Speak Italian: All About… What I Am Doing!

 Speak Italian: Everything

you need to know … 

to describe your day in Italian!

Can you speak Italian? By now, many of you have passed the beginning stages of learning how to speak Italian and can read and comprehend quite a bit of the language. Meraviglioso!

But have you tried to take the next step to speak Italian fluently? Can you describe your daily routine and talk about yourself in Italian? Can you speak Italian the way you would speak in your native language, with complex and varied sentences? This is more difficult than it may seem at first, and it’s something that I am always working on!

This series will focus on the situations that have come up most frequently in my everyday conversations with Italian instructors and friends. The “Speak Italian” blog series will focus on the type of sentence structure and vocabulary we all need to remember to be more fluent when we speak Italian!

To take that giant step from simple beginning sentences to more complex and fluid sentences in Italian, we must know many things; in this segment, we will discuss how to use reflexive verbs, how to use irregular verbs to say what we like, and how to describe the passage of time.

Speak Italian: All About… What I Am Doing!

In the “Speak Italian” blog series, a short essay or dialogue in Italian will be presented about a commonly used topic of conversation. Then, we will review the Italian grammar that is necessary to talk about the particular topic in detail. And finally, the same material will be presented in Italian and English, with blanks for the reader to fill in with descriptions from his or her own life!

Remember these examples about yourself as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you must speak Italian in your next conversation!

Enjoy the second topic in this series, “Speak Italian: All About… What I Am Doing!”
—Kathryn Occhipinti

This material is adapted from our textbook, Conversational Italian for Travelers © 2012 by Stella Lucente, LLC, found on www.learntravelitalian.com. Special thanks to Italian language instructor Simona Giuggioli.

 

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Speak Italian: All About… What I Am Doing!

Here is a short description of what I do every day. The reflexive verbs used in Italian for daily activities (many of which often translate as “to get” in English) have been underlined.

Also underlined are the verbs for “to like” (“to be pleasing to”) and “it takes time,” because they follow a different pattern of conjugation than regular Italian verbs.

Do you have a schedule that you follow every day? What do you like to eat for breakfast? Where do you go? After reading my daily routine, use the blank spaces in the form that follows to fill in the Italian for your daily routine!

 

Speak Italian: All About… What I Am Doing!

On the days that I have to work, I get up at 7 in the morning.
I giorni che devo lavorare, mi alzo alle sette di mattina. 

My cell phone rings at 6:15 and I wake up, but I do not get up until 7!
Il mio telefonino suona alle sei e quindici e mi sveglio ma non mi alzo fino alle sette!

The first thing I do is take a shower.
Per prima cosa, mi faccio la doccia.

Then, I like to eat something for breakfast, so I make a cup of coffee and also have some bread or an Italian cookie.
Allora, mi piace mangiare qualcosa per la prima colazione, cosi faccio un caffè ed anche mangio del pane o un biscotto.

If I am not in a hurry, sometimes I will have a fried egg, toast, and orange juice instead.
Se non ho fretta, qualche volta,  invece, mangio un uovo fritto, il pane tostato e bevo un bicchiere di succo di arancio.

My morning routine to get ready for work includes the usual things: I brush my teeth, wash my face, get dressed, and brush my hair.
La mia routine di mattina per prepararmi per il lavoro include le solite cose: mi lavo i denti, mi lavo la faccia, mi vesto, e mi pettino.

I always wear makeup (for men: shave) when I go out of the house and especially to work.
Mi trucco sempre (per gli uomini: mi faccio la barba) quando esco di casa e specialmente quando vado a lavorare. 

But it is not easy and it takes time, usually about 20 minutes.
Ma non è facile e ci vuole tempo, normalmente quasi venti minuti. 

On some days, I can put on makeup (for men: shave) quickly.
Qualche giorno, però, mi posso truccare (per gli uomini: mi faccio la barba) rapidamente.

All of this usually takes me until 8:00 and then I must take the children to school.
Per fare tutto, mi ci vuole fino alle otto e poi devo portare i miei figli a scuola.

After I have dropped off the children at school, I take the train into the city to work.
Dopo avere portato i miei figli a scuola, prendo il treno per la città per andare a lavorare.

The train is very reliable, and it takes only 30 minutes to reach the city.
Il treno è molto affidabile e ci vogliono solamente trenta minuti per arrivare in città. 

