Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Conversational Italian for Travelers books
Ciao a tutti! Since 2020, I have been posting the series of blogs, “Our Italy.” In this series, I share bloggers’ experiences of Italy, a country whose culture has captivated the world for thousands of years. I think now is the time to share these memories, knowing that one day we will all be able to return, inspired anew by the Italian people and their land.
Karen Haid is a multifaceted person, who was raised by parents who had lived in Italy for 5 years after their marriage and returned to the United States as Itaophiles. They transferred their love of Italian cuisine and culture to their children. Karen’s primary focus was the world of classical music prior to her immersion in Italian language when she visited Italy as an adult. Karen remained in Italy, where, on her way to becoming fluent in Italian, she has earned the Dante Alighieri Society’s certification of mother-tongue equivalency and a diploma in the teaching of Italian language and culture.
Several years ago, Karen’s primary focus became the regions of Basilicata and Calabria. Karen lived in Calabria and so she was able to experience the Italian culture in that region firsthand. Given her advanced level of Italian, when she now returns to Calabria as a tour guide, she is able to have many meaningful and wonderful conversations with locals, in which nothing gets lost in translation. Karen now promotes and has written about Calabria in her blog and book of the same name, Calabria: The Other Italy. The explanation for Karen’s fascination with Calabria, from her blog:
…from the moment she set foot on Calabrian soil, the author was intrigued by the characteristic determination of the Calabrese people, the wealth of its history and art, the beauty and variety of its landscape, and its rich culture, most often celebrated in terms of extraordinary culinary offerings. Calabria: The Other Italy grew out of her four-year immersion, observing, interacting and absorbing the wonders of the people and the place.
Recently, the rest of Italy has recognized Calabria’s beauty as well. From Karen’s blog:
Tropea, Calabria has just been voted the Borgo dei Borghi, the Village of the Villages, in a contest that asked Italians to choose the most beautiful amongst the Borghi più belli d’Italia, or Italy’s most beautiful villages. A difficult choice, to be sure, but Tropea isn’t called la Perla del Mediterraneo for nothing. Let’s have a look at this Pearl of the Mediterranean!
Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Important Phrases” book is now available to download on your cell phone. No APP needed! Purchase the rights today from our website at: www.learntravelitalian.com.
Buon giorno a tutti! Today we will discuss how to use sapere in the common subjunctive mood form “sappia” for those uncertain times in our lives.
As I’ve said before in this blog series, I believe that “commonly used phrases” are the key for how we can all build fluency in any language in a short time.
If we learn how to incorporate “commonly used phrases” when we talk about what we may knowin Italian with the verb sappia, the singular subjunctive mood of sapere,we will be able to communicate with the same complexity as we do in our native language!
This post is the 44th in a series of Italian phrases we have been trying out in our Conversational Italian! Facebook group. If you’d like to read the earlier posts in the series, “Italian Phrases We Use EVERY Day!” just click HERE.
Many “commonly used phrases” in Italian
start with “As far as I know…”
and use the subjunctive form of the verb sapere, which is sappia
See below for how this works.
As we all master these phrases, so will you. Try my method and let me know how it works. What sentences will you create with this verb?
The basics of the Italian language are introduced in the Conversational Italian for Travelers textbook and reference booksJust the Verbsand Just the Grammar.
The rights to purchase the Conversational Italian for Travelers books in PDF format on two electronic devices can also be obtained atLearn Travel Italian.com.
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Sappia — Subjunctive Mood of Sapere
As we’ve seen in a previous blog about the verb sapere,it is important to understand how to conjugate sapere in the present tense if one wants to describe what he or she knows. Sapere in the present tense is a verb of certainty; when one uses the Italian verb sapere, they do so to describe a fact or something they believe to be true.
But there are times when one may not be certain he or she is talking about a fact. In order to convey different shades of meaning, Italian uses the subjunctive mood. And to convey uncertainty about what one knows in the present, it is necessary to use the present subjunctive (presente congiuntivo) of sapere.
Sapere is an irregular verb.However, the presente congiuntivo is easier to conjugate than the present tense, as the first three persons of the presente congiuntivo are identical — all three are the commonly used form “sappia.”
Also, to make remembering the presente congiuntivo easy, note that the noi form is “sappiamo,” which is the same as the present tense!
In English, the translation for the presente congiuntivo of sapere is the same as the simple present tense. Today’s spoken and written English uses the subjunctive mood sparingly, most often for hypothetical phrases — statements we make when we wish for something that we know cannot be. Therefore, when Italian requires the presente congiuntivo,English defaults to the simple present tense. See the table below for the full conjugation of sapere.
Sapere – Presente Congiuntivo
io
sappia
I know
tu
sappia
you (familiar) know
Lei
lei/lui
sappia
you(polite) know
she/he knows
noi
sappiamo
we know
voi
sappiate
you all know
loro
sappiano
they know
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Let’s start our discussion of how to use the verb sapere with some common conversational phrases in the present and past tenses. Then we can go on to describe some situations in which it is necessary to use the sapere in the Italian subjunctive mood.
Some common phrases that use sapere in the present and past tenses:
So…/Sai…
I know…/You know…
Come sai…/Come sa…
As you know…(familiar/polite)
Come sapete…
As you all know…
Non si sa mai!
One never knows!
Non lo so.
I don’t know.
Non lo sapevo.
I didn’t know.
It is clear from the above phrases that a fact is being relayed; one either knows or does not know something. With the phrases that need to be completed, like, “So…,” “Sai…,”“Come sai..,” or “Come sa..,” since there is no uncertainty involved, a verb in the simple present or past tense can be used to complete the sentence.
An example of one friend talking to another is given below, with an introductory phrase that uses sapere in the present tense, and a fact relayed in the following phrase:
Come sai, Francesca è partita per Roma ieri. As you know, Frances left for Rome yesterday.
Now, let’s imagine that someone has asked our speaker if they know whether Frances has departed for Rome. And in this case, the speaker does not know if Frances has left prior to their conversation. An Italian in this situation could answer, “Non lo so,” for a simple, “I don’t know.” But to be a bit more dramatic, there is also the option of answering this question with an exclamation, “Chi lo sa!” which means, “Who knows?”
To really sound Italian, one can say, “Chissà!” which is a commonly used Italian exclamation that also means, “Who knows?” and likely evolved from the simple sentence above using sapere.
Here is our first example again, except this time let’s answer our question about Francesca with our exclamations that use sapere in the present tense.
Francesca è partita perRoma ieri? Chi lo sa! Frances left for Rome yesterday? Who knows?
Francesca è partita perRoma ieri? Chissà! Frances left for Rome yesterday? Who knows?
