Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Marco: Hello, and welcome to the ItalianPOD101.com , the fastest, easiest and most fun way to learn Italian!
Cinzia: I'm Cinzia, and thanks again for being here with us for this Beginner Series S2 lesson.
Marco: In this lesson will end our studies about Italian masculine nouns ending in -a
Cinzia: This conversation takes place at a wedding party
Marco: And it's between Peter and Luca
Cinzia: They are friends, therefore they will be speaking informally
Marco: Now, before we listen to the conversation...
Cinzia: We want to ask...
Marco: Do you read the lesson notes, while you listen?
Cinzia: We received an e-mail about this study tip.
Marco: So we were wondering if you've tried it, and if so,
Cinzia: what do you think of it.
Marco: You can leave us feedback in the comment section of this lesson. Okay...
Marco: Let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Peter: A Firenze costruiranno il metro?
Luca: Il metro? Ah! Attento si dice la metro.
Peter: Quindi la metro è il mezzo di trasporto.
Luca: Esatto.
Peter: Allora il metro cos’è?
Luca: Il metro è l’unità di misura e anche lo strumento per misurare la lunghezza.
English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly.
Peter: A Firenze costruiranno il metro?
Luca: Il metro? Ah! Attento si dice la metro.
Peter: Quindi la metro è il mezzo di trasporto.
Luca: Esatto.
Peter: Allora il metro cos’è?
Luca: Il metro è l’unità di misura e anche lo strumento per misurare la lunghezza.
English Host: Now let’s hear it with the English translation.
Peter: A Firenze costruiranno il metro?
Marco: Will they build a meter in Firenze?
Luca: Il metro? Ah! Attento si dice la metro.
Marco: A meter? Ah! Careful, you have to say subway.
Peter: Quindi la metro è il mezzo di trasporto.
Marco: So subway is the means of transportation.
Luca: Esatto.
Marco: Right.
Peter: Allora il metro cos’è?
Marco: So what is a meter?
Luca: Il metro è l’unità di misura e anche lo strumento per misurare la lunghezza.
Marco: A meter is a unit of measurement and a device to measure length.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Cinzia: Masculine nouns ending in –a are really sneaky.
Marco: They are!
Cinzia: The best way to learn them is to practice using them!
Marco: And don’t be shy, we all make mistakes. Just keep on practicing.
Cinzia: But remember to practice with us!
VOCAB LIST
Marco: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.
The first word we shall see is:
Cinzia: metro [natural native speed]
Marco: meter
Cinzia: metro [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Cinzia: metro [natural native speed]
: Next:
Cinzia: attento [natural native speed]
Marco: careful, painstaking, prudent
Cinzia: attento [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Cinzia: attento [natural native speed]
: Next:
Cinzia: metro [natural native speed]
Marco: subway
Cinzia: metro [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Cinzia: metro [natural native speed]
: Next:
Cinzia: mezzo di trasporto [natural native speed]
Marco: means of transport
Cinzia: mezzo di trasporto [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Cinzia: mezzo di trasporto [natural native speed]
: Next:
Cinzia: esatto [natural native speed]
Marco: exact, correct, right
Cinzia: esatto [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Cinzia: esatto [natural native speed]
: Next:
Cinzia: strumento [natural native speed]
Marco: instrument, tool
Cinzia: strumento [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Cinzia: strumento [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.
Cinzia: The first word we will look at is
metro
Marco: And the sample sentence is?
Cinzia: Sono alto un metro e settanta centimetri.
Marco: “I am one meter and seventy centimeters tall.”
Cinzia: The next word/expression we will look at is
attento
Marco: And the sample sentence is?
Cinzia: Stai attento!
Marco: “Be careful!”
Cinzia: The next word/expression we will look at is
metro
Marco: And the sample sentence is?
Cinzia: La metro di Milano è molto comoda.
Marco: “Milano subway is very comfortable.”
Cinzia: The next word/expression we will look at is
mezzo di trasporto
Marco: And the sample sentence is?
Cinzia: I mezzi di trasporto moderni sono molto veloci.
Marco: “Modern means of transport are very fast.”
Cinzia: The next word/expression we will look at is
esatto
Marco: And the sample sentence is?
Cinzia: È esatto!
Marco: “It’s correct!”
Cinzia: Today's last word/expression is strumento
Marco: And the sample sentence is?
Cinzia: Il telescopio è uno strumento per vedere le stelle.
Marco: “The telescope is an instrument for viewing stars.”