On the way, I read the newspaper.
Durante il viaggio, leggo il giornale.

By 3 PM, I take the train back home.
Per le quindici, prendo il treno e torno a casa.

At 4 PM, I pick up the children from school and take them home.
Alle quattro di pomeriggio, io vado a prendere i miei figli dalla scuola e li porto a casa.

When I come home in the evening, I take off my coat and shoes and get changed into jeans or athletic wear to be more comfortable.
Quando torno a casa di sera, mi tolgo il cappotto e le scarpe e mi metto i jeans o la tuta (indumento da ginnastica) per stare più comoda.

I make dinner for my children during the workweek, but on the weekend, we usually go out to eat for dinner.
Preparo la cena per i miei figli durante la settimana lavorativa, ma il fine settimana di solito ceniamo fuori.

Later, I try to relax.
Più tardi, provo a riposarmi.

I get undressed and put on my pajamas.
Mi svesto e mi metto il pigiama.

I watch the news on the television and fall asleep at 11:30 at night.
Guardo le notizie alla televisione e mi addormento alle undici e mezzo di notte.

I start this same routine all over again the next morning!
Comincio di nuovo questa routine la mattina dopo!

 

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Speak Italian: Grammar You Will Need to Know…

Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

Use of Prepositions: “Da,” “Di,” and “A”

Many Italian verbs are followed by prepositions, those “little words” that link one phrase to another for descriptive purposes; improper use of prepositions is a common issue for all non-native speakers, because one must tap into the “way of thinking” of each language to use prepositions correctly. It is often the prepositions that give away the fact that one has had to study to learn a language—no matter how well one speaks otherwise.

Learning when to use which preposition in Italian can be challenging, and often, the “rules” of preposition use do not make sense and just need to be memorized.

Da and di are two common Italian prepositions. “Da” usually means “from,” and “di” usually means “of,” although “di” is often used in situations where in English we would use “from.”

The Italian verb “uscire,” which means “to go out,” or “to leave” is usually followed by da + definite article (il, lo, la, etc.), but when referring to the act of leaving one’s house (casa), uscire takes the preposition di without the definite article. You might want to remember this detail by thinking of the alternate meaning of the word “casa,” which is the very personal “home,” and that when speaking in Italian about one’s family and home in other situations, a definite article is not necessary. Also, notice from the last example below that the verb andare (to go) is always followed by the preposition “a,” for “to,” without the definite article.

 

1. Prepositions for Uscire

da + definite article

di (with reference to casa)

2. Preposition for Andare – a

 

Examples of use:

Io esco dal ristorante.	I go out to the restaurant to eat.
Io esco di casa.	I go out of the house./I leave the house.
Io vado a casa mia.	I go to my house.
Mi trucco sempre quando esco di casa e specialmente quando vado a lavorare.
I always wear makeup when I leave the house and especially when I go to work.

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

Use of Preposition: “Per”

The preposition “per” is used in Italian to express intent and purpose and will be used to start phrases that will then describe what you are going to do. The English translation will usually be “for” but can also be “to.” When referring to time, “per” takes the place of “by” in English. The combination “stare per” means “to be about to.”

Per prima cosa, mi faccio la doccia.

The first thing I do is take a shower.

 

Per fare tutto…

To do all this…

 

Per le quidici…

By 3 PM…

 

La mia routine di mattina per prepararmi per il lavoro include…

My morning routine to get ready for work includes…

 

Io sto per studiare l’italiano stasera.

I am about to study Italian tonight.

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Tell Time

On any given day, the time we need to do things frequently comes up. We often have to ask specifically what time our transportation will be leaving or what time an event will be starting. Here are some examples of questions you may need to ask. Remember, there is no insertion of the word “does” in Italian when asking a question, the way we do in English.

A che ora…?	(At) what time (does)…?
A che ora arriva l’aeroplano?	At what time (does) the airplane arrive?
	(lit. At what hour arrives the airplane?)
A che ora parte il treno?	At what time (does) the train leave?
A che ora comincia* il viaggio?	At what time (does) the trip start?
A che ora inizia* il film?	At what time (does) the film begin?
A che ora finisce il film?	At what time (does) the movie end?
A che ora apre il museo?	At what time (does) the museum open?
A che ora chiude il museo?	At what time (does) the museum close?

*Cominciare and iniziare are interchangeable in Italian.

