Learning Languages Articles

Article / Updated 05-18-2023

Learning numbers and counting in Italian isn't complicated. In fact, the Italians follow many of the same patterns that we do in English. There are a few differences, but it's when it comes to numbers and counting in Italian, it's really just a question of memorizing. In Italian, as in English, there is a unique number from 0 – 16. After that they add the next number to the tens, making one word. So, 17, is the word for 10 followed by the word for 7 and so on. Numbers 1 to 19 in Italian uno 1 due 2 tre 3 quattro 4 cinque 5 sei 6 sette 7 otto 8 nove 9 dieci 10 undici 11 dodici 12 tredici 13 quattordici 14 quindici 15 sedici 16 diciassette 17 diciotto 18 diciannove 19 For the numbers in the twenties, thirties, forties, and so on, just add the number to the tens, with the exception of when you add a 1 or an 8. For these two numbers, drop the final "–i." For example, venti (20), ventuno (21), ventidue (22), venticinque (25), ventotto (28). See? It's not ventiuno or ventiotto. Numbers 20 to 99 in Italian venti 20 ventuno 21 ventidue 22 trenta 30 trentuno 31 quaranta 40 quarantuno 41 cinquanta 50 sessanta 60 settanta 70 ottanta 80 novanta 90 When you add the tre, the -e takes an accent: ventitrè. Larger numbers in Italian follow the same formula. Numbers 100 and higher in Italian 100 cento 101 centuno 102 centodue 150 centocinquanta 1,000 mille 2,000 duemila In Italian, large numbers are said in the same order that we use for English. For example, 1916 would be 1916 (millenovecentosedici) (literally: one thousand, nine hundred, and sixteen). The following phrases can help you when talking about numbers. Quanti anni hai? (How old are you?) Ho ventitrè anni. (I'm 23 years old.) Quanto viene? (How much does it come to?) Sei euro sessanta. (6 euros and 60 cents.) Quanto è per una camerasingola? (How much is it for a single room?) Centoventi euro. (120 Euros)

Article / Updated 05-09-2023

Dropping demonstrative adjectives into your Spanish vocabulary will help you express exactly what or whom you’re seeking. But first, you need to understand what demonstrative adjectives stand for and how they translate in Spanish. Then you’ll be ready to absorb the basics of their usage. Demonstrative adjectives indicate or point out the person, place, or thing to which a speaker is referring. For instance, “this shirt” or “that pair of pants.” They precede and agree in number and gender with the nouns they modify. In Spanish, you select the demonstrative adjective according to the distance of the noun from the speaker. The following table presents demonstrative adjectives and addresses this distance issue. Spanish Demonstrative Adjectives Number Masculine Feminine Meaning Distance Singular/Plural este/estos esta/estas this/these Near to or directly concerned with speaker Singular/Plural ese/esos esa/esas that/those Not particularly near to or directly concerned with speaker Singular/Plural aquel/aquellos aquella/aquellas that/those Far from and not directly concerned with speaker The following list shows these demonstrative adjectives in action: Estos pantalones son cortos y esta camisa es larga. (These pants are short and this shirt is large.) Tengo que hablar con esa muchacha y esos muchachos ahí. (I have to speak to that girl and those boys there.) Aquellos países son grandes y aquellas ciudades son pequeñas. (Those countries are large and those cities are small.) Here’s what you need to know about demonstrative adjectives in Spanish: You use them before each noun: este abogado y ese cliente (this lawyer and that client) You can use adverbs to reinforce location: esta casa aquí (this house here) esas casas ahí (those houses there) aquella casa allá (that house over there)

