Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Marco: Hello, and welcome to ItalianPOD101.com, the fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Italian!
Consuelo: I'm Consuelo, and thanks again for being here with us for this Absolute Beginner S2 lesson.
Marco: In today's class, we will focus on reflexive verbs.
Consuelo: This conversation takes place in a swimming pool.
Marco: It's between Melissa and Ilaria.
Consuelo: They will be speaking informal Italian.
DIALOGUE
Ilaria: Nuoti molto bene, complimenti.
Melissa: Grazie, ma adesso sono stanchissima. E tu? Ti alleni tutti i giorni?
Ilaria: No, no. Vengo in piscina due volte al mese, nuoto, mi distraggo un po'.
Melissa: Fai bene. Quando torni in piscina dimmelo che veniamo insieme. Adesso però ho veramente fame.
Ilaria: Sei sempre la solita! Dai, adesso ci laviamo poi usciamo e cerchiamo un posto dove mangiare qualcosa.
Melissa: Sì, ho proprio bisogno di riprendere le energie!
Ilaria: Fuori adesso fa un po' fresco dobbiamo metterci la giacca.
Melissa: Vero. Andiamo a fare la doccia adesso.
English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly.
Ilaria: Nuoti molto bene, complimenti.
Melissa: Grazie, ma adesso sono stanchissima. E tu? Ti alleni tutti i giorni?
Ilaria: No, no. Vengo in piscina due volte al mese, nuoto, mi distraggo un po'.
Melissa: Fai bene. Quando torni in piscina dimmelo che veniamo insieme. Adesso però ho veramente fame.
Ilaria: Sei sempre la solita! Dai, adesso ci laviamo poi usciamo e cerchiamo un posto dove mangiare qualcosa.
Melissa: Sì, ho proprio bisogno di riprendere le energie!
Ilaria: Fuori adesso fa un po' fresco dobbiamo metterci la giacca.
Melissa: Vero. Andiamo a fare la doccia adesso.
English Host: Now let’s hear it with the English translation.
Ilaria: Nuoti molto bene, complimenti.
Marco: You swim very well, well done.
Melissa: Grazie, ma adesso sono stanchissima. E tu? Ti alleni tutti i giorni?
Marco: Thank you, but now I'm very tired. And you? Do you train every day?
Ilaria: No, no. Vengo in piscina due volte al mese, nuoto, mi distraggo un po'.
Marco: No. I come to the swimming pool twice a month. I swim and take my mind off things for a while.
Melissa: Fai bene. Quando torni in piscina dimmelo che veniamo insieme. Adesso però ho veramente fame.
Marco: That's good. When you come back to the swimming pool again, let me know. We can come together. But now I'm really hungry.
Ilaria: Sei sempre la solita! Dai, adesso ci laviamo poi usciamo e cerchiamo un posto dove mangiare qualcosa.
Marco: You're always the same! Come on, now we wash ourselves and then get out and find a place to eat something.
Melissa: Sì, ho proprio bisogno di riprendere le energie!
Marco: Yes, I really need to regain some energy!
Ilaria: Fuori adesso fa un po' fresco dobbiamo metterci la giacca.
Marco: It's a bit cool outside now; we must wear a jacket.
Melissa: Vero. Andiamo a fare la doccia adesso.
Marco: True. Let's go take a shower now.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Consuelo: Do you like swimming, Marco?
Marco: Oh yes, I really like "nuotare," but I never go to the swimming pool. I don't have much time.
Consuelo: I know what you mean. "Mi piace nuotare," meaning "I like swimming," but I find it more exciting in the sea. "Meglio al mare che in piscina."
Marco: "Better in the sea than in the pool," that's true. I like diving though. It's so much fun.
Consuelo: Wow, "complimenti!"
Marco: Okay, Consuelo, Italians often use this "complimenti," right?
Consuelo: Yes, the main translation is "congratulations," but it can also be used to replace phrases like "good job," "good effort," or "well done."
Marco: Now we know another word to be nice with people in Italy. "Grazie mille," Consuelo!
Consuelo: "Prego," Marco!
VOCAB LIST
Marco: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.
The first word we shall see is:
Consuelo: nuotare [natural native speed]
Marco: to swim
Consuelo: nuotare [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: nuotare [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: allenarsi [natural native speed]
Marco: to train, to work out
Consuelo: allenarsi [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: allenarsi [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: mese [natural native speed]
Marco: month
Consuelo: mese [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: mese [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: distrarsi [natural native speed]
Marco: to be distracted
Consuelo: distrarsi [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: distrarsi [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: solito [natural native speed]
Marco: same
Consuelo: solito [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: solito [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: lavarsi [natural native speed]
Marco: to wash oneself
Consuelo: lavarsi [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: lavarsi [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: energia [natural native speed]
Marco: energy
Consuelo: energia [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: energia [natural native speed]
: Next:
Consuelo: doccia [natural native speed]
Marco: shower
Consuelo: doccia [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Consuelo: doccia [natural native speed]
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
Marco: Let's have a closer look at the usuage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
Marco: So consuelo, what expression are we studying today?
Consuelo: Today we're studying the expression "fare la doccia."
Marco: "To take/have a shower."
Consuelo: In English, you use different verbs for the word "doccia," meaning "shower," but in Italian we use "fare."
Marco: "To do" or "to make." Literally, it's "to make a shower." That sounds weird in English!
Consuelo: Yes, I know. Sometimes we also use the reflexive version of "fare."
Marco: You'll find an explanation about this later in the grammar section.
Consuelo: Anyway, the reflexive version of "fare" is "farsi." "Farsi la doccia."
Marco: And what's the difference?
Consuelo: I can tell there's no difference. You will hear someone say "faccio la doccia" or "mi faccio la doccia."
Marco: Actually, it is the same…both mean "you wash yourself." What about having a bath? How do you say it in Italian?
Consuelo: That is "fare il bagno" or "farsi il bagno."
Marco: Ah, you always use the verb "fare."
Consuelo: Yep!
Marco: This was very useful. "Grazie," Consuelo.

