Radio Arlecchino

Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Thanks
s for tuning in! Here is the transcript of our recent broadcast, The One Where Arlecchino Visits the King, which you can hear by accessing the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=01
Transcript
Arlecchino: Una volta, tanto tempo fa, quando ero molto pi giovane, lavoravo nella fattoria di una vecchia signora. C'erano due altri servi che ci lavoravano, un tale Brighella, un Pedrolino, e c'ero pure io. La signora non era ricca. Era sempre gentile con noi, anche se lei mi considerava un po' scemo. Antonella: Un giorno abbiamo saputo che il re festeggiava il suo compleanno, e tutte le case della zona, grandi e piccole, volevano mandare qualche regalo al monarca. Arlecchino: La signora non aveva molto, come ho gi detto, ma in un cestino ha messo quello che poteva: burro, pane, vino e una bella torta di mele, tutte cose fatte l alla fattoria. Antonella: Visto che Brighella era il pi forte dei servi, la signora lo ha chiamato e gli ha dato il cestino. Gli ha detto di andare al castello del re per consegnargli il suo regalo. Molto fiero di poter eseguire questo importantissimo compito, Brighella partito subito la mattina dopo con il cestino. Per arrivare al castello del re Arlecchino: Once upon a time, a long time ago, when I was much younger, I was working on the farm of an old lady. There were two other servants who were working there, a certain Brighella, one Pedrolino, and there was me. The lady wasnt rich. She was always kind to us, even though she thought of me as rather a dolt. Antonella: One day we learned that the king was celebrating his birthday, and all the households thereabouts, great and small, wanted to send some gift to the monarch. Arlecchino: The lady didnt have much, as I have said, but she put what she could into a basket: butter, bread, wine and a fine apple pie, all things made there on the farm. Antonella: Since Brighella was the strongest of the servants, the lady called him and gave him the basket. She told him to go to the kings castle and offer him her gift. Very proud of being able to carry out this very important task, Brighella set out right away on the following morning with the basket. To get to the kings castle he had to
Radio Arlecchino, Episode 1, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
doveva attraversare una grande foresta misteriosa, ma lui non aveva paura -almeno cos diceva. Arlecchino: Nel mezzo del bosco ha incontrato una brutta strega che saltata davanti a lui da dietro un albero. La strega: Ehi, giovanotto -Arlecchino: ha detto la strega -La strega: Che cosa porti nel cestino?
cross a great mysterious forest, but he was not afraid at least thats what he said.
Arlecchino: In the middle of the woods he met an ugly witch who jumped out at him from behind a tree. The witch: Hey, young man -Arlecchino: said the witch -The witch: What are you carrying in your basket? Arlecchino: Brighella didnt want to tell the truth to the witch. That ugly old crone was capable of stealing the good things he was supposed to take to the king. Antonella: So he said to her: Brighella: Nothing really, maam... Theyre potato peels, egg shells, coffee grounds and bits of wilted salad... Im taking them to my granny who feeds them to the chickens. The witch: I have no use for those things, young man. Farewell! Arlecchino: said the witch. And Brighella set off again down the road. Antonella: When Brighella arrived at the castle, they brought him before the king. Brighella knelt down and the king asked him: the King: What nice things have you brought me? What is your fine gift? Antonella: Brighella, all beaming with pride, opened the basket and offered it to the king.
Arlecchino: Brighella non ha voluto dire la verit alla strega. Quella brutta vecchia era capace di rubare le buone cose che lui doveva portare dal re. Antonella: Quindi le ha detto: Brighella: Davvero niente, signora... Sono bucce di patate, gusci di uova, grani di caff e cespi di insalata marcia... li porto da mia nonna che li d da mangiare alle galline. La strega: Quelle cose non mi servono, giovanotto. Addio! Arlecchino: ha detto la strega, e Brighella ha ripreso la strada. Antonella: Quando Brighella arrivato al castello, lo hanno portato davanti al re. Brighella si inginocchiato e il re gli ha domandato: il Re: Che cosa di bello mi hai portato? Qual il tuo bel regalo? Antonella: Brighella, tutto fiero e orgoglioso, ha aperto il cestino e l'ha offerto al re.
il Re: Diavoli e demoni! Antonella: ha gridato il sovrano. il Re: Venite tutti a vedere le bucce di patate e e tutte le schifezze che questo mascalzone ha osato di portarmi! Antonella: Brighella rimasto stupito ma era vero: nel cestino non c'erano pi le buone cosa preparate dalla signora... ma tutte le brutte cose raccontate nella sua bugia alla strega. Arlecchino: A calci nel sedere lo hanno spinto fuori del castello. Brighella mogio mogio se ne tornato a casa, dove la signora lo ha accolto a bastonate. la vecchia signora: Pedrolino -Arlecchino: ha urlato la signora -la vecchia signora: Ora tocca a te! Non ripetere la sciocchezza di Brighella! Eccoti un altro cestino... Arlecchino: Mentre Pedrolino attraversava la foresta, di nuovo si presentata la strega, sempre con la stessa richiesta. Antonella: Anche Pedrolino le ha mentito, dicendo: Pedrolino: Qui nel mio cestino c' solo sterco, che porto da mia zia che vuole fertilizzare i suoi campi. La strega: Uffa, che schifo! Arlecchino: ha risposto la strega. La strega: Lo sterco non mi serve. Addio,
the King: Devils and demons! Antonella: cried the sovereign. the King: Come all of you and behold the potato peels and all the rubbish this scoundrel has dared to bring me! Antonella: Brighella was astounded but it was true: the good things prepared by the lady were no longer in the basket... only the ugly things described in his lie to the witch.
Arlecchino: They drove him out of the castle with kicks in his behind. Brighella sheepishly returned home, where the lady welcomed him with blows of her stick. The old lady: Pedrolino -Arlecchino: cried the lady -The old lady: Its your turn now! Dont repeat any of Brighellas foolishness! Heres another basket for you... Arlecchino: As Pedrolino crossed the forest, the witch appeared again, again with the same request.
Antonella: And Pedrolino lied to her as well, saying: Pedrolino: Here in my basket theres nothing but manure, which I am taking to my aunt to fertilize her fields. The witch: Ugh, how disgusting! Arlecchino: answered the witch. The witch: I have no use for manure.
giovanotto! Arlecchino: E Pedrolino ha ripreso la strada. Antonella: Potete immaginare la sorpresa e la disperazione del disgraziato Pedrolino quando il re ha aperto il suo bello e profumato regalo di sterco! Arlecchino: Alla signora non rimaneva nientaltro da fare che chiamare me. Mi ha dato un terzo cestino e mi ha implorato di non farla vergognare ancora davanti al re. Quando la vecchia del bosco mi ha chiesto cosa portavo nel mio cestino, ho visto non una strega ma una povera donna affamata, e le ho detto: Signora, nel mio cestino ho pane, burro, e una torta di mele, sono per fare un regalo al re, ma vedo che Lei ha fame... Prenda quello che vuole, tanto al re non manca certo il cibo... La strega mi ha fissato a lungo, ma non ha preso niente dal mio cestino. La strega: Grazie, giovanotto, sei molto gentile, ma ho appena pranzato e non ho fame. Addio e buon viaggio! Arlecchino: Dopo mi sono inginocchiato davanti al re, e gli ho detto: Maest, la mia padrona non ricca, ma ha mandato del meglio della sua fattoria, solo... Antonella: Ma il re, che gi guardava nel cestino, mi ha interrotto. il Re: Angeli e cherubini! Antonella: ha esclamato.
Farewell, young man! Arlecchino: And Pedrolino set off again down the road. Antonella: You can imagine wretched Pedrolinos surprise and despair when the king opened his fine fragrant gift of manure! Arlecchino: There was nothing left for the lady to do but to call upon me. She gave me a third basket and implored me not to shame her again before the king. When the old crone of the woods asked me what I was carrying in my basket, I saw not a witch but a poor starving woman, and I said to her: Maam, in my basket I have bread, butter, and an apple pie, theyre to be a gift for the king, but I see that you are hungry... Take what you will, after all, the king surely doesnt want for food... The witch stared at me a good while, but she took nothing from my basket. The witch: Thank you, young man, you are very kind, but Ive just had lunch and Im not hungry. Good-bye and farewell! Arlecchino: Later I knelt before the king and said to him, Your majesty, my mistress is not rich, but she has sent the best from her farm, only... Antonella: But the king, who was already looking in the basket, interrupted me. the King: Angels and cherubim! Antonella: he exclaimed.
il Re: Venite tutti a vedere i diamanti e le perle, l'oro e l'argento, che questo povero contadino riuscito a portarmi!
the King: Come all of you and behold the pearls, the gold and the silver, that this poor peasant has managed to bring me!
Antonella: Scusa un attimo, caro Antonella: Pardon me a moment, my dear Arlecchino... molto bella la tua storia, ma... Arlecchino... your story is lovely, but... are sei sicuro che il protagonista sei proprio tu? you sure that you yourself are really its hero? Arlecchino: Eh'... il tuo Arlecchino il servitore di tanti padroni, e il protagonista di tante storie... Arlecchino: Ah, your Arlecchino is the servant of many a master, and the hero of many a tale...
Nota Grammaticale
People learning Italian sometimes have a tough time with this issue of picking the right verb tense when they are narrating past events, but it doesnt have to be all that difficult. Events that occur in a sequence will be expressed with the passato prossimo. One event takes place and is completed before the next one begins. These are the events that move the plot forward. Events that occur in the background, while others are taking place, are expressed with the imperfetto. We rarely know (or care) when these events begin or when they end. They are in progress when another action begins, is carried out, and ends. They are the events, or states of mind or being, that flesh out the story but do not move it forward. Arlecchino begins his account by describing the situation that was in existence at the moment his story began: I was much younger, I was working on a farm, there were two other servants there, the lady was not rich, she thought of me as a dolt, etc... Notice that in the first paragraph of Arlecchinos tale, nothing actually happens we merely learn about the setting in which the real story will unfold. The verbs are in the imperfetto. In the second paragraph, a series of completed actions begins that puts the story in motion and moves it forward. We found out...; the court requested... These verbs are in the passato prossimo. As the story moves forward, sentences contain verbs in both the passato prossimo and the imperfetto. La signora non aveva molto... Not having much is not something that the lady did (we know neither when this condition began nor when it endedand thats not the point), its the situation she was in when the real story events took place. So the verb is in the imperfetto. Later in the same sentence, in un cestino ha messo..., she put in a basket... Now this is an event, a completed action, that moves the plot forward. She has to put the items in the basket before she sends Brighella off to the castle with it. Its an event in a sequence of events. The verb is in the passato prossimo. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 1, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Visto che Brighella era il pi forte dei servi, la signora lo ha chiamato e gli ha dato il cestino. Brighellas being the strongest of the servants is not an action he performed or completed. When did he start being the strongest? We dont know and thats not important. The statement is merely describing the situation that existed at the moment the lady called him. So, era il pi forte, imperfetto. Then, la signora lo ha chiamato. This is an action completed by the lady before the next action was completed. First she called him, then she gave him the basket. Events in a sequence. Passato prossimo. We encourage you to look at all the verbs in the imperfetto and the passato prossimoin Arlecchinos tale and think about why its in the tense its in. Then when you tell a story or relate an anecdote in Italian, you can think about which verbs are supplying descriptions and background information, and which are relaying information about completed events that move the plot of your story forward. For all the excruciating details about the imperfetto and the passato prossimo, we recommend that you consult a good dictionary or grammar reference book. Make sure you are familiar with the appendices of any textbook you might be using. Buon divertimento!
Nota Culturale
As Antonella mentions, in fictional narrative such as fairy-tales, novels, and short stories, and in relatively formal non-fiction prose such as biographies and histories, the passato remoto is frequently used instead of passato prossimo to communicate events (actions) completed in the past. The passato remoto is rarely used in conversation. However, in some Southern regions of Italy (particularly in Sicily) as well as in Tuscany, this tense may be heard in everyday conversation. In either context, the passato remoto is used in Italian only to mention changes and events, while the imperfetto remains the tense used for describing the setting, the atmosphere, an ongoing state of mind, or the general situation. It can be great fun to see how Italian folk tales both resemble and are different from the ones we are familiar with. If you are interested in reading fairy tales in Italian, keep in mind Italo Calvinos Fiabe italiane (1956). Calvinos intent in this work was to represent all kinds of documented fables and folk tales existing in the various Italian dialects and regions. He collected and translated from dialects tales passed on through oral tradition by the Italian people. In Calvinos collection, the majority of the tales belong to the regions of Tuscany and Sicily. Tune in again soonand tell your friends you heard it conjugated on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Heres a transcript of Great Caesars Ghost! our recent show about narrating in the past using the passato remoto, which you can hear by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=02 Hanno partecipato: Marco Derisi Bob Olson Antonella Olson Mark Garrison Buon divertimento! Featured in this broadcast: il Gatto Giulio Cesare il Gatto Marco Aurelio Colombina il Gatto Nerone
Transcript
Arlecchina parla con il Gatto Giulio Cesare Arlecchina: vero che tu conquistasti anche la Gallia? Gatto Giulio Cesare: Certamente, pochi anni dopo mi spinsi anche fino al Tamgi. Fui un generale valoroso ed il senato romano mi nomin prima console e dopo dittatore. Arlecchina speaks with Julius Caesar the cat Arlecchina: Is it true that you even conquered Gaul? Julius Caesar the Cat: Certainly, and a few years later I drove on as far as the Thames. I was a valiant general and the Roman senate named me first Consul and later Dictator.
Arlecchina: Mamma mia, che interessante! Arlecchina: Gracious, how interesting. Come fu la tua vita privata? What about your private life? Gatto Giulio Cesare: Ebbi una moglie e mi legai anche a Cleopatra, la bellissima regina d'Egitto. Arlecchina: Beh, tu fosti un uomo molto fortunato. Gatto Giulio Cesare: Sinceramente no. Il Julius Caesar the Cat: I had a wife and I was also linked with Cleopatra, the incredibly beautiful queen of Egypt. Arlecchina: My, you were a very lucky man. Julius Caesar the Cat: Frankly, I wasnt,
mio figlio adottivo Bruto mi pugnal a morte e mia moglie non pianse molto per la mia scomparsa. E io non ho mai imparato a camminare allegiziana! Il Gatto Marco Aurelio rivolge la parola ad Arlecchina Gatto Marco Aurelio: Io fui limperatore Marco Aurelio. Non mi credi? In effetti, non ci credette neanche lultimo a cui ho parlato. Arlecchina: Beh, se un gatto pu parlare pu pure essere un imperatore. E se sei davvero Marco Aurelio, so che la tua statua di bronzo scamp alla distruzione perch i papi pensavano che fosse Costantino, il primo imperatore cristiano.
really. My adopted son Brutus stabbed me to death and my wife shed few tears over my death. And I have never learned to walk like an Egyptian!. Marcus Aurelius the Cat addresses Arlecchina Marcus Aurelius the Cat: I was the emperor Marcus Aurelius. You dont believe me? In fact the last person I talked to didnt believe me either. Arlecchina: Well, if a cat can talk then whats to keep him from being an emperor? And if you are really Marcus Aurelius, I know that your bronze statue escaped destruction because the popes thought it was Constantine, the first Christian emperor. Marcus Aurelius the Cat: I cannot say that I was displeased. And I was quite proud when Michelangelo decided to place it at the top of the Capitoline. Arlecchina: Now you made some movies, too, didn't you? I saw you once a long time ago in one called The Gladiator. Marcus Aurelius the Cat: That wasnt me, but an actor... me, I reigned for almost twenty years and I died in 180 A.D. My son Commodus didnt really kill me. Arlecchina: Oh, Death smiles at everyone; all a man can do is smile back at her. Marcus Aurelius the Cat: What a fine turn of phrase! I couldnt have said it better myself. Arlecchina: A good philosopher friend of mine said it.
Gatto Marco Aurelio: Non posso dire che mi dispiacque. E fui molto orgoglioso quando Michelangelo decise di metterla in cima al Campidoglio. Arlecchina: Ma facesti anche dei film, non vero? Ti vidi molto tempo fa in uno chiamato Il Gladiatore. Gatto Marco Aurelio: Ma quello non ero io, bens un attore... io, io regnai per quasi ventanni e morii nel 180 dopo Cristo. Mio figlio Commodo non mi uccise mica. Arlecchina: Oh, la morte sorride a tutti; un uomo non pu far altro che sorriderle di rimando. Gatto Marco Aurelio: Bella la tua frase... Non avrei potuto esprimermi meglio io stesso. Arlecchina: Lo disse una volta un mio amico filosofo...
Colombina parla con il Gatto Nerone Colombina: vero che Lei fece cose orribili? Gatto Nerone: Tutte fandonie! Fui un grande artista incompreso. Colombina: Si dice che Lei uccise anche sua madre Agrippina. Gatto Nerone: Quella fu una idea della mia seconda moglie, Poppea. Io prima le dissi di si, per farla stare tranquilla, poi mi dimenticai di dare il contrordine... Colombina: Allora sua madre mor per sbaglio? Gatto Nerone: In un certo senso. Ero cosi occupato con la memorizzazione dei versi della mia nuova tragedia, che mi pass di mente ed il sicario scelto da Poppea, fece a pezzi la mia dolce mammina! Povera mamma! Senti, non avresti per caso un cerino?
Colombina speaks with Nero the Cat Colombina: Is it true that you did horrible things? Nero the Cat: All fibs! I was a great misunderstood artist. Colombina: They say that you killed even your mother Agrippina. Nero the Cat: That was an idea of my second wife, Poppea. At first I told her yes, just to keep her satisfied, then I forgot to issue the countermand. Colombina: So your mother died by mistake? Nero the Cat: In a manner of speaking. I was so busy memorizing the verses of my new tragedy, that it slipped my mind and the killer Poppea had hired tore my sweet mummy to pieces. Poor mummy! Say, you wouldnt have a match on you, would you?
Nota Grammaticale
The passato remoto is a simple, that is, a one-word, past tense that, just like the passato prossimo, is used to report completed actions, changes in states and to make reaction statements. Although there are some regions of Italy where the passato remoto is used in conversation for relatively recent events, in contemporary standard Italian this tense has essentially become a literary tense used in two main situations: 1. when you are talking about events that occurred in a remote past (historical events or events that are seen as unrelated to current events), and 2. in narrative fiction (short stories, novels) and in formal expository prose (histories, biographies, encyclopedia articles. Even in these two situations, the imperfetto will still be used to convey background and descriptive information, ongoing actions, and habitually repeated actions. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 2, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Almost all first- and third-conjugation verbs (-are and ire) have regular passato remoto conjugations; almost all second-conjugation verbs have irregular passato remoto conjugations.
Regular in the passato remoto 1st conjugation: cantare cantai cantammo cantasti cantaste cant cantarono 2nd conjugation: vendere vendei (vendetti) vendemmo vendesti vendeste vend (vendette) venderono (vendettero) 3rd conjugation: capire capii capimmo capisti capiste cap capirono
1-3-3 Pattern avere ebbi avesti ebbe leggere lessi leggesti lesse
avemmo aveste ebbero
leggemmo leggeste lessero
Completely irregular: essere fui fummo fosti foste fu furono
In summary, you dont have to worry much about the passato remoto in conversation or in informal writing, but you definitely need to be familiar with it and to recognize it in order to read Italian texts.
Nota Culturale
The most centrally located of the seven hills of Rome is the Capitoline Hill, which was the center of the political, social and religious life of ancient Rome. It is still one the most crowded sites of modern Rome. The Piazza del Campidoglio is a stunning backdrop for wedding photographs: in the Sala Rossa, civil marriage ceremonies are performed by officials of the Italian State. The piazza, designed by Michelangelo, has three majestic palaces and the famous statue of the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), of whose famous aphorisms Arlecchina seems to be so fond. His gilded bronze equestrian statue survived destruction because the popes mistook it for a depiction of Constantine, the first Christian emperor. It was placed in this piazza by Michelangelo in 1538 and was removed for restoration in 1981. It can be seen in the Capitoline Museum; however, a copy of it still dominates the breathtaking piazza del Campidoglio. Legend has it that so long as Marcus Aurelius statue stands in the piazza, the Eternal City of Rome will survive. According to another legend: the stray cats of the Coliseum are the reincarnation of Radio Arlecchino, Episode 2, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Roman Emperors. Look for them when you visit this Roman landmark, they may share some unrevealed secrets about Ancient Rome with you! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here is a transcript of our recent broadcast about using the trapassato prossimo and the trapassato remoto to talk about the past, Pulcinella Plugged, http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=03 Ha partecipato: Nevin Pecorelli Buon divertimento! Featured in this program: as Pulcinella
Transcript
Antonella: Pulcinella, che piacere rivederti! Come stai? Pulcinella: Bene, bene, grazie... Ciao, grazie, grazie... grazie a tutti quanti... Antonella: Senti, mio caro, questo tuo nuovo CD, Pulcinella: "Pulcinella Plugged" Antonella: ma stupendo! L'ho sentito ieri. Non avevo mai sentito una musica simile... Pulcinella: piaciuto anche a te? Antonella: Come no! Dimmi una cosa, Pulcinella, vero che all'et di sette anni avevi gi composto le tue prime canzonette? Pulcinella: Senti, io, quando sono nato, il medico non mi aveva ancora sculacciato quando ho cominciato a cantare... Antonella: Pulcinella, its great to see you again! How are you? Pulcinella: Fine, fine, thanks... Thank you, thank you. Thanks, everybody. Antonella: Listen, my dear, this new CD of yours... Pulcinella: "Pulcinella Plugged" Antonella: why its stupendous! I heard it yesterday. I had never heard music like that... Pulcinella: Did you like it too? Antonella: Of course! Tell me something, Pulcinella, is it true that at the age of seven you had all ready composed your first little songs? Pulcinella: Listen, me, when I was born, the doctor hadnt spanked me yet when I started to sing...
Antonella: Ma dici sul serio?! Pulcinella: Non so scherzare... Antonella: Comunque il tuo grande successo da cantautore non stata una cosa repentina... Pulcinella: Assolutamente no!... Da grande avevo abbandonato ogni speranza di raggiungere la fama. Antonella: Incredibile! E come hai trovato poi il coraggio di proseguire? Pulcinella: L'ho trovato grazie a Colombina. Tutto cambiato da quando le ho cantato alcune mie melodie. Antonella: Davvero? Pulcinella: rimasta sbalordita dalle musiche che avevo scritto da giovane. Antonella: Posso immaginarmelo... In effetti, il grande pubblico aspettava da anni una novit musicale quando tu finalmente hai ritrovato l'ispirazione e hai portato una ventata di novit col tuo "Pulcinella Plugged". Pulcinella: Come mi ha incoraggiato l'entusiasmo di quella fanciulla! Antonella: Poi ti hanno contattato i rappresentanti della Dimentichi... Pulcinella: No no, stato proprio lui... il signor Dimentichi... avevo appena cominciato a scrivere una nuova canzone quando mi ha telefonato. Antonella: Allora questo CD... "Pulcinella Plugged"...?
Antonella: Are you serious?! Pulcinella: Pulcinella: No joke... Antonella: Anyway, your success as a singer-songwriter didnt happen overnight... Pulcinella: Absolutely not!... When I grew up I had abandoned every hope of becoming famous. Antonella: Incredible! So how did you find the courage to go on, then? Pulcinella: I found it thanks to Colombina. Everything changed when I sang a few of my tunes for her. Antonella: Really? Pulcinella: She was astonished by the music I had written when I was young. Antonella: I can imagine... In fact, the public at large had been waiting for years for something new in music when you finally found your inspiration again and ushered in a breath of fresh air with your Pulcinella Plugged. Pulcinella: How that girls enthusiasm encouraged me! Antonella: Then the agents from Dimentichi contacted you... Pulcinella: No no, it was him... Mr Dimentichi himself. I had just started writing a new song when he phoned me.
Antonella: So this new CD... "Pulcinella Plugged"...?
Pulcinella: Tutt'una nuova fase nello sviluppo della musica leggera, modestia a parte... Antonella: Questo CD, dicevo, sar in vendita... Pulcinella: in vendita! Nei negozi, in rete... Quando i negozi si sono aperti stamani le copie del CD erano gi arrivate... Anzi, ragazzi, stato un piacere, ma devo andare -- vi saluto, amici... Antonellaa: Oh, Pulcinella! Non puoi rimanere ancora un attimo con noi? Pulcinella: Mi dispiace, devo fare uno spot pubblicitario qui nello studio accanto, poi si fa una festa da Colombina... devo proprio scappare... Antonella: A presto, Pulcinella, tanti auguri per il CD...
Pulcinella: An entirely new phase in the development of pop music, if I do say so myself. Antonella: This CD, I was going to say, will be on sale... Pulcinella: It is on sale. In the stores, online... When the stores opened this morning, the copies of the CD had already arrived. Guys, its been a pleasure, but I have to go... So long, friends... Antonella: Oh, Pulcinella! Cant you stay with us a little bit longer? Pulcinella: Im sorry, I have to do a promo here in the studio next door, then theres a party at Colombinas... I really have to run... Antonella: See you soon, Pulcinella, best wishes for the CD...
Nota Grammaticale
The trapassato prossimo and the trapassato remoto are the last two past tenses we are going to talk about. In fact we can't have a passato prossimo, without having a trapassato prossimo, and having a passato remoto doesn't save us from also having a trapassato remoto. The good news is that, since the trapassato remoto is mainly used in literature, we can focus on the trapassato prossimo. The function of the trapassato prossimo is to put the actions in the right chronological order: the trapassato prossimo is used to report actions that had happened further back in the past than the other ones that we are talking about. As Pulcinella says: 'Colombina rimasta sbalordita dalle musiche che avevo scritto da giovane'. The action 'scrivere le musiche' happened way before (in fact Pulcinella says 'da giovane') than the action 'Colombina rimasta sbalordita'. And again: 'Avevo appena cominciato a scrivere una nuova canzone quando mi ha telefonato il Signor Dimentichi'. Even in this sentence the action of writing the song happened before (even if it was 'appena', just before) Mr Dimentichi called Pulcinella. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 3, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
When the trapassato prossimo reports an action that took place before another action in the past, the other action is not always explicit. Sometimes in fact you use the trapassato prossimo by itself without referring to the other action like 'Da grande avevo abbandonato ogni speranza di raggiungere la fama'. Here you assume something happened after 'avevo abbandonato' that changed Pulcinella's situation. Other times the trapassato prossimo comes out to show the prior cause of a past event: 'Non ho pi scritto canzoni perch avevo abbandonato la speranza di diventare un grande cantante' where 'avevo abbandonato la speranza' is the cause of past event 'Non ho pi scritto canzoni'.
formation
The pluperfect (il piuccheperfetto, or more commonly il trapassato prossimo) is formed with the auxiliary in the imperfetto followed by the past participle of the verb. The choice of auxiliary, essere or avere, is the same as for the passato prossimo. Trapassato prossimo = auxiliary in the imperfetto + past participle of verb mangiare, to eat I had eaten, you had eaten, etc. avevo mangiato avevamo mangiato avevi mangiato avevate mangiato aveva mangiato avevamo mangiato
andare, to go - I had gone, you had gone, etc. ero andato/a eravamo andati/e eri andato/a eravate andati/e era andato/a erano andati/e The rules for past participle agreement in the trapassato prossimo are the same as for the passato prossimo.
Trapassato remoto Like the passato remoto, the trapassato remoto is a tense used in literature and narrative writing. The two tenses are often found together in the same text. The trapassato remoto is used in literature, in formal writing, and in very formal speeches, when speaking of past events which are prior to other past actions. It is very similar to the trapassato prossimo in that it is used to refer to a past action that was completed before another action in the past, but its use is very restricted. Three different conditions must all be met before trapassato remoto can be the right tense to use: Radio Arlecchino, Episode 3, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
1. trapassato remoto must appear in a subordinate clause introduced by a conjunction of time, such as (non) appena (as soon as), dopo che (after), or quando (when); 2. the verb in the main clause must be in the passato remoto; 3. the action of the verb in the trapassato remoto must be prior, that is, it happens before the verb in the main clause. Consider the following example: Appena ebbe compiuto dieci anni Pantalone cominci a risparmiare. (As soon as he turned ten Pantalone began to save) 1. the clause with had turned ten is introduced by appena, a conjunction of time. The first condition has been met. 2. the verb in the main clause, cominci, is in the passato remoto. The second condition has been met. 3. the action of the verb in the subordinate clause is prior to the action in the main clause. Thus all three of the necessary conditions for trapassato remoto have been met.
formation
The trapassato remoto is formed with the passato remoto of the appropriate auxiliary (avere or essere) plus the past participle of the main verb. Trapassato remoto = auxiliary in the passato remoto + past participle of main verb parlare 'to speak' - I had spoken, you had spoken, etc. ebbi parlato avemmo parlato avesti parlato aveste parlato ebbe parlato ebbero parlato
andare 'to go' - I had gone, you had gone, etc. fui andato/a fummo andati/e fosti andato/a foste andati/e fu andato/a furono andati/e
Nota Culturale
It can be great fun to familiarize yourself with these tenses through the history of the great period of the Italian opera and by reading the libretti that accompany each of these operas. Libretto (pl. libretti) is an Italian word that translates literally as "little book"its the script of an opera, the words that the singers sing. They are usually very easy to access online. To start your journey, you could visit the web site of Casa Ricordi (www.ricordi.com). Casa Ricordi is the oldest Italian music publishing firm and undoubtedly the worlds most important publisher of opera. It was founded in Milan in 1808 and Ricordi has published some of the all-time greatest Italian opera scores and libretti. Ricordi is also a very important Italian recording label. On the web site of Casa Ricordi you may read about the most famous Italian composers from Rossini to Donizetti, as well as the other great names like Bellini, Verdi and Puccini. You may also read and listen to some of the most important contemporary composers both Italian and foreign. If opera is not your genre, there is a wide array of Italian pop singers whose work is accessible on the website of MTV Italia (www.mtv.it). Despite the strong presence of foreign artists, there is also a considerable number of Italian singers ranging from hip-hop and rap to techno. Sadly, you wont be able to learn much about the trapassato prossimo and the trapassato remoto as they are not much employed in this musical context. Another option is to log on the web site of the Italian public television network (www.rai.it) Usually, on the very first page there is a music section where you can learn about very many talented cantautori (singer-songwriters) that do not belong to the pop mainstream. You may search and learn more about such talented artists as Fabrizio De Andr, Paolo Conte, Mimmo Locasciulli and many more. Unfortunately, Pulcinellas greatest hits are probably confined to history and our imagination.
Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that everything is plus quam perfectus more than perfect here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Heres a transcript of Im In the Mood For our recent show about expressing opinions and emotions using the subjunctive mood, which you can hear by accessing http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=04 Gli artisti: Steven Miller Eric Edwards Artists in this broadcast: Pulcinella as a singer Writer and composer of Pulcinellas song
Marlene Lucio, Henry Fuentes, Wesley Baker and Bryant Moscon as the Wheirdos Buon divertimento!
Transcript
La canzone di Pulcinella Spaghetti alle lacrime Il povero Pulcinella crede che la vita sia bella ma non sa cosa lo aspetta al veder Arlecchinetta. Quando la vedo sul palcoscenico crederai ch'io diventi schizofrenico In quel momento leggendario quando si alza il sipario mi pare che si tolga il tovagliolo per rivelare il raviolo pi squisito della terra. Nel mio cuor: effetto serra! Pi deliziosa di Arlecchinetta The Song of Pulcinella Tearful Spaghetti (A poetic translation, not word for word!) Poor little, little Pulcinella thinks that life is so stellar but he doesnt know whats gonna come when he sees Arlecchinetta, shes the one! When I see her up on the stage I think Im flying into a rage In that moment so legendary when the curtain lifts heavenly it seems that it removes the wrapping to reveal the raviolis delicate topping most exquisite throughout the globe a deadly greenhouse effect on my soul More delicious than my lovely Arlecchinetta
non credo che pizza abbia fetta.
not even the most delectable tomato on bruschetta Is this a dream, or is it really true Come on, Pulcinella, dont be a fool I desperately want to say how much I love her every day but she doesnt hear a thing she wants that I tell her No-thing! Arlecchina, Arlecchina, when you hear me cry and wail youll know that my hearts gonna fail For the pain of my broken soul and psyche theres no other remedy but a fine plate of spaghetti.
Questo sogno? o fatto? Pulcinella, dai, sei matto Voglio disperatamente dirle quanto io le voglio bene ma lei non sente non vuole che le dica niente. Arlecchina, Arlecchina, quando sentirai il mio pianto saprai che il mio cuor infranto. Per il dolor della mia anima spezzata non c altro rimedio che una bella spaghettata.
Nota Grammaticale
Indicative vs Subjunctive Main rules to use subjunctive (wheirdo category/two subjects) and infinitive (one subject) By far the most common use of the subjunctive is to express actions that are viewed subjectively rather than objectively: actions that are colored by emotion or doubt rather than reported as matters of fact. This use of the subjunctive in dependent clauses is triggered by verbs in the main clause that we may consider as belonging to the WHEIRDO category: verbs that denote wish or will, hope, emotion, impersonal expressions, recommendations, doubt or denial, opinions: W is for Wanting and Wishing. Vorrei che Colombina si innamorasse di me! I wish Colombina would fall in love with me. H is for Hope. Spero che il Dottore non dia pi fastidio ad Arlecchina. I hope the Dottore wont bother Arlecchina any more. E is for Emotion. Gli spettatori hanno paura che Arlecchino gli salti sulle gambe. The audience is afraid Arlecchino will jump right into their laps.
I is for Impersonal Expressions. impossibile che Arlecchino smetta di corteggiare Colombina. Its impossible for Arlecchino to stop courting Colombina. R is for Recommending. Il regista si raccomanda che tutti gli attori imparino la parte a memoria. The director recommends that all the actors learn their parts by heart. D is for Doubt. Arlecchina dubita che Pulcinella la difenda da Balanzone. Arlecchina doubts that Pulcinella will defend her from Balanzone. O is for Opinion. Pulcinella crede che la vita sia bella. Pulcinella believes that life is beautiful.
While in the indicative mood, the choice of verb tense almost always depends on when the action takes place: in the past, the present, or the future, in the subjunctive mood, the choice of tense depends on when the action takes place in relation to the verb in the main clause that triggers the use of the subjunctive in the subordinate clause: Il Dottore sa che Colombina bella -- indicative The Doctor thinks that Colombina is beautiful. Colombina pensa che il Dottore sia brutto -- subjunctive Colombina thinks that the Doctor is ugly.
Here some of the golden rules that govern this mood: 1. Verb in the main clause belongs to the WHEIRDO category; 2. The dependent clause is introduced by che and has a subject different from the one in the main clause.
The subjunctive mood has four tenses: Presente: Penso che la canzone di Pulcinella abbia parole strane I think Pulcinellas song has weird lyrics Penso che lui abbia scritto la canzone in un momento di follia I think he wrote the song in a moment of foolishness Speravamo che Pulcinella invitasse tutti We were hoping that Pulcinella would invite everyone Radio Arlecchino, Episode 4, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Passato:
Imperfetto:
Trapassato:
Avremmo voluto che lo spettacolo fosse cominciato prima We would have wanted for the show to begin earlier.
If the verb in the main clause belongs to the WHEIRDO category and the subject of the main clause is the same as the subject of the dependent clause, then the infinitive mood must be used. Infinito presente is used if the action is contemporary or future compared to the action of the verb in the main clause: Pulcinella pensa (pensava/aveva pensato/ecc.) di cantare bene. Pulcinella thinks (thought/had thought/etc.) to sing well (that he sings well). Infinito passato is used if the the action is past compared to the action of the verb in the main clause: Loro sperano (speravano/avevano sperato/ecc.) di aver recitato bene ieri sera. They hope (were hoping/had hoped/etc.) to have performed (that they have/hadperformed) well last night .
Nota Culturale
If you get a dj vu feeling during this Moody Musical Moment, it might be because our Pulcinella has freely quoted--and misquoted--passages from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore ("Una furtiva lagrima") and Puccini's Tosca ("E lucevan le stelle").
Vocabolario: a teatro
If you decide to go to the Teatro in Italy you can buy il biglietto (the ticket) on line or al botteghino (ticket office). Before entering the theatre, you must find a parcheggio (parking area) for your car. Often, outside the theatre a parcheggiatore (parking man) is available to accommodate your needs. In Rome, he will lure you with a venghi, venghi Dotto (come, come Doctor). You will wonder when you went to medical school or got your PhD or what strange use of the subjunctive is the one he uses. Tuttavia (nonetheless) you give him your car and your money but non temere (fear not!) when lo spettacolo finisce (the show ends) your valuable car will still be there. Often, you will consume una bibita (a drink) before the show starts. When you decide to seat al tuo posto (your seat), you ask la maschera (the usher) to help you locate it. In big theatres there are molte file numerate (many numbered rows) and it is not easy to find the right seat. If you seat in platea, (the main floor in front of the stage) your tickets must be molto cari (very expensive). If you seat in piccionaia (lit. where the pigeons stay) you are a probably a student and your tickets are molto economici (very cheap). Wherever you seat, il palcoscenico (the stage) dominates the theatre. Ecco, Si alza il sipario, entrano gli attori, la magia incomincia. (Here it is. The curtain goes up, the actors enter the stage, the magic begins). If la rappresentazione (the performance) is nice, Radio Arlecchino, Episode 4, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
you applaudirai gli attori molte volte (you will applaud the actors many times). If la rappresentazione is not nice, si pu fischiare (one may boo) but always with classe e discrezione (tact and discretion). Enjoy the show and dont forget to vestirsi in maniera appropriata (dress appropriately); after all you are in Italy! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Heres a transcript of Opening Night Jitters our recent show about the present and past subjunctive, which you can hear by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=05 Hanno partecipato (Featured in this podcast): Simone Sessolo Pantalone Esmeralda Moscatelli Colombina Buon divertimento!
Transcript
Dialogue 1 - italiano Dietro le quinte al Teatro San Carlo. Si alzato il sipario per il Primo Atto. Ascoltiamo gli attori mentre aspettano di entrare in scena Dottore: Quando usciranno le recensioni, Pulcinella vorr che gli leggiamo solo quelle favorevoli. Arlecchina: importante che Pulcinella impari ad accettare anche i commenti negativi. Arlecchino: Mi auguro che i miei colleghi si comportino bene sul palcoscenico. Sono cos zotici! A presto -- Ora tocca a me entrare in scena! Dottore: Voglio sperare che questo pubblico sappia riconoscere una rappresentazione di qualit! Dialogue 1 English Backstage at the Teatro San Carlo. The curtain has gone up on the First Act. We listen in on the actors who are waiting in the wings... Dottore: When the reviews come out, Pulcinella will want us to read him only the favorable ones. Arlecchina: Its important that Pulcinella learn to accept negative comments as well.
Arlecchino: I hope my colleagues will behave themselves on stage. They are so boorish. See you soon its my turn to go on now. Dottore: I certainly hope this audience know how to recognize a quality performance.
Arlecchina: Non credo che ci sia da preoccuparsi, Dottore.
Arlecchina: I dont believe theres any reason to worry, Dottore.
Dottore: Invece io dubito che gli spettatori Dottore: I rather doubt that these presenti siano in grado di apprezzare le mie spectators are capable of appreciating my innate qualit di attore teatrale. innate theatrical abilities. Arlecchina: Non si turbi, Dottore. Credo che Arlecchino e Pulcinella si siano sempre esibiti qui a Napoli con grande successo. Dottore: Proprio questa la questione, mia cara. Non crederai che io sia felice di dividere questo palco con quei due disgraziati senza arte n parte. Arlecchina: Dont upset yourself, Dottore. I believe that Arlecchino and Pulcinella have always performed here in Naples to great success. Dottore: This is the very issue, my dear. You mustnt believe that I am happy to be sharing the stage with these two jobless and penniless wretches.
Arlecchina: Per mi pare che il pubblico si Arlecchina: However it seems to me that diverta. Sente come ridono? the audience are enjoying themselves. Dont you hear how theyre laughing? Dottore: Voglio che sappiano ora cosa significa meravigliarsi davvero! Il pi grande attore teatrale di tutti i tempi sta entrando. Arlecchino: Ecco, arriva il Dottore! Temo che lui ce labbia con me. Mi arrampico sulla scala, cos non mi vedr... Dottore: Ecce Doctor doctororum! Balanzone, a vostro servizio! Dottore: Now Ill have them know what it means to be truly amazed! The greatest actor of all times is entering the stage.
Arlecchino: Behold, here comes the Dottore. I fear he has it in for me. I'll climb this ladder so he won't see me. Dottore: Ecce Doctor doctororum! Balanzone, at your service!
Dialogue 2 italiano Pantalone: Colombina, hai visto quello che ha combinato il tuo Arlecchino durante la scena? Colombina: Ho visto, ho visto! Qualsiasi cosa abbia provato a fare, gli riuscita male! Pantalone: Io credo che abbia cercato di
Dialogue 2 English Pantalone: Colombina, did you see what your Arlecchino managed to do during the scene? Colombina: Oh, I saw it! No matter what he tried to do, it came out wrong!
Pantalone: I believe he must have been
fare il pi bel lazzo della stagione...
trying to come up with the seasons greatest bit... Colombina: Did you see when he was really about to fall from the ladder? Perhaps because I was underneath! I believe he tried to fall on top of me but instead he gave the Dottore a fine bump on the noggin! Pantalone: Is there no-one else here who saw what happened? Colombina: Oh, Ill tell you how it went. Now, when he saw that I was right there underneath, he deliberately let his foot slip on the ladder. Pantalone: What a scoundrel! Colombina: Then I shouted, Watch out! and you know what Arlecchino did then? He looked at me from above and I really think he fell on purpose. But I got out of the way and he hit the Dottore.
Colombina: Hai visto quando stava per cadere veramente dalla scala? Forse perch cero io sotto! Credo che abbia provato a cadermi addosso -- invece ha fatto venire un bel bernoccolo sulla testa del Dottore!
Pantalone: Non c nessun altro qui che abbia visto quello che successo? Colombina: Te lo racconto io come andata. Dunque, quando ha visto che ero proprio l sotto, ha messo appositamente un piede male sulla scala! Pantalone: Ma che furbastro! Colombina: Allora io ho urlato Stai attento! e sai che ha fatto allora Arlecchino? Mi ha guardato dallalto e penso proprio che labbia fatto apposta a cadere. Ma io mi sono scansata e lui ha beccato il Dottore. Dottore: Maledetto Arlecchino! Arlecchino: Coraggio, Dottore! Dottore: Assassino!
Dottore: Confounded Arlecchino! Arlecchino: Courage, Dottore! Dottore: Murderer!
Nota Grammaticale Congiuntivo presente e passato