Article / Updated 05-09-2023

Demonstrative pronouns can make your Spanish flow more naturally in both writing and conversation. So how exactly can you go about forming sentences with demonstrative pronouns? First, you need to understand what they stand for and how they translate in Spanish. Then you’ll be ready to absorb the basics of their usage. Demonstrative pronouns, which replace demonstrative adjectives and their nouns, express this (one), that (one), these (ones), or those (ones). The only difference between a demonstrative adjective and a demonstrative pronoun in terms of writing is the addition of an accent to the pronoun, as you can see in the following table. Spanish Demonstrative Pronouns Number Masculine Feminine Meaning Distance Singular/Plural éste/éstos ésta/éstas this (one)/these (ones) Near to or directly concerned with speaker Singular/Plural ése/ésos ésa/ésas that (one)/those (ones) Not particularly near to or directly concerned with speaker Singular/Plural aquél/aquéllos aquélla/aquéllas that (one)/those (ones) Far from and not directly concerned with speaker The following list shows some examples of these demonstrative pronouns in action: Mire éstos y ésta también. (Look at these and this one, too.) Quiero ése y ésas. (I want that and those.) Aquél es viejo y aquélla es moderno. (That one is old and that one is modern.) Here’s what you need to know about demonstrative pronouns in Spanish: They agree in number and gender with the nouns they replace: Me gusta este coche y ésos. (I like this car and those.) You use a form of aquél to express the former and a form of éste to express the latter: Patricia es la hermana de Francisco; éste es rubio y aquélla es morena. (Patricia is the sister of Francisco; Francisco [the latter] is blond and Patricia [the former] is brunette.)

Article / Updated 05-09-2023

When speaking Spanish, the pronoun you use depends upon the person you’re speaking to and the person you’re speaking about. And, just as in English, you change pronouns according to person — I, you, he or she and we, you, they. The following table shows all the Spanish subject pronouns: Person Singular Plural 1st Person yo (I) nosotros/as (we [male or mixed group/female]) 2nd Person tœ (you 
[informal]); Ud. (you [formal]) vosotros/as (you [informal; male or mixed group/female]); Uds. 
(you [formal]) 3rd Person Žl (he); ella (she) ellos/as (they [male or mixed group/female])

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-19-2023

Teaching English as a foreign language is an exciting and challenging experience. Here, you will find words of wisdom on everything from choosing a course to lesson planning, and all the stages in between.

Article / Updated 03-16-2023

Certain Spanish words allow you to describe where people or things are in relation to other people and things. Expressing these spatial directions in Spanish — and thus creating more accurate and engaging sentences — is pretty easy if you can memorize these words: al lado (ahl lah-doh) (beside, next to, at the side of) al frente (ahl frehn-teh) (in front of) dentro (dehn-troh) (inside) adentro (ah-dehn-troh) (inside; because dentro also means “inside,” adentro may express movement, as when someone or something moves toward an interior) fuera (fooeh-rah) (outside) afuera (ah-fooeh-rah) (outside; like adentro, the Spanish word afuera can be used to express movement — in this case, the movement of someone or something toward an exterior) bajo (bvah-Hoh) (under; below) debajo (deh-bvah-Hoh) (underneath) arriba (ah-ree-bvah) (above) Practicing these directions comes in handy. The sentences that follow show you how you can use spatial-direction terms in your day-to-day conversation: La pastelería está al lado del banco. (lah pahs-teh-leh-reeah ehs-tah ahl lah-doh dehl bvahn-koh) (The pastry shop is next to the bank.) Al frente del banco hay una zapatería. (ahl frehn-teh dehl bvahn-koh ahy oo-nah sah-pah-teh-reeah) (In front of the bank there is a shoe store.) Las mesas del café están afuera. (lahs meh-sahs dehl kah-feh ehs-tahn ah-fooeh-rah) (The tables of the cafe are outside.) Cuando llueve ponen las mesas adentro. (kooahn-doh yooeh-bveh poh-nehn lahs meh-sahs ah-dehn-troh) (When it rains, they put the tables inside.) Arriba hay cielo despejado. (ah-ree-bvah ahy see-eh-loh dehs-peh-Hah-doh) (Above, the sky is clear.) Hay agua bajo los pies de Carlos. (ahy ah-gooah bvah-Hoh lohs peeehs de kahr-lohs) (There’s water under Carlos’s feet.) Debajo de la calle corre el tren subterráneo. (deh-bvah-Hoh deh lah kah-yeh koh-rreh ehl trehn soobv-teh-rrah-neh-oh) (The subway runs under the street.) Este ascensor va arriba. (ehs-teh ah-sehn-sohr bvah ah-rree-bvah) (This elevator goes up.) Hay un gato dentro de la caja. (ahy oon gah-toh dehn-troh deh lah kah-Hah) (There’s a cat inside the box.)

