Dialogue

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Betsey: Hi everyone! Welcome back to ItalianPod101.com. This is Lower beginner, Season 1 Lesson 23 - Furnishing Your Italian Home. I'm Betsey.
Ofelia: Ciao! I'm Ofelia. In this lesson you'll learn how to use the demonstrative adjective quello. Such as…Che ne dici di quella lampada?
Betsey: Which means "How about that lamp?"
Ofelia: The conversation takes place at an interior designer shop.
Betsey: It's between Laura and Mieke. The speakers are co-workers, so they'll be using informal language.
Ofelia: Ascoltiamo.
DIALOGUE
Mieke: Adoro i negozi di arredamento. Vorrei trovare un soprammobile per il mio salottino. Magari una lampada italiana da portare in Belgio al mio rientro.
Laura: Che ne dici di quella lampada? E' di Cassina, un classico del design italiano .
Mieke: Mi sembra troppo grande per la mia stanza.Oh, hai visto quel vaso in vetro rosso?Sembra vetro di Murano .E' favoloso, ma probabilmente un po' caro. E quello specchio?
Laura: Eh, compri tutto il negozio?
Betsey: Let's hear the conversation one time slowly.
Mieke: Adoro i negozi di arredamento. Vorrei trovare un soprammobile per il mio salottino. Magari una lampada italiana da portare in Belgio al mio rientro.
Laura: Che ne dici di quella lampada? E' di Cassina, un classico del design italiano .
Mieke: Mi sembra troppo grande per la mia stanza.Oh, hai visto quel vaso in vetro rosso?Sembra vetro di Murano .E' favoloso, ma probabilmente un po' caro. E quello specchio?
Laura: Eh, compri tutto il negozio?
Betsey: Now let's hear it with the English translation.
Mieke: Adoro i negozi di arredamento. Vorrei trovare un soprammobile per il mio salottino. Magari una lampada italiana da portare in Belgio al mio rientro.
Mieke: I love furniture shops. I'd like to find some paraphernalia for my little living room. Maybe an Italian lamp I can take back to Belgium when I return.
Laura: Che ne dici di quella lampada? E' di Cassina, un classico del design italiano .
Laura: How about that lamp? It's by Cassina, a classic of Italian interior design.
Mieke: Mi sembra troppo grande per la mia stanza.Oh, hai visto quel vaso in vetro rosso?Sembra vetro di Murano .E' favoloso, ma probabilmente un po' caro. E quello specchio?
Mieke: It's too big for the room. Oh, did you see that red glass vase? It looks like a vase from Murano. It's fabulous, but probably a bit expensive. And that mirror?
Laura: Eh, compri tutto il negozio?
Laura: Ah ah, will you buy the entire store?
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Ofelia: Okay, now let's talk about Murano.
Betsey: Where is Murano?
Ofelia: It's an island in the Venetian lagoon, very close to Venice.
Betsey: What is it famous for?
Ofelia: It is famous worldwide for its glass production.
Betsey: Can you tell us more about it?
Ofelia: Well, this activity started in 1291, when the ovens that produced the glass were all put on the island of Murano.
Betsey: Hmm, was this an important money-making activity for Venice at the time?
Ofelia: It sure was! At the time of the Serenissima, the Republic of Venice, glass production was strictly controlled by the government.
Betsey: And glass makers were not allowed to leave Venice unless they had a special permit, right?
Ofelia: Yes, because the secrets of Murano glass making had to be kept within the borders of the Venetian Republic, because glass goods were very valuable and exported.
Betsey: What a terrible life!
Ofelia: Well, the glass makers also enjoyed special benefits, among them the right to marry the daughters of noblemen.
Betsey: I see. And what is glassmaking like in Murano today?
Ofelia: It's very difficult to become a maestro del vetro, which is "glass-master" in Italian. It takes many years to do an apprenticeship, and the secrets of this art are often transmitted only from father to son.
Betsey: Is it possible to see the glass makers at work?
Ofelia: Yes it is. So book a visit to Murano next time you go to Venice!
Betsey: That's a good tip, listeners! Okay, let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson.
VOCAB LIST
Betsey: The first word we shall see is...
Ofelia: arredamento [natural native speed]
Betsey: furniture
Ofelia: arredamento [slowly - broken down by syllable] arredamento [natural native speed]
Betsey: Next
Ofelia: lampada [natural native speed]
Betsey: lamp
Ofelia: lampada [slowly - broken down by syllable] lampada [natural native speed]
Betsey: Next
Ofelia: salottino [natural native speed]
Betsey: little living room
Ofelia: salottino [slowly - broken down by syllable] salottino [natural native speed]
Betsey: Next
Ofelia: portare [natural native speed]
Betsey: to bring, take
Ofelia: portare [slowly - broken down by syllable] portare [natural native speed]
Betsey: Next
Ofelia: classico [natural native speed]
Betsey: classic
Ofelia: classico [slowly - broken down by syllable] classico [natural native speed]