As weve already said we have to use the subjunctive when the verb in the main clause belongs to the WHEIRDO category -- verbs of Wishing and Wanting, Hope, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Opinion -- and when the verb in the subordinate clause has a DIFFERENT SUBJECT from the one in the main clause. NOTE: Beside verbs that belong to the WHEIRDO category, the subjunctive mood can be introduced by conjunctions such as bench / sebbene / per quanto (although), affinch / perch Radio Arlecchino, Episode 5, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
(so that), a meno che non (unless) as well as indefinite expressions such as qualsiasi cosa (whatever), chiunque (whoever), nessuno (nobody). Now we need to focus on how to choose the right tense--in this particular episode, how to choose between the first two tenses of the subjunctive: the present and the past. These two tenses of the subjunctive are used when our main verb is in any present or future tense, or if it is in the imperative. We pick between the present and the past subjunctive depending on WHEN the two actions take place in relation to each other. So, we use the present subjunctive when the action in the subordinate clause takes place at the same time as or later than the action of the verb in the WHEIRDO clause. Ho paura che lo spettacolo stia per cominciare. Im afraid the play is about to start. And we use the past subjunctive when the action in the subordinate clause took place prior to the action of the verb in the WHEIRDO clause. Credo che abbiano chiuso le porte. I believe theyve closed the doors. As we said before, we use the subjunctive if in the main clause we have a verb that belongs to the WHEIRDO category and if the verb in the subordinate clause has a different subject from the one in the main clause. What happens if the subject of the two clauses is the same? In this case we use the infinitive. Spero di avere ancora il mio permesso-stampa. I hope I still have my press pass. (I hopenowthat I have itnow: simple infinitive) Spero di non avere lasciato a casa il mio permesso-stampa. I hope I didnt leave my press pass at home. (I hopenowthat I didnt leave it at home earlier: past infinitive, the infinitive of the auxiliary verb plus the past participle) And heres how we form the present and the past subjunctive: For the present, the easiest part is that the three singular forms are always the same within the same conjugation, the first-person plural form is always the same as the first-person plural of the present indicative, and the second-person plural ending is the same in all three conjugations. Furthermore, you can always get the third-person plural form by adding no to the singular form:
Regular of the subjunctive 1st conjugation: cantare cant-i cant-iamo cant-i cant-iate cant-i cant-ino 3rd conjugation: sentire sent-a sent-iamo sent-a sent-iate sent-a sent-ano 2nd conjugation: chiudere chiud-a chiud-iamo chiud-a chiud-iate chiud-a chiud-ano 3rd conjugation with isc-: capire (-isc) capisca capiamo capisca capiate capisca capiscano
The past subjunctive, like the passato prossimo, is a compound tense: it is formed with the present subjunctive of the auxiliary avere or essere + the past participle of the main verb: Conjugation with avere as auxiliary verb: abbia recitato abbia recitato abbia recitato abbiamo recitato abbiate recitato abbiano recitato Conjugation with essere as auxiliary verb: sia andato/a sia andato/a sia andato/a siamo andati/e siate andati/e siano andati/e
abbia venduto, abbia sentito, etc.
sia nato/a, sia uscito/a, etc.
As we know, in Italian some verbs like andare, avere, bere, dare, dire, dovere, essere, fare, piacere, potere, sapere, stare, uscire, venire, volere, are irregular, therefore they are conjugated in a different way. The good news, though, is that the three singular persons will always be the same, the first-person plural form will always be the same as the present indicative, and you can get the third-person plural form by adding no to the singular form. As an example, we can look at essere, which is just about as irregular as any verb is going to get: sia, sia, sia, siamo, siate, siano In our next episode, Episode 6, well be looking at the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive, and how they are used when the WHEIRDO verb is in any past or any conditional tense!
Nota Culturale
If you go to Naples you must visit the Teatro San Carlo. The theatre was built in 1737 and it is the oldest one in Europe. According to Stendhal, it is also the loveliest of the all world but the French novelist loved Italy too much to be a reliable source... The theatre is named after King Carlo di Borbone who conquered the city in 1734 after thirtyRadio Arlecchino, Episode 5, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
four years of Austrian domination making Naples the capital of an independent and sovereign kingdom. Pretty important for a city that has a history of foreign domination! The first performance at the San Carlo, Achille in Sciro by Domenico Sarro, took place on the 4th of November 1737. The theatre was completely destroyed by a fire in 1816; Ferdinand I di Borbone ordered the theatre to be rebuilt six days later and what you see today is the result of this latest architectonic manipulation. The San Carlo contributed enormously to the development of the Italian opera, both the opera seria and the melodrama. Great composers of the Neapolitan school, Paisiello, Traetta, Cimarosa, as well as more internationally known artists such as Rossini and Donizetti were actively involved in composing for the San Carlo. Many of them also served as artistic directors of the theatre. If you go to Naples and decide to pay a visit to the San Carlo remember that the opera season begins in January. The theatre is also renowned for its school of ballet, whose fame spread all over Europe along with that of the theatre itself. The Neapolitan ballet was born. Evviva. Grazie, Carlo!
Vocabolario: a teatro
Everything went well alle prove (at the rehearsals) but the night della prima (of the premiere), all the actors are ansiosi (anxious). There are those who read endlessly il copione (the script), others who lo recitano a voce alta (recite it aloud) and the diva mysteriously locked herself up nel suo camerino (in her dressing room) where nobody knows what she is doing. Probably, si sta provando i costumi di scena (she is trying on her costumes) or si sta facendo il trucco (she is putting her make up on). Due minuti, solo due minuti(two minutes left) cries lassistente del regista (the directors assistant). Everyones ready a entrare in scena? (to enter the stage). Where is the diva? Ah... As any great theatrical actress, la protagonista si sta fumando una sigaretta dietro le quinte (the female main character is smoking a cigarette backstage). Tutti gli attori sul palcoscenico (all the actors on stage) cries now il regista nervosissimo (the very nervous director). Buona fortuna! Break a leg! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Heres a transcript of Alls Well that Ends our recent show about the imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive, which you can hear by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=06 Hanno partecipato (Featured in this podcast): Esmeralda Moscatelli Colombina Simone Sessolo Pantalone Nevin Pecorelli Pulcinella Buon divertimento!
Transcript
Dialogue 1 - italiano Arlecchina: Vorrei che mi aiutassi con il mio abito. Colombina: Va bene. Cosa devo fare? Dialogue 1 English Arlecchina: Id like you to help me with my costume. Colombina: All right. What do I need to do? Arlecchina: I was hoping you could help me raise the hem by a centimetre.
Arlecchina: Speravo che mi potessi aiutare ad accorciare lorlo di un centimetro. Colombina: Sarebbe meglio che lo lasciassi cos com. C il rischio che la gonna diventi troppo corta. Arlecchina: Davvero? Allora sarebbe opportuno accorciarlo di due centimetri... In prima fila c un bel ragazzo biondo. Vorrei proprio che mi notasse!
Colombina: It would be better for you to leave it the way it is. Theres a risk that the skirt will end up too short. Arlecchina: Really? Then it would be a good idea to raise it two centimetres... Theres a goodlooking blond guy in the first row. Id really like for him to notice me. Colombina: Do what you want. For my
Colombina: Fa come vuoi. Secondo me
sarebbe giusto che ti notasse senza che tu gli facessi lo spogliarello davanti.
money it would be best that he notice you without your doing a striptease in front of him. Arlecchina: And for my money, it would be best that you mind your own business!
Arlecchina: E secondo me, sarebbe meglio che tu pensassi agli affari tuoi.
Dialogue 2 italiano Pantalone: Allora, fatemi leggere. Qui il critico dice: "Era ridicolo che gli attori avessero provato cos tanto, visto il risultato cos misero". Arlecchino: Lo sapevo. Abbiamo dato retta di nuovo a Pulcinella. Era gi evidente nelle prove che tu non ne avessi azzecata una. Ora basta! Questa lultima volta che gli diamo retta! Pulcinella: Eppure sul palco avevo la netta impressione che avessimo preso la strada giusta. Pantalone: Come no. Senti qua: "Quello chiamato Pulcinella sembrava che non avesse mai recitato in vita sua". Arlecchino: Ma come? Dopo lo spettacolo dellanno scorso ti diceva che sembrava fossi nato per fare il buffone.
Dialogue 2 English Pantalone: Now then, let me read this... Here the critic says, It was ridiculous that the actors should have tried so hard, in view of the miserable outcome. Arlecchino: I knew it. We listened to Pulcinella again. It was already evident in rehearsals that you hadnt got it right a single time. Now thats enough! This is the last time we listen to him! Pulcinella: And yet on the stage I had the distinct impression that we had chosen the right approach. Pantalone: Oh sure! Listen to this: It seemed that the one called Pulcinella had never acted in his life. Arlecchino: Whats the deal? After last years show, he was telling you that you seemed to have been born to play the clown. Pulcinella: And here it says that no-one believed that the Muses had inspired me but that soon everyone will see the fruits of my dedication and creativity. Pantalone: Now what critic wrote all that?
Pulcinella: E qui c scritto che nessuno credeva che le Muse mi avessero ispirato ma che presto tutti vedranno i frutti del mio impegno e della mia creativit... Pantalone: Ma quale critico ha scritto tutto ci? Pulcinella: Critico? Ma questo il mio oroscopo!
Pulcinella: Critic? This is my horoscope!
Nota Grammaticale Imperfetto e trapassato ( piuccheperfetto) congiuntivo

At this point we should be familiar with the WHEIRDO verbs and how their use in the main clause triggers one of the subjunctive tenses in the subordinate clause when the subjects of the two clauses are different. NOTE: Beside verbs that belong to the WHEIRDO category, the subjunctive mood can be introduced by conjunctions such as bench / sebbene / per quanto (although), affinch / perch (so that), a meno che non (unless) and expressions as come se (as if), magari (I wish, if only)-for these last two, only imperfetto and trapassato of the subjunctive mood are used--as well as indefinite expressions such as qualsiasi cosa (whatever), chiunque (whoever), nessuno (nobody). Here we will talk about the imperfect and the pluperfect subjunctive, the imperfetto and the trapassato, or piuccheperfetto. So, if the verb in the main clause is in a past tense or in a tense of the conditional we will use either the imperfect or the pluperfect subjunctive. How do we choose between the two of them? Once again its all a question of when the two actions take place in relation to each other: if the action in the subjunctive happens at the same time or later we use the imperfect. Speravo che mi potessi aiutare ad accorciare lorlo di un centimetro. I hoped you could help me to shorten the hem by one centimeter. Vorrei che mi aiutassi con il mio abito I would like you to help me with my dress And if the action in the subjunctive took place earlier well need the pluperfect subjunctive. Era gi evidente nelle prove che tu non ne avessi azzecata una. It was already clear during the rehearsal that you hadnt guessed any correctly. Avrei voluto che tu ti fossi nascosto meglio I would have liked that you had hidden yourself better. Or, I would have liked for you to have hidden yourself better. Remember that when the two clauses have the same subject, youll continue to use the infinitive instead of the subjunctive in the subordinate clause. The subjunctive has four tenses, but we only have the simple and the past infinitives, so we will recycle them when our main verb is in a past or a conditional tense: Arlecchina sperava di attirare lattenzione del giovanotto in prima fila. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 6, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Arlecchina hoped she would attract the attention of the young man in the first row. Colombina sperava di non aver fatto male ad Arlecchina con lago. Colombina hoped that she had not hurt Arlecchina with the needle.
The formation of the imperfect follows this pattern: 1st conjugation: cantare canta-ssi canta-ssimo canta-ssi canta-ste canta-sse canta-ssero 3rd conjugation: sentire senti--ssi senti-ssimo senti-ssi senti-ste senti-sse senti-ssero As youll notice, the endings are the same in all three conjugations. Dont forget to pay attention to the irregular verbs such as bere, dire, fare, porre, trarre, tradurre. The imperfect subjunctive of these verbs is based on the same stem as the imperfect of the indicative: bere, bevevo, bevessi; dire, dicevo, dicessi; porre, ponevo, ponessi, etc. The conjugation of the pluperfect follows the rules of any compound tense, in this case: the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary, avere or essere, + the past participle of the main verb. Conjugation with avere as auxiliary verb: avessi cantato avessi cantato avesse cantato avessimo cantato aveste cantato avessero cantato Conjugation with essere as auxiliary verb: fossi andato/a fossi andato/a fosse andato/a fossimo andati/e foste andati/e fossero andati/e 2nd conjugation: chiudere vende-ssi vende-ssimo vende-ssi vende-ste vende-sse vende-ssero
avessi venduto, avessi sentito, etc.
fossi nato/a, fossi uscito/a, etc.
In Episode 7 well briefly summarize the WHEIRDO use of the subjunctive and introduce one other special way in which the third-person singular of the present subjunctive is used.
Vocabolario: recensioni
Often times, un critico teatrale (a theatre critic) assists alla prima (the opening night) to write una recensione (a review). He/she notes how the actors hanno recitato (have recited), how the music stata eseguita (was performed), how la scenografia (stage set) was realized and how il regista/la regista (the director) was able to merge the elements together. If il critico is happy with what he/she saw, he/she will write parole meravigliose (beautiful words) about the actors Radio Arlecchino, Episode 6, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
and the performance. Li loder (he will praise them) and li innalzer (he will rise them) to the sky. If il critico is not happy with what he/she saw, he/she will write parole terribili (terrible words) and causer molti guai e tribolazioni (he will cause difficulties and tribulation) to the actors. But, guai ai vinti! (Woe to the vanquished!). A true actor will never be defeated by the words of un critico teatrale and continuer imperterrito per la sua strada (he will continue on his/her way undaunted).
Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Heres a transcript of Someones is the Kitchen with Pulcinella our recent show which summarized the subjunctive and the formal imperative. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=07 Ha partecipato (Featured in this podcast): Nevin Pecorelli Pulcinella Buon divertimento!
Transcript
Frittata di spaghetti Benvenuti, radioascoltatori Al programma di cucina di Pulcinella Volete un piatto di gnocchetti? E invece no! Vi far una frittata di spaghetti! Prenda, signora, cinque uova, Della frittata son la prova, Unisca pepe, sale e pecorino Non troppo, solo un pochino Gli spaghetti cari amici Son allegri e son felici Di poter essere uniti Ad ingredienti assai squisiti. Tagli 80 grammi di salame-Napoletano, il migliore del reame-E in cubetti regolari Della provola di Bari Ma non finita qui, amici cari: Se la provola non abbastanza, Spaghetti Frittata Welcome, radio listeners, to Pulcinellas kitchen program Are you wanting a plate of little gnocchi? No, instead, Ill make you a spaghetti frittata! Take five eggs, maam, Theyre the proof of the frittata, Add pepper, salt and pecorino Not too much, just a bit. Spaghetti, dear friends, Is merry and happy To be brought together With such exquisite ingredients. Cut 80 grams of salame-Neapolitan, the best in the land-And some provola from Bari In uniform little cubes. But thats not the end, dear friends: If the provolas not enough,
Possa il provolone dar la sostanza. Ecco a voi la frittata di Pulcinella! Non vi sembra che sia bella? Ah, no? Volete un altro ingrediente Qualcosa di pi potente? E allora, signora, aggiunga un bel peperoncino calabrese-Ma attenzione che la vostra bocca far fuoco per un mese!
Let provolone lend it substance. Behold Pulcinellas spaghetti frittata! Dont you think it looks grand? Oh no? You want some other ingredient? Something more potent? Well, then, maam, add a lovely Calabrese pepper-But watch out! your mouth will be on fire for a month!
Nota Grammaticale
Using the subjunctive mood Here we are, for the last time, talking about the subjunctive mood. There are several different situations that call for the subjunctive in Italian, but by far the most common is its use in subordinate clauses triggered by a verb in the famous WHEIRDO category. These are verbs that express: Wishing and Wanting, Hope, Emotions, Impersonal expressions, Recommending, Doubt or Denial, Opinion. When a verb in this category introduces a subordinate clause with a different subject, we will have to use the subjunctive in that subordinate clause. How are we going to choose the right tense of the subjunctive ? Remember that the subjunctive mood has four tenses: Presente, Passato, Imperfetto e Trapassato, also called Piuccheperfetto. The following chart summarizes the sequence of tenses in the subjunctive: la concordanza dei tempi nel congiuntivo. the tense of the WHEIRDO verb is.. ...and the action in the subordinate clause has a different subject and takes place... at the same time as or later than the WHEIRDO verb prior to (before) the WHEIRDO verb ..the verb in the subordinate clause will be in this tense: present subjunctive congiuntivo presente past subjunctive congiuntivo passato imperfect subjunctive congiuntivo imperfetto pluperfect subjunctive congiuntivo trapassato
present, future, or imperative
at the same time as or later than the WHEIRDO verb any past or conditional tense prior to (before) the WHEIRDO verb
Arlecchina pensa che il Dottore sia ingrassato troppo. Ha il sospetto che Balanzone negli ultimi mesi abbia mangiato troppo spesso cibo cucinato secondo le squisite ricette di Pulcinella. Adesso vorrebbe proprio che il Dottore si mettesse a dieta perch era gi evidente da qualche settimana che fosse ingrassato troppo. E poi teme che prima o poi la gondola si rovesci facendo cadere tutti e due in acqua!
Arlecchina thinks that the Dottore has gained too much weight. She suspects that Balanzone ate too often in the last months food cooked according to Pulcinellas exquisite recipes. Now she would really like the Dottore to go on a diet because it was already quite evident some weeks ago that he had gained too much weight. And shes afraid that sooner or later the gondola will tip over throwing the two of them in the water!
Remember that these directions only work if the subjects in the main and in the subordinate clauses are different. Otherwise we have to use the infinitive, present or past: the tense of the WHEIRDO verb is.. ...and the action in the subordinate clause has the same subject and takes place... at the same time as or later than the WHEIRDO verb present, future, or imperative prior to (before) the WHEIRDO verb ..the verb in the subordinate clause will be in this tense: simple infinitive infinito semplice past infinitive infinito passato simple infinitive infinito semplice past infinitive infinito passato
at the same time as or later than the WHEIRDO verb any past or conditional tense prior to (before) the WHEIRDO verb
The present subjunctive as formal imperative We have one more recipe we need to talk about before we say goodbye to the subjunctive mood. We need to talk about the formal imperative. What does it have to do with the subjunctive? Well, apparently nothing, but grammatically there is a lot in common between the subjunctive and the formal imperative. In fact, when we need to address someone with the Lei (you formal) and Loro (you all, forma) forms using the imperative, we borrow the present subjunctive. Prenda, signora, cinque uova Tagli 80 grammi di salame Take five eggs, maam, Cut 80 grams of salame
Unisca pepe, sale e pecorino
Add pepper, salt and pecorino
The other forms of the imperative are a separate mood that well take up in our next episode. So stayed tuned, and Buoni studi e Buon appetito!
Nota Culturale
Un grande Pulcinella del XX secolo: Eduardo De Filippo Pulcinella is undoubtedly one of the most famous characters of the Commedia dellArte. The beaked-nosed maschera that is now notoriously identified with the city of Naples encompasses both the tragic and the comic aspects of human life. Pulcinella has influenced many famous actors who brought his character to life on stage trying to maintain this delicate balance of emotions. One the most important actors to perform Pulcinella was Eduardo De Filippo. Eduardo was born in Naples in 1900 into a family of theatrical artists. His work as both actor and dramatist has been universally acclaimed. Despite his close ties with his beloved Naples, Eduardo went beyond the Neapolitan theatrical tradition to produce theatre with a universal appeal. Many of his plays and performances were filmed for television broadcasts, and they are often revived in both European and American theatres. As Pulcinella, Eduardo revitalized this ancient mask making him a more real and human individual. With Eduardo Pulcinella became the common man who dealt with the hardships that life threw at him using, at times, deceptive means but also possessing a strong humanity that enabled him to persevere in spite of the daily uncertainties and the precariousness of mens lives. His work influenced many other actors and theatrical directors who continued to bring Pulcinella onto the stage after Eduardo's death in 1984. The actors Massimo Troisi and Massimo Ranieri and the great director Giorgio Strehler often represented Pulcinella following Eduardo's suggestions, presenting through his character the tragicomic aspects of our daily lives.
Vocabolario: utensili
If you like to eat pasta, you need to buy una pentola (a pot) e uno scolapasta (a colander). Do you like white pasta? Of course not! Then you have to purchase una padella (a pan) where you can friggere (fry) delle cipolle (some onions), pomodori freschi (fresh tomatoes) and basilico (basil). With a mandolino (mandolin) you can finely cut all the ingredients. Hmmm... delizioso (delicious). Aspetta! (Wait!) We need to grate some Parmesan with la grattugia (the grater). Here it is, La pasta pronta (the pasta is ready). If you like to make pizza, you need una ciotola (a bowl) where you can mix la farina (the flour), lacqua (the water) and il lievito (the yeast). Un Radio Arlecchino, Episode 7, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
matterello (a rolling pin) is needed per stendere la pasta (to spread the dough) and una teglia (a baking pan) per infornare la pizza (to put the pizza in the oven). Il forno (the oven) has to be at a very high temperature. Careful, non ti bruciare (dont get burned) and enjoy your pizza with your friends. Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of "Your Call Is Important to Us," our recent show introducing the imperative mood. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=08 Ha partecipato (Featured in this podcast): Esmeralda Moscatelli Someone To Whom Your Call Is Important Buon divertimento!
Imperatives that you and Antonella heard while she was on hold: (noi) Spieghiamo l'imperativo! Let's explain the imperative! (noi) Vediamo! Let's see! (noi) Ascoltiamo! Let's listen! (noi) Impariamo! Let's learn! (noi) Parliamo adesso della seconda persona! Let's talk now about the second person! (tu) Canta! Sing! Recita! act! Balla! Dance! (tu) Chiudi la porta! Close the door! Ripeti! Repeat! Smetti di ripetere! Stop repeating! (tu) Pulisci! Clean! Finisci! Finish! Dormi! Sleep! (tu) Parla della seconda persona plurale! Talk about second-person plural! (voi) Ridete! Laugh! Piangete! Weep! Applaudite! Applaud! Fischiate! Whistle! State zitti! Be (stay, keep) quiet!
Negative Commands
(noi) Non parliamo in inglese! Let's not speak in English! Non coniughiamo male i verbi! Let's not conjugate verbs incorrectly! Non esageriamo! Let's not get carried away! (... exaggerate!) (voi) Non abbiate paura! Don't be afraid ("Have no fear!") Non fate brutta figura! Don't make a bad impression! Non coniugate male l'imperativo! Don't conjugate the imperative incorrectly! (tu) Non dire bugie! Don't tell lies! Non essere debole! Don't be weak! Non dare ordini senza la forma giusta dell'imperativo! Don't give orders without the right form of the imperative!
Transcript: A phone call from the Villa Borghese Antonella: Oh, s, Apollo e Dafne di Bernini, il pi grande scultore mai esistito incredibile! Questo posto incredibile, Eric! stupendo. C' tutto: Tiziano, Caravaggio... Oh, oh, scusa, qui, io sono qui con i miei trentacinque studenti, che sono un po'... agitati. Dobbiamo entrare, dobbiamo comportarci bene, quindi ... per, no, sar magnifico ... Okay, Eric, scusa un attimo, okay, un momento ... Ragazzi, per favore, state zitti! Sono al telefono! Finite di mangiare! Okay? Ah, lasciate gli zaini l nel deposito! Metteteli ... Mettete le macchine fotografiche dentro, d'accordo? S, e, aspettatemi all'entrata, all'ingresso. Antonella: Oh, yes, Bernini's Apollo and Daphne. Bernini, the greatest scuptor there ever was incredible! This place is incredible, Eric! It's stupendous. There's everything: Titian, Caravaggio ... Oh, oh, sorry, here, I'm here with my thirty-five students, who are a little ... shaken up. We have to go in, we have to behave ourselves, so ... but no, it will be magnificent ... Okay, Eric, sorry, just a second, okay, one moment ... Guys, please, quiet down! I'm on the phone! Finish eating! Okay? Ah, leave your backpacks there in the cloakroom! Put them ... Put your cameras inside, all right? Yes, and wait for me at the entryway, and the entrance.
Per favore, Grant, scusa, portami i biglietti Please, Grant, excuse [me], bring me the ... tickets ... Tu, Anna, Anna, no, no, non portare quel bottiglione d'acqua dentro. No. Grazie, mettilo nel cestino della spazzatura. Va bene, grazie. Oh, Eric, stavo dicendo, qua Uh, ah, Cristina, ciao, ciao, bella, vieni, vieni ... You, Anna, Anna, no, no, don't take that bottle of water inside. No. Thanks, put it in the wastebasket. That's fine, thanks. Oh, Eric, I was saying, here Uh, ah, Cristina, hi, hi, my dear, come, come ...
Eric, niente, dobbiamo aspettare la prossima. Devo scappare, arrivata la, la nostra guida. Senti, mi mancherai tanto, Eric ... Salutami tutti a Austin ... Eric: S, e rilassati, Antonella. Ma, senti, prima di andare via, dillo ancora una volta. Antonella: Ah, grazie. Arisentirci!
Eric, that's it, we'll have to wait til next time. I've got to run, she's here, our guide. Listen, I'm going to miss you so much ... Say hello for me to everyone in Austin ... Eric: Yes, and relax, Antonella. But listen, before you go, say it just once more. Antonella: Ah, thanks. Arisentirci! ("Until we hear each other again!")
Nota Grammaticale The imperative, l'imperativo, is the verbal mood used to issue direct commands: you tell someone to do or not to do something. When you address someone formally in Italian, you use the third-person form of the verb, and that's a rather indirect way of addressing someone. Those commands use the third-person present subjunctive, il congiuntivo. That's what Pulcinella is doing when he communicates his explosive recipe for spaghetti frittata in Episode 7. His instructions are addressed to one signora, whom he addresses as "Lei." In this episode, we're looking at the "true" imperative, for first and second person. The basic rules are as follows.
For affirmative commands: The second-person singular (tu) imperative of first-conjugation (-are) verbs is formed by taking the stem of the present indicative (that's what you have left after you drop the -are from the end of the infinitive) and adding -a. All the other forms are identical to the present indicative forms. Again, the exception is the formal "you", which always uses the present subjunctive form. amare amiamo! ama! amate! ami! amino! credere crediamo! credi! credete! creda! credano! spedire spediamo! spedisci! spedite! spedisca! spediscano! partire partiamo! parti! partite! parta! partano!
noi tu voi Lei Loro
For negative commands: Radio Arlecchino, Episode 8, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
The second-person singular (tu) negative imperative of any verb (any conjugation, regular or irregular) is always non plus the infinitive All the other imperatives stay as they are but with the non placed before the verb. amare non amiamo! non amare! non amate! non ami! non amino! credere non crediamo! non credere! non credete! non creda! non credano! spedire non spediamo! non spedire! non spedite! non spedisca! non spediscano! partire non partiamo! non partire! non partite! non parta! non partano!
noi tu voi Lei Loro
Irregular Verbs in the Imperative Some verbs, of course, are irregular in the imperative. Here are the most common: avere to have, essere to be These verbs have irregular imperative forms in the second-person singular and plural. All the other forms follow the rules given above. So: avere abbiamo! abbi! abbiate! abbia! abbiano! essere siamo! sii! siate! sia! siano!
noi tu voi Lei Loro
Other common irregular verbs in the imperative: andare to go, dare to give, fare to do, to make, stare to stay, to stand, dire to say, to tell The second-person singular imperative of these verbs is a contracted form of the present indicative. For all of them except dire, the full form of the present indicative can also be used as the imperative. The other forms follow the general rules. andare amiamo! va'! (vai!) andate! vada! vadano! dare diamo! da'! (dai!) date! dia! diano! fare facciamo! fa'! (fai!) fate! faccia! facciano! stare stiamo! sta'! (stai!) state! stia! stiano! dire diciamo! di'! dite! dica! dicano!
noi tu voi Lei Loro
In this episode, you've already had a glimpse of what happens when object pronouns are used with verbs in the imperative mood. In Episode 9, we'll take a closer look at those phenomena!
Nota Culturale Villa Borghese It is quite understandable that Antonella and her students should be excited and agitati about their visit to the Villa Borghese and the astonishing collection of artworks in its gallery. The Villa's grounds, which were once a suburban retreat for the Borghese family, were acquired by the city of Rome in 1903, and now they are a beautiful escape into lush greenery and cool water from the summer heat and urban confusion. Bernini's masterpieces of baroque sculpture alone would make the Galleria Borghese an obligatory visit for art lovers, who also admire paintings by Caravaggio, Titian, Rubens and Raphael. The grounds, the house, and the art galleries all have fascinating histories that are well worth exploring.
The Italian phone system Who invented the telephone? That is the question! You would have a hard time finding a modern device whose invention had been more bitterly disputed, or over a longer period of time, than the telephone. Countless suits and countersuits between Italian Antonio Meucci (1808-1889) and Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) inspired many other inventors, tinkerers, and just plain crackpots to make their own, sometimes ludicrous, claims to the invention. Certainly many people to this day maintain that Meucci should be credited as the inventor of the telephone. In 2001, the United States House of Representatives resolved that "the life and achievements of Antonio Meucci should be recognized, and his work in the invention of the telephone should be acknowledged." But the big name in American telephony is still Bell. In 1918, SIP became the most important name in the Italian phone system. The Societ Idroelettrica Piemontese had interests ranging from communications to energy and oil, but Italians would identify SIP almost exclusively with the Italian phone system and even today, older Italians might try to call on SIP to solve their phone issues. The Company played a leading role in Italy's economic development by connecting even the country's most remote towns in a nationwide communications network and keeping Italy connected to international communications systems. In 1994, almost a century after its inception; SIP was absorbed into Telecom Italia.
Vocabolario
If you are in Italy and you need to use a public phone, first you need to visit un tabaccaio (literally a tobacco shop but it has more than cigarettes and it is a truly Italian institution) where you buy una scheda (phone card). At times also un giornalaio (a newsstand) will do the trick. You have to decide between a phone card da cinque euro (worth five euros) or more. After your purchase, hunt for a functioning cabina telefonica (phone booth) and good luck! Sadly some mascalzoni (scoundrels) love to destroy public phones, and they are not just Italians! If you do not want to buy una scheda, make sure you have plenty of spicci (coins or change). Il bar is always a good place to find a working phone but c'e sempre un po' di confusione (there is always some commotion there). Another possibility for you is to scout for call-centers (yep, no translation necessary with this one). They are located vicino alle stazioni (near stations, both metro and train) or anywhere there is a heavy presence of foreign people. Call-centers offer una tariffa vantaggiosa (a good rate) e puoi parlare (and you can talk) a long time, for little money. Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Heres a transcript of Build a better mousetrap, our recent show focusing on the "tu" form of the imperative mood. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=09 Buon divertimento! Ha partecipato / Featured in this broadcast: Esmeralda Moscatelli as Colombina
Transcript : TopoKill 9000

Dottore: Gentili ascoltatori, qui il vostro amico il Dottor Balanzone. Questa situazione vi conosciuta? Non vi vergognate di dirmelo, lo so, lo so... Colombina: Oh, Dottore, che orrore! che paura! che schifo! Dottore: Come dico ai miei allievi all'Universit, "Pudor non in habere sed in tenere est." Colombina: E la soluzione, Egregio...? Dottore: Eccola qua! La nuova TopoKill 9000! La tecnologia anti-topo presenta una supertrappola, senza pesticidi, che rispetta l'ambiente, riutilizzabile, con esca naturale! Dottore: Kind listeners, your friend Dottor Balanzone here. Is this situation familiar to you? Don't be ashamed to tell me so. I know, I know... Colombina: Oh, Dottore, how horrible! How frightening! How disgusting! Dottore: As I tell my students at the University: "The shame is not in the having, but in the keeping." Colombina: And the solution, Professor? Dottore: Behold! The new TopoKill 9000! Anti-mouse technology presents a supertrap, without pesticides, that respects the environment, re-usable, with all-natural bait! Colombina: But does it take long to-Dottore: It's ready in a matter of seconds! Colombina: And is it simple to u--
Colombina: Ma ci vuole molto tempo perDottore: pronta nel giro di secondi! Colombina: Ed di uso semp--
Dottore: Di semplicissimo uso! Colombina: Ma funziona veram--Dottore: Efficientissima! Colombina: E... non ci sono... cio...
Dottore: Ever so easy to use! Colombina: But does it really wo--Dottore: Extremely efficient! Colombina: And, there aren't any, I mean... Dottore: Sanitary! Colombina: But to children.-Dottore: Harmless to children and pets!
Dottore: Igienica! Colombina: Ma per i bambini.-Dottore: Innocua per i bambini e gli animali domestici! Colombina: Oh, Dottore. questa nuova TopoKill 9000 mi sembra una meraviglia! Ma Lei crede che io sia in grado di utilizzarla correttamente? Dottore: Niente sarebbe pi facile! Vieni, mia cara. Osserva cosa vuol dire "semplicissimo uso"! Colombina: Oh, non lo so... io, a dire il vero... che io...
Colombina: Oh, Dottore, this new TopoKill 9000 seems a marvel! But do you believe that I'm capable of using it properly? Dottore: Nothing could be easier! Come, my dear. Observe what "Ever so easy to use" really means! Colombina: Oh, I don't know... I, to tell the truth, it's that I...
Dottore: Non avere paura! Abbi coraggio! Dottore: Do not be afraid! Have Eccola! Vedi quanto bella! Dai, prendi. courage! Here it is! See how beautiful it is! Come on, take (it). Colombina: Oh! E ora, come si fa...? Colombina: Oh! And now, what does one do? Dottore: Push the trigger... Colombina: Like this? Dottore: Fine! Push it down.... There! Excellent! Colombina: Oh! It's easy...
Dottore: Spingi la levetta... Colombina: Cos? Dottore: Brava! Spingila verso il basso.... Ecco! Benissimo! Colombina: Oh1 facile...
Dottore: E che ti avevo detto? Ora, togli la protezione dell'esca... Colombina: Ah! Fatto! Dottore: Perfetto! La TopoKill 9000 ora pronta per essere utilizzata! Colloca la trappola in un luogo adeguato... Colombina: I topi raramente attraversano le superfici libere... Dottore: Quindi, posiziona la trappola con l'apertura rivolta verso la parete! Colombina: Qui? Cos? Dottore: Proprio l, brava. Proprio cos... Colombina: E ora? Dottore: Esegui un controllo a regolari intervalli di tempo! Colombina: Caspita! Dottore: Pulcinella! Accidenti! Dobbiamo accennare che non consigliabile l'uso degli spaghetti come esca. Colombina: Ma, Dottore, come faccio ora a liberare il dito a questo disgraziato...? Dottore: Premi semplicemente e rapidamente sul portello... E la TopoKill 9000 gi pronta per essere riusata! Colombina: Povero Pulcinella! Vieni con me, non piangere pi... Dottore: Gentile ascoltatore: Prendi la
Dottore: And what had I told you? Now, remove the bait cover... Colombina: Ah! Done! Dottore: Perfect! The TopoKill 9000 is now ready to be used! Place the trap in an appropriate place... Colombina: Mice rarely cross open surfaces... Dottore: So, set the trap with the opening turned to the wall! Colombina: Here? Like that? Dottore: Right there, fine. Just like that... Colombina: And now? Dottore: Perform a check at regular intervals! Colombina: Gracious! Dottore: Pulcinella! Zounds! We must point out that the use of spaghetti as bait is inadvisable.
Colombina: But, Dottore, what shall I do now to free this wretch's finger? Dottore: Simply press down rapidly on the little door... And the TopoKill 9000 is already ready to be re-used! Colombina: Poor Pulcinella! Come with me. Don't cry any more... Dottore: Dear listener: Get the TopoKill
TopoKill 9000 di' come dice il Dottore -Mus musculus! Ave -- et vale!
9000 and say as the Dottore says --Mus musculus, Hail -- and Farewell!
Transcript: A phone call from Antonella in Italy

Eric: Pronto... Antonella: Ciao, Eric! Sono Antonella! Eric: Ciao, bella! Come stai? Antonella: Bene, bene... va ora in onda Radio Arlecchino? Eric: Va in onda, s! Meno male che ci sei anche tu, ora, telefonicamente... Antonella: Grazie. Senti, fammi un favore, per favore. Eric: Come no! Dimmi. Eric: Hello... Antonella: Ciao, Eric! It's Antonella! Eric: Ciao, bella! How are you? Antonella: Fine, fine... is Radio Arlecchino on the air? Eric: It's on the air, yes! And it's a good thing you're here now too, telephonically... Antonella: Thanks. Listen, do me a favor, please. Eric: Of course! Tell me.
Antonella: I left something there in thet Antonella: Ho lasciato una cosa l nello studio che volevo portare in Italia. Aiutami studio that I wanted to bring to Italy. Help me now to find it... then you can send it to ora a trovarlo, poi me lo spedisci... me. Eric: Va bene... Dov'? Eric: All right. Where is it?
Antonella: Dunque... Guarda, vai alla mia Antonella: Well then.... Look, go to my desk... scrivania... Eric: Ci vado... ecco, ci sono. Antonella: Sposta quel grande dizionario Zarganti... Eric: Oh, proprio pesante! Spero che non sia questo quello che ti serve... Antonella: No no no, sotto il dizionario -cosa c'? Eric: I'm going... I'm there. Antonella: Move that big Zarganti dictionary... Eric: Hey, that's pretty heavy! I hope that isn't what you need... Antonella: No no no, under the dictionary. What's there?
Eric: Be', ci sono due foto, una di Nanni Moretti... e una di -- Johnny Depp?! firmate pure! "ad Antonella, con amicizia..." Antonella: No no no no no, quelle non le toccare... . Lascia quel libro.... Eric: Allora? Antonella: Sopra la scrivania, su quello scaffale... Prendi quella scatola... Eric: Cosa c' dentro...? Antonella: Dai, dai, svita il cappuccio...
Eric: Well, there's two photographs, one of Nanni Moretti, and one of -- Johnny Depp?! Autographed even! "to Antonella, in friendship..." Antonella: No no no no no, don't touch those.... Let go of that book.... Eric: Now what? Antonella: Over the desk, on that shelf... Grab that can. Eric: What's in it...? Antonella: Go on, go on, unscrew the lid... Eric: Yow... Antonella... what is this? Antonella: Oh, sorry, you grabbed the wrong one, sorry, sorry... There must be another one, check it out. Eric: I see it, but do I dare to open it? Antonella: Of course! Be brave, Eric! (Have courage!) Eric: Yikes! Antonella: Oh, Eric! What a butterfingers you are! Those are my jumping beans!
Eric: Ah... Antonella... ma cos' questo? Antonella: Oh, scusa, hai preso quella sbagliata, scusa, scusa... Ci dev'essere un'altra, controlla. Eric: La vedo, ma oso aprirla? Antonella: Ma s! Abbi coraggio, Eric!
Eric: Accidenti! Antonella: Oh, Eric! Che mani di pasta frolla che hai! Quelli sono i miei fagioli saltellanti! Eric: Te li mando? Antonella: No, no, quelli non mi servono! Ma mi raccomando, non li lasciare l per terra! Eric: Adesso pulisco... Antonella: Bene, Eric, non fare pi sciocchezze. Prova a vedere nel cassetto...
Eric: Shall I send them to you? Antonella: No, no, I don't need those. But please, don't leave them there on the ground! Eric: I'll clean up now... Antonella: Good, Eric, no more foolishness (Don't do any more foolish
things). Try looking in the drawer... Eric: Va bene... Antonella: Se l, proprio in fondo, in fondo... dietro tutte quelle cartelle... Stendi la mano, allunga... Eric: Ma-- Ah-Antonella: Eric! Se c' un topo, buttalo via! Che schifo! Eric: Ormai si sar spaventato... Antonella: Senti, Eric, ti richiamo dopo. Mi restano pochissimi minuti sulla mia scheda... Eric: D'accordo, tanto, io devo trovare un'aspirina... Arisentirci. Antonella: A presto, mio caro... Eric: All right... Antonella: If it's there, it's way in the back, behind all those folders.... Reach out your hand... Stretch... Eric: Ma-- Ah-Antonella: Eric! If there's a mouse, throw it out! Gross! Eric: By now he'll be frightened... Antonella: Listen, Eric, I'll call you back later. I have very few minutes left on my card... Eric: Fine, I've got to find an aspirin anyway.... Talk to you later. Antonella: Soon, my dear...
Nota Grammaticale
The second-person singular form of the imperative, the "tu" form, is possibly the most frequently used of the imperative forms, and it has the most variations. The formal "Lei" and "Loro" forms are always identical to the present subjunctive, and all the other forms are always identical to the present indicative. But the second-person singular form has two major anomalies. The first occurs only with first-conjugation verbs, the ones whose infinitive ends in -are. The imperative for these verbs is the present indicative stem plus -a. guardare to look: guarda!, controllare to check: controlla!, spostare to move: sposta! The second-person singular imperative of second- and third-conjugation verbs is the same as the present indicative. The second anomaly is in the the negative command form of second-person singular. Whereas all the other forms simply place a non in front of the imperative verb, the second person singular places its non in front of the infinitive of the verb. This is true for all three regular conjugations and for all verbs that are otherwise irregular in the imperative.
There are tables showing all of these forms in the pdf document that accompanies Episode 8, our introduction to the imperative. You may have noticed some imperatives in today's episode that looked funny to you even though you may have been following along with those tables. Chances are those were imperatives that had pronouns attached to them, like "Fammi un favore" and "Buttalo via!" (Do me a favor; Throw it away). In Episode 10, we'll be looking at the "noi" and "voi" forms of the imperative and also at this issue of pronouns used with verbs in the imperative. If pronouns in general are an issue for you, Abbi pazienza! Have patience! After we've summarized the imperative in Episode 10, we'll be moving on to the big wide world of pronouns in Episode 11!
Nota Culturale
Advertising and Broadcasting in Italy For better or for worse, television is just as popular and pervasive in Italy as it is in the U.S. When broadcast television got its start in Italy in the early 1950s, it was a state monopoly, that is, there was no private television, only television broadcast and managed by the government. The RAI, Radiotelevisione Italiana (formerly Radio Audizioni Italiane), is the state broadcasting company, funded in part by the canone televisivo, a tax on the ownership of television sets--a controversial tax that many viewers refuse to pay. Many different individuals and businesses made proposals and requests to operate independent commercial broadcasting stations but the Italian Parliament and even the Constitutional Court resisted privatization and commercialization of the airwaves for some twenty years. Private commercial television broadcasting began in 1974 after plenty of legal wrangling. Since then both the private channels and the RAI have grown and developed immensely. There are now the RAIuno, the RAIdue, and the RAItre networks in addition to numerous local RAI channels, some of which specialize in reporting news and information in regional dialects as well as in standard Italian. The private networks and channels have also proliferated and pay satellite and cable television is an important feature of the media landscape. And just as in the United States, Italian television is usually surrounded by controversy. The RAI, as part of the state apparatus, is controlled by politicians, and is therefore susceptible to all the problems and polemics this can cause. In the private sector, ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi faced many challenges in the form of conflict-of-interest charges due to his vast holdings in every form of Italian mass media, including television. Of course, commercial broadcasting means commercials, and not even the RAI in its early years was entirely free of those. Paid advertising on Italian state television debuted back in 1957, but the RAI introduced it with some typically Italian inventiveness and flair. Rather than bombarding its viewers with annoying interruptions to its evening programs, the RAI created a new program, Carosello (Carousel). Every night at ten til nine, to a fanfare of trumpets and mandolins, the Radio Arlecchino, Episode 9, pg 7 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
curtain went up on an amusing ten-minute merry-go-round of -- commercials! On Carosello, it was the quick sketches with live actors that interrupted the sequence of animated commercials (sketches with many of Italy's great performers like Tot, Dario Fo, and Vittorio Gassmann). This little festival of advertising soon became as popular as any show, a ritual for Italian families, and a whole generation of Italians grew up hearing a nightly warning that people still remember, since the show ran for twenty years: a letto dopo Carosello! -- "Carosello and then off to bed!" Today's Italian commercial television is much more similar to its North American counterpart. For a hilarious, moving and surreal vision of Italian television commercials colliding with real Italian life, see Maurizio Nichetti's film, Ladri di saponette. Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of "For Best Results," our recent show focusing on the "noi" and "voi" forms of the imperative mood and the use of object pronouns with the imperative. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=10 Buon divertimento! Ha partecipato (Featured in this podcast): Esmeralda Moscatelli Colombina
Transcript: Acqua Minerale Pansellegrino

