Italian sentence structure (word order)
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If you want to form a simple affirmative sentence, it's necessary to order three main elements first.
Simple affirmative sentence: Subject + Verb + Object
Italian | English |
---|---|
Marco guarda la televisione. | Marco is watching television. |
Il cantante saluta i fans. | The singer waves to the fans. |
L'albero è in giardino. | The tree is in the garden. |
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We can imagine other elements of the sentence as blocks. Each block has its own position.
Here's a recap of the possible spots in which you can collocate the linguistic elements you need.
(Adverb) | Subject (personal pronoun omittable) | Preposition + Information | Direct/Indirect/Reflexive pronoun | Verb | (Adverb) | [Adjective] | Direct object | [Adjective] | Indirect object | (Adverb) Complement | English |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(Oggi) | Maria | / | mi | porta | / | / | un maglione | rosso | / | (Oggi) | Today Maria will bring me a red sweater. |
/ | (Tu) | / | / | sei | sempre | un grande | amico | / | per Laura. | / | You are always a great friend for Laura. |
/ | La mia amica Sara | / | / | è andata | / | / | / | / | al mare | / | My friend Sara went to the sea. |
Domani | (io) | / | ti | chiamerò | brevemente | / | / | / | / | alle cinque. | Tomorrow I will briefly call you at five. |
/ | Il regalo | del compleanno | / | era | / | blu e giallo | / | / | / | / | The birthday present was blue and yellow. |
Articles are used to point out a noun or other substantivized parts of speech.
Remember! Italian nouns are always introduced by an article (either determinate, indeterminate or partitive).
Unlike English, in most cases personal pronouns could be omitted because the conjungated verb clearly shows the subject of the sentence.
Italian | English |
---|---|
(Io) Vado a scuola. | I go to school. |
(Noi) Mangiamo della pasta. | We eat some pasta. |
(Loro) Cantano molto forte. | They are singing very loudly. |
Direct and indirect object pronouns substitute another elment; reflexive pronouns stress that the action is carried out by the subject itself.
Pronouns: Subject/(Personal pronoun) + Direct/Indirect/Reflexive pronoun + Verb + Rest of the sentence
Italian | English |
---|---|
Io ti vedo. | I see you. |
Maria si lava i capelli. | Maria washes her hair. |
Mario la ama. | Mario loves her. |
Indirect object pronouns generally precede direct object pronouns.
Direct and indirect object pronouns: Subject/(Personal pronoun) + Indirect object pronouns + Direct object pronoun + Rest of the sentence
Italian | English |
---|---|
Il negozio te lo regala. | The store will gift it to you. |
Me la presteranno. | They will lend it to me. |
Te le restituirò. | I will give them back to you. |
In Italian sentences, direct objects precede indirect objects.
Direct and indirect objects: Subject/(Personal pronoun) + Verb + Direct object + Indirect object
Italian | English |
---|---|
Mario dà un libro a suo fratello. | Mario gives a book to his brother. |
La segretaria chiama un taxi al direttore. | The secretary calls the director a taxi. |
Michel regala una bici a suo figlio. | Michel gives a bike to his son. |
Unlike English, adjectives generally follow the noun they refer to.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Un maglione rosso | A red sweater |
Un libro noioso | A boring book |
Dei ragazzi interessanti | Some interesting guys |
Remember! Adjectives must always agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.
Adjectives can also precede the noun, and, in this case, the meaning conveyed is completely different.
This happens with adjectives such as: Buono (Good), Grande (Big), Bravo (Good), Vecchio (Old).
Noun + Adjective | Adjective + Noun |
---|---|
Un amico vecchio (A friend who is old) | Un vecchio amico (An old friend) |
Un uomo grande (A big man, in size) | Un grande uomo (An important man) |
Possessive adjectives help specify a possession. They agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.
Possessive adjective: Article + Possessive adjective + Noun + Rest of the sentence
Italian | English |
---|---|
La mia macchina è rotta. | My car is broken. |
Il suo accento è strano. | His accent is weird. |
I nostri zii sono arrivati. | Our uncles are here. |
Simple and articulated prepositions are used to introduce a quality, a possession, a location or direction of a noun or verb; they are usually placed after the element they refer to.
Prepositions: Subject/(Personal pronoun) + (Preposition + Information) + Verb + (Preposition + Information) + Rest of the sentence
Check out the following examples.
