Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Consuelo: Hello everyone! I'm Consuelo, and welcome to ItalianPOD101.com.
Ruggero: With us, you'll learn to speak Italian with fun and effective lessons.
Consuelo: We also provide you with cultural insights...
Ruggero: ...and tips you won't find in a textbook.
Ruggero: In today's class, we will focus on how to employ the imperfetto tense.
Consuelo: This conversation takes place at a restaurant.
Ruggero: It's between Alessio and Melissa.
Consuelo: In this conversation, they will be speaking informal Italian.
DIALOGUE
Alessio: Ah, quindi tua nonna è italiana?
Melissa: Sì, la nonna Gina è di Pisa. Purtroppo il nonno non c'è più.
Alessio: Ah capisco.
Melissa: Quando ero piccola la nonna veniva a trovarmi in America con lo zio.
Alessio: Perché tua madre non ti ha insegnato l'italiano?
Melissa: Semplice. Perché io non volevo, da bambina ero molto testarda.
Alessio: Perché adesso come sei?
Melissa: Sono adulta e sono più condiscendente.
Alessio: Mah, insomma…
Melissa: Alessio!
Alessio: Ti ricordo che a Siena mentre ti dicevo di prendere quella strada tu insistevi di andare dalla parte opposta.
English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly.
Alessio: Ah, quindi tua nonna è italiana?
Melissa: Sì, la nonna Gina è di Pisa. Purtroppo il nonno non c'è più.
Alessio: Ah capisco.
Melissa: Quando ero piccola la nonna veniva a trovarmi in America con lo zio.
Alessio: Perché tua madre non ti ha insegnato l'italiano?
Melissa: Semplice. Perché io non volevo, da bambina ero molto testarda.
Alessio: Perché adesso come sei?
Melissa: Sono adulta e sono più condiscendente.
Alessio: Mah, insomma…
Melissa: Alessio!
Alessio: Ti ricordo che a Siena mentre ti dicevo di prendere quella strada tu insistevi di andare dalla parte opposta.
English Host: Now let’s hear it with the English translation.
Alessio: Ah, quindi tua nonna è italiana?
Ruggero: Ah, so your grandmother is Italian?
Melissa: Sì, la nonna Gina è di Pisa. Purtroppo il nonno non c'è più.
Ruggero: Yes, grandmother Gina is from Pisa. Unfortunately, grandfather is not with us anymore.
Alessio: Ah capisco.
Ruggero: Ah, I understand.
Melissa: Quando ero piccola la nonna veniva a trovarmi in America con lo zio.
Ruggero: When I was little, grandma used to come visit me in the United States with my uncle.
Alessio: Perché tua madre non ti ha insegnato l'italiano?
Ruggero: Why didn't your mother teach you Italian?
Melissa: Semplice. Perché io non volevo, da bambina ero molto testarda.
Ruggero: Simple, because I didn't want her to. As I child, I was very stubborn.
Alessio: Perché adesso come sei?
Ruggero: And how are you now?
Melissa: Sono adulta e sono più condiscendente.
Ruggero: I'm an adult and more accommodating.
Alessio: Mah, insomma…
Ruggero: Well, sort of…
Melissa: Alessio!
Ruggero: Alessio!
Alessio: Ti ricordo che a Siena mentre ti dicevo di prendere quella strada tu insistevi di andare dalla parte opposta.
Ruggero: I remind you that in Siena, while I was telling you to take that street, you insisted on going the opposite way.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Ruggero: Now we know more about Melissa's story.
Consuelo: Yes, it looks like she has Italian relatives.
Ruggero: "Nonna" and "zio." I also assume that the mother is Italian.
Consuelo: I think so.
Ruggero: But actually, she learned Italian recently.
Consuelo: Yes, you know, Ruggero, sometimes it happens that parents or relatives don't teach Italian to sons, daughters, or nephews and nieces.
Ruggero: Sometimes one just doesn't have the opportunity or the baby is hostile and doesn't want to learn another language.
VOCAB LIST
Ruggero: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.
The first word we shall see is:
Consuelo: nonna [natural native speed]
Ruggero: grandmother
Consuelo: nonna [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: nonna [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: zio [natural native speed]
Ruggero: uncle
Consuelo: zio [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: zio [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: insegnare [natural native speed]
Ruggero: to teach
Consuelo: insegnare [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: insegnare [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: testardo [natural native speed]
Ruggero: stubborn
Consuelo: testardo [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: testardo [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: condiscendente [natural native speed]
Ruggero: accommodating
Consuelo: condiscendente [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: condiscendente [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: insistere [natural native speed]
Ruggero: to insist
Consuelo: insistere [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: insistere [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: opposto [natural native speed]
Ruggero: opposite
Consuelo: opposto [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: opposto [natural native speed]
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
Ruggero: Let's have a closer look at the usuage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
Ruggero: Consuelo, what word are we studying today?
Consuelo: Today we're studying words about "la famiglia."
Ruggero: One's "family."
Consuelo: In the dialogue, Melissa talks about her family and mentions her "nonno" and her "zio."
Ruggero: Her "grandfather" and her "uncle."
Consuelo: The feminine versions for these nouns are "nonna" and "zia."
Ruggero: "Grandmother" and "aunt."
Consuelo: Do you know other words indicating a family relationship?
Ruggero: Mmm, yes. "Cugino" and "cugina."
Consuelo: Oh, those are the "cousins." Good, and how do we say "parents-in-law?"
Ruggero: We say "suoceri."
Consuelo: "La suocera" and "il suocero." The "mother-in-law" and the "father-in-law."
Ruggero: Are we missing someone?
Consuelo: I think yes, "il cognato" and "la cognata."
Ruggero: The "brother-in-law" and the "sister-in-law."
Consuelo: Now you can introduce your family in Italian.
Ruggero: "Grazie," Consuelo.