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So, when does the subjunctive mood come into play? Going back to our original question about whether Frances has left for Rome: in some cases, this question might not have a simple “yes or no” answer. And this is when it is necessary to use the subjunctive mood!
For instance, when answering the question, “Has Frances left for Rome?” the speaker may be fairly certain that Frances has already left. But maybe some detail is bothering him or her. Perhaps the speaker hasn’t seen Frances leave, but knows that Frances always keeps her appointments. The phrases “per quanto ne so” and “per quanto ne sappia,” both mean “as far as I know,” or “to my knowledge,” and are useful if one is feeling a bit unsure of themselves or the situation under discussion.
When to use each phrase? In many English translations, “per quanto ne so” and “per quanto ne sappia,” are interchangeable; but in Italian these two phrases do have different shades of meaning.
“Per quanto ne so”implies some certainty in one’s knowledge, similar to the English phrase, “I’m pretty sure.”
“Per quanto ne sappia” leans more toward uncertainty, such as, “I’m not really sure, but I think so.”
Below is our example again, with the subjunctive verb sappia used in the response to the original question asking whether Frances has left for Rome.
Francesca è partita perRoma? Has Frances left for Rome?
Per quanto ne sappia, Francesca è gia partita per Roma. As far as I know — I’m not really sure, but I think so — Frances has already left for Rome.
The phrase “per quanto ne sappia” can be shortened to: “che io sappia,” which also means, “as far as I know.” In fact, this shortened phrase is the most common form used in conversation.
Che io sappia, Francesca è gia partita per Roma. As far as I know, Frances has already left for Rome.
Other phrases along with “per quanto ne sappia” that mean “as far as” or “for what” or “to what” are:a quanto,per quel che,and a quel che. These introductory phrases are used in the same manner as per quanto, althoughper quanto is the most common phrase of this group used in conversational Italian.
But… be careful! “A quanto pare” means “apparently” and does not use the subjunctive mood! Because, in this case, the introductory phrase implies certainty, it should be followed with a verb in the simple present or past tense.
Francesca è partita per Roma? Has Frances left for Rome?
Le sue valigie non sono più qui. A quanto pare, Francesca è gia partita per Roma stamattina. Her suitcases are no longer here. Apparently, Frances has already left for Rome this morning.
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Another useful phrase for when one is feeling uncertain about something is “non che io sappia,” which means “not that I know” or “not that I am aware of,” and is usually followed by the conjunctions “ma”or “pero,” which both mean “but.” So, in effect, this introductory phrase when connected by “but” is a bit of a contradiction; it is a signal that one probably does know something about the situation after all!
Francesca è partita per Roma? Has Frances left for Rome?
Non che io sappia con certezza, ma le sue valigie non sono più qui. Not that I know for certain, but her suitcases are no longer here.
Remember how to use sappia, the Italian subjunctive mood of sapere in conversation and I guarantee you will use this verb every day!
Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just Grammar” and “Just the Verbs” books are now available to download on your cell phone. No APP needed! Purchase the rights today from our website at: http://www.learntravelitalian.com.
Ciao a tutti! We are on our way to speaking Italian more easily and confidently by the end of 2021!
When visiting another country (and I am sure travelers will one day be able to visit Italy again), it is important to understand the ins and outs of making a purchase. Whether you are dining at a restaurant, visiting an important historical site, or purchasing a souvenir of your trip, knowing a few words in Italian is always helpful to understand the cost. And if you like to barter, you can pepper your English with a few friendly Italian phrases to help the deal go through!
As I’ve said before, I believe that “commonly used phrases” are the key for how we can all build fluency in any language in a short time.
If we learn how to build on the“commonly used phrase”“Quanto costa,” which isItalian for “How much does it cost?”we will be able to communicate what we want to purchase, just as we do in our native language!
This post is the 43rd in a series of Italian phrases we have been trying out in our Conversational Italian! Facebook group. If you’d like to read the earlier posts in the series, “Italian Phrases We Use EVERY Day!” just click HERE
Many “commonly used phrases” in Italian
are used to ask Quanto costa? How much does it cost?
See below for how this works.
As we all master these phrases, so will you. Try my method and let me know how it works. What sentences will you create with these phrases?
The basics of the Italian language are introduced in the Conversational Italian for Travelers textbook and reference booksJust the Verbsand Just the Grammar
The rights to purchase the Conversational Italian for Travelers books in PDF format on two electronic devices can also be obtained atLearn Travel Italian.com.
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Let’s Talk About…
How Much Does it Cost? Quanto Costa?
When visiting another country (and I am sure travelers will one day be able to visit Italy again), it is important to understand the ins and outs of making a purchase. Whether you are dining at a restaurant, visiting an important historical site, or purchasing a souvenir of your trip, knowing a few words in Italian is always helpful to understand the cost. And if you like to barter, you can pepper your English with a few friendly Italian phrases to help the deal go through!
How do I use the verb costare?
In order to ask how much something costs in Italian, we will first need to conjugate the verb costare, which sounds very much like its English counterpart “to cost.”Costare is a regular -are verb, so the verb conjugation should be easy to remember. When making purchases, the third person singular “it costs,” which is “costa,” and the third person plural “they cost,” which is “costano,” are the two forms of this verb necessary to know.
Since we leave out the word “it” in conversational Italian, we simply need to put the word for “how much,” which is “quanto,” before costa or costano. This gives us the short sentences, “Quanto costa?” and “Quanto costano?” Remember that there is no need to insert the words “do” or “does” into your phrase when asking a question in Italian, although these words are necessary in English.
Let’s see how this works.
First off, it is polite to say, “Buon giorno!” to the shopkeeper when entering a shop in Italy. The shopkeeper will most likely be standing behind a counter near the doorway, and you will receive a polite “Buon giorno!” in return. Also, most shops in Italy have an unspoken rule — or sometimes an actual sign by the merchandise that says, “Non toccare, per favore” — requesting that customers do not handle fragile items themselves.
If you would like to have a closer look at an item, you can start by asking the shopkeeper, “Posso?” for “May I…” and point to the item you would like to pick up.
If you are in a shop in Florence, and see a lovely handmade wallet in a display case, if want to know the price, you can simply say, “Quanto costa?” for “How much does it cost?”
And if you want to purchase several silk scarves to bring home to your friends, you can ask, “Quanto costano?” for“How much do they cost?”
Quanto costa?
How much (does) (it) cost?
Quanto costano?
How much (do) (they) cost?
When asking a shopkeeper in Italy how much something costs, the easiest thing to do is to point to the item or items and use the simple sentences above. Most Italian shops are small and the salespeople are usually helpful and accommodating, regardless of one’s knowledge of Italian. But it is also easy to add the Italian word for the item you are interested in at the end of these sentences. Notice the verbs costa and costano are highlighted in green to emphasize how the verb costare will change depending on the number of items under consideration.