Dottore: Eccoci nel centro di Roma, Citt Eterna... in estate Citt Eternamente Calda. Il sole spietato batte la fronte di tutti coloro che osano passeggiare a mezzogiorno... Turisti! Turisti americani, tedeschi, cinesi, persino italiani! Dottore: Here we are in the center of Rome, Eternal City... in the summer, Eternally Hot City. The merciless sun beats upon the foreheads of everyone who dares to stroll about at noon... Tourists! American, German, Chinese, even Italian tourists! The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Have you visited the Vittoriano monument? Have you admired the Roman Forum? The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Have you gone to the Vatican Museums? Have you put your hand in the Mouth of Truth? The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Have you walked from Piazza Navona to the Trevi Fountain?
The Tourists: S! Dottore: Avete visitato il Vittoriano? Avete ammirato il Foro Romano?
The Tourists: S! Dottore: Siete andati ai Musei Vaticani? Avete messo la mano nella Bocca della Verit? The Tourists: S! Dottore: Avete camminato da Piazza Navona fino alla Fontana di Trevi?
The Tourists: S! Dottore: Avete salito la scalinata in Piazza di Spagna? The Tourists: Oh, s! Dottore: Siete stanchi? The Tourists: S! Colombina: Riposiamoci! Dottore: Sentite il caldo dellestate romana? The Tourists: S! Colombina: Rinfreschiamoci! Dottore: Avete sete? The Tourists: S! Colombina: Beviamo! Dottore: Bravi! Bevete, s! Venite, venite... Colombina: Andiamo! The Tourists: S! Dottore: Assaggiate lacqua Pansellegrino! Lacqua piu deliziosa, pi rinfrescante, pi dolce di tutte le acque minerali del Bel Paese! Colombina: Assaggiamola! The Tourists: S! Dottore: Pulcinella, aiutami ad aprire le bottiglie e a versare quest'acqua frizzante! Vedete! Sentite! Quanto effervescente!
The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Have you climbed the Spanish Steps? The Tourists: Oh, yes! Dottore: Are you tired? The Tourists: Yes! Colombina: Let's rest! Dottore: Do you feel the heat of the Roman summer? The Tourists: Yes! Colombina: Let us refresh ourselves! Dottore: Are you thirsty? The Tourists: Yes! Colombina: Let's drink! Dottore: Fine! Drink, yes! Come, Come...
Colombina: Let's go! The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Try Pansellegrino water! The most delicious, most refreshing, sweetest mineral water of the Bel Paese!
Colombina: Let's try it! The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Pulcinella, help me open the bottles and pour this sparkling water! See! Hear! How effervescent it is! Sip it!
Sorseggiatela! Colombina: Assaporiamola! The Tourists: S! Dottore: Senti, Pulcinella, meglio non -Pulcinella, mi raccomando, non fare cos con la bottiglia! The Tourists: Ah! Colombina: Proteggiamoci! Dottore: Pulcinella! Colombina: Andiamo via! The Tourists: S! Colombina: Let's savor it! The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Listen, Pulcinella, it's better not to -- Pulcinella, I beg you, don't do that with the bottle! The Tourists: Ah! Colombina: Let's protect ourselves! Dottore: Pulcinella! Colombina: Let's get out of here! The Tourists: Yes!
Dottore: Dobbiamo avvertire che i migliori Dottore: We must advise that the best risultati si ottengono quando non si agitano results are obtained when the bottles are le bottiglie prima di aprirle... not shaken before opening them... Colombina: Cerchiamo degli asciugamani! The Tourists: S! Dottore: Ricordate, amici... il vostro amico il Dottor Balanzone che vi raccomanda Acqua Pansellgrino... gassata - e come! Colombina: Let's look for some towels!
The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Remember, friends... it's your friend Dottor Balanzone who recommends Acqua Pansellegrino to you... fizzy -- and how!
Transcript: una telefonata dal Colosseo

Antonella: Ciao, Eric! Eric: Antonella! Ciao, come stai? Antonella: Bene, bene... Va ora in onda Radio Arlecchino?
Transcript: a phone call from the Coliseum

Antonella: Ciao, Eric! Eric: Antonella! Ciao, How are you? Antonella: Fine, fine... Is Radio Arlecchino on the air?
Eric: Va in onda, s! E tu, dove ti trovi oggi? Antonella: Siamo qui all'Anfiteatro Flavio... Lo conosci? Eric: Ma chi non lo conosce, anche se solo dalle foto... Antonella: Ah-hah... e cio...? Eric: Il Colosseo, certo... Antonella: Bravo! S, eccoci tutti, io, gli studenti, la guida... Eric: E hai chiacchierato con qualche Gatto-Imperatore? Antonella: Non ancora, per, proprio adesso mi sta intrattenendo un Gladiatore! Eric: Solo uno? Antonella: A dire il vero ce ne sono tanti nei paraggi... Eric: Mi auguro che gli studenti ti facciano qualche foto... Antonella: Questa lidea! Eric: Dopo ne sceglieremo una da mettere insieme a quelle di Nanni e Johnny... Antonella: Perfetto! Senti, ora ti saluto, adesso andiamo al Palatino...
Eric: Oh yes, it's on the air! And you, where are you today? Antonella: We're here at the Flavian Amphitheatre. Do you know it? Eric: Why who doesn't know it, even if only from photographs... Antonella: Ah-hah... and that is...? Eric: The Coliseum, of course... Antonella: Bravo! Yes, here we are, all of us, me, the students, the guide... Eric: And have you chatted with some CatEmperors? Antonella: Not yet; however, right now a gladiator is entertaining me! Eric: Just one? Antonella: To tell the truth there are quite a few of them around here... Eric: I hope the students are taking some pictures of you... Antonella: That's the idea! Eric: Later we'll pick one of them to put with Nanni and Johnny's... Antonella: Perfect! Listen, I'm saying good-bye to you, we're going to the Palatine now... Eric: All right, say hello to Biceps Gloriosus for me... and have a nice stroll... Antonella: Thanks, see you soon, Eric... Eric: See you soon and....?
Eric: Va bene... salutami Biceps Gloriosus... e buona passeggiata... Antonella: Grazie, a presto, Eric... Eric: A presto e....?
Antonella: Arisentirci!
Nota Grammaticale
By now the "noi" and "voi" forms of the imperative should hold no mysteries for you: they're identical to the present indicative, and negative commands are made simply by placing a "non" in front of these imperative forms. (Remember that the pdf file for Episode 8 has complete tables of the imperative forms for the three conjugations of verbs.) You've also been seeing, ever since Episode 8 when we began our discussion of the imperative, object pronouns being used with this verb form. And by now you could probably summarize the general rules for the use of pronouns with the imperative all by yourself: Object pronouns are attached to the end of the imperative. The exception, once again, is the formal, or third-person, imperative, which is really the present subjunctive. Object pronouns always come in their usual place in front of verbs in the subjunctive, even when the subjunctive is being used as the formal imperative. Talk to me about the imperative! informal singular Parlami dell'imperativo! informal plural Parlatemi dell'imperativo! formal singular Mi parli dell'imperativo! formal plural Mi parlino dell'imperativo!
When there are two object pronouns, both are attached to the end of the imperative and the indirect object pronoun will always be the first of the two. If the difference between direct- and indirect-object pronouns is problematic for you, pazienza! We take up the subject of pronouns in our next episode! There are two newspapers on the table. Bring them to me! Ci sono due giornali sul tavolo... informal singular Portameli! informal plural Portatemeli! formal singular Me li porti! formal plural Me li portino!
A special word about pronouns with monosyllabic imperatives. You will remember that the second-person singular imperative of the verbs andare, dare, dire, fare, and stare is a onesyllable contracted form of the present indicative. When a pronoun is attached to one of these Radio Arlecchino, Episode 10, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
forms, you always use the contracted form (not the form that ends in i) and you double the initial consonant of the prounoun. The exception is gli you never double the initial g. Andare: va! This verb doesnt really take direct or indirect objects, but it is very often used with the particle ci (to that place, there), which behaves just like a pronoun in terms of its placement in relation to a verb. So: Go there! Vacci! and the others da + mi = dammi ti = datti gli = dagli le = dalle ci = dacci fa + mi = fammi ti = fatti gli = fagli le = falle ci = facci and so on...
Examples: Give us a hand! Dacci una mano! Tell her everything! Dille tutto!
Dont be a stranger! (Make yourself alive) Fatti vivo! Stay close to me! Stammi vicino!
Pronoun placement with negative commands is flexible. When the imperative is negative, pronouns can go in front of the verb (and after the non) or be attached to the end of the imperative form -- EXCEPT with the formal imperative, of course. Object pronouns always come in their usual place in front of verbs in the subjunctive, even when the subjunctive is being used as the formal imperative--whether the command is affirmative or negative. The imperative? Don't talk to me about it any more! L'imperativo?... informal singular Non parlarmene pi! Non me ne parlare pi! informal plural Non parlatemene pi! Non me ne parlate pi! formal singular Non me ne parli pi! only possible configuration formal plural Non me ne parlino pi! only possible configuration
Pronouns with the "noi" form of the imperative. This is relatively straightforward, as it follows the pattern seen in all the above examples and the informal/formal distinction is not an issue. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 10, pg 6 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Here's Colombina. Should we talk to her about the imperative? Ecco Colombina. Dobbiamo parlarle dell'imperativo? Affirmative: Let's talk to her about it! Parliamogliene! Negative: Let's not talk to her about it any more! Non parliamogliene pi! Non gliene parliamo pi! Again, if these forms of the pronouns are not entirely clear to you, please be sure to follow our discussion of pronouns beginning with our next episode! Behold the wonder of ecco! You probably have noticed the word "ecco" in our dialogues and commercials with pronouns attached to it. Even though this word is not, technically speaking, an imperative form of a verb, it behaves like one in terms of pronoun placement. This makes perfect sense if you think of "ecco" as meaning "behold!" (look here!), which it does. Of course it has no negative form and is informal as far as pronoun placement is concerned. --Where is Dottor Balanzone? --Dov' il Dottor Balanzone? --Here he is! (Behold him!) --Eccolo!
Nota Culturale
Le bibite preferite degli italiani - Favorite beverages of the Italians If you visit Italy you may find a little overwhelming the number of different brands of Italian waters available. From the very trendy and lightly bubbled San Pellegrino (please, if you are about to order a bottle of it call it San Pellegrino and not Pellegrino as many Americans erroneously do) to the plain Acqua Panna, the love for waters in Italy goes hand in hand with the love for food. Although several multinational corporations, Nestl for example, have bought up some of the most famous brand names, the springs are undoubtedly located in Italy so we still consider them a national treasure. Every region has its own favorite water and many of the springs have been well known since Roman times. In many Italian cities, though, the best water comes free. In Rome, for example, beyond the monumental fountains there are approximately 2500 fontanelle from which the water flows day and night. They are called nasoni, cylinders of metal (cast iron or iron) from which the water flows through an arched steel tube that, to the Romans, suggests a nose, hence the name.
Water aside, a long tradition of non-alcoholic beverages is well established in Italy and every region has its own traditional and most famous beverages. The most famous drinks are chinotto (extracted from a citrus type of plant, it may be bitter tasting but it is worth trying. If you explore the web you will be surprised to find many chinotto fan clubs), gassosa (a mix of water-sugar carbonation that has a quite large audience in Rome), oransoda (extracted from oranges and lightly sparkling), lemonsoda and limonata (extracted from lemons, with and without bubbles), latte di mandorle (a special milk extracted from almonds and diluted with water. It is especially famous in the southern part of Italy. Sicily is the largest producer of almonds in Italy.) Crodino is a bitter-sweet tasting non-alcoholic aperitif that you consume with salted nuts and chips, and there are succhi di frutta (fruit juices in all forms and shapes), and of course caff (yes, it is considered a beverage for us!). Coca-Cola? No thanks! Monumenti romani Ave Cesare, morituri te salutant (Hail, Caesar, those who are about to die salute you). The beginning of any gladiators fights was not encouraging since it was assumed that one of the two men engaged in the fight would die in the process or would be defeated and later killed. At the end of a fight, the loser would raise his arm to plead for mercy. This delicate decision was in the hands of the emperor or the presiding authority but normally they would let the spectators decide the fate of the gladiator. If the public liked the fight, they would yell mitte (spare him) and they would accompany their voices with the upward movement of their thumb and their hand in a fist. But if they didnt like the performance they would shout iugula(cut his throat) and the thumb was turned down (pollice verso). Despite all the legends surrounding the gladiators, it is worth remembering that many specialists in the field, historians and archeologists, do not agree on the level of violence, and especially death, linked to gladiatorial combat. Many claim that training a gladiator was such an expensive and long process that it would not be justified by such a sudden and fast death. But as Hollywoods children, learning from Kirk Douglas as Spartaco to Russell Crowe as Maximus, we truly believe in what we see on the screen. Dont we all? The gladiators and Roman legionaries who hang out at the Coliseum today are neither specters nor feline incarnations; they are friendly, contemporary citizens whose historical costumes invite visitors, as the Dottore might say, to Carpe occasionem photographae! Seize the photo op! Most of the Roman monuments mentioned in this episode are familiar to just about everyone. Not quite as well known is la Bocca della Verit, the Mouth of Truth., a marble disk adorned by the face of a river god that hangs in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Generally believed to be an ancient Roman drain cover, its legendary power is that of detecting the presence of liar when such a person inserts his or her hand into its mouth. This detection is Radio Arlecchino, Episode 10, pg 8 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
supposedly manifested by the mouths biting off the liars hand. A no-longer-new but very entertaining Hollywood film in which the Bocca della Verit is featured prominently in a delightful scene is Roman Holiday starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of Adult Supervision Required, our recent show on pronouns specifically subject pronouns and object pronouns, both direct and indirect. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=11 Buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato Esmeralda Moscatelli Christopher Gillette and Kelli X Gross Featured in this broadcast: Colombina the Foreigners
Fuochi dartificio Gatto Nero

Dottore: Eccoli, eccoli, eccoli... Venite a vederli... Signori e signore, bambini di tutte le et, venite... sentitemi... Partecipate alle feste di San Giovanni, di Capodanno, di Natale, a tutte le feste dellanno... Qui ci sono i rumori pi sbalorditivi, le luci pi brillanti, i colori pi stravaganti, il fumo pi misterioso, qui ci sono... i fuochi dartificio Gatto Nero!
Gatto Nero Fireworks

Dottore: Here they are, here they are, here they are... Come see them... Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages... come, hear me... Take part in the feasts of St John, of the New Year, of Christmas, all the holidays of the year... Here are the most astonishing sounds, the most brilliant lights, the most extravagant colors, the most mysterious smoke, here are... Gatto Nero Fireworks! Colombina: Dottore! You here in Florence! What a surprise to see you here? But what is all this? Dottore: Its Gatto Nero Fireworks! Theyre the best, the most beautiful... Here we are in Florence, the feast of the patron saint, I should be selling lots of them, but it seems to me there are only foreigners in the vicinity... What are they saying, my dear?
Colombina: Dottore! Lei qui a Firenze! Che sorpresa VederLa qui! Ma che cos tutto questo? Dottore: Sono i fuochi dartificio Gatto Nero! Sono i migliori, i pi belli... eccoci a Firenze, la festa del santo patrono, dovrei venderne tanti, ma mi pare che ci siano solo stranieri nei paraggi... Cosa dicono, mia cara?
Colombina: Lui vuole sapere chi , Dottore, e lei vuole sapere cosa vende...
Colombina: He wants to know who you are, Dottore, and she wants to know what youre selling... Dottore: Oh, they must be very young if they dont recognize me... Welcome to Florence! Happy St Johns Day! Behold the most sparkling sparklers in the world!
Dottore: Oh, devono essere molto giovani se non mi riconoscono... Benvenuti a Firenze! Buona festa di San Giovanni! Ecco le candele magiche piscintillanti del mondo! Colombina: Lei ne vuole una dozzina di candele magiche, e lui vuole sapere se ha dei petardi... Dottore: Se ho dei petardi! Pulcinella, portami una scatola di petardi per il giovanotto... E per la signorina, queste meravigliose candele magiche Gatto Nero, un balocco divertente per tutta la famiglia... Oh, Pulcinella s lo conoscono... Eccoli eccoli eccoli! Signori e signore, bambini di tutte le et, venite... S, s... i razzi Gatto Nero sono giustamente famosi in tutto il mondo! Osservate... Accendo ora la miccia... Colombina, per favore... Colombina: Ecco, Dottore Dottore: Grazie, mia cara... Et nunc... State per vedere qualcosa di veramente inverosimile.... Colombina: Oh! Lei senzaltro lo vedr, Dottore! Dottore: Tre... due... uno... Fuoco! Meravigliatevi ora davanti allincomparabile pirotecnica Gatto Nero! ==========
Colombina: She wants a dozen of the sparklers and he wants to know if you have any firecrackers. Dottore: If I have any firecrackers! Pulcinella, bring me a box of firecrackers for the young man... And for the young lady, these wonderful Gatto Nero sparklers, an amusing diversion for the whole family... Oh, Pulcinella, him they know... Here they are, here they are, here they are! Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages... Yes, yes, the Gatto Nero rockets are justly famous throughout the world! Observe... Now I light the fuse... Colombina, if you please... Colombina: There you are, Dottore. Dottore: Thank you, my dear... Et nunc you are about to see something truly incredible... Colombina: Oh! You certainly are going to see it, Dottore! Dottore: Three, two, one... Fire! Now be amazed before the incomparable pyrotechnics of Gatto Nero! ==========
Transcript: una telefonata da Antonella a Firenze

Antonella: Ciao, Eric! Eric: Antonella! Ciao, come stai? Antonella: Bene, bene... Beato te! Ma qui a Firenze, la festa del santo patrono: San Giovanni Battista!
A Phone Call from Antonella in Florence

Antonella: Hi, Eric! Eric: Antonella! Hi, how are you? Antonella: Fine, fine... Lucky you! But here in Florence, its the feast of their patron saint, St John the Baptist! Eric: Oh, much nicer than a pedicure! And what will you do? Antonella: What have we done...! Remember were seven hours ahead of you here! Anyway, weve seen the procession-everyone in medieval costumes, flagwaving, the scent of wax, music... Eric: How picturesque! Of course Florence is all picturesque! I imagine all the students were amazed, not just by the cultural events but by the Florentine art...
Eric: Oh, molto pi bello di una pedicure! E cosa farete? Antonella: Cosa abbiamo fatto... Ricorda che qui siamo sette ore avanti! Comunque, abbiamo visto il Corteo -- tutti con costumi medievali, sventolamento di bandiere, odore di cera, musica... Eric: Che pittoresco! Certo Firenze tutta pittoresca! Immagino che tutti gli studenti siano rimasti strabiliati non solo dalle manifestazioni culturali ma anche dallarte fiorentina... Antonella: Ci siamo fatti una abbuffata di arte rinascimentale! stupenda! Ma la festa non finita con il corteo...
Antonella: Weve stuffed ourselves with renaissance art! Its stupendous! But the celebration didnt end with the procession... Eric: Oh no! Dont tell me that Pulcinella made another frittata with that explosive Calabrese pepper! Antonella: No, these are the fireworks in honor of St John! Were admiring them from the magnificent Piazzale Michelangelo that overlooks the city. If only you were here with us, Eric... Eric: I wish... but Ive got to go now...
Eric: Oh no! Non mi dire che Pulcinella ha fatto unaltra frittata con quellesplosivo peperoncino calabrese! Antonella: Ma no, questi sono i fuochi dartificio in onore di San Giovanni! Li stiamo ammirando dal magnifico Piazzale Michelangelo che sovrasta la citt. Magari fossi qui con noi, Eric... Eric: Magari... ma devo scappare ora...
Antonella: Buona pedichiurata! Eric: Felici fuochi! Ciao, a presto...
Antonella: Happy pedicuring! Eric: Happy fireworks! Ciao, talk to you again soon... Antonella: Until we talk again!
Nota Grammaticale
Pronouns: Introduction; Subject pronouns
A pronoun is a word we use to replace a noun, generally to avoid having to keep repeating a previously mentioned noun. The noun that a pronoun is replacing is called the pronouns antecedent. Since they replace nouns, they have the same grammatical functions that nouns have. A pronoun, then, can be the subject of a verb, the direct or the indirect object of a verb, or the object of a preposition. There are two major issues involved with Italian pronouns: one is which pronoun to use, and the other is where to put the pronoun in relation to the verb. Subject pronouns: pronomi soggetto When a pronoun is the subject of a verb it is called a subject pronoun. Here they are: io tu lui (egli), lei (ella); Lei noi voi loro (essi, esse); Loro I you (informal) he, she, you (formal) we you (informal) they; you (formal)
In Italy people use the tu form with friends, family members, children, animals and deities. Egli and ella, the real or original third-person singular subject pronouns, are now only used in written Italian. Lei, usually written with an upper-case L, is also used to mean you in formal, polite address.
Essi and esse, which can be used for both beings and objects, are not used too often in conversation and Loro is also the plural version of formal you. Students learn that they dont have to use subject pronouns very much because the endings of the verb indicate the person and number of the subject. There are still a few cases when we have to use subject pronouns: to resolve ambiguity: Hes an engineer and shes a physician.
Lui fa lingegnere e lei medico.
to compare or contrast:
Io sono alta e magra, anche mia sorella magra ma piuttosto bassa. I am tall and thin, my sister is also thin but rather short.
when the pronoun is the answer to a question: Arlecchino, who is going to the airport? Im going.
Arlecchino, chi va allaeroporto? Ci vado io.
whenever the pronoun contains the emphasized information:
Credo che voi abbiate capito luso del pronome soggetto. I believe you understood how to use the subject pronouns. (in this case, implying the existence of others who may not have understood)
Direct and indirect object pronouns: pronomi di oggetto diretto e indiretto

We have two kinds of object pronouns: pronouns that stand for direct objects, and pronouns that stand for indirect objects. The first- and second-person object pronouns are the same whether theyre direct or indirect. Only the third-person direct object pronouns differ from their indirect object counterparts. When the action performed by the subject has a direct effect on an objectan object that could even be a personthat person or thing is the direct object of the verb: Pulcinella is giving flowers. Pulcinella d i fiori.
If we want to say to whom Pulcinella is giving the flowers, this person will be the indirect object: Pulcinella is giving these flowers to Arlecchina Pulcinella d i fiori ad Arlecchina. Arlecchina is indirectly affected by this act of giving, so she is the indirect object. Grammatically speaking, there is one and only one important difference between direct and indirect objects. Indirect objects always have a preposition in front of them. Direct objects never have a preposition in front of them. If there is no preposition in front of the object noun, youll replace it with a direct object pronoun: Pulcinella canta una canzone. Pulcinella la canta bene. If the preposition a is in front of the object noun, youll replace it with an indirect object pronoun: Pulcinella canta alla ragazza fiorentina. Pulcinella le canta una canzone napoletana.
Direct object pronouns:

mi ti lo, la; La ci vi li, le; Le me you (informal) him, her, it; you (formal) us you them; you (formal)
Indirect object pronouns:

mi ti gli, le; Le ci vi gli or loro; Gli or Loro to (or for) me to (or for) you (informal) to (or for) him, her; to (or for) you (formal) to (or for) us to (or for) you (informal) to (or for) them; to (or for) you (formal)
If the verb is in the infinitive, object pronouns are attached to the end of the verb after the final -e has been dropped: --Arlecchina, cantami la canzone di ieri sera! --No, non mi va di cantarla adesso. --Arlecchina, sing me the song from last night! --No, I dont feel like singing it now. Object pronouns come before verbs that are conjugated in all the other moods--indicative, subjunctive, conditional. --Quando compri un violino nuovo? --Lo compro presto. --When are you buying a new violin? --Im buying it soon. If you have a conjugated modal verb, like dovere, potere, or volere, plus a dependent infinitive, the logical place for the pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive, since it is the object of the verb in the infinitive, not of the modal. But conversational Italian allows the pronoun to go in front of the modal: Vuoi vederlo? Lo vuoi vedere? Do you want to see it?
Nota Culturale
I fuochi artificiali
Many of the worlds most spectacular and celebrated fireworks displays are the creations of Italian craftsmen, although it was the Arabs and Byzantines who first brought pyrotechnic powders from the Far East to Europe. The original intent was military rather than celebratory, and only around the 12th century did fireworks begin to highlight festivals and holidays. In the 17th century, a famous school for pyrotechnic technicians was opened in Bologna. Nowadays in Italy there is no New Years Eve, celebration of a patron saint, or other festivity without the sparkling and, at times, dangerous entertainment of fireworks. From the Alps to Mount Etna, Italians are always ready to raise their heads in awe and admiration at a night-time sky ablaze with their color. If you visit the city of La Spezia in Liguria on the first Sunday of August, you will witness an enchanting array of fireworks over the water to conclude a day of parades and festivities celebrating the sea. A little farther to the east, on the third Sunday of July, in the beautiful city of Venice, Christ the Redeemer and the citys deliverance from the plague in Radio Arlecchino, Episode 11, pg 7 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
the 16th century are celebrated in a night-time regatta in the Laguna with spectacular fireworks. Rest assured you will never attend anything quite like it anywhere else in the world. After all, there is just one Venice. But if you really want to witness one of the most extraordinary events on the face of the Earth, an event that UNESCO has named a patrimony of humanity, you have to go to Catania, in Sicily, from the 3rd to the 5th of February to celebrate SantAgata. During these three days, everything else is forgotten and a mix of folklore and devotion takes over the city. With Etna in the foreground, the surrounding baroque architecture, the sea, the food, the marvelous Sicilian people and the incredible fireworks, you might just experience the most magical moment of your life. In Episode 12, Just Look at Yourself!, well reflect on what happens when the subject and the object are the same person and on the side effects of mixing direct and indirect object pronouns. Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of Just Look at Yourself, our recent show on reflexive and double object pronouns. You can hear this podcast at http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=12 Buon divertimento! Ha partecipato Esmeralda Moscatelli Featured in this broadcast Colombina
Il Dottore, per i Verbi Pronominali

Dottore: Salve, gentili ascoltatori! Mi trovo qui nello studio oggi per svolgere un compito molto piacevole: quello di sottolineare quanto vi divertirete, quando vi sarete impadroniti dei Verbi Pronominali. Infatti, quasi impossibile esprimersi bene nella nostra favella senza di essi. Non fermatevi ora! Continuate ad imparare, a coniugare... soprattutto questi bei Verbi Pronominali che si offrono ora alla vostra riflessione. Guardatevi allo specchio e ditevi: Proprio oggi mi metto a parlare con tutto il potere dei Verbi Pronominali! Me lo raccomanda il bravo Dottore, che si specializza in queste cose, ergo, devono essere buoni! In speculo non pulchritas -sed veritas! ==========
The Dottore, for Pronominal Verbs

Dottore: Hail, kind listeners! Im here in the studio today to perform a very pleasant task: that of emphasizing how much fun you will have when you have mastered the Pronominal Verbs. In fact, it is almost impossible to express oneself well in our tongue without them. Dont stop now! Continue to learn, to conjugate... above all these fine Pronominal Verbs which are offered now for your reflexion. Look at yourselves in the mirror and say to yourselves: This very day I shall begin to speak with the full power of the Pronominal Verbs! The good Dottore recommends it, the Dottore who specializes in these matters, ergo, they must be good! In speculo non pulchritas -- sed veritas! ==========
Il Dottore, per il Caff Chiarezza

Dottore: Signori e Signore! Studenti e studentesse! Alti e bassi, belli e brutti, venite, ascoltate, imparate! Eccola, eccola, eccola! La sostanza quasi magica, senzaltro deliziosissima, che rende ogni mattina pi che tollerabile! Chi di voi mi aiuter a fare la prova? Lei, signore? No? Lei, signorina? Colombina: Dottore! Buon giorno, Dottore! Ma Lei che cosa sta facendo qui? Dottore: Sssshhhhh... Colombina, ti prego, fai finta di non conoscermi! Dai, aiutami... Brava, signorina, mi dica, per favore, come comincia la sua giornata tipica? Colombina: Beh, insomma, prima di tutto, mi sveglio... Dottore: Si sveglia! Ottimo! La signorina si sveglia. E si alza, non cos?
The Dottore, for Caff Chiarezza

Dottore: Ladies and gentlemen! Students! Tall and short, handsome and homely, come, listen, learn! Here it is, here it is, here it is! The almost magical substance, certainly scrumptious, that makes every morning more than tolerable! Who among you will help me to prove it? You, sir? No? You, miss? Colombina: Dottore! Good day to you, Dottore! But what are you doing here? Dottore: Sssshhhhh... Colombina, I beg of you, pretend not to know me! Come on, help me... Fine, miss, tell me, please, how does your typical day begin? Colombina: Well, I mean, first of all, I wake up... Dottore: You wake up! Excellent! The young lady wakes up! And then you get up, dont you? Colombina: No, that is, I dont get up right away... I prefer to sleep for another little minute or two... I grab myself another ten, fifteen minutes of peace and rest before I get up. Dottore: You grab yourself another quarter hour of blessed sleep! Fine! And then... Colombina: I get up, yes. I put on my robe, I wash my face. Dottore: The young lady gets up, she gets dressed, she washes up! Fine, fine... Colombina: I look at myself in the mirror and... and...
Colombina: No, cio non mi alzo subito... preferisco dormire ancora qualche minutino... mi piglio ancora dieci, quindici minuti di pace e riposo prima di alzarmi.
Dottore: Si piglia ancora un quarto dora di beato sonno! Brava! E poi... Colombina: Mi alzo, s. Mi metto laccappatoio, mi lavo la faccia. Dottore: La signorina si alza, si veste e si lava! Brava, brava... Colombina: Mi guardo allo specchio, e... e...
Dottore: Si guarda allo specchio e.. come si sente? Colombina: Mi sento... mi sento come se avessi una nebbia densa intorno alla testa... Dottore: Ho capito! Tutti ci siamo sentiti cos, la mattina presto, non vero? E ci dica, signorina, come si libera da questa nebbia mattutina? Colombina: Bene, io, come tanti altri, mi preparo un buon caff... Dottore: Si prepara un buon caff! Brava, brava! E quale caff usa Lei, signorina?
Dottore: You look at yourself in the mirror... and how do you feel? Colombina: I feel... I feel as though I had a dense fog about my head... Dottore: I understand! We have all felt that way, early in the morning, isnt it true? And tell us, miss, how do you free yourself of that morning fog? Colombina: Well, I, like so many others, I make myself a good cup of coffee. Dottore: You make yourself a good cup of coffee! Fine, fine! And what coffee do you use, miss? Colombina: Me? Well, me, at home, I have Caff Valazza. Dottore: Ah-ha! I too have Caff Valazza right here! Lets see now if you can recognize the coffee that you say you drink every morning! Colombina: Oh! Dottore: Here are three different coffees. One, and only one, is your own Caff Lavazza. Will you be able to distinguish it from the others? Come, miss, try them and tell us, which is the coffee that according to you, is the most delicious, the most capable of destroying that morning fog! Colombina: Eh... gladly... Dottore: Heres the first little cup! Now then, go ahead and try it! How is it? Colombina: Oh! This coffee is too strong!
Colombina: Io? Beh, io, a casa, cho il caff Valazza. Dottore: Ah-ha! Il caff Valazza ce lho anchio, qui! Vediamo adesso se sa riconoscere il caff che, secondo Lei, lei beve ogni mattina! Colombina: Oh! Dottore: Ecco tre caff diversi. Uno, e solo uno, il suo caff Valazza. Lo sapr distinguere dagli altri? Venga, signorina, li assaggi e ci dica, qual il caff che secondo Lei, quello pi delizioso, pi profumato, pi capace di distruggere quella nebbia mattutina! Colombina: Eh... volentieri... Dottore: Ecco la prima tazzina! Coraggio, assaggi pure. Come lo trova? Colombina: Oh! Questo caff troppo forte!
Dottore: Avete sentito? Questo caff troppo forte! Forza, avanti! Prego, signorina, ecco la seconda tazzina! Assaggi! Come lo trova? Colombina: Oh! Questo caff troppo debole! Dottore: Avete sentito? Questo caff troppo debole! Ora ci resta solo questo, lultima tazzina! Assaggi! Come lo trova? Colombina: Oh! Mmmmmmm... Aaaaaahhhh... Questo il caff che fa per me! perfetto! Dottore: Avete sentito? Questo il caff che fa per lei! Il caff perfetto! Signorina, crede che questo sia il Suo caff Valazza? Colombina: Non lo so, ma squisito! Me ne offre ancora un pochino, Dottore?
Dottore: Did you hear? This coffee is too strong! Onward, now! Here, miss, the second little cup! Try it! How is it?
Colombina: Oh! This coffee is too weak!
Dottore: Did you hear? This coffee is too weak! Now we have but one left, the last little cup! Try it! How is it? Colombina: Oh! Mmmmm..... Aaaahhh... This is just the coffee for me! Its perfect!
Dottore: Did you hear? This is just the coffee for her! The perfect coffee? Miss, do you believe that this is your Caff Valazza? Colombina: I dont know, but its exquisite! Wont you offer me a little bit more, Dottore? Dottore: Ha, ha! Patience, Miss. Lets first see which coffee was too strong... Behold... Caff Valazza! Too strong: Caff Valazza!
Dottore: Ha, ha! Pazienza, signorina. Vediamo prima quale caff stato troppo forte.... Ecco.... Caff Valazza! Troppo forte il Caff Valazza! Colombina: Oh! Dottore: Vediamo ora quale caff stato troppo debole... Ecco... Caff Valazza Light! Troppo forte il Caff Valazza Light! Colombina: Oh! Dottore: Vediamo ora quale caff stato per - fet - to! Ecco... Caff Chiarezza! Il Caff Chiarezza il caff che fa proprio per lei! Il caff perfetto che distrugge la nebbia mattutina!
Colombina: Oh! Dottore: Lets see now which coffee was too weak... Behold... Caff Valazza Light! Too weak: Caff Valazza Light!
Colombina: Oh! Dottore: Lets see now which coffee was perfect! Behold... Caff Chiarezza! Caff Chiarezza is just the coffee for her! The perfect coffee that destroys the morning fog!
Caff Chiarezza -- chiaramente il migliore - Caff Chiarezza clearly the best the Radio Arlecchino, Episode 12, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
- ve lo dice il Dottore! Grazie, Colombina, mi hai proprio salvato... Colombina: Mi rallegro, Dottore! ==========
Dottore says so! Thank you, Colombina, youve really saved me... Colombina: Im glad, Dottore! ==========
Nota Grammaticale
Reflexive pronouns: pronomi riflessivi Reflexive pronouns and double pronouns
These are pronouns that replace either a direct or an indirect object. What sets them apart and makes them special is that the object they replace and the subject of the verb are the same person or thing. The subject performs an action that directly or indirectly affects the subject himself, herself or itself. Because the action is thought of as being reflected back onto the subject, these verbs, and these object pronouns, are called reflexive. The first and second-person reflexive pronouns are exactly the same as the first and secondperson indirect object pronouns, which are in turn exactly the same as the first- and secondperson direct object pronouns. Again, it is the third-person pronouns of this group that differ: mi ti si; Si ci vi si; Si myself, to (or for) myself yourself, to (or for) yourself (informal) himself, herself, itself, to (or for) himself, herself, itself; yourself, to (or for) yourself (formal) ourselves, to (or for) ourselves yourselves, to (or for) yourselves (informal) themselves, to (or for) themselves; yourselves to (or for) yourselves (formal)
Verbs that are conjugated along with these reflexive pronouns are called Pronominal Verbs and they can be divided into three categories. First you have the verbs that are truly reflexive, that is, verbs whose actions are, in fact, performed by the subject on the subject. Examples of such actions: guardarsi allo specchio, farsi male, lavarsi, vestirsi, alzarsi, ecc. to see oneself in the mirror, to hurt oneself, to wash oneself, to dress oneself, to get up (to get oneself up), etc. Secondly, you have the reciprocal construction. The action of the verb goes back and forth between the subject and the object. This reciprocity is most often expressed with the phrase Radio Arlecchino, Episode 12, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
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each other in English. It takes at least two to reciprocate, so these verbs are always in the plural. conoscersi, vedersi, incontrarsi, innamorarsi, ecc. to make each others acquaintance, to see each other, to meet each other, to fall in love with each other, etc. Thirdly, we have those verbs that are conjugated pronominally because... well, just because. Theres nothing inherently reflexive or reciprocal about them, so their being conjugated with a reflexive pronoun is simply idiomatic. But they do have something in common. Most of them refer to an action of becoming. In fact, their English equivalents are often expressed as to become or to get plus an adjective. annoiarsi, divertirsi, arrabbiarsi, ecc. to get bored, to have fun, to get mad, etc. All pronominal verbs (verbs conjugated with a reflexive pronoun) have essere as their auxiliary in compound tenses. Its important to pay attention to the form of verbs in compound tenses when they begin using reflexive pronouns. Even a transitive verb used in compound tenses with a reflexive pronoun is conjugated with essere; therefore the past participle must agree with the subject of the verb. So youll have: La mamma ha svegliato i ragazzi alle sette. Mom woke up the kids at seven. But: I ragazzi si sono svegliati alle sette. The kids woke up at seven. Beware the power of the direct object pronoun! Even when a verb is being used pronominally, a third-person direct object pronoun trumps all other rules of past participle agreement. (Agreement with first- and second-person direct object pronouns is optional.) Observe: Le attrici si sono messe i costumi? S, se li sono messi e sono pronte ad andare in scena! Have the actresses put on their costumes? Yes, theyve put them on and theyre ready to go on stage! Beware of the strange behavior of modal verbs in relation to reflexive pronouons. The auxiliary essere is used onlly if the reflexive pronoun precedes the verb; otherwise avere is used. Ieri eravamo stanchi e non ci siamo potuti divertire or we could also say Ieri eravoamo stanchi e non abbiamo potuto divertici. Yesterday we were tired and we couldnt enjoy ourselves. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 12, pg 6 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Double object pronouns: pronomi doppi

Many times a verb has not just a direct or an indirect object, but both at the same time. Pulcinella sings a song to Arlecchina. Pantalone opens the door for Colombina. Important changes occur when two pronouns are associated with one verb. First of all, we want to remember that when there are two pronouns associated with one verb, one of the pronouns will be a direct object pronoun, and the other will be an indirect object pronoun. And one thing that will always happen is that the indirect object pronoun will be the first of the two to appear in the sentence. Pulcinella, cantami una canzone romantica! Pulcinella, sing me a romantic song! (sing a romantic song to me!) Va bene, te la canto stasera sotto il tuo balcone. All right, Ill sing it to you tonight under your balcony. When you have a pair of object pronouns, the first of the two, the indirect object pronoun, always undergoes a spelling/pronunciation change, as you saw in the previous example: we said te la instead of ti la. So when you have double object pronouns, the indirect pronoun changes this way: me te glie ce ve glie Then when you add the direct object pronoun, or the particle ne, you will have: me lo, me la, me li, me le, me ne te lo, te la, te li, te le, te ne glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele, gliene ce lo, ce la, ce li, ce le, ce ne ve lo, ve la, ve li, ve le, ve ne glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele, gliene
Please note that the third-persons indirect object pronoun glie has the direct object pronoun directly attached to it: glielo, gliela, glieli, gliele, gliene. In the other pronoun pairs, the two pronouns are spelled separately.
The maverick pronoun: loro

It seems that the pronoun loro, which functions in many different ways, is always the exception to the rule, somehow As the third-person plural indirect object pronoun, it is never attached to any verb form and it always follows the verb. If you think you might have trouble remembering this, just use gli instead, as it will always follow the rules we have given you above.
Nota Culturale
Venezia e Bellini
Whether you are strolling along Piazza San Marco, visiting the church of San Zaccaria, walking on the Ponte di Rialto or snoozing on a gondola, Venice will remind you of her greatness and pride. The history of the city is long and complex. From its origin, Venice expanded to become one of the most powerful Republics of all times (it remained an independent and proud Republic for over 1100 years). For centuries it dominated the eastern commercial routes with its monopoly in spices and precious textiles. Of all the great masterpieces in Venice, there is one that is quite recent but world-renowned: Harrys Bar. Giuseppe Cipriani and Harry Pickering opened the bar in May 1931. And there, in the midst of wonderful aperitifs and liquors, the Bellini cocktail was first invented in 1948. Giuseppe had a passion for white peaches and he worked hard trying to develop a perfect cocktail that would use them as a base. When he combined the pureed white peaches with prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine), he knew he had created something extraordinary. After a couple of Bellinis, you must pay homage to the great painter the cocktail is named after. Many churches in Venice have altars adorned with the beautiful colors and sensuous humanity of Giovanni Bellinis paintings. During your visit you might say ciao to passersby. After all, Venetians invented this form of salutation and it means I am your slave. Will you still use it so lightheartedly? Feeling stressed out by pronouns? Wait! Lucky Episode 13 will be just for you! Well talk about what happens to pronouns when they get stressed! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears Radio Arlecchino, Episode 12, pg 8 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of The Joy of Stress, our recent show on stressed pronouns. You can hear this podcast at http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=13 Buon divertimento! Ha partecipato Rachel Showstack Featured in this broadcast Eager Young Italian Grammar Cadet, New Supplifono Fan
Eric and an Eager Young Italian Grammar Cadet 1.