The answers to the above questions will also use the word “at,” which is the word “a” in Italian. We can mention our special times of day if they apply, such as “a mezzogiorno” or “a mezzanotte.” Otherwise, the word a will be combined with the definite article (the) (l’ or le). The Italian definite article l’ is combined with a to make all’ before the word una for the phrase “all’una,” which means “at one.” For all numbers greater than one, use a with the definite article le to make “alle” (alle due – ventiquattro) (at two through 24).

A mezzogiorno.	At noon.
A mezzanotte.	At midnight.
All’una.	At one o’clock.
Alle sette.	At seven o’clock.
All’una e cinque.	At 1:05 AM.
Alle sette e mezzo.	At 7:30 AM.

If desired, to emphasize the time of day, as in morning, afternoon, evening, or night, you can add the following expressions after stating the numerical time: “di mattina, di pomeriggio, di sera, or di notte.”

 

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

Common Reflexive Verbs

Here is a list of regular direct reflexive verbs that includes all three conjugations. Reflexive forms are extremely important for conversation because they often involve activities and emotions that we encounter every day. Note that many of these verbs are not reflexive in English.

accomodarsi	to make oneself comfortable	preoccuparsi	to worry/get worried
accorgersi	to realize	reprendersi	to get better/to recover
addormentarsi	to fall asleep	rilassarsi	to relax oneself
alzarsi	to get up	riposarsi	to rest
annoiarsi	to be/become bored	sbagliarsi	to be wrong
arrabbiarsi	to become angry	sbrigarsi	to hurry up
asciugarsi	to dry oneself	scusarsi	to excuse oneself
bagnarsi	to get wet/to take a bath	spogliarsi	to get undressed
dirigersi	to go over to/head over	sposarsi	to get married
divertirsi (a)	to enjoy oneself/play with	svegliarsi	to wake up
fermarsi	to stop oneself	svestirsi	to get undressed
innamorarsi	to fall in love	togliersi	to take off
mettersi	to put on (clothes)	truccarsi	to put on make-up
laurearsi	to get a university degree	vergognarsi	to be ashamed
muoversi	to move oneself	vestirsi	to get dressed/to wear
pettinarsi	to comb one’s hair

 Also, many of the verbs that describe what we do every day, which are translated as “to get…” in English are reflexive in Italian. Let’s take these commonly used verbs that mean “to get” out of the list above:

alzarsi	to get up
annoiarsi	to get bored
arrabbiarsi	to get angry
bagnarsi	to get wet / take a bath
laurearsi	to get a university degree / to graduate
mettersi	to put on clothing / to get (oneself) in trouble
preoccuparsi	to get worried / to worry
reprendersi	to get better / to recover
spogliarsi	to get undressed
sposarsi	to get married
vestirsi/svestirsi	to get dressed/to get undressed

Ho deciso di sposarmi.	I have decided to get married.
Non ti metti nei guai.	Don’t get (put) yourself in trouble.
Mi sono messo nei guai.	I got (put) myself in trouble.

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Conjugate Reflexive Verbs

Reflexive verbs take a reflexive pronoun before the verb. They are conjugated in the usual way, by dropping the –are, –ere, and –ire verb endings and adding the regular endings for each type of verb to the stem that remains.

Infinitive Present	Reflexive Pronouns	–are	–ere	–ire	ire (isco)
io	mi	o	o	o	isco
tu	ti	i	i	i	isci
Lei/lei/lui	si	a	e	e	isce
noi	ci	iamo	iamo	iamo	iamo
voi	vi	ate	ete	ite	ite
loro	si	ano	ono	ono	iscono

When we use an infinitive reflexive verb in a sentence, the reflexive pronoun must come after the verb; the –si is dropped from the infinitive ending, and the reflexive pronoun is then added directly onto the stem at the end of the verb.

This is the same word order that we routinely use in English! This situation usually occurs in Italian when one of the helping verbs (dovere, potere, or volere) (to have to, to be able to, or to want) precedes a reflexive verb.

Voglio divertirmi.	(I) want to enjoy myself.
Volgio riposarmi.	(I) want to rest (myself).
Devo alzarmi.	(I) must get (myself) up.

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Make Sentences with Reflexive Verbs

Here are some example sentences that use the regular verbs listed on the previous page. The Italian subject pronoun “io,” meaning “I” is included in the Italian examples, although, unlike the I in English, io is almost always omitted with reflexive verbs (as in most general conversation). Parentheses have been used in the Italian sentences as a reminder of this fact. In the same way, parentheses are used in the English translation to indicate Italian reflexive pronouns that are not necessary in English.