Quanto costa il portafoglio?
How much (does) the wallet cost?
Quanto costano le sciarpe?
How much (do) the scarves cost?
As a substitute for the name of the item, you can also point and use the adjective “this” for one item near you or “that” for another item further away. The adjectives “these/those” are used for more than one item. Remember to change the endings of “questo” (this) and “quello” (that) to reflect the gender of the item you want to purchase!
In the table below that the adjectives questo and quello are in blue, with their endings highlighted in red to match the endings of the nouns each corresponds to. If you need a more in-depth explanation of how to use the adjectives questo and quello, you will find this in the Conversational Italian for Travelers book “Just the Grammar.”
Quanto costa questo? (portafoglio)
How much (does) this cost?
Quanto costa questa? (sciarpa)
How much does this cost?
Quanto costano questi? (portafogli)
How much do these (wallets) cost?
Quanto costano queste? (sciarpe)
How much (do) these (scarves) cost?
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How do I spot a sale in Italy?
If you visit Italy at the end of June, and certainly in July and August, shops that sell clothing and accessories will be preparing for the fall season by putting their current items on sale. Large signs appear in shop windows, that say, “In Saldo” or “Saldi” and often list the percentage reduction, such as 25%, 50% or even 75%. Some additional words and phrases you may see in shop windows are given in the table below.
in vendita/ in saldo, saldi
on sale/ on sale for a reduced price
in svendita
in a closeout sale
sconto/ scontato
discount/ discounted
a prezzo basso
at low/ lowered price
Shop window in Rome with Italian dresses for sale up to 50% off.
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How do I barter in Italian?
The price of most smaller purchases in Italian shops is not negotiable, especially when the owner is not on site. But, many of the owners of the leather and jewelry shops in Florence actually expect you to barter with them! Bartering is also expected by many artisans that sell their work in the piazzas of Italy. Learn some of the phrases below. It may be fun to try out your bartering skills when Italy opens its doors to the world again!
Start a conversation with a shopkeeper by asking:
Quanto costa…
How much is… (literally: How much costs…)
Of course, the listed price will be:
troppo caro
too expensive
costoso
expensive, costly
proprio costoso
really expensive
Costa un occhio della testa!
Costs an arm and a leg! (lit. Costs an eye out of the head!)
And here we go with bartering…
Quanto costa?
How much (does it) cost?
Venti euro.
(It costs) 20 euro.
Troppo caro! Facciamo quindici euro!
(That is) too expensive! Let’s make it 15 euros!
Non è in saldo… ma, diciannove va bene.
(It) is not on sale… but 19 is good.
No, è costoso! Può andar bene diciassette?
No, (it) is expensive! Perhaps 17?
Diciotto. Non posso fare più sconto!
18. (I) can’t discount it any more! (lit. I can’t make it (any) more discounted!)
Va bene!
Very well!/Agreed.
If you’ve tried bartering in Italy, leave a comment describing your method and let us know how it worked!
Remember how ask, “How much does it cost?” in Italian with “Quanto costa?” and I guarantee you will use this phrase every day!
Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Grammar” and “Just the Verbs” books
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Conversational Italian for Travelers books
Ciao a tutti! It’s been so nice to be out in the garden again this spring! It seems like ages have passed since my last gardening blog in December of 2020.
January was temperate in Chicagoland. It finally started to snow in earnest in February, and then seemed like it would never stop. By the end of the month, my yard was blanketed in 4 feet of snow! But once the snow cleared, I was excited to see the tiny, bright yellow, sun-like faces of my winter buttercups, followed by daffodils, tulips and hyacinths in the early spring. Check out my Instagram posts at Conversationalitalian.french to follow my flower beds more closely if you like.
I have great expectations for the vegetable garden this year, since I hired a landscape crew to build 4 new raised beds! These beds are on the top of a hill, in the sunniest location in my yard, and I know this will be wonderful for the Italian summer vegetables my family loves.
As I have mentioned in my Your Italian-American Gardening Tips blogs, for the last two years, my focus has been on how to grow Italian vegetables in the suburbs, even in a small space.
My hope is that you will enjoy the tips I’ve learned about gardening through many years of experience and be encouraged to start an Italian garden yourself — be it large or small, in a yard or on your porch, or even indoors in pots near a sunny window — after reading the blogs in this series “Your Italian Gardening Tips.”
In this blog I’ll describe how to get started in the springtime with vegetables and greens that love the cool weather, and set out my garden plan for 2011.
In my December post, I mentioned my first attempt at growing leeks last year. In short, I had found leek sets in the garden shop and planted them in two rows in the center of my lettuce bed by the house. Although I did not realize it at the time, they were planted in a good location for over-wintering; that particular bed is sheltered by a large tree on one side and the house and patio wall on the other two sides. The leeks provided greenery in the center of that bed all winter, their long so I knew they were alive. By early spring, when the ground thawed I was able to pull two fragrant leeks to make with my salmon for Friday night during lent.
A few tips about cooking with leeks:
Whether store bought or homegrown, remember to continuously clean the leeks of the bits of dirt that hide in between the layers.
The long, white “bulb” portion of the leek (called the “shank”) is used for cooking, along with the tender green portion of the bulb at the border with the white. The long green leaves are normally discarded into the compost bin. Although, I did find an article from La Cucina Italiana that mentions boiling the tough green leaves and rolling each to make individual serving “rounds,” with a filling or to use them for soups or stews. Interesting ideas!
The “white part” of the leek is usually cut crosswise, is tender when cooked, and has a delicate, oniony flavor and floral scent. This portion of the leek alone can flavor an entire dish. So when I paired leeks with salmon for the Instagram post shared below, I did not use the usual Italian technique of a preliminary sauté in olive oil to soften them, and I did not include garlic in the dish. But the pasta in this dish is cooked and then added in the “typical” Italian way.
My salmon, leek, and cream with pasta dish is so simple to make. It takes only one large pan and I think the flavors meld beautifully. Check out how I did this on my Instagram video below and then try it yourself and see if you agree!
This year I wasted no time ordering seeds. As soon as the catalogues appeared in my mailbox in January, I sent out my order. The first item on my list was spinach, as it is one of my favorite leafy green vegetables. It is said that Catherine de Medici from Renaissance Florence loved spinach so much that when she was queen of France she asked it be served at every meal! Perhaps this is why dishes that feature spinach are called “Florentine.”
Spinach grows easily from seed in the cool spring of Chicago, and homegrown spinach has a fresh taste that the supermarket spinach lacks. I especially love young spinach leaves and it is wonderful to have them available right in my backyard for an afternoon lunch. This year I planted two varieties of spinach, both of which were advertised as being resistant to going to seed and dying out in the warm weather. Fingers crossed, because it typically turns from a cool spring into a hot summer very quickly in Chicagoland.
