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!

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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...

Are you ready to learn the difference between 'smettere' and 'fermare'?  These verbs can be very confusing at first, but I'm here to help you out!

You can download this lesson in PDF format for free here!

Sometimes in your language learning journey you will come across some verbs that might sound similar but have different meanings. These verbs can obviously create a new challenge… In Italian you do have some of these too. 

With my videos I want to be able to help you better understand them and use them correctly. Maybe you have already watched my previous video on Conoscere and Sapere… you can check it out by clicking on this link: Conoscere vs. Sapere

Similar to those two verbs you also have the verbs SMETTERE and FERMARE. 

Why are these two verbs confusing? Well because when you are trying to translate them in English they both have the same translation and they mean to stop.

Let’s try to understand the real difference between these two...

10 Italian verbs all beginners must know!

So you have started studying Italian and you need to press on the gas to speed things up a bit? Well maybe you can start by focusing on these beginner level verbs. Start from these and build easy sentences that can lead to your very fist Italian conversation! Some are regular, some irregular… so this video is a wonderful starting point and practice. 

 Download here the PDF of this lesson for free!

1. CHIAMARSI

Why do I suggest you learn this? Well because most likely you will need it to introduce yourself. This can be your firs reflexive verb. Keep it as a starting point when you will learn reflexive verbs. 

This verb translates to the english verb to be called/ named.

Let’s conjugated it and let’s use it in a sentence. You can write your own sentence in the comment or answer the question that I will ask you by using the verb correctly.

"io mi chiamo Giulia, tu come ti chiami?"

2. ABITARE and 3. VIVERE

...

Welcome to THE ULTIMATE GUIDE to finally understanding and using the Italian subjunctive correctly! In this video I will show you how and when to use it, I will give you a list of verbs that trigger the use of the subjunctive and I will show you the conjugation in the present tense.

Download the entire lesson in PDF format here!

I will go slow and I want to make sure that you understand it perfectly! It’s a long video but it’s worth it! trust me! Like and share it if you find it useful! 

To understand when you need to use it you first need to understand the difference between a subordinate or dependent clause and main clause. 

A clause is a group of words that creates a sentence. It needs a verb and a subject.

You can have different types of clauses and the ones that you need for the Italian subjunctive are the main clause and the subordinate or very often called the dependent clause.

A main clause is a clause that makes sense on its own and can also...

A super useful and common verb in Italian is MANCARE. A verb with many different meanings.  

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The most common one is the translation of MANCARE with the English verb TO MISS.

How would you say I miss you in Italian?

• manco tu?
• manchi me?
• manca me?

The answer is MI MANCHI and YES you do have to use a horrible indirect pronoun before the verb! I will first explain this meaning and then add different meanings later on. The verb mancare is similar to the verb piacere. Both of these verbs have an irregular conjugation and they are called impersonal verbs. This means that you will need to remember to use indirect object pronouns in the third person singular and plural. 

Check out this chart:

This is the formula that you need to remember:

• Mi manca + singular noun / verb (in the infinitive form)
• Mi mancano + plural noun

So how can you translate the following sentence: Examples:

• Mi manca la mamma → I miss mom
...

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...

Download the free PDF of the lesson here!

The present continuous called il presente progressivo describes an action that happens at the time of speaking, meaning RIGHT NOW… when you are speaking!

For example… let’s compare the present and the present continuous.

• Present tense: Solitamente vado a scuola alle 8.30 - I usually go to school at 8.30
• Present continuous: Sto andando a scuola – I am going to school…. meaning right now I’m going to school. at the present moment

• Present tense : Il film comincia alle 20.30 
• Presente continuous: Vieni! Il film sta cominciando! Come! the movie is starting right now! 

How do you form it?

You will need to use the present tense of the verb STARE + the GERUND

To form the gerund you will need to use the stems of the infinite verbs and different endings: 

You will use the ending ANDO for the verbs that end in ARE and you will use the ending ENDO for the verbs that end in ERE and...

The Italian language prefers to use the present simple tense to talk about the near future or a certain future. 

For example,

• I’m leaving tomorrow – Domani parto (near future or certain action) and I will not say Domani partirò … take note that using the future in a sentence like this is ok but an Italian speaker it sounds a bit funny.

The Italian Future tense is mainly used to talk about a future that is not near or uncertain.

For example:

• un giorno, andrò in Africa – one day, I will go to Africa*
• tra 100, mangeremo solo pillole – in 100 years, we will only eat pills

 All the examples talk about a distant or uncertain future.

Future Simple or Present Simple in Italian?

How can you remember when to use the Future Simple or the present simple?

You will need to ask yourself one question: is this something which is going to happen, almost certainly or in the near future? 

• YES: present tense 
• NO: future simple
...

Download here the FREE PDF lesson of this video!

The imperative is used quite normally in everyday language. It is way less rude than the imperative in English. So not fear using it in Italian. Your tone of voice and intonation make it rude or not. In the video lesson I will give you an example of the intonation and how you can use it to change your "speech" expression.

When will you use the imperative form?

The imperative form will need to be used:

• For suggestions
• to give a command or order 
• for exhortations
• to give advise
• to invite or ask someone to do something

It is quite simple to learn and it has just a couple of irregularities. 

When you are studying it you will need to use the present tense and the second person singular (for both informal TU and formal LEI) first person plural (we = noi), and the second person plural (you all = voi).

Here are some examples:

• Mangialo! – Eat it! 
• Non fumare! – Don’t smoke!
• Non andarci!...

Fare is a very useful and common Italian verb used in many ways. It is irregular so you will have learn how to correctly conjugate it in the different verb tenses, but for review sake here is the present tense:

•    io faccio
• tu fai
• lui /lei fa
• noi facciamo
• voi fate
• loro fanno

This verb can usually be translated to make and do but not always! 

Download here the full list in PDF!

Here are some common expressions with the verb FARE:

• Che tempo fa? Fare is used to ask information about the weather. You can ask "CHE TEMPO FA?" and answer "Fa caldo / fa freddo."
• Fare i compiti: to do the homework
• Fare le pulizie: to do the chores (cleaning around the house)
• Fare un biglietto: to buy a ticket
• Fare una passeggiata: to go for a walk
• Fare un giro: to go around
• Fare una fotografia: to take a picture
• Fare colazione: to eat breakfast
• Fare la spesa: to buy groceries
• Fare gli acquisti: to go shopping
• Fare la valigia: to pack a suitcase
• Fare pace: to make peace
• Fare il...