Learn whether to use the imperfetto or the passato prossimo tense
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Consuelo: Hello everyone! I'm Consuelo, and welcome to ItalianPOD101.com. |
| Ruggero: With us, you'll learn to speak Italian with fun and effective lessons. |
| Consuelo: We also provide you with cultural insights... |
| Ruggero: ...and tips you won't find in a textbook. |
| Ruggero: In today's class, we focus on whether to use the imperfetto or the passato prossimo tense. |
| Consuelo: This conversation takes place on the street. |
| Ruggero: It's between Alessio and Melissa. |
| Consuelo: In this conversation, they will be speaking informal Italian. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Melissa: Ciao, sei molto puntuale stasera. |
| Alessio: Sì, è vero. |
| Melissa: Cos'è quello sguardo? Mi stai nascondendo qualcosa? |
| Alessio: Sei tu quella che nasconde le cose. Ieri mentre tornavo da lavoro, qualcuno mi ha detto che rimarrai più a lungo qui con noi in Italia. |
| Melissa: Ah, sì. E' vero, prima non sapevo bene quanto rimanere, ma adesso posso dire semplicemente che non voglio tornare in America. |
| Alessio: Mi hai appena dato una bellissima notizia! Stai facendo la cosa giusta. |
| Melissa: Tu credi? |
| Alessio: Non sono mai stato così sicuro in vita mia. Firenze ha bisogno di te! E anche qualcun altro... |
| English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Melissa: Ciao, sei molto puntuale stasera. |
| Alessio: Sì, è vero. |
| Melissa: Cos'è quello sguardo? Mi stai nascondendo qualcosa? |
| Alessio: Sei tu quella che nasconde le cose. Ieri mentre tornavo da lavoro, qualcuno mi ha detto che rimarrai più a lungo qui con noi in Italia. |
| Melissa: Ah, sì. E' vero, prima non sapevo bene quanto rimanere, ma adesso posso dire semplicemente che non voglio tornare in America. |
| Alessio: Mi hai appena dato una bellissima notizia! Stai facendo la cosa giusta. |
| Melissa: Tu credi? |
| Alessio: Non sono mai stato così sicuro in vita mia. Firenze ha bisogno di te! E anche qualcun altro... |
| English Host: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Melissa: Ciao, sei molto puntuale stasera. |
| Ruggero: Hello, you are very punctual tonight. |
| Alessio: Sì, è vero. |
| Ruggero: Yes, you are right. |
| Melissa: Cos'è quello sguardo? Mi stai nascondendo qualcosa? |
| Ruggero: What's that look? Are you hiding something? |
| Alessio: Sei tu quella che nasconde le cose. Ieri mentre tornavo da lavoro, qualcuno mi ha detto che rimarrai più a lungo qui con noi in Italia. |
| Ruggero: It's you who hides things. Yesterday while I was returning home from work, someone told me that you will stay longer here with us in Italy. |
| Melissa: Ah, sì. E' vero, prima non sapevo bene quanto rimanere, ma adesso posso dire semplicemente che non voglio tornare in America. |
| Ruggero: Ah, yes. It's true. Before I didn't know well how long to stay, but now I can simply say that I don't want to go back to the United States. |
| Alessio: Mi hai appena dato una bellissima notizia! Stai facendo la cosa giusta. |
| Ruggero: You've just given me beautiful news! You are doing the right thing. |
| Melissa: Tu credi? |
| Ruggero: You think so? |
| Alessio: Non sono mai stato così sicuro in vita mia. Firenze ha bisogno di te! E anche qualcun altro... |
| Ruggero: I've never been surer in my life. Florence needs you! And so does someone else. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Ruggero: Now, it is definitely clear that there's something between Melissa and Alessio. |
| Consuelo: Oh, true, because at the end of the conversation, Alessio hints that he cares about her a lot. |
| Ruggero: First he talks in general terms. |
| Consuelo: Right, because he says "Firenze ha bisogno di te." |
| Ruggero: "Florence needs you," and only then does he say... |
| Consuelo: "E anche qualcun altro." |
| Ruggero: "And so does someone else." He's obviously talking about himself. Don't you think, Consuelo? |
| Consuelo: "Credo proprio di sì!" "I really think so." |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Ruggero: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word we shall see is: |
| Consuelo: puntuale [natural native speed] |
| Ruggero: on time, punctual |
| Consuelo: puntuale [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: puntuale [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: sguardo [natural native speed] |
| Ruggero: look |
| Consuelo: sguardo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: sguardo [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: nascondere [natural native speed] |
| Ruggero: to hide |
| Consuelo: nascondere [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: nascondere [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: tornare [natural native speed] |
| Ruggero: to go back, to come back, to get back |
| Consuelo: tornare [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: tornare [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: rimanere [natural native speed] |
| Ruggero: to stay, remain |
| Consuelo: rimanere [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: rimanere [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: qui [natural native speed] |
