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Homework series · Italian speakers

Typical Italian Speaker Problems

This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Italian. Italian and English share many Latin words, which makes reading easy, but the rhythm, the vowels, the endings of words and a handful of grammar habits are different, and they keep appearing in Speaking and Writing. Read the problems once, then do one lesson a day and go round the series again: every lesson practises the same problems with new sentences.

1 · Read the problems2 · One lesson a day3 · Review your mistakes4 · Go round again

25 problems, with the ones that matter most first. Play the moving examples, then go to Lessons.

1 · Pronunciation

Sentence rhythm: stress-timing, not syllable-timing

Italian gives almost every syllable a similar length and clarity, like steady footsteps. English is different: it hits a few important syllables hard and hurries everything between them, so an even Italian rhythm makes your key words hard to find (and English sounds to you like people "eat their words").

In English the content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) carry the beats: they are longer, louder and a little higher. The small grammar words (a, the, of, to, was, can) are quick and quiet. The beats come at roughly regular times, so the more small words there are between two beats, the faster you say them. Count the beats, not the syllables: My brother is working in a bank has three beats, whatever its length.
  • we-are-vi-si-ting-our-un-cle-in-Man-ches-ter (every syllable equal)we're VIS-it-ing our UN-cle in MAN-ches-ter (three beats)
  • the-train-is-ar-ri-ving-at-the-sta-tion (all loud)the TRAIN is arRIV-ing at the STA-tion
  • I-have-for-got-ten-my-ho-me-work (even)I've forGOT-ten my HOME-work
  • they-want-to-open-a-new-of-fi-ce (flat)they WANT to O-pen a new OF-fice

How to make it

  1. Tap the table once for each important word as you speak: the taps are your beats.
  2. On each tap make the strong syllable longer, louder and a little higher.
  3. Squeeze the small words between the taps: say them fast and quietly, but do not leave them out.
  4. Keep the taps steady. If there are more small words between two taps, speed up; do not slow the tap.

Say it after me

Birds fly south.
The birds are flying south.
The birds have been flying to the south.
My sister works in a shop near the station.
We need to talk about the problem with the buses.
He's taking a course in computer science at the university.

university, computer, information, restaurant

2 · Pronunciation

Weak forms: to, can, of, and, have, was

You expect every word to arrive in full, so you say to like "too" and can like the word on a dictionary page. Native speakers shrink small words to almost nothing, and this is also why fast English can seem to have missing words when you listen.

Many small words have two forms. In normal speech they take the weak form with /ə/: to /tə/, can /kən/, of /əv/, and /ən/, for /fə/, was /wəz/, from /frəm/, have /əv/ or /v/. The strong form is used only when the word is stressed or ends the sentence (Yes, I can.). Can't is always full: /kɑːnt/. Listen for the long vowel: that is how you tell can from can't.
  • I want TOO go home. (full "too")I want /tə/ go home. (weak)
  • a cup OFF tea (full vowel)a cup /əv/ tea
  • bread AND butter (full "and")bread /ən/ butter
  • I CAN drive. (a loud, full can in an ordinary sentence)I /kən/ drive. (but "I can't drive" has /kɑːnt/)

How to make it

  1. Do not stress the small word: say it with a short, relaxed "uh" vowel.
  2. Say the small word in the same breath as the strong word next to it: want-tə-GO, not want / too / go.
  3. Use the full form only if the small word is the last word of the sentence: Yes, I can.
  4. For can't, make the vowel long and finish with a clear /t/.

Say it after me

to · for · of · and · can · was
a cup of tea · bread and butter · coming to dinner
I can swim · I can't swim · Yes, I can.
She was waiting for a bus.
I'd like to talk to you for a moment.
We could have gone by train, but we chose to drive.

can, can't, to, of, and, for

3 · Pronunciation

The weak vowel /ə/: photographer, important, sofa

An Italian vowel keeps the same clear sound whether the syllable is strong or weak, and each written vowel is read out. In English the unstressed vowels shrink to one neutral sound, so you say every letter of important and the word loses its shape.