--Il professore ti spiega la grammatica? --S, me la spiega. --Professore, mi spiegher il congiuntivo? --Certo, te lo spiegher domani.

--Does the professor explain the grammar to you? --Yes, he explains it to me. --Professor, will you explain the subjunctive to me? --Of course, I will explain it to you tomorrow. --Has the professor explained pronouns to you? --Yes, he has explained them to us. --Professor, will you explain Arlecchinos poems to us? --Im sorry, guys, I wont explain even one of them to you. Nobody will ever be able to explain them to you. ==========
--Il professore vi ha spiegato i pronomi? --S, ce li ha spiegati. --Professore, ci spiegher le poesie di Arlecchino? --Mi dispiace, ragazzi, non ve ne spiegher neanche una. Nessuno potr mai spiegarvele... ==========

--Il professore spiega la grammatica allo studente? --S, gliela spiega. --Professore, spiegher il congiuntivo alla studentessa? --Certo, glielo spiegher domani. --Il professore ha spiegato i pronomi agli studenti? --S, glieli ha spiegati. --Il professore spiegher le poesie di Arlecchino alle studentesse? --Purtroppo no, non gliene spiegher neanche una. Nessuno potr mai spiegargliele... ==========

--Does the professor explain the grammar to the student? --Yes, he explains it to him. --Professor, will you explain the subjunctive to the student? --Of course, I will explain it to her tomorrow. --Has the professor explained the pronouns to the students? --Yes, he has explained them to them. --Will the professor explain Arlecchinos poems to the students? --Unfortunately no, he wont explain even one of them to them. Nobody will ever be able to explain them to them. ==========
Il Dottore per i suppl al telefono Supplifono -- lo Spuntino Divino!

La ragazza: Pronto? Pronto? Pronto? Ma chi ? Chi c? Dottore: Ha ha! Ma non il Suo ragazzo che Le telefona. Non il Suo cellulare! La ragazza: E allora? Dottore: lo spuntino degli dei che La chiamano... al Supplifono! La ragazza: Come? Dottore: S, i suppl al telefono del Dottor Balanzone! Eccoli, eccoli, eccoli! Deliziosi
Il Dottore for suppl al telefono Supplifono - The Snack Divine!

The girl: Hello? Hello? Hello? Well who is it? Whos there? Dottore: Ha ha! But its not your boyfriend calling you! Its not your cell phone! The girl: Well then? Dottore: Its the snack of the gods calling you... to the Supplifono! The girl: Huh? Dottore: Yes, Dottor Balanzones suppl al telefono! Here they are, here they are, here
e nutritivi! Venite! Vedete! Assaggiateli! Li offro ora a voi come li offriva a me la nonna... con amore... perch con amore sono stati sempre fatti... Signorina, posso offrirgliene uno? La ragazza: Grazie. Uh! Dottore: Stia attenta! caldo! Mi dica, signorina, come lo trova? La ragazza: Mmmmm.... riso... Dottore: S, il riso, s... e...? La ragazza: Mmmmm.... rag di carne... Dottore: Esatto... e...? La ragazza: Mozzarella........ Dottore: Ecco! Questo il suppl della nonna -- Supplifono! La ragazza: squisito! Non me ne offrirebbe un altro? Dottore: Come no! Ecco a Lei, signorina! La ragazza: Grazie. Ahi! Dottore: Stia attenta! Sono ancora caldi! Oh! questo s sar il Suo fidanzato! La ragazza: Lasciamo perdere, Dottore. Da ora in poi ricevo solo le Supplifonate! Mmmmmm! Dottore: Supplifono! Sono gli dei che vi chiamano dallOlimpo, ad invitarvi a condividere con loro lo spuntino divino! ==========
they are! Delicious and nutritious! Come! See! Try them! I offer them to you now as my grandmother offered them to me... with love... for with love they have always been made... Miss, may I offer you one of them? The girl: Thank you. Ooh! Dottore: Watch out! Its hot! Tell me Miss, what do you think of it? The girl: Mmmmm.... rice... Dottore: Yes, rice, yes... and...? The girl: Mmmmm.... meat sauce... Dottore: Exactly... and...? The girl: Mozzarella........ Dottore: There you are! This is grandmamas suppl -- Supplifono! The girl: Its scrumptious! Wouldnt you offer me another one of them? Dottore: Why, certainly! Here you are, Miss. The girl: Thank you. Ow! Dottore: Careful! Theyre still hot! Oh! now this must be your boyfriend! The girl: Dont mind him, Dottore. From now on, I only take Supplifono calls! Mmmmmm! Dottore: Supplifono! Its the gods calling you from Olympus, inviting you to share with them the Snack Divine! ==========
Eric and an Eager Young Italian Grammar Cadet 3: The pronomi tonici in action!
--Guarda chi sta entrando! Sono Arlecchino e Arlecchina! Li conosci? --Come no! Ascolto spesso lui su Radio Arlecchino, e ho visto lei molte volte a teatro. --Com possibile che Arlecchina ami non solo me ma anche Pulcinella? --Ama te perch sei un tipo in gamba, sportivo... ama lui perch ha lanima di un musicista, di un poeta... --Chi ami? --Amo solo te, cara mia. --Che cosa mi dicevi? --Non dicevo niente a te. Parlavo con il Dottore. ==========
Eric and an Eager Young Italian Grammar Cadet 3: The tonic pronouns in action!
--Look whos coming in! Its Arlecchino and Arlecchina! Do you know them? --Of course! I often listen to him on Radio Arlecchino, and I have seen her many time at the theatre. --How is it possible for Arlecchina to love not just me but also Pulcinella? --She loves you because youre on the ball, athletic... she loves him because he has the soul of a musician, a poet... --Whom do you love? --I love only you, my dear. --What were you saying to me? --I wasnt saying anything to you. I was talking with the Dottore. ==========
The pronome tonico with prepositions.

arrivata una lettera per te! Vuoi venire al cinema con noi? Non ti scordar di me! Evviva Pulcinella! Stasera ci sar una grande festa da lui! Non avremmo potuto farlo senza di voi! ==========
The tonic pronouns with prepositions.

A letter has come for you! Do you want to come to the movies with us? Dont forget me! Long live Pulcinella! Tonight there will be a big party at his place! We couldnt have done it without you! ==========
Eric telefona ad Antonella a Roma.

[All personal pronouns are highlighted in this phone call.] Antonella: Pronto... Eric: Ciao, Antonella! Antonella: Ciao, Eric! Come stai? Eric: Bene, bene, grazie! E tu? Ti disturbo? Antonella: Sto bene, grazie! Questa volta non mi sto abbuffando di arte ma di cibo vero! Eric: Ottimo! Buon appetito! Proprio di cibo volevo parlarti. Con tutte le pubblicit di generi alimentari che stiamo trasmettendo qui ho finito per comprare un sacco di roba... il riso Barobio, la mozzarella Rintupicchio, e figurati, pangrattato Crostaf! Antonella: E che cosa pensi di fare con questi ingredienti? Eric: Proprio per questo ti ho chiamato! Pulcinella non c... mi devi aiutare tu... Antonella: Momento migliore non potevi trovarlo! Infatti sto abbuffandomi in una rosticceria di quello che per me il miglior fast-food italiano! Il suppl! Eric: Domani sera vengono a casa mia parecchi amici dello studio... fammi fare bella figura con uno sfizio italiano..
Eric phones Antonella in Rome.
Antonella: Hello... Eric: Hi, Antonella! Antonella: Hi, Eric! How are you? Eric: Fine, fine, thanks! And you? Am I interrupting? Antonella: Im fine, thanks! This time Im not stuffing myself with art but with real food! Eric: Excellent! Enjoy it! In fact it was food I wanted to talk to you about. With all these commercials for food that weve been broadcasting here Ive ended up buying a bunch of stuff... Barobio rice, Rintupicchio mozzarella, and go figure, Crostaf grated bread! Antonella: And what do you plan to do with these ingredients? Eric: Thats just why Ive called you! Pulcinellas not around... youve got to help me. Antonella: You couldnt have caught me at a better moment! In fact Im stuffing myself in one of those rosticcerie with what as far as Im concerned is the best Italian fast food. Suppl! Eric: Several friends from the studio are coming to my house tomorrow evening... help me make a good impression with
Andiamo con i suppl? Antonella: Sarebbero perfetti! Ti do subito la ricetta per i suppl al telefono! Eric: Al telefono, per forza, altrimenti non c tempo... Antonella: Quindi... stasera prepara un rag di carne e cuoci il riso con il rag... Poi, domani, usa il riso freddo, amalga al riso un uovo intero... Prendi una manciata di riso, mettici dentro un pezzetto di mozzarella fresca. Appollotala il riso a forma ovale... Copri il suppl con il pan grattato e appena lolio nella padella caldo, metti il suppl e friggilo. Ecco! Cos avrai fatto i suppl al telefono! Eric: Be, spero di non farli proprio al telefono! Antonella: No, i suppl sono suppl al telefono! Quando arriveranno i tuoi amici, servili caldi, e insieme, spezzate in due il suppl, portate una met allorecchio e laltra met alla bocca... la mozzarella sar il filo del telefono... e dite: Eric: Arisentirci? Antonella: Hai capito! Eric: Grazie, Antonella, saranno deliziosi! Antonella: Sono buonissimi! I miei li ho finiti tutti! Eric: Parleremo di nuovo presto attraverso il filo del suppl!
something Italian and fanciful. Shall we go with the suppl? Antonella: They would be perfect! Ill go ahead right now and give you the recipe for suppl al telefono! Eric: Itll have to be al telefono [on the phone], otherwise theres no time. Antonella: So... tonight make a meat saucce and cook the rice with the sauce. Then, tomorrow, use the rice cold and add a whole egg to it... Take a handful or rice, put a cube of fresh mozzarella in it and roll the rice into an oval shape. Cover the suppl with grated bread and as soon as the oil in the pan is hot, put the suppl in it and fry it. There! Thats how youll have mad suppl al telefono! Eric: Well, I hope I wont be making them right on the phone! Antonella: No, the suppl are suppl al telefonotelephone style suppl! When your friends get there, serve them hot, and together, split the the suppl in two. Hold one half up to your ear and the other to your mouth... the mozzarella will be the phone cord... and say: Eric: Arisentirci? Antonella: Youve got it! Eric: Thanks, Antonella, theyll be delicious! Antonella: Theyre great! Ive finished all of mine! Eric: Well talk again soon over the suppl wire!
Antonella: Buon appetito!
Antonella: Enjoy them!
Nota Grammaticale
Stressed pronouns: pronomi tonici
The object pronouns that weve been using so far are called pronomi atoni in Italian. The adjective atono means unstressed. So, when we want to stress, or emphasize, the pronoun, we use one of the pronomi tonici, or stressed pronouns. The pronome tonico is the same whether its replacing a direct or an indirect object. The first- and second-person singulars are: me, a me te, a te me, to (or for) me you, to (or for) you (informal)
The rest of them are the same as the subject pronouns: Third person singular: lui, a lui lei, a lei; Lei, a Lei and the Plurals: noi, a noi voi, a voi loro, a loro; Loro, a Loro us, to (or for) us you, to (or for) you (informal) them, to (or for) them; you, to (or for) you (formal) him, to (or for) him her, to (or for) her; you (or for) you (formal)
Note that when a pronome tonico is an indirect object, you have to have the preposition in front of it, whereas the unstressed pronoun, the pronome atono, never has a preposition in front of it. Talking of placement, the pronome tonico is always placed after the verb, and it is never attached to any form of the verb. In fact, these pronomi tonici are called disjunctive pronouns in English precisely because they do not get joined to the verb. We use the pronome tonico when we want to resolve ambiguity:
Non ti confondere, ho visto lui cucinare e ho trovato lei ad aggiustare il lavandino. Dont get confused, I saw him cooking and I found her fixing the sink. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 13, pg 7 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
we want to compare or to contrast:
Ama te perch sei un poeta e ama lui perch uno sportivo. She loves you because youre a poet and she loves him because hes the athletic type. the pronoun is the answer to a question: Whom did they applaud? They applauded only her!
Chi hanno applaudito? Hanno applaudito solo lei!
the pronoun contains the emphasized information: What have you got to tell me? To you, nothing!
Cosa mi racconti? A te niente!
If a pronoun is the object of a preposition, the pronoun must be a pronome tonico. Vuoi venire a teatro con noi? Do you want to come to the theatre with us? Preferisco non venire da te se c anche il Dottore. I prefer not to come to your place if the Dottore is there too. Many students love to use the pronome tonico instead of the pronome atono, possibly because it always comes after the verb the way pronouns do in English. But watch out! You need to have one of the compelling reasons that weve just listed to use the pronome tonico.
Nota Culturale
Trattorie
In Italy there are different types of restaurants and fast-food establishments. One of the most popular of these, la trattoria, has a relaxed flair and is more economical and less formal than un ristorante. At most of le trattorie, you can order an array of primi e secondi piatti (first and second courses) and contorni e dolci (side dishes and sweets). You can also choose to drink il vino della casa (the house wine) or acqua gassata/naturale (sparkling/natural water). In una trattoria or un ristorante you normally pay il conto (a bill) that includes il coperto (cover charge for the tablecloth and bread) and il servizio (service charge). La pizzeria can be thought as an Italian fast-food place. The environment is very informal and they usually serve pizza by the slice. You can take it home on a tray (un vassoio) or you can eat your slice on the go. La pizzeria also sells a variety of fried goodies (suppli, arancini, verdure) and, at times, roasted chickens.
La tavola calda (literally, hot table) serves dishes prepared in advance and losteria serves primarily wine and beer and light snacks. Modern fast-food is available all over Italy and, with some variation, the same food is served everywhere. Some Italians are unhappy about the presence of fast-food. The Slow Food Movement was created as a way to oppose fast-food culture and to rethink our relationship to food. The organization was founded in 1986 in Piemonte. It has 80,000 members in over 100 countries and 800 eating clubs where people gather to prepare and eat delicious meals. In many parts of Italy indigenous forms of fast-food have survived for centuries. If you visit Palermo, your eyes will pop out of their sockets. Piccoli carretti con griglie (small moveable stands with grills) sell a variety of delicious snacks: le arancine (balls made of bread, rice, eggs and meat), la vastedda ca meusa con le panelle (beef kidney and spleen with buns), i cazzilli (fried potatoes with herbs), lo sfincione (a Palermo pizza), la stigghila (lamb liver and intestines), la quarume (beef tripe served in a broth). The tradition dates back to the Ancient Greeks who first had a section of the agora (square) reserved for delicious, economical snacks to be consumed on-the-go. You not choose to try these snacks, but the fact that these items have been consumed for the past 2000 years should make you think twice. Buon Appetito! All right, so now you have Pronoun Fever! Whats next? You need to relax, take it easy, and reflext on all the good things Radio Arlecchino has been feeding you. Afterward, your newly acquired Pronoun Power will get a serious workout when we discover the pleasures of the verb piacere! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of our recent Holiday Special and All-Star Grammar Review Broadcast, which you can hear at http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=14 Buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato Esmeralda Moscatelli Simone Sessolo Steven Miller Carlos Capra Irene Eibenstein-Alvisi Sheilah Murphy Michael Heidenreich Sean Neesley Featured in this broadcast Colombina Pantalone Pulcinella himself herself herself himself himself
Panettone Gnammagna
Dottore: Ecco il vostro vecchio amico, il Dottor Balanzone, che vi ricorda che le feste sono sempre migliori quando c' il delizioso panettone Gnammagna! vero ... Festeggiate gustando la delizia dell'incomparabile panettone Gnammagna! Dottore: Here's your old friend Dottor Balanzone, reminding you that the holidays are always better when there's delicious Gnammagna panettone! It's true ... Celebrate while enjoying the incomparable delight of Gnammagna panettone!
Nota Grammaticale
"vi ricorda": the unstressed object pronoun precedes the verb. "Festeggiate": The informal plural "you" imperative is the same as the present indicative of the verb.
At the Teatro Bisognosi

Arlecchino: Chi che bussa? Chi ? Babbo Natale? Eric: No, no, Sono io! Arlecchino: Ah, sei tu! E tu chi sei? La Befana? Eric: Macch Befana! Sono io! Eric! Arlecchino: Eric! E perch non lo hai detto subito? Attenti, ragazzi! Ecco il nostro presentatore radiofonico! Colombina: Eric, come stai? Eric: Bene, bene, grazie, Colombina! Ma che bel costume! Colombina: Grazie, l'ho fatto apposta per il nuovo spettacolo ... Arlecchino: Su, dammi il cappotto, vieni qui vicino al fuoco ... Eric: Ecco, grazie ... Pantalone: un piacere rivederti! Arlecchino, portagli qualcosa da bere! Arlecchino: Subito, signore! Dottore: Gaudeamus igitur, insieme dum sumus! Eric: Grazie, Dottore, un piacere rivederLa! Dottore: Sed -- ubi est? Eric: Vorr dire, Dottore, dov' ... Arlecchino: Who's knocking? Who is it? Is it Father Christmas? Eric: No, no, it's me! It's me! Arlecchino: Ah, it's you! And who are you? The Befana? Eric: What do you mean, the Befana! It's me! Eric! Arlecchino: Eric! And why didn't you say so right away? Attention, guys! Here's our radio announcer! Colombina: Eric, how are you? Eric: Fine, fine, thanks, Colombina! What a beautiful costume! Colombina: Thanks, I made it especially for the new play ... Arlecchino: Here, give me your coat, come here near the fire ... Eric: Here, thanks ... Pantalone: It's a pleasure to see you again! Arlecchino, bring him something to drink! Arlecchino: Right away, sir! Dottore: Gaudeamus igitur, insieme dum sumus! Eric: Thank you, Dottore. It's good to see you again! Dottore: Sed -- ubi est? Eric: You mean to say, Dottore, where is
... Dottore: Ubi est pulcherrima puella Antonella? Colombina: Gi, Antonella! Non venuta con te? Pantalone: Dov' la nostra Antonella? Eric: Ma non ancora tornata da Roma! Dottore: Ubi est pulcherrima puella Antonella? Colombina: That's right, Antonella! Didn't she come with you? Pantalone: Where is our Antonella? Eric: But she hasn't come back from Rome!
Nota Grammaticale
"Ah, sei tu! E tu chi sei"; "Sono io": The subject pronouns are being used here because they contain the emphasized information. "L'ho fatto apposta": passato prossimo -- a one-time, completed action in the past. "dammi il cappotto": the singular, informal "you" imperative form of the verb dare has only one syllable, so when we attach the object pronoun to it, we double the pronoun's initial consonant "vieni qui": the singular, informal "you" imperative of venire is regular for a third-conjugation verb; i.e., it is the same as the present indicative. " un piacere rivederti!": the unstressed direct object pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive. "portagli qualcosa": the singular, informal "you" imperative of portare is the present indicative stem plus -a. The indirect object pronoun must be attached to it. " un piacere rivederLa!": the singular, third-person, feminine direct object pronoun is used as formal "you" even though the Dottore is a man. Unstressed object pronouns are attached to the end of an infinitive. "Non venuta con te?": venire is an intransitive verb of motion, conjugated with essere as its auxiliary. The past participle of verbs conjugated with essere agrees with the subject (Antonella). The disjunctive, or stressed pronoun (pronome tonico) must be used when the pronoun follows a preposition. "non ancora tornata da Roma!": tornare is an intransitive verb of motion, conjugated with essere as its auxiliary. The past participle of verbs conjugated with essere agrees with the subject (Antonella). Radio Arlecchino, Episode 14, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
A Visit from the Postman

Arlecchino: Chi che bussa? Chi ? Babbo Natale? il Postino: No, no, sono io! Aprite! Arlecchino: Ah, sei tu! E tu chi sei? La Befana? il Postino: Macch Befana! Sono io, il postino! Arlecchino: Who's knocking? Who is it? Is it Father Christmas? il Postino: No, no, it's me! Open up! Arlecchino: Ah, it's you! And who are you? The Befana? il Postino: What do you mean, the Befana! It's me, the postman!
Arlecchino: Ah, sei tu! E perch non lo hai Arlecchino: Ah, it's you! And why didn't detto subito? Allora c' posta per noi? you say so right away? So, there's mail for us? il Postino: Ehi, apri, e lo saprai! Pantalone: Apri, apri, Arlecchino! il Postino: Buona sera, buona sera, brava gente! Ecco la posta! Colombina: Oh, che sacco enorme! Dottore: Pereat tristitia! Pantalone: Grazie, signor Postino! Arlecchino, prendi quel sacco! Arlecchino: Mamma mia, quanto pesa! Vediamo cosa c' dentro! Colombina: Cosa c', Arlecchino? Arlecchino: Oh, guarda, quanti biglietti! Colombina: Ce ne sono tanti! Dottore: Vivant biglietti! Pantalone: Grazie, signor Postino! Non possiamo offrirLe -- ma dov' andato? il Postino: Hey, open up and you'll find out! Pantalone: Open up, open up, Arlecchino! il Postino: Good evening, good evening, fine people! Here's the mail! Colombina: Oh, what an enormous sack! Dottore: Pereat tristitia! Pantalone: Thank you, Mister Postman! Arlecchino, get that sack! Arlecchino: Zounds, how heavy it is! Let's see what's inside! Colombina: What is it, Arlecchino? Arlecchino: Oh, look at all the cards! Colombina: There's so many of them! Dottore: Vivant biglietti! Pantalone: Thank you, Mister Postman! Can't we offer you -- but where has he
gone? il Postino: Eccomi qua, signore! C' anche questo pacco! Brava gente, devo scappare. Tanti altri biglietti e pacchi da consegnare. Buone feste! Buono spettacolo! il Postino: Here I am, sir! There's this parcel as well! Fine people, I must be off. Plenty of other cards and parcels to deliver. Happy Holidays! and a Good Show!
Nota Grammaticale
"c' posta per noi?": the disjunctive, stressed pronoun (pronome tonico) must be used because it follows a preposition. "apri, e lo saprai!": the singular, informal "you" imperative of aprire is regular for a thirdconjugation (-ire) verb. It is the same as the present indicative. The unstressed direct object pronoun (pronome tonico) comes in front of the conjugated verb. "prendi quel sacco!": the singular, informal "you" imperative of prendere is regular for a secondconjugation (-ere) verb. It is the same as the present indicative. "Vediamo cosa c' dentro!": the first-person plural ("we") form of the imperative ("Let's ...") is always the same as the present indicative. "guarda, quanti biglietti!": the singular, informal "you" imperative of guardare is regular for a first-conjugation (-are) verb. It is the present indicative stem plus -a. "Ce ne sono tanti!": Although ci is not, technically speaking, a pronoun here (it is an adverbial particle), it behaves like one in terms of its placement in relation to the verb. "Ci sono tanti biglietti" = "There are so many cards." Ne replaces biglietti when we are talking about a quantity of biglietti. Ci + ne = Ce ne. "Non possiamo offrirLe": the third-person feminine singular indirect object pronoun is used for formal "you" even though the postman is a man. We use an unstressed pronoun (pronome atono) because the emphasis here is not on the "you" but on the "being able to offer." Pronomi atoni are attached to the end of the infinitive. (Because we also have a conjugated form of potere, an acceptable alternative would have been for Pantalone to say Non Le possiamo offrire ...) "ma dov' andato?": One-time completed action in the past = passato prossimo. Andare is an intransitive verb of motion conjugated with essere. "Eccomi qua!": Ecco behaves like an imperative in terms of pronoun placement. Think of it as meaning "Behold!" The pronoun is unstressed (the emphasis is on the fact that I'm here, not on the fact that it's me) so must be attached to the end: "Behold me!" "Here I am!"
A Happy Surprise
Pantalone: Questo pacco mi preoccupa un po' ... Non ho ordinato niente. Colombina? Colombina: Io no, signor Pantalone. Pantalone: Dottore? Dottore: Misterius magnus mihi quantus tibi ... Pantalone: Oh, per carit ... Arlecchino? Arlecchino: Chi che bussa? Chi ? Babbo Natale? Ah, sei tu! E tu chi sei? La Befana? Antonella: Macch Befana! Sono io, Antonella! Pantalone: This package worries me a bit ... I never ordered anything. Colombina? Colombina: Not I, Mister Pantalone. Pantalone: Dottore? Dottore: Misterius magnus mihi quantus tibi ... Pantalone: Oh, for heaven's sake ... Arlecchino? Arlecchino: Who's knocking? Who is it? Is it Father Christmas? Ah, it's you! And who are you? The Befana? Antonella: What do you mean, the Befana! It's me, Antonella!
Arlecchino: Antonella! E perch non lo hai Arlecchino: Antonella! And why didn't detto subito? you say so right away? Eric: Antonella, ciao! Come stai? Antonella: A dire il vero, questo non il mio modo preferito di viaggiare .... Aiutatemi! Grazie, amici ... Eric: Ma, Antonella, come mai ...? Antonella: Ero tornata nello studio, l mi hanno detto che eri qui ... Oh, i giri che ho fatto ... Dottore: Mirabile dictu! Pantalone: Venga, professoressa, a tavola con noi ... Brindiamo al ritorno di Antonella! Arlecchino! Eric: Antonella, hi! How are you? Antonella: To tell the truth, this is not my favorite way to travel .... Help me! Thank you, friends ... Eric: But, Antonella, how on earth ...? Antonella: I had gone back to the studio; there they told me that you were here ... Oh, the circles I've been in ... Dottore: Mirabile dictu! Pantalone: Come, professor, to the table with us .... Let's drink to Antonella's return! Arlecchino!
Arlecchino: S, signore! Colombina: Ecco i bicchieri! Pantalone: Arlecchina, aiuta Arlecchino con le bottiglie, spumante per tutti! Arlecchina: S, signor Pantalone! Arlecchino, vieni, ti do una mano ... Pantalone: Ecco, professoressa, si accomodi ... Antonella: Grazie, molto gentile ... ma ... mi dia per favore del tu .... Pantalone: Come no ... ecco un bicchiere per -- per te .... Arlecchina: Colombina, questo per il Dottore ... Colombina: Ecco a Lei, Dottore ... Dottore: In vino jubileus! Colombina: Eric, Eric: Grazie, Colombina! Arlecchina: Per il signor Pantalone ... Pantalone: E ora, cari amici e colleghi, brindiamo al gioioso ritorno della nostra cara amica--Antonella: Ma scusate un momento ... a proposito di cari amici ... il nostro Pulcinella--dov'? Pantalone: Non ti preoccupare ... Colombina: Pulcinella c' --
Arlecchino: Yes, sir! Colombina: Here are the glasses! Pantalone: Arlecchina, help Arlecchino with the bottles, sparkling wine for everybody! Arlecchina: Yes, Mister Pantalone! Arlecchino, come, I'll give you a hand ... Pantalone: Here you are, professor, make yourself comfortable ... Antonella: Thank you, you're very kind ... but please, address me as "tu" .... Pantalone: Why of course ... here's a glass for -- for you ... Arlecchina: Colombina, this is for the Dottore ... Colombina: Here you are, Dottore ... Dottore: In vino jubileus! Colombina: Eric, Eric: Thanks, Colombina! Arlecchina: for Mister Pantalone ... Pantalone: And now, dear friends and colleagues, a toast to the joyous return of our dear friend-Antonella: One moment, please ... speaking of dear friends ... our Pulcinella-where is he? Pantalone: Not to worry ... Colombina: Pulcinella is here --
Arlecchino: Eccome! Colombina: Il nostro spettacolo stasera comincia con una sua canzone ... Arlecchina: Non smette di fare pratica ... Arlecchino: E' un po' nervoso .... Colombina: Ma lo vedrai nello spettacolo, e senz'altro anche dopo ... Antonella: Meno male! Pantalone: Come dicevo ... ad Antonella! Everybody: Ad Antonella! Pantalone: Bentornata sia! E che non ci lasci mai pi per cos tanto tempo! Everybody: Cin cin!
Arlecchino: And how! Colombina: Our show tonight opens with a song of his ... Arlecchina: He won't quit practicing ... Arlecchino: He's a bit nervous .... Colombina: But you'll see him in the show, and certainly afterwards as well ... Antonella: That's good! Pantalone: As I was saying ... to Antonella! Everybody: To Antonella! Pantalone: Welcome back! And may she never leave us again for so long! Everybody: Cheers!
Nota Grammaticale
"Questo pacco mi preoccupa": pronome atono placed in front of the conjugated verb. "Io no": Colombina's statement is incomplete. "Io non l'ho ordinato" or "Non sono stata io" would be complete versions. In any case, she uses the subject pronoun because it conveys the emphasized information. "Aiutatemi!": The informal plural "you" imperative of aiutare is regular; i.e., it is the same as the present indicative. The unstressed direct object pronoun must be attached to the end of the imperative. "mi hanno detto": One-time completed action in the past = passato prossimo. The unstressed indirect object pronoun must be placed in front of the conjugated verb. "che eri qui": They didn't say when you started being here; at the time they made the statement, your "being here" was in progress, so imperfetto. (Not a completed event but an ongoing situation.) Radio Arlecchino, Episode 14, pg 8 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
"Venga, professoressa": Pantalone is addressing Antonella formally so the imperative form of venire is the same as the present subjunctive. "a tavola con noi": The disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) must be used because it follows a preposition. "Brindiamo": The first-person plural imperative ("Let's ...) is always the same as the present indicative. "Arlecchina, aiuta Arlecchino": The singular, informal "you" imperative of aiutare is regular for a first-conjugation (-are) verb; it is the present indicative stem plus -a. "ti do una mano": The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. "si accomodi" Pantalone continues to address Antonella formally so the imperative form of accomodarsi is the same as the present subjunctive. The verb is reflexive, so the reflexive pronoun must be used and it precedes the conjugated verb (whenever you use the subjunctive as the formal imperative, it doesn't count as a real imperative in terms of pronoun placement). "mi dia per favore del tu": Antonella responds to Pantalone formally, so the imperative form of dare is the same as the present subjunctive and the indirect object pronoun must precede the conjugated verb. Dare del tu a qualcuno is the Italian expression that means "to address someone informally (as tu)." So Antonella is asking Pantalone to be less formal with her. "ecco un bicchiere per te": Pantalone takes the cue and and switches over to the informal "you" in addressing Antonella, using the disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) here because it follows a preposition. "Ecco a Lei, Dottore": The third-person singular feminine pronoun is used as formal "you" even though the Dottore is a man. The disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) must be used because it follows a preposition. "scusate un momento": The informal plural "you" imperative of scusare is regular; it is the same as the present indicative. "Non ti preoccupare": When a "tu"-form command is negative, we use non + the infinitive of the verb. Since preoccuparsi is reflexive, the reflexive pronoun must be used. In negative commands, the pronoun may precede the verb, even when it is in the infinitive. (But remember that non will always come before any object pronouns.) "lo vedrai": The unstressed direct object pronoun comes before the conjugated verb. "Come dicevo..": Pantalone hadn't completed his toast when he was interrupted, so his act of dire was an incomplete action. Imperfetto.
"Bentornata sia! E che non ci lasci mai pi ..." This use of the subjunctive may seem odd until you realize that the clause with the WHEIRDO verb is implied but not explicitly stated. Pantalone means "Desideriamo che bentornata sia! E speriamo che non ci lasci mai pi ..."
The Befana
Antonella: Grazie, grazie! Ma cosa sono questi? Arlecchino: Oh, i nostri biglietti! Colombina: Ce li ha portati il postino, con il tuo pacco! Dottore: Ecce bigliettus tibi, Colombina! Colombina: Grazie, Dottore! Guarda! Qui ce n' uno per te, Arlecchino! Arlecchina: Da chi ? Arlecchino: Vediamo ... oh! da mio cugino Carlos ... quello che mi ha spiegato chi la Befana ... "Caro Arlecchino," mi scrive ... "ricordi come una volta volevi sapere tutto sulla Befana? e io ti raccontavo ... Carlos: Mentre i tre Re Magi andavano a Betlemme per portare i doni a Ges Bambino, hanno visto una vecchia e hanno insistito che li seguisse per far visita al piccolo Ges, ma la donna non ha voluto. Poco dopo, tuttavia, la vecchietta ha cambiato idea e, dopo aver preparato dei dolci per il bambino, ha cercato di raggiungere i Re Magi, ma loro erano gi lontani e non ha potuto raggiungerli. Cos, ancora oggi, la notte prima dell'Epifania (il 6 gennaio), la vecchietta, che si chiama la Befana, porta dei regali a tutti i bambini buoni nella speranza che uno di loro sia il Bambin Ges. Quella notte tutti i bambini italiani vanno a Antonella: Thank you, thank you! But what are these? Arlecchino: Oh, our cards! Colombina: The postman brought them to us, along with your package! Dottore: Ecce bigliettus tibi, Colombina! Colombina: Thank you, Dottore! Look! Here's one for you, Arlecchino! Arlecchina: Who is it from? Arlecchino: Let's see ... oh! it's from my cousin Carlos, the one who explained to me who the Befana is ... "Dear Arlecchino" he writes ... "do you remember how at one time you wanted to know everything about the Befana? and I told you ... Carlos: As the three kings were going to Bethlehem to take their gifts to the child Jesus, they saw an old woman and urged her to follow them to visit little Jesus, but the woman refused. Shortly thereafter, however, the little old lady changed her mind, and after preparing some sweets for the child, she tried to reach the three wise men, but they were already far away and she was unable to catch up with them. So, even today, on the night before Epiphany (the 6 January), the little old lady, called the Befana, takes gifts to all good children in the hope that one of them will be the little Jesus. On that night all Italian children go to sleep awaiting the gifts of
dormire aspettando i regali della Befana che arriva volando su una scopa. Ma i regali arrivano solo ai bambini buoni, a quelli cattivi la Befana porta il carbone. Arlecchino: Come mi manca il mio bravo cugino!
the Befana, who arrives flying on a broomstick. But gifts come only to the good children; to the bad ones the Befana brings coal. Arlecchino: How I miss my good cousin!
Nota Grammaticale
"Ce li ha portati il postino": The unstressed object pronouns are placed in front of the conjugated verb. The indirect object pronoun is the first of the two and undergoes a spelling change. Ci + li = Ce li. The past participle in a compound tense must always agree in number and gender with a third-person direct object pronoun. "mi ha spiegato"; "mi scrive": The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. "ricordi come una volta volevi sapere tutto sulla Befana?": Here una volta means not "on one occasion" but "once" as in "once upon a time." The wanting to know was something that happened over and over, during a period of time that is not clearly defined. Imperfetto. "e io ti raccontavo": Over and over you would want to know ... and over and over I would tell you. Imperfetto. The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. "Mentre i tre Re Magi andavano a Betlemme": The going to Bethlehem is background information. It isn't an event that moves the plot forward, it's what was going on when something that does move the plot forward took place. "hanno visto una vecchia e hanno insistito": Completed actions, in a sequence, that move the plot forward. "hanno insistito che li seguisse": Insistere is a WHEIRDO category verb. They wanted her to follow them. The urging and the following have different subjects, so Carlos uses the subjunctive. Hanno insistito is a past tense, so the congiuntivo imperfetto is the correct tense. The unstressed direct object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. "la donna non ha voluto": This is passato prossimo because she didn't want to follow them and she didn't. It is an event that moves the plot forward. She refused to go. "ha cambiato idea": Another event that moves the plot forward. Passato prossimo. "ha cercato di raggiungere i Re Magi" Another event that moves the plot forward. Passato prossimo. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 14, pg 11 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
"erano gi lontani": Background information describing the condition that was prevailing when she tried to find them. "non ha potuto raggiungerli": She was unable to and she didn't, so passato prossimo. The unstressed direct object pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive. You could also say "non li ha potuti raggiungere" because potere is one of the three modal verbs (potere, volere, dovere), therefore, pronouns can be either put before the modal verb (in this case the agreement between direct object pronouns and the past participle of the modal verb is necessary) or after, as Carlos did. "si chiama la Befana": The reflexive pronoun goes in front of the conjugated verb. "nella speranza che uno di loro sia il Bambin Ges": The disjunctive pronoun (pronome atono) is used because it follows a preposition. Sia is in the subjunctive even though there is no WHEIRDO category verb. That's because the prepositional phrase nella speranza che has the same effect as saying spera che. "Come mi manca il mio bravo cugino!": The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. And the verb mancare functions the way piacere functions: the English subject is the Italian indirect object and the English direct object is the Italian subject. Yikes! Stay tuned ... further information is on the way in upcoming episodes of Radio Arlecchino!
The Santa Lucia Christmas Market in Bologna

Pantalone: Ragazzi! Ecco un biglietto da Irene! Dottore: Irene, la mia concittadina! Pantalone: Proprio lei, Dottore! "Caro Pantalone e Compagnia," ci scrive, "ricordate quel Natale che avete trascorso qui? Pulcinella andava sempre in cerca di dolci!" Irene: Santa Lucia il mercatino di Natale dove tutti gli anni i miei genitori mi portavano a comprare qualcosa per il presepio e un pezzo di torrone o di croccante. Faceva freddo, ma passeggiavamo lentamente in mezzo a tanta gente e tutto brillava e profumava. Mi piacevano tanto le figurine per il Pantalone: Fellows! Here is a card from Irene! Dottore: Irene, my countrywoman! Pantalone: The very one, Dottore! "Dear Pantalone and Company," she writes, "remember the Christmas that you spent here? Pulcinella was always off looking for sweets!" Irene: Santa Lucia is Bologna's Christmas market where my parents took me every year to buy something for the Nativity scene and a piece of nougat candy or hazelnut brittle. It was cold, but we would stroll slowly among all those people and everything was bright and smelled good. I loved the Nativity figures, especially the
presepio, soprattutto quelle che si muovevano, e sceglierne solo una da portare a casa era difficilissimo. Ho continuato ad andare a Santa Lucia anche da adulta; sempre bellissimo, ma c' un mistero: pi io diventavo adulta, pi il mercato diventava piccolo ... adesso sembra grandissimo solo alle mie bambine!
ones that moved, and to pick only one of them to take home was very hard. I kept going to Santa Lucia even as an adult; it's still quite beautiful, but there's one mystery: the older I've become, the smaller the market has gotten ... now it seems enormous only to my little girls!
Pantalone: Ah, quelle bambine oramai non Pantalone: Ah, not even those little girls saranno pi tanto piccole neanche loro! will be so very little by now! Dottore: le mie figliocce ... Arlecchina: oh, non pianga, Dottore -ecco un biglietto per Lei! Dottore: My god-daughters ... Arlecchina: Oh, don't cry, Dottore -- here's a card for you!
Nota Grammaticale
"quel Natale che avete trascorso qui": This one-time completed past event is expressed using the passato prossimo. "andava sempre in cerca di dolci!": Pulcinella did this repeatedly during this past period of time, so imperfetto. "mi portavano": Her parents took Irene to the market repeatedly during an indeterminate period of time in the past: imperfetto. "Faceva freddo": Not an event that moves the narrative forward, but background information. It describes the conditions that were prevailing when other events took place. Imperfetto. "passeggiavamo": What they did repeatedly on these occasions, not a completed action that moves the story forward. It's background information. Imperfetto. "tutto brillava e profumava": More background information. Imperfetto. "Mi piacevano tanto le figurine per il presepio": More background information. Imperfetto. "quelle che si muovevano": Irene is not talking about figures that moved at a specific moment (that would be an event that would move the story forward), she's describing the figures, telling us what characterized them (background information). Imperfetto. "sceglierne solo una": Ne is a third-person direct object pronoun here and is attached to the end of the infinitive. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 14, pg 13 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
"era difficilissimo": This describes what it was like to do this, and this was something that happened repeatedly over an indeterminate period of time in the past, so imperfetto. "Ho continuato ad andare": Passato prossimo, the tense of completed actions. This implies that Irene no longer goes to the Santa Lucia Market. In fact, Irene now lives in the United States. "pi io diventavo adulta": We have the subject pronoun here in a compare-and-contrast situation: I got bigger, the market got smaller. "non pianga, Dottore": The singular, formal "you" imperative is the same as the present subjunctive. "un biglietto per Lei": The disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) following a preposition.
Lucky New Year Treats

