Learn about the usage of the impersonal construction with reflexive verbs
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| INTRODUCTION |
| None (manual write in): |
| Jason: Ciao! Jason here. |
| Cristina: Cristina here! Welcome to ItalianPod101.com's Intermediate series. This is Lesson 13 - Getting Used to Your New Italian Job. |
| Jason: In this lesson you'll learn how to use the impersonal construction with reflexive verbs. Such as… |
| Cristina: Ora sei qui da 3 settimane, ma a poco a poco ci si abitua a questo lavoro. |
| Jason: "Now you’ve been here for three weeks but little by little one gets used to this job." This conversation takes place at work. |
| Cristina: Wendy e Sofia parlano insieme. |
| Jason: The conversation is between Wendy and Sofia. The speakers are co-workers, so they'll be speaking informal language. |
| Cristina: Ascoltiamo |
| Jason: Let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Sofia: Wendy, il caffè lo vuoi macchiato? |
| Wendy: Sì, macchiato caldo grazie, ma senza zucchero. |
| Sofia: Allora, ti sei abituata a questo tuo nuovo lavoro? |
| Wendy: Sì, è bello lavorare in questa agenzia di viaggio. Ma il ritmo è sempre così incalzante? |
| Sofia: Eh, sì. Questo è il periodo più frenetico perchè siamo all’inizio delle vacanze estive. Le prenotazioni sono molte e varie. Ci si stanca facilmente dopo tre ore consecutive a stretto contatto con i clienti . |
| Wendy: Eh sì questa pausa caffè ci vuole proprio! Ma per fortuna, nonostante la crisi economica, molta gente viaggia ancora. |
| Sofia: Comunque, se hai bisogno di aiuto, io sono sempre disponibile. Ora sei qui da 3 settimane, ma a poco a poco ci si abitua a questo lavoro. |
| Wendy: A Chicago ero sempre in ufficio e gestivo le pronotazioni online. Non incontravo mai clienti e soprattutto non dovevo parlare italiano! Devo ammettere però che qui mi piace molto di più! |
| English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Sofia: Wendy, il caffè lo vuoi macchiato? |
| Wendy: Sì, macchiato caldo grazie, ma senza zucchero. |
| Sofia: Allora, ti sei abituata a questo tuo nuovo lavoro? |
| Wendy: Sì, è bello lavorare in questa agenzia di viaggio. Ma il ritmo è sempre così incalzante? |
| Sofia: Eh, sì. Questo è il periodo più frenetico perchè siamo all’inizio delle vacanze estive. Le prenotazioni sono molte e varie. Ci si stanca facilmente dopo tre ore consecutive a stretto contatto con i clienti . |
| Wendy: Eh sì questa pausa caffè ci vuole proprio! Ma per fortuna, nonostante la crisi economica, molta gente viaggia ancora. |
| Sofia: Comunque, se hai bisogno di aiuto, io sono sempre disponibile. Ora sei qui da 3 settimane, ma a poco a poco ci si abitua a questo lavoro. |
| Wendy: A Chicago ero sempre in ufficio e gestivo le pronotazioni online. Non incontravo mai clienti e soprattutto non dovevo parlare italiano! Devo ammettere però che qui mi piace molto di più! |
| English Host: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Al lavoro, vicino alla macchinetta del caffè |
| JasonAt work, by the coffee maker |
| Sofia: Wendy, il caffè lo vuoi macchiato? |
| Jason: Wendy, would you like coffee with milk? |
| Wendy: Sì, macchiato caldo grazie, ma senza zucchero. |
| Jason: Yes, with warm milk, thanks, but no sugar. |
| Sofia: Allora, ti sei abituata a questo tuo nuovo lavoro? |
| Jason: So, have you gotten used to this job? |
| Wendy: Sì, è bello lavorare in questa agenzia di viaggio. Ma il ritmo è sempre così incalzante? |
| Jason: Yes, it's nice to work in this travel agency, but is the rhythm always so pressing? |
| Sofia: Eh, sì. Questo è il periodo più frenetico perchè siamo all’inizio delle vacanze estive. Le prenotazioni sono molte e varie. Ci si stanca facilmente dopo tre ore consecutive a stretto contatto con i clienti . |
| Jason: This is the most hectic period because it's the beginning of the summer vacation. There are many bookings, and they are all varied. We can easily get tired after three consecutive hours working closely with the clients. |
| Wendy: Eh sì questa pausa caffè ci vuole proprio! Ma per fortuna, nonostante la crisi economica, molta gente viaggia ancora. |
| Jason: Yes, this coffee break is really necessary. But luckily, despite the economic crisis, many people still travel. |
| Sofia: Comunque, se hai bisogno di aiuto, io sono sempre disponibile. Ora sei qui da 3 settimane, ma a poco a poco ci si abitua a questo lavoro. |
| Jason: Anyhow, if you need help, I'm always available. You've been here for three weeks now, but you get used to this job little by little. |