Getting up in the morning:

(Io) Mi sveglio.	I wake up. (lit. I wake myself up.)
(Io) Mi alzo.	I get up. (lit. I get myself up.)
(Io) Mi alzo presto.	I get (myself) up early.
(Io) Mi alzo alle sei.	I get (myself) up at 6 AM.
(Io) Mi alzo tardi domani.	I (am going to) get (myself) up late tomorrow.

 

Getting ready to go out for the day:

(Io) Mi faccio il bagno.	I take a bath. (lit. I make myself the bath.)
(Io) Mi lavo.	I wash myself.
(Io) Mi asciugo.	I dry myself off.
(Io) Mi pettino.	I comb (myself) my hair.
(Io) Mi preparo per il lavoro.	I get (myself) ready for (the) work.
(Io) Mi vesto.	I get (myself) dressed.
(Io) Mi metto i vestiti.	I put on (myself) the clothes.
(Io) Mi trucco.	I put on my makeup.
(Io) Mi metto la giacca e le scarpe.	I put on (myself) the jacket and the shoes.
(Io) Mi sento molto bene!	I feel very well!
Vado al lavoro./Vado a lavorare.	I go to work.

 

At the end of the day:

Torno a casa.	I return home.
(Io) Mi tolgo la giacca.	I take off (myself) the jacket.
Preparo la cena per la famiglia.	I make the dinner for the family.
Alle nove (io) mi svesto.	At nine (I) get (myself) undressed.
(Io) Mi tolgo le scarpe.	(I) take off my shoes.
(Io) Mi metto il piajama e le ciabatte.	I put on (myself) the pajamas and slippers.
(Io) Mi rilasso.	I relax (myself).
(Io) Mi riposo.	I rest (myself).
(Io) Mi addormento.	I fall (myself) asleep.

 

Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Describe Getting Dressed
 with the Reflexive Verbs Vestirsi and Mettersi

The Italian verb “vestirsi” carries the general meaning of “to get dressed.” To use this verb, just conjugate it as you would any other reflexive verb to make a simple sentence. Remember that in Italian, the subject pronoun is always left out of the sentence, so it is given in parentheses below.

(Io) Mi vesto.	I get dressed.
(Tu) Ti vesti.	You get dressed.
(Lei/Lui) Si veste.	She/He gets dressed.

When talking about putting on an article of clothing, such as a dress or suit (vestito),* for instance, Italian uses the reflexive verb “mettersi” (to put on oneself). 

*A note: Don’t confuse the verb vestire with the noun vestito, which means dress and also suit (pants and jacket or skirt and jacket).  These words are similar but have different meanings!  Also,  it should be mentioned that the plural noun, vestiti, means clothing.(Other words for suit that can be used for both sexes are abito and completo.)

Here is how it works:

“Mettersi” can be used to convey the ideas of, “I put on the dress,” “I put on my dress,” and “I put my dress on.” The reflexive pronoun mi (myself) is placed before the conjugated form of mettersi, as usual, and the article of clothing to be put on is then placed after the verb. The subject pronoun is omitted. So the final sentence for “I put on the/my dress,” is, “Mi metto il vestito.” 

Just remember the simple phrase “mi metto” and replace il vestito with the article of clothing of your choice to describe your own action! To describe action in the tu (you) form, just conjugate mettersi normally and then add the article of clothing, as in “ti metti,” or in the lei/lui (she/he) form, use “si mette,” and so on.

(Io) Mi metto il vestito.	I put on the dress./I put the dress on./I put on my dress.
(Tu) Ti metti l’anello.	You put on the ring.
(Lei/lui) Si mette le scarpe.	She/he puts on shoes.

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Describe Wearing Clothes
 with the Verbs Portare, Mettersi, and Vestire

In order to say “I am wearing…”  or “I take the size…”  the verb portare, which is not reflexive, is usually used in the present tense. You no doubt remember that portare is also commonly used to mean “to bring”  or “to carry.” 

Porto il mio vestito preferito.	I am wearing my favorite dress.
Porto la (taglia) quarantotto.	I take size 48.

