a “sweet” meatball, however, and it was a consensus at the CIAP dinner that “no one” here in America used raisins anymore.
How to serve Neapolitan meatballs:Suggested serving was with tomato sauce, and a recipe for simple tomato sauce was provided, as noted in the title for the recipe.
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How to Make Italian Meatballs – My conclusions…
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It seems to me that there are as many ways to make and serve Italian meatballs as there are home cooks to make them! I do find it interesting, though, that here in America we have retained the idea of cooking meatballs in tomato sauce, whether the idea is from Sicily or Naples, and meatballs are paired with spaghetti is indeed an “American classic”.
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* A final tidbit of interesting information: when I looked up the word“polpette”in the dictionary, which means“meatballs,”I discovered that the Italian singular“polpetta”for the singular meatball,has several negative connotations. “Polpetta”can refer to“poisoned bait,”possibly because the reference is to little pieces of meat that are poisoned.“Polpetta”can also be used in a figurative sense, to mean that a person is a“dud”or a“drag.”
—Kathryn Occhipinti
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the Italian language.Meraviglioso!
But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently?Can you use the imperfetto subjunctive mood when you are speaking in the past tense? To express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, as we only rarely use this tense in English, and this is something that I am always working on! The next three blogs in the“Speak Italian” series willfocus on how to conjugate and use theimperfettoItalian subjunctive mood,or“il congiuntivo”for speaking in thepast tense.
Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian by using theimperfettosubjunctive moodwhile speaking in thepast tense. In this segment, we will discuss the phrasesthat take the subjunctive mood when in the past tense and how to conjugate the imperfetto subjunctive mood for avere, essereandstare. Example sentences will follow!
In each blog in the “Speak Italian” series about the imperfetto subjunctive mood(“il congiuntivo”), we will first present phrases in the past tense that take theimperfettosubjunctive mood.
Then, we will review how to conjugate theimperfetto subjunctive mood.
Finally, we will present common phrases from daily life that take the Italian subjunctive mood.
Remember these examples as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you must speak Italian and try out theimperfettosubjunctive mood in your next Italian conversation!
Enjoy the first blog in this series,“Imperfetto Subjunctive for Past Tense (Part 1): Speak Italian!” —Kathryn Occhipinti
Introducing… Italian Phrases That Take the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Italian has a subjunctive mood that is used to expressbeliefs, thoughts,orhopes with the verbscredere, pensare,andsperare.
The subjunctive mood is also said to “open up” a conversation to discussion about a particular topic by expressing doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling.
Certain phrases are commonly used to start a sentence in order to introduce the subjunctive mood, and these initial phrases will be in the indicative tense (the “usual” present or past tense). These initial phrases imply uncertainty and trigger the subjunctive mood in the phrase to follow.
We have already learned to use theimperfettosubjunctive mood with the conditional tense in ourblogs about Italian hypothetical phrases! Now, as stated before, we will focus on the use of theimperfettosubjunctive mood after introductory phrases that are in thepast tense.
These groups are listed below:
Groups 1-6: “Noun Clauses”
Phrases that use the verbs credere (to believe),pensare (to think),andsperare (to hope). These verbs use the pattern:[verb+ di+ infinitive verb] to describe the beliefs, thoughts, or hopes that one has. When the subject in the introductory phrase is not the same as the subject in the subjunctive clause that follows, the pattern changes to: [verb+che+ subjunctive verb].*
Impersonal constructions that begin with,“It is…”such as,“È possibile che…”
Phrases that express a doubt, such as,“I don’t know…”or“Non so che…”
Phrases that express suspicion, such as,” I suspect that…”or“Sospetto che…”
Phrases that express uncertainty, such as,“It seems to me…”or“Mi sembra che…”and” To wonder if…” or “Chiedersi se… “
Impersonal verbs followed by the conjunctionche,such as,“Basta che…” “It is enough that,”or“Si dice che…” “They say that…
*When the speaker in the introductory phrase will carry out the action in the phrase to follow, Italian will use the following construction to link the phrases forcredere, pensare,andsperare : di+ infinitive verb. Example:Penso di andare a Roma domani. = I think I will go to Rome tomorrow. (Use pensare a when thinking ABOUT something or someone.)
Points to remember about the subjunctive mood:
In Italian,the introductory phrases that take the subjunctive mood (those that trigger doubt, uncertainty, desire, or a feeling) usually end with a linking word,also known as a conjunction, which will be che. In this situation,chemeans that.The clause that follows our introductory phrase will then describe what the uncertainty is about.
Note that the simple present or past tenses can also be used after the introductory phrases listed below, rather than the subjunctive mood, if you are speaking about a fact or something you believe to be true. This use will make perfect sense to the Italian listener, even when the subjective mood is otherwise commonly used.
Italian Phrases That Take the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
To follow is a (long) list of phrases that can be used to introduce the subjunctive mood, with examples from thepassato prossimopast tense in the first two columns and theimperfettopast tense in the last two columns.
Basic translations are given in our tables, but remember that theimperfettopast tense can also be translated as “was… ing.” Therefore,“Speravo che” means,“I hoped,”and“I was hoping.” In the last section, we will then present examples for the past tense.
Passato Prossimo Past Subjunctive Phrase Groups 1 and 2
Imperfetto Past Subjunctive Phrase Groups 1 and 2
Ho creduto che
I believed that
Credevo che
I believed that
Ho pensato che
I thought that
Pensavo che
I thought that
Ho sperato che
I hoped that
Speravo che
I hoped that
È stato possibile che
It was possible that
Era possibile che
It was possible that
È stato probablile che
It was probable that
Era probabile che
It was probable that
È stato bene che
It was fine/good that
Era bene che
It was fine/good that
Sarebbe stato bene che
It would have been good that
È stato giusto che
It was right that
Era giusto che
It was right that
È stato meglio che
It was better that
Era meglio che
It was better that
È stato incredible che
It was incredible that
Era incredibile che
It was incredible that
È stato un peccato che
It was a shame that
Era un peccato che
It was a shame that
È stata una vergogna che
It was a disgrace that
Era una vergogna che
It was a disgrace that
È stato normale che
It was normal that
Era normale che
It was normal that
Passato Prossimo Past Subjunctive Phrase Groups 3, 4, and 5
Imperfetto Past Subjunctive Phrase Groups 3, 4, and 5
Non ho saputo che
I didn’t know that
Non sapevo che
I didn’t know that
Non ho saputo dove
I did’t know where
Non sapevo dove
I didn’t know where
Non sono stato sicuro che
I wasn’t sure that
Non ero sicuro che
I wasn’t sure that
Non ho avuto idea che
I had no idea that
Non avevo idea che
I had no idea that
Non vedevo l’ora che…
I couldn’t wait that
Non c’è stato nulla che
There was nothing that
Non c’era nulla che
There was nothing that
Mi è parso* che
It seems to me
Mi pareva che
It seemed to me
Mi è sembrato* che
It seems to me
Mi sembrava che
It seemed to me
(Può darsi che only used in present tense)
(Perhaps)
Ho avuto l’impressione che
I had the impression that
Avevo l’impresione che
I had the impression that
Ho supposto che
I supposed that
Supponevo che
I supposed that
Ho immaginato che
I imagined that
Immaginavo che
I imagined that
Ho sospettato che
I suspected that
Sospettavo che
I suspected that
Ho dubitato che
I doubted that
Dubitavo che
I doubted that
Sono stato(a) convinto che
I was convinced that
Ero convinto che
I was convinced that
(A meno cheonly used in present tense)
(Unless)
Ho convenuto che
It was best that
Conveniva che
It was best that
È bastato(a) che
It was enough that
Bastava che
It was enough that
(Malgrado cheonly used in present tense)
(In spite of that)
Si è detto che
It was said that = One says/said that
Si diceva che
It was said that
Hanno detto che
They said that
Dicevano che
They said that
C’èstatobisognato che
It was necessary that = There was a need for that
Bisognava che
It was necessary that
*Use the phrases“Mi era parso che”and“Mi era sembrato che” when the phrase that follows will refer to another speaker’s actions. Do NOT change the ending of parsoorsembrato. In this case,parsoandsembratorefer to “it” in the phrase, “It seems to me that…” and so are invariable.
However, when saying, “It seems to me…” followed by an adjective that describes how the speaker himself feels about something, the last letter of parsoandsembratomust match in gender and numberwhat is being described.
So, to describe how a beautiful girl seemed to me, I would say: Mi era parsa bella. – or –Mi era sembrata bella. = She seemed beautiful to me.
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Finally, a word of caution:
DO NOT USE THE SUBJUNCTIVE WITH THE FOLLOWING THREE PHRASES!
Forse =Perhaps
Per me= For me
Secondo me= According to me
The above may seem like exceptions to the rule, but perhaps… because these phrases already express doubt or your personal opinion… in the Italian way of thinking, it would be redundant to use these phrases along with the subjunctive!
How to Conjugate Italian Verbs “Essere,” “Avere,” and “Stare” in the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Listed in the table below are theimperfettosubjunctive forms for the Italian auxiliary verbsavere, stare,andessere,which are often used with the conditional and past tenses in written and spoken Italian.
In our last two blogs, we showed how to use theimperfettosubjunctive tense with conditional verbs when we need to make hypothetical phrases in Italian. We saw that in these cases, the conjunction“se”for“if”introduces the dependent clause with theimperfettosubjunctive verb.
In this blog, we will focus on the use of theimperfettosubjunctive with the Italian past tense. In these cases, the conjunctionchewill introduce the dependent clause with the imperfettosubjunctive verb.
In our conjugation tables,che is included in parentheses in the subject pronoun column as a reminder that these verb forms are often introduced withthe conjunction che. Also, make sure to include the subject pronoun in your sentence afterchefor clarity, since the singular forms are identical.
Practice theimperfettosubjunctive verbs out loud by sayingche , the subject pronoun and then the correct verb form that follows!
Example Phrases Using “Stare” in the Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood with the Past Tense
To follow are some examples of when the Italian subjunctive mood in the past tense might be used in conversation during daily life.
Notice that English uses the simple past tense to express the same idea, but we use our verbs a bit differently to make the subjunctive. In stead of saying “I was,” we use “I were.” Or, alternatively, “were + infinitive form or gerund. ”
English examples: “If I were to go…” or “If I were going…” Also, “had + past participle,” such as, “If I had seen…”
In ourfirst blog about the subjunctive mood, we presented example sentences usingstare (to stay/to be). We mentioned in our first blog thatstarein the present subjunctive comes up very commonly in email greetings; especially if there has not been recent communication, it is customary to mention a hope that all is well with friends and family. We will present the same examples using a reference to the past to include in conversation.
With these particular phrases in which we talk about “hoping,” in most cases, theimperfettoform of the past tense will be used. However, if we “hope” for just one instant in time, with that time frame mentioned in the sentence, we can use thepassato prossimo,which is given in the same column in blue text.