The most common vowel in English is /ə/: a short, relaxed "uh". It lives in unstressed syllables, and any letter can spell it: about, important, sofa, photographer. Endings in -er, -or and -ar are /ə/ with no r in British English. Say the one strong syllable clearly and let the others shrink. If every syllable is full, listeners cannot tell which one is strong.
  • pho-to-GRA-pher, with four clear vowelsfə-TOG-rə-fə: three weak syllables
  • im-por-TANT, with a clear oim-POR-tənt: the second vowel is strong, the last is weak
  • SO-fa, with a clear a at the endSO-fə: the ending is a short /ə/
  • a-BOUT, with a full aə-BOUT: the first vowel is weak

How to make it

  1. Relax your mouth: lips loose, tongue flat and in the middle, jaw barely open.
  2. Say a very short "uh", and no more: it should be the quietest, shortest vowel in the word.
  3. Say the strong syllable clearly, then make every other vowel shorter and quieter.
  4. Do not say the name of the letter: the a in about is not "ah".

Say it after me

about · around · suppose · tonight
teacher · visitor · doctor · lawyer
sofa · America · important · photographer
I'll see you tonight around eight.
My teacher gave us advice about the exam.
It's important to be available at the weekend.

photographer, important, sofa, available, about, tonight

4 · Pronunciation

Word stress: eCONomy, not eco-NO-my

Most Italian words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable, so your ear and mouth expect that pattern. English stress is not fixed: it can fall almost anywhere, and it moves when a word changes its job or its ending.

Learn the stress with every new word, and use these patterns. (1) Words ending in -ion, -ian, -ic, -ical, -ity, -ious are stressed on the syllable just before the ending: ecoNOMic, uniVERsity, inforMAtion. (2) Many two-syllable words that are both noun and verb are stressed first as nouns and second as verbs: a REcord, to reCORD. (3) Compound nouns put the stress on the first part: a TRAFfic jam. A wrong syllable is a bigger problem than a wrong vowel, because the listener loses the word.
  • ecoNOmy (stress on the second-to-last)eCONomy (stress on the second syllable)
  • poLIticsPOLitics
  • inTERestingINteresting
  • ad-ver-TISE-mentadVERtisement

How to make it

  1. Say the word in a whisper first and find the one syllable that is longer and louder.
  2. On the strong syllable open your mouth wider, make the vowel longer and let your voice rise a little.
  3. Make the other syllables short, weak and low.
  4. Tap once on the strong syllable: if you tap twice, you are stressing too much.

Say it after me

doctor · visitor · politics · journalist
economy · photography · develop · environment
university · information · electric · invention
an increase · to increase · a present · to present
The economy of my country is growing.
My favourite subject at university is politics.

economy, politics, interesting, photography, university, advertisement

5 · Pronunciation

Stop on the last consonant: bus, not bus-a

Native Italian words almost always end in a vowel; the few that end in a consonant are tiny words like in and per, or foreign (bar, sport). A word that ends in a consonant feels unfinished, so your mouth adds a small vowel, usually "uh" or "eh", and a one-syllable word becomes two.

Finish the word on the consonant and stop: bag, not bag-uh. It matters most at the end of a phrase or sentence, where a spare vowel is easy to hear. Inside a phrase it is easier, because the last consonant can slide onto the next word (bag_is). Keep the voice on to the end of bed, bag, leave; do not let them turn into bet, back, leaf. For /t/, /d/ and /n/ the tongue touches the ridge behind your top teeth, not the teeth themselves.
  • My club-a is near the station.My club is near the station.
  • We waited for the bus-e.We waited for the bus.
  • It was a long night-a.It was a long night.
  • He is a good friend-o.He is a good friend.

How to make it

  1. Say the word slowly and notice where your tongue or lips end. Stay there.
  2. Stop your voice at the last consonant: there should be silence after it, not a second sound.
  3. For /t/, /d/ and /n/ put the tip of your tongue on the bumpy ridge just behind your top teeth.
  4. Count the syllables: bus, club, night, friend are all one beat.

Say it after me

bag · club · bus · cat
hot · red · cup · job
see, seat · bye, bike · go, goat · day, date
A big bus stops at the park.
Pack the red bag and take it to the club.
I had a hot drink at the end of the night.

bag, club, bus, cat, seat, bike, goat

6 · Pronunciation

One Italian a, four English vowels: cat, cut, cart, bed

Italian has a single open a. English has three sounds that you may hear as that a, and a fourth that you may hear as e: /æ/ in cat, /ʌ/ in cut, /ɑː/ in cart, and /e/ in bed. So bad and bed, or cat and cut, come out the same.