Dottore: S? Oh! Non creditur! Colombina: Da chi , Dottore? Dottore: Una mia ex-studentessa! Sheilah! Quanto le piacevano le feste di Capodanno ... Sentite: Sheilah: Mi ricordo bene un Capodanno con una famiglia del Piemonte Per pranzo abbiamo mangiato lo zampone con lenticchie che la mamma aveva cucinato tutta la mattina (le lenticchie portano fortuna) e tante verdure fritte con una pastella leggerissima; per dolce, naturalmente, c'era il panettone. Abbiamo brindato con lo spumante. Fuori nevicava e faceva freddo, ma noi stavamo bene in casa insieme. L'anno prossimo vorrei tanto che anche mia madre cucinasse le lenticchie per Capodanno! Arlecchino: Tutto questo parlare di lenticchie e panettone! Mi fa venire una fame da ... da ... Arlecchina: Da Pulcinella? Dottore: Yes? Oh! Non creditur! Colombina: Who is it from, Dottore? Dottore: A former student of mine! Sheilah! How she loved the New Year's holiday! Listen: Sheilah: I remember well a New Year's spent with a Piedmontese family ... For lunch we ate a stuffed pig's foot with lentils that the mother had cooked all morning (lentils bring good luck) and so many vegetables fried in a really light batter; for dessert, of course, there was a panettone. We toasted with sparkling wine. Outside it was snowing and cold, but we were comfy together inside. Next year I'd really like for my mother to cook lentils for New Year's too! Arlecchino: All this talk of lentils and panettone! It's making me hungry as ... as ... Arlecchina: As Pulcinella?
Arlecchino: Proprio cos! Pantalone: Allora gradirai un po' di questo squisito pandoro di Verona che mi hanno regalato i miei nipoti!
Arlecchino: That's it exactly! Pantalone: Then you will enjoy a bit of this exquisite Veronese pandoro that my nephews gave me!
Nota Grammaticale
"Quanto le piacevano le feste": The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb, which is in the imperfetto because it is descriptive background information. "Sentite": The plural, informal "you" imperative of sentire is regular. It is the same as the present indicative. "Mi ricordo": The unstressed reflexive pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. "abbiamo mangiato": A completed event that moves the plot forward. Passato prossimo. "la mamma aveva cucinato tutta la mattina": The point of reference in the past is the moment when we ate the lentils. The mother's cooking of the lentils happened prior to that, so trapassato prossimo. "Abbiamo brindato": A completed event that moves the plot forward. Passato prossimo. "nevicava e faceva freddo": descriptive background information. Imperfetto. "stavamo bene": descriptive background information. Imperfetto. "vorrei tanto che anche mia madre cucinasse": Vorrei is a WHEIRDO verb. The verb in the dependent clause has a different subject so cucinasse is in the subjunctive. Vorrei is in the conditional so the correct tense for the subjunctive verb is imperfetto del congiuntivo (the cooking hasn't happened yet). We appreciate your patience as Mike and Sean work to re-establish our connection with the RBK 9000. Be sure to tell your friends that whatever you didn't get to hear, you didn't get to hear it on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards "Out of our minds ... into your ears"
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Welcome back to the second half of the technically restored Radio Arlecchino Holiday Special and All-Star Grammar Review, which you can hear at http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=15 Buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato Michael Heidenreich Sean Neesley Esmeralda Moscatelli Antonella Pease Simone Sessolo Adria Frizzi Cinzia Russi Marco DeRisi Mark Garrison Traci Andrighetti Brandi Demont Steven Miller Featured in this broadcast himself himself Colombina herself Pantalone herself herself Julius Caesar the Cat Nero the Cat Cleopatra Agrippina Pulcinella
A First Thanksgiving
Arlecchino: A me, a me, a me il pandoro di Verona! Arlecchina: E mentre assaporate il pandoro ecco un altro ricordo di cibo ... Ricordate la professoressa Pease? Mi ha mandato questo biglietto ... Arlecchino: Indimenticabile! Cosa racconta? Arlecchina: Il suo primo Thanksgiving in America. Sentite, ragazzi: Arlecchino: I'm all about pandoro from Verona! Arlecchina: And while you're tasting the pandoro here's another food memory ... You remember professor Pease? She sent me this card ... Arlecchino: Unforgettable! What does she have to tell us? Arlecchina: About her first Thanksgving in America. Listen, guys:
Antonella Pease: Per il Thanksgiving quell'anno ero a Austin dove studiavo all'Universit del Texas ... Avendo affittato un piccolo appartamento, ho invitato alcuni amici per la festa e loro mi hanno portato un enorme tacchino. In Italia non abbiamo la festa del Ringraziamento e io non avevo mai visto un tacchino cos grosso e non sapevo come cucinarlo. Alla fine ho tagliato il petto del bestione a fettine e le ho saltate in padella con burro olio e vino. Immaginate la sorpresa dei miei amici! Colombina: Nuova tradizione texana: tacchino al burro olio e vino!
Antonella Pease: For Thanksgiving that year I was in Austin where I was studying at the University of Texas. Having rented a small apartment, I invited some friends for the holiday and they brought me an enormous turkey. In Italy we don't have the Day of Thanksgiving and I had never seen such a huge turkey and I didn't know how to cook it. In the end I cut up the breast of the beast into little slices and tossed it in a pan with butter, oil and wine. Imagine my friends' surprise! Colombina: A new Texas tradition! Turkey with butter oil and wine!
Nota Grammaticale
"A me, a me, a me il pandoro di Verona!": Arlecchino really wants his share of that pandoro! The disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) follows a preposition ... and of course, the pronoun is what Arlecchino is emphasizing! "Mi ha mandato questo biglietto": The unstressed indirect object pronoun precedes the conjugated verb, which is in the passato prossimo because it is a completed action that moves the narrative forward. "Sentite, ragazzi": The plural, informal "you" imperative of sentire is regular. It is the same as the present indicative. "ero a Austin": Not a completed action that moves the plot forward, but background information describing the situation in which the plot elements will unfold. Imperfetto. "studiavo all'Universit del Texas": Just like "ero a Austin" above. "ho invitato alcuni amici": A completed past action that moves the story forward. Passato prossimo. "mi hanno portato un enorme tacchino": Just like "ho invitato" above.
"non avevo mai visto un tacchino cos grosso": The point of reference in the past is the moment when Professoressa Pease received the gift turkey. Prior to that past moment, she had never seen one so big. Trapassato prossimo. "non sapevo come cucinarlo": In the passato prossimo, sapere means to find out. In the imperfetto, as it appears here, it means to know. The unstressed direct object pronoun lo is attached to the end of the infinitive cucinare. "le ho saltate in padella": A completed past action that moves the plot forward. The unstressed direct object pronoun is placed just before the conjugated verb. In compound tenses, third-person direct object pronouns require agreement of the past participle with the direct object in number and gender. "Immaginate la sorpresa": The plural, informal "you" imperative of immaginare is regular; i.e., it is the same as the present indicative.
A Terrible Christmas Secret

Pantalone: Qui c' un altro biglietto ... Colombina! Questo indirizzato a te ... Colombina: da Adria! Everybody: Adria! Colombina: Come ci divertivamo una volta a tramare complotti con sua sorella ... Ora scrive: "Che Babbo Natale non esisteva me l'ha detto mia sorella una sera in bagno, dove andavamo spesso insieme a raccontarci segreti." Adria: Che Babbo Natale non esisteva me l'ha detto mia sorella una sera in bagno, dove andavamo spesso insieme a raccontarci segreti. La storia di Babbo Natale per me era sempre stata piuttosto problematica perch dovevo difenderne l'esistenza con gli altri bambini, che mi prendevano in giro perch a loro i regali li portava Ges Bambino. La delusione pi grande stata capire che Babbo Natale non si nascondeva sul balcone il giorno prima della vigilia di Natale--questo non Pantalone: Here's another card ... Colombina! This one is addressed to you ... Colombina: It's from Adria! Everybody: Adria! Colombina: What fun we used to have hatching plots with her sister ... Now she writes:"That Father Christmas didn't exist was something my sister told me one evening in the bathroom, where we often went to tell each other secrets ..." Adria: That Father Christmas didn't exist was something my sister told me one evening in the bathroom where we often went to tell each other secrets. The Father Christmas business had always been rather problematic for me because I had to defend his existence to the other children, who made fun of me because it was the Child Jesus who brought them their gifts. The greatest disappointment was to figure out that Father Christmas didn't hide on the balcony during the day before Christmas
me l'aveva raccontato nessuno, era una cosa che mi ero inventata io e di cui ero convintissima. Arlecchino: Ma chi gliel'ha detto alla sorella che Babbo Natale non esiste?! Arlecchina: Pensi che sia vero? Arlecchino: assurdo! Dottore: Falsitas mentitur! Colombina: Dev'essere uno scherzo! Arlecchino: Babbo Natale esiste! sempre esistito! Arlecchina: Ci credo anch'io! Pantalone: Calma, calma, ragazzi! In questa Compagnia, Babbo Natale esiste! Arlecchino: Evviva Babbo Natale! Everybody: Evviva! Evviva!
Evenobody had ever told me this, it was something I had made up myself and of which I was thoroughly convinced. Arlecchino: Now who told her sister that Father Christmas doesn't exist?! Arlecchina: Do you think it's true? Arlecchino: It's absurd! Dottore: Falsitas mentitur! Colombina: It must be a joke! Arlecchino: Father Christmas exists! He has always existed! Arlecchina: I believe it too! Pantalone: Calm down, everybody! In this Company, Father Christmas exists! Arlecchino: Love Live Father Christmas! Everybody: Evviva! Evviva!
Nota Grammaticale
"Questo indirizzato a te": The indirect object pronoun is emphasized, so the disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) follows the preposition. "Come ci divertivamo": Background information; the having fun happened regularly over an indeterminate period of time in the past, so imperfetto. "Babbo Natale non esisteva": Not a completed action that would move the narrative forward, but a description of a situation, background information. Imperfetto. "me l'ha detto": The unstressed object pronouns (pronomi atoni) come just before the conjugated verb. The indirect object pronoun is the first of the two, and undergoes a spelling change. Mi + lo = Me lo. Since the next word starts with a vowel, the pronoun can be elided. The verb describes a completed past action that moves the narrative forward, so it is in the passato prossimo. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 15, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
"andavamo spesso": They often went there, over an indeterrminate period of time (we don't know when that period started or when it ended). Furthermore it is not a completed action that moves the plot forward; instead, it is background information. Thus imperfetto. "a raccontarci segreti": This is a reciprocal construction. They told secrets to each other. This reciprocity ("each otherness") is conveyed by the reflexive use of the verb. The reflexive pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive. "era sempre stata piuttosto problematica": The point of reference in the past is the moment when Adria's sister told her that Father Christmas didn't exist. Prior to that past moment, the Father Christmas business had always been troubling. Trapassato prossimo. Essere is an intransitive verb conjugated with essere as its auxiliary in compound tenses, so the past participle agrees with the subject (la storia). "dovevo difenderne l'esistenza": Having to defend his existence was something that went on over an indefinite period of time in the past, so it is expressed in the imperfetto. The particle ne behaves like an object pronoun in terms of placement in relation to the verb, so it is attached to the end of the infinitive (ne = di Babbo Natale). "mi prendevano in giro": This kidding, mocking, or making fun was something that went on over an indefinite period of time in the past, so it is expressed in the imperfetto. The unstressed direct object pronoun (pronome atono) comes in front of the conjugated verb. "a loro": The indirect object pronoun is emphasized (Adria is contrasting who brought gifts to them versus who brought gifts to her) so the stressed pronoun (pronome tonico) is used along with the preposition. "i regali li portava Ges Bambino": This clause begins not with the subject, but with the direct object, and the subject comes at the end. This inversion is a fairly common way of adding emphasis. When it happens, the direct object pronoun is used in front of the conjugated verb even though the noun it stands for has just been stated. The verb is in the imperfetto because this giving of gifts was something that went on over an indefinite period of time in the past. "La delusione pi grande stata capire": The disappointment upon learning the truth is treated here as an event in the plot. Her sister told her about it and Adria reacted with disappointment. Passato prossimo. "non si nascondeva sul balcone": The hiding on the balcony was something that Father Christmas did--or in this case, did not do--regularly over an indefinite period of time in the past, so it is expressed in the imperfetto. "questo non me l'aveva raccontato nessuno": The point of reference in the past is still the moment when Adria's sister told her that Father Christmas didn't exist. Prior to that past moment, nobody had told her about Father Christmas' hiding on the balcony, so trapassato prossimo. The unstressed direct object pronoun comes just in front of the conjugated verb. The Radio Arlecchino, Episode 15, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
verb begins with a vowel, so the direct object pronoun can be elided. Note that once again we have the direct object-verb-subject word order. Questo is the direct object and nessuno is the subject. "era una cosa": Adria is describing the thing, not telling about a completed action that could move the plot forward, so imperfetto. "una cosa che mi ero inventata io": The making up happened prior to the point of reference in the past, so the verb is in the trapassato prossimo. The unstressed indirect object pronoun directly precedes the conjugated verb and the subject pronoun appears for emphasis. Placing the subject at the end of the sentence is just another emphatic gesture. "ero convintissima": Not an event that could move the story forward, but descriptive background information, so imperfetto. "chi gliel'ha detto": The telling is a completed action that moves the narrative forward, so it is in the passato prossimo. The unstressed object pronouns come just in front of the conjugated verb. The indirect object pronoun is the first of the two and undergoes a spelling change. Le + lo = glielo. The verb begins with a vowel so the direct object pronoun can be elided. You may have noticed that Arlecchino is using pronouns that stand for items that are stated in the sentence. The indirect object pronoun stands for alla sorella and lo stands for the clause che Babbo Natale non esiste. People do this sometimes when they get excited. "Pensi che sia vero?": Pensare is a verb in the WHEIRDO category. We have two different subjects, so essere in the subordinate clause is in the subjunctive. Pensi is present tense, and the thinking and the being happen at the same time, so the present subjunctive of essere is used. " sempre esistito!": The English present perfect tense ("he has existed") is almost always expressed in Italian with the passato prossimo. Note that esistere is an intransitive verb conjugated with essere as its auxiliary, and that it has an irregular past participle for a secondconjugation (-ere) verb. "Ci credo anch'io": The particle ci replaces prepositional phrases beginning with a and in and behaves like an object pronoun in terms of placement in relation to the conjugated verb. Ci = in Babbo Natale. The subject pronoun io is emphasized, so it cannot be omitted. Arlecchina is adding herself to the list of people who believe.
A Shocking Epiphany
Pantalone: Coraggio, ragazzi! Avanti, sentiamo un altro biglietto! Dottore, ne ha un altro da leggerci? Pantalone: Take heart, fellows! Now then, let's hear another card! Dottore, have you got another one to read to us?
Dottore: Bigliettum habeo. Cinzia scripsit! Everybody: Cinzia! Pantalone: Avanti, che cosa Le racconta? Dottore: Allora. "Tanti saluti a tutti ... et caetera, come mi mancate, et caetera ... Ecco! "Avevo sette anni quando ..." Pantalone: Quando ....? Dottore: "Avevo sette anni quando scoprii ..." Arlecchina: Quando scopr ...? Cinzia: Avevo sette anni quando scoprii che la Befana non esiste. Era la notte del 5 gennaio e non riuscivo a dormire: cosa mi avrebbe portato la Befana? Dolci o carbone? Ero preoccupata perch ero stata un po' cattivella. Mi giravo e rigiravo nel letto quando sentii dei rumori. Mi alzai di scatto e in punta di piedi andai in sala da pranzo. La porta era accostata; mi feci coraggio e guardai dentro. C'era mia madre che riempiva di carbone di zucchero le calze che avevamo appeso la sera prima ... Arlecchino: Questo il colmo! Altro che cattivella! Colombina: No! No! Non ci credo! Dottore: Pereat quivis anti Befanam! Arlecchina: Ma non vero! Non pu essere vero! Pantalone: Non piangere, Colombina! Certo che non vero! Colleghi! Amici! Ragazzi! Calma! In
Dottore: Bigliettum habeo. Cinzia scripsit! Everybody: Cinzia! Pantalone: Go on, what does she have to say? Dottore: Well. "Greetings to every one ... etc, how I miss you, etc ..." Here we are! "I was seven years old when ..." Pantalone: When ....? Dottore: "I was seven years old when I discovered ..." Arlecchina: When she discovered ...? Cinzia: I was seven when I found out that La Befana does not exist. It was the night of January 5 and I couldn't sleep: what would La Befana bring me? Sweets or coal? I was worried because I had been a bit naughty. I was tossing and turning in my bed when I heard some noises. I sprang out of bed and tiptoed to the living room. The door was ajar; I gathered all my courage and looked inside. There was my mother stuffing sugar coal into the socks we had hung the night before ... Arlecchino: Now this beats everything! A bit naughty indeed! Colombina: No! No! I don't believe it! Dottore: Pereat quivis anti Befanam! Arlecchina: But it isn't true! It can't be true! Pantalone: Don't cry, Colombina! Of course it isn't true! Colleagues! Friends! Now, fellows, calm
questa Compagnia, la Befana esiste! Arlecchino: Evviva la Befana!
down! In this Company, the Befana exists! Arlecchino: Long live the Befana!
Nota Grammaticale
"ne ha un altro da leggerci?": The partitive ne functions as an unstressed direct object pronoun here, and is placed just in front of the conjugated verb. We're talking about cards, do you have another one of them? The unstressed indirect object pronoun ci is attached to the end of the infinitive. "che cosa Le racconta?": The third-person feminine singular unstressed indirect object pronoun is used as formal "you" even though the Dottore is a man. It is placed just in front of the conjugated verb. "come mi mancate": The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. You will remember from the previous episode that mancare functions grammatically in the same way as piacere. "Avevo sette anni". Background information in the past = imperfetto. "quando scoprii ...": Completed action in the past that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. Why not passato prossimo? Cinzia has chosen to use the passato remoto for the completed actions in her story because she views her childhood as something belonging to the "long time ago." What makes a past remote can be different for different people. But childhood holiday memories are good candidates for this "long ago" perspective, even though the adult doing the reminiscing may not be all that old--Cinzia certainly isn't! "Era la notte del 5 gennaio": Background information in the past = imperfetto. "non riuscivo a dormire": Not an event but a description of a situation or condition. Background information in the past = imperfetto. "Ero preoccupata": Not an event but a description of a situation or condition. Background information in the past = imperfetto. "ero stata un po' cattivella": The point of reference in the past is the moment when Cinzia found out that the Befana doesn't exist. Prior to that past moment, Cinzia had been somewhat naughty. Trapassato prossimo. "Mi giravo e rigiravo nel letto": Not an event that moves the story forward, but a description of what was going on when an event that does move the story forward took place. Imperfetto.
"quando sentii dei rumori": Hearing the noises was an event that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. "Mi alzai di scatto": Another completed action that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. The verb is reflexive and the reflexive pronoun precedes the conjugated verb. "andai in sala da pranzo": Completed action that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. "La porta era accostata": Not an event but a description of a situation or condition. Background information in the past = imperfetto. "mi feci coraggio": An event that moves the story forward. Cinzia must muster her courage before she can look inside. Passato remoto. The expression is reflexive and the reflexive pronoun precedes the conjugated verb. "guardai dentro": Completed action that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. "C'era mia madre": Not an event but a description of a situation or condition. Background information in the past = imperfetto. "riempiva di carbone di zucchero": This action was in progress when Cinzia looked in. Start and end times are unknown. Imperfetto. "le calze che avevamo appeso": The point of reference in the past is the moment when Cinzia looked in and saw her mother. Prior to that past moment, they had hung the stockings. Trapassato prossimo. "Non ci credo!": The adverbial particle ci stands for the prepositional phrase a quello che ha scritto Cinzia. It behaves like an object pronoun in terms of its placement in relation to the verb, so it comes in front of the conjugated verb. "Non piangere, Colombina!": The singular, informal "you" imperative, when it is negative, is always non + the infinitive.
Really Ancient Holiday Memories

Arlecchino: Chi che gratta? Chi ? Babbo Natale? Ah, sei tu! E tu chi sei? La Befana? Davvero?! E perch non lo avete detto subito? Ragazzi! Guardate chi si fatto vivo! Arlecchina: Giulio Cesare! Arlecchino: Who's scratching? Who is it? Is it Father Christmas? Ah, it's you! And who are you? The Befana? Really?! Why didn't you say so right away? Hey everybody! Look who showed up! Arlecchina: Julius Caesar!
Julius Caesar the Cat: Ave! Arlecchina: Sei venuto anche tu! Julius Caesar the Cat: Venni! Arlecchina: Hai visto che ci siamo tutti? Julius Caesar the Cat: Vidi! Arlecchina: E .... e ... e hai ... Julius Caesar the Cat: S, s, perch no?: Vinsi! Colombina: Nerone! Nero the Cat: Presente -- ma non colpevole! Felici Saturnali a tutti! Cosa fate? Colombina: Stiamo leggendo i biglietti che ci hanno mandato gli amici! Tanti bei ricordi ... Arlecchino: Non tutti sono stati belli, per ...
Julius Caesar the Cat: Ave! Arlecchina: You came too! Julius Caesar the Cat: I came! Arlecchina: Did you see that we're all here? Julius Caesar the Cat: I saw! Arlecchina: And ... and ... did you ...? Julius Caesar the Cat: Yes, yes -- why not?: I conquered! Colombina: Nero! Nero the Cat: Present -- but not guilty! Happy Saturnalia to everyone! What are you doing? Colombina: We're reading cards that our friends have sent us! So many lovely memories ... Arlecchino: They haven't all been lovely though ...
Nota Grammaticale
"Guardate chi si fatto vivo!": The plural, informal "you" imperative of guardare is regular. It's the same as the present indicative. The expression farsi vivo means to show up or to appear after a long absence. It's reflexive, so the reflexive pronoun must be used and it is placed in front of the conjugated verb. In this case it's a completed past action that moves our story forward, so it's in the passato prossimo, and since it is reflexive, the auxiliary verb is essere. "Sei venuto", "Venni", etc ... Arlecchina's questions are in the passato prossimo as she is a girl who lives in the moment. Julius Caesar, on the other hand, can't resist using the passato remoto in quoting his own famous Latin line, Veni, vidi, vici.
"i biglietti che ci hanno mandato gli amici": The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes just in front of the conjugated verb. The verb describes a completed past action, so it is in the passato prossimo. "Non tutti sono stati belli" Arlecchino is describing the memories, but he is viewing the whole thing as an event: We heard the memories, and some of them shocked us, and shook our deeply held beliefs. It was not a pretty sight. So he uses the passato prossimo.
A Boy's Best Friend

Pantalone: Nerone, vedi! Qui c' uno anche per te! Nero the Cat: Per me? Ma chi lo sapeva che sarei stato qui? Mi faccia vedere ... Colombina: Da chi ? Nero the Cat: Oh! Mamma! Dottore: Optima amica pueris mater est! Colombina: Che cosa ti racconta Agrippina? Nero the Cat: "Caro figlio ... So quanto ti sono sempre piaciute queste feste di fine anno ... Ricordi quei Saturnali quando ti elessero Princeps?" Il Princeps era il re dei Saturnali, poteva mandare tutti a fare qualsiasi cosa volesse, e quell'anno fui io! Mammina continua: Agrippina: "Al banchetto quella sera chiamasti Britannico, il tuo rivale e nemico--quanti anni avevate? Quattordici? Quindici? Ah, cose da ragazzi ... Gli ordinasti di alzarsi, di venire al centro e di cantare. Tu sapevi quanto male cantava Britannico ... Ma la sua canzone suscit la simpatia di tutti e tu lo uccidesti dopo ... Fu con il veleno, non vero, come tentasti con me? Ah, quelli erano altri tempi ... Pantalone: Nero, look! There's one for you here as well! Nero the Cat: For me? But who knew that I was going to be here? Let me see ... Colombina: Who's it from? Nero the Cat: Oh! Mommy! Dottore: Optima amica pueris mater est! Colombina: What does Agrippina have to say? Nero the Cat: "Dear son ... I know how much you have always loved these yearend holidays ... Do you remember those Saturnalia when they elected you Princeps?" The Princeps was the king of Saturnalia, he could command anyone to do whatever he wanted, and that year it was me! Mommy goes on ... Agrippina: At the banquet that evening you called on Britannicus, your rival and enemy--how old were you? Fourteen? Fifteen? Ah, the things little boys do ... You ordered him to come to the center and sing. You knew how poorly Britannicus sang .... But his song aroused everyone's sympathy and you killed him later on ... It was with poison, wasn't it, the way you tried with me? Ah, those were the days ...
Felici Saturnali, mio caro." Nero the Cat: M-m-m-mamma! Colombina: Coraggio, Nerone! Tieni, bevi! Arlecchina: Cesare, non so se avremo un biglietto qui anche per te ... Julius Caesar the Cat: Fui console e dittatore ... principe dei Saturnali, mai ... Pantalone: Attenzione! Qui c' proprio un papiro indirizzato a Cesare! Julius Caesar the Cat: Pro di immortales! Cleopatra! Everybody: Cosa dice? Julius Caesar the Cat: Ma lo sapete che i geroglifici di questa donna sono illegibili ... Proviamo ... "Aggi ... Buone feste! Cleopatra: Ho una nostalgia pazzesca di quella festa di Iside quando noi due ci nascondemmo nel palazzo durante le interminabili sfilate ... quando arrivarono al tempio della dea i sacerdoti ci cercarono invano e pensarono che fossimo saliti in cielo con Osiride. Magari fosse stato cos. Invece tutto fin male per noi. E ti dico un'altra cosa ... non ti preoccupare pi del fatto che non imparasti mai a camminare all'egiziana. Io sono greca. Tanti auguri, mio Cesare! Arlecchino: Evviva Cleopatra! Stage Manager: Tutti ai propri posti! Il sipario si alzer tra cinque minuti! Tutti ai propri posti!
Happy Saturnalia, my dear. Nero the Cat: M-m-m-mamma! Colombina: Take heart, Nero! Here, have a drink! Arlecchina: Caesar, I don't know if we have a card here for you too ... Julius Caesar the Cat: I was consul and dictator ... Prince of Saturnalia, never ... Pantalone: Attention! Why there's a papyrus here addressed to Caesar! Julius Caesar the Cat: Pro di immortales! Cleopatra! Everybody: What does she say? Julius Caesar the Cat: Now you know that woman's hieroglyphics are illegible ... We'll give it a go ... "Aggi ... Happy Holidays!" Cleopatra: I'm madly homesick for that Feast of Isis when the two of us hid in the palace during those endless processions ... When the arrived at the temple of the goddess the priest looked for us in vain and thought we had ascended to heaven with Osiris. If only it had been so ... Instead everything turned out wrong for us. And I'll tell you something else ... Don't worry anymore about the fact that you never learned to walk like an Egyption. I'm Greek! Best wishes, my Caesar! Arlecchino: Long live Cleopatra! Stage Manager: Places, everyone! Curtain going up in five minutes! Places!
Pantalone: Andiamo, ragazzi! Lo spettacolo! Amici, romani, concittadini ... alle poltrone e sul palcoscenico! Cesare, Nerone, entrate da questa parte ... cos ci saranno pi dei soliti quattro gatti ...
Pantalone: Let's go, fellows! It's showtime! Friends, Romans, countrymen ... to your seats and onto the stage! Caesar, Nero, go in this way ... now we'll have more than the usual "four cats" ...
Nota Grammaticale
"c' uno anche per te!"; "Per me?": The disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) follows a prepostion. "chi lo sapeva": The unstressed direct object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. Sapere is in the imperfetto because it means "who knew"; chi lo ha saputo would mean "who found out?" "Mi faccia vedere": The expression fare vedere is the most common way of expressing "to show." The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. The present subjunctive is used here as the singular, formal "you" imperative. Pronouns are never attached to the subjunctive, even when it is being used as the formal imperative. "Che cosa ti racconta": The unstressed indirect object pronoun precedes the conjugated verb. "ti sono sempre piaciute queste feste": The person who likes something is the indirect object of the verb piacere. The unstressed indirect object pronoun precedes the conjugated verb. The subject of piacere is the thing somebody likes. Since piacere is an intransitive verb conjugated with essere as its auxiliary, the past participle agrees in number and gender with the subject. "ti elessero Princeps": Aggrippina is talking about things that happened over a thousand years ago, so she uses the passato remoto to talk about completed events that move her story forward. The unstressed direct object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. "Il Princeps era il re ...": There were many Saturnalia over a long period of time in the past and the Princeps was its king. Not an event moving the story forward but background information. Imperfetto. "poteva mandare tutti": Same as era above. "qualsiasi cosa volesse": This subjunctive is cued not by a verb in the WHEIRDO category but by the indefinite pronoun qualsiasi cosa that is its subject. It's in the imperfetto del congiuntivo because the main verb is in a past tense. "quell'anno fui io!": An event that moves the plot, "That year it was me!" = "That year I became the Princeps!" Passato remoto. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 15, pg 13 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
"chiamasti Britannico": Completed action that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. "quanti anni avevate?": Background information in the past = imperfetto. "Gli ordinasti di alzarsi": Completed action that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. The person to whom you give an order is the indirect object of ordinare. The unstressed indirect object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. The reflexive verb alzarsi is in the infinitive, so the reflexive pronoun is attached to the end of the verb. "Tu sapevi": The subject pronoun is present for emphasis; sapere is in the imperfetto because it means "you knew" (sapesti = "you found out"). "quanto male cantava Britannico": At this point we're not talking about a specific occasion when Britannicus sang, but about how he sang in general during an indeterminate period in the past. Background information = imperfetto. "la sua canzone suscit la simpatia": Completed action that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. "lo uccidesti": The unstressed direct object pronoun precedes the conjugated verb. Completed action that moves the story forward. Passato remoto. "Fu con il veleno": Agrippina is referring to a completed action that moves the narrative forward. Passato remoto. "come tentasti con me": Another completed action that moves the narrative forward. Passato remoto. The disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) is used following a preposition. "quelli erano altri tempi": Not an event, but a description. When did those times begin? When did they end? Imperfetto. "Tieni, bevi!" The singular, informal "you" imperatives of tenere and bere are regular. They are the same as the present indicative. "per te": The disjunctive pronoun (pronome tonico) is used following a preposition. "Fui console e dittatore": Completed actions in a remote past: passato remoto. "lo sapete che i geroglifici ...": The unstressed direct object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. The pronoun stands for the clause che i geroglifici di questa donna sono illegibili which is already there in the sentence, so it's not strictly necessary.
"ci nascondemmo nel palazzo": The reflexive pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb, which is in the passato remoto because Cleopatra is talking about a completed action in a remote past. "arrivarono al tempio": Completed action, moves the plot forward, remote past. Passato remoto. "ci cercarono": The unstressed direct object pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. Completed action, moves the plot forward, remote past. Passato remoto. "pensarono che fossimo saliti in cielo": The thinking here is a reaction to a specific thing, so it is considered an event that moves the plot forward (in a remote past) so passato remoto. Pensare is a WHEIRDO category verb and the verb in the subordinate clause has a different subject, so salire is in the subjunctive. Pensarono is a past tense, so salire needs to be either imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive. Here it's pluperfect (trapassato del congiuntivo) because the priests thought that it had already happened. "Magari fosse stato cos": This subjunctive is cued not by a verb in the WHEIRDO category but by the word magari. When it means "if only," magari is always followed by either the imperfect or the pluperfect subjunctive. Here it is pluperfect subjunctive because the action is in the past. "tutto fin male": Completed action in a remote past. Passato remoto. "non ti preoccupare": The singular, informal "you" imperative, when it is negative, is always non plus the infinitive. Non must always precede any object pronoun. "non imparasti": Completed action in a remote past. Passato remoto. "Il sipario si alzer": The reflexive pronoun comes in front of the conjugated verb. "Andiamo", "entrate": The first-person plural ("Let's") imperative of any verb is always the same as the present indicative; the plural, informal "you" imperative of entrare is regular, i.e., it is the same as the present indicative.
We hope all your holiday memories will be happy ones! Buone feste e Buon anno! from all of us at Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards "Out of our minds ... into your ears"
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of "The Red Carpet Treatment," our recent show on expressing likes and dislikes with the verb piacere. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=16 Buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato / Featured in this broadcast: Irene Eibenstein-Alvisi as Mrs. Balanzone Simone Sessolo as Pantalone Michael Heidenreich as himself Sean Neesley as the What-a-Pleasure announcer
Transcript : I. Spettacolo Stasera!

Antonella: Mi piacciono tanto le prime dei film! Andiamo, Eric, sbrighiamoci! Eric: Vengo! Speriamo che questo dispositivo funzioni questa volta... Benvenuti a Spettacolo Stasera! con Antonella Olson e Eric Edwards! Antonella: Ciao a tutti i nostri radioascoltatori. Stasera si tratta di una serata veramente particolare. Eric: Siamo qui a Venezia Antonella: E devo dire che stasera la citt tuttaltro che serenissima Eric: vero, un ambiente pieno di emozioni e di aspettative. Antonella: Un pubblico esaltato sta per
On the Red Carpet !

