Italian Grammar
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Understanding Italian Grammar
Italian grammar is the body of rules describing the properties of the Italian language. The Italian language is based on the following categories: articles, adjectives, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions.
Italian Articles
In Italian articles are more than just simple words before the nouns. They identify the genre and the number of the nouns and are essential in order to recognize irregular nouns. They can be masculine or feminine, singular or plural and, except in some specific cases, they must always be used. For more on Italian articles click here.
Il cane
the dog
lo studente
the student
la casa
the house
i cani
the dogs
gli studenti
the students
le case
the houses
Italian Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe a person or a thing. For more on Italian Adjectives click here.
Un cappello rosso
A red hat
Un pranzo italiano
An Italian meal
La camera è quadrata
The room is square
Italian Nouns
Nouns are words that refer to a person or a thing; they can be masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Many **Italian nouns **have irregular form.
Gatto
cat
Salute
health
Enrico
Enrico
Parigi
Paris
Italian Pronouns
Pronouns are words that are used in place of a noun. They can stand in for the subject, Io mangio - I eat; the object, Paola mi ama - Paola loves me; or the complement, Io vivo per lei - I live for her. There are many kinds of pronouns: personal, possessive, demonstrative, interrogative and indefinite. For more on pronouns in Italian click here.
Io mangio
I eat
Paola mi ama
Paola loves me
Io vivo per lei
I live for her
Italian Verbs
Verbs are the core of the Italian language. They are words that refer to an action (andare - to go; mangiare - to eat) or to a state (essere - to be; stare - to stay; esistere - to exist). In Italian there are three classes of verbs, five moods and 21 tenses. For more on verbs in Italian click here.
If you want to find out more about verb conjugations in Italian then check this lesson out!
andare
to go
mangiare
to eat
essere
to be
stare
to stay
esistere
to exist
Italian Adverbs
An adverb is a word that tells you how or where or when an action is done, for example:
Lui andò di sotto
He went downstairs
Domani andremo a nuotare
Tomorrow we will go to swim
Lei sorrise gentilmente
She smiled gently
Italian Prepositions
Prepositions are words that show position in relation to space or time, or that introduce a complement. The main prepositions in Italian are listed below. For a more in-depth look at Italian prepositions click here.
di
La casa di Paola
Paola's house
a
Io vado a casa
I go (to) home
da
Il treno viene da Milano
The train comes from Milan
in
La mamma è in Italia
The mother is in Italy
con
Io vivo con Paola
I live with Paola
su
La penna è sul tavolo
The pen is on the table
per
Il regalo è per te
The gift is for you
tra/fra
La banca è tra il supermercato e la scuola
The bank is between the supermarket and the school
Italian Conjunctions
Conjunctions are words that link to other words or to a group of words. Like e - and, ma - but, se - if.
Il cane e il gatto
The dog and the cat
Sono stanco, ma vengo
I am tired, but I'm coming
Se vuoi, puoi dormire qui
If you want, you can sleep here
The Auxiliary Verbs: Essere and Avere
Essere and avere can be used as common verb, with the meanings of to be and to have, but also they can be auxiliary verbs, io ho comprato - I have bought.
io ho comprato
I have brought
Essere:
io sono
I am
tu sei
you are
lui/lei/Lei è
he/she is
noi siamo
we are
voi siete
you are
loro sono
they are
Avere:
io ho
I have
tu hai
you have
lui/lei/Lei ha
he/ she has
noi abbiamo
we have
voi avete
you have
loro hanno
they have
In the formal situation, the 2nd person is substituted with the 3rd person Lei.
Some special cases:
Luigi ha 30 anni
Luigi is 30 years old
Io ho freddo
I am cold
Avete fame?
Are you hungry?
Italian Grammar Rules Summary
- There are seven main categories in Italian: articles, nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions and conjunctions.
- Adjectives and nouns have a specific form for the masculine and for the feminine, for singular and plural
- Verbs are the core of the Italian language
- Some prepositions can be contracted with the articles
- Essere and avere are the Italian auxiliary verbs.
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