/æ/: mouth wide, jaw down, tongue forward (cat, bad, man). /ʌ/: short, mouth only half open, tongue relaxed and in the middle (cut, bus, love). /ɑː/: long, mouth open, tongue low and back (cart, bar, calm). /e/: mouth half open, tongue forward and spread (bed, men, said). Your Italian a is one open vowel that sits between /æ/ and /ɑː/, so do not use it for all three: make /æ/ wider and /ɑː/ longer and further back.
  • I have a bed back. (you meant bad)I have a bad back. (wide /æ/)
  • I would like a cap of coffee. (you meant cup)I would like a cup of coffee. (short, relaxed /ʌ/)
  • My ant lives in Rome. (you meant aunt)My aunt lives in Rome. (long /ɑː/)
  • I lost my pan yesterday. (you meant pen)I lost my pen yesterday. (/e/)

How to make it

  1. /æ/: drop your jaw wide, keep your tongue low and forward behind the bottom teeth.
  2. /ʌ/: relax your mouth, jaw half open, and say a short "uh" with no smile.
  3. /ɑː/: open wide, pull the tongue back and down, and hold it for two counts.
  4. /e/: half open, spread your lips a little like a small smile, tongue forward.

Say it after me

cat · cut · cart · bet
ban · bun · barn · ben · ham · hum · harm
bad · bed · bat · but · bet · pan · pen
lack · luck · lark · back · buck · bark
The man had a bad back after the trip.
My mum is fun, and my dad is calm.

cat, cut, cart, bed, bad, bus

7 · Pronunciation

Long and short: sheep/ship, pool/pull

Italian has only one i and one u, both tense and clear, so you may use them for both English vowels in each pair: /iː/ and /ɪ/ in leave and live, /uː/ and /ʊ/ in pool and pull. The short vowels are the ones you tend to miss.

/iː/ is long, with a smile and the tongue high (sheep, leave, seat). /ɪ/ is short, with the mouth a little more open and relaxed (ship, live, sit). /uː/ is long with tight, rounded lips (pool, food, Luke); /ʊ/ is short, with loose lips (pull, foot, look). Length matters, but so does the shape: keep the short ones relaxed.
  • I want to leave here. (you meant live)I want to live here. (short /ɪ/)
  • He will sheep the parcel. (you meant ship)He will ship the parcel. (short /ɪ/)
  • Please pool the door. (you meant pull)Please pull the door. (short /ʊ/)
  • The foot was delicious. (you meant food)The food was delicious. (long /uː/)

How to make it

  1. /iː/: smile, tongue high and forward, hold for two counts.
  2. /ɪ/: relax the smile, open your mouth a little, keep it short and quiet.
  3. /uː/: round your lips tightly, tongue high and back, hold for two counts.
  4. /ʊ/: loosen your lips, make the sound short, with no tension.

Say it after me

sheep, ship · seat, sit · leave, live · feel, fill
heat, hit · beat, bit · green, grin · cheap, chip
pool, pull · fool, full · Luke, look · food, foot
He will leave the ship in a week.
Please sit in this seat and fill in the form.
I look for good food and a cool pool at the school.

sheep, ship, seat, sit, pool, pull, food, foot

8 · Pronunciation

Four different o's: cot, caught, coat, turn

Italian has a clear, steady o. In English the same spelling hides four different vowels, and learners often say them all as the Italian o: /ɒ/ in cot, /ɔː/ in caught, /əʊ/ in coat, and the unrounded /ɜː/ in turn. An Italian vowel also stays pure, but /əʊ/ is a glide.

/ɒ/: short, mouth open, lips slightly rounded (cot, hot, stop). /ɔː/: long, lips rounded, tongue higher (caught, short, more). /əʊ/: begins with a relaxed "uh" and glides to a soft "oo" (coat, home, go); the second half is lighter than the first. /ɜː/: long, lips not rounded, tongue in the middle (turn, work, bird). Compare work and walk: only the lips change.
  • I forgot my cot. (you meant coat)I forgot my coat. (gliding /əʊ/)
  • I cot a cold last week. (you meant caught)I caught a cold last week. (long /ɔː/)
  • I will torn left at the corner. (you meant turn)I will turn left at the corner. (/ɜː/, lips relaxed)
  • I walk in an office. (you meant work)I work in an office. (/ɜː/)

How to make it

  1. /ɒ/: open your mouth, round your lips just a little, make it short.
  2. /ɔː/: round your lips more and hold the vowel for two counts.
  3. /əʊ/: start with relaxed lips, then slowly round them while you say the vowel.
  4. /ɜː/: spread or relax your lips (do not round them) and hold the middle vowel for two counts.