Other than spinach, I like to plant greens that are not commonly found in the grocery stores here in the US. My favorite company to order from is Seeds from Italy. They are an American distributor of seeds from authentic Italian producers. As a result, I was able to find two varieties of arugula, lamb’s lettuce, and several types of Italian leafy romaine that love cool weather but are also supposed to be resistant to going to seed when it turns warmer.
Another of my favorite Italian greens that can be planted in the springtime is cavolo nero. The name means “black cabbage,” but it is really a kale. This leafy green has become popular lately, but I’ve grown it in my garden for years. Cavolo nero grows easily from seed and will last all summer into the late fall. Cavolo nero is an attractive, tall leafy green and needs a lot of space, so I planted the seeds in their own row just outside the garden bed.
Just north of the cavolo nero is my bed of Swiss chard. One valiant plant came up again on its own this year. I’ve planted more seeds in the perimeter of the old bed since Swiss chard needs cool weather to germinate. The package recommended soaking the seeds in water for 24 hours prior to planting for best germination. And in the center of this garden bed, I trying to grow some new vegetables from seed: broccoli rabe and romanesco broccoli from Seeds of Italy.
Shallot sets and green onion sets from the garden shop in my neighborhood complete my lettuce beds this year. My chives came up again in their own pot nearby, as expected early in spring, as they have been for over 10 years!
Of course, before planting this year, I added more soil to my garden beds and amended the soil with cow manure and some garden compost. In my experience, lettuce will grow well without any other additions to the soil.
See below for an image of my garden beds with the greens and onions this year. Between the garden beds are lavender that I planted last year as part of my herb garden. A row of sedum was planted by the previous owners of my house, and comes up reliably every year, so I have kept it in place as a border. The leeks are in the center of the southern raised garden bed. Otherwise, not much to look at right now, but I know from experience that it will not be long before the seedlings pop their heads out of the ground!
Italian garden beds for lettuce, onions, and leafy greens, after seeds were planted. The leeks overwintered from last summer.
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Last Year’s Overwintered Strawberry Plants
and Planting New Bare Root Strawberries
Last year’s strawberry plants have greened up again. At this point, with many of the leaves now green and functioning again, I’ve read it’s important to cover the plants with a old sheet if the temperature dips below freezing at night. I’ve sometimes followed this advice and sometimes not. Either way, my strawberry plants seem to survive. They do need fertilizer for berries early in the spring and then in mid spring (about 30-45 days later) when they get ready to flower.
Strawberries spring 2021, overwintered with green leaves. Two small plants showing new red stalks and green leaves, peeking out in the center are overwintered rhubarb.
I’ve also planted more strawberries in the periphery of my asparagus beds at the top of my hill. Strawberries love the dappled shade that asparagus provides and are a nice border plant. I’ve always found the two to grow well together.
This year I was able to get down to Peoria (where I lived for about 18 years and learned to garden) and bought bare root strawberries from Kelly’s Seed in Peoria, Illinois. A family run business since 1905, Kelly’s seed only sells plants that will grow well in central Illinois. All of their staff today are knowledgeable about when and how to plant the seeds and root stock they sell, which is a huge added benefit. Plus is is always fun for me to share stories with them about my garden and they always listen and are helpful!
Check out your area for a local gardening store instead of the big box stores. If you are lucky enough to have a garden store in your area, and can buy bare root strawberries, just click on the link I’ve found to a post that will walk you through each step for planting strawberries: How to Plant Bare Root Strawberries.
Below are my morning’s adventure. Only 1 1/2 hours and 18 strawberry plants planted in each box! For that little work, hopefully I will be enjoying strawberries for years to come.
Bare root strawberries as they are sold on the left, and trimmed and ready to plant on the the right. Roots were soaked about 4 hours.
Strawberry crowns, newly planted
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Last Year’s Asparagus Plants
I planted asparagus crowns in the spring of last year, and after they came up posted about how to get them ready for winter.
Since it is now spring again, here are some tips about planting asparagus. First: check your location and see if asparagus will grow. Asparagus likes cool weather. The best way to plant asparagus is by buying “crowns” or the roots of the asparagus plant. I found an excellent post about how to plant asparagus that will take you through each step, with lots of pictures. The details about how to plant the crown are in the middle of the post. I would skip there as the home gardener would find it difficult to plant asparagus from seeds (as mentioned in the article). I have only grown asparagus from crowns. How to Plant Asparagus.
Asparagus that has overwintered needs a covering of cow manure compost in the spring and fall and with this little care the plants should continue to produce asparagus each spring for about 10 years and even up to 25 years. Since I live in hardiness zone 5 (temperature falls to -20 degrees for part of the winter) I cannot cut my asparagus for the first three years or the plant will die. Extra root power is needed to survive the cold Illinois winters! So no posts on fresh asparagus will appear until the year after next!
I plan on planting potatoes in the beds next to the strawberry patch along the west side of the house, and moving the tomatoes that were in these beds last year to the new beds when it gets warmer this spring. But for now, I have other plans for the new beds…
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This Year’s Peas and Then…
Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplant
And in my four new raised garden beds? I’ve planted peas! My family and I love fresh peas and this year I hope to have enough peas to enjoy all spring. A second planting in two to three weeks will help to prolong the season as long as it does not become hot too quickly.
Peas are also a good vegetable to start with in a new garden bed because they accumulate nitrogen gained from a symbiotic relationship between their roots and the bacteria in the soil. The bacteria are able to obtain nitrogen from the air and transfer it to the pea plant. After harvesting the peas, the remaining plants can then be turned into the soil to increase the nitrogen available to the next set of plants to be grown in the bed. Which in this case will be the Italian favorites — tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Here is an image of the raised beds. Nothing to look at for now. I just need to keep them watered and my fingers crossed they will germinate. A tip: Soak peas overnight in cold water and they will germinate more quickly.
Four new raised garden beds planted with peas
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My Grand Plan for 2021
Below is a map of my garden plan for this year. A map always helps me to plan what I need to do for each part of the spring and summer. You may notice the blackberries, raspberries and cherry trees… hopefully we will have fruit from these new plants in a few years also!
IItalian gardening plan for Spring 2021
Please write and let me know what you are planting in your garden this spring. I’d love to hear how your garden grows! Until the next blog, follow my Instagram account, Conversationalitalian.french for recipe ideas from my garden to yours!
Buon giorno a tutti! Today we are “about to” learn two more ways to use the verb stare that you can use every day!
As I’ve said before in this blog series, I believe that “commonly used phrases” are the key for how we can all build fluency in any language in a short time.