| Wendy: A Chicago ero sempre in ufficio e gestivo le pronotazioni online. Non incontravo mai clienti e soprattutto non dovevo parlare italiano! Devo ammettere però che qui mi piace molto di più! |
| Jason: In Chicago, I was always in the office, and I managed the online bookings. I never used to meet clients, and above all, I didn't have to speak Italian all the time! I have to admit, though, that I like it much more here! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Cristina: Today I’d like to introduce to you some types of Italian COFFEE. |
| Jason: You mean espresso, right? |
| Cristina: Esatto. Espresso is what always comes to one’s mind when thinking about coffee and it’s what you are served if you order un caffè in an Italian bar. |
| Jason: Are there other types of coffee? |
| Cristina: Yes, for example caffè ristretto, caffè lungo, caffè corretto and many more. |
| Jason: What is caffè ristretto? |
| Cristina: It’s a condensed version of espresso of about 20 ml. |
| Jason: Wow, very strong. I don’t think I can have that. And how about caffè lungo? |
| Cristina: When a double amount of water is used to brew the coffee, that’s caffè lungo. |
| Jason: I see. Once I heard somebody ordering a caffè corretto. What is it? |
| Cristina: It‘s an espresso where some liqueur like Cognac or Sambuca is added. |
| Jason: And can I order a caffè Americano in Italy? |
| Cristina: Yes, you can. But remember that it’s a bit different from what you buy in US. It’s actually an espresso to which hot water has been added to make it weaker. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Jason: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word we shall see is: |
| Cristina: macchiato caldo [natural native speed] |
| Jason: coffee with warm milk |
| Cristina: macchiato caldo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: macchiato caldo [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: incalzante [natural native speed] |
| Jason: pressing |
| Cristina: incalzante [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: incalzante [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: frenetico [natural native speed] |
| Jason: hectic, frenzied |
| Cristina: frenetico [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: frenetico [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: prenotazione [natural native speed] |
| Jason: booking, reservation |
| Cristina: prenotazione [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: prenotazione [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: consecutivo [natural native speed] |
| Jason: consecutive |
| Cristina: consecutivo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: consecutivo [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: a stretto contatto con [natural native speed] |
| Jason: in close contact with |
| Cristina: a stretto contatto con [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: a stretto contatto con [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: nonostante [natural native speed] |
| Jason: despite |
| Cristina: nonostante [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: nonostante [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: crisi [natural native speed] |
| Jason: crisis |
| Cristina: crisi [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: crisi [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: gente [natural native speed] |
| Jason: people |
| Cristina: gente [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: gente [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Cristina: gestire [natural native speed] |
| Jason: to manage |
| Cristina: gestire [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Cristina: gestire [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Jason: Let's have a closer look at the usuage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Jason: Let's take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson.The first one we'll look at is... |
| Cristina: MACCHIATO CALDO |
| Jason: "WITH STEAMED MILK." |
| Cristina: Here's a sample sentence. Di solito a colazione prendo un caffè macchiato caldo con una brioche |
| Jason: "For breakfast I usually have coffee with a drop of steamed milk and a croissant." |
| Cristina: Macchiato literally means ‘stained’. Un caffè macchiato caldo is an espresso with a drop of milk. |
| Jason: Un caffè macchiato caldo is one of the many types of coffee you can order in Italy. |