Say it after me

cot · caught · coat · turn
not, note · shot, short · sock, soak · cod, code
turn, torn · work, walk · bird, board · firm, form
rob, robe · hop, hope · stock, stalk
My coat is old but good for the cold.
The first shirt was too short, so I bought more.

cot, caught, coat, turn, torn, work, walk

9 · Pronunciation

Sounding the endings: -s, -ed, and s or z?

In Italian the s is hissed or buzzed depending on the sounds around it, so you never have to choose, and few words end in a hissed -s. So you may use /z/ where English has /s/ (smoke can become "zmoke"), or use /s/ where English needs a buzzing /z/ (dogs said with a hiss). Past endings -ed and the third-person -s are often left out as well.

Say /s/ (a hiss) in smoke, price, bus, and /z/ (a buzz) in zoo, prize, buzz. The ending -s follows the last sound: /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats, works), /z/ after voiced sounds and vowels (dogs, plays), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j (buses, watches). The ending -ed is /t/ after voiceless sounds (helped), /d/ after voiced ones (opened), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Say the ending every time: it carries tense and number.
  • The zmoke made me cough.The smoke made me cough. (hiss /s/)
  • Two bus stop here.Two buses stop here. (/ˈbʌsɪz/)
  • Yesterday I walk to school.Yesterday I walked to school. (/wɔːkt/)
  • My brother need a new phone.My brother needs a new phone. (/niːdz/)

How to make it

  1. For /s/ keep your throat quiet: a hiss. For /z/ turn your voice on and feel the buzz with a hand on your throat.
  2. For -s and -ed, copy the sound before: whisper the ending after a whisper, buzz it after a buzz.
  3. After t or d, add a short extra syllable: want-ed, need-ed.
  4. After s, z, sh, ch, j add a short extra syllable too: bus-es, watch-es.

Say it after me

sip, zip · race, raise · price, prize · bus, buzz
cats · dogs · buses · watches · plays · works
helped · opened · wanted · needed · walked · stayed
He smokes and she smiles.
My brother works in a bank and watches football.
We stopped, looked around and waited for the buses.

race, raise, price, prize, worked, opened, wanted, buses

10 · Pronunciation

th: tongue forward, not t or d

Italian has neither /θ/ nor /ð/. Most learners replace them with /t/ and /d/ (tin for thin, dis for this), and some use /f/ or /s/. Working too hard at it can be worse than the original error, so keep the sound light.

Touch the back of your top front teeth lightly with the tip of your tongue (when you practise slowly, the tip can show a little between your teeth) and let the air flow over it. /θ/ is only air, no voice (think, three, month). /ð/ is the same with the voice on (this, mother, the). Do not bite the tongue and do not stop the air: /t/ and /d/ stop the air, but th lets it continue. Because the and this are so frequent, /ð/ is the most important one to fix.
  • I tink it is a good idea.I think it is a good idea. (air flows over the tongue)
  • Dis is my broder.This is my brother. (voiced /ð/)
  • I have free brothers.I have three brothers. (/θ/, not /f/)
  • I sank you for your help.I thank you for your help. (/θ/, not /s/)

How to make it

  1. Touch the back of your top front teeth lightly with the tip of your tongue. Do not bite it.
  2. For /θ/ push air out gently: no voice, no stop. Feel the air on your tongue tip.
  3. For /ð/ do the same but switch your voice on and feel the buzz.
  4. Pull the tongue back quickly into the next sound; do not leave it on the teeth.