Article / Updated 03-16-2023

The gender of nouns is always a stumbling point for people learning Spanish. In Spanish, nouns always take on a specific gender. This gender role is in addition to the traditional role nouns take on as the subject of a sentence or the direct object of a verb. Spanish nouns are either masculine or feminine. Nouns that refer to males are always masculine, and nouns that refer to females are feminine, no matter their endings. You can’t always be sure when it comes to places or things, though. In Spanish, certain endings are good indications as to the gender (masculine or feminine designation) of nouns. For instance, nouns that end in -o (except la mano [lah mah-noh; the hand] and la radio [lah rah-deeoh; the radio]) are most often masculine. Nouns that end in -a, -ad (la ciudad [lah seeoo-dahd; city]), -ie (la serie [lah seh-reeeh; the series]), -ción (la canción [lah kahn-seeohn; the song]), -sión (la discusión [lah dees-koo-seeohn; discussion]), -ud (la salud [lah sah-lood; health]), and -umbre (la costumbre [lah kohs-toom-bvreh; custom]) generally are feminine. Certain nouns belonging to a theme are masculine, including Numbers (el cuatro [ehl kooah-troh; four]) Days of the week (el jueves [ehl Hooeh-bvehs; Thursday]) Compass points (el norte [ehl nohr-teh; north]) Names of trees (el manzano [ehl mahn-sah-noh; apple tree]) Compound nouns (el mediodía [ehl meh-deeoh-dee-ah; noon]) Names of rivers, lakes, mountains, straits, and seas (el Mediterráneo [ehl meh-dee-teh-rrah-neh-oh; the Mediterranean]) Certain nouns belonging to a theme are feminine, such as Many illnesses (la gripe [lah gree-peh; the flu], la apendicitis [lah ah-pehn-dee-see-tees; appendicitis]) Islands and provinces (la Córsega [lah kohr-seh-gah; Corsica]) If you’re not sure about a particular word’s gender, take a look at the article that precedes it for a hint. El and los are masculine forms of the, whereas la and las are feminine.

