Dialogue

Vocabulary (Review)

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

Lesson Notes

Unlock In-Depth Explanations & Exclusive Takeaways with Printable Lesson Notes

Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Italian by ItalianPod101.com.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about the weather in Italian.
For example, "How hot!" is
Emily Erba : Che caldo!
Emily Erba sees her neighbor, Anna Mancini , and starts a conversation about the weather.
Before you hear their conversation, let's preview some of its key components.
caldo
"hot"
caldo
caldo
oggi
"today"
oggi
oggi
Listen to the conversation, and focus on Emily 's comment.
Ready?
Che caldo!
Sì, oggi fa caldo.
Listen again, with the English translation.
Che caldo!
"How hot!"
Sì, oggi fa caldo.
"Yes, it’s hot today."
Let's break down the conversation.
Do you remember how Emily says,
"How hot!"
Che caldo!
First is che, "what." Che. Che.
After this is caldo, meaning “heat,” in this context. Caldo. Caldo.
Together, it’s Che caldo! Literally, "What heat," but translates as "How hot!" Che caldo!
This forms an exclamation, and it’s meant to elicit a response from the listener.
Emily is expecting her neighbor to respond after she says, "Che caldo!" "How hot!"
Che caldo!
Let’s take a closer look at the response.
Do you remember how the neighbor says,
"Yes, it’s hot today."
Sì, oggi fa caldo.
First is Sì, meaning "yes." Sì. Sì.
Next is oggi. "Today." Oggi. Oggi.
After this, fa caldo, translating as "It's hot." Fa caldo.
Caldo means "heat." Caldo. Caldo.
Fa is from the verb fare, meaning "to make." Fare.
Here, fa doesn't have this meaning. Instead, it is expressing an ongoing weather condition — in this case, caldo, "heat."
Together, Fa caldo, “It's hot." Fa caldo.
All together, Sì, oggi fa caldo. "Yes, it's hot today."
Sì, oggi fa caldo.
The pattern is 
Che WEATHER CONDITION.
"How" WEATHER CONDITION.
Che WEATHER CONDITION.
To use this pattern, simply replace the WEATHER CONDITION placeholder with the current weather condition.
Note: This pattern requires a noun.
Imagine it’s cold. Freddo. "Cold." Freddo. Freddo.
Say
"How cold!"
Ready?
Che freddo.
"How cold!"
Che freddo.
Using this verbal exclamation to talk about the weather is meant to elicit a response from the listener or listeners. It’s a way to start a conversation with an Italian speaker. Finding and creating speaking opportunities is an important skill, and probably more important than sharing practical observations about the weather.
Again, the key pattern is
Che WEATHER CONDITION.
"How" WEATHER CONDITION.
Che WEATHER CONDITION.
Let’s look at some more examples.
Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.
Che caldo!
"How hot!"
Che caldo!
Che freddo!
"How cold!"
Che freddo!
Che afa!
"How muggy!"
Che afa!
Che brutto tempo!
"What bad weather!"
Che brutto tempo!
Che bel tempo!
"What beautiful weather!
Che bel tempo!
Did you notice how the last two speakers used slightly longer phrases?
Che brutto tempo!
"What bad weather."
Che brutto tempo!
Che bel tempo!
"What beautiful weather."
Che bel tempo!
Note here che translates as "what."
The pattern is:
Che WEATHER CONDITION.
What WEATHER CONDITION.
Che WEATHER CONDITION.
To use this pattern, simply follow Che with a WEATHER CONDITION.
Note: This pattern requires a noun phrase, in which an adjective is followed by a noun.
In the first example, Che brutto tempo! "What bad weather." Che brutto tempo!
Che plus brutto tempo.
Brutto. "Bad." Brutto. Brutto.
Tempo. "Weather." Tempo. Tempo.
Together, brutto tempo is "bad weather." Brutto tempo.
All together, Che brutto tempo! "What bad weather!" Che brutto tempo!
Che bel tempo! "What beautiful weather." Che bel tempo!
Bel, beautiful. Bel.. Bel.
Let's review the key vocabulary.
Freddo.
"Cold."
Freddo. Freddo.
Afa.
"Humidity."
Afa. Afa.
Brutto tempo.
"Bad weather."
Brutto tempo. Brutto tempo.
Bel tempo.
"Beautiful weather."
Bel tempo. Bel tempo.
Let's review.
Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speakers, focusing on pronunciation.
Ready?
Do you remember how to say "heat?"
Caldo.
Caldo.
And do you remember how Emily Erba says,
"How hot."
Che caldo.
Che caldo.
Do you remember how to say "yes?"
Sì.
Sì.
And how to say "today?"
Oggi.
Oggi.
Do you remember how to say
"It’s hot."
Fa caldo.
Fa caldo.
Do you remember how Anna Mancini says,
"Yes, it’s hot today."
Sì, oggi fa caldo.
Sì, oggi fa caldo.
Do you remember how to say "cold?"
Freddo.
Freddo.
And how to say "beautiful weather?"
Bel tempo.
Bel tempo.
Do you remember how to say "bad weather?"
Brutto tempo.
Brutto tempo.
Let's practice.
Imagine you're Anna , Emily 's neighbor. Comment to Emily on how cold it is. "Cold" in Italian is freddo.
Ready?
Che freddo!
Sì, oggi fa freddo.
Listen again and repeat.
Che freddo!
Che freddo!
Let’s try another.
Imagine you're Isabella Russo. Comment to your classmate on how bad the weather is. "Bad weather" in Italian is brutto tempo.
Ready?
Che brutto tempo!
Sì, oggi fa brutto tempo.
Listen again and repeat.
Che brutto tempo!
Che brutto tempo!
Let’s try one more.
Imagine you're Riccardo Russo. Comment to your neighbor on how beautiful the weather is. "Beautiful weather" in Italian is bel tempo.
Ready?
Che bel tempo!
Sì, oggi fa bel tempo.
Listen again and repeat.
Che bel tempo!
Che bel tempo!
Well done! This is the end of this lesson.
Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.
What's next?
Show us what you can do.
When you're ready, take your assessment.
You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like.
Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.
Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

Comments

Hide