Say it after me

thin · thank · three · think · thick
this · that · then · they · the
thin, tin · thank, tank · three, tree · they, day · though, dough
mother · brother · weather · together
Those three things are the best.
I think that my mother and brother are thirsty.

thin, tin, thank, three, tree, they, day, mother

11 · Pronunciation

Say the sound, not the letter: h, ng, r, silent and double letters

Italian spelling is close to pronunciation, so every letter gets read out. Applying that to English gives "sing-g" for sing, a pronounced r in farm, a heavy double m in summer, a sounded k in know, a dropped /h/ in house, and an h added to apple.

h: Italian has no /h/, so learn a soft breath /h/ in house, hair, behind (no rough scrape), but nothing in hour, honest, and never add one to eat, old, apple. ng: in sing, singer, long it is one nasal /ŋ/, with no g after it (finger and longer do have one). r: in British English you say r only before a vowel (red, around), and it is short and smooth, not rolled; after a vowel and before a consonant or at the end it is silent (farm, car, teacher). Double letters are one short sound: summer has one m. Silent letters: knee, know, write, listen, psychology, climb. And w is a lip glide, never /v/.
  • sing-g (the g is pronounced)sing /sɪŋ/: one nasal sound at the back
  • farm with a rolled rfarm /fɑːm/: no r at all
  • sum-mer with a long double msummer /ˈsʌmə/: one m, one short sound
  • k-nee, p-sychologyknee /niː/, psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/: the first letter is silent

How to make it

  1. For /ŋ/ lift the back of your tongue to the soft palate and let the voice come out of your nose; then release without a /g/.
  2. For /h/ breathe out softly through an open mouth, as if you were fogging a mirror.
  3. For British r before a vowel, pull the tongue back so it bunches; the tip lifts a little and touches nothing: no tap, no roll.
  4. For r before a consonant or at the end, say nothing: farm is /fɑːm/, car is /kɑː/.

Say it after me

sing · singer · long · young · thing
finger · longer · stronger (these three have a g)
house · hair · behind · hour · honest
car · farm · teacher · work · red · around
summer · sitting · accurate · opposite
know · knee · write · listen · climb · psychology

singer, finger, house, hour, farm, summer, knee, psychology

12 · Speaking style

Focus and tune: move the stress, not the words; rise or fall

In Italian you can put the important word at the end of the sentence by reordering the sentence. English keeps the word order and moves the stress instead. And English questions are marked by tune: yes/no questions rise, wh-questions fall; if you use the wrong tune or a flat one, a polite request can sound sharp.

In English the word you want to highlight takes the main stress: it is longer, louder and higher. I stayed in a HOTEL (not a flat); I STAYED in a hotel (I did not just visit). A yes/no question falls and then rises at the end: Do you like it? ↗. A wh-question normally falls: Where do you live? ↘. In a list the voice rises on each item and falls on the last. Start a request a little higher and end gently up or down, and add please or could to sound friendly.
  • I went to Rome in June. (flat voice, no highlighted word)I went to Rome in JUNE. (you are answering: When?)
  • I met my teacher yesterday. (only stress at the end)I MET my teacher yesterday. (you are correcting: not phoned)
  • Do you like it? ↘ (falling)Do you like it? ↗ (rising)
  • Where do you live? ↗ (rising, as in a question you did not hear)Where do you live? ↘ (falling)

How to make it

  1. Choose the one word you want the listener to notice and make it longer, louder and higher.
  2. Keep the other words in order and in their normal rhythm: do not move them.
  3. Run your finger through the air to match the tune: up at the end of a yes/no question, down at the end of a wh-question.
  4. Smile a little when you ask for something; it lifts the pitch and sounds friendlier.

Say it after me

I STAYED in a hotel. · I stayed in a hoTEL.
Do you live here? ↗ · Where do you live? ↘
We visited Rome ↗, Paris ↗ and Berlin ↘.
Could you help me, please? ↗
No, I walked to school, I did not drive.
It was the blue bag, not the red one.

hotel, question, request, important

13 · Grammar

No "the" for general ideas; "a" for jobs

In Italian a general idea takes the definite article (la vita è bella, i cani sono utili), and a job after essere takes no indefinite article. English does the opposite in both cases.

Use no article when you talk about something in general: Life is difficult. Dogs are loyal. Technology changes quickly. Use the only for something specific: the life of my grandparents. A singular job or role needs a/an: I am a student. She works as an assistant. Country names normally have no article (in Spain, through Greece), and neither do meals (after breakfast).
  • The technology has changed our lives.Technology has changed our lives.
  • My sister is engineer.My sister is an engineer.
  • I worked there as assistant.I worked there as an assistant.
  • We travelled through the Spain.We travelled through Spain.

14 · Grammar

I visited Rome last year, not I have visited

The Italian perfect (ho visto) is the normal spoken past for many things, even for events with a finished time. English splits the job: the past simple is for finished times, the present perfect for a link with now. Verbs of arriving and going also use be in Italian (è arrivato), but English always uses have.

