| Hi guys, welcome back to ItalianPod101.com. My name is Desy, mi chiamo Desy, and in this video, I'm going to teach you how to write a postcard in Italian: 'Scrivere una cartolina.' |
| Scrivere una cartolina |
| "Writing a postcard" |
| So, first things first, 'cartolina' is "postcard," and 'francobollo' is the stamp that you need to send the 'cartolina.' You can buy 'cartoline,' which is the plural for "postcards," in 'tabacchi' or sometimes, of course, in souvenir shops, but sometimes even at 'edicola' or 'giornalaio,' which are newspaper vendors. |
| When you address your friend in Italian, it's nice to start with 'Caro' and then you put the name, like in a letter. 'Cara Desy' Let's assume you're writing a postcard to me. If you don't want to put the name, maybe you can just write 'Cara amica' or 'amico,' or if you find this a bit formal, just go with 'Ciao': 'Ciao Desy', comma, 'Ciao amico', (comma: virgola). |
| Ciao Desy, come stai? |
| Of course, you know that they're not going to answer in the postcard, but still, it's nice, like an opening, to ask how they are doing. 'Come stai?' or 'Come state?' if you are referring to the whole family. But if you don't want to touch anything personal, just skip it and go on. |
| I'd suggest, because that's what we usually write, to give a hint about what you're doing, or how's the weather, or where you are. For example: |
| Sono nel mio hotel a Roma. "I'm at my hotel in Rome." |
| Non ci posso (ancora) credere. "I (stil)l can't believe it." |
| Non ci posso credere. "I can't believe it." that you're finally in Rome, right? |
| Qua fa molto caldo. |
| Talking about the weather is always a safe phrase because it can't go wrong. So just put, 'Qua fa molto caldo.' Here it is very hot. Or 'Qua fa molto freddo.' Here it is very cold. |
| If you like to write a bit more, maybe you can say what you visited or what you ate that day. For example: |
| Oggi abbiamo visitato il Colosseo. "Today we visited the Colosseum." |
| Era/È enorme. "It's huge." |
| Or… |
| Oggi ho mangiato la carbonara. "Today I ate carbonara." |
| Era fantastica. "It was amazing." |
| As you know, a postcard has to be short. It's not a letter. So for closure, I'd suggest something like: |
| Mi diverto molto, "I'm having a lot of fun," |
| ma non vedo l'ora di vederti. "but I can't wait to see you." |
| Or maybe, instead of 'vederti/vi,' to see you… |
| Non vedo l'ora di raccontarti tutto. "I can't wait to tell you everything." |
| Something else that you can use as a closing is 'Saluti.' So instead of one greeting, 'un saluto', it is just greetings: 'Saluti.' But the meaning is the same. |
| Saluti da Roma. |
| Or 'Saluti da...' I can't say my name because I'm writing to myself. So… |
| Saluti da Marco. "Greetings from Marco." |
| Or… |
| Un bacio! "A kiss!" |
| I guess it's not too much. I mean, for Italians, it's fine. Just write 'Baci.' Kisses. Which is just a greeting, as you know. Or 'Un abbraccio.' A hug. Or if you want to keep it more formal, just write 'Ci vediamo presto.' See you soon. 'Ci vediamo presto.' 'A presto.' See you soon. |
| A presto! |
| Don't forget to sign it with your name. On the right, you have the address line, 'l'indirizzo'. While on the left, it's your message, right? Also, don't forget to ask for an international stamp. So… |
| francobollo internazionale/per l'estero… for other countries. |
| And you're done. Just keep enjoying your trip. |
| And if you want to learn more useful Italian, just remember to click the link in the description, download our PDF files, and learn how to speak everyday Italian language. I hope this was useful, and that you will actually have the chance to write a postcard from Italy. We'll be waiting for you. Thank you for watching, and thank you for liking and subscribing. I know you are doing that. Please do that. And I see you soon. 'Ci vediamo presto.' |
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