Lesson focus

Consuelo: Let's take a look at today's grammar point.
Ruggero: In today's class, we focus on how to employ the "imperfetto" tense.
Consuelo: As we mentioned in the previous lesson, in English the "imperfetto" tense corresponds to "used to," "would," or "was + -ing."
Ruggero: While forming it is very easy, choosing when to employ this tense is more complicated.
Consuelo: However, the meaning of "imperfetto" in Italian is "non perfetto," which is "not exact."
Ruggero: That's a good hint to better understand why it is not used when indicating the exact time a past event happened, especially when using detailed expressions of time.
Consuelo: That's why a sentence like "leggevo per due ore poi sono uscito" or "oggi pranzavo a mezzogiorno" is inappropriate.
Ruggero: In these cases, we should employ the "passato prossimo" tense.
Consuelo: "Ho letto per due ore poi sono uscito."
Ruggero: "I read for two hours, and then I went out."
Consuelo: "Oggi ho pranzato a mezzogiorno."
Ruggero: "Today I had lunch at noon."
Consuelo: On the other hand, we use "imperfetto" when indicating habits in the past.
Ruggero: In other words, when talking about a regular activity in the past.
Consuelo: What people used to do or things that used, or didn't use, to happen.
Ruggero: For example, Consuelo?
Consuelo: "Da studente andavo sempre in vacanza a Rimini."
Ruggero: "As a student, I always used to go on holiday in Rimini."
Consuelo: "Quando eravamo bambini non giocavamo ai videogiochi."
Ruggero: "When we were children, we did not play video games."
Consuelo: In today's conversation, Melissa says, "Quando ero piccola la nonna veniva a trovarmi in America con lo zio."
Ruggero: "When I was little, my grandmother used to come and visit me in America with my uncle."
Consuelo: Another usage of "imperfetto" concerns parallel actions…
Ruggero: When describing a past action that was in progress when something else interrupted it.
Consuelo: The interrupting action is expressed at the "passato prossimo."
Ruggero: The "imperfetto" is used in a series of events that happened simultaneously and continued for a certain amount of time. For instance?
Consuelo: "Stavamo parlando quando Roberto è entrato nella stanza."
Ruggero: "We were talking when Roberto entered the room."
Consuelo: "Mentre ascoltavo la musica preparavo una torta."
Ruggero: "While I was listening to music, I was preparing a cake."
Consuelo: In the dialogue, Alessio blames Melissa when he says, "Mentre ti dicevo di prendere quella strada tu insistevi di andare dalla parte opposta."
Ruggero: "While I was telling you to take that street, you insisted on going the opposite way."

Outro

Ruggero: That just about does it for today.
Consuelo: Listeners, can you understand Italian TV shows, movies or songs?
Ruggero: How about friends and loved ones? conversations in Italian?
Consuelo: If you want to know what's going on, we have a tool to help.
Ruggero: Line-by-line audio.
Consuelo: Listen to the lesson conversations Line-By-Line, and learn to understand natural Italian fast!
Ruggero: It's simple really.
Consuelo: With a click of a button, listen to each line of the conversation.
Ruggero: Listen again and again, and tune your ear to natural Italian.
Consuelo: Rapidly understand natural Italian with this powerful tool.
Ruggero: Find this feature on the lesson page under Premium Member resources at ItalianPod101.com.

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