Antonella: I really like movie premieres! Come on, Eric, hurry up! Eric: Im coming! Lets hope this gizmo works this time. Welcome to Spettacolo Stasera! with Antonella Olson and Eric Edwards! Antonella: Hello to all our radio listeners. Tonight is truly a special evening.
Eric: Were here in Venice. Antonella: And I have to say that tonight the city is anything but most serene. Eric: Its true, theres an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation. Antonella: An anxious public is about to
vedere per la prima volta il film Arlecchino e lordine della pietra filosofale della camera segreta del prigioniero mezzosangue del principe dei calici di fuoco. Eric: Regia di Arlecchino Antonella: sceneggiatura di Arlecchino Eric: basato su un romanzo inedito di Arlecchino Antonella: con Arlecchino Eric: e la partecipazione stellare di Pulcinella Antonella: Colombina Eric: Pantalone Antonella: Arlecchina Eric: e il Dottor Balanzone Antonella: Siamo qui accanto al rinomato tappeto rosso dove saremo gli occhi e le orecchie del nostro gentile pubblico per larrivo di ogni star Eric: E questa gondola che arriva adesso...? Antonella: Il passeggero alto, magro, barba appuntita con risvolto Eric: Lunga zimarra nera Antonella: Calzamaglia rossa Eric: Il gondeliere gli porge la mano Antonella: Il signore fa finta di niente e scende senza lasciare una mancia
see for the first time the film Arlecchino and the Order of the Philosophers Stone of the Secret Chamber of the Half-Blood Prisoner of the Prince of the Goblet of Fire. Eric: Directed by Arlecchino Antonella: screenplay by Arlecchino Eric: based on an unpublished novel by Arlecchino Antonella: with Arlecchino Eric: and stellar appearances by Pulcinella
Antonella: Colombina Eric: Pantalone Antonella: Arlecchina Eric: and Doctor Balanzone Antonella: Were here alongside the renowned red carpet where we will be the eyes and ears of our kind audience for the arrival of every star. Eric: And this gondola thats pulling up now...? Antonella: The passenger is tall, slender, upturned pointed beard Eric: Long black cloak Antonella: Red tights Eric: The gondolier is holding out his hand Antonella: The gentleman pretends not to notice and disembarks without leaving a
tip. Eric: Pantalone! Signor Pantalone de Bisognosi! Antonella: Signor Pantalone, buona sera! Non Le piacerebbe rivolgere qualche parola al nostro pubblico internazionale? Pantalone: Facendo il Bergamasco e il Viniziano Andiam in ogni parte E il recitar commedie la nostrarte. Eric: Pantalone! Mr Pantalone de Bisognosi! Antonella: Mr Pantalone, good evening! Wouldnt you like to say a few words to our international audience? Pantalone: As Bergamasque and Venetian We wander the world spreading our fame, For playing excellent comedy is the name of our fine little game. Antonella: Splendid! Pantalone: Yes? Antonella: Weve been told that in addition to your participation as an actor, you are one of the principal investors in this motion picture project of your colleague Arlecchino. Pantalone: As far as I know, I am the only investor. So I hope you like these philosophers stones, these goblets of fire-and how!--for otherwise... Eric: Here comes another gondola! Antonella: Who is it? With this crowd I cant see anything. Eric: Me either. Lets try to get closer...
Antonella: Magnifico! Pantalone: Mi dica. Antonella: Ci hanno detto che oltre alla Sua partecipazione come attore, Lei uno dei principali investitori in questo progetto cinematografico del collega Arlecchino.
Pantalone: Che io sappia, sono lunico investitore. Quindi spero che vi piacciano eccome queste pietre filosofali, questi calici di fuoco, perch altrimenti... Eric: Arriva unaltra gondola! Antonella: Ma chi ? Con questa folla non vedo niente. Eric: Neanchio. Cerchiamo di avvicinarci... Qualcuno nella folla: Eccoli! Stanno per scendere! Sig.ra Balanzone: Sta ben attento, Balanzone! Non -- Aiuto! Qualcuno nella folla: Che cosa
Someone in the Crowd: Here they are! Theyre about to alight! Mrs Balanzone: Now you be careful, Balanzone! Dont -- Help! Someone in the Crowd: Whats
successo! Sig.ra Balanzone: Oh! Balanzone! Una spettatrice: Fate largo! Lasciatelo respirare! Uno spettatore: Un dottore! C un dottore? Sig.ra Balanzone: Lui dottore! Una spettatrice: Io so fare la rianimazione bocca a bocca! Uno spettatore: Sono diplomato nella manovra Heimlich! Sig.ra Balanzone: Per carit! Qualcuno telefoni subito al pronto soccorso, per favore!
happened? Mrs Balanzone: Oh! Balanzone! An Onlooker: Make way! Let him breathe! Another Onlooker: A doctor! Is there a doctor? Mrs Balanzone: He is a doctor! A Spectator: I know how to do mouth-tomouth resuscitation! Another Spectator: Im licensed to perform the Heimlich maneuver! Mrs Balanzone: For Heavens sake! Someone phone for emergency help right away, please!
Antonella: Spettacolo Stasera! torner fra Antonella: Spettacolo Stasera! will be poco. Ecco ora un messaggio importante da back in a moment. Now heres an uno dei nostri sponsor. important message from one of our sponsors. Dottore: Buona sera a tutti! Qui il vostro vecchio amico il Dottore, appena tornato da una tourne nel Texas, dove ho scoperto una delizia del vecchio West. Come mi sono piaciuti quegli hamburger texani! E ora sono lieto di presentarvi la nuova... eh, incarnazione... di questa specialit. Il Panino Piacere. Dottore: Good evening, everyone! Its your old friend, the Dottore, just back from a tour of Texas, where I discovered a treat from the old West. Do I ever like those Texas hamburgers! And now Im happy to present to you the new... uh, incarnation.... of this specialty, The Pleasure Sandwich
II. In ospedale
Eric: Antonella, ci sei? Antonella: S Eric, eccomi! Gentili ascoltatori, bentornati! Mi dispiace dovervelo dire, ma siamo qui allospedale La Fenice, dove il Dottor Balanzone stato portato dopo il suo incidente. Eh s,
At the Hospital
Eric: Antonella, are you there? Antonella: Yes, Eric, here I am! Dear listeners, welcome back! Im sorry to have to tell you, but were here at La Fenice Hospital, where Doctor Balanzone was brought following his accident. Ah yes, he
caduto proprio davanti al cinema dove avrebbe assistito alla prima del nuovo film di Arlecchino... Sig.ra Balanzone: Ah, mi bel Balanzaun... mio Balanzonino caro...! Antonella: Stiamo parlando con la signora Balanzone. Fra poco speriamo di avere qualche notizia dal medico. Eric: E come sta la signora? Antonella: Signora Balanzone, ci permette di farLe qualche domanda? Sig.ra Balanzone: Per la radio? Antonella: S, signora... Spettacolo Stasera!... va in onda su Radio Arlecchino. Sig.ra Balanzone. Ben mo sicuro... Solo un attimino, per favore. Mi dica. Antonella: Ci hanno detto che Lei e il Dottore eravate appena tornati dallAmerica quando siete arrivati oggi a Venezia per la prima. Sig.ra Balanzone. vero. Eravamo in Texas per fare pubblicit al film. Forse gli ascoltatori sanno che alcune scene sono state girate ad Austin... Antonella: E come avete trovato lo Stato della Stella Solitaria? Sig.ra Balanzone. Mo ci piaciuto moltissimo! E chiaramente la cucina texana ha affascinato il Dottore. Con Pantalone e la What-a-Pleasure hanno firmato un contratto per aggiungere il Pasto Arlecchino al loro menu di pasti allegri per i bambini... Con ogni piccolo Pleasure
fell right in front of the movie theatre where he was to attend the premiere of Arlecchinos new film... Mrs Balanzone: Ah, my beloved Balanzone! Antonella: Were talking to Mrs Balanzone. Soon we hope to have some news from the physician. Eric: And how is Mrs Balanzone? Antonella: Mrs Balanzone, may we ask you some questions? Mrs Balanzone: For the radio? Antonella: Yes, maam... Spettacolo Staser!a... on the air on Radio Arlecchino. Mrs Balanzone: Why, certainly... Just a bit of a moment, please. Yes, go ahead. Antonella: Weve heard that you and the Dottore had just returned from America when you arrived today in Venice for the premiere. Mrs Balanzone: Thats right. We were in Texas to publicize the movie. Your listeners might know that some scenes were shot in Austin. Antonella: And what did you think of the Lone Star State? Mrs Balanzone: Oh, we loved it! And of course Texas cuisine captivated the Dottore. With Pantalone and What-aPleasure theyve signed a contract to add the Arlecchino Meal to their menu of cheerful meals for children. With each little Pleasure Burger an Arlecchino figure
Burger un pupazzo di Arlecchino, o una bambolina di Arlecchina... Antonella: Oh, mi piace molto questa di Arlecchina, che carina... Sig.ra Balanzone. Il Dottore si era portato questi Pasti Arlecchino da mangiare durante lintervallo del film... A me non piacciono cos tanto come a mio marito... Gliene posso offrire uno? Antonella: Grazie, mi piacerebbe molto assaggiarne uno, forse dopo la trasmissione. Altri ricordi memorabili oltre al marketing? Sig.ra Balanzone. Oh s, la cosa pi bella stata imparare a ballare la square dance! Non pu immaginare quanto sia emozionante! Pochi lo sanno, ma il Dottore proprio un gran bravo ballerino! Antonella: Chi lavrebbe detto...? Sig.ra Balanzone. Nessuno! Ma ora con il film... Oh, non resisto pi alla tentazione di svelare questo segreto! La scena chiave del film di Arlecchino proprio una danza! Sono sicura che Le piacer vedere come il Dottore ed io conquistiamo il West con la nostra square dance! Antonella: Non vediamo lora -il Dottor Ibbardi: Buona sera, signore. Sono il dottor Ibbardi. Quale di voi la signora Balanzone? Sig.ra Balanzone. Oh, dottore! Asomme! Sono io! Come sta mio marito? il Dottor Ibbardi: Purtroppo la situazione piuttosto seria e non mi piace per niente...
or an Arlecchina doll.
Antonella: Oh, I really like this one of Arlecchina, its so sweet... Mrs Balanzone: The Dottore brought these Arlecchino meals along to eat during the intermission of the movie... I dont like them as much as my husband does... May I offer you one? Antonella: Thank you, I really would like to try one, perhaps after the broadcast. Any other memorable moments aside from the marketing? Mrs Balanzone: Oh yes, the most wonderful thing was learning to square dance. You cant imagine how exciting! Few people know this, but the Dottore is really quite a fine dancer! Antonella: Who would have guessed...? Mrs Balanzone: Nobody! But now with the movie... Oh, I cant resist the temptation to reveal this secret any longer! The key scene in Arlecchinos movie is in fact a dance! I just know youll like seeing how the Dottore and I win the West with our square dance! Antonella: We cant wait-Dr Ibbardi: Good evening, ladies. Im Dr Ibbardi. Which of you is Mrs Balanzone?
Mrs Balanzone: Oh, doctor! Its me! How is my husband? Dr Ibbardi: Unfortunately the situation is rather serious and it doesnt please me at all.
Sig.ra Balanzone. Eh ben ben! il Dottor Ibbardi: Quando Suo marito scivolato sul tappeto rosso -Sig.ra Balanzone: S...? il Dottor Ibbardi: ed caduto, ha subito una grave lesione alla sua dignit. Antonella: quindi, la diagnosi, dottore? il Dottor Ibbardi: Gluteus addoloratus! Sig.ra Balanzone: e la prognosi, dottore?
Mrs Balanzone: Goodness gracious! Dr Ibbardi: When your husband slipped on the red carpet and fell, Mrs Balanzone: Yes? Dr Ibbardi: he suffered a serious injury to his dignity. Antonella: So, the diagnosis, Doctor? Dr Ibbardi: Gluteus addoloratus! Mrs Balanzone: And the prognosis, Doctor? Dr Ibbardi: Weve given him a sedative. Before he fell asleep, though, he said something I didnt understand... that he would like for us to bring him an Arlecchino Meal. Mrs Balanzone: Poor thing! Dr Ibbardi: and tomorrow we will begin a long and very costly series of treatments and physical therapies. Mrs Balanzone: Oh, but these treatments, these physical therapies... will they cause the poor Doctor a great deal of discomfort? Dr Ibbardi: Dont worry, maam. Ive administered them many times now during my career and Ive grown accustomed to them. They wont hurt me at all, I assure you. Mrs Balanzone: Well, actually, Doctor, I meant -Eric: Thanks a million, Antonella! We must now return to the studio! Thanks also
il Dottor Ibbardi: Gli abbiamo dato un sedativo. Prima di addormentarsi ha detto qualcosa che non ho capito... che gli sarebbe piaciuto che gli portassimo un Pasto Arlecchino. Sig.ra Balanzone. Puvratt! il Dottor Ibbardi: e domani cominceremo una lunga e costosissima serie di trattamenti e fisioterapie. Sig.ra Balanzone. S, mo questi trattamenti, queste fisioterapie... al povero Dottore daranno molto fastidio? il Dottor Ibbardi: Non si preoccupi, signora. Li ho amministrati tante volte ormai nella mia carriera e mi sono abituato. Non mi faranno nessun male, Le assicuro.
Sig.ra Balanzone. Mo a dire il vero, dottore, io intendevo -Eric: Grazie mille, Antonella! Dobbiamo tornare ora allo studio! Grazie anche a tutti
i nostri gentili radioascoltatori! Alla prossima edizione di Spettacolo Stasera!
to our gentle listeners! Well talk to you again on the next edition of Spettacolo Stasera!
Nota Grammaticale
piacere As a noun, piacere means pleasure. People say, Piacere! (Nice to meet you!) as an idiomatic expression, and as a verb, piacere means to like or more precisely, to be pleasing to. From the point of view of an English speaker, the verb piacere has a very irregular construction. Before dealing with that, though, lets focus on its irregularities in the following conjugations: Presente indicativo noi piacciamo voi piacete loro piacciono
io piaccio tu piaci lui/lei piace
io piacqui tu piacesti lui/lei piacque
Passato remoto noi piacemmo voi piaceste loro piacquero
io piaccia tu piaccia lui/lei piaccia Past participle: piaciuto
Congiuntivo presente noi piacciamo voi piacciate loro piacciano
Now well examine the way a sentence using this verb is constructed. The subject in Italian is the person or thing that is pleasing, while the person who likes it is the indirect object; therefore, the verb agrees with the thing or person liked. For this reason, its often in the third-person singular or plural. The subject almost always follows the verb piacere, as you learned as Antonella and Eric were preparing the piacere sandwich. The following formula (sandwich recipe) is used with piacere: INDIRECT OBJECT PIACERE SUBJECT (the person who likes something) (the thing or things that he or she likes) Radio Arlecchino, Episode 16, pg 8 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
A Colombina piace Arlecchino. Colombina likes Arlecchino. Literally, Arlecchino is pleasing to Colombina. If the identity of the indirect object is already known, we can use an indirect object pronoun in its place: INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN PIACERE SUBJECT Le piace Arlecchino. She likes Arlecchino. Literally, Arlecchino is pleasing to her. Here is an example using a common noun as the indirect object: INDIRECT OBJECT PIACERE SUBJECT Al pubblico piacciono le maschere. The audience likes the masks. Literally, The masks are pleasing to the audience. Whether the indirect object is a proper noun (like Colombina) or a common one (like il pubblico), the preposition a must precede it. (An indirect object is always the object of a preposition, most often a). Note that when the preposition a comes before a noun with the definite article (like il pubblico), the preposition must be combined with the article: Al pubblico... When you replace the indirect object with a pronoun, the preposition disappears. A Colombina becomes Le. Note that when you use an object pronoun with piacere you only use one. And the one you use is the indirect object pronoun. You never use direct object pronouns with piacere. Piacere is an intransitive verb and never has a direct object. You may want to review our episodes covering pronouns to keep them all sorted out. Also, notice the use of the definite article before le maschere, the subject of the sentence. Common nouns that function as the subject of the verb piacere always have the definite article. Verbs and verbal expressions can also be used as the subject of piacere. In this case, piacere is always conjugated in the third-person singular form, regardless of how many infinitives there are and regardless of the complements that the infinitive verb may have. A Colombina piacciono i fiori. Colombina likes flowers. BUT A Colombina piace vedere tutti i fiori che appaiono in primavera. Colombina likes to see all the flowers that appear in the spring. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 16, pg 9 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
A Colombina piaceva giocare a carte quando era pi giovane. Colombina used to like playing cards when she was younger. The negative of piacere is non piacere. When the indirect object is expressed with a pronoun, the pronoun goes between non and piacere. Ad Arlecchina non piace la pizza. Arlecchina doesnt like pizza. Non le piace la pizza. She doesnt like pizza. Here are your Top Two Pleasure Points: the most important things to remember about piacere: 1. When using a noun (for the person who likes something)... A + NOUN + VERB (piacere) + NOUN Ad Arlecchino piace il teatro. Arlecchino likes the theatre. Negative statement: A + NOUN + NON + VERB (piacere) + NOUN A Pulcinella non piacciono i libri senza illustrazioni. Pulcinella doesnt like books without illustrations. 2. When using an object pronoun (for the person who likes something)... INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN + VERB (piacere) + NOUN Mi piacciono gli spettacoli. I like the shows. Negative statement: NON + INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUN + VERB (piacere) + NOUN --Non vi piace il verbo piacere? --Dont you like the verb piacere? --Ma certo che ci piace! --But of course, we like it! RESIST THAT TEMPTATION TO TRANSLATE THE ENGLISH IT! Remember that what in English is the direct object, in Italian is the subject. Of course, were not done yet with piacere... not by a long shot! This likeable intransitive verb is conjugated with essere as its auxiliary in all the compound tenses. Until next time, just think about the implications of that! Well talk more about this pleasant, pleasing verb--and other similar verbs--in our next episode! Sar un piacere -- Itll be a pleasure. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 16, pg 10 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Nota Culturale
Any time is a great time to visit Venice--la serenissima, the most serene-- but if you can be there during the months of June and November in 2009-2011-2013, and so on, you can enjoy the best in art (Biennale Arti Visive), in dance (Biennale Danza), and in theatre (Biennale Teatro). Biennale means biennial and Venice offers these international artistic events of great variety and outstanding quality every other year. If you must visit Venice in a year without the Biennale, dont despair! Be there in late August and enjoy the Venice Film Festival, la Mostra Internazionale dArte Cinematografica di Venezia, the oldest film festival in the world! In fact, it has been running every year since 1932 on the little island of the Lido of Venice. The Leone dOro is the prestigious award given at this movie festival; it is the Italian equivalent of the American Oscar, the French Palma dOro and the German Orso dOro. Stars from all over the world have walked on the Venetian red carpet, smiling at their numerous fans and signing autographs. Will our friend Arlecchino win the Leone dOro this year? Perhaps he deserves an award for his creation of the longest title for a movie! (Better luck next time, Lina Wertmller!) The leone alato, the winged lion, is the symbol of San Marco, Saint Mark the Evangelist, who has been the patron saint of Venice since his relics were brought here from Alexandria in Egypt in 829. Because of this, the winged lion is also the symbol of Venice and can be seen all over the city, particularly in one of the worlds most famous squares, piazza San Marco! Often the lion holds a book with the inscription Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus; an open book represents peace, a closed one war. As in each one of Italys twenty regions, in Veneto, the region of Venice, standard Italian keeps good company with many dialects. You will learn more about them in future episodes of Radio Arlecchino. For now, just pay close attention to the accents of Pantalone and Signora Balanzone in Episode 16. Pantalones first line is in Venetian dialect and the rest of his lines present only a Venetian cadenza, accent, whereas Mrs. Balanzones accent is from Bologna. For now, we close with an old Italian salutation that originated in the Venetian dialect: Ciao! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of "Casting Call and Scream Test," our recent show on expressing likes and dislikes in the compound tenses, like the passato prossimo. You can hear this podcast by accessing the following URL: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=17 Buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato Simone Sessolo Marco De Risi Michael Heidenreich Sean Neesley Featured in this broadcast: as Pantalone as the Security Guard, whose lines are transcribed so as to reflect his Roman dialect. for Miracle Pictures
Ann Marie Burnett, Wilfredo Cerrato, Emily Esposito, Bridget Green, Scott Gregoire, Stefani Langehennig, Tyler Levy, Franois Lux, Arnulfo Manriquez, Maranda Moody, Paige Normand, Ashley Park, Diana Shen, Paula Swindle, Erica Weaver, Andirea White as the Pleased Movie-Goers
Transcript : Arlecchina e il suo provino a Spettacolo Stasera

Antonella: Buona sera a tutti e benvenuti a Spettacolo Stasera! Ormai gli appassionati di cinema non parlano che di questo film! Da sempre stelle teatrali, adesso Arlecchino e colleghi stanno raggiungendo somme vette nella scalata al successo.
Arlecchina and her Screen Test on Spettacolo Stasera

Antonella: Good evening, everybody and welcome to Spettacolo Stasera! By now movie fans are talking about nothing but this film! They've always been stars of the stage, and now Arlecchino and his colleagues are reaching dizzying heights on the ladder to success. Eric: And I was the first radio reporter to interview our friend's charming co-star.
Eric: E io sono stato il primo radiogiornalista ad intervistare l'affascinante co-star del nostro amico. Antonella: Ogni Dario ha la sua Franca
Antonella: Every Dario has his Franca
Eric: Ogni Roberto la sua Nicoletta Antonella: e ogni Arlecchino la sua Eric: Arlecchina! Esclusivamente a Spettacolo Stasera! Antonella: Sentiamo! Eric: Prima di tutto, congratulazioni vivissime! Il film sta ottenendo un gran successo sia di critica che di pubblico, ma detto inter nos: Lei, Arlecchina, senza alcun dubbio la ragione principale del successo di quest'opera. Arlecchina: Grazie mille, ma per cortesia, mi dia del tu, anzi dammi del tu Eric: Io sono un suo, cio, un tuo grande fan. Dicci alcuni retroscena del film
Eric: Every Roberto his Nicoletta Antonella: And every Arlecchino his-Eric: Arlecchina! Exclusively on Spettacolo Stasera! Antonella: Let's listen! Eric: First of all, warmest congratulations! The film is enjoying a great success, among both critics and the general public, but just between us, you, Arlecchina, are without a doubt the main reason for the success of this opus. Arlecchina: Thank you so much, but please, address me informally (as tu). Eric: I'm one of your biggest fans. Give us some background on the movie.
Arlecchina: Posso dire che era da Arlecchina: I can tell you that Arlecchino parecchio tempo che Arlecchino aveva in had this intricate story in mind for a long mente questa storia intricatissima e piena di time... so full of magical surrealism. surrealismo magico. Eric: piaciuta subito a tutti i protagonisti la trama? Arlecchina: No, per carit, questo non succede mai a teatro, figuriamoci al cinema! Ci ha emozionato la parte avventurosa del progetto, ma ad alcuni ha dato fastidio l'ambizione sfrenata di Arlecchino Eric: E qual stata la tua prima reazione? Arlecchina: Oh, a me ha affascinato tutto subito. E poi sai, mi cos simpatico Arlecchino Eric: Ho saputo che sul set hai fatto una Eric: Did everybody like the plot right away? Arlecchina: Heavens no! That never happens in the theatre, much less in the movies! We were excited about the daring of the project, but some were put off by Arlecchino's unbridled ambition.
Eric: And what was your first reaction? Arlecchina: Oh, it all charmed me right away. And of course you know how much I like Arlecchino... Eric: I understand you made a new friend
nuova amicizia. Arlecchina: Eh s, ormai ne parlano tutti, la Signora Balanzone mi sta simpaticissima. Non hai idea le risate che ci siamo fatte a vedere il marito ballare la square dance. Mi piace da morire il suo accento bolognese, e poi che cuoca meravigliosa! Eric: E che ruolo ha avuto Pantalone, visto che ha investito, pare, tanti soldi nel film.
on the set. Arlecchina: Oh yes, everybody's talking about it by now, I like Mrs Balanzone so much. You can't imagine what a laugh we had seeing her husband do his square dance. I adore her Bolognese accent, and then... what a marvelous cook!
Eric: And what was Pantalone's role, seeing that he invested, it seems, quite a bit of money in the movie.
Arlecchina: Veramente preferirei cambiare Arlecchina: Actually I would prefer to argomento change the subject. Eric: Sembra che ti ripugni solo il nome di questa persona Arlecchina: Appena hai nominato il suo nome, ho fatto un tuffo in un passato che vorrei dimenticare. Pantalone: Ho voglia di brindare, tra breve Arlecchina sar tra le mie braccia, qui nel famoso studio 5 di Cinecitt Appena finiremo il provino per la parte principale del film di Arlecchino, metter nella bevanda di Arlecchina il filtro d'amore preparato dalla mia bisnonna. Lei berr e si innamorer della prima persona che vedr, cio me! L'idea mi emoziona. Arlecchina: Permesso, posso entrare? Pantalone: Ma prego, carissima, accomodati! Arlecchina: Buon giorno. Che caldo bestiale fuori, ma anche qui dentro non si respira! Pantalone: E allora, bando alle ciance! Va' dietro al separ, spogliati ed indossa il Eric: It seems that the mere mention of his name repulses you... Arlecchina: The moment you spoke his name, I was plunged into a past that I would rather forget. Pantalone: I feel like drinking a toast, soon Arlecchina will be in my arms, here on the famous Soundstage 5 at Cinecitt... As soon has we finish the screen test for the lead female role in Arlecchino's movie, I'll place my great-grandmother's love potion in Arlecchina's drink. She will drink--and fall in love with the first person she sees, to wit, me! The idea excites me. Arlecchina: Excuse me, may I come in? Pantalone: Of course, my dear! Make yourself at home! Arlecchina: Hello. It's so frightfully hot outside, but even in here one can barely breathe! Pantalone: Well then, so much for idle chat! Go behind the screen, undress, and
costume di scena, mentre io ti preparo una bella bevanda fresca. Arlecchina: Scusa, ma il film di Arlecchino non mica su Tarzan.. perch dovrei indossare quel bikini striminzito di finta pelle di giaguaro? Mi fa schifo. Pantalone: Mia cara, non m'interessa che ti faccia schifo; se vuoi la parte devi recitare ora davanti a me con questo costume. Ti conviene non fare i capricci.
put on this costume, while I make you a nice refreshment! Arlecchina: Say, this movie of Arlecchino's isn't about Tarzan... why should I wear this skimpy, phoney leopardskin bikini? It's disgusting. Pantalone: My dear, I don't care if it disgusts you. If you want the part you've got to perform for me with this costume. It will behoove you not to be capricious.
Arlecchina: Mi deludi, Pantalone. Pensi Arlecchina: You disappoint me, che sia stupida e non abbia capito cosa vuoi Pantalone. Do you think I'm stupid, that I veramente? don't understand what you're really after? Pantalone: Ma ti sbagli. Io voglio solo essere sicuro di fare la scelta giusta per la protagonista di quello che diventer il pi grande film dell'ultimo decennio Arlecchina: D'accordo. Mi metter questo costume ridicolo e reciter per te, ma esigo che ci sia un'altra persona in questa stanza. Pantalone: Va bene, per dimostrarti che solo la passione per l'arte a spingermi, chiamer la guardia. Sbrigati, su, va' a metterti il costume. L'altoparlante: Una guardia con urgenza al Teatro 5. Una guardia con urgenza al Teatro 5, grazie. Pantalone: Ora metto il filtro nella sua aranciata. Sei pronta? Arlecchina: Mamma mia, quanto mi d fastidio l'atteggiamento di Pantalone Pronto? Eccomi! Pantalone: Che visione! Prego, rinfrescati con questa bibita prima di cominciare il provino. Pantalone: But you're wrong. I only want to be sure I'm making the right choice for the heroine of what's going to be the biggest film of the last ten years. Arlecchina: Fine. I'll put on this ridiculous costume, and I'll read for you. But I insist there be someone else in the room. Pantalone: Very well, to show you that it's merely a passion for art that drives me, I'll buzz for the guard. Come on, hurry up, go put on the costume. P.A. System: Security to Soundstage 5, urgently. Security to Soundstage 5, urgently, thank you. Pantalone: Now I'll put that potion in her orangeade. Are you ready? Arlecchina: Mercy, how tiresome this attitude of Pantalone's is! Ready? Here I am! Pantalone: What a sight! Please, refresh yourself with this drink before starting your audition.
Guardia: Signo', che m'avete fatto chiama'? Io stavo a dormi' alla granne, ma poi m'hanno detto che c'era n'attrice famosa allo Studio 5 e so' venuto de corsa Pantalone: Guardia, maledizione, ma perch gi qui, di solito arriva sempre un'ora dopo, se ne vada! Arlecchina: Oh, mi gira la testa, Signore, chi Lei, mi affascinano i suoi baffi, mi emozionano le sue basette, mi mi sento tremare tutta, svengo Guardia: Ma ccomm' bbella, ppoverina... Ma un momento, allora, vuol di' che fate 'nna ppellicola de Tarzan...? Fico! Pantalone: Maledizione!
Guard: Sir, you called for me? I was having a fine snooze when they told me there was a famous actress on Soundstage 5 and I came running... Pantalone: Guard! Curses, what are you doing here already? You usually show up an hour later! Get out of here! Arlecchina: Oh, my head is spinning, Sir... Who are you? Your moustache fascinates me... Your sideburns excite me.... I.... I feel myself trembling... I'm going to faint... Guardia: How beautiful she is, poor thing... Wait a minute--so you guys are making a Tarzan picture...? Awesome! Pantalone: Curses!
Pubblicit per Arlecchino e l'ordine della pietra filosofale

Alcuni spettatori reagiscono: Mi hanno sempre affascinato i film che parlano della magia... Mi sono piaciuti i tucani che gli portavano la posta. Mi ha affascinato il negozio dove Arlecchino ha comprato la bacchetta! Mi interessa molto quel treno che li ha portati a Verruchesuine... Alla mia ragazza hanno fatto schifo le scimmie, ma a me sono state simpatiche! Mi importa molto che un film comunichi un messaggio serio ai giovani.
Ad for Arlecchino and the Order of the Philosopher's Stone

Some movie-goers respond: Movies about magic have always fascinated me. I liked the toucans that brought them the mail. The store where Arlecchino bought the wand, I found it charming! The train that took them to Verruchesuine interests me a lot... The monkeys disgusted my girlfriend, but I liked them! It's important to me that a movie send a serious message to young people.
Mi piaciuta moltissimo la serenata che quel ragazzo ha cantato sotto il mare! Come si chiaah, Pulcinella! Ci tanto simpatico quel Pulcinella! Mi sono piaciuti i ritratti che parlavano e si muovevano! Mi ha fatto paura il cappello che ha parlato quando Pulcinella se lo messo sulla testa! Adesso abbiamo voglia di vedere il sequel! Mi ha commosso il coraggio di Colombina quando andata da Kulala per trovare il sonno di Arlecchina! Ci ha emozionato molto la battaglia con i draghi! Mi sarebbero piaciute pi esplosioni! Mi ha dato un po' fastidio l'accento dei texani... Ci ha fatto venire la pelle d'oca la macchina che volava! Ci ha deluso un po' la scena con i furetti parlanti... Mi piaciuta molto la square dance dei Balanzone! A me piaciuto il popcorn!
I really liked the serenade that that guy sang under the sea! What's his naah, Pulcinella! We love that Pulcinella!
I liked the portraits that talked and moved!
The hat that talked when Pulcinella put it on his head scared me!
Now we feel like seeing the sequel!
I was moved by Colombina's courage when she went to Kulala to find Arlecchina's sleep! We were very excited about the battle with the dragons! I would have liked more explosions! I was annoyed a bit by the Texans' accent...
The car that flew gave me goose-bumps!
The scene with the talking ferrets disappointed us a little. I loved the Balanzones' square dance!
I liked the popcorn!
Nota Grammaticale
First of all, if you missed Episode 16, The Red Carpet Treatment, youll want to take a look and a listen at it now so youll be acquainted with those all-important Pleasure Points! Radio Arlecchino, Episode 17, pg 6 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
In todays episode, youll notice how with piacere the auxiliary verb in compound tenses (like the passato prossimo) is always essere. Antonella says: Il Panino Piacere piaciuto a tutti!-that is, everybody liked the Pleasure Sandwich. You might also notice that she didnt follow the famous recipe exactly. The recipe calls for the preposition first, then the indirect object, then the verb, and then the thing that somebody likes. In this case, Antonella starts out with the thing that everybody likes, then we get the verb, and finally the preposition and the indirect object. Theres no cause for alarm, though, because normal word order--subject, verb, complement--is always grammatically acceptable. Although a sentence with piacere almost always follows the recipe, this variation is common when a departure from the usual routine can add some desired emphasis. Now, whenever a verb takes essere as its auxiliary, as piacere does, theres always two other important things that we know about it. First of all, its an intransitive verb. That means no direct object. So we wont ever be using a direct object pronoun directly with piacere . --Ti piace il film di Arlecchino? --Si, mi piace (il film di Arlecchino). --Do you like Arlecchinos movie? Yes I like it (Arlecchinos movie). The it in the English version is the direct object of like, but in Italian, its the subject of piacere . We already know what it is, so we can just omit it, but we wont replace it with a direct object pronoun! --Ti piace vedere i film avventurosi? Si, mi piace vederli. --Do you like seeing adventure movies? Yes, I like seeing them. The direct object pronoun li is the direct object of vedere, NOT of piacere. Secondly, the past participle of piacere will have to agree in number and gender with its subject. The trick here is to remember that the subject is the thing that somebody likes and NOT the somebody who likes it. Antonella and Eric pointed out these four examples to show piacere in the passato prossimo with masculine, feminine, singular and plural subjects: masculine singular subject: Al pubblico piaciuto lo spettacolo. masculine plural subject: A Colombina sono piaciuti i nuovi lazzi. feminine singular subject: Agli attori piaciuta la scena romantica. feminine plural subject: Radio Arlecchino, Episode 17, pg 7 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Persino a Pantalone sono piaciute le canzoni di Pulcinella. You see that the gender and number of the people who like the thing is irrelevant. The past participle of piacere agrees with the thing(s) that they like. This will be true even when you put your Pleasure Sandwich together backwards, for emphasis or variety: La scena romantica piaciuta agli attori. And leave it to Eric to illustrate a sentence with piacere that starts with the verb--as can often happen in a yes-or-no question: piaciuta subito a tutti i protagonisti la trama? Of course its also true in all the other compound tenses as well, not just passato prossimo. Just two examples: condizionale passato Mi sarebbero piaciute pi esplosioni. congiuntivo passato Dubito che ad Arlecchina siano piaciuti i regali che Pantalone le ha fatto. Other verbs expressing likes and dislikes Piacere and its negative form, non piacere , are far from being the only ones. The tricky part is that some of them follow the pattern weve established in the Panino Piacere recipe and others dont. You just have to make note of how each one works as you encounter it. The loquacious bunch of movie-goers illustrated several of them as they commented on Arlecchinos new film. convenire - to be a good idea, to behoove subject: the thing that is a good idea direct object: none indirect object: the person for whom it is a good idea auxiliary: essere This expression gets translated in several different ways in English, very often with the conditional even when the Italian is not. Ti conviene non fare capricci. It would be a good idea for you not to be capricious. It would behoove you... You would be better off not to... etc. affascinare - to charm, to fascinate subject: the person or thing that is charming or fascinating direct object: the person who is charmed or fascinated Radio Arlecchino, Episode 17, pg 8 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
indirect object: none auxiliary: avere interessare - this one is a rather limber verb. Meaning to be of interest... subject: the thing that is of interest, the thing that is interesting direct object: none indirect object: the person to whom something is interesting, the person to whom something is of interest auxiliary: avere or essere A Pantalone ha interessato molto vedere Arlecchina nel costume che le aveva dato. Pantalone was very interested to see Arlecchina in the costume he had given her. interessare - Meaning to concern, to affect... subject: the thing that concerns, the thing that affects direct object: the persons or things concerned or affected indirect object: none auxiliary: avere I risultati dei provini interessano tutti gli attori della compagnia. The results of the auditions concern all the actors of the company. Italians dont always make a careful distinction between these two subtle differences in the meaning of interessare, so you can usually use it safely either way. Then there is the pronominal (reflexive) version: interessarsi a to demonstrate or to take an interest in something; to be concerned about something. subject: the person who takes an interest, the person concerned direct object: none object of the preposition a: the thing in which someone takes interest or about which someone is concerned auxiliary: essere Pantalone non si interessato molto allopinione che Arlecchina ha espresso sul costume. Pantalone didnt show much interest in Arlecchinas opinion of the costume. fare schifo - to be disgusting, to cause disgust subject: the disgusting thing direct object: built in: schifo indirect object: the person who is disgusted auxiliary: avere importare - to be important subject: the thing that is important direct object: none indirect object: the person to whom something is important auxiliary: essere Radio Arlecchino, Episode 17, pg 9 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
essere simpatico/a / stare simpatico/a - to like. This verb is a very handy alternative to piacere because it can be used to make the distinction between just liking and, you know, like liking somebody. This expression has no implication of the sexual or romantic attraction that piacere sometimes (but certainly not always) has. The expression is often used with stare rather than essere and sounds much more informal that way. subject: the person who is likeable direct object: none indirect object: the person who just likes somebody auxiliary: essere Concerning liking and loving... Hey, if you love Radio Arlecchino so much, why dont you marry it?! Theres really no Italian equivalent for this particular wisecrack, since, as Antonella points out, Italians just dont use the verb amare as a casual exaggeration of piacere the way English speakers use to love as a hyperbolic substitute for to like. Amare is reserved for expressions of serious, romantic love. The force of piacere is often boosted in different ways, such as Mi piacciono moltissimo le frittate di Pulcinella. Ci piaciuta un sacco la square dance dei Balanzone. Al pubblico piaciuto da morire il nuovo film di Arlecchino. Whats more, Italians use yet another expression to describe the kind of deep affection and caring that exists among relatives and close friends. In English, we most often use the verb to love for this also, whereas in Italian, volere bene is the preferred expression. volere bene - to love, to care for someone subject: the person who loves someone direct object: none indirect object: the object of someones affection; the person loved auxiliary: avere Arlecchina might say: Pulcinella, ti voglio tanto bene, ma non ti amo. Pulcinella, I care for you a great deal, but I do not love you. fare paura - to frighten, to scare, to cause fear subject: the thing that is frightening direct object: built in: paura indirect object: the person who is frightened auxiliary: avere avere voglia - to feel like (having or doing something) subject: the person who feels like... Radio Arlecchino, Episode 17, pg 10 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
direct object: built in: voglia indirect object: none auxiliary: avere NOTE: what someone feels like having is expressed as a noun following the preposition di; what someone feels like doing is expressed as a verb in the infinitive following the preposition di. Abbiamo voglia di vedere il sequel. Hai voglia di un po di popcorn? Do you feel like [having] some popcorn? commuovere - to move (emotionally) subject: the thing that is moving direct object: the person who is moved indirect object: none auxiliary: avere emozionare - to excite subject: the thing that is exciting direct object: the person who is excited indirect object: none auxiliary: avere dare fastidio - to annoy, to be bothersome subject: the thing that is annoying or bothersome direct object: built in: fastidio indirect object: the person who is annoyed or bugged auxiliary: avere fare venire la pelle doca - to give goosebumps subject: the thing that gives somebody goosebumps direct object: built in: venire la pelle doca indirect object: the person who gets goosebumps auxiliary: avere deludere - to disappoint subject: the thing that is disappointing direct object: the person who is disappointed indirect object: none auxiliary: avere Although the issues of direct versus indirect object and avere versus essere may seem daunting at first, it will be helpful for you to remember one important thing. In all of these Italian expressions, the person whose emotions, whose likes or dislikes we are talking about, is always the object of the expression, not the subject, as is so often the case in English. (The three exceptions to this are amare, avere voglia, and volere bene)
Of course, if youre using first- or second-person object pronouns (mi, ti, ci, vi) with these expressions--and that will happen a lot--the indirect vs direct object problem is really no problem at all since nobody will ever know if youre using the wrong pronoun. Theyre both the same! In the big wide world of grammar, were grateful for small favors!
Nota Culturale
For those who are wondering about Dario, Franca, Roberto and Nicoletta mentioned in this episode, lets explain who they are! Dario Fo and his wife Franca Rame are a well-known and popular couple who have been together on stage and in real life since the early 50s. When, in 1997, Dario Fo received the Nobel Prize for Literature for dedicating his life to theatre, he shared it with his wife, co-author, and muse Franca. Similarly, a few months later, when Roberto Benigni won three Oscars with his movie La vita bella, he shared with the world his infinite love for Nicoletta Braschi, his wife and actress in all of his movies. What do you think Cinecitt means? Cine = cinema, citt = city, city of movies, la citt dei film! And this is exactly what Cinecitt is. Cinecitt--also called la Hollywood sul Tevere--is indeed a stage, backstage, preproduction/production/full production studio in one lot, offering everything imaginable object or service required to make a movie. As Alberto Sordi, one of the most beloved Italian actors, once said, a movie director could walk into Cinecitt with just a script and an idea and leave Cinecitt with his or her vision on a reel of film. Nowadays, Cinecitt is used mainly by TV productions such as talk and game shows, fiction series, and advertising spots. Studio 5 is still particularly famous because it was the home so to speak of one of the greatest Italian directors, Federico Fellini (Rimini, 1920 - Rome, 1993), called by many Il Maestro. He made most of his movies in Cinecitts Studio 5. Cinecitt was one of the very few positive projects created by the Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini (Predappio, 1883 - Giulino di Mezzegra, 1945). He founded it in 1937 on the southeastern outskirts of Rome to produce propaganda films. Cinecitt studios were later bombed by the Western Allies during World War II, but were rebuilt in 1947. Since then, they have hosted film productions of renowned Italian directors (Rossellini, Fellini, De Sica, Visconti, Pasolini, Leone, Cavani, Bertolucci, etc.) as well as foreigners (Annaud, Coppola, Campion, Minghella, Scorsese, Gibson, Soderbergh, Abrams, etc.). If in Rome during the months of June and September, you should visit the studios of Cinecitt, la fabbrica dei sogni: it has fabricated more than 3,000 so far! Our lovely guard from Cinecitt featured in this episode, belongs to the new reality of Cinecitt, which is now a private institution, no longer open to the public. Did you understand his lines without checking the transcript? If you had difficulties, dont blame yourself! He is speaking a dialect. Remember Signora Balanzone in Episode 16? She has a Radio Arlecchino, Episode 17, pg 12 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
very strong accent, cadenza, from Bologna. In the guards speech, however, you can detect more than just an accent; in fact some of the words he uses are in Roman dialect. Italian dialects are a rich source of endless fascination for many linguists and intellectuals. Linguists can drown in the myriad of Italian dialects: in each of the 20 Italian regions, people speak more than one (two, five, ten) variety of dialect. Often, dialects are not just a variation on the Italian standard, but distinct languages with their own grammar and lexicon, such as the ones spoken in Sardinia and Friuli. Three of the main reasons for such a linguistic reality are the habit of ancient Romans not to impose Latin on the people they conquered, the geographical constitution of the Italian peninsula, and last but not least, the foreign dominations that occupied the Italian territory until the unification of Italy, made complete between 1861 and 1871 by Italians who fought for it during il Risorgimento (The Resurgence). It was Alessandro Manzoni (Milano, 1785 Milano, 1873), author of one of the major works of Italian literature, the historic novel I promessi sposi (The Betrothed) who, in a sense, decided that the language of the new and unified Italy be the Tuscan dialect; he would go to sciacquare i panni nellArno: do his verbal laundry in the Tuscan river of Arno. The language of the great thirteenth-century Tuscan writers Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio would constitute the standard Italian with a pinch of Roman dialect (since Rome became the capital of the new Italy in 1871). Now what about those intellectuals who were mentioned earlier? Theyre a potentially controversial bunch, so stay tuned to Radio Arlecchino as we consider their place in Italys rich linguistic treasure trove Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of "Catch of the Day," our recent show on expressing likes and dislikes: the verb piacere and others that function like piacere. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=18 Buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato / Featured in this broadcast: Nevin Pecorelli as Pulcinella in the Naples studio Steven Miller as Pulcinella somewhere under the sea
Transcript : Antonella intervista Pulcinella a Spettacolo Stasera

Antonella: Pulcinella, che piacere rivederti! Mi sembra un secolo che non ci vediamo! Pulcinella: Anche a me fa piacere incontrarti di nuovo. Antonella: Quanto mi sei mancato! E mi sono anche mancati i tuoi piatti prelibati. Pulcinella: E la mia musica non ti mancata? Antonella: Ma certo! Le tue canzoni mi servono per arricchire la giornata. Pulcinella: Ma parliamo un po' di te, altrimenti sei sempre tu che fai domande a me. Come sei abbronzata.. tintarella italiana? Antonella: Sarda per la precisione. La
Antonella interviews Pulcinella on Spettacolo Stasera

Antonella: Pulcinella, what a pleasure to see you again! It seems like a century to me since we last saw each other! Pulcinella: It's a pleasure for me too to meet you again. Antonella: How I've missed you! And I've missed your excellent dishes as well. Pulcinella: And my music, you haven't missed that? Antonella: But of course! Your songs help me to enrich my day. Pulcinella: But let's talk a bit about you, otherwise it's always you asking me questions. How tanned you are a good Italian glow? Antonella: Sardinian, to be precise. I love
Sardegna mi piace tanto quanto mi piacciono i tuoi spaghetti a forma di frittata! Pulcinella: Non bestemmiare, mi d fastidio che tu paragoni quell'isola con la mia frittata. Antonella: Cio, nel senso che offendo la Sardegna? Pulcinella: No, la mia frittata. Ma vuoi mettere Capri, Ischia, la Costiera Amalfitana con la Sardegna? Antonella: A Pulcine ma tu ci sei mai stato in Sardegna? Pulcinella: Senti, a me non interessano i nuraghi, le costiere di granito rosa, il mare verde trasparente io preferisco la terra dove batte cuore napoletano. Antonella: D'accordo, forse meglio che cambiamo discorsoDunque, di' a me e a tutti i tuoi fan qual la tua caratteristica principale. Pulcinella: Dunque, sai, ne ho pi di una. Direi la spontaneit, l'allegria e la gioia di vivere. Non mi occorre molto per essere felice. Antonella: Ti bastano mandolino, peperoncino verde e buona compagnia? Pulcinella: Che fai la romana cinica?
Sardinia as much as I love your spaghetti frittata!
Pulcinella: Don't be absurd, it annoys me that you should compare that island to my frittata. Antonella: You mean, in that I'm offending Sardinia? Pulcinella: No, my frittata. You'd really lump Capri, Ischia, the Amalfi Coast in with Sardinia? Antonella: Oh, Pulcine', come on, have you ever been to Sardinia? Pulcinella: Look, I'm not interested in nuraghi, the pink granite coast, the clear green sea I prefer that land wherein beats the Neapolitan heart. Antonella: Very well, perhaps it's best that we change the subject So, tell me and all your fans, what is your great character traiit? Pulcinella: Well, you know, I've got more than one. I would say, spontaneity, good cheer, and the joy of life. I don't need much to be happy. Antonella: Mandolin, green pepper and good company are enough for you? Pulcinella: What's this, the cynical Roman now? Antonella: Perhaps. And how about one of your flaws? Assuming you have them Pulcinella: A very few of them in fact, my dear. I'm a bit touchy, Venetian pizzerias frighten me, and any main course that
Antonella: Forse. E qual un tuo difetto? Ammesso che tu ne abbia Pulcinella: In effetti pochi, mia cara. Sono un po' permaloso, mi fanno paura le pizzerie veneziane e mi fa schifo qualsiasi
pietanza scondita. Antonella: Non hai peli sulla lingua, perci mi piaci ancora di pi. Pulcinella: Allora non mi resta che farti una serenata Non c' magia sotto il mar che serva al cuor infranto. Solo ai pesci posso cantar ripetendo il loro pianto.
hasn't been properly seasoned disgusts me. Antonella: You don't beat around the bush, that's why I like you all the more. Pulcinella: Well then, all that I've left to do now is treat you to a serenad There is no magic under the sea to mend a broken heart. Only to the fish can I sing now repeating their mournful cry.
Nota Grammaticale
In Episode 18, we stray a bit from the theme of expressing likes and dislikes, but with good reason. Once you get the hang of the Panino Piacere recipe when you use the verb piacere, youre ready to use some other very common verbal expressions that function grammatically in the same way as piacere, although they dont express likes or dislikes. What do we mean when we say that these verbs function in the same way as piacere? First of all, most sentences using these verbs following the same pattern (recipe) as sentences using piacere. That is, we start out with the preposition a plus an indirect object (or an unstressed indirect object pronoun with no preposition). This is followed by the verb in question, conjugated to go with its subject, of course, which is the noun that follows the verb. A Pulcinella manca il panorama del Golfo di Napoli. Pulcinella misses the view of the Bay of Naples. Secondly, the English version of these sentences often has as its subject the person who in the Italian sentence is the indirect object, and what would be the direct object in the English sentence is often the subject of the Italian verb. For this reason, the literal translation of the Italian verb often sounds awkward in English or simply doesnt make sense, because English expresses the idea in a different way. So we give you the literal meaning first, then, when necessary, the verb most often used in English to express the same idea. Well start out by listing the way piacere functions, just by way of a reminder, and then continue with the verbal expressions that Antonella and Pulcinella use in the interview youve just heard. piacere - to be pleasing (to like) subject: the thing or person that somebody likes direct object: none indirect object: the person who likes something or someone Radio Arlecchino, Episode 18, pg 3 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
auxiliary: essere fare piacere - to be a pleasure subject: the thing that is a pleasure direct object: built in: piacere (the infinitive of a verb used as a noun) indirect object: the person for whom something is a pleasure auxiliary: avere mancare - to be absent (to miss in the sense of reacting emotionally to the absence of someone or something) subject: the person, thing, or place that is absent, and that, therefore, someone misses direct object: none indirect object: the person who misses someone, something, or some place auxiliary: essere servire - to be useful (to use, to need) subject: the thing that is useful direct object: none indirect object: the person for whom the thing is useful auxiliary: essere This expression is translated in different ways in English depending on the context, although the meaning is always essentially the same: Mi serve un microfono particolare per registrare la serenata sottomarina di Pulcinella. I need a special microphone to record Pulcinellas submarine serenade. Signor Pantalone, Le serve una mano con quella borsa di soldi? Signor Pantalone, can you use a hand with that sack of money? occorrere - to be necessary (to need) subject - the thing that is necessary, the thing needed direct object: none indirect object: the person who needs something auxiliary: essere bastare - to be enough subject: the thing that is enough direct object: none indirect object: the person for whom something is enough auxiliary: essere restare - to remain, to be left over (to have left, to have left over) subject: the thing that remains, that is left [over] direct object: none indirect object: the person who has something left [over] auxiliary: essere
Nota Culturale
Are you still wondering about the controversial bunch of Episode 17? Or dont you care much about intellectuals and dialects? Well, here's a quick explanation of why we called them controversial. It has to do with the economic boom of the late 50s, the so-called miracolo economico. Italy was trying to rebuild its economy after the terrifying and devastating years of World War II, and succeeded thanks to the financial aid of the Americans in 1948 through the Marshall Plan. In the process, Italy inevitably entered the era of consumerism; the icon of this was the TV. The introduction of the television into Italian homes brought about the need to use standard Italian to reach all viewers, and, consequently, placed a label of inferiority on those who spoke dialects. In reaction to this, intellectuals and writers such as Carlo Emilio Gadda, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Dacia Maraini and musicians such as 99 Posse, Almamegretta, Pino Daniele chose to include dialects in their artistic works in order to preserve the dignity of dialects and historical traditions. Particularly controversial was Pier Paolo Pasolini (Bologna, 1922 Idroscalo di Ostia, 1975) who composed some of his poetry in Friulan dialect, wrote the direct discourses of his two main novels in Roman dialect and let characters in many of his movies speak in dialect. Pasolini was not so much driven by the pure desire to be realistic, but rather to be close and loyal to the social classes he represented (rural class in poetry, subproletariat in novels and first movies). A group who embraced the importance of preserving the cultural and historical heritage of the past, is the ethnic pop-rock band Tazenda (Andrea Parodi, Gigi Camedda and Gino Marielli), from Sardegna (Sardinia). They mainly sing in sardo, which is not a dialect, but rather the language of which Sardinians are extremely proud. The song Non potho reposare (grazie Carlos!) is a classic in their repertoire and in the heart of many Sardinians. Andrea Parodis unique voice and his emotions while singing it seem to synthesize a powerful yet delicate love for the island. See the video of his last concert. Sardegna offers landscapes among the most splendid in Italy and in the world. Pulcinellas Amalfi Coast is undoubtedly a breathtaking miracle of nature. However, it is hard to share Pulcinellas disinterest in nuraghi, the pink granite coast, the clear green sea Antonella is right that Pulcinella probably never visited Sardegna! How could he dismiss the nuraghi, fortresses from the bronze age made of stone and burial chambers (remains of about 9,000 still exist), that are unique to this island. They are an impressive tie to a remote past. And what about the colors that one finds on this island? The pink of the granite rocks that surround sandy beaches, crystal clear water whose tonalities go from deep blue to green to light blue And has he been to Budelli? This beach is really pink due to the coral shattered by the sea! Nature and animal lovers will find no better place to practice the verb piacere than Sardegna! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears Radio Arlecchino, Episode 18, pg 5 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of "Global Thermogrammatical War," our recent show on talking about the future: il futuro semplice and il futuro anteriore. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=19 Buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato / Featured in this broadcast: Harmony Eichsteadt Niko Letsos Krista Lundquist Hubert Montoya
as the Students
Transcript : Irruzione
Voce dellapparecchio: Per favore, introduca quattro monete canadesi di venticinque centesimi.
Break-In
Voice of the device: Please insert four Canadian quarters.
Il Futurometro parla
Futurometro: Salve, Dottore! Studente alla tastiera: Ciao, Futurometro! Come stai? Futurometro: Io, bene! Ma Lei, Dottore... credevo che fosse in ospedale. Lo raccontano tutti i giornali. Studente alla tastiera: Eh... sai, capita che a volte persino i giornali sbagliano. Futurometro: S, vero. Vogliamo fare
The Futurometer speaks