If we learn how to incorporate “commonly used phrases” when we talk about what we are about to doin Italian with the verb stare and the preposition per,we will be able to communicate with the same complexity as we do in our native language!
And when we are actually in the process of performing an action, we can use the verb stare again as a helping verb to emphasize that we are doing something right now.
This post is the 42nd in a series of Italian phrases we have been trying out in our Conversational Italian! Facebook group. If you’d like to read the earlier posts in the series, “Italian Phrases We Use EVERY Day!” just click HERE
Many “commonly used phrases” in Italian
start with “I am about to”
and use the verb + preposition combination
Stare + per
See below for how this works.
As we all master these phrases, so will you. Try my method and let me know how it works. What sentences will you create with this verb?
The basics of the Italian language are introduced in the Conversational Italian for Travelers textbook and reference booksJust the Verbsand Just the Grammar
The rights to purchase the Conversational Italian for Travelers books in PDF format on two electronic devices can also be obtained atLearn Travel Italian.com.
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Stare per — to be about to
As we’ve seen in a previous blog about the verb stare, although the direct translation of stare is “to stay,” over the centuries stare has also taken on the meaning of “to be” with respect to one’s general health. The verb stare is often used in other ways as well. For instance, with the addition of the preposition per, the “stareper”combination conveys the meaning “to be about to.”
Stare is an –are verb that has an irregular root in the tu and loro forms. In the table below, the regular conjugations of stare are given in green and the irregular forms in brown, in order to make them easier to recognize. The stare conjugation table has been modified from our first blog on this topic to reflect the different meaning with the addition of the preposition per after the verb.
Stare per – to be about to
io
sto per
I am about to
tu
stai per
you (familiar) are about to
Lei
lei/lui
sta per
you (polite) are about to
she/he is about to
noi
stiamo per
we are about to
voi
state per
you all are about to
loro
stanno per
they are about to
Once we have stareconjugated to reflect the speaker, the rest is easy! Simply follow the conjugated form of stare with per and then the infinitive form of the verb that describes what you are “about to” do.
What are some things we may be “about to” do during the course of the day? The actions of going to or returning from a place are very common. For instance, if I were “about to” go to the store to pick up some wine for dinner, and want to inform a family member, the line may go something like this:
Sto per andare a comprare una bottiglia di vino. Preferisci rosso o bianco? I am about to go to buy a bottle of wine. Do you prefer red or white?
Or, maybe your friend is putting on his coat, as if he were about to leave a gathering. Instead, you would like him to stay. You may say something like this (using the familiar command form of restare):
Stai per partire? È troppo presto! Resta qui un ora di più con me! Are you about to leave? It’s very early! Stay here an hour longer with me!
We can continue in this manner with the other verbs of “coming and going” like arrivare(to arrive),venire(to come),entrare (to enter), tornare(to return), or rientrare (to come back).
There are many other daily activities that come to mind where stare per may be useful. We are often “about to” say (dire)something important, or “about to” answer(rispondere) a question. We may be “about to” write (scrivere), send (mandare), or read (leggere) an important text or email.
After hearing sad news, we may be about to cry(stare per mettersi a piangere).
Several commonly used verb combinations given above have been listed in the table below. How many more can you think of?
Stare per andare
About to go
Stare per partire
About to leave
Stare per arrivare
About to arrive
Stare per venire
About to come
Stare per entrare
About to enter
Stare per tornare
About to return
Stare per rientrare
About to come back
Stare per dire
About to say
Stare per rispondere
About to answer
Stare per scivere
About to write
Stare per mandare
About to send
Stare per leggere
About to read
Stare per mettersi a piangere
About to cry
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Now that we know how to say what we are about to do in the present tense, let’s go one a step further and talk about the past tense. In fact, many of the phrases listed in the last section are more commonly used in the past tense during a normal conversation.
For instance, the phrase, “I was about to say…” is often used when one speaker has interrupted another. “I was about to answer…!” might be used if one feels pressured into saying something too quickly. Or, is one is telling a story about an unfortunate event that has happened to a friend, this story might involve the sentence, “He/she was about to cry…”
In these cases, we have to conjugate stare in the past tense. The imperfetto conjugation is given below. The rest of the sentence structure remains the same!
Stareimperfetto per — was about to
io
stavo per
I was about to
tu
stavi per
you (familiar) were about to
Lei
lei/lui
stava per
you (polite) were about to
she/he was about to
noi
stavamo per
we were about to
voi
stavate per
you all were about to
loro
stavanoper
they were about to
Stavo per dire la stessa cosa! I was about to say the same thing!
Stavo per rispondere, ma non mi hai dato il tempo! I was about to answer, but you didn’t give me time!
Stava per mettersi a piangere quando le ho detto che nonna è in ospitale. She was about to cry when I told her that grandma is in the hospital.
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Another important use for the verb stare is to convey the idea that one is doing something right now. Stareplus the gerund of an action verb creates the present progressive form. In English, the present progressive is the “ing” form of a verb — I am going, coming, doing, etc.
In Italian, the present progressive tense is used sparingly; it is reserved for a happening that is going on at the exact same time as the conversation. In short, where in English we commonly say “I am going,” to mean we will leave anywhere from one minute later to sometime in the near future, in Italian, a simple, “Io vado,”will suffice. To stress that he or she is leaving momentarily, an Italian might instead use stare say, “Sto andando,”**but either tense is correct.
To form the present progressive tense, simply conjugate stare to reflect the speaker. Then add the gerund of the action verb that is to follow.
It is fairly simple to create a gerund to create the present progressive tense in Italian. Drop the -are, -ere, and -ire verb endings to create the stem. Then add –ando to the stem of the -are verbs and -endoto the stem of the -ere and -ire verbs. Most gerunds are regular, which generally makes for easy conjugation, although, of course, there are some exceptions! For more information on this verb type, check out our reference book, Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Verbs.”
Let’s take a few of our example sentences one step further, from being “about to” do something, to actually doing it “right away.” Notice how the different use of stare changes the meaning of each sentence!
Sto andando a comprare una bottiglia di vino. I am going (right now) to buy a bottle of wine.
Il treno per Roma sta partendo! The train for Rome is leaving(right now)!
Stavo dicendo la stessa cosa! I was (just) saying the same thing!
Stavo rispondendo, ma mi hai interrotto! I was answering, but you interrupted me!
A couple more points…
*Another common way to convey you are leaving right away is with the phrase, “Me ne vado,”from the verb andarsene, but this is a topic for another blog!
*Instead of saying,“Sto arrivando,”for “I’m coming right now,” Italians commonly say,“Arrivo!”
Remember how to use the Italian verb combination stare per in conversation and I guarantee you will use this verb every day!
Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Verbs”
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Conversational Italian for Travelers books
Ciao a tutti! Since 2020, I have been posting the series of blogs, “Our Italy.” In this series, I share bloggers’ experiences of Italy, a country whose culture has captivated the world for thousands of years. I think now is the time to share these memories, knowing that one day we will all be able to return, inspired anew by the Italian people and their land.
Today I am happy to share a guest blog entitled: “Tuscany’s Wine Windows – An Architectural Curiosity Makes a Comeback,” from the Italofile blog written by former Italian resident, author and Italian travel blogger Melanie Renzulli. Prior to 2020, these small stone windows scattered among various buildings in Tuscany had largely been overlooked by residents and tourists alike. If anything, they were only a momentary curiosity to residents out for a stroll through Florence, and easily passed by by the throngs of tourists on their way to see the many other treasures Florence holds. But, as it turns out, these now ornamental windows had an important function during the years of the plague in Tuscany and have now been receiving a bit of attention.
According to Melanie Renzulli, “The Wine Windows Association has discovered more than 250 wine windows throughout Tuscany, most of which are located in the historic center of Florence (149) and outside its walls (24). There are 93 documented wine windows in the rest of Tuscany, from Arezzo to Siena, Pistoia to Pisa.” Click on the link to read about this architectural curiosity from Melanie’s blog, “Tuscany’s Wine Windows – An Architectural Curiosity Makes a Comeback.”
Banner photo: Print – Wine doors of Florence by Robbin Gheesling 2019 and 2020. To purchase the print featured in the banner photo, click here.
Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Important Phrases” book is now available to download on your cell phone. No APP needed! Purchase the rights today from our website at: www.learntravelitalian.com.
Buon giorno a tutti! How do you feel about Valentines Day? Is Valentines Day an important holiday for you? Does the thought of Valentines Day bring the same feelings as it did when you were younger?
If you want to express your feelings in Italian this Valentines Day, the verb sentirsiisessential! This verb is a part of many commonly used phrases in Italian.
As I’ve said before in this blog series, I believe that “commonly used phrases” are the key for how we can all build fluency in any language in a short time.
If we learn how to incorporate “commonly used phrases” when we talk about how we feelin Italian with the verb sentirsi,we will be able to communicate with the same complexity as we do in our native language!
This post is the 41st in a series of Italian phrases we have been trying out in our Conversational Italian! Facebook group. If you’d like to read the earlier posts in the series, “Italian Phrases We Use EVERY Day!” just click HERE
Many “commonly used phrases” in Italian
start with “I feel”
and use the verb
Sentirsi
See below for how this works.
As we all master these phrases, so will you. Try my method and let me know how it works. What sentences will you create with this verb?
The basics of the Italian language are introduced in the Conversational Italian for Travelers textbook and reference booksJust the Verbsand Just the Grammar
The rights to purchase the Conversational Italian for Travelers books in PDF format on two electronic devices can also be obtained atLearn Travel Italian.com.
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Sentirsi— to feel
The verb sentirsi means “to feel” in Italian and therefore sentirsi is the verb Italians use to describe their deepest emotions. You will immediately notice from the -siending that sentirsi is a reflexive verb. English, on the other hand, does not consider “feeling” a reflexive activity; so when we English speakers put our emotions into words, we do not use a reflexive verb. Because of this important difference, we will really have to learn how to think in Italian to express our feelings with sentirsi!
Learning how to use the verb sentirsiis really not all that tricky, though, once you understand the general idea of how to conjugate a reflexive verb. Just remember to add one of the reflexive pronouns (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si) before the conjugated form of sentirsi. Then finish the sentence by saying how you feel, just as you would in English.
Sentirsi has been conjugated in full in the table below. Sentirsi is a regular -ire verb, so its conjugations are presented in green. The reflexive pronouns that go with each conjugation are in blue. Since we do not use reflexive pronouns with the equivalent verb “to feel” in English, the Italian reflexive pronouns will not appear in the translation.
Sentirsi – to feel
io
misento
I feel
tu
tisenti
you (familiar) feel
Lei lei/lui
sisente
you (polite) feel she/he feels
noi
ci sentiamo
we feel
voi
visentite
you all feel
loro
sisentono
they feel
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Sentirsi vs. Stare
People across the globe commonly talk about how they are feeling. and Italians are no different! Let’s try to use our newly conjugated Italian verb sentirsiby creating some simple sentences to describe how we may feel.
From the table above, we can see that the common statement, “I feel…” is, “Io mi sento…” But, of course, we always leave out the Italian subject pronoun, so the phrase that Italians use is conversation is just, “Mi sento…” To complete the phrase, just add how you are feeling after the verb!
One way to use the verb sentirsi in conversation is to say, “Mi sento bene!” which means, “I feel well!” (Notice Italians do not say, “I feel good,” which is actually grammatically incorrect, although we say this in English all of the time.)
To have a conversation with one person about another person’s health, we can use the same phrase to relay a fact or to ask a question: “Si sente bene.” “He/she is feeling well.” “Si sente bene?” “Is he/she feeling well?”
(Io) Mi sento bene.
(Io) Non mi sento bene. (Io)Mi sento male.
I feel well.
I don’t feel well. I don’t feel well.
(Tu) Ti senti bene.
Do you feel well?
(Lei/Lui) Si sente bene.
She/he feels well.
(Lei/Lui) Si sente bene.
Does she/he feel well?
You will remember from our last blog about the Italian verb stare that stare is also used to talk about general well-being, either “good” or “bad,” similar to the sentences above.” Since both stare and sentirsiare used to describe how we feel, the difference in meaning between these two verbs can seem insignificant. But, by convention, stare is always the verb used when greeting someone. And, although sentirsi can be used to make generalizations, the use of sentirsiis more often a specific referral about how we feel, either to a health issue or actual feelings of happiness, sadness, etc.
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Adjectives to Use with Sentirsi
The table below is a list of adjectives that you can use to describe how you are feeling. Just add one of these adjectives after the words, “I feel…” in Italian, just as you would in English. Remember that male speakers must use the “o” ending and female speakers the “a” ending for these adjectives that refer back to the subject. If the adjective ends in an “e,” the ending does not need to be changed, of course.
bene
well
contento(a) / felice
happy
male
badly, unwell
nervoso(a) emotionato(a)
nervous excited/thrilled
triste
sad
Some simple example sentences:
Mi sento conteno.
I am happy.(male speaker)
Mi sento contenta.
I am happy.(female speaker)
Mi sento triste.
I feel sad.(male or female speaker)
Notice, that both “contento(a)” and “felice” mean “happy” in Italian. But when an Italian wants to describe an internal feeling of happiness, the word chosen is usually “contento(a).”Contento also translates into the English word, “content,” meaning to feel comfortable with or about something. The phrase, “Contento lui!” translates as, “Whatever makes him happy!”
