Writing Italian Emails: Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice
Writing Italian Emails is a good way to connect with Italian family and friends and also to practice using the Italian subjunctive mood!
Check out our two blogs below for tips on how to write Italian emails.
Check out the Italian email dialogues that start each of our two blogs below and notice which situations use the Italian subjunctive mood. Have questions about the Italian grammar used in the emails below? Click on the link that follows each blog to read about the Italian grammar used in each email.
Writing Italian Emails: Planning Your Italian Vacation
Planning your Italian vacation?
Use our Italian subjunctive mood practice tips
when writing your own Italian email!
Revisit the Italian subjunctive mode!
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice: Planning Your Italian Vacation
For our second Italian subjunctive mood practice email, we will continue with the story of Caterina and Francesca, two Italian cousins who are living in different cities and trying to reconnect.
Then, we will provide the link for “What You Need to Know” to understand this email and write one of your own. The link to our full blog will describe the following: first, we will present a review of how to describe visiting someone using the verb trovare. Then we will present information about Italian reflexive verbs of emotion and of self-action, and the different meanings of verbs with reflexive and non-reflexive forms. We will also discuss use of Italian prepositions regarding the different places we go in our daily lives and regarding time. Finally, we will describe how to use Italian verbs as nouns.
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Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice: Planning Your Italian Vacation
A note about the Italian subjunctive mood: to express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, because we only rarely use this tense in English, and it’s something that I am always working on! This is the second blog post in the “Italian Practice” series that focuses on how to use the Italian subjunctive mood, or “il congiuntivo,” when writing an email to your family.
To review how to express one’s feelings using the subjunctive mood and how to conjugate the subjunctive mood in the present tense, see our Italian Subjunctive Mode Series Parts 1-3.
Enjoy the second blog post in this series, “Italian Subjunctive Practice: Planning Your Italian Family Vacation.”
—Kathryn Occhipinti
Some of 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 instructor Simona Giuggioli.
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice Writing Italian Emails:
Planning Your Italian Vacation
How many phrases that use the subjunctive mood can you pick out of the following emails? Hint: these phrases usually include the word “che.” Look for the underlined phrases for help! Notice that the future tense does NOT have a subjunctive mode! Also, look for reflexive verbs of emotion and self-action and special phrases of visiting that have been italicized for easier comprehension.
Remember these examples as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you try to speak Italian and try out the subjunctive mode in your next Italian conversation!
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice
Writing Italian Emails when
Planning Your Italian Vacation:
An Email to Francesca
Cara cugina Francesca,
Dear Cousin Frances,
Leggere la tua ultima email mi rende* molto contenta!
Reading your last email makes me very happy!
Sono molto contenta che tu e i tuoi figli possiate venire a trovarmi in Abruzzo.
I am very happy that you and your children can come to visit me in Abruzzo.
Mi dispiace che tuo marito non possa venire con voi.
I am sorry that your husband cannot come with you all.
Di solito, ti prendi cura di lui molto bene ogni giorno!
Usually, you take care of him very well every day!
Ed ora, dobbiamo fare il programma!
And now, we must make up the itinerary!
Spero che tu possa arrivare la domenica prima di Ferragosto.
I hope that you can arrive the Sunday before the Ferragosto holiday.
Per prima cosa, io vorrei portarti a trovare i nostri zii.
First, I want to take you to visit our aunt and uncle.
Sono anziani e io dovrei andare a trovarli ogni domenica.
They are elderly and I should go to visit them every Sunday.
Dopo che andiamo in chiesa di mattina, dobbiamo andare a casa loro.
After we go to church in the morning, we should go to their house.
Sono sicura che nostra zia preparerà una buona cena per noi.
I am sure that our aunt will make a wonderful dinner for us.
Lunedì, vorrei andare in montagna a fare un picnic.
On Monday, I would like to go to the mountains to have a picnic.
Per me, restare in montagne dovrebbe essere molto bello con l’aria fresca e gli alberi verdi.
For me, a stay in the mountains would be very beautiful with the fresh air and the green trees.
Dovremmo avere una buona giornata, no?
We should have a good day, no?