Futurometro: Greetings, Dottore! Student at the keyboard: Hi, Futurometro! How are you? Futurometro: Im fine! But you, Dottore... I thought you were in the hospital. Its in all the papers. Student at the keyboard: You know, it happens sometimes that even the papers get it wrong. Futurometro: Yes, its true. Would you
una partita? Studente alla tastiera: Ti andrebbe guerra termogrammaticale globale? Futurometro: Non preferirebbe una bella partita a scacchi? Studente alla tastiera: No, giochiamo a guerra termogrammaticale globale! Futurometro: Bene. Scelga per favore un modo verbale. Studente alla tastiera: Indicativo. Futurometro: Bene. Scelga per favore un tempo verbale. Studente alla tastiera: Dai, Futurometro! Il futuro, senz'altro! Futurometro: Bene. Il futuro semplice.
like to play a game? Student at the keyboard: How about Global Thermogrammatical War? Futurometro: Wouldnt you prefer a nice game of chess? Student at the keyboard: No, lets play Global Thermogrammatical War! Futurometro: Fine. Please select a verbal mood. Student at the keyboard: Indicative. Futurometro: Fine. Please select a verb tense. Student at the keyboard: Come on, Futurometro! The future, of course! Futurometro: Fine. The simple future.
Coniugazioni
Futurometro: Prima coniugazione. Verbi in -are. fischiare, solleticare, dominare, eccetera. Il vostro esempio: Portare. Uno: Togliere la e finale dell'infinito. Risultato: Portar-Due: Mutare la a della desinenza dell'infinito in e. Risultato: Porter Tre: Aggiungere le desinenze del Futuro, che sono sempre le stesse, per tutte le coniugazioni. Risultati: porter, porterai, porter, porteremo, porterete, porteranno. Seconda coniugazione. Verbi in -ere. piovere, spremere, esplodere Il vostro esempio: Prendere. Uno: Togliere la e finale dell'infinito. Risultato: Prender--
Conjugations
Futurometro: First conjugation. Verbs ending in -are. to whistle, to tickle, to dominate, etc. Your example: to take or to carry. One: Remove the finale e from the infinitive. Result: Portar- Two: Change the a of the infinitive ending to e. Result: Porter- Three: Add the future endings, which are the same for all conjugations. Results: I will carry, you will carry, he/she/it will carry, we will carry, you will carry, they will carry. Second conjugation. Verbs ending in -ere to rain, to squeeze, to explode Your example: to take or to grab One: Remove the finale e from the infinitive. Result: Prender-
Due: Aggiungere le desinenze del Futuro, che sono sempre le stesse, per tutte le coniugazioni. Risultati: prender, prenderai, prender, prenderemo, prenderete, prenderanno. Terza coniugazione. Verbi in -ire. ruggire, investire, tossire. Il vostro esempio: Partire. Uno: Togliere la e finale dell'infinito. Risultato: Partir-Due: Aggiungere le desinenze del Futuro, che sono sempre le stesse, per tutte le coniugazioni. Risultati: partir, partirai, partir, partiremo, partirete, partiranno. Studente alla tastiera: verbi irregolari nel futuro... Futurometro: Irregolari? Nel futuro? S, ce ne sono alcuni. Essere, avere, andare, venire, vedere, porre, supporre, comporre, produrre, bere, tenere, tradurre, condurre, posporre, dovere, sapere, vivere, potere... Stamper un PDF che spiegher i futuri irregolari Il futuro anteriore.
Two: Add the future endings, which are the same for all conjugations. Results: I will take, you will take, he/she/it will take, we will take, you will take, they will take Third conjugation. Verbs ending in -ire to roar, to collide, to cough Your example: to depart One: Remove the finale e from the infinitive. Result: Partir- Two: Add the future endings, which are the same for all conjugations. Results: I will depart, you will depart, he/she/it will depart, we will depart, you will depart, they will depart. Student at the keyboard: verbs that are irregular in the future... Futurometro: Irregular? In the future? Yes, there are some.... to be, to have, to go, to come, to see, to put, to suppose, to compose, to produce, to drink, to hold, to translate, to conduct, to postpone, to have to, to know, to live, to be able... Ill print a PDF that will explain the irregular futures... The future perfect.
Il Futurometro fa sentire una puntata di Radio Arlecchino

Futurometro: In cerca di Radio Arlecchino, trasmissione sul futuro... Eric: Stasera Arlecchino e compagnia recitano in una nuova commedia. Antonella: Domani Pantalone va in banca e il Dottore d una lezione all'universit.
The Futuromenter plays a Radio Arlecchino episode

Futurometro: Searching for Radio Arlecchino, broadcast on the future... Eric: Tonight Arlecchino and company will act in a new play. Antonella: Tomorrow Pantalone will go to the bank and the Dottore will give a lesson at the university.
Antonella: Stasera Arlecchino e compagnia reciteranno in una nuova commedia. Eric: Domani Pantalone andr in banca e il Dottore dar una lezione all'universit. Eric: L'anno prossimo Pulcinella incider un nuovo CD. Antonella: Un giorno Pantalone smetter di fare la corte ad Arlecchina.
Antonella: Tonight Arlecchino and company will act in a new play. Eric: Tomorrow Pantalone will go to the bank and the Dottore will give a lesson at the university. Eric: Next year Pulcinella will record a new CD. Antonella: One day Pantalone will stop courting Arlecchina.
Arlecchino, pulirai i camerini, metterai Arlecchino, clean the dressing rooms, put via questi costumi, e poi aiuterai Pantalone away these costumes, and then help a calcolare il guadagno. Pantalone to count the receipts. Chi sar? Eric: Sar Colombina, vorr che laiutiamo ad imparare la square dance. Chi entrer dalla finestra? Antonella: Sar un ladro; tutti i nostri amici bussano alla porta. Futuro anteriore Antonella e Eric: Avr mangiato. Sar uscito. Avrai visto. Sarai tornato. Avr letto. Sar venuta. Avremo studiato. Saremo andati. Avrete capito. Sarete partiti. Avranno imparato. Si saranno laureati. I wonder who that is.... Eric: I imagine its Colombina, she probably wants us to help her learn the square dance. Who could be coming in through the window? Antonella: It must be a thief, all our friends knock at the door. Future perfect Antonella and Eric: I will have eaten. I will have gone out. You will have seen You will have come back. He/She will have read. She will have come. We will have studied. We will have gone. You will have understood. You will have departed. They will have learned. They will have received their university degrees.
Antonella: Quando Pulcinella tornato con il mandolino, Arlecchina era gi andata via. Quando Arlecchino vincer il premio Nobel, avr gi ricevuto cinque Oscar. Eric: Ma sono gi le tre! Dove sar il Dottore? Antonella: Chi lo sa? Si sar fermato a prendere alcuni Pasti Allegri prima di venire... Santo cielo! Cosa sar successo? Eric: Boh... Pulcinella avr condito un'altra frittata di spaghetti.
Antonella: When Pulcinella came back with his mandolin, Arlecchina had already gone away. When Arlecchino wins the Nobel Prize, he will already have received five Oscars. Eric: Why its already three oclock! Where do you suppose the Dottore is? Antonella: Who knows? He probably stopped to pick up some Cheerful Meals before coming. Good heavens! What could have happened? Eric: Beats me. Pulcinella probably seasoned another spaghetti frittata.
La farsa finita!
Futurometro: Il pubblico ti applaudir come il nuovo "American Idol" quando avrai imparato ad usare bene il futuro e mangerai tutte le tue verdure. Guiderai una Cinquecento vecchissima e scassatissima perch non avrai controllato il tuo conto in banca prima di andare dal concessionario. Le belle ragazze ti prenderanno in giro e -Studente alla tastiera: il Dottore guarir....? Futurometro: Scusi, ma credevo che fosse Lei il Dottore. Non vero? Mi dispiace, ragazzi, ma adesso dovr telefonare alla polizia... alla CIA... ai Carabinieri... all'Interpol... all'FBI...a Scotland Yard... alle Giovani Marmotte... Per favore, no... non fate cos... vi prego...
The jig is up!

Futurometro: The public will applaud you as the new American Idol when you have learned to use the future well and you eat all your vegetables. You will drive a beat up old Cinquecento because you wont have checked your bank account before going to the dealership. The pretty girls will make fun of you and-Student at the keyboard: will the Dottore get better...? Futurometro: Pardon me, but I thought you were the Dottore. Isnt that right? Im sorry, guys, but now Im going to have to phone the police... the CIA... the Carabinieri... Interpol... the FBI... Scotland Yard... the Junior Woodchucks... Please... no... dont do that... Im begging you...
Margherita, Non mi risponderai? Mezzo pazzo tu mi lascerai! Il nostro matrimonio Sar in manicomio Se tu un d in tandem con me A passeggiare non verrai.
Daisy, Daisy...
Nota Grammaticale
Il Futurometro vi d il benvenuto, ma aggiunge che se continuerete a mettere le mani nel suo meccanismo, vi far a pezzettini. You'd better consult a dictionary before messing with our robot friend, the Futurometer, again; in fact, you will find out that fare a pezzettini is not exactly the most fun thing you might wish for yourself Similarly to English, in Italian the simple future tense is used to describe actions that will take place in the future and is often accompanied by time expressions such as: domani, dopodomani, fra/tra (un'ora, ecc.), la prossima settimana (il mese prossimo, ecc.), subito dopo tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, in (one hour, etc.), next week (next month, etc.), right after. Often Italians also use the present tense to express actions about to take place in the immediate future. Contrary to English usage, in Italian--at least formal, not colloquial, Italian--if there is a future in the main clause and the dependent clause is introduced by quando, se, appena, when, if, as soon as, we will have what we can call a double future. Il Futurometro ti far a pezzettini se metterai le mani nel suo meccanismo. The Futurometer will cut you into bits and pieces if you put your hands in its apparatus. Also, differently from English, the expression I am going to explain everything about the future corresponds in Italian to I will explain everything about the future. In Italian we will not translate literally I am going to explain. Sto andando a spiegare in fact means that I am physically going somewhere to carry out my explanation about the future.
Since, as you heard in the podcast, the future endings are the same for all conjugations, regular or irregular, students usually get a handle on them fairly quickly. The problem that most often arises is in adding those endings to the correct future stem. Again, as heard in the podcast, the first step in obtaining the future stem is to drop the final e of the infinitive. That always results in a future stem that ends in an r. As we'll see in a moment, some other things may happen with verbs that are irregular in the future, but the future stem of every single Italian verb, to which you add the future endings, ends in the letter r. Remembering that will go a long way in helping you avoid problems... well, in the future! So, here are those future endings, the same for all verbs: - -ai - -emo -ete -anno Only the verbs in are will transform the characteristic vowel a into e. Verbs in -are: parler parlerai parler parleremo parlerete parleranno Verbs in -ere: scriver scriverai scriver scriveremo scriverete scriveranno Verbs in -ire: dormir dormirai dormir dormiremo dormirete dormiranno
Are there irregular verbs conjugated in the simple future? Of course, the Futurometer will reply! 1. Essere: sar, sarai, sar, saremo, sarete, saranno 2. Some verbs lose the first vowel of the infinitive ending and take a shortened form. Italian grammarians call this phenomenon la sincope. Some examples are: andare (andr), avere (avr), dovere (dovr), potere (potr), sapere (sapr), vedere (vedr), vivere (vivr). Avere: avr, avrai, avr, avremo, avrete, avranno 3. In other verbs, the first vowel of the infinitive ending is dropped and that ever-present letter r at the end of the stem is doubled. What's more, there is often further shortening of the future
stem. Examples of l'assimilazione, as it is known in Italian, are: bere (bevere: berr), rimanere (rimarr), tenere (terr), valere (varr), venire (verr), volere (vorr). Volere: vorr, vorrai, vorr, vorremo, vorrete, vorranno Note: Some verbs have a double r in the infinitive to begin with, and it's often hard to tell what conjugation they belong to, because they are shortened forms of older, obsolete infinitives. As far as the future tense is concerned though, it doesn't matter. Just drop the final e of the infinitive and add those endings! Examples: porre: porr, porrai, etc. tradurre: tradurr, tradurrai, etc. 4. Verbs in -care and in -gare take h before the vowel e in order to preserve the hard sound of the c or g. Cercare: cercher, cercherai, cercher, cercheremo, cercherete, cercheranno Spiegare: spiegher, spiegherai, spiegher, spiegheremo, spiegherete, spiegheranno The English future perfect and the Italian futuro anteriore are similar: they both express actions that will have taken place by a certain time. Entro domani avremo finito i compiti. By tomorrow we will have finished our homework. As our friend the Futurometer would point out, Italian is very meticulous when it comes to expressing the exact temporal sequence of actions: Dopo che avremo finalmente finito i compiti, usciremo. After we have finally finished our homework, we will go out. In the time sequence of the above sentence, finishing our homework takes place before our going out. Because the main clause presents an action in the future (usciremo), the other future action action must be expressed in the future perfect (dopo che avremo finito) -- the word anteriore means prior or before-- because it is an action that will take place in the future, but prior to another future action. As you can guess, the future perfect, il futuro anteriore, is formed by the simple future of the auxiliaries essere and avere and the past participle of the main verb. All the rules learned about compound tenses such as passato prossimo, trapassato prossimo, and so on, apply to the future perfect. Verbs that take the auxiliary avere, such as parlare:
avr parlato avrai parlato avr parlato avremo parlato avrete parlato avranno parlato If direct object pronouns (lo, la, li, le) are used, agreement with the past participle is mandatory: Avrai letto le riviste per domani? S, le avr lette. Will you have read the magazines by tomorrow? Yes, I will have read them. Verbs that take the auxiliary essere, such as partire: sar partito/a sarai partito/a sar partito/a saremo partiti/e sarete partiti/e saranno partiti/e As always, in compound tenses conjugated with the auxiliary essere, agreement between the subject and past participle is mandatory. If we had two Futurometers, an American and an Italian, comparing notes about the usage of the future tense in their native languages, they would have some difficulties in finding similarities with the so-called (for convenience only) futuro della probabilit or future of probability. Che quadro magnifico! A chi apparterr? Chi l'avr dipinto? What a magnificent painting! I wonder who the owner is... Who do you suppose painted it? Guessing, hypothesis, doubt can be expressed in Italian in the same way one does in English: Mi chiedo chi il proprietario di questo quadro e chi l' ha dipinto. I wonder who the owner of this painting is and who painted it. However, in Italian future of probability is much more frequently used since the concept is communicated more directly and faster. Since one can guess or wonder both about a present situation and a past one, future of probability will use simple future (what may be happening now) as well as future perfect (what may have already happened), as the above example shows. Finally, a very peculiar thing happens when a sentence has a past tense in the main clause and expresses an idea of the future in the dependent clause: Radio Arlecchino, Episode 19, pg 9 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Sapevo che tu saresti tornato qui. I knew that you would return here. (that you were going to return) Not a future tense or the present conditional, but the past conditional must be used in the second part. Quale grande genio avr stabilito questa regola??? Qualcuno che ama la consecutio temporis! Which great genius do you think created such a rule??? Someone who loves the consecutio temporis! A proposito, leggerete di altri geni nella nota culturale... By the way, you will read about other geniuses in the cultural note.
Nota Culturale
Our art and popular culture have conditioned us to think of the future in terms of science and technology and where they will lead us. Things such as hacking into the defense computers or facing existential questions about human existence in the vast reaches of outer space are not the kind of thing we usually associate with Italy. The glorious art and architecture of the Italian Renaissance, the mixture of the sensuous and the spiritual of the Italian Baroque, and the soaring lyrical flights of Italian opera through the nineteenth century usually dominate our perceptions of the Bel Paese. Of course, great Italian minds have been developing science and technology that have hastened our journey into the Future all along. The incredible Leonardo (1452-1519) comes immediately to mind, as it seems almost possible that he should have had a futurometro of his own, as he designed, engineered, or merely conceptualized countless devices and machines that were far ahead of his time. If you are one of the thousands who listen to Radio Arlecchino on a portable mp3 player, you owe a debt to Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), who invented the battery and lent his name to the familiar unit of electrical potential. If your imagination is galvanized by Volta's work with "animal electricity" then you will get a charge out of learning more about his contemporary and often rival, Luigi Galvani (1737-1798). Like our own Dottor Balanzone, Galvani was from Bologna. Seeing Galvani make a dead frog's legs twitch with a charge of static electricity may very well be what made the Dottore what he is today. If you feel the immense pressure that learning Italian grammar can sometimes exert, you might be able to measure it with the barometer invented by Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647). How many torrs of pressure are exerted on a student by the futuro anteriore? Aside from his scientific achievements, Torricelli had a knack for expressing himself quite poetically: "Noi viviamo sommersi nel fondo di un pelago daria," he wrote. "We live submerged at the bottom of an Radio Arlecchino, Episode 19, pg 10 2008 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
ocean of air." Pulcinella should remember this the next time he takes a dive for a serenade. Here at Radio Arlecchino we simply cannot fail to mention Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937). Although we love a good controversy as much as anybody else, we're not going to get involved in the "Who invented radio?" debate. But there's no doubt that Marconi's work on radiotelegraphy and wireless data transmission was instrumental in ushering in the age of telecommunications. Meanwhile, back in this century, great Italian scientific minds are still there, of course, but are now facing some old challenges that have created la fuga dei cervelli, the "brain flight" or "brain drain." Many recently graduated Italians with degrees in the sciences find it easier and more rewarding to pursue careers in their fields--especially those in research and development--outside Italy. This is seen as a problem in other countries of Europe and elsewhere as well. La globalizzazione will definitely be a challenging phenomenon nel futuro. We hope your future will include upcoming episodes of Radio Arlecchino, in which we will explore cause and effect in hypothetical statements. If we don't have to deal with any more unauthorized nocturnal visits from over-eager students! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Here's a transcript of " If You Cant Stand the Heat," our recent show introducing hypothetical statements. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=20 Buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato / Featured in this broadcast: Simone Sessolo Adria Frizzi Irene Eibenstein-Alvisi Pantalone Colombina la signora Balanzone
condizione condition | conseguenza - consequence
Transcript : A teatro
Antonella: E ora, se ci accompagnerete a teatro, sentirete il periodo ipotetico in azione. Pantalone: Oh! Se non sbaglio, sono i nostri amici pod-- poss-- Come si dice? I nostri amici che fanno i podcast, insomma! Benvenuti, entrate! Antonella: Salve, signor Pantalone. Che piacere rivederLa! Tutto pronto per lo spettacolo? Pantalone: Se San Genesio interceder per noi, supereremo anche questo caos. Eric: Ci sono problemi, signor Pantalone?
At the theatre
Antonella: And now, if you will accompany us, youll hear the hypothetical statement in action. Pantalone: Oh! If Im not mistaken, its our pod-- poss-- What is it? Our friends who do the podcasts, thats it! Welcome, come in! Antonella: Greetings, signor Pantalone. What a pleasure to see you again! Everything ready for the show? Pantalone: If Saint Genesius will intercede for us, we will overcome this chaos as well. Eric: Are there problems, signor Pantalone?
Colombina: Se il mascalzone che mi ha portato via le pantofole non me le restituisce proprio adesso, non metto pi piede sul palcoscenico! Arlecchino: Pure scalza reciterai bene se sei proprio una brava attrice!
Colombina: If that scoundrel who got away with my slippers doesnt bring them back right now, Im not setting foot on the stage! Arlecchino: Even barefoot youll perform well if you are really a good actress!
Colombina: Vieni qua, Arlecchino, se vuoi Colombina: Come here, Arlecchino, if you sapere quel che riesco a fare pure scalza! want to know what I can do even barefoot! Arlecchina: Oh, ragazzi! Pensiamo alla Arlecchina: Hey, guys! Lets think about commedia, dai! Se non le trovi, Colombina, the play, come on! If you dont find them, ti presto io delle scarpe... Colombina, Ill lend you some shoes... Dottor Balanzone: Arlecchina, dobbiamo Dottor Balanzone: Arlecchina, we must parlare un attimo se hai visto i cambiamenti talk for a moment if youve seen the al secondo atto! changes to the second act! Arlecchina: Senta, Dottore, se far pi cambiamenti a quella scena, Le giuro che sul palcoscenico stasera Lei vedr delle stelle! Pantalone: Se qualcuno ha visto Pulcinella, me lo dica subito! Sono tre ore che lo sto cercando! Voce dal televisore: Se tu conosci qualcuno che si avvelenato mangiando un Pasto Allegro Arlecchino, telefona subito agli avvocati dello studio Truffaldini Sborsagente e Cacciambulanza... Dottor Balanzone: Non gli ho spiegato mille volte che non colpa mia? Se qualcuno non spegne adesso quel maledetto apparecchio, se ne pentir! Arlecchino: Senti, Arlecchina, hai saputo con chi uscita ieri sera la nostra cara Colombina? Dottor Balanzone: Ripeto: Se non si spegne quel televisore vengo gi col Arlecchina: Listen, Dottore, if you make any more changes to that scene, I swear to you that on stage tonight youll see stars! Pantalone: If anyone has seen Pulcinella, tell me right away. Ive been looking for him for three hours! Voice from the television set: If you know someone who has been poisoned by eating an Arlecchino Happy Meal, phone the law office of Truffaldini, Sborsagente and Cacciambulanza now! Dottor Balanzone: Havent I explained to them a thousand times that it isnt my fault? If someone doesnt turn off that cursed device now, hell regret it! Arlecchino: Listen, Arlecchina, have you heard with whom our dear Colombina went out last night? Dottor Balanzone: I repeat: If that television set doesnt get turned off Im
martello! Arlecchina: Non lo so e non minteressa! Ma ti dico una cosa, se uscita con Pantalone non ha avuto un secondo di pace! Quel vecchio una piovra! Colombina: Se non Le dispiace, Dottore, non lo spengo ma cambio il canale... Signora Balanzone: Buona sera! Buona sera a tutti! Tutto bene? Tutto pronto per lo spettacolo? Se posso essere utile, sono a vostra disposizione! Arlecchino: La Balanzone! Ci mancava proprio lei! Voce dal televisore: Spettacolo Stasera vi presenta unintervista esclusiva! Se non sapevate gi che stasera al Teatro Pazzimpalco reciter il celeberrimo Pulcinella, ve lo comunichiamo adesso! Signora Balanzone: Eh, mo parlano del vostro spettacolo! Se mi permettete, alzo un po il volume.... Voce dal televisore: Inoltre, Spettacolo Stasera presenta ora unintervista esclusiva con la superstar napoletana, in diretta, dal vivo, e live -- qui con noi nello studio di Spettacolo Stasera! Ciao, Pulcinella! Signora Balanzone: Eccolo, proprio lui, il nostro Pulcinella. Pantalone: Che? Accidenti! Se quel mascalzone sta facendo dal vivo quello spettacolo, vuol dire che da morto far il nostro se il suo San Gennaro non lo salver dalle mie grinfie!
coming down there with my hammer! Arlecchina: I dont know and I dont care. But Ill tell you one thing, if she went out with Pantalone she didnt have a moments peace. That old man is an octopus! Colombina: If you dont mind, Dottore, I wont turn it off, Ill just change the channel... Mrs Balanzone: Good evening! Good evening, everybody! Is everything all right? Everything ready for the show? If I may be of assistance, I am at your disposal! Arlecchino: The Balanzone woman! Just what we needed! Voice from the TV: Spettacolo Stasera presents an exclusive interview! If you didnt already know that tonight at the Pazzimpalco Theatre the super-famous Pulcinella will perform, were letting you know now! Mrs Balanzone: Theyre talking about your show! If you dont mind, Ill turn up the volume a bit... Voice from the TV: Furthermore, Spettacolo Stasera brings you an exclusive interview with the Neapolitan superstar, live and in person... here with us in the Spettacolo Stasera studio! Hi, Pulcinella! Mrs Balanzone: There he is! Its him, our own Pulcinella. Pantalone: What? Zounds! If that scoundrel is doing that show live, it means hell be doing ours dead if his Saint Gennaro doesnt save him from my claws!
Pulcinella alla televisione: Buona sera, buona sera a tutti! Se avete delle domande, sono pronto a rispondere!
Pulcinella on the TV: Good evening, good evening, everyone! If you have questions, I am ready to answer!
Pantalone: Saprai quali domande ti far io, Pantalone: Youll find out the questions mascalzone! that Ill be asking you, you scoundrel! Signora Balanzone: Se non sbaglio, sembra un po pi cicciottello alla televisione... Arlecchina: Ma non si rende conto che qui il sipario sta per alzarsi tra-Voce allaltoparlante: due minuti. Gentile compagnia, il sipario si alza tra due minuti. Tutti al loro posto, per favore... Colombina: Ma si pu sapere dove sono le mie pantofole? Pantalone: Colombina, mia cara, non prenderai un po' di aranciata con me prima che cominci-Colombina: Signor Pantalone, per carit! Arlecchino: Ma non possibile! Come facciamo? Mrs Balanzaone: If Im not mistaken, he seems a bit plumper on television... Arlecchina: But doesnt he realize that here the curtain is about to go up in-Voice on the speaker: two minutes. Dear company, the curtain is going up in two minutes. Places, everyone, please... Colombina: Is it possible to know where my slippers are? Pantalone: Colombina, my dear, wont you have a bit of orangeade with me before-Colombina: Signor Pantalone, for heavens sake! Arlecchino: Its not possible. What are we to do?
Signora Balanzone: Che strano! Quel cane Mrs Balanzone: How odd! That dogs porta fra i denti delle pantofole bellissime... carrying some beautiful slippers about in his teeth... Arlecchina: C un sostituto? Arlecchino: Macch sostituto! Colombina: Non trovo pi il mio fazzoletto di merletto veneziano! Mi serve per il primo atto! Arlecchino: Lo ammazzer! Arlecchina: Is there an understudy? Arlecchino: Yeah, right, an understudy.... Colombina: Im not finding my Venetian lace handkerchief! I need it for the first act! Arlecchino: Ill kill him!
Arlecchina: Lo ammazzerai solo se io non lavr gi ammazzato! Signora Balanzone: Ma come sono carine queste galline! Saranno brave nello spettacolo... Dottor Balanzone: Dov' mia moglie? Chi l'ha vista? Chiamate subito la signora Balanzone! Colombina: Di chi sono queste galline? Signora Balanzone: Oh, mio caro Balanzone, non ti preoccupare, vengo subito! Colombina: Arlecchino! Sbrigati! Pantalone: No, no, le galline no! Le galline devono entrare dall'altra parte. Le galline sempre dalla sinistra! Signora Balanzone: S, s, ora spengo io il televisore... Pantalone: Arlecchina, mia cara, non prenderai un po' di aranciata con me prima che cominci lo spettacolo? Colombina: Venga, Dottore! Mi deve accompagnare adesso! Dottore: Sono pronto! Sono semper paratus! Arlecchina: Questo il colmo! Pantalone: Ecco, vedete? Le mucche qui! Le mucche entreranno in scena da questa parte... Signora Balanzone: Dovresti mangiare qualcosa prima di andare in scena, dai...
Arlecchina: Youll kill him only if I havent already killed him! Mrs Balanzone: Now arent these chickens darling? Theyll be great in the show... Dottor Balanzone: Where is my wife? Whos seen her? Call Mrs Balanzone right away! Colombina: Whose are these chickens? Mrs Balanzone: Oh my dear Balanzone, dont worry, Im coming right now! Colombina: Arlecchino, hurry up! Pantalone: No, no, not the chickens! The chickens must come in from the other side. Chickens always from the left! Mrs Balanzone: Yes, yes, Ill turn off the television now... Pantalone: Arlecchina, my dear, wont you have a bit of orangeade with me before the show starts? Colombina: Come, Dottore! You must accompany me now! Dottor Balanzone: Im ready! I am semper paratus! Arlecchina: This is the last straw! Pantalone: There, you see? The cows here! The cows will enter the scene on this side... Mrs Balanzone: You ought to eat something before you go onstage, come on...
Colombina: Ma cosa faremo nel secondo atto se non arriver Pulcinella? Pantalone: Con Pulcinella o senza di lui! Lo spettacolo deve andare avanti. Antonella: Eric! Non credo che qui ce la facciamo a combinare niente! Eric: Lo dici a me? Andiamo! Signora Balanzone: Avete visto quanta gente? Non c neanche una poltrona vuota! Pantalone: Attenti! Sipario! Si alza il sipario! Commedia! Antonella: Che disastro! Cosa faranno se non arriver Pulcinella? Eric: Boh. Ma gli attori della commedia sono famosi per la loro improvvisazione. Antonella: proprio Pulcinella che dovr avere quel talento se lo piglia Pantalone.
Colombina: But what are we going to do in the second act if Pulcinella doesnt arrive? Pantalone: With Pulcinella or without him! The show must go on! Antonella: Eric! I dont believe we can get anything done around here! Eric: Youre telling me? Lets go! Mrs Balanzone: Have you seen how many people? Theres not even one empty seat! Pantalone: Attention! Curtain! Curtain going up! Show time! Antonella: What a disaster! What will they do if Pulcinella doesnt get here? Eric: Search me. But the actors of the commedia are famous for their improvisation. Antonella: Its really Pulcinella who will need that talent if Pantalone gets a hold of him.
Nota Grammaticale
Hypothetical statements are made up of two clauses: one describes a condition (la condizione)and the other states a consequence (la conseguenza) of the condition being met. The condizione is set up in the clause introduced by if: se. condition If Pulcinella doesnt show up in time to make his entrance.... consequence ...the other actors will have their revenge! The three types of periodi ipotetici are defined by their degree of reality or possibilty. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 20, pg 6 2009 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
il periodo ipotetico del primo tipo In this type of hypothesis the condition is seen as real or likely, so its consequence is seen as real or probable as well. Both clauses will have verbs in the indicative mood (modo indicativo) in the appropriate tense. Sometimes the imperative (modo imperativo), or command form, appears in the consequence. In this type of hypothesis, the English if can often be substituted with whenever. If the Dottore forgot his lines he would start speaking nonsense in Latin. Whenever the Dottore forgot his lines... il periodo ipotetico del secondo tipo The condition is possible, but viewed as unlikely. The consequence, then, is also possible but viewed as doubtful or merely theoretical. The condition will have a verb in the imperfect subjunctive (limperfetto del congiuntivo) and the consequence will have a verb in the conditional (il condizionale). il periodo ipotetico del terzo tipo Both the condition and the consequence are either contrary to fact or impossible. The verb in the condition will be either imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive, (congiuntivo imperfetto o trapassato) and the verb in the consequence will be either present or past conditional (condizionale presente o passato). Well take up the second and third types in a future episode. In todays podcast, were focusing on the periodo ipotetico del primo tipo. This type of hypothetical statement uses tenses of the indicative mood in both clauses. If you would like to review those, remember that we talk about past tenses in Episodes 1, 2 and 3; and about the future tenses in Episode 19. Since the imperative is sometimes used in the consequence clause, you might want to look at Episodes 9 and 10. It may be helpful at this point to review briefly the present indicative, (lindicativo presente). Italian verbs that are regular form the present indicative as follows: First, drop the infinitive ending (-are, -ere, -ire) and then add the appropriate endings to the remaining stem.
cantare --> cant- + -o, -i, -a, -iamo, -ate, -ano canto canti canta cantiamo cantate cantano When the stem of a 1st-conjugation verb ends in c or g (-care, -gare), an h is inserted between the stem and the endings that begin in i in order to preserve the hard sound of the c or g. cercare: cerco, cerchi, cerca, cerchiamo, cercate, cercano pagare: pago, paghi, paga, paghiamo, pagate, pagano When the infinitive ends in -ciare, -giare, -gliare or -sciare, the i at the end of the stem is dropped when the ending begins with i (to avoid two is in a row) cominciare: comincio, cominci, comincia, cominciamo, cominciate, cominciano mangiare: mangio, mangi, mangia, mangiamo, mangiate, mangiano sbagliare sbaglio, sbagli, sbaglia, sbagliamo, sbagliate, sbagliano lasciare: lascio, lasci, lascia, lasciamo, lasciate, lasciano When the infinitive ends in -iare, the i of the stem is dropped in the second-person singular form only if the i is not stressed in the first-person singular form. studiare: io STUdio studio, studi, studia, studiamo, studiate, studiamo inviare: io inVIo invio, invii, invia, inviamo, inviate, inviano prendere --> prend- + -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ete, -ono prendo prende prendi prendiamo prendete prendono
sentire --> sent- + -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ite, -ono sento senti sente sentiamo sentite sentono finire (-isc-) --> fin- + -isco, -isci, -isce, -iamo, -ite, -iscono finisco finisci finisce finiamo finite finiscono About the third (-ire) conjugation: most of these verbs insert isc between the stem and the endings of the singular forms and the third-person plural form. Theres no reliable way to predict which verbs take the isc and which dont, so you just have to learn that when you learn the verbs. But remember that the isc is inserted only in the present tense (of both the indicative and the subjunctive). Of course theres plenty of irregular verbs in the present indicative. Avere and essere are at the top of the list. avere ho hai ha abbiamo avete hanno essere sono sei siamo siete sono
Of the verbs ending in -are in the infinitive, only four are irregular in the present indicative: andare vado vai va andiamo andate vanno dare do dai d diamo date danno fare faccio fai fa facciamo fate fanno stare sto stai sta stiamo state stanno
The rest of them are as unpredictable as they are irregular. Some of them do fall into groups that share a common pattern. G: now you see it, now you dont rimanere to stay, to remain rimango rimani rimane rimaniamo rimanete rimangono Verbs in -gliere: togliere to remove, to take away tolgo togli toglie togliamo togliete tolgono also scegliere to choose: scelgo, scegli, etc... The modal verbs are just plain irregular: dovere to have to, must devo devi deve dobbiamo dovete devono potere to be able, can, may posso puoi pu possiamo potete possono volere to want voglio vuoi vuole vogliamo volete vogliono raccogliere to collect, to gather raccolgo raccogli raccoglie raccogliamo raccogliete raccolgono salire to go up salgo sali sale saliamo salite salgono tenere to hold, to keep tengo tieni tiene teniamo tenete tengono venire to come vengo vieni viene veniamo venite vengono
There are many more, of course, so be alert! Meanwhile, back at the periodo ipotetico del primo tipo... Were using the appropriate tense of the indicative in both the condition and the consequence (with an occasional imperative showing up in the consequence).
Se non hai perso i biglietti, potremo vedere Arlecchino e compagnia a teatro stasera. If you have not lost the tickets, we will be able to see Arlecchino and company at the theatre tonight. Se Pantalone vede una bella ragazza che gli piace, le offre sempre un po di aranciata. If Pantalone sees a pretty girl that he likes, he always offers her a bit of orangeade. Note that it doesnt matter which of the two clauses comes first in the sentence: Il Dottor Balanzone distrugger il televisore col martello se non lo spegner subito. Dottor Balanzone will destroy the television set with the hammer if I dont turn it off right away. Se gli spettatori non applaudivano, Arlecchino gli buttava in faccia un secchio dacqua. If the spectators didnt applaud, Arlecchino threw (would throw) a bucket of water in their faces. As Eric and Antonella mentioned in the podcast, the conditional mood is required for the consequence of hypothetical statements of the second and third types. So, stay tuned for our next episode exploring the conditions of the conditional. Then well be ready for Close Hypotheses of the Second and Third Kind. Until then... Se hai mal di testa, prendi unaspirina! If you have a headache, take an aspirin!
Nota culturale
As we know, Roman Catholicism is the largest religion in Italy and greatly affects Italian culture and holidays. In this episode, listeners are introduced to two saints in particular: San Genesio, the patron saint of actors, and San Gennaro, the personal patron saint of Pulcinella simply because he is Neapolitan! When you look at an Italian calendar, you very often see that every day is accompanied by the name of a saint: Santo Stefano (December 26th), Santa Martina (January 30th), San Teodoro (February 7th), Sant'Alessandra (March 20th), and so on, the list is 360 days long! Italians celebrate two personal festivities: il compleanno, birthday, and l'onomastico, the saint's day, that is, the day in which your name coincides with the name of the saint on the religious calendar. So if your name is Valeria, you are going to have a great celebration on your birthday (party with family and friends, gifts, cake, champagne, etc.) and on April 28, you will have a second celebration, although on a much smaller scale! The patron saint of Italy is Saint Francis of Assisi--San Francesco--and each city, large and small, has one as well. The patron saints of Rome are San Pietro e Paolo (June 29th), the patron saint of Venice is San Marco (April 25th), of Milan Sant'Ambrogio (Dec. 7th), of Florence San Giovanni (June 24th), of Bologna San Petronio (October 4th), of Naples San Gennaro (September 19th), of Bari San Nicola (May 7th-9th), of Palermo Santa Rosalia--finally, a Radio Arlecchino, Episode 20, pg 11 2009 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
woman!--(July 15th), of Cagliari Sant'Efisio (May 1st), and so on. If you visit a city on the day in which its patron saint is celebrated, be aware that it is a local holiday: Offices and many stores are closed, there are fewer buses running, etc.; however, you will enjoy public celebration with musical bands, religious processions, markets, special desserts, fairs and other amusements. Italians share many of the worldwide Christian holidays, such as All Saints' Day (Nov. 1st), All Souls' Day (Nov. 2nd), Christmas, Lent, Palm Sunday, and Easter. One of Italian children's favorite holidays is la Befana (Epiphany) on January 6th: after the gifts of Babbo Natale (Santa Claus), they see their stockings filled with candies, small presents and carbone, coal (a piece of black sugar). The most important summer holiday in Italy is Ferragosto (l'Assunzione, the Assumption Day) on August 15th: it celebrates the assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven and it's safe to say that everyone takes that day off! We will be very happy if you join us for upcoming episodes of Radio Arlecchino; well be exploring the conditional mood (with the Dottores newest contraption) before we move on to hypothetical statements of the second and third types! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Heres a transcript of Lost in the Woulds, our recent show about the conditional mood: il condizionale presente and il condizionale passato. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=21 Buon ascolto! Hanno partecipato / Featured in this broadcast: Irene Eibenstein-Alvisi Simone Sessolo Adria Frizzi as Mrs Balanzone as Pantalone as Colombina
"Balla-Balanzone"
la Signora Balanzone: Gentili ascoltatori, vorrei comunicarvi che il sogno di ballare la square dance con la necessaria disinvoltura ora realizzabile! Potreste andare in Texas come abbiamo fatto io e il Dottor Balanzone ma -- beati voi! -- questo non sar pi necessario per superare le difficolt di questa danza straordinaria! Non preferireste allenarvi nella privacy delle vostre case? Adesso potete farlo! Grazie ai nuovi podcast della Balla-Balanzone, qualsiasi persona sar in grado di esplorare i movimenti ritmici del Far West! Il dottore ed io condivideremo con voi tutti i segreti della Square Dance nei nostri podcast. Non ci fareste l'onore di fare i primi passi con noi...? Scoprirete tutti i segreti della Square Dance con i nostri podcast Balla-Balanzone!
"Balla-Balanzone"
Mrs Balanzone: Dear listeners, I would like to let you know that dream of dancing the square dance with the necessary aplomb is now within reach! You could go to Texas as Doctor Balanzone and I did but -- lucky you! -- this will no longer be necessary for overcoming the difficulties of this extraordinary dance! Wouldnt you prefer to train in the privacy of your home? Now you can do it! Thanks to the new Balla-Balanzone podcast, anybody will be up to exploring the rhythmic motions of the Far West! The doctor and I will share with you the all the secrets of the square dance in our podcast. Wouldnt you do us the honor of taking your first steps with us? Youll discover all the secrets of the Square Dance with our Balla-Balanzone podcasts!
Il Condizionatore 9000
Dottor Balanzone: Il Condizionatore 9000! Tutto quello che il Futurometro fa per il futuro, il Condizionatore 9000 lo fa per il condizionale. Ecco il dispositivo che svela tutti i misteri di questo modo verbale! Antonella: Ce lo farebbe vedere, Dottore? Dottor Balanzone: Ecce Conditionator! Antonella: veramente una visione mozzafiato! Dottor Balanzone: Lo so, modestia a parte, proprio bello! Antonella: No, no, dottore! Dico sul serio! Mi ha tolto il respiro! Dottor Balanzone: Mio dio! Mi perdoni! Ecco, lo metto nello stato neutrale. Antonella: Grazie! Grazie, Dottore! Prima di tutto, Dottore, ci spiegherebbe, che cos' in realt il condizionale? Dottor Balanzone: Ve lo spiegherei volentieri, ma... perch lo dovrei fare io quando abbiamo davanti a noi il miracoloso Condizionatore 9000? Chi altro potrebbe spiegarvelo meglio? Antonella: Non saprei... Dottor Balanzone: Appunto! Accendiamo il Condizionatore! Ma prima, onde evitare che i codici segreti per la messa in moto siano nuovamente intercettati, dovremo adottare speciali misure di sicurezza. Lei, signorina, dovr chiudere gli occhi e
The Conditionator 9000