Article / Updated 03-15-2023

By mastering the basics of conversation in Italian, you put yourself and the person you're talking to at ease. Everyone should learn essential Italian conversational words and phrases before traveling to Italy. These words and expressions are sure to come up in most everyday conversations. Courteous phrases Being polite is just as important in Italy as anywhere else in this world. The following words and phrases cover most of the pleasantries required for polite conversation. After all, learning to say the expressions of common courtesy in Italian before traveling is just good manners. sì (yes) no (no) per favore; per piacere; per cortesia (please) Grazie (Thank you) Molte grazie (Thank you very much.) Prego! (You're welcome!) Si figuri! (It's nothing.) Mi scusi. (Excuse me.) prego (by all means) Può ripetere, per cortesia? (Can you please repeat.) Personal pronouns Once you've mastered the common pleasantries, the next important thing to learn is how to refer to people. The most common way is by using personal pronouns. In Italian, the pronouns (you and they) are complicated by gender and formality. You'll use slightly different variations of these words depending to whom you are referring and how well you know them. Io (I) lui (he) lei (she) noi (we) tu (you [singular]) lei (you [singular/formal]) voi (you (plural/informal]) loro (you (plural/formal]) loro (they) Use the informal tu (singular you) and voi (plural you) for friends, relatives, younger people, and people you know well. Use the formal lei (singular you) when speaking to people you don't know well; in situations such as in stores, restaurants, hotels, or pharmacies); and with professors, older people, and your friends' parents. The formal loro (plural you) is rarely used and is gradually being replaced by the informal voi when addressing a group of people. References to people When meeting people in Italy, be sure to use the appropriate formal title. Italians tend to use titles whenever possible. Use the Lei form when using any of the following titles. A man would be called Signore, which is the same as Mr. or Sir. An older or married woman is called Signora and a young lady is called Signorina. It is also helpful to know the correct vocabulary term for referring to people based on their age, gender, or relationship to you. uomo (a man) donna (a woman) ragazzo (a boy) ragazza (a girl) bambino [M]; bambina [F] (a child) padre (a father) madre (a mother) figlio [M]; figlia [F] (child) fratello (a brother) sorella (a sister) marito (a husband) moglie (a wife) amico [M]; amica [F] (a friend) In Italian, there are four words to cover the English indefinite articles a and an. For masculine words, you would use uno if the word begins with a z or an s and a consonant and you would use un for the rest. For feminine words, you should use 'un for words beginning with a vowel and una for words beginning with a consonant. Phrases for travelers There are some Italian phrases that are particularly helpful to international travelers. Below are several phrases may come in handy during your stay in Italy. Mi scusi. (Excuse me. [Formal]) Non parlo bene l'italiano. (I don't speak Italian well.) Parla inglese? (Do you speak English? [Formal]) Parlo inglese. (I speak English.) Mi sono perso. [M]; Mi sono persa. [F] (I'm lost.) Sto cercando il mio albergo. (I'm looking for my hotel.) Sì, lo so. (Yes, I know.) Non lo so. (I don't know.) Non so dove sia. (I don't know where it is.) Non capisco. (I don't understand.) Capisco, grazie. (I understand, thanks.) Può ripetere, per cortesia? (Can you repeat, please? [Formal]) È bello. (It's beautiful.) È bellissimo. (It's very beautiful.) Vado a casa. (I'm going home.) Domani visitiamo Venezia. (We'll visit Venice tomorrow.) Due cappuccini, per favore. (Two cappuccinos, please.) Non lo so. (I don't know.) Non posso. (I can't.) Non potevo. (I couldn't.) Non lo faccio. (I won't do it.) Non dimenticare! (Don't forget!) Lei non mangia la carne. (She doesn't eat meat.) Non siamo americani. (We aren't American.) Il caffè non è buono. (The coffee isn't good.) Non è caro! (It's not expensive!) It's possible to use more than one negative in a sentence. For example, you may say Non capisce niente (He/she doesn't understand anything). Generally, you may just put non in front of your verb to negate your sentence, such as m'ama non m'ama (he/she loves me, he/she loves me not). Common places and locations It is also helpful to know the correct vocabulary for some of the common places or locations that you might need or want while traveling in Italy. banca (bank) città (city) il consolato Americano (American consulate) il ristorante (restaurant) in campagna (in the country) in città (in the city) in montagna (in the mountains) l'albergo (hotel) l'ospedale (hospital) la casa (house) la polizia (police) la stazione dei treni (train station) metropolitana (subway) museo (museum) negozio (store) paese (country) spiaggia (beach) stato (state) ufficio (office)