Past Tense Phrase
Past Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Tu sei stato bene.
You were well.
Speravo che tu stessi bene. Ieri, ho speratoche tu stessibene.
I hoped (was hoping) that you (familiar)were well. Yesterday, I had hopedthat you (familiar) werewell.
Lei è stata bene.
She was well.
Speravo che leistesse bene. Ieri, ho speratoche lei stessebene.
I hoped (was hoping) that she was well . Yesterday, I had hopedthat she waswell.
Lui è stato bene.
He was well.
Speravo che luistessebene. Ieri, ho speratoche lui stessebene ieri.
I hoped (was hoping) that he was well (yesterday). Yesterday, I had hopedthat he waswell.
La famiglia è stata bene.
The family was well.
Speravo che la tua famiglia* stesse bene. L’anno scorso, ho speratoche la tua famiglia stessebene.
I hoped (was hoping) that the family* was well. Last year, I had hoped that the family was well.
Tutti sono stati bene.
Everybody was fine.
Speravo che tutti stessero bene. L’anno scorso, ho speratoche tutti stesserobene.
I hoped (was hoping)that everybody was well. Last year, I had hoped that everybody was fine.
*Famiglia = familyand is a collective noun that takes the third person singular.
Example Phrases Using “Avere” in the Past Tense Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
As we noted inour first blog about the Italian subjunctive,we often close an email with a hope as well—for a nice weekend, for instance, or that we will see the person we have contacted sometime soon.
In a similar way, if we have been separated from someone for some amount of time, when we email or meet that person again, we may include a hope that time spent has gone well in the past. In this case, the phrases we most commonly use will need to useavere (to have) in theimperfettosubjunctive mood.
Again, the examples presented below are from our first blog on this topic. An example of how one might use the same phrase in the past tense is given in theimperfettoform – the most likely form to be used in these examples.
Present Tense Phrase
Past Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Buona settimana!
Have a good week!
Speravo che tuavessiuna buona settimana.
I hoped (was hoping) that you had a good week!
Buon fine settimana!
Have a good weekend!
Speravo che tu avessi un buon fine settimana.
I hoped (was hoping) that you had a good weekend!
Buona giornata.
Buona serata.
Have a good day.
Have a good evening.
Speravo che tu avessi una buona giornata/buona serata.
I hoped (was hoping) that you had a good day/evening.
Example Phrases Using “Essere” in the Past Tense Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
As we discussed inour first blog on the subjunctive,the verbessere (to be)is commonly used when describing someone’s characteristics to someone else. But what if we are not sure that someone possesses a certain characteristic, or we would like someone to possess a characteristic we fear they may not have?
These thoughts, of course, can take place in the past as easily as in the present. When speaking about the past tense, we must use the imperfetto subjunctive mood in our sentence! Here are a few examples. How many more can you think of?
Present or Past Tense Phrase
Present Tense Subjunctive Phrase
Lei era bella.
She was beautiful.
Mi sembrava che lei fosse bella. Dieci anni fa, mi sono sembratoche lei fossebella.
It seemed to me that she was beautiful = She seemed beautiful to me.Ten years ago, it seemed to methat she was beautiful.
L’insegnante era simpatico.
The teacher was nice.
Speravo che l’insegnante fosse simpatico.
I hoped (was hoping)that the teacher was nice.
Dioèin cielo.
God is in heaven.
Credevo che Dio fosse in cielo. Quando aveva dieci anni, ho credutoche Dio fossein cielo.
I believed that God was in heaven. When I was ten years old, I believed that God was in heaven.
L’attriceerabrava in quel film.
The actress was great in that film.
Pensavo che l’attrice fosse brava in quel film.
I thought that the actress was great in that film.
Lui erafortunato.
He was fortunate.
Credevo che lui fosse fortunato. L’anno scorso, ho creduto che lui fosse fortunato.
I believedthat he was fortunate. Last year, I believed that he was fortunate.
Lei eracontenta.
She was happy.
Mi pareva che lei fosse contenta. Il mese scorsa, mi parevo che lei fosse contenta.
It seemed to me that she was happy = She seemed happy to me. Last month, it seemed to methat she was happy.
Loro erano bravi cantanti.
They were wonderful singers.
Può darsiche lorofosserobravi cantanti quando erano giovani.
Perhapsthey were wonderful singers when they were young.
Let’s see how this works in the past tense, in a situation when one might have “wondered if…” something might have happened.
“Mi chiedevo…”literally means,“I asked myself,”which translates into“I wondered.” At first glance, it may seem likechiedersishould fall into the category of improbable hypothetical phrases – especially when this verb is followed byse, such as in the phrase “I wondered if…” But, as we’ve learned in previous blogs, instead,chiedersifollows the same rules as our verbs of uncertainty in Rule 4.
Therefore, whenchiedersiis used in the past tense, the phrase that follows will take theimperfettosubjunctive and the trapassatosubjunctive forms.
Here are our previous examples for when one is wondering in the past tense about something that may have happened in either the present or the past.
Mi chiedevose lui fosse un attore bravo in quel film. I wonderedif he isa great actor in that film.
Mi chiedevose lui fosse statoun attore bravo in quel film. I wondered if he wasa great actor in that film.
Now that we are speaking in Italian in the past tense, we may want to use some of these expressions to refer to recent or more remote past events.
Notice from the list below thatieri(yesterday/last)is used to refer to specific times during the day. Ieriis invariable (the ending does not change). The ending forscorso(last)is gender specific (the ending changes to reflect the gender of the noun it describes).
stamattina
this morning
ieri
yesterday
l’altro ieri
the day before yesterday
ieri mattina
yesterday morning
ieri pomeriggio
yesterday afternoon
ieri sera
yesterday evening
ieri notte
last night
scorso(a)
last
l’anno scorso
last year
il mese scorso
last month
la settimana scorsa
last week
lunedì scorso
last Monday
martedì scorso
last Tuesday
mercoledì scorso
last Wednesday
giovedì scorso
last Thursday
venerdì scorso
last Friday
sabato scorso
last Saturday
domenica scorsa
last Sunday
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
Italian Subjunctive Past Tense (Part 1): Speak Italian!
Italian Christmas traditions are unique to each region of the Italy and have been lovingly handed down within families through the generations.Cuccidati– a version of Christmas cookie that probably originated after the Arabs introduced oranges and almonds to Sicily centuries ago – play an important part in the Christmas celebration in Sicily even today.
All Siciliancuccidati,or any Italian cookie for that matter, are unlike what Americans think of when they think of cookies. Most Italian cookies are made from dough that cooks up drier than American cookies and there is much more variation in the presentation. Sicilian cookies come in a multitude of different shapes and sizes and fruit fillings are often enclosed in the cookies as a special treat.
The recipe given below is for a Sicilian Christmas cookie—my family calls them“cuccidati,”although they are not identical to most of the cookies found online under this name. The cookies in this recipe start out as the “typical”cuccidati:one long “tube” of sweet, Italian pie-crust-like dough, which contains a dried fruit and nut center. (No figs in our version, by the way.) But, instead of then cutting the tube into bite-sized pieces that are finished with icing, my family cuts larger pieces, which are then formed into different shapes, and finishes thecuccidatiwith a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Whatever the name, this is just one version out of many dried, fruit-filed cookies still made in Sicilian bakeries today to celebrate the Christmas season.
When I was a child, my family always gathered the weekend before Christmas to share our creativity while we formed ourcuccidatiinto wreaths, ribbons, or candy cane-like forms. They could be completely covered in dough, which would allow for a creative, fringe-like covering, or left open. The sides could be pinched for decoration if like, similar to how Americans form a pie crust along the rim of their pies. If you would like to see how the various shapes of these cookies are made, visit the Stella Lucente Italian Pinterest site.
The ingredients for thecuccidatifilling are considered easy to come by today, but remember that dried fruit, including raisins and oranges and spices like cinnamon were considered special when the cookies originated. These filling ingredients were only found only in well-off households. Since the filling ingredients are difficult to chop and mix together, in some Sicilian towns “back in the day,” people would bring their filling to the butcher to mix together for them in his meat grinder, which had been newly cleaned for the season for this purpose.
Despite the few ingredients in traditionalcuccidati,and the difficulty of making the filling with them, the dried fruit has a rich sweetness, the roasted almonds a robust flavor, and the cinnamon, orange, and citron add a complexity of flavor that goes beyond its simple ingredients. Try our recipe this Christmas season for a taste of Sicilian tradition! —Kathryn Occhipinti
Cuccidatisprinkled with confectioner’s sugar and ready to eat
Ingredients If you’re trying this recipe for the first time, it may be easier to cut the recipe in half. Makes 2–4 dozen cookies, depending on the size and shape of the cookies created.
Pasta Frolla (Sweet Pastry) 2½ lbs. flour (about 10 cups) 10 oz. of lardor Crisco ½ cup sugar ½ tsp salt about 1 cup cold water
Cut in the lard with a fork and/or your fingertips until it is the size of small peas.
Add the cold water a little at a time, while mixing with a fork. After about 1 cup of water has been added, gather the dough and test it to see if it holds together. If it does, form one large ball. If it is too dry, add more water, mix, and try again.
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and press it together with a soft, gentle kneading motion with the palm of your hand until a dough forms.
Form into one large disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the filling
First, chop the yellow raisins coarsely with a sharp knife so they open up. This is fairly labor intensive, and it may take a bit of time to chop all of the raisins.
Then, chop the almonds coarsely with a sharp knife.
If you have a small manual chopper/grinder specifically for nuts, put the coarsely chopped nuts into the machine and grind to obtain more finely chopped nuts, which can then be mixed with the raisins. Otherwise, try one of the next two steps below.
Either:Take the tenderizing part of a meat mallet and mash small amounts of the raisins and almonds together at a time. This can be done under a dish towel so they do not scatter everywhere. (Mashing the raisins and almonds together seems to work the best and will leave varying sizes of raisins and almonds in the mix.)
Or:An alternative to the last step: pulse the pre-processed raisins and nuts in a food processor a few times if you have one, making sure the ingredients are not over processed.
To the raisin/nut mixture: add the citron, orange peel or zest, and cinnamon and mix well.
Form into 2 rectangular “logs” the shape of a loaf of bread. Cover with aluminum foil if not using right away and store at room temperature.
Cuccidati filling formed into logs
Assemble the cuccidati
Set up a kitchen table “assembly line” style: place the dough on one end on a surface that is good for rolling and cutting the dough, place the filling in the middle, and use the surrounding work areas for each member of the family to create the cookies. Place cookie sheets on the far end for the finished cookies.
Table set up for assembling the cuccidati
Cut off one strip at a time from the large dough ball and roll it out into pie-crust-size thickness.
Cut the rolled-out dough into fairly thick strips, depending on the size of cookie desired. These strips can then be cut again crosswise to make the size needed to make smaller cookies.
Cut rectangular pieces of filling from the filling logs to place into the strips of dough.