Lesson focus

Marco: In today's class, we will see the last category of Italian nouns ending with -a.
Cinzia: In this category nouns change their meaning according to the gender they take.
Marco: Since their singular written form never changes, we can identify their gender solely by the articles, adjectives, and past participles.
Ciznia: We are now going to see the most commonly used nouns belonging to this category.
Marco: Please note that when there is no equivalent translation in English, we will provide an explanation of the word.
Cinzia: I will give you the Italian singular form
Marco: I will then give you the English singular form or the meaning explained in English if there is no English equivalent
Cinzia: (l') asse; masculine
Marco: "axis"
Cinzia: (l') asse; feminine
Marco: "board"
Cinzia: (il) boa; m.
Marco: "boa"
Cinzia: (la) boa; f.
Marco: "buoy"
Cinzia: (il) caccia; m.
Marco: "fighter" (airplane)
Cinzia: (la) caccia; f.
Marco: "hunting"
Cinzia: (il) capitale; m.
Marco: "capital" (money invested)
Cinzia: (la) capitale; f.
Marco: "capital" (of a country)
Cinzia: (il) fine; m.
Marco: "purpose, aim"
Cinzia: (la) fine; f.
Marco: "end, conclusion"
Cinzia: (il) lama; m.
Marco: "Buddhist monk"
Cinzia: (la) lama; f.
Marco: "blade"
Cinzia: (il) metro; m.
Marco: "meter" (both the device and the unit of length)
Cinzia: (la) metro; f.
Marco: "subway"
(Cinzia: il) mitra; m.
Marco: "machine gun"
Cinzia: (la) mitra; f.
Marco: "bishop's headgear"
Cinzia: (il) moto; m.
Marco: "movement"
Cinzia: (la) moto; f.
Marco: "motorbike"
Cinzia: (il) prima; m.
Marco: "what happened before the present time"
Cinzia: (la) prima; f.
Marco: "the first night of a theatrical opera"
Cinzia: (il) radio; m.
Marco: "radium"
Cinzia: (la) radio; f.
Marco: "radio"
(Cinzia: il) rosa; m.
Marco: "pink" (color)
Cinzia: (la) rosa; f.
Marco: "rose" (flower)
Cinzia: (il) viola; m.
Marco: "purple"
Cinzia: (la) viola; f.
Marco: "viola" (classical musical instrument)
Cinzia: There are more nouns in the PDF, so please check it out.
Marco: Finally, note that in informal Italian, people may playfully use the family name instead of the first name to refer to a person they are acquainted with. In this case, the definite article follows the gender of the person and it's not related to the form of their family names. For instance
Marco: First Name
Cinzia: Ieri ho visto Maria Piccolo che parlava con Mike.
Maria is the first name and Piccolo is the family name
Marco: Family Name
Cinzia: Ieri ho visto la Piccolo che parlava con Mike.
Marco: Yesterday, I saw Maria Piccolo talking to Mike.
Cinzia: We may also use the same structure in formal speech when talking about famous artists and prominent characters of the past.
Marco: We can then say
Cinzia: il Machiavelli, l'Alighieri etc.

Outro

Marco: That just about does it for today.
Marco: Testing yourself is one of the most effective ways to learn.
Cinzia: That's why we have 3 types of quizzes.
Marco: Vocabulary, grammar, and content specific.
Cinzia: Each quiz targets specific skill...
Marco: And together these quizzes will help you
master several fundamental skills. :
Cinzia: You can find them in the learning center at
Marco: ItalianPod101.com
Marco: Ciao
Cinzia: A presto!

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