Learn how to use "if" clauses to choose and make a reservation at a hotel using a formal conversation as an example
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Becky: Hi everyone, and welcome back to ItalianPod101.com. This is Lower Intermediate Season 3, Lesson 15 - Booking a Stay at an Italian Bed and Breakfast. Becky here. |
| Ofelia: Ciao. I'm Ofelia. |
| Becky: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use “if” clauses. The conversation takes place at a travel agency. |
| Ofelia: It's between Elia and the travel agency employee. |
| Becky: The speakers don't know each other, so they’ll be using formal Italian. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Impiegata: Se preferisce il transfer diretto, questo bed and breakfast è la soluzione perfetta. |
| Elia: Sì, se non è un ostello o una pensione, va bene. Vorrei prenotare due singole, non fumatori. |
| Impiegata: Le singole costano un po' di più, ma questo bed and breakfast offre un servizio eccellente. |
| Elia: La colazione è inclusa? |
| Impiegata: Sì, perché è un bed and breakfast. Inoltre questa struttura offre bagno in camera e servizio wi-fi gratuito. Poi è possibile disdire la prenotazione fino al giorno prima. |
| Elia: Quindi possiamo pagare dopo? |
| Impiegata: Sì. |
| Becky: Now listen to the conversation with the English translation. |
| Employee: If you prefer the direct transport, this bed and breakfast is the perfect solution. |
| Elia: Yes, unless it’s a hostel or a boarding house, it’s okay. I would like to reserve two single rooms, non-smoking. |
| Employee: The singles cost a little more, but this bed and breakfast offers excellent service. |
| Elia: Is the breakfast included? |
| Employee: Yes, because it's a bed and breakfast. Also, this facility offers a bathroom in the room and free Wi-Fi service. And, it's possible to cancel the reservation up until the day before. |
| Elia: So we can pay after [we arrive]? |
| Employee: Yes. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: Ofelia, are bed and breakfasts common in Italy? |
| Ofelia: Well, BandBs are pretty new in Italy. But they are a very convenient solution for travelers in Italy. |
| Becky: That’s because they’re cheaper than hotels, located in the old town centres, and you can sometimes use the kitchen. |
| Ofelia: When BandBs are located in the countryside, they’re usually very comfortable and charming and the owners are helpful and thoughtful. If you'd like to experience the real Italian life, you should definitely book a cozy BandB. |
| Becky: That sounds nice. Have you ever stayed in a BandB? |
| Ofelia: Once I booked a BandB in Rome, and though the price was lower than a hotel, I was amazed by the high quality of the service and the room. |
| Becky: That’s a good tip, listeners! Okay, now on to the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Ofelia: soluzione [natural native speed] |
| Becky: solution, result, answer |
| Ofelia: soluzione [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: soluzione [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have... |
| Ofelia: ostello [natural native speed] |
| Becky: hostel |
| Ofelia: ostello [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: ostello [natural native speed] |
| Becky: The next word is... |
| Ofelia: pensione [natural native speed] |
| Becky: boarding house |
| Ofelia: pensione [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: pensione [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next... |
| Ofelia: singola [natural native speed] |
| Becky: hotel single room |
| Ofelia: singola [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: singola [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next we have... |
| Ofelia: eccellente [natural native speed] |
| Becky: excellent, great |
| Ofelia: eccellente [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: eccellente [natural native speed] |
| Becky: The next word is... |
| Ofelia: struttura [natural native speed] |
| Becky: structure, facility |
| Ofelia: struttura [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: struttura [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next... |
| Ofelia: gratuito [natural native speed] |
| Becky: free of charge, cost-free |
| Ofelia: gratuito [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: gratuito [natural native speed] |
| Becky: The last word is... |
| Ofelia: disdire [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to cancel |
| Ofelia: disdire [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Ofelia: disdire [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Ofelia: ...pensione. |
| Becky: Which means "boarding house,” or “retirement." |
| Ofelia:The first meaning in the dialogue of pensione is “boarding house” or “small hotel.” |
