Learn to use the verb essere
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| Hi everyone, I'm Felice! Ciao a tutti, sono Felice! |
| Welcome to the Italian Whiteboard Lessons! |
| In this lesson you'll learn how to use the verb ESSERE, to be, let's get started! |
| First we have the verb ESSERE, conjugated based on the subject, in this case, it's in the first person singular, sono. |
| Next is the rest of the sentence, here we have a proper noun, Paolo Parisi, first name, last name, Paolo Parisi. |
| Literally, am Paolo Parisi, meaning I'm Paolo Parisi. |
| Let's see the different forms of the verb ESSERE, in the present indicative mood. |
| The first person is, sono, the second, sei, the third, è, singular, then plural, siamo, siete, sono. |
| Now, let's take a closer look at the conjugation of ESSERE with the personal pronouns, io sono, tu sei, lui è, lei è, singular, then plural, noi siamo, voi siete, loro sono. |
| Remember that in Italian we usually omit the personal pronouns, we only use them to express emphasis or opposition. |
| Let's look at the dialogue, when I read I want you to pay attention to the verb ESSERE, find it and see how it's used in the dialogue. |
| È studente? Are you a student? |
| No, non sono studente, sono investitore. |
| No, I'm not a student, I'm an investor. |
| Now, let's look at some speaking examples, pay attention to how the verb ESSERE is used in these short dialogues. |
| È studente? |
| Are you a student? |
| Sono di Londra. |
| I'm from London. |
| Sono di New York. |
| I am from New York. |
| Di dov'è? |
| Where are you from? |
| No, non sono insegnante. |
| No, I'm not a teacher. |
| In Italian the formal you are, lei è, is conveyed using the third person singular, è. |
| The lei in the formal lei is always capitalized when reading. |
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