One World Italiano

The accent determines the pronunciation of the words. In Italian it is always and only used on vowels, and never on consonants. In Italian we distinguish between: tonic accent; graphic accent. 1. The tonic accent All Italian words have the tonic accent which falls on one of the syllables of the word and determines a more marked pronunciation of this […]

The apostrophe is a graphic sign (‘) which in Italian is used to indicate: the dropping of the final vowel of the word when followed by a word starting with a vowel (elision); the cancellation of the vowel, consonant or syllable at the end of the word (truncation). 1. In the first case, the apostrophe is mandatory with: the definite […]

The correct form is un po’ with an apostrophe. Un pò with the accent is incorrect. We use un po’ to indicate a limited quantity or a scarce number. Prima di andare a letto mangio sempre un po’ di cioccolata. Il cielo è un po’ nuvoloso, sta per piovere. Ho un po’ di ansia per l’esame di domani. The expression […]

The correct form is all’incirca, written detached and with an apostrophe. The expression circa derives from the adverb “incirca”, composed of the simple preposition “in” and the word “circa” which means “pressapoco”. In fact all’incirca is used to indicate an approximate quantity. Ho comprato all’incirca un chilo di pane. Arriverò al ristorante all’incirca alle otto di sera. La spesa totale […]

Both forms are correct but have different meanings. Ce n’è is a very common expression in colloquial Italian. However, it is often difficult to figure out how to write this expression correctly. Ce n’è is made up of the particles “ce” and “ne” and the third person singular of the present indicative of the verb to be “è”. The pronominal […]

Three words that united form one; its use can be twofold: it can have the same intent as “after” (consecutive-temporal function), or it can introduce a condition caused by the previous action (adversative function). Dopo di che it is what we can define as the original form, without an accent because “che” by itself never requires an accent. Lucia ha […]

The correct form is per cui, detached. The form percui, all attached, is wrong. The expression per cui  is composed of the simple preposition “per” and the relative pronoun “cui”. Per cui has two different meanings. In colloquial Italian, the expression per cui is used as a conjunctive locution with deductive or conclusive value in reference to what was previously […]

In Italian the conjunction “e” and the simple preposition “a” in some cases take the final “d” and become “ed” and “ad“. Ed and ad are used only when the following word begins with the same vowel. Gli ho detto di studiare ed esercitarsi meglio per l’esame. Ho aiutato Marco ad aggiustare il suo computer. Sono andata ad ascoltare il […]

In Italian, when we want to express our preference, we use the qualifying adjective preferito The adjective “preferito” indicates a person, an animal or a thing that is considered better from our point of view. Il mio libro preferito è Harry Potter. La mia città italiana preferita è Cagliari. I miei animali preferiti sono i gatti e i cani. The […]