Learn how to analyze preposizioni semplici, simple prepositions starting with a
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
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.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| INTRODUCTION |
| Marco: Hello, and welcome to the Newbie Series S2 at ItalianPOD101.com, where we study modern Italian in a fun, educational format! |
| Consuelo: So, brush up on the Italian that you started learning long ago, or start learning today. |
| Marco: Thanks for being here with us for this lesson. Consuelo, what are we looking at in this lesson. |
| Marco: In this lesson you will learn how to analyze preposizioni semplici, simple prepositions starting with a. This conversation takes place on the phone. |
| Consuelo: The conversation is between John and Laura. The speakers are friends, and therefore they will be speaking informally. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Laura: Che cosa vuoi fare questa sera? |
| John: Possiamo andare al cinema. |
| Laura: Ci sto! Ma non voglio fare troppo tardi. |
| John: L’ultimo spettacolo finisce alle ventitré e quarantacinque. Va bene? |
| Laura: È un po’ tardi. A che ora finisce quello prima? |
| John: Finisce alle ventidue e trenta. |
| Laura: OK! Non vedo l’ora! |
| English Host: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Laura: Che cosa vuoi fare questa sera? |
| John: Possiamo andare al cinema. |
| Laura: Ci sto! Ma non voglio fare troppo tardi. |
| John: L’ultimo spettacolo finisce alle ventitré e quarantacinque. Va bene? |
| Laura: È un po’ tardi. A che ora finisce quello prima? |
| John: Finisce alle ventidue e trenta. |
| Laura: OK! Non vedo l’ora! |
| English Host: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Laura: Che cosa vuoi fare questa sera? |
| Marco: What do you want to do tonight? |
| John: Possiamo andare al cinema. |
| Marco: We can go to the movies. |
| Laura: Ci sto! Ma non voglio fare troppo tardi. |
| Marco: I’m in! But I don’t want to be too late. |
| John: L’ultimo spettacolo finisce alle ventitré e quarantacinque. Va bene? |
| Marco: The last show ends at eleven forty-five. Is that okay? |
| Laura: È un po’ tardi. A che ora finisce quello prima? |
| Marco: It’s a little late. At what time does the previous one end? |
| John: Finisce alle ventidue e trenta. |
| Marco: It ends at ten thirty. |
| Laura: OK! Non vedo l’ora! |
| Marco: Okay! I can’t wait! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Consuelo: Did you ever buy an ""abbonamento?"" |
| Marco: You mean a season ticket to a cinema? |
| Consuelo: Yes, exactly. |
| Marco: Actually I haven’t, but I’ve heard it’s rather cheap to buy an ""abbonamento."" |
| Consuelo: Yes it is! So if you really like going to the movies, drop by the nearest cinema and ask for the prices! |
| Marco: You can also see foreign movies with original sound! |
| Consuelo: Yes! Some movie theatres have special days in which original sound movies are shown. |
| Marco: If you’re in Italy, please enquire at the cinema’s ticket office! |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Marco: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| : The first word we shall see is: |
| Consuelo: cinema [natural native speed] |
| Marco: cinema, movie theater |
| Consuelo: cinema [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: cinema [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: troppo [natural native speed] |
| Marco: too much |
| Consuelo: troppo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: troppo [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: tardi [natural native speed] |
| Marco: late |
| Consuelo: tardi [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: tardi [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: ultimo [natural native speed] |
| Marco: last, latest, farthest, final |
| Consuelo: ultimo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: ultimo [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: spettacolo [natural native speed] |
| Marco: show, performance, sight |
| Consuelo: spettacolo [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: spettacolo [natural native speed] |
| : Next: |
| Consuelo: finire [natural native speed] |
| Marco: to finish, end, stop |
| Consuelo: finire [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Consuelo: finire [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. |
