Adverbs modify or specify the meaning of a verb, adjective or another adverb. They are invariable.

Most adverbs derive by the corresponding adjective and they are formed by adding "mente" to the ending of the feminine singular form of the adjective (onesta + mente = onestamente; forte + mente = fortemente...). Adjectives ending in "re" or "le" drop their "e" before adding "mente" (regolare + mente= regolarmente; gentile + mente = gentilmente).

Other adverbs do not end with "mente" and the most common are: "bene" (well), "male" (badly), "ora" (now), "ieri" (yesterday), "oggi" (today), "poco" (little), "molto" (much), "prima" (before), "dopo" (after), "non" (not) ...

There are several categories of adverbs. Following, are the most important:

• Avverbi di modo - they indicate how a verb, adjective or another adverb is modified by an adverb: "lei cammina lentamente" (she walks slowly); the adverb "lentamente" indicates how the lady walks. Most of the adverbs ending in "-mente" belong to this cathegory. (Bene, male, lento, lentamente, quasi, volentieri etc.)
• Avverbi di tempo - they indicate when or how many times an action is performed: "oggi sono stanco" (today I'm tired); the adverb "oggi" indicates when the person is tired. (Ora, prima, dopo, ieri, oggi, domani, mai, sempre, presto, spesso, etc.)
• Avverbi di luogo - they indicate where an action is performed or where an object or subject is: "vado fuori" (I'm going out); the adverb "fuori" indicates where the subject is going. (Là, lì, qui, qua, sopra, sotto, dentro, fuori, davanti, dietro etc.)
• Avverbi interrogativi (ed esclamativi!) - they usually introduce a question: "perché non scrivi una lettera?" (why don't you write a letter?); the adverb "perché" introduces the question. (Come, quando, dove, perché, quanto, etc.)
• Avverbi di quantità - they indicate quantity: "sono molto stanco" (I'm very tired); the adverb "molto" indicates how tired the person is. (Poco, molto, tanto, troppo, parecchio, piuttosto, quanto, abbastanza, etc.)

Position of the adverb in the sentence:

The position of the adverb in the sentence changes depending on the noun, verb, adjective or other adverb to whom the adverb is referring.

1. If the adverb is referring to the verb, it follows the verb.

• Example: "Io guardo molto la televisione" (I watch TV a lot)

2. If there is an object, the adverb is placed after the verb or at the end of the sentence.

• Example: "Io guardo sempre la televisione". (I always watch television)
• "Io guardo la televisione sempre". (I watch television all the time)

3. If an adverb refers to a noun or an adjective, it is placed in front of it.

• Example: "Guardo principalmente film d'azione".
• "Sono, anche se non sembra, piuttosto stanco". (I watch mainly action movies. I am, even though it doesn't seem so, rather tired.)

4. Interrogative adverbs generally introduce a question and they are positioned at the beginning of the sentence.

• Example: "Dove abiti?"(Where do you live?)

5. The pronoun and preposition usually precede the interrogative adverb.

• Example: "Tu dove abiti? Da dove sei partito?" (Where do you live? From where did you leave?)

Comparative form of the adverbs:

Remember, the comparative form of the adverbs follows the rules of the adjectives: "il treno va più lentamente dell'aereo" (trains go more slowly than airplains.)

The superlative is always formed with "molto" + the adverb: "l'aereo viaggia molto velocemente" (the airplain travels very fast.) The adverbs "bene", "male", "poco", "molto" have the following irregular comparative:

NOTE

The difference between an adjective, a pronoun or an adverb is that:

1. the adjective goes with the noun and agrees with it; "molti studenti vanno al cinema" (many students go to the movies)
2. the pronoun substitutes the noun; "molti vanno al cinema" (many go to the movies)
3. the adverb goes with the verb, adjective or another adverb and it is invariable; "gli studenti vanno molto al cinema" (students go a lot to the movies)

Here you explore the structure of an Italian sentence, the interrogative construction and the negative construction.

In Italian there is not a special construction for interrogative sentences.

In a positive sentence the pitch of the voice drops at the end of the sentence as in:

"Pinocchio è italiano" (Pinocchio is Italian)

In an interrogative sentence the tone of the voice, with an ascending pattern toward the end of the sentence, makes it clear that you are asking a question.

