{"id":69564,"date":"2017-06-19T16:42:14","date_gmt":"2017-06-19T20:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/how-to-learn-italian-grammar-2\/"},"modified":"2025-02-23T06:26:37","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T11:26:37","slug":"how-to-learn-italian-grammar-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/italian\/how-to-learn-italian-grammar-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Learn Italian Grammar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Italian grammar<\/a> is an important but sometimes challenging part of learning the language.<\/p>\n

To make learning Italian grammar a bit easier, I consulted some experienced Italian learners living in Italy and asked\u00a0them about the shortcuts they used to help them\u00a0speak, learn and adapt to their new language.<\/p>\n

These tips should get you around some of the trickier grammar roadblocks<\/strong> and speed down the path to fluency.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Cut Down on Conjugations with Modal Verbs<\/h2>\n

Using modal\u00a0verbs in Italian can greatly expand your speaking capabilities.<\/strong> They allow for the expression of a lot of different ideas without the necessity of learning a bunch of verb conjugations.<\/p>\n

The most common modal verbs in Italian are potere <\/em><\/strong>(to be able to\/can), dovere <\/em><\/strong>(to have to)\u00a0and volere <\/em><\/strong>(to want). These verbs are usually followed by another verb in the infinitive form. This means that you can use the conjugated form of a modal verb\u00a0and simply follow it with an infinitive form\u00a0in a variety of situations.<\/p>\n

Here’s an example. Imagine that you want to say these three phrases in Italian:<\/p>\n

“I work on Monday.”<\/p>\n

“You go to Italian class<\/a> on Tuesday.”<\/p>\n

“We play tennis on Saturday.”<\/p>\n

This requires three different verbs, all of which are conjugated\u00a0differently:<\/p>\n

Lavoro<\/strong> luned\u00ec. <\/em>(I work on Monday.)<\/p>\n

Andate<\/strong> a lezione d’italiano il marted\u00ec <\/em>(You go to Italian class on Tuesday.)<\/p>\n

Giochiamo<\/strong> a tennis\u00a0sabato. <\/em>(We play tennis on Saturday.)<\/p>\n

If\u00a0instead, we use the modal\u00a0verb\u00a0dovere<\/em> (to have to) before the main verb, we only need to conjugate the modal verb and can leave the others in the infinitive:<\/p>\n

Devo lavorare<\/strong> luned\u00ec. <\/em>(I have to work on Monday.)<\/p>\n

Dovete andare<\/strong> a lezione d’italiano il marted\u00ec. <\/em>(You have to go to Italian class on Tuesday.)<\/p>\n

Dobbiamo giocare<\/strong> a tennis sabato. <\/em>(We have to play tennis on Saturday.)<\/p>\n

Modals allow for the use of a vast array of verbs\u00a0without necessarily knowing how to conjugate them.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0Ask Questions Just by Changing Your Tone of Voice<\/h2>\n

Italian phrases in the interrogative form don’t change their form or structure.<\/strong> They look exactly like positive or negative phrases.<\/p>\n

The way you ask a question while speaking Italian is simply by changing the tone of your voice<\/a> so that it rises at the end of a sentence. <\/strong>Che facile!\u00a0<\/em>(How easy!)<\/p>\n

We do this in English as well, occasionally, usually to show incredulity or disbelief. For instance, if you caught your vegetarian friend chowing down on some steak, you might say: “You’re eating meat!?”<\/p>\n

Here are some examples in Italian (the bold\u00a0words indicate when your tone should rise):<\/p>\n

Posso avere\u00a0un cappuccino?<\/strong><\/em> (Can I have a cappuccino?)<\/p>\n

Dobbiamo fare check-out alle 11:00?<\/strong> <\/em>(Do we have to check out at 11:00?)<\/p>\n

\u00c8 un albergo\u00a0economico?<\/strong> <\/em>(Is it a cheap hotel?)<\/p>\n

\u00c8 gi\u00e0\u00a0partito il treno?<\/strong><\/em> (Has the train already left?)<\/p>\n

While the grammar is easy, you’ll still need to be careful because your tone can say a lot.<\/strong> Notice that for the last example, if you don’t change your tone, the phrase will mean “The train has already left,” which could cause some confusion!<\/p>\n

If you want to practice your intonation more, you can listen to native speakers and try to mimic their tone. You could use a language learning program like FluentU<\/a> to practice.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

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