Betsey: Next
Ofelia: troppo [natural native speed]
Betsey: too much
Ofelia: troppo [slowly - broken down by syllable] troppo [natural native speed]
Betsey: Next
Ofelia: stanza [natural native speed]
Betsey: room
Ofelia: stanza [slowly - broken down by syllable] stanza [natural native speed]
Betsey: Next
Ofelia: stanza [natural native speed]
Betsey: glass
Ofelia: stanza [slowly - broken down by syllable] stanza [natural native speed]
Betsey: Next
Ofelia: probabilmente [natural native speed]
Betsey: probably, perhaps
Ofelia: probabilmente [slowly - broken down by syllable] probabilmente [natural native speed]
Betsey: And last...
Ofelia: specchio [natural native speed]
Betsey: mirror
Ofelia: specchio [slowly - broken down by syllable] specchio [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
Betsey: Let's take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson.
Ofelia: The first word is... LAMPADA
Betsey: LAMP
Ofelia: This is a feminine noun and translates as 'lamp'. There are different lamps, such as lampada da tavolo,
Betsey: table lamp,
Ofelia: lampada a terra
Betsey: standing lamp
Ofelia: And lampadario,
Betsey: "chandelier." Ok, what are some examples with these different words?
Ofelia: Ho bisogno di una lampada da tavolo per la mia scrivania.
Betsey: I need a table lamp for my desk.
Ofelia: Nel mio salotto ho un grande lampadario.
Betsey: In my living room I have a great chandelier.
Betsey: What's the next one we'll look at?
Ofelia: SALOTTINO
Betsey: This means "SMALL LIVING ROOM"
Ofelia: It's a modified noun, and indicates a small living room. Salotto is the Italian masculine noun for living room. The suffix '–ino' gives the idea of something small. It works with many words, for example, cappello
Betsey: hat
Ofelia: Becomes cappellino
Betsey: "small hat." What's a sample sentence?
Ofelia: Questo cappellino ti sta molto bene.
Betsey: This little hat really suits you.
Betsey: The last word we'll look at is...
Ofelia: TROPPO
Betsey: This means TOO / TOO MUCH
Ofelia: The adverb troppo means "too" and "too much," When it comes in front of adjectives, it means 'too'.
Betsey: Can you give us some examples?
Ofelia: Questa birra è troppo fredda.
Betsey: This beer is too cold.
Ofelia: When it's alone, it means "too much" and it is unchangeable.
Betsey: For example…
Ofelia: Questo è troppo!
Betsey: "This is too much!" Okay, now onto the grammar.
GRAMMAR POINT
Betsey: In this lesson, you'll learn how to use the demonstrative adjective...
Ofelia: ...quello.
Betsey: Which translates the English 'that'.
Ofelia: It refers to something or someone that is far from the speaker and the listener.
Betsey: It's always placed before the noun, and it agrees in gender and number with the noun to which it refers.
Ofelia: Also, the demonstrative adjective quello follows the rules for the determinative article.
Betsey: Can we explain what that means to the listeners a little more?
Ofelia: Well, let's first look at demonstrative adjectives placed before singular nouns.
Betsey: Ok. Before a singular masculine noun that starts with S, plus a consonant or a word that starts with X, Y or Z
Ofelia: … means that the demonstrative adjective should be quello.
Betsey: For example…
Ofelia: Quello spagnolo è molto simpatico.
Betsey: That Spanish man is very friendly.
Ofelia: Before a singular masculine noun that starts with a vowel, the adjective is quell', with double L and an apostrophe.
Betsey: For example...
Ofelia: Quell'ombrello è rotto.
Betsey: That umbrella is broken.
Ofelia: Before any other masculine singular noun, you should use quel
Betsey: How about a sample sentence?
Ofelia: Sure! Quel tappeto è troppo piccolo.
Betsey: That carpet is too small.
Ofelia: Before a singular feminine noun, you should use quella
Betsey: For example…
Ofelia: Quella lampada è un po' cara.
Betsey: That lamp is a bit expensive.
Ofelia: Before a singular feminine noun that starts with a vowel, the adjective is quell'.
Betsey: Again, with double L and an apostrophe. Here is a sample sentence.
Ofelia: Quell'automobile è vecchia.
Betsey: That car is old.
Ofelia: Now let's consider plural nouns.
Betsey: Before a plural masculine noun that starts with S+ consonant, x, y, z, and vowels…
Ofelia: … the demonstrative adjective is quegli.
Betsey: Can you give us an example?
Ofelia: Quegli stivali sono stretti.
Betsey: Those boots are tight.
Ofelia: Before any other plural masculine noun, the adjective is quei.
Betsey: Sample sentence please?
Ofelia: Quei fiori rossi stanno bene sul balcone.
Betsey: Those red flowers look good on the balcony.
Ofelia: Before a plural feminine noun, you should use quelle.
Betsey: For example?
Ofelia: Quelle rose sono un regalo di Luca?
Betsey: Those roses are Luca's present?

Outro

Betsey: 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.
Ofelia: A presto!
Betsey: Bye-bye!

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