LESSON NOTES

Beginner #9
Italian Pets and the Most Important
Italian Phrase to Know!

CONTENTS
2 Italian
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
3 Grammar
4 Cultural Insight

# 9
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 ITALIAN

1. Anna: Peter, hai un animale domestico?

2. Peter: S - ho un cane, due gatti e...un...come si dice hamster?

3. Anna: Hamster?

4. Peter: S, un animale piccolo come un topo.

5. Anna: Ahh! Un criceto!

ENGLISH

1. Anna: Peter, do you have a pet?

2. Peter: Oh, yes! I have a dog, two cats, andahow do you say hamster?

3. Anna: Hamster?

4. Peter: Yes, a small animal like a mouse.

5. Anna: Ahh! A hamster!

VOCABULARY

Italian English C lass Ge nde r

animale domestico pet noun

criceto hamster noun masculine

I T ALI ANPOD101.COM BEGI NNER #9 - I T ALI AN PET S AND T HE MOS T I MPORT ANT I T ALI AN PHRAS E T O KNOW! 2
 cane dog noun masculine

gatti cats noun

piccolo small, tiny adjective

topo mouse noun masculine

SAMPLE SENTENCES

Hai un animale domestico? Il criceto piccolo.

"Do you have a pet?" "The hamster is small."

Il cane il miglior amico dell'uomo. Il cane di Marta un pastore tedesco.

"A dog is a man's best friend." "Marta's dog is a German Shepherd."

Peter ha due gatti. Questo chiwawa proprio piccolo!

"Peter has two cats." "This Chihuahua is really small!"

Questo appartamento piccolo. Ti piacciono i topi bianchi?

"This apartment is small." "Do you like white mice?"

Il gatto mangia il topo.

"The cat eats the mouse."

GRAMMAR

The Focus of This Lesson is Asking How to Say Something in Italian

Come si dice hamster?
"How do you say hamster?"

I T ALI ANPOD101.COM BEGI NNER #9 - I T ALI AN PET S AND T HE MOS T I MPORT ANT I T ALI AN PHRAS E T O KNOW! 3
Come si dice...? is a useful phrase for asking about the meaning of words and phrases.
Si dice is the impersonal form of the verb dire and in English it means, "how do you say...?"

Commonly, we use the impersonal construction in Italian when people in general perform the
action of a verb, or by a subject that is indefinite (in English "you" or "one"). This construction
uses si + third person of the verb and it is called si impersonale. Let's have a look at the
examples below for better understanding:

1. Si mangia per vivere.

"People eat in order to live."

2. Non si pu pagare con la carta di credito.

"You can't pay by credit card."

3. Come si dice "cane" in inglese?

"How do you say "cane" in English?"

4. Non si paga molto in quel ristorante.

"You don't pay much in that restaurant."

5. Si vedono le montagne.
"You can see the mountains." / "The mountains can be seen."

Note that in the last example the verb is plural because the noun following it is plural. This
usage is called the si passivante construction in Italian because if transformed from
impersonal into personal, the verb form would be passive.

CULTURAL INSIGHT

What Makes a Good Italian Pet?

While hamsters are uncommon pets in Italy, cats and small dogs are quite prevalent. Because
most of the population lives in apartments, large dogs are neither very practical nor
economical. Many shops and even restaurants are dog friendly and it is not uncommon to see
dogs on leashes or being carried inside in large totes.

I T ALI ANPOD101.COM BEGI NNER #9 - I T ALI AN PET S AND T HE MOS T I MPORT ANT I T ALI AN PHRAS E T O KNOW! 4