| Becky: But the same term may refer to retirement, both the period of life and pension funds that retirees receive. |
| Ofelia: Pensione, as in a small hotel, refers to cheap and convenient hotels. |
| Becky: Sometimes this kind of hotel is managed by one family and has a limited number of rooms. |
| Ofelia: Actually, pensione is quite an odd noun. It sounds a bit old-fashioned and today very few hotels, not even the small ones, are called pensione, because it can give the impression that the hotel is very basic so guests shouldn’t expect much. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Ofelia: Sure. For example, you can say, I nonni hanno prenotato una stanza nella solita pensione. |
| Becky: This means, "The grandparents booked a room in their usual boarding house." |
| Becky: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Ofelia: Disdire. |
| Becky: Meaning "to cancel." |
| Ofelia: Yes, disdire means "to annul" or "to cancel" something. It’s formed from the verb dire, meaning "to say," and the prefix dis-, which usually negates the following word. |
| Becky: Can you give us some other examples with this prefix? |
| Ofelia: Sure! For example, dis-piacere means "do not like" and the adjective dis-simile means "not similar." However, please be careful because disdire never means "not to say," but as we’ve just said it only means "to cancel." |
| Becky: When can you use this term? |
| Ofelia:You can use it when you’re referring to a room, a flight, or a journey you have booked and need to cancel. Disdire is more formal than the common cancellare. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Ofelia: For example, you can say, Volete disdire il volo per Kuala-Lumpur? |
| Becky: Meaning, "Do you want to cancel the flight to Kuala-Lumpur?" Okay, now on to the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Becky: In this lesson you’ll learn how to use “if” clauses. |
| Ofelia: Like in English, you divide the hypothetical period into three main categories. |
| Becky: The first is Type I, a conditional sentence with the real condition. Second is Type II, a conditional sentence with the possible condition. And third is Type III, a conditional sentence with the impossible condition. In this lesson, we’ll mainly talk about the first kind of "if" clause. |
| Ofelia: We divide the "if" clause into two parts – first, the subordinate clause, which expresses the condition, called protasis. And second is the main clause, which expresses the consequences or the result, called apodosis. |
| Becky: Can you give us an example? |
| Ofelia: Sure! Listen for the two parts of the clause. Se prendi le chiavi, possiamo prendere la mia macchina. |
| Becky: "If you take the keys, we can take my car." As the example demonstrates, the subordinate clause, "if you take the keys," conveys a condition that may or may not become true. Meanwhile, the main clause "we can take my car," is the result of the first phrase and depends on whether or not the condition becomes true. |
| Ofelia: Note that the subordinate clause doesn’t necessarily have to come before the main clause, although this is often the case. |
| Becky: Let’s see the difference with the Type 0 Hypothetical Period. |
| Ofelia: Although it is sometimes included in the Type I, Periodo ipotetico della realtà, the type 0 "if" clause stands apart from the three main hypothetical period types. |
| Becky: That’s right. This conditional sentence expresses the connection between two factual actions. In fact, the "if" clause is just apparently hypothetical, since it simply connects a cause to its effect. |
| Ofelia: Here’s an example - Se l'acqua raggiunge 100° Celsius, (l'acqua) bolle. |
| Becky: "If water gets to one hundred degrees Celsius, it boils." |
| Ofelia: And here’s another - Se piove, il suolo si bagna. |
| Becky: "If it rains, the soil will get wet." |
| Ofelia: As you can see, the subordinate clause doesn't express a condition that may or may not become true. It’s a mere general statement that connects two factual truths. |
| Becky: In order to recognize this kind of hypothetical, you just need to ask yourself - ‘can I substitute "if" with "when?"’ If the answer is yes, we are dealing with a Type 0 hypothetical period. |
| Ofelia: The Type 0 hypothetical period requires the presente indicativo, "simple present," tense in both the subordinate and the main clause. |
| Becky: What’s another example? |
| Ofelia: Se vuoi possiamo vederci stasera alle 9:00. |
| Becky: "If you want, we can meet at 9:00 p.m." |
| Ofelia: So now you should be familiar with how to use “if” clauses, listeners. |
| Becky: But for more explanations and examples, please check the lesson notes. |
Outro |
| Becky: Well, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Ofelia: A presto. |
Comments
Hide