Possiamo prendere un buon apertivo come un Aperol Spritz e chiacchierare un po.’
We can have a nice apertif like an Aperol Spritz and chat a bit.
I ragazzi saranno anche molto contenti di giocare insieme fuori.
The kids will also be very happy to play together outdoors.
Mi piacerebbe molto restare in montagna due or tre giorni.
I would really like to stay in the mountains for two or three days.
Possiamo restare all’Albergo Grande vicino a Capistrello per due o tre giorni.
We could stay at the Albergo Grande Hotel near Capistrello for two or three days.
Tu ricordi che il padrone è anche mio cugino.
You remember that the owner is also my cousin.
Prima che tu ritorni, dobbiamo fare la spesa.
Before you return, we could go grocery shopping.
Puoi comprare il cibo tipico del nostro paese.
You can buy food typical of our town.
Puoi dirmi la verità—il pane a Roma non è buono come il nostro in Abruzzo!
You can tell me the truth—the bread in Rome is not good like ours in Abruzzo!
Pensaci. Fammi sapere che pensi di questo programma!
Let me know what you think of this itinerary!
Non vedo l’ora di vederti!
I can’t wait to see you! (idiomatic expression)
Abbracci e baci,
Hugs and kisses,
Caterina
Kathy
*From the verb rendere, which can mean “to render,” or “to make,” as in “to become.”
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice
Writing Italian Emails when
Planning Your Italian Vacation:
A Reply Email to Caterina
Cara cugina Caterina,
Dear Cousin Kathy,
Mi sembra che il tuo programma sarà meraviglioso!
It seems (to me) that your schedule will be marvelous!
Sarei molto contenta di restare in montagna con te!
I would be very happy to stay in the mountains with you!
Dopo avere letto la tua email mi sono resa conto che mi mancano molto le montagne dell’Abruzzo.
After having read your email, I realized that I really miss the Abruzzo mountains.
Dopo, andiamo a fare la spesa insieme a Capistrello e così posso portare del buon pane a Roma quando torno!
Afterward, let’s go grocery shopping together in Capistrello, so I can bring some good bread to Rome when I return!
Ho anche una buona idea—
I also have a great idea—
Forse tu puoi venire a trovarmi a Roma e possiamo fare shopping di vestiti.
Perhaps you can come to visit me in Rome, and we can go shopping for clothes.
Lo sai ci sono molti bei negozi di moda a Roma!
You know there are many wonderful, fashionable shops in Rome!
Qualche volta mi annoio di vivere a Roma senza te.
Sometimes I get bored living in Rome without you.
Ma, non mi sono arrabiata con mio marito due anni fa quando ci siamo trasferiti a Roma.
But I didn’t get mad with my husband two years ago when we moved to Rome.
Mi piacerebbe molto andare a trovare i nostri zii in Abruzzo.
I would really like to go to see our aunt and uncle in Abruzzo.
Mi ricordo di avere cenato molto bene a casa di zia Rosa!
I remember having eaten very well at Aunt Rose’s house!
Sarà molto divertente!
It will be very entertaining!
Ci vediamo presto!
See you soon! (Literally “We will see each other soon!”)
Francesca
Frances
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice Email: What You Will Need to Know…
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice:
Planning Your Italian VacationYou Will Need to Know…
Phrases That Describe Visiting People
Reflexive Verbs of Emotion
How to Say, “I realized…” or “I noticed”
Reflexive Verbs of Self-Action
“Prendersi Cura di…” and “Occuparsi di…”
Reflexive Phrase of Taking CareDifferent Meanings of Verbs
with Regular and Reflexive Forms
Italian Prepositions “a” and “in” for Places
Italian Preposition “di” for Time of Day
How to Use the Italian Infinitive Verb
as a Noun
Read the “What you need to know” sections in our full blog. Click here!
Writing Italian Emails to Italian Families: Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice: Emailing Italian Families
For our first Italian subjunctive mood practice email blog, we will follow the story of Caterina and Francesca, two Italian cousins who are living in different cities and trying to reconnect.