Portare can also be used to say “I wore”  in the past tense. But perhaps because portare is used so commonly with its other meaning of “to bring”  in the present tense, in order to describe what they have worn, most Italians prefer to revert to mettersi and use its (irregular) past participle messo.  Remember to use the helping verb essere for the passato prossimo past tense form with the reflexive verb mettersi.  Here is how it works:

(Io) Mi sono messo un completo. (Io) Mi sono messa una gonna.	I wore a suit. I wore a skirt.
Ho portato una gonna.	I wore a skirt.

Another way to describe how someone was dressed is to use the imperfetto past tense of essere  with the descriptive past participle vestito(a,i,e).   This type of phrase can be used to make generalizations, as well as to refer to a specific article of clothing.  When being specific, the preposition “con” is used in these phrases, as in the examples below.

Era vestito con un abito grigio.	He was dressed in a suit.
Era vestita con una gonna blu.	She was dressed in a blue skirt.
Eravamo vestiti tutto in rosso per la festa.	We were dressed all in red for the party.

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Describe Wearing Clothes
 with the Verb Indossare

The verb indossare also means “to wear” and “to put on.”  This verb can is used in exactly the same way as portare or mettersi.  To the Italian ear, the verb indossare is said to have a more elegant sound than portare or mettersi, and perhaps this is why indossare is more common in written Italian than in conversation.

Just like the other two verbs that have the same meaning, indossare must always be followed by the article of clothing that the person is wearing.

Caterina indossa un abito rosso.	Kathryn is wearing a red dress.
La signora indossava un cappotto molto elegante.	The lady was wearing a very elegant coat.

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Finally, when something fits perfectly on you or another, to really fit into Italian society, use the idiomatic expression “calzare a pennello.”  Calzature refers to shoes, or “footwear,” so this Italian saying is the equivalent of  the English saying, “It fits you like a glove” or “It fits you to a T.”

Mi calza a pennello!	It fits me perfectly!
Ti calza a pennello!	It fits you perfectly!
Lo/la calza a pennello!	It fits him/her perfectly!

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Conjugate the Irregular Verb Piacere

The irregular verb piacere literally means to like, as in “to be pleasing to.” It is the verb that Italians use when they want to express the idea that they like something. In English, when we say we like something, we mention two things: what thing is being liked and by whom. So in English, we would say, “I like the car,” and fulfill these two requirements with the subject pronoun “I” and the direct object “car.”

But in Italian, the indirect object is used instead of the direct object, to describe to whom the thing is liked or pleasing to. If we wanted to change up this same English phrase into the Italian way of thinking, we could say, “The car is pleasing to me.” You will hopefully find the mixed Italianized-English phrase “is pleasing to” to be very helpful to understand how piacere really works!

The tricky thing about this type of phrase in Italian is that the conjugation of piacere will have to agree with the number of things that are being liked.

So, if one thing is liked, or an infinitive verb follows, piace is used.

If many things are liked, piacciono is used.

Italians then put the indirect object pronoun (mi, ti, Le, le, gli, ci, vi, or gli) before the verb, at the beginning of the sentence, to denote to whom the thing is pleasing to.

Piace—to be pleasing to: if one thing is liked/before infinitive verbs

 

Mi piace il vestito.	The dress is pleasing to me.	I like the dress.
Ti piace il vestito.	The dress is pleasing to you. (fam.)	You like the dress.
Le piace il vestito. Gli/le piace il vestito.	The dress is pleasing to you. (pol.) The dress is pleasing to him/her.	You like the dress. He/she likes the dress.
Ci piace il vestito.	The dress is pleasing to us.	We like the dress.
Vi piace il vestito.	The dress is pleasing to you all.	You all like the dress.
Gli piace il vestito.	The dress is pleasing to them.	They like the dress.

 

Piacciono—to be pleasing to: if more than one thing is liked

 

Mi piacciono i vestiti.	The dresses are pleasing to me.	I like the dresses.
Ti piacciono i vestiti.	The dresses are pleasing to you. (fam.)	You like the dresses.
Le piacciono i vestiti. Gli/le piacciono i vestiti.	The dresses are pleasing to you. (pol.) The dresses are pleasing to him/her.	You like the dresses. He/she likes the dresses.
Ci piacciono i vestiti.	The dresses are pleasing to us.	We like the dresses.
Vi piacciono i vestiti.	The dresses are pleasing to you all.	You all like the dresses.
Gli piacciono i vestiti.	The dresses are pleasing to them.	They like the dresses.