Lesson focus

Consuelo: Let's take a look at today's grammar point.
Marco: In today's lesson, we are focusing on reflexive verbs.
Consuelo: "I verbi riflessivi."
Marco: A "reflexive verb" is a transitive verb whose subject acts on itself.
Consuelo: In order to make a verb reflexive in Italian, it is necessary to drop the "-e" of the infinitive and add the reflexive pronoun "-si."
Marco: As a result, a verb like "lavare," meaning "to wash," becomes "lavarsi," meaning "to wash oneself."
Consuelo: The object of the action is indicated by "i pronomi riflessivi," "the reflexive pronouns."
Marco: Okay, those reflexive pronouns are…?
Consuelo: "Mi," "ti," "si," "ci," "vi," and "si."
Marco: The verb is normally conjugated according to the tense and the six persons.
Consuelo: As in "Io mi alzo."
Marco: "I get up." Obviously, the subject "io" can be omitted.
Consuelo: Usually, the reflexive pronoun precedes the verb.
Marco: Let's see an example with the verb "sposarsi," meaning "to get married."
Consuelo: "Domani mi sposo."
Marco: "Tomorrow I get married."
Consuelo: When a "verbo riflessivo" is combined with modal verbs, such as "potere," "dovere," or "volere"…
Marco: In this case, the position of the reflexive pronoun changes.
Consuelo: There are two possibilities.
Marco: It can be attached to the reflexive verb, which has dropped the final "-e." As in…
Consuelo: "Domani devo sposarmi."
Marco: Or it can normally precede the modal verb. For example?
Consuelo: "Domani mi devo sposare."
Marco: "Tomorrow I have to get married."
Consuelo: When the reflexive verb indicates an action that we do to things that belong to the subject, like body parts or personal objects, the possessive adjective is not used.
Marco: You should say "Mi lavo i piedi." "I wash (my) feet."
Consuelo: Exactly. You don't need to say "miei" since the reflexive pronoun "mi" indicates you are washing your own body.
Marco: In the dialogue, there are four examples of reflexive verbs.
Consuelo: The first is "Ti alleni?" a question referring to "tu," meaning "you."
Marco: "Do you train?" It comes from the verb "allenarsi," meaning "to train."
Consuelo: The second "verbo riflessivo" is one of my favorites, "distrarsi."
Marco: Ah ah, "to be distracted."
Consuelo: Yes, Marco, but it also means "to amuse oneself." As Ilaria says in the dialogue. "Mi distraggo un pò."
Marco: Ah true, "I take my mind off things."
Consuelo: The third reflexive verb we used is one of the most common.
Marco: It is one of the most common because everybody does it…that's "lavarsi."
Consuelo: "To wash oneself." Ilaria says "Ci laviamo."
Marco: "We wash ourselves."
Consuelo: We reached the fourth and last "verbo riflessivo" of our conversation.
Marco: That is "mettersi," meaning "to put on" or "to wear."
Consuelo: In this case, it is combined with the modal verb "dovere." "Dobbiamo metterci la giacca."
Marco: "We must," or "have to," "wear the jacket."
Consuelo: Dear listeners, this does it for today's grammar section.
Marco: We strongly recommend reading the lesson notes for this lesson.
Consuelo: You'll find a list with some of the most common reflexive verbs.

Outro

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

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