Be creative! Create cookies with the sides brought up to cover the filling entirely, or leave the filling uncovered and just pinch the dough together to form various designs. Traditional shapes are round (like a wreath), horseshoe, or long or short ribbons. Candy cane shapes are popular with kids.
Cuccidati ready to bake – various shapes
Bake in preheated oven at 350° for about 20–30 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookie is nicely browned. The sides and top of the dough should be cooked but not browned. This will make a flaky crust and avoid burning the filling.
Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar when cool.
Cookies will keep for about 2 weeks in a cookie tin or covered with aluminum foil.
*The original recipe passed down from my grandmother states that the flour and the lard should be mixed together and left overnight before the sugar, salt, and water are added to create the dough. I’ve never tried this and instead use the traditional “pie crust” method.
—Kathryn Occhipinti: Adapted from the cooking classes given by the Italian-American Society of Peoria
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
TheConversational Italian for Travelers textbook begins each chapter with a dialogue from a story about the character Caterina, an American girl who travels to Italy to visit her relatives. As the story continues from one chapter to the next, we learn Italian, and about Italy, in an engaging way through Caterina’s experiences.
Italian hosts are found throughout Italy, as a multitude of tourists from all countries of the world visit the bustling cities, ancient mountain towns and stunning seaside resorts that Italy is known for. And, Italian hospitality is well-known to those who visit Italy. Italian hosts in family restaurants or shops even invite guests in with the exclamation, “Benvenuti!” “Welcome all!”
In our story, Caterina is a guest at the house of her Italian cousin Pietro and his wife Francesca. She counts herself lucky to have family to visit in Italy, and her visit is in turn celebrated by her Italian hosts. A warm, “welcome-home” dinner is planned upon her arrival and she is able to relax and visit with her cousins, grandmother and nephew on the first night of her Italian vacation.
Feel free to listen in on Caterina and her relatives on the day of her arrival to her cousin Pietro’s house with our FREE audio dialogue from “Chapter 7 – A Family Reunion” on www.LearnTravelItalian.com.
The Cultural Note below, adapted from the textbook found on Amazon.com,Conversational Italian for Travelers, gives some general guidelines about the Italian one needs to know to talk about celebrations in Italy and address Italian hosts and their guests. —Kathryn Occhipinti
Italian Cultural Note: Italian Hosts and their Guests
Several Italian words are commonly used to refer to hosts and their guests that sound very much like their English counterparts. But, beware! Despite similar pronunciation, the meaning of these words in Italian is often different from the English definition. Here are short but important explanations to clarify these issues.
Let’s start with an Italian word we already know:l’hostess. In Chapter 1 of ourConversational Italian for Travelers textbook, we learned that this word meansstewardessand that a man working the same job is referred to aslo steward.
The wordl’hostessdoes not have any other meaning in Italian, other thanstewardess. So, other Italian words must be substituted for the English wordhostess(a woman who has invited others to a gathering or party or to stay in her home).
L’ospitecan be used to refer tothe hostessof a party in Italy. However,l’ospiteis also commonly used to refer tothe guest!
Several common phrases can be used to clarify the situation…
For ahostessorhostwho has invited people into their home, the titles“la padrona di casa”or“il padrone di casa”are used.
For a party given outside the home, you can use the phrase,“la persona che invita”to refer tobothafemaleormale host. It should be noted here that, althoughpersonais a feminine word in Italian, it refers to all human beings, male and female; the plural would bele persone,of course!
To refer to anorganizer/coordinatorof an event or party, use,“l’organizzatore/l’organizzatrice della festa.”
Below is a table that summarizes these points:
l’ospite
host, hostess guest
*
*
la padrona (di casa)
hostess (at her home)/homeowner, mistress
il padrone (di casa)
host (at his home)/homeowner, boss older meanings: ruler, master, lord (landowner)
*
*
la persona che invita
host or hostess (for event or party outside the home)
l’organizzatore
host/organizer/coordinator (for event or party outside the home)
*
*
l’organizzatrice
hostess/organizer/coordinator (for event or party outside the home)
Here are some phrases to that refer to the type of celebration you may be invited to while in Italy by your Italian friends. If you stay in Italy long enough, you are sure to run into a street fair or parade on a feast day, or a wedding or other holiday celebration. “Buon divertimento!”“Have a good time!”
la festa/le feste
holiday(s), celebration(s) party(ies)
*
*
la festa di compleanno
birthday party
la festivà
religious holiday
*
*
fare una festa
to have/make a party
festeggiare
to celebrate or have a celebration to observe a holiday
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning how to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the language.Meraviglioso!
But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently? Have you ever wondered aboutifsomethinghad happenedin the pastwhat the consequencesmight have been?How would you express this idea in Italian? Well, we can express hypothetical, or “if” ideas, called hypothetical phrases, in several ways in Italian and often with the Italiansubjunctive mood that we have been focusing on in this series!
This is the fifth blog post in the “Speak Italian” series that focuses on how to use the Italian subjunctive mood, or“il congiuntivo,”and will include Italian hypothetical phrases.
To take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian, in this segment, we will discusshow to form Italian hypothetical phrases forprobable andimpossible “if” situationsin the pastin Italian.
We will learn how to conjugate theItalian trapassato subjunctive mood and how to form the Italian past conditionaltense. With these two tenses, we will be able to construct sentences that refer to the past usingItalian hypothetical phrases.
We will also introduce thepassato remotopast tense that is used to describe actions that began and were completed in the past when narrating a story. See the next blog in this series for more on thepassato remoto.
An example story will start our discussion. This story is about an Italian mother and daughter, Francesca and Maria, who are preparing a welcoming party for an Italian-American relative who is visiting the family for the first time. You may remember the characters from our recent Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice blog posts.
In the first three blog posts in the “Speak Italian” series about thesubjunctive mood (“il congiuntivo”), we have presented Italian phrases that take the Italian subjunctive mood in the present and past tenses.
In this blog post, we will focus on how to constructItalian hypothetical phrasesfor events that have occurredin the past, as well as the different Italian verb forms needed forprobable past and impossible past situations.
Read our “real-life”story for examples that can be used as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you must speak Italian. Then next time you are wondering about something that might have happened in the past, start a conversation and useItalian hypothetical phrases!
Enjoy the fith blog post in this series,“Italian Subjunctive Mood (Part 5): Italian Hypothetical Phrases – Italian Family Reunion! —Kathryn Occhipinti
When reading the story below, notice the use of theimperfettopast tense (for making general statements about the past) and thepassato remotopast tense (for describing actions that began and were completed in the past). Thepassato remotopast tense will be in italic, and more details will follow about this tense in the next blog.
For this blog, focus on the construction ofItalian hypothetical phrasesthat refer to events that have occurred in the past, which have been underlined for easy identification.
Italian Hypothetical Phrases in the Past: A Family Reunion
It was a lovely spring day in April in the mountains of Abruzzo. Frances and her daughter Mary met at Frances’ house in order to plan a party.
Era un bel giorno di aprile nelle montagne abruzzesi. Francesca e sua figlia, che si chiama Maria, si sono incontrate a casa di Francesca per organizzare una festa.
They wanted this party to be very special because Francesca’s cousin Rudy, who lives in America, was coming to Italy for the first time.
Loro volevano che questa festa fosse bellissima, perché il cugino di Francesca, Rudy, che abita in America, veniva a visitare l’Italia per la prima volta.
“Tell me again how Great Uncle Mark, cousin Rudy’s grandfather, saved our family in Italy,” Mary asked her mother.
“Raccontami ancora come il prozio Marco, il nonno del cugino Rudolfo, ha salvato la nostra famiglia in Italia,” Maria ha chiesto a sua madre.
Frances replied (to her) with the following story:
Francesca le ha risposto con la storia qui di seguito:
Great grandmother Mary had a brother, whose name was Mark.
La bisnonna Maria aveva un fratello, che si chiamava Marco.
Great Uncle Mark left Italy and went to live in America with his family in 1920.
Il prozio Marcolasciòl’Italia eandòa vivere in America con la sua famiglia nel 1920.
He had to leave Italy to find work, because after World War I there was no work in Italy.
Dovettelasciarel’Italia per trovare lavoro, perchè dopo la Prima Guerra Mondiale, non c’era lavoro in Italia.
Right after Uncle Mark had left Italy, great grandmother’s husband died, and she was left all alone to raise their three children.
Subito dopo che lo zio Marcolasciòl’Italia, il marito della bisnonnamorì, e lei era da sola a crescere i suoi tre figli.
In Italy in the early 1900’s, if a woman didn’t have a husband, usually she was not able to support her family.
In Italia negli anni del primo novecento,se una donna non aveva un marito,normalmente non poteva mantenere la famiglia.
At that time, if a woman wanted to work, she could be a teacher or a seamstress.
A quel tempo,se una donna voleva lavorare,poteva fare l’insegnante o la sarta.
Grandmother Mary was a teacher before she was married.
La bisnonna Maria era un’insegnante prima di sposarsi.
But with three children it was not possible for her to leave the house to work.
Ma con tre figli, non era possibile per lei uscire di casa per lavorare.
So, Uncle Mark worked in America and sent money to Italy.
E così, lo zio Marco lavorava in America e mandava i soldi in Italia.
If Uncle Mark had not sent money to Grandmother Mary, she and the children could have starved to death.
Se lo zio Marco non avesse mandatoi soldi alla bisnonna Maria,lei e i figli sarebbero potuti moriredi fame.
At the end of this story, Mary said, “And if Uncle Mark had not helped Grandmother Mary, you and I would not be here today!”
Alla fine della storia, Maria ha detto, “Ese lo zio Marco non avesse aiutatola bisnonna Maria,tu e io non saremmo quioggi!”
Probably not,” replied Frances. “But fortunately, Uncle Mark was a good person. And so is our cousin Rudy. Let’s organize a wonderful party!”
“Probabilmente no,” ha risposto Francesca. “Ma fortunatamente, lo zio Marco era una persona perbene. E anche nostro cugino Rudy è così. Organizziamo una festa meravigliosa!”
Thepassato remotoform of the Italian past tense is used in textbooks to describe historical events that took place centuries ago, and also in textbooks that describe art history. It has been used in our dialogue for this blog in order to tell our story. So, we will say a few words about thepassato remotohere.
Outside of scholarly works written in Italian, thepassato remotois still commonly found as a narrative tool in novels and other forms of fiction written today.
In fiction today, the author of a novel will often use thepassato remoto verb form for the voice of the narrator. Thepassato remotois said to be useful for the “detached” feeling it gives to Italian narration of descriptive passages that take place in the “remote past” of a character’s life. There is no equivalent form in English to express this “detached” feeling of the “remote” past.
The passato prossimoandimperfettoverb forms are the past tense forms usually used by the author of an Italian novel for his characters, which is said to give a “realistic” feeling to the dialogue.