| Cristina: You can order it macchiato caldo, with steamed milk, macchiato freddo with cold milk, or macchiato con schiuma di latte, with frothed milk. |
| Jason: Wow. I think I’d like to try un caffè macchiato con schiuma di latte. |
| Cristina: Macchiato can also be used as a noun so you don’t need to say the word ‘caffè’ every time. |
| Jason: An example please? |
| Cristina: Vorrei un macchiato freddo, per favore. |
| Jason: I’d like a coffee with cold milk, please. |
| Cristina: Esatto. |
| Jason: What's the next one we'll look at? |
| Cristina: PRENOTAZIONE |
| Jason: "BOOKING." |
| Cristina: Sara, hai ricevuto la conferma della prenotazione dell’albergo a Toronto? |
| Jason: "Sara have you received the confirmation of the hotel booking in Toronto?" |
| Cristina: It is a feminine noun and it derives from the verb prenotare. ‘To book’ is also translated as fare una prenotazione. It can be used for booking seats on the train or airplanes, tables at restaurants and hotel rooms. |
| Jason: Can I say ‘prenotare’ also for booking appointments? |
| Cristina: No, for appointments you should use the verb prendere appuntamento. |
| Jason: For example? |
| Cristina: Ho preso appuntamento dal dentista per giovedì prossimo. |
| Jason: "I booked an appointment with the dentist for next Thursday." |
| Cristina: Esatto |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Jason: The focus of this lesson is the impersonal construction with reflexive verbs. |
| Cristina: All the tenses can be constructed in the impersonal form using ‘Si’ followed by a verb in the third person singular or plural. |
| Jason: For example… |
| Cristina: In Giappone si beve molto te’ verde. |
| Jason: "In Japan people drink a lot of green tea." |
| Cristina: Another example is In Italia si mangiano gli spaghetti due volte a settimana. |
| Jason: "In Italy we eat spaghetti twice a week." |
| Cristina: So, as in the two examples above, if the noun that follows the verb is singular the verb is declined in the third person singular. The noun Te’ is singular the verb bere is declined as beve). |
| Jason: If the noun is plural the verb is declined in the third person plural. |
| Cristina: The noun spaghetti is plural therefore the verb mangiare is declined as mangiano). |
| Jason: If I got it right the impersonal form, especially the si impersonale, corresponds to the English "one". |
| Cristina: yes, but it is much more frequent in Italian than it is in English where "you," "we," "people," and other expressions are also used to translate the same idea. |
| Jason: I see. So when is it best to use the impersonal construction in Italian? |
| Cristina: For example with a generic subject such as in the sentence In Italia si beve molto caffè. |
| Jason: "In Italy we (or the Italians) drink a lot of coffee." |
| Cristina: Or With a subject that is not expressed. For example Si dice che Maria sia ammalata. |
| Jason: "[It is said] they said that Maria is sick." |
| Cristina: Generally speaking it is common to use the impersonal construction when describing customs and traditions of a country or to talk about regulations and for giving instructions. |
| Jason: If I want to use the impersonal construction with a reflexive verb, how does it work? |
| Cristina: If you use the impersonal construction with a reflexive or reciprocal verb, SI SI becomes CI SI. Otherwise, because it is cacophonic, it sounds ugly and it is difficult to pronounce. |
| Jason: Can you give us an example? |
| Cristina: Ci si stanca facilmente dopo tre ore consecutive a stretto contatto con i clienti . |
| Jason: "We can easily get tired after three consecutive hours working closely with the clients." |
| Cristina: And here is another example, Non ci si dimentica mai del primo amore. |
| Jason: "One can never forget their first love." |
| Cristina: It’s important to remember that in compound tenses the reflexive verbs always require the auxiliary verb essere and they require essere also with the impersonal construction. |
| Jason: Ok, and how is the past participle declined? |
| Cristina: The past participle always ends in -i or -e, even if the noun that follows is singular. |
| Jason: For example? |
| Cristina: A Natale ci si è scambiati un bel regalo. |
| Jason: "For Christmas we exchanged a nice present." |
Outro |
| Jason: OK. That's all for this lesson. In the lesson notes, you can find more examples on this grammar point. So be sure to read them. |
| Cristina: A presto! |
| Jason: Bye-bye! |
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