Then we will present the link for: information about Italian greetings and salutations used in informal and formal types of written communication in Italy; descriptions of how to use the Italian adverb “ci,” and how to make command forms with the verb fare; how to conjugate and use the Italian reflexive verbs of self movement. Finally, we will compare the American and Italian school systems that play such a large part in everyday family life in America and Italy today.
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Italian Practice: Email and the Italian Subjunctive Mood
A note about the Italian subjunctive mood: to express complex feelings in Italian correctly, it is important to use the Italian subjunctive mood. Using the subjunctive mood is difficult for English speakers, because we only rarely use this tense in English, and it’s something that I am always working on! This is the first blog post in the “Italian Practice” series that focuses on how to use the Italian subjunctive mood, or “il congiuntivo,” when writing an email to your family.
To review how to express one’s feelings using the subjunctive mood and how to conjugate the subjunctive mood in the present tense, see our Italian Subjunctive Mood Series, Parts 1-3
Enjoy the first blog post in this series, “Italian Subjunctive Practice: Emailing Italian Families.”
—Kathryn Occhipinti
Some of 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 instructors Simona Giuggioli and Maria Vanessa Colapinto.
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice Email: All about… Family
How many phrases that use the subjunctive mood can you pick out of the following emails? Hint: these phrases usually include the word “che.” Look for the underlined phrases for help! And beware those phrases that sound like they should take the subjunctive but do not—these can also be found in the emails below!
Remember these examples as “anchors” in your knowledge for when you try to speak Italian and try out the subjunctive mood in your next Italian conversation!
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice
Writing Italian Emails to the Family:
An Email to Francesca
Cara cugina Francesca,
Dear Cousin Frances,
Quanto tempo è passato da quando ti sei trasferita dall’Abruzzo a Roma!
How much time has passed since you have moved from Abruzzo to Rome!
Spero che tu stia bene.
I hope that you are well.
Spero anche che tuo marito e i tuoi figli stiano bene.
I also hope that your husband and children are well.
È peccato che tu e la tua famiglia vi siate trasferiti cosi lontano da vostra cugina che vi vuole bene.
It is a shame that you and your family have moved so far from the cousin that cares for you all so much.
Come sta la piccola Eleonora?
How is little Eleanor?
Penso che Eleonora debba essere cresciuta molto.
I’m thinking that Eleanor must have grown a lot.
Penso che Eleonora abbia dieci anni, ora, no?
I think that Eleanor is 10 years old, now, no?
Mi sembra che Eleonora debba essere una bella ragazzina ora!
It seems to me that Eleanor must be a beautiful little girl now!
E Giovanni, come sta?
And how is John?
È probabile che Giovanni sia alto e forte e un bravo ragazzo!
I bet that (probably) John is tall and strong and a very good boy!
È incredibile che il tempo passi cosi in fretta!
It’s incredible that the time has passed so quickly!
Si dicono in inglese che “il tempo vola,” e per me è vero!
They say in English that “time flies,” and for me, it is true!
Immagino che tuo marito sia contento con il suo lavoro a Roma.
I imagine that your husband is happy with his job in Rome.
Ma non sono sicura che tu sia felice di vivere là.
But I am not sure that you are happy living there.
Forse tu sei felice di vivere in una città per un po’ di tempo, ma lo so che ti piace molto la campagna.
Maybe you are happy living for a little bit in the city, but I know that you like the country a lot.
Per me, è molto difficile vivere senza di te, mia cara cugina.
For me, it is very difficult living without you, my dearest cousin.
Mi manchi molto!
I miss you so much!
Vorrei che tu venga a trovarmi in Abruzzo quest’estate.
I would like you to come and visit me in Abruzzo this summer.
Pensaci e fammi sapere. Mandami un’email.
Think about it and let me know. Send me an email.
Spero che tu abbia un buon weekend!
I hope that you have a good weekend!
Scrivimi presto!
Write me soon!
Baci e abbracci,
Kisses and hugs,
Caterina
Kathy
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice
Writing Italian Emails to the Family:
A Reply Email to Caterina
Cara cugina Caterina,
Dear Cousin Kathy,
Ero molto contenta di sentire le tue notizie.
I was very happy to hear from you.
La mia famiglia sta molto bene, ed Eleonora e Giovanni sono cresciuti molto in questi due anni che siamo stati a Roma.