In another blog, we will focus on thepassato remotopast tense and delve more deeply into its uses and conjugations. So, stay tuned for more on thepassato remotopast tense!
How to Make a Hypothetical “If” Phrase in Italian—and Refer to the Past “Periodo Ipotetico con ‘Se’ in Passato”
To express complex thoughts and feelings, human beings have developed “hypothetical phrases”—phrases that enable us to think or wonder about situations that could occur. For instance, how many times have we said, “If I had…”or “If I were…”?
Hypothetical phrases are composed using several different verb forms in English and Italian. For our first blog post on this topic, we talked about which Italian verb forms to use for the probable and improbable situations that are useful for every day conversation in the present.
To read our discussion on Italian hypothetical phrases that refer to the present, read our last blog, Italian Hypothetical Phrases of Love. We will now continue our discussion of Italian hypothetical phrases in this blog by describing how these phrases can be used to refer to the past.
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When we want to express the idea thatsomething may have happenedin the past in English, we most often start with a phrase that begins with the conjunction“if.”The conjunction “if” starts a dependent clause in which we will describe aconditionthat could have caused something else to happen. This dependent clause is then linked to a main clause that will describe theimpending resultorconsequencethat could have happened in the past.
This sentence structure is the same in Italian, and the hypothetical clause in Italian starts with the word“se.” A hypothetical phrase is called a“periodo ipotetico.”
We will now continue our discussion of the different types of hypothetical phrases by focusing on conditions in the past and their consequences in the past or present. This will give depth to our Italian conversations. In the cases that we will present, knowledge of English will be very helpful. Read the technical information, but then focus on the actual phrases and you will soon see how thinking in English and Italian for this subject is really very similar!
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases – PastYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical PhrasesProbable Situations – Past
Probable hypothetical phrases that refer to the past describe situations that were likely to have happened in the past.
We can talk about these past situations as if we really knew they had happened by using the knowledge we have learned directly – from a particular individual or source in the present, or indirectly- by making assumptions gained from history.
In probable situations that took place in the past, the statedconditiongiven in the “if” clause is a condition that the subject likely experienced in the past and theconsequencethat will follow is a situation thatis thought to have almost certainly happened.
Examples usually given for a probable hypothetical phrase in the past often relate to historical situations that we know in general to be true, such as, “If you were one of the first settlers in America, your life was hard.” We all know that given the condition just described, the resulting situation must have happened to some extent!
The “if” phrase does not need to start the sentence, although it remains the dependent clause. Here is our example sentence again: “Your life was hardif you were one of the first settlers in America.”
To Summarize: Hypothetical Phrases for Probable Situations – Past
Italian Hypothetical Phrases—Probable Situations – Past
Theconditiondescribed in the “if” clause and the consequence that followed in the past were probable; both almost certainly did happen.
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How to Make Italian Hypothetical PhrasesProbable Situations – Past
If + Past Tense Verb > Past Tense Verb
Now read the following table, which describes the sentence structure and the verb forms to use when creating a hypothetical sentence for a probable situation that occurred in the past. This table compares how English and Italian approach this type of speech.
Italian Hypothetical Phrases: Probable Situations – Past
English
Italian
Condition(If)
If
Simple Past Tense
Se +
Passato Prossimo-or-
Imperfetto Past Tense
Consequence (Probable Result)
Simple Past Tense
Passato Prossimo-or-
Imperfetto Past Tense
From the table above, it is easy to see that English and Italian both express hypothetical, probable situations that could have occurred in the past in a very similar way!
In English and Italian, for our condition in the dependent clause, we start with the conjunction“if”(“se”in Italian) and then most often use the simple past tense. For Italian, then thepassato prossimoorimperfettopast tense may be used.
For the consequence in the main clause, the past tense will be again used for both English and Italian.
You may remember from our first blog on hypothetical phrases that no special tense is necessary for probable situations that occur in the present. We used only our usual indicative present and future tenses, given the certainty we have that these probable situations will occur. And it is the same with probable situations that have likely occurred in the past! No special tense is needed!
To follow are some examples of the probable hypothetical situation in the past from our dialogue, with our “if” condition and the consequence phrases underlined:
In Italy in the early 1900’s, if a woman didn’t have a husband, usually she was not able to support her family.In Italia negli anni del primo novecento,se una donna non aveva un marito,normalmente non poteva mantenere la famiglia.
At that time, if a woman wanted to work, she could be a teacher or a seamstress.A quel tempo,se una donna voleva lavorare,poteva fare l’insegnante o la sarta.
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases – PastYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical Phrases Impossible Situations -Past
Impossible hypothetical phrases in the past describe situations that did not actually take place in the past.
These situations are called “impossible” because the condition given refers to a past event that could not have been acted upon in the past and is also not something one can act on in the present. Instead, these types of phrases are used in order to “wonder” out loud or “suppose” what could have happened in a particular situation if things had been different in the past from what we know to be true.
Stated another way: in impossible hypothetical situations of the past, since the statedconditiongiven in the “if” clause in the past and did not happen, it could not have been used to change the situation. But, we can still speculate on what the outcome might have been. Theconsequencethat might have followed can refer either to the past or to the present.
The often used phrase, “If I had known…” is a good example of an impossible hypothetical condition. Here, the condition as stated did not happen – the persondid notknow something at the time, which was in the past and is now over. This in turn makes the outcome, either in the past or the present, pure speculation.
With an impossible hypothetical situation, there may be a note of regret in the statement, as the individual describes how he/she would like things to have been different now that the past event has ended. Perhaps this individual might say, “If I had knownshe needed me,I would have beenat home.” Or, “If I had knownhe was sick,I would have brought him some medicine.”
Or, another example that describes how he/she sees that things could have been different now: If Ann and her ex-boyfriend Paul had gotten back together, she would not behappy now.*
The “if” phrase does not need to start the sentence, although it remains the dependent clause. Here is our first example sentence again: “I would have been at home if I had knownshe needed me.”
In fact, I always remember this type of Italian sentence with the following rule:If you start an Italian sentence with the present or past conditional tense, the subjunctive mood must followin the next phrase!
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*(Do you recognize this sentence from our last blog on hypothetical phrases? Here the speaker is making a supposition about the past – that in fact it was possible for Anna and her ex-boyfriend to get together, and then speculating about how Anna would feel about this today. Neither the condition nor the consequence have taken place, however. In the dialogue, we learn that Anna does not regret that she is no longer seeing her ex-boyfriend. She has a new boyfriend and is actually very happy.)
To Summarize: Impossible Situations – Past
Italian Hypothetical Phrases— Impossible Situations – Past
Theconditiondescribed in the “if” clause isimpossible as it did not happen and is a supposition about the past; therefore the condition cannot lead to the result in the consequencespeculated about, either in the past or the present.
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How to Make Italian Hypothetical PhrasesImpossible Situations – Past
If +TrapassatoSubjunctive> Past Conditional or Present Conditional Verb
Now read the following table, which describes the sentence structure and the verb forms to use when creating a hypothetical sentence for an impossible situation when we want to speculate about something that might have happened in the past. This table compares how English and Italian approach this type of speech.
The examples given use the first person“I”or“io”subject pronoun, as this is the most common form to use in conversation, but of course all subject pronouns and their respective verb conjugations are possible.
Italian Hypothetical Phrases: Impossible Situations – Past Consequence –Past
English
Italian
Condition (If:Supposition)
If +
Past Pluperfect (I had + past participle)
Se +
Trapassato Subjunctive (io avessi/fossi + past participle)
Consequence (Speculation)
Conditional + Present Perfect (I could, would, should +have + past participle)
Past Conditional (io avrei/sarei + past participle)
Italian Hypothetical Phrases: Impossible Situations – Past Consequence –Present
English
Italian
Condition (If: Supposition)
If +
Past Pluperfect (I had + past participle)
Se +
Trapasatto Subjunctive (io avessi/fossi + past participle)
Consequence (Speculation)
Present Conditional
Present Conditional
The table above shows that English and Italian speakers think alike, although this may not be so evident to the English speaker at first.
1.In English and Italian, for the condition that we are wondering about in the dependent clause, we start with the conjunction“if”(“se”in Italian), and then use the past tense form that indicates an event that was both started and competed in the past. These are thought of as “remote” events.
In English, a remote event that was started and completed in the past uses the helping verb “had,“(rather than have) prior to adding on the past participle. Who remembers this from English class? Chances are we English speakers do this naturally, but now that we are learning Italian, our English grammar surfaces again!
When we see the “had”+ verb in English,this should alert us that in Italian we must use thetraspassato subjunctive! (io avessi/io fossi + past participle)!
2. For both English and Italian, the main clause that describes the speculative consequence with reference to the past will use the past conditional; to refer to the present simply use the present conditional.
To form the past conditional In English, we use one of our helping verbs – could, should, would, and add the present perfect tense (actually a past tense):“have + past participle”).
To form the past conditional in Italian, we use theimperfetto subjunctiveforms of “to have” and “to be” (examples:ioavrei or io sarei)+ past participle.
Below are some examples of phrases that used impossible hypothetical situations from our dialogue, with our condition and consequence phrases underlined.
Se Anna e il suo ex-fidanzato Paolo si fossero riconciliati, lei non sarebbe felice ora. If Ann and her ex-boyfriend Paul had gotten back together, she would not behappy now.
If Uncle Mark had not sent money to Grandmother Mary, she and the children could have starved to death. Se lo zio Marco non avesse mandatoi soldi alla bisnonna Maria,lei e i figli sarebbero potuti moriredi fame.
At the end of this story, Mary said, “And if Uncle Mark had not helped Grandmother Mary, you and I would not be here today!”Alla fine della storia, Maria ha detto, “Ese lo zio Marco non avesse aiutatola bisnonna Maria,tu e io non saremmo quioggi!”
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases – PastYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical Phrases in the Past Tense with “Come se”and“Magari”
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In our previous blog on Italian hypothetical phrases, Italian Subjunctive (Part 4): Italian Hypothetical Phrases of Love, we discussed the expressions,“Come se…”(as if) and “Magari“(If only, I wish). We mentioned that the phrases “come se” and “magari” fall into the realm of improbable hypothetical phrases in the present tense, and therefore always take theimperfettosubjunctive verb form.
We also mentioned that, In the past tense, the phrases “come se”and“magari” will be followed by thetrapassato subjunctiveverb form. If we think a little about what these phrases mean in the past tense – a wishful thinking about something in the past that therefore cannot be changed – we can see now that we are in the category of impossible hypothetical phrases.
In English, as in Italian, the above phrase and words will also take the subjunctive form in the past tense. Either the more recent or remote past tense form can be used in English, depending on the situation.
Il mio amico inglese non aveva practicamente accento quando lui parlava in italiano,come se fosse stato un vero italiano! My British friend had virtually no accent when he spoke Italian, as if he (were/had been) a real Italian!