Also, a note about feeling “excited” about things. In America, a very common phrase is, “I am excited…” about what I am about to do, or perhaps an event I will attend. In Italy, the word for“excited”or “thrilled” is “emotionato(a).”
Although the Italian word emotionato sounds to the English speaker like “emotional,” the Italian adjectives for emotional are actually, “emotivo(a),” or “emozionale.” Be careful! The Italian adjectives emotivo(a) and emozionale are most commonly used to mean “excited” with a negative connotation.
The wordsemotionatoand emotional, which sound like they should have similar meanings in each language, but do not, are often called, “false friends.”
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Valentines Day Sayings with Sentirsi
Now that we know how to make sentences with the verb sentirsi, let’s see how we can tell others how we feel on Valentines Day, or La Festa Degli Innamorati, as the Italians call this day. One of the legends surrounding Saint Valentines Day is that San Valentino, a priest in the Christian church who was jailed by the Romans, wrote the girl he loved a farewell love letter and signed it ‘Your Valentine.” He knew that this lettera d’amore, would be the last he would write to her before his execution as a Christian.
What do you imagine he could have written in this letter?
The Italian phrase for “I love you,” — when talking about love in a romantic way — is easy. It takes just two short words to relay your special feelings for someone: “Ti amo.” But after that, what do you say? How do you tell someone how wonderful they make you feel when you are with them?
Below are a few expressions that one can use on Valentines day, some of which use the verbsentirsi.
Quando ti vedo …mi sento contento(a).
When I see you …I am happy.
…mi sento un uomo fortunato.
I feel like a lucky man.
…mi sento una donna fortunata.
I feel like a lucky woman.
…sento che la mia vita è appena cominciata.*
I feel like my life has just begun.
… sento che il mondo è tutto mio.*
I feel like the world is all mine.
*You will notice from two of our examples above that the verb sentire was chosen for the Italian verb that means “to feel,” rather than the reflexive sentirsi. In these two cases, sentire is used in order to make a general comparison about how one’s feeling relates to something else, rather than to state one’s exact feeling. This type of comparison is called a simile and is used to make an idea more vivid — or in our examples, more “flowery” and romantic. It is easy to spot a comparison in Italian, because “che” will be used to link one’s feeling to the descriptive phrase. In English we can translate che into “like.”
Sentire is used in the following to phrases in our table below as well, but for a different reason. These two examples use the sentence structure, “You make me feel…” which requires sentireto be used in it’s infinitive form.
Mi fai sentire molto contento(a).
You make me feel very happy.
Mi fai sentire che tutto è possibile.
You make me feel that everything is possible.
If the time “feels right” for you and your Italian love to “officially” declare your feelings for each other, you may want to try the important phrases listed here.
Vuoi essere la mia fidanzata?
Do you want to be my girlfriend?
Vuoi essere il mio fidanzato?
Do you want to be my boyfriend?
Vuoi stare insieme a me per sempre?
Do you want to stay together forever?
Vuoi fidanzarti con me?
Do you want to get engaged (engage yourself to me)?
Vuoi fidanzarti con me?
Will you be my fiancée/finance?
Vuoi sposarti con me?
Do you want to get married (marry yourself to me)?
Vuoi sposarti con me?
Will you marry me?
How would you use sentirsi to tell your love how you feel? Please leave some examples. I’d love to hear from you!
One last note…
Italians do not use the words contentaor felice, to wish each other a “Happy Valentines Day,” but instead use “buon/buono/buona,” as for other holiday expressions, as in: Buona Festa degli Innamorati!
Click on this blog from expoloreitalianculture.com if you are interested in learning more about the traditions of Valentines Day in Italy.
Buon Festa degli Innamorati a tutti voi!
Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Verbs”
Buon anno a tutti! How do you feel now that 2021 is upon us? For me, anticipation of the year ahead always brings with it a sense of hope. Hope that old problems can be solved. Hope that new achievements can be realized.
I believe that the hope most people feel with each new year springs from the opportunity to make a fresh start and to set new goals. And setting a goal is, of course, the first step one must take on the road to any destination.
Why not set a goal to learn Italian, starting today, for the year 2021?
Of course, a goal to learn Italian may not be as life-changing as a goal to find a lasting relationship or a fulfilling job. But, it has been shown in many studies that learning a new language can help us to set an intellectual and emotional foundation that will boost the enjoyment of our other endeavors. And Italian is one of the most commonly studied languages in the world, perhaps because the rewards of delving into the rich Italian language and culture are so great!
But I started this blog asking how you, the reader feel now. If you want to express your feelings in Italian, the verb stare is essential! This verb is a part of many commonly used phrases in Italian.
As I’ve said before in this blog series, I believe that “commonly used phrases” are the key for how we can all build fluency in any language in a short time.
If we learn how to incorporate “commonly used phrases” when we talk about how we feelin Italian with the verb stare,we will be able to communicate with the same complexity as we do in our native language!
This post is the 40th in a series of Italian phrases we have been trying out in our Conversational Italian! Facebook group. If you’d like to read the earlier posts in the series, “Italian Phrases We Use EVERY Day!” just click HERE
Many “commonly used phrases” in Italian
start with “I feel”
and use the verb
Stare
See below for how this works.
As we all master these phrases, so will you. Try my method and let me know how it works. What sentences will you create with this verb?
The basics of the Italian language are introduced in the Conversational Italian for Travelers textbook and reference booksJust the Verbsand Just the Grammar
The rights to purchase the Conversational Italian for Travelers books in PDF format on two electronic devices can also be obtained atLearn Travel Italian.com.
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Stare— to stay (to be)
The verb stare has an interesting history. Although the direct translation of stare is “to stay,” over the centuries stare has also taken on the meaning of “to be” with respect to one’s general health.
Stare is an–are verb that has an irregular root in the tu and loro forms. In the table below, the regular conjugations of stare are given in green and the irregular forms in brown, in order to make them easier to recognize. Stareis a verb that will truly be used every day, so each conjugation should be committed to memory.
Stare – to stay (to be)
io
sto
I stay/(am)
tu
stai
you (familiar) stay/(are)
Lei
lei/lui
sta
you (polite) stay/(are)
she/he stays/is
noi
stiamo
we stay/(are)
voi
state
you all stay/(are)
loro
stanno
they stay/(are)
As most of us learn early on in our Italian studies, the familiar greeting, “How are you?”originates with the verb stare.
“Come stai?”is used with family and friends and “Come sta?” with acquaintances, and both mean, “How are you?”
In order to answer this common meeting and greeting question, let’s use our conjugations in the table above and describe in general if we are feeling well(bene) or badly/sick(male).