Italian | English |
---|---|
La casa di Maria è grande. | Maria's house is big. |
(Io) Viaggio da Roma a Parigi. | I travel from Rome to Paris. |
Adverbs generally add a piece of information about the main verb.
Adverbs: (Adverb) + Subject/(Personal pronoun) + Verb + (Adverb) + Rest of the sentence + (Adverb)
Adverbs of manner/ending in -mente: Subject/(Personal pronoun) + Verb + Adverb + Rest of the sentence
Italian | English |
---|---|
Luigi mangia velocemente. | Luigi eats quickly. |
Il cane cammina tranquillamente. | The dog walks calmly. |
Lui parlava chiaramente. | He was speaking in a clear way. |
Adverbs of place, time and frequency, quantity: (Adverb) + Subject/(Personal pronoun) + Verb + (Adverb) + Rest of the sentence + (Adverb)
These adverbs can go right after the verb as well as at the beginning or at the end of a sentence; it depends on the communicative intention.
Italian | English |
---|---|
Domani (io) andrò al mare. | Tomorrow I'll go to the sea. |
(Io) Ho preparato la cena stamattina. | I made dinner this morning. |
(Tu) Non ascolti mai la musica punk. | You never listen to punk music. |
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is absolutely fantastic and extremely helpful in preparing me at short notice for a PLIDA B2 exam. Great teacher, lovely person and I'd highly reccommend her to anyone in need of suport in learning italian.
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**Other time slots can be made available upon request. Don't hesitate to get in touch**
Native speaker from Paris with about 15 years of teaching experience. I’m well-travelled, and I’ve lived and worked in different parts of the world (Europe, Latin America, North America, Africa, Australia and a little bit in Asia).
I have a postgraduate degree (France) in Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies and I’m currently a freelance translator. I’ve previously worked at universities in France and abroad (South Africa/Australia) and have a solid experience in teaching (French Language, Literature, Philosophy, Cultural Studies, Creative Writing, etc.), designing courses, evaluating and guiding students, preparing students for exams/job interviews/professional presentations, managing a Language and Literature department at the university, presenting papers at academic conferences worldwide, publishing, translating and journalism. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to teach people with different profiles and from various backgrounds: international professionals, university students, beginner translators and teachers, high school students, retirees, travellers, francophiles, children (help with homework), etc.
Being an open-minded, flexible and patient teacher, I enjoy helping others to discover their potential and to explore it. Adapting myself to my students' needs, pace and objectives is essential for me, and designing the best way to work with each student is very stimulating and rewarding.
After the initial introductory lesson, I will design customised lesson plans that will evolve as you progress. We can also, at any time during the programme, change our working method if you wish to do so. I remain very flexible in that regard.
The learning materials will be varied, and we will choose together the themes and aspects of French language to be covered, in line with your objectives. In any case, I am very attentive in general, so please don't hesitate to make any suggestions.
Regardless of your level and objectives, I'm sure that we can find the best way possible to share and enjoy this French language adventure together.
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I've studied with Priscilla for a month already. For me, every lesson is a great experience! Priscilla is very considerate, supportive, and attentive to the needs of her students. Priscilla uses wide variety of materials and always finds something special for you, so you can both upgrade your knowledge and enjoy the process of learning :) After every lesson I feel more confident in my French :)
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is a profesional teacher in every way. She’s tailored the lessons for my level and we are working towards an specific goal. I’m super happy with her methodology and I’m looking forward to the next lesson! 100% recommended.
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Hi, guys! My name is Lucia and I would like to invite you to learn Italian with me.
I am both a native speaker and a QUALIFIED teacher, as I hold a post-graduate degree in “Teaching Italian as a second language” and a national certification as teacher of Italian to not-native speaking.
My teaching method is COMMUNICATION-oriented and involves also the study of Italian culture and grammar. Indeed, as it happens in your mother language, the knowledge of spare words is not enough to get able to speak (i.e. INTERACT!) properly and conveniently.
I’ll prepare for you all teaching materials, tailoring lessons to your needs and interests, taking advantage from both the huge number of textbooks I hold and my creativity!
I offer lessons for all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced, as well as support in preparation to certification exams (I am also qualified ad examiner for the oral part of CELI).
Do not hesitate to get in contact with me to find a suitable time-slot for your trial lesson!