| Marco: Let's have a closer look at the use of some of the words and phrases we learned in this lesson. The first word we’ll look at is… |
| Consuelo: spettacolo |
| Marco: show |
| Consuelo: In Italy, sometimes we use this word to mean that something incredible has happened. |
| Marco: For example...? |
| Consuelo: For example, at our first sight of beautiful scenery, we might say, ""Che spettacolo!"" |
| Marco: Meaning, ""Wow! That’s so beautiful!"" |
| Consuelo: So let’s close our eyes and imagine we have in front of us the Basilica di San Pietro. |
| Marco: St. Peter’s Basilica. |
| Consuelo: What would we be thinking? |
| Marco: ""Che spettacolo!"" of course! |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Marco: Let’s take a look at today’s grammar point. |
| Consuelo: We are going to look at Italian prepositions. |
| Marco: Although the translation of prepositions might seem simple at a first glance, they cannot be translated as independent elements. |
| Consuelo: Very true. Italian prepositions depend on both the verb they are used with and the meaning of the following object. |
| Marco: Now let’s look at them in more detail. |
| Consuelo: Italian prepositions are divided into four main categories. |
| Consuelo: preposizioni semplici |
| Marco: simple prepositions |
| Consuelo: preposizioni articolate |
| Marco: compound prepositions |
| Consuelo: preposizioni improprie |
| Marco: improper prepositions |
| Consuelo: locuzioni preposizionali |
| Marco: prepositional phrases |
| Consuelo: They have rather long and scary names. |
| Marco: But don’t worry, dear listeners. You only have to study them. Then like all grammar related things, we bury them under daily usage. |
| Consuelo: That’s reassuring. |
| Marco: Today we will start working on the |
| Consuelo: preposizioni semplici |
| Marco: simple prepositions |
| They are... |
| Consuelo: di; a; da; in; con; su; per; tra; fra |
| Marco: Use the simple preposition a when the proposition is before indirect objects. In this case, it translates as ""to."" For example... |
| Consuelo: Ho dato lo zaino a Luca. |
| Marco: I gave the schoolbag to Luca. |
| Consuelo: Avete prestato a Maria la vostra macchina? |
| Marco: Did you lend your car to Maria? |
| Consuelo: Abbiamo scritto a John. |
| Marco: We wrote to John. |
| Marco: Also use the simple preposition to express time. |
| Consuelo: In this case, place the proposition before the hours. |
| Marco: We must also tell you that you combine the preposition with the plural feminine definite article, le, creating the compound preposition, alle. |
| Consuelo: Marco! Wait! You are forgetting that there are exceptions to this rule. |
| Marco: Well don’t make our listeners and me wait! Tell us! |
| Consuelo: Okay, okay. The exceptions are for mezzogiorno (""noon""), mezzanotte (""midnight""), and una (""one""). In these cases, we use the simple a. |
| Marco: And the ""a"" translates as ""at."" |
| For example... |
| Consuelo: Ci vediamo alle cinque e mezza. |
| Marco: I’ll see you at 5.30 p.m. |
| Consuelo: Lo spettacolo termina a mezzanotte/mezzogiorno. |
| Marco: The show ends at midnight/noon. |
| Consuelo: Loro di solito pranzano all’una in punto. |
| Marco: They usually have lunch at one o’clock. |
| Marco: Let’s now take a look at the last case. |
| Consuelo: Yes, the last case is inserting the preposition before complementi di luogo. |
| Marco: places or locations to which the action is directed. |
| Consuelo: In this case, the preposition, a, translates differently according to the verb you use it with. |
| Marco: For instance |
| Consuelo: Andiamo a casa. |
| Marco: We go home. |
| Consuelo: Il treno è arrivato a New York. |
| Marco: The train arrived in New York. |
| Consuelo: Devi andare dritto e poi girare a destra. |
| Marco: You have to go straight ahead and then turn right. |
Outro |
| Marco: That just about does it for today. |
| Consuelo: Ready to test what you just learned? |
| Marco: Make this lesson's vocabulary stick by using lesson specific flashcards in the learning center. |
| Consuelo: There is a reason everyone uses flashcards... |
| Marco: They work... |
| Consuelo: They really do help memorization. |
| Marco: You can get the flashcards for this lesson at |
| Consuelo: ItalianPod101.com. |
| Marco: Okay.... |
| Marco: |
| Consuelo: " |
Comments
Hide