Dottor Balanzone: The Conditionator 9000! Everything the Futurometer does for the future, the Conditionator 9000 does for the conditional. Behold the device that reveals all the mysteries of this verbal mood! Antonella: Would you show it to us, Dottore? Dottor Balanzone: Ecce Conditionator! Antonella: Its truly a breathtaking sight! Dottor Balanzone: I know, if I do say so myself, its quite beautiful. Antonella: No, no, dottore! Im serious! Its taken my breath away! Dottor Balanzone: My heavens! Forgive me! Here, Ill put it in neutral. Antonella: Thank you! Thank you, Dottore! First of all, Dottore, would you explain to us, what is the conditional, really? Dottor Balanzone: I would gladly explain it to you, but... why should I do so when we have before us the miraculous Conditionator 9000? Who else could explain it to you better? Antonella: I wouldnt know... Dottor Balanzone: Precisely! Lets activate the Conditionator! But first, to avoid that the secret codes for setting it in motion be intercepted again, we must adopt special security measures. You, miss, will have to close your eyes and cover your
tapparsi le orecchie; il radiotrasmettitore dovr interrompere momentaneamente il servizio mentre io eseguo -Ecco! Tutto sistemato! Le spiegazioni saranno in inglese e gli esempi in italiano... [...] Condizionatore: Dottore, vuole continuare con le forme del condizionale o preferirebbe esaminare le sue varie funzioni? Dottor Balanzone: Prima di tutto, le forme. Poi potremo elencare le funzioni: nunc coniugatio... [...] Condizionatore: Per questo sarebbe un'ottima idea consultare il Futurometro, nella puntata 19 di Radio Arlecchino: [...] Il condizionale presente -- Prima coniugazione (-are): fischiare fischierei fischieresti fischierebbe fischieremmo fischiereste fischierebbero Il condizionale presente -- Seconda coniugazione (-ere): spremere spremerei spremeresti spremerebbe spremeremmo spremereste
ears; the radio transmitter will have to interrupt service for a moment while I perform -There! Everything ready! The explanations will be in English and the examples in Italian... [...] Conditionator: Dottore, do you want to continue with the forms of the conditional or would you prefer to examine its various functions? Dottor Balanzone: First of all, the forms. Then we will be able to list the functions. Nunc coniugatio... [...] Conditionator: For this it would be an excellent idea to consult the Futurometer, in Episode 19 of Radio Arlecchino. [...] The present conditional -- First conjugation (-are): fischiare (to whistle) I would whistle you would whistle he, she, it would whistle we would whistle you would whistle they would whistle The present conditional -- Second conjugation (-ere): spremere (to squeeze) I would squeeze you would squeeze he, she, it would squeeze we would squeeze you would squeeze
spremerebbero Il condizionale presente -- Terza coniugazione (-ire): tossire tossirei tossiresti tossirebbe tossiremmo tossireste tossirebbero Il condizionale passato -- verbo transitivo: portare avrei portato avresti portato avrebbe portato avremmo portato avreste portato avrebbero portato Il condizionale passato -- verbo intransitivo: partire sarei partito/a saresti partito/a sarebbe partito/a saremmo partiti/e sareste partiti/e sarebbero partiti/e
they would squeeze The present conditional -- Third conjugation (-ire): tossire (to cough) I would cough you would cough he, she, it would cough we would cough you would cough they would cough The past conditional -- Transitive verb: portare (to take, to carry) I would have carried you would have carried he, she, it would have carried we would have carried you would have carried they would have carried The past conditional -- Intransitive verb: partire (to depart) I would have departed you would have departed he, she, it would have departed we would have departed you would have departed they would have departed
Dottore, vorrebbe continuare adesso con le Dottore, would you like to continue now funzioni del modo condizionale? with the functions of the conditional mood? Dottore Balanzone: Grazie, s, vorrei, anzi, vorremmo, continuare ora ad esaminare le funzioni! [...] Informazioni non confermate Condizionatore: Il ministro annuncerebbe la nomina di un nuovo Dottor Balanzone: Thank you, yes, I would, rather, we would like to continue now to examine the functions! [...] Unconfirmed information Condizionator: The minister is expected to announce the nomination of a new
sottosegretario di stato. Il ladro sarebbe entrato dalla finestra del salotto mentre i padroni di casa dormivano. Opinione personale Penso che tu debba chiedere la ricetta a Pulcinella. Dovresti chiedere la ricetta a Pulcinella. Avremmo dovuto evacuare lo studio prima che Pulcinella cominciasse a preparare la frittata. Lesortazione Colombina, dovresti fare pace con Arlecchina. Fareste meglio a non tossire durante il monologo di Pantalone. Unazione posteriore ad una passata Ha detto che avrebbe preso l'autobus numero 64 e che ci avrebbe incontrato davanti all'obelisco a mezzogiorno. Arlecchino ci ha promesso che il facchino avrebbe portato i nostri bagagli alla stazione e che sarebbe arrivato a prenderli prima del pranzo. Unindicazione utile Dottore, vorrebbe sentire pi coniugazioni nel modo condizionale o preferirebbe ascoltare altri esempi sull'uso? Potremmo anche suggerire alcune indicazioni utili agli studenti. Dottor Balanzone: le indicazioni utili
undersecretary of state. The thief allegedly entered through the living-room window while the homeowners were sleeping. Personal opinion I think you must ask Pulcinella for the recipe. You should ask Pulcinella for the recipe.
Exhortation Colombina, you ought to make up with Arlecchina. Youd better not cough during Pantalones monologue. An action subsequent to a past action He said he would take the number 64 bus and that he would meet us in front of the obelisk at noon. Arlecchino promised us that the porter would take our bags to the station and that he would arrive to pick them up before lunch. A helpful tip Dottore, would you like to hear more conjugations of the conditional mood or would you prefer to listen to other examples of its use? We could also suggest some helpful tips to the students. Dottor Balanzone: The useful tips would
sarebbero molto gradite! [...] Condizionatore: Andremmo al cinema stasera ma abbiamo gi visto quel film. Quando avevo dodici anni, andavamo al cinema ogni sabato pomeriggio. Dottore, vorrebbe continuare o gradirebbe una pausa? Dottor Balanzone: Io potrei continuare fino a tarda notte quando si tratta di modi e tempi verbali, ma una pausa sarebbe davvero gradita! Condizionatore: Adesso effettueremo l'autodesattivazione. Il telegiornale continua... il telegiornalista: ...e hanno portato la maggior parte degli animali al rifugio della Societ Protezione Animali. la telegiornalista: Alcuni spettatori avrebbero portato via delle galline nonch numerose mucche. il telegiornalista: Il capocomico della troupe, il signor Pantalone de' Bisognosi, ha detto che avrebbe cercato di recuperare tutto il pollame ma che non sarebbe stato pratico ricercare il bestiame disperso per la citt. la telegiornalista: Il signor Bisognosi, in una conferenza stampa, ha fatto la seguente dichiarazione: Pantalone: La mia intenzione di rettificare quanto possibile le conseguenze
be most appreciated! [...] Conditionator: We would go to the movies tonight if we had not already seen that movie. When I was twelve years old, we would go to the movies every Saturday afternoon. Dottore, would you like to continue or would you enjoy a break? Dottor Balanzone: I could go on until late at night when its a matter of verbal moods and tenses, but a break would be quite welcome! Conditionator: We will now perform selfdeactivation. The news broadcast continues... Anchorman: ...and they took most of the animals to the shelter of the Society for the Protection of Animals. Anchorwoman: Some of the audience members allegedly left with some of the chickens as well as numerous cows. Anchorman: The head of the troupe, Mr Pantalone de Bisognosi, said that he would try to recover all of the fowl but that it would not be practical to search for the cattle dispersed throughout the city. Anchorwoman: Mr Bisognosi, in a press conference, made the following statement: Pantalone: My intention is to rectify, as much as possible, the negative
negative di questa deplorevole situazione. Ma vorrei che tutti sapessero che senza le omissioni e la totale mancanza di responsabilit di un nostro futuro excollega, un certo Pulcinella, questa catastrofe non sarebbe mai avvenuta! il telegiornalista: Nella stessa conferenza stampa, un'attrice della troupe, la signorina Colombina, ha aggiunto Colombina: Non so dove ti sei nascosto, Pulcinella, ma ti giuro, se avrai la faccia tosta di rimettere piede sul palcoscenico io... ti... non... senti, non so che cosa farei, ma sarebbe disastroso -- per te! la telegiornalista: Un portavoce del Teatro Pazzimpalco, scena del caotico scandalo zoologico, ha parlato con un nostro corrispondente: Portavoce del Teatro: Non ne so niente di quel Pulcinella, ma vi posso dire... Non avevo mai visto una cosa simile! Chi avrebbe potuto immaginarlo? Nessuno mi aveva detto che nello spettacolo avrebbero recitato delle galline. Mucche? Cani? Gatti? Chi poteva prevedere che avrebbero invaso ogni angolo del teatro? Dietro le quinte, sul palcoscenico, fra le poltrone in platea... Quando ho sentito il barrito di quel pachiderma che entrava in scena, mi venuta la pelle d'oca. Oh! Vorrei ben sperare che non ci fossero anche delle oche, ma insomma! il telegiornalista: Non siamo riusciti a contattare il signor Pulcinella, il cui mancato arrivo avrebbe inasprito la confusione al Teatro Pazzimpalco, n sappiamo con certezza il numero di feriti, sia umani che animali. la telegiornalista: State ascoltando il
consequences of this deplorable situation. But I would like for everyone to know that without the negligence and complete lack of responsibility of a future ex-colleague of ours, a certain Pulcinella, this catastrophe would never have taken place! Anchorman: In the same press conference, an actress in the troupe, Miss Colombina, added: Colombina: I dont know where youve hidden, Pulcinella, but I swear to you, if you have the gall to set foot on the stage again, I... listen, I dont know what Ill do but it will be disastrous -- for you! Anchorwoman: A spokesperson for the Pazzimpalco Theatre, scene of the chaotic zoological scandal, spoke with one of our correspondents. Theatre Spokesperson: I dont know anything about this Pulcinella, but I can tell you... I had never seen anything like it! Who could have imagined it? Nobody had told me that animals would perform in the show. Cows? Dogs? Cats? Who could foresee that they would invade every corner of the theatre? Backstage, onstage, among the seats in the house... When I heard the trumpeting of that pachyderm going onstage, I got goosebumps. Oh! I would certainly hope that there werent any geese as well, but after all! Anchorman: We havent been able to contact Mr Pulcinella, whose failure to arrive allegedly set off the confusion at the Pazzimpalco Theatre, nor do we know for certain the number of wounded, human or animal. Anchorwoman: Youre listening to Radio
notiziario di Radio Arlecchino.
Arlecchino News.
Nota Grammaticale
What would we do without the conditional mood...? Well, for one thing, we couldnt hypothesize about that. But lets start with some good news... As you heard in the podcast, the conditional endings are the same for all conjugations, regular or irregular. More good news is that the conditional stem is always the same as the future stem. So if youve already listened to Episode 19, Global Thermogrammatical War, youve got that part of the conditional all figured out. In any case, well review. The first step in obtaining the conditional (and future) stem is to drop the final e of the infinitive. That always results in a conditional stem that ends in an r. As we'll see in a moment, some other things may happen with verbs that are irregular in the conditional, but the conditional stem of every single Italian verb, to which you add the conditional endings, ends in the letter r. So, here are those conditional endings, the same for all verbs: -ei -esti -ebbe -emmo -este -ebbero Only the verbs in -are, will transform the characteristic vowel a into e: parlar- --> parlerparlerei parleresti parlerebbe parleremmo parlereste parlerebbero Verbs in -ere: scriverei scriveresti scriverebbe scriveremmo scrivereste scriverebbero Radio Arlecchino, Episode 21, pg 8 2009 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Verbs in -ire: dormirei dormiresti dormirebbe dormiremmo dormireste dormirebbero And now, for the Inevitable Irregularities. Aye-aye, Captain! 1. Essere: sarei, saresti, sarebbe, saremmo, sareste, sarebbero 2. Some verbs lose the first vowel of the infinitive ending and take a shortened form. Italian grammarians call this phenomenon la sincope. Some examples are: andare (andrei), avere (avrei), dovere (dovrei), potere (potrei), sapere (saprei), vedere (vedrei), vivere (vivrei). Avere: avrei, avresti, avrebbe, avremmo, avreste, avrebbero 3. In other verbs, the first vowel of the infinitive ending is dropped and that ever-present letter r at the end of the stem is doubled. What's more, there is often further shortening of the future stem. Examples of l'assimilazione, as it is known in Italian, are: bere (bevere: berrei), rimanere (rimarrei), tenere (terrei), valere (varrei), venire (verrei), volere (vorrei). Volere: vorrei, vorresti, vorrebbe, vorremmo, vorreste, vorrebbero Note: Some verbs have a double r in the infinitive to begin with, and it's often hard to tell what conjugation they belong to, because they are shortened forms of older, obsolete infinitives. As far as the conditional is concerned though, it doesn't matter. Just drop the final e of the infinitive and add those endings! Examples: porre: porrei, porresti, etc. tradurre: tradurrei, tradurresti, etc. 4. Verbs in -care and in -gare take h before the vowel e in order to preserve the hard sound of the c or g. Cercare: cercherei, cercheresti, cercherebbe, cercheremmo, cerchereste, cercherebbero Spiegare: spiegherei, spiegheresti, spiegherebbe, spiegheremmo, spieghereste, spiegherebbero The English past conditional and the Italian condizionale passato are similar: they both express actions that would have taken place had a certain condition been met.
Avremmo finito i compiti ma il cane ha mangiato i nostri quaderni. We would have finished our homework but the dog ate our notebooks. As you would surely deduce, the past conditional, il condizionale passato, is formed by conjugating the present conditional of the auxiliaries essere and avere and following the auxiliary with the past participle of the main verb. All the rules learned about compound tenses such as passato prossimo, trapassato prossimo, futuro anteriore and so on, apply to the condizionale passato. Verbs that take the auxiliary avere, such as parlare: avrei parlato avresti parlato avrebbe parlato avremmo parlato avreste parlato avrebbero parlato If direct object pronouns (lo, la, li, le) are used, agreement with the past participle is mandatory: Se fossimo riusciti a trovare quelle riviste, le avremmo gi lette. If we had managed to find those magazines, we would have read them. Verbs that take the auxiliary essere, such as partire: sarei partito/a saresti partito/a sarebbe partito/a saremmo partiti/e sareste partiti/e sarebbero partiti/e As always, in compound tenses conjugated with the auxiliary essere, agreement between the subject and past participle is mandatory. Ah, what we wouldnt give to have our very own Conditionator! It would come in very handy when we run up against several of these different uses of the conditional mood. 1. In the Consequence Clause of a Hypothetical Statement of the Second or Third Type. Second or Third Type: If X happened, Y would happen. Se ascoltassi sempre Radio Arlecchino, conosceresti molto bene la grammatica italiana.
Third Type: If X had happened, Y would happen. Se il Dottore non avesse inventato il Condizionatore, sarebbe molto pi difficile capire il condizionale. If X had happened, Y would have happened. Se gli studenti non avessero distrutto il Futurometro, non avremmo dovuto ripararlo. Does that seem rather complicated to you? Well, how would you like it if we were to explain the mysteries of these hypotheses to you in an upcoming episode? We thought so, and youre in luck, as Episode 22 will demonstrate! So stay tuned... Meanwhile... 2. In polite requests, the present conditional is used as a kinder, gentler alternative to the imperative (Give me...!) or to flat statements of desire (I want...!): Dammi una fetta di pizza! becomes Mi daresti una fetta di pizza? Voglio un bicchiere di acqua! becomes Vorrei un bicchiere di acqua or Mi offriresti un bicchiere di acqua? 3. In relaying as-yet-unconfirmed information that cannot be reported as fact, the present and past conditional are used to convey that things are alleged to be happening, or that they are presumed to have happened. This use is very frequent in news reports in the print and broadcast media, who allegedly do not like to be sued for slander or libel. I sospetti attraverserebbero il confine in macchine rubate e venderebbero la merce in piccoli paesi vicini. The suspects allegedly cross the border in stolen cars and sell the merchandise in nearby small towns. Limputata avrebbe minacciato di uccidere Pulcinella, che avrebbe perso le sue pantofole e fazzolette di merletto. The accused allegedly threatened to kill Pulcinella, who supposedly had lost her slippers and her lace handkerchief. 4. In expressing opinions, especially concerning what you think people ought to do or ought to have done. Most often using a form of the modal verb dovere. Pulcinella dovrebbe rimanere lontano dalla compagnia per alcuni giorni. Pulcinella ought to stay away from the company for a few days. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 21, pg 11 2009 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Il Dottore avrebbe dovuto fare pi ricerche prima di installare le sue invenzioni. The Dottore should have done more research before installing his inventions. 5. In exhorting people to do things. Arlecchina, Colombina, non dovreste litigare cos tanto! Arlecchina, Colombina, you shouldnt quarrel so much! Ragazzi, faremmo meglio a scappare prima che il Futurometro si renda conto di quello che stiamo facendo! Guys, wed better beat it before the Futurometer figures out what were up to! 6. In referring to a past action that follows another past action, we use the past conditional as the future as seen from the past. This function of the past conditional is almost always a feature of indirectly reported speech. English usually uses the present conditional for this purpose. La signora Balanzone ha detto che ci avrebbe insegnato a ballare la square dance alla festa. Mrs Balanzone said she would teach us to square-dance at the party. Gli attori hanno promesso al proprietario del teatro che non ci sarebbero stati pi problemi con animali. The actors promised the owner of the theatre that there would be no more problems with animals. And we should repeat this warning: Just because you have the auxiliary would in English, you will not necessarily use the conditional in Italian. English often uses would to indicate a habitually repeated past action. Remember that habitually repeated actions in the past are a job for the imperfetto dellindicativo -- NOT for the condizionale. Mentre abitava ancora a Napoli, Pulcinella andava spesso in Via Toledo a fare le spese. While he was still living in Naples, Pulcinella would often go shopping in Via Toledo. Its helpful to remember that the conditional mood is never used to report events that actually happened. Well, we would love to go on and on about the conditional, and in fact we will soon enough. In our next episode well see how the conditional and the subjunctive moods make strange but compatible bedfellows in special hypothetical statements. Se foste con noi per il prossimo appuntamento, ci fareste tanto piacere!
Nota culturale
In todays episode, the antics of our commedia dellarte characters involved their coping with a theatre strangely overrun by animal thespians. Although the commedia characters are not Radio Arlecchino, Episode 21, pg 12 2009 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
traditionally associated with animals, another, highly revered Italian is. The patron saint of Italy, San Francesco d'Assisi, was a man who loved nature with all his soul--nature and all its creatures, both human and animal. Does the average Italian share Francesco's infinite love and respect for animals? Um... not quite, certainly not everyone. But we asked Flavia Del Fattore, a serious animal lover and a dog expert: In Italy, in general, Flavia tells us, respect for animals is a goal yet to be reached just as is the goal of embracing diversity in general. As in other parts of the world, in Italy puppies are too often abandoned by people who merely wanted a toy to give their children. The puppy grows and becomes too demanding and cumbersome, especially in the summer when everyone tries to leave the city to go on vacation. Big steps have been made toward the improvement of dog-pounds in Italy, where there have always been associations whose volunteers take care of abandoned dogs. Nowadays, some of them try their best to change an erroneous attitude towards animals and offer classes to educate dog-fanciers in establishing a better and more correct relationship with the dog. Even among volunteers, it's possible to find those who don't respect diversity and the needs of the animal. Moreover, facilities are often inadequate. For example, the municipal dog-pound in Rome is built to house 300 dogs, but in reality 800 live there; it's like an overcrowded prison full of innocents who have no hope of ever receiving amnesty! In Velletri, a town near Rome, there is a dog shelter, appropriately called Canis in fabula, where different approaches and specialized strategies have been developed to better deal with abandoned animals and to educate people; volunteers devote a great deal of time and energy to improving understanding of the animal's mentality by taking classes and working closely and directly with them. The first lesson to be learned is the difference between our languages. When humans meet, we look at each other in the eyes, hold out our hands, get closer--the exact opposite of what dogs do: they avoid direct visual contact, they approach each other by coming up alongside, and they do something that fortunately we humans do not do, that is, they sniff each other's bottom where special glands are located that communicate social and emotional status. We must learn how to read their body language, the only one they have at their disposal and the same one that centuries ago belonged to us as well. If we could only lower ourselves by one little step and respect each other, humans and animals, as creatures that are different yet equal. Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears
Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Heres a transcript of Truth or Consequences, our recent show on hypothetical statements of the second and third types. You can hear this podcast by clicking on the following link: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=22 Buon ascolto e buon divertimento! Hanno partecipato / Featured in this broadcast: Esmeralda Moscatelli Simone Sessolo as Colombina as Pantalone condizione - condition | conseguenza consequence
Nostalgia e desiderio
Antonella: Se potessimo tornare indietro... Eric: Non lo farei, neanche se potessi. Antonella: Come mai? Credevo che tu fossi preso dalla nostalgia. Eric: Pi forte della nostalgia ora il mio desiderio di avere un incontro ravvicinato Antonella: del secondo tipo? Eric: e anche del terzo.
Nostalgia e desiderio
Antonella: If we could turn back... Eric: I wouldnt do it, even if I could. Antonella: How come? I thought you were overcome with nostalgia. Eric: Stronger than nostalgia now is my desire to have a close encounter-Antonella: of the second type? Eric: and of the third as well.
Flashback 1
Arlecchino: Ecco, arriva il Dottore! Temo che lui ce labbia con me. Mi arrampico sulla scala, cos non mi vedr..
Flashback 1
Arlecchino: There, here comes the Dottore! Im afraid he has it in for me. Ill climb up the ladder, that way he wont see me.
condizione: imperfetto del congiuntivo Se Arlecchino non avesse cos tanta paura del Dottore... conseguenza: condizionale presente non si arrampicherebbe sulla scala per nascondersi. If Arlecchino werent so afraid of the Dottore he wouldnt climb up the ladder to hide. conseguenza: condizionale presente Il Dottore non ce lavrebbe con Arlecchino... condizione: imperfetto del congiuntivo se lui non fosse cos birichino The Dottore wouldnt have it in for Arlecchino if he werent so mischievous.
Flashback 2
Pantalone: Non c nessun altro qui che abbia visto quello che successo? Colombina: Te lo racconto io come andata. Dunque, quando ha visto che ero proprio l sotto, ha messo appositamente un piede male sulla scala! Mi ha guardato allalto e penso proprio che labbia fatto apposta a cadere.
Flashback 2
Pantalone: Is there noone else who saw what happened? Colombina: Ill tell you how it went. Now, when he saw that I was right under there, he deliberately took a false step on the ladder! He looked at me from above and I do believe he fell on purpose.
condizione: imperfetto del congiuntivo Se Colombina fosse meno furbastra... conseguenza: condizionale presente non darebbe la colpa di tutto al povero Arlecchino. If Colombina werent such a scoundrel she wouldnt blame Arlecchino for everything.
Flashback 3
Antonella: Sopra la scrivania, su quello scaffale... Prendi quella scatola... Eric: Cosa c' dentro...? Antonella: Dai, dai, svita il cappuccio...
Flashback 3
Antonella: Above the desk, on that shelf... Get that jar... Eric: Whats inside...? Antonella: Go on, unscrew the lid...
Eric: Antonella... ma cos' questo? Antonella: Oh, scusa, hai preso quella sbagliata, scusa, scusa... Ci dev'essere un'altra, controlla. Eric: La vedo, ma oso aprirla? Antonella: Ma s! Abbi coraggio, Eric! Eric: Accidenti! Antonella: Oh, Eric! Che mani di pasta frolla che hai! Quelli sono i miei fagioli saltellanti!
Eric: Antonella... whats this? Antonella: Oh, sorry, you got the wrong one, sorry, sorry... There should be another one, take a look. Eric: I see it, but do I dare open it? Antonella: Of course! Be brave, Eric! Eric: Yikes! Antonella: Oh, Eric! What a butterfingers you are. Those are my jumping beans!
condizione: imperfetto del congiuntivo Se tu non fossi cos autoritaria... conseguenza: condizionale passato Non avrei avuto cos tante sorprese scioccanti! If you werent so bossy I would never have had so many shocking surprises!
Flashback 4
Dottore: Avete visitato il Vittoriano? Avete ammirato il Foro Romano? i turisti: S! Dottore: Siete andati ai Musei Vaticani? Avete messo la mano nella Bocca della Verit? i turisti: S! Dottore: Avete camminato da Piazza Navona fino alla Fontana di Trevi? i turisti: S! Dottore: Avete salito la scalinata in Piazza di Spagna?
Flashback 4
Dottore: Have you visited the Vittoriano? Have you admired the Roman Forum? The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Have you gone to the Vatican Museums? Have you put your hands in the Mouth of Truth? The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Have you walked from Piazza Navona to the Trevi Fountain? The Tourists: Yes! Dottore: Have you climbed the Spanish Steps?
i turisti: Oh, s! Dottore: Siete stanchi? i turisti: S! Antonella: Quei poveri turisti hanno camminato per tutta Roma in piena estate! Eric: Perci sono stanchissimi.
The Tourists: Oh, yes! Dottore: Are you tired? The Tourists: Yes! Antonella: Those poor tourists have walked all over Rome in the middle of the summer! Eric: Thats why theyre worn out.
condizione: trapassato del congiuntivo Se non avessero camminato per tutta Roma in piena estate, conseguenza: condizionale presente non sarebbero cos stanchi. If they had not walked all over Rome in the middle of the summer, they would not be so tired.
Flashback 5
Dottore: Se ho dei petardi! Pulcinella, portami una scatola di petardi per il giovanotto... E per la signorina, queste meravigliose candele magiche Gatto Nero, un balocco divertente per tutta la famiglia... Oh, Pulcinella s lo conoscono... Eccoli eccoli eccoli! Signori e signore, bambini di tutte le et, venite... sentitemi... Partecipate alle feste di San Giovanni, di Capodanno, di Natale, a tutte le feste dellanno... Qui ci sono i rumori pi sbalorditivi, le luci pi brillanti, i colori pi stravaganti, il fumo pi misterioso, qui ci sono... i fuochi dartificio Gatto Nero! S, s... i razzi Gatto Nero sono giustamente famosi in tutto il mondo! Osservate...
Flashback 5
Dottore: Do I have firecrackers! Pulcinella, bring me a box of firecrackers for the young man. And for the young lady, these wonderful Gatto Nero sparklers, a fun-filled amusement for the whole family. Oh, Pulcinella they know... Here they are, here they are, here they are! Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, come, hear me... Join in the feasts of Saint John, of the New Year, of Christmas, in all the holidays of the year... Here are the most amazing sounds, the most brilliant lights, the most extravagant colors, the most mysterious smoke, here are... Gatto Nero fireworks! Yes, yes... Gatto Nero rockets are justly famous throughout the world! Observe...
Accendo ora la miccia... Colombina, per favore... Colombina: Ecco, Dottore Dottore: Grazie, mia cara... Et nunc... State per vedere qualcosa di veramente inverosimile.... Colombina: Oh! Lei senzaltro lo vedr, Dottore! Dottore: Tre... due... uno... Fuoco! Meravigliatevi ora davanti allincomparabile pirotecnica Gatto Nero! Antonella: Il Dottore ha fatto un bel viaggio sulla luna... Eric: grazie a Pulcinella che gli ha dato una mano con il razzo.
Now I light the fuse... Colombina, if you please... Colombina: There you are, Dottore Dottore: Thank you, my dear... Et nunc... Youre about to see something truly incredible.... Colombina: Oh! Youre about to see it for sure, Dottore! Dottore: Three... two... one... Fire! Now wonder in amazement before the incomparable Gatto Nero pyrotechnics! Antonella: The Dottore took a fine trip to the moon... Eric: thanks to Pulcinella who gave him a hand with the rocket.
conseguenza: condizionale passato Il Dottore non avrebbe mai viaggiato sulla luna... condizione: trapassato del congiuntivo se Pulcinella non gli avesse dato una mano con il razzo. condizione: trapassato del congiuntivo Se il Dottore non avesse fatto una tale dimostrazione, conseguenza: condizionale passato quei ragazzi americani non si sarebbero divertiti cos tanto alla festa di San Giovanni a Firenze. If the Dottore had not made such a demonstration, those American kids would not have had such a good time at the Feast of Saint John in Florence.
Riflessioni e ricordi
Eric: E se tu non fossi andata in Italia quellestate, io non sarei rimasto qui da solo nello studio.
Riflessioni e ricordi
Eric: And if you hadnt gone to Italy that summer, I wouldnt have been left here alone in the studio.
Antonella: vero che qui nello studio ci si pu sentire abbandonati... Eric: Soprattutto in estate, quando i nostri amici attori sono tutti partiti per andare in vacanza. Antonella: Sarei molto pi contenta adesso se fossero qui con noi. Eric: Pantalone rimproverebbe Pulcinella... Antonella: se Pulcinella avesse la faccia tosta di affrontarlo. Eric: Se vedesse entrare un bel giovanotto, Arlecchina-Antonella: --farebbe senzaltro la civetta Eric: e Colombina si arrabbierebbe. Se Pulcinella suonasse il mandolino.... Antonella: potremmo ballare la tarantella. Eric: Dovremmo ballare invece la square dance Antonella: se ci fosse la signora Balanzone. Eric: E dove sono andati quei Balanzone? Antonella: Hanno lasciato un messaggio sulla segreteria telefonica. Senti. Dottor Balanzone: Saremmo andati a Rimini a trovare i genitori della signora Balanzone se non ci avessero invitato a partecipare a un seminario sulla square dance ad Austin! A dopo, amici! State bene! Buone vacanze! Antonella: E Pantalone?
Antonella: Its true that here in the studio one can feel abandoned... Eric: Especially in the summer, when our actor friends have all left to go on vacation. Antonella: I would be much happier now if they were here with us. Eric: Pantalone would scold Pulcinella... Antonella: if Pulcinella had the cheek to confront him. Eric: If she saw a handsome young man come in, Arlecchina-Antonella: --would surely play the flirt Eric: and Colombina would get mad. If Pulcinella played the mandolin... Antonella: we could dance the tarantella. Eric: Instead we would have to dance a square dance Antonella: if Mrs Balanzone were here. Eric: And where have those Balanzones gone? Antonella: They left a message on the answering machine. Listen. Dottor Balanzone: We would have gone to Rimini to visit Mrs Balanzones parents if we had not been invited to participate in a square dance seminar in Austin! See you later, friends! Stay well! Have a great vacation! Antonella: And Pantalone?
Eric: Ha lasciato questo biglietto: Ha scritto: Avevo intenzione di rimanere a Venezia, nonostante la folla di turisti, ma invece sar nel Cadore... vero, non amo le montagne. Comunque, a dire il vero, non ci andrei affatto se il Duca che mi ospiter non avesse una nipote diciottenne che sta per ereditare un sacco di quei ducati.
Eric: He left this note: He wrote: I intended to stay in Venice, in spite of the crowd of tourists, but instead I will be in the Cadore... Its true, Im not fond of the mountains. Anyway, to tell the truth, I wouldnt go at all if the Duke who will be hosting me didnt have an eighteenyear-old niece whos about to inherit a pile of ducats.
Antonella: Ho sentito abbastanza. Il duca e Antonella: Ive heard enough. The duke i suoi ducati. Certe cose non cambiano and his ducats. Some things never change... mai... Eric: E tu, cosa faresti se non dovessi stare qua? Antonella: Bene, mio caro, stavo proprio per dirtelo... Io, di queste ipotesi, non ne faccio. Come dovresti ormai ben sapere, neanchio rimarr qui... Eric: Non possibile! Di nuovo? Antonella: estate... Roma! Ciao, Eric! Ti mando una cartolina! Eric: A presto, Antonella! Buon viaggio e buon divertimento! Antonella: Grazie! Ciao! Eric: Ma cosa faccio io adesso? Se ci fosse un modo di farlo, anchio ci andrei. Se ci fosse giustizia in questo mondo, anchio ammirerei il panorama dal Gianicolo... anchio mangerei tartufo a Piazza Navona... anchio berrei acqua Pansellegrino davanti al Colosseo... Eric: And you, what would you do if you didnt have to stay here? Antonella: Well, my dear, I was just about to tell you... These hypotheses, Im just not going to be making them. As you ought to know by now, Im not staying here either... Eric: Its not possible! Again? Antonella: Its summer... Rome! Ciao, Eric! Ill send you a postcard! Eric: See you soon, Antonella! Have a good trip and have fun! Antonella: Thanks! Ciao! Eric: Now what do I do? If there were a way to do it, I would go too. If there were justice in this world, I too would admire the view from the Janiculum... I too would eat tartufo in Piazza Navona... I too would drink Pansellegrino water in front of the Coliseum....
Nota Grammaticale
Hypothetical statements are made up of two clauses: one describes a condition (la condizione) and the other states a consequence (la conseguenza) of the condition being met. We introduced the periodo ipotetico in Episode 20, If You Cant Stand the Heat. If you missed that episode, you can tune in here: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=20 The three types of periodi ipotetici are defined by their degree of reality or possibilty. il periodo ipotetico del primo tipo hypothesis of the first type In this type of hypothesis the condition is seen as real or likely, so its consequence is seen as real or probable as well. Both clauses will have verbs in the indicative mood (modo indicativo) in the appropriate tense. Sometimes the imperative (modo imperativo), or command form, appears in the consequence. In this type of hypothesis, the English if can often be substituted with whenever. If the Dottore forgot his lines he would start speaking nonsense in Latin. Whenever the Dottore forgot his lines... Episode 20, If You Cant Stand the Heat, focuses on this type of hypothesis. The hypotheses that weve taken up in todays podcast are those of the second and third types. Both of these require the use of the conditional mood, which we discussed in Episode 21, Lost in the Woulds. If you missed that one, you may want to tune in here before we proceed: http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/ra/episode.php?p=21 il periodo ipotetico del secondo tipo - hypothesis of the second type The condition is possible, but viewed as unlikely. The consequence, then, is also possible but viewed as doubtful or merely theoretical. The condition will have a verb in the imperfect subjunctive (limperfetto del congiuntivo) and the consequence will have a verb in the conditional (il condizionale). Se tu facessi pi esercizio fisico, avresti pi energia. If you performed more physical exercise, you would have more energy. The situation described is considered as being in the realm of possibility, but the person making this statement considers it unlikely or doubtful that the other person will actually exercise more often. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 22, pg 8 2009 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
Preparerei dei suppl al telefono se mi dessi la ricetta. I would prepare suppl al telefono if you gave me the recipe. Again, its all possible, but considered doubtful or merely theoretical. il periodo ipotetico del terzo tipo - hypothesis of the third type Both the condition and the consequence are either contrary to fact or impossible. The verb in the condition will be either imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive, (congiuntivo imperfetto o trapassato) and the verb in the consequence will be either present or past conditional (condizionale presente o passato). The classic example of this type of hypothesis is one that describes how things would have happened if conditions had been different. What makes this example classic is the fact that, since the opportunity has past, the whole thing is now clearly contrary to fact and impossible. Se mi avessi scritto ti avrei risposto. If you had written to me I would have answered you. You did not write to me and therefore I did not answer. Nothing we do now can change that, so this hypothesis is a classic of the third type. Avreste visto uno dei migliori lazzi di Arlecchino se foste arrivati cinque minuti prima. You would have seen one of Arlecchinos best routines if you had arrived five minutes earlier. You didnt see the routine because you arrived five minutes too late. The situation described by the hypothesis is impossible: third type. Not everything contrary to fact or impossible is in the past. Se fossimo marziani saremmo verdi e comunicheremmo usando la telepatia. If we were Martians we would be green and we would communicate by using telepathy. We arent Martians, we arent green and we cant communicate using telepathy. Nor is it possible for us to become Martian, turn green, or telepathize. Third type. Andremmo a teatro a vedere Arlecchino se non avessimo lasciato i biglietti a casa. We would go to the theatre to see Arlecchino if we had not left our tickets at home. The condition is an action that has already taken place (congiuntivo trapassato), so the action of the consequence cannot be carried out now (condizionale presente). Actually the distinction between the second and third types is a very fine one that you dont always have to be aware of. The important point is that if the situation being described is Radio Arlecchino, Episode 22, pg 9 2009 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
considered unlikely, doubtful, contrary to fact or impossible, then youre going to use the subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto o trapassato) in the condition (if) clause and the conditional (condizionale presente o passato) in the consequence (result) clause. And very often, the same situation can be expressed by different types of hypotheses depending on the speakers attitude. If you are fairly optimistic about getting that raise, you might say Se mi daranno un aumento, comprer una nuova macchina. If they give me a raise, I will buy a new car. But if you dont really think its likely to happen--your boss is as stingy as Pantalone--you are more likely to say Se mi dessero un aumento, comprerei una nuova macchina. If they gave me a raise, I would buy a new car. Of course, if the opportunity to get a raise has already come and gone, and you didnt get it, theres no alternative to the classic hypothesis of the third type: Se mi avessero dato un aumento, avrei comprato una nuova macchina. If they had given me a raise, I would have bought a new car. A final thing to remember is that it doesnt matter which clause, condition or consequence, comes first in the sentence. But when youre dealing with the second or third type, the subjunctive appears exclusively in the condition clause and the conditional appears exclusively in the consequence clause.
Nota culturale
Travel by helicopter is not quite as common in Italy as Antonellas sudden departures might suggest. Cars are the most common means of transportation along with mopeds since these fast two-wheeled gadgets are extremely practical in the chaotic traffic of the largest Italian cities, even if they can drive everyone crazy (both drivers of cars and pedestrians). Italy beats out France and Germany with about 600 vehicles for every 1,000 inhabitants and 120 mopeds for every 1,000: almost double the number of mopeds in Germany and Holland. Italys Istat (lIstituto nazionale di statistica) reports that 13 of every 100 persons use public transportation (buses and metro). Italy is quite behind many other European countries when it comes to the metro (subway) system. In 1992, a law allocated millions of euros to improve the system, but unfortunately only 2 out of the 57 proposed projects have been completed so far. In cities such as Rome, it is almost impossible to dig anywhere without finding what could easily become yet another archeological site; of course, this slows down such endeavors significantly. Radio Arlecchino, Episode 22, pg 10 2009 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/
There is a great demand for taxis, which are expensive but very functional at any time of the day. Even though Italians love their cars, they hate having to hunt down a parking place so they do use buses, particularly to go downtown where many streets are open only to taxis and buses. Unfortunately, the proverbial Italian lack of punctuality (which does not, of course, apply to all Italians) is quite evident when one waits for a bus; moreover, buses are often crowded, especially during rush hours (7:30-9:00am, 4:30-7:30pm) and seldom have air conditioning. Nevertheless, travelling on a bus can be a great opportunity to talk about politics or current events with the other passengers--if they are not too busy carrying on a conversation on their cellular phones! Thanks for listening! And be sure to tell your friends that you heard it here on Radio Arlecchino! Your hosts with the most grammar, Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards Out of our minds ... into your ears

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Piazza della Grammatica 1 Antonella Olson & Eric Edwards, Presentatori e Capocomici Gentili Ascoltatori, Dear Listeners, Thanks

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 1, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 1, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 1, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 1, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 1, pg 6 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 2, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 2, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

avemmo aveste ebbero

leggemmo leggeste lessero

Completely irregular: essere fui fummo fosti foste fu furono

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 2, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 3, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Antonella: So this new CD... "Pulcinella Plugged"...?

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 3, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 3, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 3, pg 6 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 4, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

non credo che pizza abbia fetta.

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 4, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 4, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 5, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Arlecchina: Non credo che ci sia da preoccuparsi, Dottore.

Arlecchina: I dont believe theres any reason to worry, Dottore.

Pantalone: I believe he must have been

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 5, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

fare il pi bel lazzo della stagione...

Dottore: Confounded Arlecchino! Arlecchino: Courage, Dottore! Dottore: Murderer!

Nota Grammaticale Congiuntivo presente e passato

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 5, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

abbia venduto, abbia sentito, etc.

sia nato/a, sia uscito/a, etc.

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 5, pg 6 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Colombina: Fa come vuoi. Secondo me

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 6, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Pulcinella: Critic? This is my horoscope!

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 6, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Nota Grammaticale Imperfetto e trapassato ( piuccheperfetto) congiuntivo

avessi venduto, avessi sentito, etc.

fossi nato/a, fossi uscito/a, etc.

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 6, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 7, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

present, future, or imperative

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 7, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 7, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Unisca pepe, sale e pecorino

Add pepper, salt and pecorino

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 7, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 8, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 8, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

noi tu voi Lei Loro

noi tu voi Lei Loro

noi tu voi Lei Loro

noi tu voi Lei Loro

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 8, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 8, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 8, pg 6 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Transcript : TopoKill 9000

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 9, pg 1 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 9, pg 2 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 9, pg 3 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Transcript: A phone call from Antonella in Italy

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 9, pg 4 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/

Radio Arlecchino, Episode 9, pg 5 2007 Texas Language Technology Center http://tltc.la.utexas.edu/