Mi ha mostrato le scarpe più costose che aveva,come se io fossi stata ricca! She showed me the most expensive shoes she had,as if I were rich!”
Magari, questofosse statopossibile! I wish/If only thishad beenpossible!
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases of LoveYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical Phrases in the Past Tense with “Chiedersi”
Let’s see how this works in the past tense, in a situation when one might have “wondered if…” something might have happened.
“Mi chiedevo…”literally means,“I asked myself,”which translates into“I wondered.” At first glance, it may seem likechiedersishould fall into the category of improbable hypothetical phrases – especially when this verb is followed byse, such as in the phrase “I wondered if…” But, as we’ve learned in ourvery first blog about the Italian subjunctive mood,chiedersifollows the same pattern as the verbs in Rule 4.
We will learn in the next blog that these verbs, in the past tense, take theimperfettosubjunctive and the trapassatosubjunctive forms.
For now, here are some examples for when one is wondering in the past tense about something in the present and the past. And “stay tuned” to our later blog posts to learn how to use these tenses for all phrases that take the subjunctive mood in the past tense!
Mi chiedevose lui fosse un attore bravo in quel film. I wonderedif he isa great actor in that film.
Mi chiedevose lui fosse statoun attore bravo in quel film. I wondered if he wasa great actor in that film.
We have already learned in our last blog on this topic that themost commonly usedimprobable hypothetical phrasesbegin with the words,“If I were…”or“If I had…”
So in Italian, the two most important phrases of this type to remember are,“Se io fossi…”and“Se io avessi…”using theimperfettosubjunctive conjugations foressereandavere.
To form thetrapassatosubjunctive mood forimpossible hypothetical phrases in the past tense, we need only toadd the past participleto the initial phrases above!
So in Italian, the two most important phrases of this type to remember are,“Se io fossi stato…”and“Se io avessi avuto…”using thetraspassatosubjunctive conjugations foressereandavere.
In English, however, any event that started and was completed in the past simply needs “had” inserted in front of the past participle! This is a bit easier than Italian, but with a little practice, you will get used to the Italian in no time!
For examples using these verbs in Italian, please see the previous and following sections.
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Below are thetrapassatosubjunctive mood conjugations for the auxiliary verbsavereandessere, using the past participles for two Italian verbs that are commonly used in this tense –fareandandare.
Remember that action verbs of direction, reflexive verbs, other verbs of growing and changing, andpiacereall takeessereas a helping verb when making these compound verbs. All other verbs takeavere. If you need a review of the use of helping verbs for the Italian past tense, please refer to our blog Speak Italian: A Story About… Love!
You will notice thataverehas a regular conjugation in theimperfettosubjunctive mood, whereas essere has an irregular conjugation. The past participle forfare (fatto)is irregular, but that ofandare(andato)is regular. If you need a refresher on how to form past participles, please refer to our blog Speak Italian: A Story About… Love!
In hypothetical clauses, because the trapassatosubjunctive mood is introduced byse,(se)is included in the subject pronoun column as a reminder. When conjugating these verbs, say“se”before the subject pronoun and each verb form to reinforce this way of thinking!
Avere (to have) + Fare (to do/make) — Trapassato Subjunctive Mood
The conditional tense is used to make a polite request, as we learned way back in Chapter 4 of ourConversational Italian for Travelerstextbook, when we discussed how to use the wordvorrei, which means “I would like”or “I wish.” In the “Important Phrases” section of Chapter 16, we also learned how to use the wordvorremmo, which means,“we would like,”to place an order for the group at a table in a restaurant.
Notice that the meaning of a conditional verb is rendered in English with the combination of “would + infinitive verb.” The conditional tense, in summary, expresses a want or wish, an intention, a duty, or a preference.
The method used to form the stems for the Italian conditional tense is exactly the same as the method to form the Italian future tense. Also, the irregular stems for the conditional tense are identical to those for the future tense. The Italian conditional endings are always regular and will be the same for all three conjugations!
Please see Chapters 17 and 18 of the Conversational Italian for Travelerstextbook for a review of how to conjugate the conditional tense in Italian.
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”
Visitlearntravelitalian.com/download.html to purchase/download Conversational Italian for Travelers and find more interesting facts and helpful hints about getting around Italy!Learn how to buy train tickets online, how to make international and local telephone calls, and how to decipher Italian coffee names and restaurant menus, all while gaining the basic understanding of Italian that you will need to know to communicate easily and effectively while in Italy. —From the staff at Stella Lucente, LLC
Italian Subjunctive (Part 5) : Italian Hypothetical Phrases – Italian Family Reunion
Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the language.Meraviglioso!
But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently? Have you ever wondered aboutifsomethingwereto happen and just how you would express this idea in Italian?
Well, we can express hypothetical, or “if” ideas, calledItalian hypothetical phrases, in several ways in Italian and often with the Italiansubjunctive mood that we have been focusing on in this series!
This is the fourth blog post in the “Speak Italian” series that focuses on how to use theItalian subjunctive mood,or“il congiuntivo.” This blog and the one to follow (in November 2017) will complete our list of uses for the Italian subjunctive mood. For a complete list, see our last blog, Italian Subjunctive (Part 3): Speak Italian!
Let’s take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian! in this segment, we will discusshow to form Italian hypothetical phrases forprobable and improbable “if” situations in Italianin the present. We will cover the phrases that start with“come se,” “magari,”and“ammesso che.”We will also learnhow to use the verb chiedersi,which means“to wonder.”
We will learn how to conjugate theItalian imperfetto subjunctive and how to use the Italian conditionaltense to construct our improbable Italian hypothetical phrases.
An example email between two friends talking about hypothetical situations of love will start our discussion! You may remember the characters and the story in the email from our recent Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice blog posts.
In the first three blog posts in the “Speak Italian” series about thesubjunctive mood (“il congiuntivo”), we have presented Italian phrases that take the Italian subjunctive mood in the present and past tenses. For a review, see our last blog, Italian Subjunctive (Part 3): Speak Italian!
In this blog post, we will focus on how to constructItalian hypothetical phrases, as well as the different Italian verb forms needed forprobable and improbable situations.
Read our “real-life” dialogue for examples that can be used as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you must speak Italian. Then next time you are wondering about something, start a conversation and useItalian hypothetical phrases!
Enjoy the fourth blog post in this series,“Italian Subjunctive (Part 4): Italian Hypothetical Phrases of Love”! —Kathryn Occhipinti
All phrases that take theItalian subjunctive moodhave been underlined in this sample email. Try to pick out theItalian hypothetical phrasesand then read about how to make your ownItalian hypothetical phrasesin the next section.
The characters Caterina and Susanna in our dialogue are cousins who grew up together in Abruzzo and now stay in touch with each other and discuss family happenings through email. Notice the many Italian idiomatic expressions that relate to dating and love, some of which are explained after each section.
Italian Hypothetical Phrases of Love
Una breve email tra due cugine A brief email between two cousins
Cara Susanna, Dear Susan,
È stato bellissimo vedere te e i tuoi figli quest’estate in Abruzzo. E poi, lo shopping a Roma è stato fantastico! It was wonderful to see you and your children this summer in Abruzzo. And afterward, the shopping in Rome was fantastic!
Se io non fossi occupata all’università, verrei a trovarvi di nuovo a Roma! If I weren’t so busy at college, I would come to visit you all again in Rome!
Forse quando la sessione di gennaio è finita, posso fare un viaggio. Maybe when the exam session in January is over, I can take a trip.
Fammi saperese tu sei libera per un weekend presto! Let me knowif you are free for a weekend soon!
Ma oggi sto scrivendo perché ho una buona notizia.But today I am writing because I have good news.
La nostra cugina Anna ha incontrato un ragazzo molto simpatico quando è stata in Sicilia l’estate scorsa. Our cousin Ann met a very nice boy when she was in Sicily last summer.
Lui si chiama Giovanni.His name is John.
Anna mi ha mandato una foto. Mamma mia, è un figo da paura!*Ann texted a photo to me. Wow, he is amazing!
Stanno insieme da un mese e frequentano la stessa università. They have been (Italian: are [still]) together for a month and go to the same college.**
Secondo Anna, vanno molto d’accordo e sono gia una coppia.According to Ann, they get along very well and are already a couple.
Se il tempo è bello, andranno al mare per il weekend a casa del papà di Giovanni. If the weather is nice, they will go to the sea for the weekend to Giovanni’s father’s house.
A tutti e due piace molto la spiaggia e fare windsurf. They both really like the beach and to go windsurfing.
Se Anna vuole andare al ristorante o al cinema, lui la porta. If Ann wants to go to a restaurant or to the movies, he takes her.
Se lei vuole restare a casa, loro restano a casa insieme. If she wants to stay at home, they stay at home together.
Mi sembra che siano innamorati. It seems (to me) like they are in love.
Se Anna e il suo ex-fidanzato Paolo si fossero riconciliati, lei non sarebbe felice ora. If Ann and her ex-boyfriend Paul had gotten back together, she would not be happy now.
Tu ricordi bene, sono sicura, come lui l’ha tradita, come le ha spazzato il cuore, e comunque erano gia agli sgoccioli da mesi prima.***You remember well, I am sure, how he betrayed her, how he broke her heart, and anyway, they were already at the end of their relationship for months before.
Finalmente Anna si è resa conto che lui non era quello giusto per lei.Finally, Anna realized that he was not right for her.
L’ha lasciato e ora quella storia (d’amore)**** è finita e un nuovo amore è cominciato per lei.She left him and now that (love) story is over, and a new one (Italian: a new love) has begun for her.
Sono molto contenta per Anna! I am very happy for Ann!
Forse tra un anno si sposano!Maybe in a year, they (will) get married!
Scrivimi quando hai tempo!Write me when you have time!
Tanti baci. Lots of kisses.
Caterina.
*“Un figo da paura” refers to a young man who is handsome and sexy. Used alone, “Figo!” means “cool.”
And yes, “Mamma mia!” is still in use in Italy today. Variations include “Madre santa!” or simply “Maria!”
**In this case, Italian uses the present tense for an ongoing action, whereas English uses the past tense.
***The phrase “essere agli sgoccioli” literally means “to be at the last drops” and refers to when the last of the wine in the bottle is left and drips out. This phrase is used to suggest that the relationship is dying out and the couple is only seeing each other infrequently.
**** A romantic relationship between two people is usually described as“una storia,” the shortened form of“una storia d’amore,”or“a love story.”
Anch’io sono molto contenta per nostra cugina Anna!I am also very happy for our cousin Ann!
Lei è molto bella e penso che anche Giovanni sia un bel ragazzo come dicevi. She is very pretty, and I think he is also good looking from what (Italian: as) you have told me.
Lui sembra molto simpatico e mi sembra che lui la tratti molto bene. He seems very nice, and it seems to me that he treats her very well.
Mi sembra che a loro piaccia molto frequentarsi.* It seems (to me) that they like seeing each other very much.
