Dialogue

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Ciao tutti! Benvenuti su ItalianPod101.com.
Ciao! Hello and welcome back to Italian Survival Phrases brought to you by ItalianPod101.com. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Italy. You'll be surprised at how far a little Italian will go.
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by ItalianPod101.com, and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.
And now, some useful survival phrases for your funny days of unchecked shopping around Italian stores. Most stores will have a label with the price, but some won't. If, for example, you're in a D&G store in downtown Roma, it's unlikely that it will have a price on it.
GRAMMAR POINT
You should remember that Scusi, or "Excuse me," is almost always the first thing to say when you're talking to a shop clerk. After saying Scusi, you should say, Quanto costa questo? Quanto costa questo? "How much is this?" In this sentence, the object you are referring to is masculine.
If it is feminine, you should instead say, Quanto costa questa? Quanto costa questa? "How much is this?"
Quanto means “how much,” and it’s followed by Costa, which is the third singular person of the verb costare “to cost.” The next word will be Questo, if the object is masculine; and Questa, if it's feminine. Som if it’s something masculine, you should use Questo, “this,” masculine, singular, demonstrative adjective. And, if it’s something feminine, you should then use Questa, “this,” feminine, singular, demonstrative adjective.
Let’s break down these words by syllable:
Quan-to. Quanto.
Co-sta. Costa.
Que-sto. Questo.
Ques-ta. Questa.
But, dear listeners, you perfectly know how the Italian language can be varied and wide-ranging. So, you won’t be surprised to hear that there are some more interesting ways to ask “How much is this?” Don’t forget that Italian streets are full of stands and overall, in little towns, you can easily find local markets with many stands where you can buy absolutely everything.
So, let’s imagine that you are by a stand of clothes in a local market and you want to buy a shirt. After Scusi to get the stand-keeper’s attention, you can say Quanto viene questa camicia? Quanto viene questa camicia? “How much is this shirt?” So, as you can see, we use Viene in place of Costa. Viene is the third singular person of the verb Venire, “to come.” Questa, “this,” is followed by Camicia, which is a singular noun and means “shirt”.
Let’s break down these words by syllable:
Quan-to vie-ne ques-ta ca-mi-cia? Quanto viene questa camicia?

Outro
Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So, buona fortuna, which means “good luck” in Italian.
"How much is this?" (masculine) - Quanto costa questo?
Quanto costa questo?
Quanto costa questo?
"How much is this?" (feminine) - Quanto costa questa?
Quanto costa questa?
Quanto costa questa?
“How much is this shirt?” - Quanto viene questa camicia?
Quanto viene questa camicia?
Quanto viene questa camicia?
That’s going to do it for today. Remember to stop by ItalianPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. Ciao ciao!

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