"Pinocchio è italiano?" (Is Pinocchio Italian?)

In a basic Italian sentence the subject is usually put at the beginning:

"IO guardo la TV" (I watch TV).

This happens also for questions:

"Maria guarda la TV?" (Does Mary watch TV?)

If there is an interrogative pronoun, adjective or adverb you can put the subject at the beginning of the sentence or at the end:

"Tu che cosa mangi? Che cosa mangi tu?" (What do you eat?)

"Quanto costa il libro? Il libro quanto costa?" (How much does the book cost?)

A significant difference between English and Italian is that Italians don't usually name the subject when the subject is a personal pronoun such as I, you, he, she, and so on. This happens because the verb changes according to its subject so if one knows the different verb forms, he/she will automatically understand who the subject is:

• "Guardo la TV" (I watch TV).
• "Maria guarda la TV? (Does Mary watch TV?)
• "Che cosa mangi? (What do you eat?)
• "Quanto costa il libro?" (How much does the book cost?)

We have several "interrogative pronouns, adjectives, adverbs" (words that we use to make questions) that are worth remembering:

The preposition precedes the interrogative adverb and adjective to which it refers. The pronoun can be at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.

To make a negative sentence you must place the word "non" right before the conjugated verb.

Important: "Non" always precedes the verb:

Non ho amici. (I don't have friends.)

"Mai, ancora, più..." follow the verb. When used with compound tenses (like the "passato prossimo") or with modal verbs (like "dovere, volere, potere" + verb) they are placed in between the verbs:

Loro non sono mai stati buoni amici. (They have never been good friends.)

Lui non vuole più uscire con loro. (He doesn't want to go out with them anymore.)

Sometimes these adverbs can be placed in a different position in the sentence, depending on the emphasis we want to express:

Tu non hai neanche studiato! = Non hai fatto niente, neanche studiare. (You did not even study. You didn't do anything, not even studying.)

Non hai studiato neanche tu! = Nessuno ha studiato, neanche tu. (Nobody studied, not even you.)

To become aware of the basic structure of an Italian sentence, find the subject (who is doing the action in the sentence. E.g. I, you, they, Mary, Robert etc.) and then the verb (the word indicating which action is performed. E.g. to walk, to smile, to dance, etc.)

Example: "Io dormo" (I SLEEP) = SUBJECT and VERB.

If there is an object in the sentence, it usually follows the verb.

Example: "Io guardo la televisione" (I watch TV) = subject, verb and OBJECT/noun.

Please note that the English language usually does not require articles. The Italian language almost always requires articles: LA televisione (THE television).

Sometimes, with certain verbs or certain expressions you need to add a preposition (example: parlare di):

"Il libro parla di storia." (The book talks about history).

Adjectives usually follow the noun (a part some exceptions like "questo/quello", numerals and adjectives indicating quantity like "molto, poco, altro, troppo...")

Example: "Io leggo un libro interessante" (I read an interesting book) = subject, verb, object/noun and ADJECTIVE.

"Questo libro è interessante. Ho pochi libri interessanti." (This book is interesting. I have few interesting books.)

Adverbs modify or specify the meaning of a verb, adjective or another adverb.

1. If the adverb is referring to the verb it follows the verb.

• Example: "Io guardo molto la televisione" (I watch TV a lot)

2. If there is an object, the adverb is placed after the verb or at the end of the sentence.

• Example: "Io guardo sempre la televisione". (I always watch television)
• "Io guardo la televisione sempre". (I watch television all the time)

3. Some adverbs (like "mai, sempre, spesso, subito, ancora, finalmente, nemmeno, neanche, neppure, certamente, forse..." - never, always, often, now, so, finally, even, of course, maybe ...) with compound verbs are placed between the auxiliary and the participle.

• Example: "Non ho mai visto quel film". (I've never seen that movie.)

4. If an adverb refers to a noun or an adjective, it is placed in front of it.

• Example: "Guardo principalmente film d'azione".
• "Sono, anche se non sembra, piuttosto stanco". (I watch mainly action movies. I am, even though it doesn't seem so, rather tired.)