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Conjugate Volerci for Phrases Describing Time

To describe the general passage of time that it takes to do something, an English speaker will often say, “It takes time.”  Volerci is used to express this idea in Italian.  Volerci is called a pronominal verb because the impersonal adverb “ci” is an integral part o this verb. Volerci takes on a different meaning from volere and is used to describe the time, effort or tools needed to accomplish something. For now, now we will only discuss its meaning regarding the time it takes to do something.

To follow is the method to translate the phrase “it takes time” into Italian using the verb volerci.  First, it should be noted that the impersonal adverb “ci” is always used to begin the phrase.  “Volere” is then conjugated to reflect the amount of time taken, in either the third person singular or plural. This is the similar to the way we conjugate the verb piacere, except with piacere the reference is to what we like, rather than to how much time something takes.

 

So when saying, “It takes time,” the word “time” is considered one segment of time, and the third person singular form of volere, which is “vuole,” is used.

If the time “it” takes is one minute, one hour, one month, or one year—that is, if the reference is to one time segment, use “vuole.”

 

If the time “it” takes is more than one of each time segment (plural), the third person plural form of volere, which is “vogliono,” is used.

Ci vuole tempo.		It takes time.
Ci vuole un minuto.	Ci vogliono due minuti.	It takes one minute/two minutes.
Ci vuole un’ora.	Ci vogliono due ore.	It takes one hour/two hours.
Ci vuole un giorno.	Ci vogliono due giorni.	It takes one day/two days.
Ci vuole un mese.	Ci vogliono due mesi.	It takes one month/two months.
Ci vuole un anno.	Ci vogliono due anni.	It takes one year/two years.

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Commonly used questions that refer to time begin with “how much,” such as, “How much time does it take?” These phrases always begin with “Quanto.”  We remember that “quanto” always changes to match the gender and number of the noun it is placed before and modifies.  Answer using the phrases in the table given in this section!

Quanto tempo ci vuole per arrivare a Roma da Milano?
How much time does it take to get to Rome from Milan?

Quante ore ci vogliono per finire il tour?
How many hours will it take to finish the tour?

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Other verbs that act like piacere, but will not be discussed here, include the following:

Dispiacere	to displease/to upset
Mancare	to be lacking/to miss
Occorrere	to require/to need
Servire	to need

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Speak Italian: You Will Need to Know…

How to Use Volerci for Phrases Describing Time
with Reference to People

If we want to speak in a little more complicated manner (and why not?) we can use the verb volerci* to describe how much time it will take someone to do something.  Remember to place the indirect object pronouns (mi, ti, le, gli, vi, gli) before  ci vuole  to refer to the “someone” we are talking about.

Looking at the table below, you will notice that “a noi”  is used to mean “to us” before “ci vuole.”  In this case, the indirect object pronoun “ci” for “to us,” is not used.  The word “ci” is already a part of volerci, and is always placed before the conjugated verb form.  To avoid the repetition that would occur in the phrase “ci ci vuole tempo,” Italians revert to “a noi.”

Of course, we can always replace the word tempo in the examples below with a unit of time. Remember the rules we just learned:  If one unit of time is referred to, use the verb vuole, as in the examples.  If more than one unit of time is referred to, we need to use vogliono.

Mi ci vuole molto tempo.	It takes me time.
Ti ci vuole molto tempo.	It takes you time.
Le ci vuole molto tempo.	It takes her time.
Gli ci vuole molto tempo.	It takes him time.
A noi ci vuole molto tempo.	It takes us time.
Vi ci vuole molto tempo.	I takes you all time.
Gli ci vuole molto tempo.	It takes them time.

*Volerci is a pronomial verb and takes on a different meaning from volere, as described in the previous section.

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Commonly used questions that refer to time begin with “how much,” such as, “How much time does it take?” These phrases always begin with “Quanto.”  We remember that “quanto” always changes to match the gender and number of the noun it is placed before and modifies.  Answer using the phrases in the table given in the section above, but change the word time to the number of minutes or hours!

Quanto tempo ti ci vuole per arrivare a casa mia?
How much time does it take you to get to my house?

Quante ore ti ci vogliono per arrivare a casa mia?
How many hours will it take you to get to my house?

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If we want to use the past tense with volerci in a phrase regarding time, we need to use the past participle voluto, with essere as the helping verb to form the passato prossimo. 

