INTRODUCTION |
None (manual write in): |
Jason: Ciao! Jason here. Welcome to ItalianPod101.com! |
Cristina: Cristina here! Intermediate. Lesson 2 – Sending Registered Mail in Italy. |
Jason: In this lesson you'll learn how to use the formal imperative and personal pronouns. Such as |
Cristina: “Post me this letter!” |
Jason: “This is your receipt. Please keep it”. |
Cristina: ”Questa è la sua ricevuta. La conservi” |
Jason: This conversation takes place at the post office. |
Cristina: Sara parla con due impiegati. |
Jason: The conversation is between Sara and the post office clerks. |
They are Sara, who is a music teacher, and two clerks, so the speakers will be speaking formal Italian. |
Cristina: Ascoltiamo |
Jason: Let's listen to the conversation. |
DIALOGUE |
Sara: Sto andando in posta per spedire una raccomandata. |
James: Imbucami allora questa lettera - mi fai un grosso piacere. |
Sara: Certo, non ci sono problemi. |
Impiegato: Buongiorno, desidera? |
Sara: Ho bisogno di fare una raccomandata con ricevuta di ritorno. Posso avere l’apposito modulo da compilare? |
Impiegato: E’ lì sul bancone di destra - lo compili e lo consegni al primo sportello. |
Sara: Ecco fatto. Penso di avere compilato il modulo in tutte le sue parti. Provi a controllare. |
Impiegato: Manca la Sua firma. Guardi, la metta qui. |
Sara: Che sbadata! E quanto viene? |
Impiegato: Sono 5€ e 60 centesimi. |
Sara: Ecco. |
Impiegato: Questa è la sua ricevuta. La conservi. Le potrebbe servire in caso di problemi con la Sua raccomandata. |
Sara: Va bene. Grazie. |
English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
Sara: Sto andando in posta per spedire una raccomandata. |
James: Imbucami allora questa lettera - mi fai un grosso piacere. |
Sara: Certo, non ci sono problemi. |
Impiegato: Buongiorno, desidera? |
Sara: Ho bisogno di fare una raccomandata con ricevuta di ritorno. Posso avere l’apposito modulo da compilare? |
Impiegato: E’ lì sul bancone di destra - lo compili e lo consegni al primo sportello. |
Sara: Ecco fatto. Penso di avere compilato il modulo in tutte le sue parti. Provi a controllare. |
Impiegato: Manca la Sua firma. Guardi, la metta qui. |
Sara: Che sbadata! E quanto viene? |
Impiegato: Sono 5€ e 60 centesimi. |
Sara: Ecco. |
Impiegato: Questa è la sua ricevuta. La conservi. Le potrebbe servire in caso di problemi con la Sua raccomandata. |
Sara: Va bene. Grazie. |
English Host: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
All’ufficio postale |
JasonAt the post office |
Jason: I'm going to the post office to send a registered letter. |
Sara: Sto andando in posta per spedire una raccomandata. |
Jason: Then mail this letter for me. It'd be a big favor. |
James: Imbucami allora questa lettera - mi fai un grosso piacere. |
Jason: Sure, no problem. |
Sara: Certo, non ci sono problemi. |
Jason: Good morning. How may I help you? |
Impiegato: Buongiorno, desidera? |
Jason: I need to send a registered letter with an acknowledgment of receipt. Can I have the appropriate form to fill in? |
Sara: Ho bisogno di fare una raccomandata con ricevuta di ritorno. Posso avere l’apposito modulo da compilare? |
Jason: It's on the right counter. Please fill it in, and then hand it in at the first window. |
Impiegato: E’ lì sul bancone di destra - lo compili e lo consegni al primo sportello. |
Jason: I'm done. I think I've filled in all parts of the form. Please check it for me. |
Sara: Ecco fatto. Penso di avere compilato il modulo in tutte le sue parti. Provi a controllare. |
Jason: Your signature is missing. Please write it here. |
Impiegato: Manca la Sua firma. Guardi, la metta qui. |
Jason: How silly of me! And how much is it? |
Sara: Che sbadata! E quanto viene? |
Jason: It's five euros and sixty cents. |
Impiegato: Sono 5€ e 60 centesimi. |
Jason: Here you are. |
Sara: Ecco. |
Jason: This is your receipt. Please keep it. It could be useful if there are any problems with your registered mail. |
Impiegato: Questa è la sua ricevuta. La conservi. Le potrebbe servire in caso di problemi con la Sua raccomandata. |
Jason: Okay. Thank you. |
Sara: Va bene. Grazie. |
Jason |
POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
Cristina: Jason, do you know how postal system used to work in ancient times? |
Jason: Actually I don’t. |
Cristina: It’s very interesting – some documents prove that messengers with horses were used to bring messages to people as early as 4000 B.C. |
Jason: Really? |
Cristina: Yes, and Egypt also had a quite developed system that was used by the Pharaohs and by intellectuals and businessmen. Messages on papyrus were exchanged by water. |
Jason: Clever! What about the Romans? I heard they had quite a developed system, thanks to the existence of 200,000 kilometers of roads throughout the Empire and above all in Italy. |
Cristina: Yes, that’s why it only took about 24 hours for a cursores (the Roman postmen) to cover a distance of 270 Km to deliver a letter. |
Jason: And how does the postal system work now in Italy? |
Cristina: Well, the system is called Poste Italiane, and it is also a banking system. At the post office you can carry out all the services related to mailing as well as opening a saving and checking account called Conto Posta. |
Jason: How do I recognize a Post Office in Italy? |
Cristina: It’s easy, there is usually a round yellow sign with the letters PT in blue, just outside the post office. As a matter of fact, yellow and blue are the official colors of the Poste Italiane. |
Jason: Good to know! |