5. Some adverbs can change position in the sentence and in doing so they change the meaning of the sentence.

• Example: "Vado al cinema solo con Marco" = è l'unica persona con cui vado al cinema. (I'm going to the movies only with Marco = he is the only person with whom I go to the cinema.)
• "Vado solo al cinema con Marco" = con Marco vado solo al cinema non faccio altro. (I'm only going to the movies with Marco = it's all I do with Marco, nothing else.)

Advanced constructions help us understand the language better and express ourselves in a more complete way.

In Italy, you should have a formal approach with people you don't know or with whom you are not well acquainted (a teacher, a professor, an elderly person...), and an informal approach with friends and relatives.

To express the formal approach we change from "tu" to "Lei" and everything else changes consequently (e.g the verb and possessive adjective or pronoun change to the third person).

• Tu hai domande? (Do you have questions? Informal)
• Lei ha domande? (Do you have questions? Formal)

• Il libro è tuo. (The book is yours. Informal)
• Il libro è Suo. (The book is yours. Formal)

If we use the formal approach with a man, we still use the feminine pronoun "Lei" (She) but we keep adjectives and past participle in the masculine form:

• Tu sei contento? (Lit. Are you happy? Informal)
• Lei è contento? (Lit. Are you happy? Formal)

• Tu sei stato in ufficio? (Lit. Have you been to the office? Informal)
• Lei è stato in ufficio? (Lit. Have you been to the office? Formal)

In the plural form the formal approach is expressed with "Loro":

• Cosa desiderate? (What do you wish? Informal)
• Cosa desiderano? (What do you wish? Formal)

There are many ways to "narrate" or tell a fact that happened in the past. Oftentimes the choice of "how to narrate" depends on the style of those who narrate or on the emphasis that they want to give to certain aspects of the tale.

In general we can say that the imperfetto "describes" a moment in the past or a situation we were when something happened. It "sets-up" the action (quando ero giovane... = when I was young...)

The passato prossimo expresses a well defined action - begun and completed in the past (...sono andato a Parigi = ...I went to Paris.)

The trapassato prossimo expresses an action that happened prior to the one expressed by another past tense.

Il passato remoto (remote-past tense) is rarely used in conversation and is widely used in writing for historical or literary narrations.

For example, in spoken language Italians generally prefer to use the passato prossimo rather than the passato remoto. They prefer to say, "Da bambino una volta sono andato a Parigi" (when I was a child once I have been to Paris) instead of "da bambino una volta andai a Parigi" (when I was a child once I went to Paris) .

The use of the passato remoto depends on how much emphasis is given to the remoteness or "historicity" of the action. However, in some Italian regions, (especially in Tuscany or in the south), the passato remoto is more commonly used or sometimes even preferred to the passato prossimo.

IMPORTANT: for consistency, if you begin to narrate using the passato remoto you have to continue with the passato remoto: Da bambino, una volta andai a Parigi; poi non ebbi più occasione di fare un viaggio (As a child, once I went to Paris; then I no longer had a chance to travel ).

If you start narrating using the passato prossimo, you have to continue with the passato prossimo: Da bambino, una volta sono andato a Parigi; poi non ho avuto più occasione di fare un viaggio (As a child, once I have been to Paris; then I have no longer had a chance to travel) .

The imperfetto may accompany the passato prossimo or the passato remoto:

Please note: the translation of the Italian past tenses into English is not easy nor it can be expressed literally, as in English the use of the past tenses is different.

"Dovere, volere, potere" are called "verbi servili", (verb that 'serve' - modal verbs) because they are followed by an infinitive.

They can also be used alone (especially "volere" e.g. "voglio una torta" = I want a cake) but, as modal verbs, they are used with another verb in the infinitive tense (e.g. "voglio viaggiare" = I want to travel). The verb "sapere" is also a modal verb.

In this special construction, when they are used in the conditional form, they can be confusing for English speaking students because they do not have a literal translation. Check the following examples:

They can be used also in the past conditional:

When the subject of a sentence is generic and not specified (people, one, they...) the Italian language uses the impersonal construction.
It is formed with "si" plus the third singular person of the verb:

When the verb is reflexive the particle "ci" precedes "si":

If an adjective follows the verb, the adjective is in the plural masculine form:

Note: There is a costruction which is similar to the impersonal construction but is slightly different; it is called "passive si" construction.
The impersonal construction requires the third singular person of the verb:

The "passive si" construction requires the third singular or plural person of the verb according to the number of the object:

To recognize the difference between the impersonal construction and "si passivante", it may help you to know that in the passive construction you switch the subject. The meaning of the sentence is the same but the construction is different.