Mi pare che non sia solo una cotta ma si piacciano da vero. It seems to me that it is not only a crush but they really like each other.
Ma si stanno frequentando solamente da un mese! But they have been seeing each other (English: dating) (for) only one month!**
Loro sono molto giovani, come te. They are very young, like you.
Non si sa maiche cosa può succedere! (Italian: One never knows) You never knowwhat could happen!
Nè uno nè l’altro lavorano. Non hanno vissuto con un’altra persona. Non hanno soldi… Neither one of them works. They have never lived with another person. They don’t have money…
Spero che loro aspettino almeno un anno prima di cominciare a parlare di matrimonio. I hope that they wait at least a year before starting to talk about marriage!
Sarei molto contenta se tu venissi a trovarmi a febbraio. I would be very happy if you were to come to see me in February.
A presto!See you soon!
Susanna
*See the next section for comments aboutfrequentarsi **In this case, Italian uses the present tense for an ongoing action, whereas English uses the past tense.
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Italian Hypothetical Phrases of Love
Talking about Relationships in Italian
Today in America, we “date,” “go out on a date,” or refer to two people who are “dating,” from the first romantic encounter until they become married. After they are married, they can still have “date nights.” But be careful when translating American romantic experiences into Italian! The English verb “to date” as used in America today to refer to a romantic relationship does not have a literal translation in Italian.
Of course, to “court” a woman was common in past centuries, and Italian language still reflects this. When a man tries to show he is interested in a woman, the phrase “fare la corte a…” is used from the verb corteggiare or “to court.”
If a woman wants to refer to dating a man, the following phrases can be used:
“Mi vedo un ragazzo.”
“I’m seeing a boy.”
“Esco con un ragazzo.”
“I’m going out with a boy.”
“Il ragazzo con cui ho/avevo appuntamento.”
“The boy with whom I have/had an appointment.”
There is another verb still in use in Italy today that refers to a man seducing, or “winning over,” a woman: “conquistare a… ” If a woman lets herself be “won over” or “captivated” by a man, she can use the phrase “Mi lascio conquestare a…”
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If one friend wants to ask the other about his/her new love, they may say, “Che tipo è lei?”or“Che tipo è lui?”meaning,“What is he/she like?”or, more simply,“Che tipo è?”
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There are two Italian phrases commonly used to refer to two people who have become romantically involved and are getting together regularly before marriage: “to go out with someone”—“uscire con qualcuno”—or “seeing each other”—“frequentarsi.”
To express a relationship between two people in Italian, and especially a close or romantic relationship, we can use the word “rapporto.”
Any relationship in general is considered a “relazione.” But be careful, as an “affair” outside of marriage is also a “relazione,” whereas “affari” refers to more general personal and business “affairs.”
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Finally, we know that many times romantic love comes to an end. How do we describe a “break up” in Italian? The verbslasciare (to leave) and lasciarsi(to leave each other) come into play. From our dialogue:
L’ha lasciato e ora quella storia (d’amore) è finita e un nuovo amore è cominciato per lei.She left him and now that (love) story is over, and a new one (Italian: a new love) has begun for her.
Below is an example sentence two people might use talk about a couple that has “broken up” or two people who have”left each other”
Loro si sono lasciati. They have broken up.
If you are one of the two people in the relationship and want to talk about “breaking up”:Ci lasciamo stasera. We (will) break up/are breaking up tonight. Non ci lasciamo, ma… We are not breaking up but… Ci sono lasciati il mese scorso. We broke up last month.
How to Make Italian Hypothetical Phrases “If” Phrases Refer to the Present:Periodo Ipotetico con “Se” in Presente
To express complex thoughts and feelings, human beings have developed“hypothetical phrases”—phrases that enable us to think or wonder about situations that could occur. For instance, how many times have you said, “If I had…”or “If I were…”?
When we want to express the idea thatsomething may happenin English, we most often start with a phrase that begins with the conjunction“if.”
The conjunction “if” starts a dependent clause in which we will describe aconditionthat could cause something else to happen. This dependent clause is then linked to a main clause that will describe theimpending resultorconsequencethat we are concerned about.
This sentence structure is the same in Italian, and the hypothetical clause in Italian starts with the word“se.” An Italian hypothetical phrase is called a“periodo ipotetico.”
Hypothetical phrases are composed using several different verb forms in English and Italian. For this blog post, we will talk about which Italian verb forms to use for theprobableandimprobable situations that may arise in the present and that are useful for every day conversation.
“Hold onto your hat!” as we say in English, because we will now start a “whirlwind tour” of the different types of hypothetical phrases that we can use to give depth to our Italian conversations. In the cases that we will present, knowledge of English will be very helpful. Read the technical information, but then focus on the actual phrases and you will soon see how thinking in English and Italian for this subject is really very similar!
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases of LoveYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical PhrasesProbable Situations
Hypothetical phrasesin thepresent tensedescribe situations that are likely to happen, orprobable situations.
In probable situations, the statedconditiongiven in the “if” clause is a condition that a person may experience in the present and theconsequencethat will follow is a situation thatwill almost certainly happen.
A common example usually given for a probable hypothetical phrase relates to the weather, such as “If it rains,I will get wet when I go out.” We all know that given the condition just described, the resulting situation will happen to some extent!
The “if” phrase does not need to start the sentence, although it remains the dependent clause. Here is our example sentence again: “I will get wet when I go outif it rains.”
To Summarize: Italian Hypothetical Phrases for Probable Situations
Italian Hypothetical Phrases—Probable Situations
Theconditiondescribed in the “if” clause and the consequence that will follow are probable; both will almost certainly happen.
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How to Make Italian Hypothetical PhrasesProbable Situations
If + Present Verb>Present or Future Verb
Now read the following table, which describes the sentence structure and the verb forms to use when creating a hypothetical sentence for a probable situation. This table compares how English and Italian approach this type of speech.
Italian Hypothetical Phrases: Probable Situations
English
Italian
Condition(If)
If +
Present
Se +
Present (orFuture*)
Consequence (Probable Result)
PresentorFuture
PresentorFuture
From the table above, it is easy to see that English and Italian both express hypothetical, probable situations in a very similar way!
In both English and Italian, for the condition in the dependent clause, we start with the conjunction“if”(“se”in Italian) and then use the simple present tense.
In both English and Italian, when the dependentif/seclause starts with the present tense, the main clause that follows can useeitherthe present orthe future tense.
Italian may use the future tense for the condition, orse clause for situations that are in the more distant future but are really likely to happen (really probable). (This does not occur in English.)
*If the Italian dependentseclause is in the future tense, then the main clause that follows in Italianmust also bein the future tense.
A review of the Italian future tense and the conjugations of the most commonly used Italian verbs in the future can be found in Chapters 15 and 16 of our textbook,Conversational Italian for Travelers.
To follow are some examples of the probable hypothetical situation from our dialogue, with our “if” condition and the consequence phrases underlined.
You will notice that we introduced these lines in the dialogue with the idea, orcondition, that the characters Anna and Giovanni have become a couple; therefore, theconsequenceis thatin the future, they will do everything together. And, for this couple, the consequenceis almost certain to happen.
Se il tempo èbello,andrannoal mare per il weekend a casa del papà di Giovanni. If the weather is nice,they go (will go)to the sea for the weekend to Giovanni’s father’s house.
Se Anna vuole andareal ristorante o al cinema,lui la porta. If Ann wants to goto a restaurant or to the movies,he takes (will take) her.
Se lei vuole restarea casa,loro restanoa casa insieme. If she wants to stayat home,they stay (will stay)at home together.
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases of Love You Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical PhrasesProbable Situations with a Command
Hypothetical phrasesin thepresent tensecan be used to refer to a situation and then give “advice” in the form of adirect command.
Phrases like “If you feel… (this way)” or “If you make/do… (something)” are very common in conversation. The speaker may describe a certain situation two people know to be likely, and then, without waiting for a reply, the speaker may give a command about what should be done in that situation. In the speaker’s mind, perhaps, that command will virtually always solve a perceived problem.
Think about how often parents give advice to their children in this way—without first waiting to hear how the children really feel! Here is a common exchange in my house, parent to child, of course. “Dinner will be ready in a half hour. Don’t eat cookies.If you are hungry,eatsome fruit!”
The “if” phrase need not start the sentence in these cases, although it remains the dependent clause. Here is our example sentence again: “Eatsome fruitif you are hungry!”
To Summarize: Italian Hypothetical Phrases for Probable Situations with a Command
Italian Hypothetical Phrases—Probable Situations with a Command
Theconditiondescribed in the “if” clause is probable, and the “advice” given in command form will almost certainlysolve a problem, and/or result in the consequencethat describes the future event.
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How to Make Italian Hypothetical PhrasesProbable Situations with a Command
If + Present Verb>Imperative Verb
Now read the following table, which describes the sentence structure and the verb forms to use when creating a hypothetical sentence for a probable situation when giving a command. This table compares how English and Italian approach this type of speech.
Italian Hypothetical Phrases:
Probable Situations with a Command
English
Italian
Condition(If)
If +
Present
Se +
Present(or Future)
Consequence (Advice/Probable Result)
Imperative
Imperative
From the table above, it is easy to see that English and Italian express hypothetical probable situations with a command in a very similar way!
In English and Italian, for our condition in the dependent clause, we start with the conjunction“if”(“se”in Italian), and then most often use the simple present tense.
For situations that are in the more distant future but are likely to happen (probable), Italian may use the future tense for the condition clause.
For the consequence in the main clause, use the command verb form in English and Italian. The English command form is easy, and for the most part, we don’t even realize we are using it! Just remove the “to” from the infinitive form of the English verb. “To eat” is an infinitive in English. “Eat!” is a command.
A review of the Italian command form will not be provided here, but can be found in Chapter 9 of our textbook, Conversational Italian for Travelers. (Note: In writing, Italian emphasizes that the command form is in use with an exclamation mark at the end of the sentence.)
Below is an example of a probable situation with a command from our dialogue, with our condition and consequence phrases underlined.
Fammi saperese tu seilibera per un weekend presto! Let me knowif you arefree for a weekend soon!
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases of LoveYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical Phrases Improbable Situations
Hypothetical phrasesin thesubjunctive moodwith the conditional tensedescribe situationsin the presentthat are not likely to happen and therefore are improbable.
These types of phrases are used in order to “wonder” out loud or “suppose” what could happen in a particular situation if things were “different” from what we know to be true.
In improbable hypothetical situations, the statedconditiongiven in the “if” clause and theconsequencethat will follow are situations that could happen (possible), but they arevery unlikely to happen and are therefore improbable.
A common example often given for an improbable hypothetical phrase relates to money, such as, “If I were rich,I would travelto Italy.” Here, the condition as stated is unlikely; in general, one is usually either rich or not. This in turn makes the outcome unlikely to happen. With an improbable hypothetical phrase such as this, there may be a note of wishful thinking or irony in the statement. We are dealing with supposition, rather than a fact.