My family is very well, and Eleanor and John have grown in these last two years that we have been in Rome.
Eleanora fa il quinto anno di scuola elementare e Giovanni fa il primo anno di liceo.
Eleanor is in the 5th grade, and John is in his first year of high school.
Tutti e due sono bravi figli ed io e mio marito Giuseppe siamo molto orgogliosi di loro.
Both are good children, and my husband Joe and I are very proud of them.
Ho una buona notizia!
I have good news!
Sono libera di viaggiare in Abruzzo quest’estate in agosto per Ferragosto!
I am free to travel to Abruzzo this summer in August for the Ferragosto holiday!
Mi auguro che tu abbia tempo disponibile questo Ferragosto.
I hope that you have time free this Ferragosto.
Tu mi manchi molto, mia bella cugina!
I miss you very much, my beautiful cousin!
Noi siamo certi di avere una buona visita.
We are certain to have a wonderful visit!
Restiamo in contatto e spero di vederti presto!
Stay in contact, and I hope to see you soon!
Ti voglio molto bene.
I care for you very much.
Tanti baci!
Lots of kisses!
Francesca
Frances
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice Email: What You Will Need to Know…
Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice:
Writing Italian Emails to Italian Families:You Will Need to Know…
Italian Practice: Emailing Italian Families
You Will Need to Know…
Phrases That Take the Italian Subjunctive ModeItalian Greetings for Family Emails, Texts, and Letters
Italian Greetings for Formal Emails and Letters
Commonly Used Italian Abbreviations for Business Greetings
Italian Salutations for Emails, Texts, and Letters
How to Use the Italian Adverb “Ci”
Common Italian Command Forms with Fare
Italian Reflexive Verbs for Self-Movement
Read the “What You Need to Know” Sections in our full blog. Click here!
The Italian School System
The Italian school system is similar to the U.S. school system. School years are divided into primary, middle, and secondary, or “high” school years. College is referred to as “university,” and in the past, a “university degree” entailed 6 years of education, similar to a master’s degree in the United States. Some 4-year university degrees are now also available in Italy. Below is a comparative list of the American and Italian school systems with the number of years children spend in each level.
American and Italian School Systems
| U.S. School | Years | Italian School | Years |
| Primary school | 6 | Scuola Elementare/la prima elementare | 5 |
| Middle school | 2 | Scuola Secondaria/Scuola Media/la prima media | 3 |
| High school | 4 | Liceo/il primo liceo | 5 |
Talking about the Italian School System
For elementary school, if a child is in the 1st through 5th years of school:
Anna va alla scuola elementare.
Anna goes to the grade school.
Anna è in prima (classe) elementare. (seconda, terza, quarta, quinta classe)
Anna fa il primo anno di scuola elementare. (secondo, terzo, quarto, quinto anno)
Anna is in the first year/1st grade of elementary school. (second, third, fourth, fifth year/2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th grade)
For middle school, if a child is in the 6th through 8th years of school:
Anna va alla scuola secondaria. or Anna va alla scuola media.
Anna goes to junior high school. or Anna goes to middle school.
Anna è in prima (classe) media. (seconda, terza classe)
Anna fa il primo anno di scuola media. (secondo, terzo anno)
Anna is in the first year/6th grade of middle school. (second, third year/7th, 8th grade)
For high school, if a child is in the 9th through 13th years of school, we can use similar phrases. Notice that there is no special title like “freshman, sophomore, junior, senior” for high school.
Anna va alla scuola superiore. or Anna va al liceo.
Anna goes to high school.
Anna è in prima (classe) liceo. (seconda, terza, quarta, quinta classe)
Anna fa il primo anno di liceo. (secondo, terzo, quarto, quinto anno)
Anna is in the first year/9th grade of high school. (second, third, fourth, fifth year/10th, 11th, 12th, 13th grade)
-Some of this material is adapted from Conversational Italian for Travelers, © 2012 by Stella Lucente, LLC.
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, is the author of the
Conversational Italian for Travelers series of books and a teacher of Italian for travelers to Italy in the Peoria and Chicago area.
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Writing Italian Emails: Italian Subjunctive Mood Practice