ACTIVE SENTENCE (THE SUBJECT IS PEOPLE): la gente mangia pizza in questo ristorante = people eat pizza in this restaurant
PASSIVE SENTENCE (THE SUBJECT IS PIZZA): la pizza è cotta bene in questo ristorante = pizza is well cooked in this restaurant
SI PASSIVANTE: in questo ristorante si mangia la pizza = in this restaurant one eats pizza

In the impersonal construction (e.g. "qui non si fuma") you cannot switch the subject.

The particle "ci" (for "we"), "vi" (for "you" plural) and "si" (for "they") are used to form the "reciprocal construction":

Note : In a reciprocal construction, compound tenses require the verb "essere":

• Non si sono più sentiti (they haven't talked to each other anymore)

This construction is formed with "stare per + infinitive":

This construction is formed with "stare + gerundio":

In every language we find the so-called 'idiomatic expressions', which are sentences characteristic for their expressiveness; they are difficult to translate literally or rationally.

Here is a small list of commonly used idiomatic expressions. Check the lessons for more details.

The verb "Piacere" in Italian has a special construction where the subject of the sentence becomes the person or object doing the action of pleasing. We use the indirect object pronouns to identify whom the person/object is pleasing. It is harder explaining than showing some examples!

*Either you use the indirect pronoun or the strong pronoun (e.g. either "mi" or "a me": mi piace la pizza = I like pizza. A me piace la pizza = I like pizza).

IMPORTANT. Please note, with the verb "piacere" we use the auxiliary "essere" to form combined tenses: mi è piaciuto = I have liked it.

"Piacere" can be used also only in the sense of pleasing to someone.

As verbs are conjugated according to the subject of the sentence, when you use the verb 'piacere' you have to identify immediately the subject of your sentence (who/what is doing the action of pleasing) and conjugate the verb accordingly:

Certain verbs, combined with certain pronouns, are used idiomatically. Here is a small list of commonly used 'verbs with pronouns'. Check the lessons for more details.

In the active construction the subject of the sentence is 'active' and the verb expresses his/her/its action: "La mamma prepara la cena". "La mamma" (the mother) is the active subject, "prepara" (prepares) is the verb, "la cena" (the dinner) is the object.

All transitive and intransitive verbs have the active form (click transitive and intransitive verbs for more information.)

In the passive construction the subject is 'passive' and "undergoes" or "receives" the action performed by a doer (agent).

The verb changes into the passive form (using the auxiliary "essere"): "La cena è preparata dalla mamma". "La cena" (the dinner) is the subject, "è preparata" (is prepared) is the passive verb, "dalla mamma" (the mother) is the agent.

Only the transitive verbs with an object expressed can have the passive form (click transitive and intransitive verbs for more information.)

The meaning of an active sentence ("La mamma prepara la cena") and the meaning of a passive sentence ("La cena è preparata dalla mamma") are practically the same. However, as the subject changes the emphasis of the sentence changes: in the first sentence (active) "la mamma" is the focus of the action and the most important element; in the second sentence (passive) "la cena" is the focus of the action and the most important element.

In Italian there are three forms of conditional clauses:

1) "Realtà" (reality) = expresses an action that will happen or it is very likely to happen. It uses the "Indicativo" or "Imperativo":

2) "Possibilità" (possibility) = expresses an action that might happen. It uses the "Congiuntivo imperfetto" and the "Condizionale presente" or "Imperativo":

3) "Impossibilità o irrealtà" (irreality) = expresses an action that cannot happen or could have happened but did not. Depending on the time the hypothesis refers to, it uses the "Congiuntivo trapassato" and the "Condizionale presente" or "Condizionale passato":

Here are five simple charts of the changes involved in the transformation from direct speech to indirect speech:

The transformation from direct to indirect question is the same as that for direct/indirect speech:

However, when we want to emphasize the indirect question (especially in writing) the subjunctive is required instead of the indicative:

Nowdays, there is an increasing tendency among Italians to use the indicative instead of the subjunctive. However, the subjunctive is required for a proper use of the language.