The “if” phrase does not need to start the sentence, although it remains the dependent clause. Here is our example sentence again: “I would travelto Italyif I were rich.”
In fact, I always remember this type of Italian sentence with the following rule:If you start a sentence with a phrase withthe present conditional tense,” the imperfetto subjunctive mood must followin the next phrase!
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Nearly Impossible Situations
Sometimes, a situation proposed for the present is so improbable that it is actually impossible, although it may be interesting to bring up in conversation. Think about how we sometimes pretend to be someone or something we know we cannot be. By wondering about these impossible situations, we are able to reveal a little something about ourselves and the world we actually live in.
For instance, I am someone who loves cats. What comes to my mind when I think of the cats I have here in America is an “easy” life. I may convey the complicated idea of how I might enjoy an “easy” life myself by relating my own life to the lives of my cats.
If I were a cat,I would live in a nice houseand not have to work. I would live in a nice houseand not have to workif I were a cat.
Or, maybe I am someone who would like to change something about my appearance, which is easier today than in the past, but the condition and consequence are still impossible for me.
If my eyes were green, I could find workas a model. I could find workas a modelif my eyes were green.
To Summarize: Italian Hypothetical Phrases for Improbable Situations
Italian Hypothetical Phrases—Improbable and Impossible Situations
Theconditiondescribed in the “if” clause isimprobable to varying degrees, and therefore is unlikely toresult in the consequencethat describes the future event one is wondering about.
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How to Make Italian Hypothetical PhrasesImprobable Situations
If + Imperfetto Subjunctive Verb> Present Conditional Verb
Now read the following table, which describes the sentence structure and the verb forms to use when creating a hypothetical sentence for an improbable situation when we want to wonder about something. This table compares how English and Italian approach this type of speech.
Italian Hypothetical Phrases:
Improbable Situations
English
Italian
Condition (If: Wonder)
If +
Subjunctive
Se +
Imperfetto Subjunctive
Consequence (Supposition)
Conditional
Present Conditional
From the table above, it is easy to see that English and Italian speakers think alike, although this may not be so evident to the English speaker at first.
Use of the subjunctive mood is becoming less common in English conversation, and even in some widely respected American newspapers and magazines.
Let’s digress for a moment, and give some English examples of the subjunctive mood:
For instance, instead of “If I was…,” correct English would be “If Iwere…” to signal that the phrase to follow is hypothetical and the consequence unlikely.
Or, instead of “If I saw…,” correct use of the subjunctive would be “If Ihad seen…” (It isnevergrammatically correct to say “I seen…,” despite what one may actually hear in some towns in America today!)
To make matters more complicated, the English subjunctive form of many verbs is similar to the regular past tense form.
At any rate, let’s summarize how to make probable hypothetical phrases in English and Italian:
In English and Italian, for the condition we are wondering about in the dependent clause, we start with the conjunction“if”(“se”in Italian), and then use theimperfettosubjunctive mood. ( A review of theimperfettosubjunctive mood foravere, essere,andstare, and-are, -ere, -ireinfinitive verbs will follow this section.)
For the consequence/supposition in the main clause, use the present conditional tense in English and Italian.
Below are some examples of phrases that used possible hypothetical situations from our dialogue, with our condition and consequence phrases underlined.
Se io non fossi occupataall’università,verrei a trovarvidi nuovo a Roma! If I weren’t so busyat college,I would come to visit you allagain in Rome!
Sareimolto contentase tu fossi venire a trovarmia febbraio. I would bevery happyif you were to come to see mein February.
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases of LoveYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical Phrases “Come se”and“Magari”
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“Come se…”
Hypothetical phrases can start with the phrase“Come se,” which translates into the phrase “as if.” This phrase falls into the realm of hypothetical phrases since the comparison is with a characteristic or action that is improbable. It should be noted that, in Italian, the word“se”in this type of comparison phrase is sometimes omitted (see our last example).
Therefore,come se, is an improbable hypothetical phrase, so it must always take theimperfetto subjunctiveverb form in the present tense. (In the past tense, the phrasecome se takes thetrapssato subjunctiveform, which will be the subject of the next blog.)
In English, as in Italian, the “as if” improbable hypothetical phrase will also use the subjunctive verb form.
Common phrases that usecome secompare actions and characteristics of individuals in an attempt to make a point in a dramatic way. These “as if” phrases may be flattering:
Il mio amico inglese non ha practicamente accento quando lui parla in italiano,come se fosse un vero italiano! My British friend has virtually no accent when he speaks Italian, as if he were a real Italian!
We often use this type of phrase to talk ironically about a situation, or to show our displeasure about something that has happened. For instance, I may be be shopping and a salesperson may try to sell me a pair of shoes that are way too expensive for my budget. (Isn’t this always a problem, for both women and men?) I might say something like:
Mi mostra le scarpe più costose che ha,come se io fossi ricca! She shows me the most expensive shoes they have,as if I were rich!”
A line from a novel by Gianrico Carofiglio,Testimone inconsapevole illustrates how this “as if” phrase can be used to emphasize an important point. The line is spoken by the main character, who is the narrator of the book. He relays the conversation he and his wife had when his wife tells him that she is filing for divorce. One of the reasons his wife gives for the divorce is that she feels humiliated because her husband thinks she has not noticed his many affairs – in effect treating heras if she werestupid. Clearly, she believes she is a smart woman, and notes with irony that he would chose to treat as if she were not.From page 16:
“Quello che l’aveva più umiliata non era la mia infedelità… ma il fatto che le avessi veramente mancato di rispetto trattandolacome fosse una stupida.”
“That which had humiliated her the most was not my infidelity… but the fact that I had truly lost respect for her, treating heras if she were an idiot.”
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“Magari…”
“Magari”is a colorful and commonly used Italian word. Make an Italian friend and you will no doubt hear this word! Magarican be used as an adverb and in this case means, “even if.” Magariis most often used as an interjection, with the rough meaning of “if only…” or “I wish…” when the “I wish” is a statement of something that is unlikely to happen.
Magariis always followed by animperfetto subjunctive verb in the present tense (and thetrapassato subjunctivein the past tense) and takes the subjunctive in English as well.
For instance , let’s say I am talking to someone about my love of Italy. They may mention that I should spend my summer there. My response:
Magari, questofossepossibile! I wish/If only thiswerepossible!
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases of LoveYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical Phrases “Ammesso che…”
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A very common way to start an Italian conversation about a complex topic is with the phrase“Ammesso che…” which translates into “Assuming that…”This phrase falls into the realm of hypothetical phrases because, by definition, the speaker does not know if the facts to be discussed are true or not. The phrase implies a starting point from which a discussion on a topic can begin, often in the hopes of uncovering the answer to a difficult question, or somehow finding a fact or the truth behind a certain situation.
Since the phrase“Ammesso che…“is by definition uncertain, the phrase that follows must always be in the subjunctive mood.
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In some cases, the speaker knows already thatit will be possible to uncover a fact or the truth behind a situation.He just needs to make the right assumption or ask the right questions to get his answer. In these cases,“Ammesso che…”will be followed bya verb in the present subjunctive mood,just as the other verbs in Rule 4 that we learned about inour very first blog on the subjunctive mode.
After the assumption is posed, a third phrase will complete the sentence to describe what the speaker thinks will be the end result. Naturally, this final phrase will be in the future tense, since it is a prediction.
In English, the verb in the phrase to follow “Assuming that…” will be in the simple present tense and the third, final phrase will be in the future tense.
Common phrases that start with“Ammesso che…” could invoke a reflection about an individual’s character, or what that individual says or does.
Ammesso che luisia… bello/gentile/intelligente… luisaràun bravo fidanzato.Assuming that heis… handsome/kind/intelligent… he will be a wonderful fiance.
Ammesso che leidica… che tutto va bene… cominceremoil lavoro lunedì prossimo.Assuming that shesays... everything is good to go… we can start work next Monday.
Ammesso che tupossa… prendere le vacanze in agosto… andremoalLago Maggiore. Assuming that youcan…take vacation in August… we will go to Lake Maggiore.
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In some cases, the speaker knows already thatit will be nearly impossible to uncover a fact or the truth behind a situation. Or possibly the speaker has a wish for the future that he knows is unlikely to come about. But he is trying to come to some conclusion anyway, or figure out a way to make something happen. In these cases,“Ammesso che…”will be followed by a verb in theimperfettosubjunctive mood.
After the assumption is posed, a third phrase will complete the sentence to describe what the speaker thinks will be the end result. Naturally, since we are working with theimperfetto,this final phrase will be in the conditional tense, either present or past, depending on the situation.
In English, the verb in the phrase to follow “Assuming that…” will also be in the subjunctive mood to reflect the improbability of the situation and the third, final phrase will be in the present or past conditional tense, just like in Italian.
Common phrases that start with“Ammesso che…” could invoke a reflection about an individual’s character, or what that individual says or does. There may be a hint of irony in these phrases with the use of theimperfetto,as the speaker makes an assumption he already knows will be unlikely to happen. Let’s try our examples above, this time creating nearly impossible characteristics or situations.
Ammesso che luifosse… ricco/famoso/un presidente … luipotrebbe essereun bravo fidanzato.Assuming that hewere… rich/famous/a president… he would be a wonderful fiance.
Ammesso che leidicesse… di aver vinto la lotteria… avremmo cominciato/ avremmo potutocominciareil lavoro lunedì prossimo.Assuming that shehadsaid… she has won the lottery… we could start/ could have started work next Monday.
Ammesso che tupotessi… smettere di lavorare ogni Domenica… potemmo andareal Lago Maggiore. Assuming that youcould…stop working every Sunday… we could go to Lake Maggiore.
Speak Italian: Italian Hypothetical Phrases of LoveYou Will Need to Know…
How to Make Italian Hypothetical Phrases “Chiedersi”
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Finally, no discussion on Italian hypothetical phrases would be complete without mention of the verbchiedersi,which is the verb Italians use to describe the idea of “wondering if…” something might happen.
“Mi chiedo…”literally means,“I ask myself,”which translates into“I wonder.” At first glance, it may seem like this verb should fall into the category of improbable hypothetical phrases – especially when this verb is followed byse, such as in the phrase “I wonder if…” But,cheidersi takes the present and past tense(passato)subjunctive forms, just as the other verbs in Rule 4 that we learned about inour very first blog on the subjunctive mode.
So, you already know how to use this verb if you have read the first blog in this series!
Here are some examples for when one is wondering in the present tense about something that happened in either the present or the past. Notice the use of either the present subjunctive mood or thepassatosubjunctive mood.
Mi chiedose lui siaun attore bravo in quel film. I wonderif he isa great actor in that film.
Mi chiedose lui sia statoun attore bravo in quel film. I wonderif he wasa great actor in that film.