For a general statement about time in the past tense, as in the examples below, use the passato prossimo verb è voluto. 

Of course, we can always replace the word tempo in the examples below with a unit of time. Remember the rules we just learned:  If one unit of time is referred to in the past, use the verb  è voluto, as in the examples.  If more than one unit of time is referred to in the past, we need to use sono voluti(e).

To make these statements negative, just put “non” at the beginning of the sentence (with the exception of the “a noi”).

Below are some commonly used phrases that use volerci to refer to time in the past tense:

Non mi … ci è voluto molto tempo.	It did not take me much time.
Non ti… ci è voluto molto tempo.	It did not take you much time.
Non le … ci è voluto molto tempo.	It did not take her much time.
Non gli… ci è voluto molto tempo.	It did not take him much time.
A noi non… ci è voluto molto tempo.	It did not take us much time.
Non vi… ci è voluto molto tempo.	It did not take you all much time.
Non gli… ci è voluto molto tempo.	It did not take them much time.

 

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Speak Italian: All About… What YOU Are Doing!

Do you have a schedule that you follow every day? What do you like to eat for breakfast? Where do you go?

Fill in the blanks in the Italian sentence that follows each English sentence, using
the examples given previously, or instead describing what you actually do.

Watch out for those reflexive verbs—the verbs that often mean “I get,” and the phrases
that translate as “I like” and “it takes time.”

On the days that I am working, I get up at ___________________________________.
I giorni che devo lavorare, ______________________________________________.

My cell phone rings at _________________ and I wake up, but I do not get up until 7!
Il mio telefonino suona _________________e ___________________________,ma

_____________________________________fino_____________________________!

The first thing I do is take a shower.
Per prima cosa, _______________________________________________________.

Then, I like to eat something for breakfast, so I make a cup of coffee and
have some bread or an Italian cookie.
Allora, ____________________________________qualcosa per la prima colazione,

cosi faccio_______________________________________________ed anche mangio

_____________________________________________________________________.

If I am not in a hurry, sometimes I will have a fried egg, toast, and orange juice instead.
Se non ho fretta, qualche volta, mangio ___________________________________ 

e bevo _________________________________________________________________.

My morning routine to get ready for work includes the usual things:
I brush my teeth, wash my face, get dressed, and brush my hair.
La mia routine di mattina ______________________________include le solite cose:

_________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________.

I always wear makeup (for men: shave) when I go out of the house and especially to work. ________________________________ quando esco di casa e specialmente quando vado a lavorare.

But it is not easy and takes time, usually about 20 minutes.
Ma non è facile e ______________________, normalmente

_________________________________________________________________________.

On some days, I can put on makeup (or shave) quickly.
Qualche giorno, però, __________________________________________ rapidamente.

All of this usually takes me until 8:00 and then I must take the children to school.
Per fare tutto, ___________________ fino ___________________ed poi devo portare i miei figli a scuola.

After I have dropped off the children at school, I take the train into the city to work.
Dopo aver portato i miei figli a scuola, ________________________________________
per andare a lavorare.

The train is very reliable, and it takes only 30 minutes to reach the city.
Il treno è molto affidabile e _____________________ solamente ___________________ per arrivare in città.

On the way, I read the newspaper.
Durante il viaggio, leggo il giornale.

By 3 PM, I take the train back home.
_______________________________________________, prendo il treno e torno a casa.

At 4 PM, I pick up the children from school and take them home.
_______________________, io vado a prendere i miei figli dalla scuola e li porto a casa.

When I come home in the evening, I take off my coat and shoes and get changed into jeans or athletic wear to be more comfortable.
Quando torno a casa di sera, __________________________________________________________________________

e ________________________________________________________________________

per stare più comoda.

I make dinner for my children during the workweek, but on the weekend, we usually go out to eat for dinner.
Preparo la cena per i miei figli durante la settimana lavorativa, ma il fine settimana di solito ceniamo fuori.

Then I try to relax.
Più tardi, _________________________________________________________________.

I get undressed and put on my pajamas.
__________________________________________________________________________

e ________________________________________________________________il pigiama.

I watch the news on the television and fall asleep at 11:30 at night.
Guardo le notizie alla televisione e _________________________________________________________________________.

I start this same routine all over again the next morning!
Comincio di nuovo questa routine____________________________________________ !

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Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the
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Speak Italian: All About… What I Am Doing!