Potere, sapere or Riuscire a

Today we are actually going to compare 3 verbs that we use when we talk about the ability of doing something. These verbs are potere, sapere, riuscire. As always you can download the entire lesson in PDF format by clicking on this link!

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Let’s first look at the verb Potere –  this verbs will translate to the English verb “can” it’s a modal verb and it’s used when the ability of doing or not doing something doesn’t depend from us. So 

For example if I say:

• Non posso guidare la macchina perché ho dimenticato le chiavi in ufficio! 
• You are saying “I can’t drive the car… not because I’m physically not able to but simply because I left the keys in the office”. So your ability of doing something depends on another situation that you are not controlling.
• Non posso venire alla festa perché sono ammalata. Same here… I can’t come to the party because I’m sick. You didn’t ch...

As you know in Italian there are some verbs that confuse English speakers. This is the case of the verbs Prendere and Portare. These two are very often translated to the English verb To take, so it’s understandable that lots of students confuse the two! A common mistake that I often hear is to use the verb prendere when you should be using portare. With this lesson I want to help you understand the difference between the two verbs. I will teach you the rules and give you some easy sentences to remember the difference. 

Download the entire lesson in PDF format by clicking on this link!

Let’s take the verb PORTARE.

Portare needs to me translated to the English verb “ to bring”. You will need to focus on a verb of movement that is the action of taking something or someone to a place.

So remember PORTARE - to bring.

Let’s look at some examples:

• Ti porto a scuola - I will take you to school
• Ti porto un caffè? - Can I get you a coffee?
• Porto la mamma a casa - I’m taking mom home...

In this lesson we will talk about some pronouns that confuse students A LOT. 

I’m talking about those crazy pronouns that look like GLIELO… VE LI… ME LO… if you have no idea what these are or are simply confused this lesson will help you out!

Download here the lesson in PDF format! 

First thing remember that we use pronouns to substitute other word or parts of the sentence so basically we use them so that we don’t repeat ourselves. 

How do we create these double pronouns? 

You need to use the direct and indirect pronouns. 

Let’s quickly review them (I have videos with these where I explain them in detail… I will link them below the YouTube video)

The are the indirect pronouns: 

• mi
• ti 
• gli / le
• ci
• vi
• loro / gli

 The are the direct pronouns

• mi
• ti
• lo /la
• ci
• vi
• li /le

To make our double pronouns we will need to select some of these pronouns.

We will use these indirect pronouns

• mi
• ti
• gli
• ci
• vi

and these from the direct pronouns

• lo / la
• li / le
...

Let’s learn to use correctly the verbs andare and venire and let’s pair them up with some useful prepositions so that you will learn them and never make a mistake again using them!

Want to download the entire lesson in PDF? click here!

These two verbs are extremely common and important in Italian. Unfortunately they cause some confusion. This video will clear all doubts and will have you using them correctly by its end… I have added a little exercise at the end!

Both of these verbs are used to talk about movement towards a direction.

Andare means to go and you will use it to talk about when you are going toward a person or a place. 

• ANDARE DA when you are talking about people and preposition
• ANDARE A when you are talking about places.

For example:

• Giovedì vado da Maria per mangiare una pizza insieme - On Thursday I will go to Maria's house to eat a pizze together
• Sabato vado a Milano - I will go to Milan on Saturday
• Penso di avere la febbre, vado dal dottore per una vis...

If you are on this page it's probably because you want to learn Italian and level up your listening skills!

This video is the perfect easy way to to do! Relax listen to the video and when you want download the transcript and do the exercises! It's a fun and easy way to learn Italian.

Download here the FREE PDF with the transcription and the exercises!

This video is for intermediate students (B1 / B2).

Let me know what you think of this exercise! I hope it helps you and that you learn something new and interesting about Italy!

Are you interested in visiting Italy and you would like to rent an apartment for a longer stay? Well why not right? If you don’t want the hotel experience than renting a summer house is a perfect way to mingle with the locals and immerse yourself in a real Italian holiday experience. 

In this video I will teach you useful vocabulary words and sentences that you can use when you are renting an apartment or simply if you are expanding your Italian vocabulary on houses in general!

Download all this information for free here!

Renting an apartment in Italy might not always be the easiest thing to do especially if you are visiting super popular tourist destinations or if you are coming in the Italian holiday season… for example august…where ALL Italians are on holiday. So definitely book in advance!

Where to look? Well usually I go on booking or if you live in Italy already you can go directly to a real estate agency or in the most touristic places if you wonder around the town you wi...

In Italian you will be using the term “da quanto” (how long) quite often. This video and article will show you  how you practice and use this word in day-to-day speaking. 

You will also find a link to a page where you can download a helpful PDF, so you can practice on your own.

You may be trying to ask a friend how long it will take them to get to your house, or maybe you're trying to ask a waiter how long it will take for your food to arrive.

Whatever the situation, learn to say HOW LONG with this video!

Download the FREE PDF of this lesson here!

In this lesson we will learn to say HOW LONG somebody has been doing something and we will use the words DA QUANTO.

So the formula that you need to study is for this lesson is:

da quando / da quanto tempo + present tense + rest of the sentence

Asking

So if you are living in Italian and somebody asks you “how long have you lived in Italy?” what will they say? well let’s use the formula:

Da quanto vivi in Italia? Da quanto tempo ...

This is a very important but also tricky verb. It’s used very often, so you can say that it’s one of those common verbs that you should master and know even if you are a beginner. 

The verb seems nice and easy but it can be misleading because even if in English you simply translate it to the verb TO KNOW in Italian you can confuse it with the verb CONOSCERE which also means TO KNOW and unfortunately the two verbs are not interchangeable because they express different things.

Download here the lesson in PDF! (secret: if you subscribe to my newsletter you receive the free material directly in your inbox once it's available!)

Do not worry! In this video I will explain the difference and also add many sentences and examples that will help you pin down the difference and correctly use these two verbs in common language. 

Let’s start with SAPERE can better translates to “ to be aware of something”. 

In this case you know of an event, of a fact or of an information. 

It will often be pa...

If you have landed here it’s because you are looking for very common sentences that we use in everyday language, and trust me this is the perfect article and video for you!

I suggest reviewing them for fun but also to use them to upgrade your level of Italian. This is more of a B2 level vocabulary! 

I love idioms! 

I think they take language level way high and it's something that I have always loved learning! In italian - we call them “modi di dire” or “frasi idiomatiche"

For this reason in this video you will find 8 idiomatic sentences that use FOOD themes in them!!!

You know that we Italians have a soft spot for food so we like to use food words also in our idioms. 

Learn 8 fun new idiomatic sentences in Italian! 

If you want to practice saying them with me then check out my video above… the translation is available directly on the video! 

1. "Cadere dalla padella alla brace".

The literal translation is to fall from the pan to the embers… So with this expression you...