Use the past simple when the time is finished and stated or understood: yesterday, last year, in 2019, two days ago, when I was young. Use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) when there is no finished time and the result matters now: I have lost my keys. She has just arrived. The helper is always have, never be: he has gone, not he is gone.
  • I have visited Rome last summer.I visited Rome last summer.
  • We have moved here in 2018.We moved here in 2018.
  • My brother is just arrived.My brother has just arrived.
  • Have you seen the film last night?Did you see the film last night?

15 · Grammar

I have lived here for three years

To say how long something has been true, Italian uses the present (abito qui da tre anni) and the word da covers both for and since. So you say "I live here since three years" or "it is three years that I live here".

To say how long up to now, use the present perfect with for or since. For + a length of time: for three years, for a month. Since + a starting point: since 2020, since Monday, since I was a child. For an action still in progress you can also use the perfect continuous (I have been studying English since March). Never use the present simple for this meaning.
  • I study English since 2020.I have studied English since 2020.
  • I work in this company since five years.I have worked in this company for five years.
  • It is two months that I live here.I have lived here for two months.
  • She is a nurse since March.She has been a nurse since March.

16 · Grammar

Always a subject: It is raining, there is a problem

Italian drops the subject when the verb ending shows it (piove, è difficile, c'è un problema). English verbs have no such ending, so every sentence needs a subject, even it and there, and it also needs the object when the object is known.

Every English clause has a subject. Use it for weather, time and opinions: It is cold. It is late. It is hard to say. Use there is/are to say something exists: There is a problem. Keep the object pronoun when the object is clear: Do you like it? Yes, I like it. And do not repeat the subject: My parents live in Bari, not My parents they live...
  • Is very cold in January.It is very cold in January.
  • Is a park near my house.There is a park near my house.
  • Do you like this song? Yes, I like.Do you like this song? Yes, I like it.
  • My parents they live in Bari.My parents live in Bari.

17 · Grammar

Questions and negatives: do, does, did, and only one "no"

Italian has no equivalent of do: you can ask a question with rising tone alone (Dove lavora?) and make a negative with non. Negative words also stack up (non capisco niente). In English you need the helper do, and one negative per clause.

For a question with a plain verb, put the helper first: (question word) + do/does/did + subject + base verb: Where does he work? What did you study? For a negative use don't/doesn't/didn't + base verb: I don't like crowds. The helper carries the tense and the -s, so the main verb is plain: Does she live? not Does she lives? Use only one negative: I don't understand anything, not nothing.
  • Where he works?Where does he work?
  • I no like crowded places.I don't like crowded places.
  • I don't understand nothing.I don't understand anything.
  • What you want to study?What do you want to study?

18 · Grammar

can, must, should: no to, no do, no -s

Italian modals (posso, devo, voglio) are ordinary verbs: they take endings, questions and the infinitive. English modals are different, so you add to, do or -s where they do not belong, and you stack two modals.

After can, could, must, should, will, would, may, might use the base verb: no to, no -s, no do. Make a question by moving the modal: Can you help me? You cannot put two modals together: use will be able to for the future of can and had to for the past of must. Choose carefully between must (strong) and should (advice).
  • I can to swim.I can swim.
  • Do you can help me?Can you help me?
  • She musts leave early.She must leave early.
  • Next year I will can drive.Next year I will be able to drive.

19 · Grammar

enjoy doing, hope to do, after doing, want me to do

Italian uses an infinitive after prepositions (prima di andare) and after many verbs, so you say "before to go" or "enjoy to cook", and you may drop to where English needs it ("plan visit"). After volere Italian uses a che clause (voglio che tu venga), so you say "want that you come".

After a preposition (before, after, about, of, for, look forward to) use -ing: before leaving, I am looking forward to meeting you. Some verbs are followed by -ing (enjoy, finish, avoid, suggest, consider) and some by to + verb (want, hope, plan, decide, manage, need). With want, ask, tell, expect use person + to + verb: She wants me to help. Use to + verb for purpose: I went to the shop to buy bread.
  • I enjoy to cook for my family.I enjoy cooking for my family.
  • I look forward to meet you.I look forward to meeting you.
  • We plan visit the museum.We plan to visit the museum.
  • She wants that I help her.She wants me to help her.