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Lucia is an excellent teacher of the Italian language with an excellent methodology, with a perfectly organized and individualized teaching program that meets the needs and level of each student and with a willingness to offer multidimensional tools to achieve the purpose of the courses. At the same time, she is an extremely noble and pleasant person, with amazing contagion in her field! An excellent teacher whom I feel extremely lucky to have met!
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Hi, guys! My name is Lucia and I would like to invite you to learn Italian with me.
I am both a native speaker and a QUALIFIED teacher, as I hold a post-graduate degree in “Teaching Italian as a second language” and a national certification as teacher of Italian to not-native speaking.
My teaching method is COMMUNICATION-oriented and involves also the study of Italian culture and grammar. Indeed, as it happens in your mother language, the knowledge of spare words is not enough to get able to speak (i.e. INTERACT!) properly and conveniently.
I’ll prepare for you all teaching materials, tailoring lessons to your needs and interests, taking advantage from both the huge number of textbooks I hold and my creativity!
I offer lessons for all levels, from absolute beginners to advanced, as well as support in preparation to certification exams (I am also qualified ad examiner for the oral part of CELI).
Do not hesitate to get in contact with me to find a suitable time-slot for your trial lesson!
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Wonderful teacher with a broad knowledge of the structures of various languages, which I think helps to better understand students’ needs depending on their native language. Lucia uses a sophisticated platform where a student can easily find all the materials, test, or ask questions in the preparation for the next class. The class is structured in a very entertaining way, and she also has an examination focused approach if needed. Great experience, totally recommend.
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Hello, I'm Paul originally from London, I've been teaching adults for 9 years online and in person, individually and in groups. I'm passionate about teaching and helping people improve their communication, I really like travelling and realise how important english can be for people's jobs and social lives so I do whatever I can so my students reach their objectives.
I love hearing people's opinions and discussing lots of subjects and I base my classes on your interests.
I have a very high success rate preparing students for exams and can offer some great tips and advice to help you pass whatever exam you're studying for.
If you'd like to meet to discuss your needs select a free lesson and you can see if you think I'm the right person to help you with your English. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thanks!
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Paul is a well-structrured, certified and experienced teacher. He is passionate about teaching English and is a very good choice as a teacher.
This review was written by a coLanguage team member during a manual screening of this teacher profile.
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Hello Everybody
My name is Luisa and I teach Italian for foreign students, English, French and German for Italian students
Since 1994, I have dedicated myself to translating and teaching thanks to my travels, abroad studies, foreign reading and writing. I provide fun and customized lessons based on the student's goals. I also triy to minimize English speaking during the lessons. I give homework exercises, and my lessons are intermixed with grammar, conversation, customs and traditions. My goal is to make certain that each student finds learning Italian exciting.
I am available for any explanations also via e mail
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Luisa is wonderful! She takes what my specific goals for learning Italian (how to communicate while traveling around Italy) into consideration and created an individualized lesson plan.
Luisa A.Dear Shraddha thank you, thank you so much for your kind message. It was a real pleasure to meet you !!! See you on Friday ciao ciao
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Ana is a genuinely nice person and her kindness and gentleness comes through in the lessons. I thoroughly enjoy Ana’s teaching , it’s informative and tailored exactly to what I want to achieve. I wholeheartedly recommend Ana as your Spanish tutor.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is super nice! Super professional and lessons delivered in a informal and enjoyable way! Thanks Daniela :)
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is a wonderful teacher and a pleasure to talk to. Any student would be lucky to have her as a teacher. Thank you Daniela for your help with my Italian!!!
Daniela V.Ciao Robbie, thanks a lot for your feedback. I'm very happy you like the classes together and I'll do my best to keep them as fun and interesting as possible :-)
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Hello, everybody ! My name is Elena. I’m a native Italian speaker, I’m 49 years old and live in Turin. I am a certified CEDILS teacher, I graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature in Milan and have been working as a teacher of Italian for more than 10 years. I speak English and German. I attended specialization courses for Italian L2 teachers and I am interviewer for C1 PLIDA exam.
Are you seeking a friendly and dynamic study environment ? I got what you need. I am looking forward to being in touch with new students and organize pleasant, interesting and fruitful courses.
Do you wish to learn or improve your Italian to speak with your parents or friends? Do you need Italian for work or study ? Do you simply love Italian language and culture ? Do you need to improve your writing skills ?