| Ruggero: here |
| Consuelo: qui [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: qui [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: appena [natural native speed] |
| Ruggero: just, as soon as |
| Consuelo: appena [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: appena [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: giusto [natural native speed] |
| Ruggero: right, fair |
| Consuelo: giusto [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: giusto [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Ruggero: Let's have a closer look at the usuage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Ruggero: Consuelo, what word are we studying today? |
| Consuelo: Today we're studying the word "sguardo." |
| Ruggero: "Look" or "gaze." |
| Consuelo: "Sguardo" comes from the verb "guardare." |
| Ruggero: "To watch" or "to look." |
| Consuelo: "Lo sguardo" can be "dolce," "furbo," or "gioioso." |
| Ruggero: Yes, a look can be "sweet," 'smart," or "joyful." |
| Consuelo: But it can also be "stanco," "arrabbiato," or "minaccioso." |
| Ruggero: Okay, a "tired," "angry," or a "threatening" look. |
| Consuelo: "Uno sguardo minaccioso, sì." It is different from "uno sguardo accattivante." Marco, do you know what this last one means? |
| Ruggero: "Sguardo accattivante?" Not really. |
| Consuelo: It means "an engaging look." |
| Ruggero: Oh, interesting. I remember an expression with "sguardo," "avere lo sguardo fisso su qualcosa o qualcuno." |
| Consuelo: Ah, yes. "To stare at something or somebody." |
| Ruggero: "Grazie mille," Consuelo! |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Consuelo: Let's take a look at today's grammar point. |
| Ruggero: In today's class, we focus on whether to use the "imperfetto" or the "passato prossimo" tense. |
| Consuelo: As you heard in the dialogue, they're both often used in Italian. Since both the "imperfetto" and the "passato prossimo" are used to describe past actions, it is sometimes tricky to choose which one to employ. |
| Ruggero: In a past narration, it is normal to see them together in the same phrase with the "imperfetto" giving the setting or scenario and the "passato prossimo" describing the main action. Listen carefully to the following example. |
| Consuelo: "Stavo leggendo il giornale quando hanno bussato alla porta." |
| Ruggero: "I was reading the newspaper when they knocked at the door." |
| Consuelo: It is also important to consider that the "imperfetto" expresses a state of being, while the "passato prossimo" indicates what happened at a particular moment. |
| Ruggero: Please pay attention to the difference between the following sentences… |
| Consuelo: "Avevo paura di volare." |
| Ruggero: "I was afraid of flying." |
| Consuelo: "Quando ho preso l'aereo per la prima volta ho avuto veramente paura di volare." |
| Ruggero: "When I took the airplane for the first time, I was really afraid to fly." |
| Consuelo: Furthermore, the "passato prossimo" is always used when the exact time or duration of an action is specified through a detailed time expression. |
| Ruggero: For instance? |
| Consuelo: "Ho studiato fino alle due di notte." |
| Ruggero: "I studied until two in the morning." |
| Consuelo: "Ho lavorato in questa ditta dal 2002 al 2005." |
| Ruggero: "I worked in this company from 2002 to 2005." |
| Consuelo: "Ho mangiato solo verdure per tre settimane." |
| Ruggero: "I ate only vegetables for three weeks." |
| Consuelo: Let's now see the verbs "sapere" and "conoscere." |
| Ruggero: "To know" and "to have knowledge of," respectively. |
| Consuelo: They have a different meaning according to the tense they are conjugated in. |
| Ruggero: Please compare the following sentences with both the "imperfetto" and the "passato prossimo" tenses. |
| Consuelo: "Non sapevo che eri in ospedale, l'ho saputo solo ieri." |
| Ruggero: "I didn't know you were at the hospital; I found out only yesterday." |
| Consuelo: "Ho conosciuto tua madre al supermercato." |
| Ruggero: "I met your mother at the supermarket." |
| Consuelo: "Non conoscevi questa canzone?" |
| Ruggero: "You didn't know this song?" |
| Consuelo: Our advice is to listen to the conversation again and analyze all the different cases in which the "imperfetto" or the "passato prossimo" are involved. |
Outro |
| Ruggero: That just about does it for today. |
| Consuelo: Listeners, can you understand Italian TV shows, movies or songs? |
| Ruggero: How about friends and loved ones? conversations in Italian? |
| Consuelo: If you want to know what's going on, we have a tool to help. |
| Ruggero: Line-by-line audio. |
| Consuelo: Listen to the lesson conversations Line-By-Line, and learn to understand natural Italian fast! |
| Ruggero: It's simple really. |
| Consuelo: With a click of a button, listen to each line of the conversation. |
| Ruggero: Listen again and again, and tune your ear to natural Italian. |
| Consuelo: Rapidly understand natural Italian with this powerful tool. |
| Ruggero: Find this feature on the lesson page under Premium Member resources at ItalianPod101.com. |
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