VOCAB LIST |
Jason: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
The first word we shall see is: |
Cristina: raccomandata [natural native speed] |
Jason: registered letter |
Cristina: raccomandata [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: raccomandata [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: imbucare [natural native speed] |
Jason: to mail, to post |
Cristina: imbucare [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: imbucare [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: ricevuta di ritorno [natural native speed] |
Jason: acknowledgment of receipt |
Cristina: ricevuta di ritorno [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: ricevuta di ritorno [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: apposito [natural native speed] |
Jason: appropriate |
Cristina: apposito [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: apposito [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: bancone [natural native speed] |
Jason: counter |
Cristina: bancone [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: bancone [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: sportello [natural native speed] |
Jason: door, window, counter |
Cristina: sportello [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: sportello [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: firma [natural native speed] |
Jason: signature |
Cristina: firma [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: firma [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: mettere la firma [natural native speed] |
Jason: to write here, to sign |
Cristina: mettere la firma [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: mettere la firma [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: sbadato [natural native speed] |
Jason: silly |
Cristina: sbadato [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: sbadato [natural native speed] |
: Next: |
Cristina: ricevuta [natural native speed] |
Jason: receipt |
Cristina: ricevuta [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
Cristina: ricevuta [natural native speed] |
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
Jason: Let's have a closer look at the usuage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
Jason: The first one we'll look at is... |
Cristina: IMBUCARE |
Jason: "Post into the letterbox." |
Cristina: This word comes from the noun buca postale, the "letter box". It means "to put a letter or a postcard in the buca postale." |
Jason: A more general word would be "send" a letter or a postcard. |
Cristina: Spedire una lettera o una cartolina. But beware of the reflexive form! |
Jason: Why? Does it have another meaning? |
Cristina: Yes, IMBUCARSI means "to hide" or "to gatecrash at a party." |
Jason: Can you give us an example? |
Cristina: Sabato scorso ci siamo imbucati al compleanno di Paolo. |
Jason: "Last Saturday we gatecrashed at Paolo’s birthday party." |
Jason: What's the next one we'll look at? |
Cristina: It is METTERE LA FIRMA |
Jason: "Write your signature." |
Cristina: It has the same meaning as firmare. |
Jason: "To sign". |
Cristina: It’s important to remember that in Italian it is not possible to say scrivere la firma… |
Jason: as it is in English. |
Cristina: Metti una firma sulla cartolina prima di imbucarla. |
Jason: "Write your signature on the postcard, before mailing it." |
Lesson focus
|
Jason: The focus of this lesson is the usage of the formal imperative together with pronouns. |
Cristina: Let’s start reviewing the formation of imperativo formale (Lei). |
Jason: In the third person singular the imperativo is created using the following endings… |
Cristina: -i for all verbs ending in –are and -a for all verbs ending in –ere and –ire. |
Jason: For example "to work" |
Cristina: lavorare |
Jason: that becomes… |
Cristina: LAVORI! |
Jason: Or "to take" |
Cristina: prendere |
Jason: that becomes… |
Cristina: PRENDA! |
Jason: And "to sleep" |
Cristina: dormire |
Jason: that becomes… |
Cristina: DORMA! |
Jason: What about the irregular verbs? |
Cristina: Some verbs ending in –ire are irregular and they take the –ISCA ending |
Jason: Like “finire” |
Cristina: FINISCA! |
Jason: and “preferire” |
Cristina: PREFERISCA! |
Jason: Is the negative form created by simply adding the adverb “non” to the imperative? |
Cristina: Esatto. As in ¬– Non scriva qui la data di nascita. |
Jason: "Do not write your date of birth here, please." |
Jason: You will now learn more about the position of the pronouns when used with the imperativo formale. |
Cristina: The pronouns always precede the imperative. |
Jason: For example… |
Cristina: LO compili e LO consegni al primo sportello. |
Jason: "Please fill it in and then hand it in at the first window." |
Cristina: Questa è la sua ricevuta. LA conservi. |
Jason: "This is your receipt. Please hold on to it." |
Cristina: If the sentence is negative the pronoun goes between the adverb non and the verb in the imperative form. |
Jason: For example? |
Cristina: Oggi c’è freddo – la giacca è troppo leggera. Non LA metta. |
Jason: "Today it’s cold – the jacket is too light. Do not wear it." Can you do another example? |
Cristina: La disturbo? Non LO dica neanche per sogno! |
Jason: "Do I bother you? Don’t even mention it!" |
Outro
|
Jason: OK. That's all for this lesson. In the lesson notes, you can find more examples on this grammar point. So be sure to read them. |
Cristina: A presto! |
Jason: Bye-bye! |
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