20 · Grammar

Keep the verb and object together: I like football very much

Italian allows an adverb between a verb and its object (mi piace molto il calcio, abito sempre a Roma) and can move the subject for emphasis. English keeps subject, verb and object together in that order.

Keep the order subject + verb + object, and do not put anything between the verb and its object. Put place, then time at the end: We saw a film at the cinema last night. Put manner and degree after the object: I like this city very much. Put frequency words before the main verb (after be): I always get up early. She is often late.
  • I like very much this city.I like this city very much.
  • She plays every weekend tennis.She plays tennis every weekend.
  • He drinks always strong coffee.He always drinks strong coffee.
  • We saw yesterday a film.We saw a film yesterday.

21 · Grammar

advice, news, weather, bread: no -s, no a

Several words that are uncountable in English have countable forms in Italian (un consiglio, i consigli; le notizie; i mobili). Italian la gente is also singular, so people gets a singular verb.

Uncountable nouns have no plural -s, no a/an, and take a singular verb: advice, news, information, furniture, luggage, weather, bread, traffic, research, progress. Count them with a measure: a piece of advice, two loaves of bread. Use much (not many) with them. People is plural: People are friendly here.
  • The news are bad.The news is bad.
  • She gave me many advices.She gave me a lot of advice.
  • People is friendly in my town.People are friendly in my town.
  • It was a terrible weather.It was terrible weather.

22 · Grammar

He goes, she says: the third-person -s

An Italian verb changes for every person (parlo, parli, parla), so English feels bare: only he, she and it get an ending, and it is short and soft. Few Italian words end in -s, so it is easy to leave out when you speak and write.

In the present simple add -s (or -es after s, sh, ch, x, o) in he, she, it: he works, she watches, it goes. With have it is has. After does/doesn't the verb is plain: Does she work? She doesn't work. Do not add the -s to I, you, we, they.
  • She work in a bank.She works in a bank.
  • My brother play football every week.My brother plays football every week.
  • He don't like rain.He doesn't like rain.
  • Does she works here?Does she work here?

23 · Grammar

discuss it, explain it to me, listen to music

Italian verbs take their own prepositions, and the person often comes as a small pronoun on the verb (spiegami, dimmi). So you add about after discuss, leave out to after listen, and put the person straight after explain or suggest.

Some verbs take their object directly, with no preposition: discuss, mention, enter, reach, answer (discuss the problem). Others need a fixed preposition: listen to, wait for, depend on, look at. With explain, suggest, say put the thing first and the person after to: explain the rule to me, suggest a place to us. Tell takes the person directly: tell me the truth. Say go to a country or city, and in for where you are.
  • We discussed about the problem.We discussed the problem.
  • Please explain me the rule.Please explain the rule to me.
  • I listen music every day.I listen to music every day.
  • He said me the truth.He told me the truth.

24 · Grammar

After if and when: no will, no would

Italian uses the future after quando and se (quando finirà), and the subjunctive after se for unreal situations (se avessi), which learners often copy as "would". In English the future and conditional words go only in the main clause.

After if, when, as soon as, before, until about the future use the present: When the course finishes, I will travel. For an unreal or unlikely present use if + past simple, with would only in the other clause: If I had more time, I would learn Greek. For an unreal past use if + had + past participle, and would have + past participle in the other clause: If she had asked, we would have helped.
  • When the course will finish, I will travel.When the course finishes, I will travel.
  • If I would have more time, I would learn Greek.If I had more time, I would learn Greek.
  • If you will study hard, you will pass.If you study hard, you will pass.
  • If she would have asked, we would have helped.If she had asked, we would have helped.

25 · Grammar

I am cold, I am twenty, I agree: be, not have

Italian says ho freddo, ho fame, ho venti anni ("I have cold, hunger, twenty years") and uses essere for "agree" (sono d'accordo). Italian also uses one verb for both the helper have and the main-verb have.

For feelings and states use be + adjective: I am cold / hungry / afraid / thirsty. For age use be: I am twenty. Agree is an ordinary verb, with no be: I agree. When have is the main verb in the past or in a negative, use the helper do: I didn't have breakfast, not I hadn't breakfast.
  • I have cold in this room.I am cold in this room.
  • My brother has twenty-five years.My brother is twenty-five.
  • I am agree with you.I agree with you.
  • I haven't breakfast in the morning.I don't have breakfast in the morning.