The most commonly used improbable hypothetical phrases begin with the words,“If I were…”or“If I had…”
So in Italian, the two most important phrases using theimperfettosubjunctive to remember are,“Se io fossi…”and“Se io avessi…”using theimperfettosubjunctive conjugations foressereandavere.
Below are theimperfettosubjunctive conjugations for the auxiliary verbs in Italian. You will notice thataverehas a regular conjugation, whereas essereandstarehave irregular conjugations. The stressed syllables are underlined.
In hypothetical clauses, because theimperfettosubjunctive mood is introduced byse,(se)is included in the subject pronoun column as a reminder. When conjugating these verbs, say“se”before the subject pronoun and each verb form to reinforce this way of thinking!
Avere—to have—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
(se)io
avessi
I had
(se)tu
avessi
you (familiar) had
(se)Lei
(se) lei/lui
avesse
you (polite) had
she/he had
(se)noi
avessimo
we had
(se)voi
aveste
you all had
(se)loro
avessero
they had
Essere—to be—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
(se)io
fossi
I were
(se)tu
fossi
you (familiar) were
(se)Lei
(se)lei/lui
fosse
you (polite) were
she/he were
(se)noi
fossimo
we were
(se)voi
foste
you all were
(se)loro
fossero
they were
Stare—to stay/be—Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
(se)io
stessi
I stayed/were
(se)tu
stessi
you (familiar) stayed/were
(se)Lei
(se)lei/lui
stesse
you (polite) stayed/were
she/he stayed/were
(se)noi
stessimo
we stayed/were
(se)voi
steste
you all stayed/were
(se)loro
stessero
they stayed/were
The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Regular “-are, -ere, -ire” Conjugations
Improbable hypothetical phrases always take theimperfettosubjunctive mood in Italian, and as we have seen in the last sections.
But, theimperfettosubjunctive mood has other uses. Specifically, it is necessary with all of our many clauses that trigger the Italian subjunctive mood when we are speaking in the past tense. We will go over these rules in detail in later blogs.
For now, we will simply discuss the complete conjugation of theimperfettosubjunctive mood, which is actually quite easy. So, keep the knowledge of how to conjugate theimperfettosubjunctive mood handy for when we discuss its many uses!
Luckily, there are only a few irregular stem forms to learn for theimperfettosubjunctive mood, making it an easier tense to learn than the present, future, and conditional tenses.
Finally, theimperfettosubjunctive mood endings are always regular and will be the same for all three conjugations!
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To conjugate theimperfettosubjunctive mood…
As usual, we must first make our stem from the infinitive–are, -ere,and–ireverbs. The method used to form the stems for theimperfettosubjunctive mood is easy – just drop the–refrom the infinitive verb!
This will create stems that end in the letters–afor the–areverbs,-efor the–ereverbs, and–ifor the–ireverbs. Then, add the following endings below to the stems for all three conjugations:
Subjunctive Mood – Imperfetto Endings
io
ssi
tu
ssi
Lei/lei/lui
sse
noi
ssimo
voi
ste
loro
ssero
The following table will put together our stems with ourimperfettosubjunctive mood endings. A few notes about this:
When pronouncing theimperfettosubjunctive mood verbs, the stress will always be on the syllable that begins with the last two letters of the stem and will incorporate one –s letter from the ending. (Remember the rule for Italian double consonants: one consonant will go with the syllable before and the second with the syllable after, in effect also stressing the double consonant itself.) The stressed syllables are underlined in our example table below.
Notice that English uses the simple past tense to express the same idea in improbable hypothetical phrases. Or, alternatively,“were + infinitive form or gerund.” Examples in English: “If I were to live…” or “If I were living…” Also, “had + past participle,” such as, “If I had seen…”
Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood – Example Verb Conjugations
Abitare
(to live)
(lived/were living)
Vedere
(to see)
(saw/had seen)
Finire
(to finish)
(finished/were finishing)
io
abitassi
vedessi
finissi
tu
abitassi
vedessi
finissi
Lei/lei/lui
abitasse
vedesse
finisse
noi
abitassimo
vedessimo
finissimo
voi
abitaste
vedeste
finiste
loro
abitassero
vedessero
finissero
The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Commonly Used Regular Verbs
Luckily, most verbs are regular in theimperfettosubjunctive mood. So, there are many, many more regular than irregular verbs! Below are some commonly used regular verbs. Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.
Notice that English uses the simple past tense to express the same idea in improbable hypothetical phrases. Or, alternatively, were + infinitive form or gerund. ” English examples: “If I were to go…” or “If I were going…” Also, “had + past participle,” such as, “If I had seen…”
ImperfettoSubjunctive Mood Conjugations – Commonly Used Regular Verbs
Andare
(to go)
(went/were going)
Sapere (to know)(knew/had known)
Venire
(to come)
(came/had come)
Vivere
(to live)
(lived/were living)
io
andassi
sapessi
venissi
vivessi
tu
andassi
sapessi
venissi
vivessi
Lei/lei/lui
andasse
sapesse
venisse
vivesse
noi
andassimo
sapessimo
venissimo
vivessimo
voi
andaste
sapeste
veniste
viveste
loro
andassero
sapessero
venissero
vivessero
The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
Commonly Used Irregular Verbs
There are a few important irregular verbs to know in theimperfettosubjunctive mood. You will find them in the tables below. Practice saying them out loud and listen to how each conjugated verb sounds.
Notice that English uses the simple past tense to express the same idea in improbable hypothetical phrases. Or, alternatively, “were + infinitive form or gerund, ” such as, “If I were to make…” or “If I were making…” Also, “had + past participle,” such as, “If I had seen…”
Fare –to do/make–ImperfettoSubjunctive Mood
io
facessi
I did/ made
tu
facessi
you (familiar) did/made
Lei
lei/lui
facesse
you (polite) did/made
she/he did/made
noi
facessimo
we did/made
voi
faceste
you all did/made
loro
facessero
they did/made
Dare –to give – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
io
dessi
I gave
tu
dessi
you (familiar) gave
Lei
lei/lui
desse
you (polite) gave
she/he gave
noi
dessimo
we gave
voi
deste
you all gave
loro
dessero
they gave
Dire –to say/tell – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
io
dicessi
I said/told
tu
dicessi
you (familiar) said/told
Lei
lei/lui
dicesse
you (polite) said/told
she/he said/told
noi
dicessimo
we said/told
voi
diceste
you all said/told
loro
dicessero
they said/told
Grammar Note: The Italian Conditional Tense
The conditional tense is used to make a polite request, as we learned way back in Chapter 4 of ourConversational Italian for Travelerstextbook, when we discussed how to use the wordvorrei, which means “I would like”or “I wish.” In the “Important Phrases” section of Chapter 16, we also learned how to use the wordvorremmo, which means,“we would like,” which comes in handy at a restaurant when ordering for the table.
Notice that the meaning of a conditional verb is rendered in English with the combination of “would + infinitive verb.” The conditional tense, in summary, expresses a want or wish, an intention, a duty, or a preference.
The method used to form the stems for the Italian conditional tense is exactly the same as the method to form the Italian future tense. Also, the irregular stems for the conditional tense are identical to those for the future tense. The Italian conditional endings are always regular and will be the same for all three conjugations!
Please see Chapters 17 and 18 of the Conversational Italian for Travelerstextbook for a review of how to conjugate the conditional tense in Italian.
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Grammar Note: Present versus Conditional Tense
The Meaning of the Modal Verbs “Dovere, Potere, Volere”
Throughout ourConversational Italian for Travelerstextbook, we have emphasized the polite forms ofvolere(vorrei, vorremmo)in the conditional tense and recommended using this form to make requests for oneself or for a group. The English translation for the conditional verbs in general is that of “would + infinitive verb,” which describesa requestora wish, rather than a demand or an order.
Here are two examples below of the same request that might be made in a restaurant to a waiter, first in the present tense, and then in the conditional tense. The first, in the present tense, sounds more demanding and insistent. The second, in the conditional tense, sounds less forceful, as it describes a preference or wish rather than a definite need.
Voglioun tavolo vicino alla finestra. I wanta table by the window.
Vorreiun tavolo vicino alla finestra. I would like/wish to havea table by the window.
Let’s take a look at the other modal, or helping, verbs and see what connotation the conditional tense lends to them. Fordovere, the idea relayed in the present tense is a forcefulmust. Withdevo (I must), we are led to understand that the action that follows has to be completed, no matter what else may come to pass. The conditionaldovreitranslates into “I should”or “I ought to,”which givesa feeling of necessity but also implies a bit of indecisiveness and an uncertainty as to whether the speaker believes the action described will be completed. Here are two examples using each tense:
Devo visitaremia nonna domenica. I mustvisit my grandmother Sunday.
Dovrei visitaremia nonna domenica. I shouldvisit my grandmother Sunday.
For the verbpotere, the present tense“posso”translates as“I can”and can be used to ask“May I?”“Può,”the present tense “polite you” form, is also used to make a polite request and in these situations means, “Could you?” The conditional form we have just learned also translates as “could” and may be heard while traveling in Italy. Here are some commonly used phrases:
Mi puòauitare? Could you(polite)help me?
Potrebbeaiutarmi?Could you(polite)help me?
Ti possoaiutare? May Ihelp you(familiar)?
Potreiaiutarla? May I help you (polite)?
The Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood Modal Verbs – “Dovere, Potere, Volere”
Theimperfettosubjunctive forms of the modal, or helping verbs, are used frequently in conversation. All have regular stems, and of course, regular endings – as allimperfettosubjunctive mood verbs have regular endings! Here is a summary of theimperfettosubjunctive mood conjugations for all three modal verbs together, for easy reference.
Notice that the English translation for these verbs is in the conditional tense.
Dovere – to have to – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
io
dovessi
Ishould
tu
dovessi
you (familiar) should
Lei/lei/lui
dovesse
you (polite) she/he should
noi
dovessimo
we should
voi
doveste
you all should
loro
dovessero
they should
Potere –to can – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
io
potessi
Icould
tu
potessi
you (familiar) could
Lei/lei/lui
potesse
you (polite) she/he could
noi
potessimo
we could
voi
poteste
you all could
loro
potessero
they could
Volere –to want – Imperfetto Subjunctive Mood
io
volessi
Iwould like
tu
volessi
you (familiar) would like
Lei/lei/lui
volesse
you (polite) she/he would like
noi
volessimo
we would like
voi
voleste
you all would like
loro
volessero
they would like
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, author of the Conversational Italian for Travelersseries of books, is a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area. “Everything you need to know to enjoy your visit to Italy!”Join myConversational Italian!Facebookgroup and follow me onTwitter at StellaLucente@travelitalian1 and start tolearn Italiantoday forFREE! Conversational Italian! Facebook Group Tweet Stella Lucente Italian
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Italian Subjunctive (Part 4) : Italian Hypothetical Phrases of Love
Speak Italian like a nativewhen you use the Italian verb “Prendere”!