Article / Updated 02-09-2023

If you're traveling abroad, knowing a few Spanish hotel words and phrases can help you find good hotel accommodations in a Spanish-speaking area. The following dialogue shows what could be a common dialogue between a traveler and a hotel receptionist. Anita has just arrived in town, and she’s at the front desk of a large hotel. She asks for a room for the night. Anita: Necesito una habitación, con baño. neh-seh-see-toh oo-nah ah-bvee-tah-seeohn kohn bvah-nyoh I need a room, with bath. Receptionist: ¿Le gusta hacia la calle o hacia el patio? leh goos-tah ah-seeah lah kah-yeh oh ah-seeah ehl pah-teeoh Do you prefer a room facing the street or the patio? Anita: Prefiero hacia el patio. preh-feeeh-roh ah-seeah ehl pah-teeoh I prefer it toward the patio. Receptionist: Las del patio son muy tranquilas. Las habitaciones hacia el patio cuestan cuarenta pesos, sin desayuno. lahs dehl pah-teeoh sohn mooy trahn-kee-lahs lahs ah-bvee-tah-seeoh-nehs ah-seeah ehl pah-teeoh kooehs-tahn kooah-rehn-tah peh-sohs seen deh-sah-yoo-noh The patio rooms are very quiet. The rooms facing the patio cost forty pesos, without breakfast. Anita: En el primer piso? ehn ehl pree-mehr pee-soh On the first floor? Receptionist: No, las del segundo piso. Las del primero son a cincuenta pesos. noh lahs dehl seh-goon-doh pee-soh lahs dehl pree-meh-roh sohn a seen-kooehn-tah peh-sohs No, the second floor ones. The first floor rooms are priced at fifty pesos. Anita: Prefiero una en el primer piso. preh-feeeh-roh oo-nah ehn ehl pree-mehr pee-soh I prefer one on the first floor. Receptionist: Muy bien, señora. mooy bveeehn sey-nyoh-rah Very well. Receptionist: ¿Prefiere con cama matrimonial o con dos camas? preh-feeeh-reh kohn kah-mah mah-tree-moh-neeahl oh kohn dohs kah-mahs Do you prefer a double bed or two beds? Anita: Prefiero con dos camas. preh-feeeh-roh kohn dohs kah-mahs I prefer two beds. Receptionist: Tengo disponible en el primer piso la habitación número ciento diecinueve. Quiere verla? tehn-goh dees-poh-nee-bvleh ehn ehl pree-mehr pee-soh lah ah-bvee-tah-seeohn noo-meh-roh seeehn-toh-deeeh-see-nooeh-bveh keeeh-reh bvehr-lah Room 119 is available on the first floor. Do you want to see it? Anita: Sí, quiero verla. see keeeh-roh bvehr-lah Yes, I want to see it. Receptionist: Pedro, acompañe a la señora a la habitación ciento diecinueve. Aquí está la llave. peh-droh ah-kohm-pah-nyeh ah lah seh-nyoh-rah ah lah ah-bvee-tah-seeohn seeehn-toh-deeeh-see-nooeh-bveh. ah-kee ehs-tah lah yah-bveh Pedro, take the lady to room 119. Here’s the key. Anita likes the room. Now she needs to take care of the arrangements and check in. Anita: Me gusta la habitación ciento diecinueve. La voy a tomar. meh goos-tah lah ah-bvee-tah-seeohn seeehn-toh-deeeh-see-nooeh-bveh lah bvohy ah toh-mahr I like room 119. I’m going to take it. Receptionist: ¿Cuántos días desea quedarse? koo-ahn-tohs deeahs deh-seh-ah keh-dahr-she How many days do you want to stay? Anita: Me quedo por tres dias. meh keh-doh pohr trehs deeahs I’m staying three days. Receptionist: Haga el favor de registrarse. El desayuno no está incluído en el precio. ¿Va a hacer un depósito por la primera noche? ah-gah ehl fah-bvohr deh reh-Hees-trahr-she ehl deh-sah-yoo-noh noh ehs-tah een-klooee-doh ehn ehl preh-seeoh bvah ah ah-sehr oon deh-poh-see-toh pohr lah pree-meh-rah noh-cheh Please check in. Breakfast is not included in the price. Are you going to make a deposit for the first night? Anita: Sí, lo voy a hacer. ¿Con tarjeta o efectivo? see loh bvohy ah ah-sehr kohn tahr-Heh-tah oh eh-fehk-tee-bvoh Yes, I’ll make it. Cash or credit card? Receptionist: Como usted guste. koh-moh oos-tehd goos-the Whichever you like. Anita: ¿Me pueden despertar a las siete de la mañana? meh pooeh-dehn dehs-pehr-tahr ah lahs seeeh-teh deh lah mah-nyah-nah Can you wake me at seven in the morning? Receptionist: Como no. Que pase buenas noches. koh-moh noh keh pah-seh bvooeh-nahs noh-chehs Of course. Have a good night.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-09-2023

Maybe you're familiar with some basics of German grammar, but you want to become more confident in both writing and speaking in German. This quick overview will reacquaint you with personal pronouns — try to memorize these and be sure you know all three cases — and help you brush up on present tense verb construction. With practice and time, you'll soon be off and having fun auf Deutsch (in German)!