My classes are tailored on your needs and considering your level of knowledge, I create a proper course plan. Classes focus on language and on the possibility for you to improve your ability to speak and understand Italian in your daily life or in work.
I offer 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 tuition, general Italian courses (grammar, conversation, listening, reading and writing), preparation to Italian examinations (all levels, also Italian for residence permit) and Italian and culture courses.
Grammar, vocabulary exercises, reading articles and magazines and talking together are all tools to feel at ease with the Italian language and then be able to practice it.
I have worked with children, adolescents and adults for all levels of Italian, from beginner to advanced. I have experience in preparing students to international certification (CILS, PLIDA). I was an A2/B1 Telc examiner.
Learning Italian can be closely related to culture, literature, music, sport and any other interest of my students.
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Elena is an incredible teacher. She has great methodology and knowledge to assist the student in his needs. She helps you to see your potential and gives feedback helping you to improve your knowledge of the language. Thanks Elena for you support in this process.
Elena F.Thanks so much ! It is a pleasure to work with you, you are a very good and very very nice student.
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**Other time slots can be made available upon request. Don't hesitate to get in touch**
Native speaker from Paris with about 15 years of teaching experience. I’m well-travelled, and I’ve lived and worked in different parts of the world (Europe, Latin America, North America, Africa, Australia and a little bit in Asia).
I have a postgraduate degree (France) in Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies and I’m currently a freelance translator. I’ve previously worked at universities in France and abroad (South Africa/Australia) and have a solid experience in teaching (French Language, Literature, Philosophy, Cultural Studies, Creative Writing, etc.), designing courses, evaluating and guiding students, preparing students for exams/job interviews/professional presentations, managing a Language and Literature department at the university, presenting papers at academic conferences worldwide, publishing, translating and journalism. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to teach people with different profiles and from various backgrounds: international professionals, university students, beginner translators and teachers, high school students, retirees, travellers, francophiles, children (help with homework), etc.
Being an open-minded, flexible and patient teacher, I enjoy helping others to discover their potential and to explore it. Adapting myself to my students' needs, pace and objectives is essential for me, and designing the best way to work with each student is very stimulating and rewarding.
After the initial introductory lesson, I will design customised lesson plans that will evolve as you progress. We can also, at any time during the programme, change our working method if you wish to do so. I remain very flexible in that regard.
The learning materials will be varied, and we will choose together the themes and aspects of French language to be covered, in line with your objectives. In any case, I am very attentive in general, so please don't hesitate to make any suggestions.
Regardless of your level and objectives, I'm sure that we can find the best way possible to share and enjoy this French language adventure together.
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Priscilla is a very competent and experienced French teacher. She prepares the lessons very carefully and focuses on all relevant aspects such as conversation, grammar and vocabulary. Above all, she has a very friendly personality that makes you feel at ease immediately. I can highly recommend her as a French teacher.
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Hi, I'm Dajana, I'm 31 years old and I come from Naples.
I am graduated in Foreign Languages and Litteratures and I have a II Level Master degree in Teaching Italian as Second Language.
I have teached italian to foreign people, above all adults at any age, in several NGOs and social cooperatives in the last 4 years.
How will I teach you italian? By playing!
I know that studying a language by reading a grammar book and mechanically completing the attached exercises can be boring and above all does not train your mind.
Learning instead should be a pleasure, so I like to use small funny videos, songs, puzzles and so on.
I also prefer the inductive method so that you can understand how Italian works on your own and then fix the grammatical rules together.
That way you’ll learn Italian without even realizing it!
But all this depends on you and how you prefer to study. I will be very happy to adopt the method that suits your case. The most important thing is that you get your goals with pleasure!
Don’t you think studying can be a pleasure? Join me and you’ll find out!
Cheers,
Dajana
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Dajana adapts to the profile of its students and their constraints, while ensuring follow-up between each lesson. The lessons also work very well in groups. I am very satisfied. Dajana adapts to its students and their constraints. She's also keen on ensuring a follow up between lessons. It also works very well in groups. I am fully satisfied
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
See you online!
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Daniela is a wonderful teacher. I really had difficulty properly expressing myself in Italian. Daniela not only tought me the basic rules of Italian grammar, but more importantly, during our many conversations in Italian, she helped me express myself much better and with confidence. I still have some path to go, particulalry deepening my knowledge of grammar. The next phase that I will start in a couple of months will focus on perfectionning that. I hope Daniela will find the time to work with me again
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