Stare bene– to feel well
io
sto bene
I am well
tu
stai bene
you (familiar) are well
Lei
lei/lui
sta bene
you (polite) are well
she/he is well
noi
stiamo bene
we are well
voi
state bene
you all are well
loro
stannobene
they are well
Stare male – to feel badly/sick
io
sto male
I feel badly
I am sick
tu
stai male
you (familiar) feel badly
you (familiar) are sick
Lei
lei/lui
sta male
you (polite) feel badly
she/he feels badly
you (polite) are sick
she/he is sick
noi
stiamo male
we feel badly
we are sick
voi
state male
you all feel badly
you all are sick
loro
stannomale
they feel badly
they are sick
If you would like to change-up your answer a bit, and be more descriptive about how you feel, of course there are many other options than simply “well” or “badly.” The phrases listed in the table below describe general feelings, from the best to the worst.
Note that not all of the replies to “Come stai?” or “Come sta?” use stare.
If you really want to speak like a native Italian, choose one of the “-issimo” endings for your reply, which are very common in spoken Italian today. Or, choose “non c’è male,”which many superstitious members of my family use so as not to be too happy about things and bring on bad luck!
Also, it should be mentioned that in informal situations, it is very common to substitute “Come va?” or “How’s it going?” for “Come stai?” In this case, a simple answer would be,“Va bene,” for “It’s going well/fine.”
Come stai? Come sta?
How are you?Familiar/Polite
Sto benissimo!
I am feeling great! I am really well!
The best ever!
Sto molto bene.
I am very well.
Sto bene.
I am well/fine.
Così, così.
So, so.
Non c’è male.
Not so badly.
Sto male.
I am feeling badly/sick.
Sto molto male.
I am feeling very badly.
I am very sick.
Sto malissimo!
I am very feeling very badly. I am really sick!
I am feeling the worst ever!
Come va?
How’s it going?
Va bene.
It’s going well/fine/good/OK.
To take this one step further, there is an important a part of the ritual of Italian greetings that should be followed. After stating how you feel, you should add a quick thanks and an inquiry into the the health of another.
For instance, “Sto bene, grazie. E tu?” or “E Lei?” for “I am well, thank you. And you? How are you?”
Or, if you know an individual’s family, it is considered polite to ask about them: “E la famiglia, come sta?”“And how is the family?
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We can also use stare in many common expressions to tell someone else how we would like them to feel or even how to behave. In Italian, when we direct someone to do something, we must use the command form of a verb. For our purposes here, we will only discuss the familiar command forms of stare, which will be the same as the present tense tu and voiforms we have just reviewed. A negative command is given in the infinitive form in both English and Italian.
We can use stare to ask someone to remain calm(calmo),to be still(fermo), to be careful(attento), or to be silent(zitto). Remember to change the ending of each adjective to reflect the gender of the person who is being addressed.
A command is usually clear from the tone of voice when any language is spoken. In written English and Italian, a command is generally followed by an exclamation point.
Stare calmo(a)(i,e)!
to be calm/to remain calm
Stare fermo(a)(i,e)!
to stay still/to keep still
Stare zitto(a)(i,e)!
to be silent/to be quiet
Stare attento(a)(i,e)!
to be careful/watchful/pay attention
Some example sentences are given below. How many more can you think of from your daily life? If you’d like, leave some examples in the comment section.
Annina, stai calma! Non piangere più! Little Ann, calm down! Don’t cry any more.
Non muoverti! Stai fermo, Giovanni! Don’t move(yourself)! Stay still, John!
Sono le undici di sera. Stai zitto! I miei genitori stanno dormendo. It is 11 o’clock at night. Be quiet! My parents are sleeping.
State attenti quando scendete dal treno! Be careful when you all get off the train!
By the way…
In order to ask someone to keep quiet in a rude way, or as we would say in English,“Shut up!” you can use the Italian expression,“Chiudi il becco!”
And if you want to use the expression “shut up” to mean, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” or “You don’t say!”there are several interjections to choose from in Italian:“Ma dai!” “Non mi dire!” or “Ma non mi dire!”
Remember how to use stareto describe
how you feel in Italian.
I guarantee you will use this verb every day!
Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Verbs”
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Conversational Italian for Travelers books
Buon Natale a tutti voi!
Visiting Italy during Christmastime has been on my bucket list for many years. I always travel to Italy during the spring or summer. And yet, from the photos I’ve seen, Italy is just as magical — or maybe even more so — during the Christmas season, when the towns sparkle with lights radiating from the shops and churches that are decked out in their special holiday displays.
This year, visiting Italy during Christmastime will have to wait. But I would like to share an Italian Christmas carol that makes me feel close to the people in this special country. This Christmas carol is called “Tu Scendi dalle Stelle.” Although not well-known in America, it is said to be the most well-loved Christmas carol in Italy.
The music and lyrics for “Tu Scendi dalle Stelle” were written in 1732, by Saint Alphonsus Liguori, who was a Neapolitan priest. Liguori originally gave the song the title, “Little song to Child Jesus,” but the song has since become known by its first line, “From Starry Skies Descending,” or in modern English, “You Came Down from the Stars.”
Liguori most likely took inspiration for this Christmas carol from a Neapolitan song called “Quanno Nascette Ninno” (“When the child was born”)which is also called “Canzone d’i Zampognari” (“The Carol of the Bagpipers”).
I hope you enjoy reading the first two stanzas of the lyrics to this song. The traditional translation uses antiquated English. There are many versions recorded on You Tube. If you like, click on the link for my favorite, from the You Tube channel lorpre87.
Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Conversational Italian for Travelers books
Ciao a tutti! I can’t believe that my last gardening blog was so many months ago in August! Actually, there hasn’t been much to report about maintaining the garden in the early fall, and I have mainly spent these last few months harvesting, cooking with fresh tomatoes, and posting what I’ve cooked on Instagram. In short, maintaining a garden in early fall is relatively easy in northern Illinois. Simply harvest what you can and clear away the plants that have given their all or die off with the oncoming frosts.
Speaking of freezing temperatures, I did post on my Conversationalitalian.french Instagam when it was time to take in my herb pots. Was it really as early as October 5 this year?
Anyway, little by little, I have been clearing out my garden beds of the annual vegetables of summer. For my cold-hardy leeks and leafy greens, like Swiss Chard and cavolo nero (Italian “black” kale), I have been weeding (this job never seems to end) and harvesting sparingly so they will continue to grow.
I have also taken the opportunity this fall to plant an essential Italian ingredient — garlic — which came up faithfully every year in my old garden when I was living in Peoria. I always look forward to garlic scapes (green shoots) in springtime, and of course, harvesting the bulbs later in the season. I also love shallots, and have planted these bulbs as well this year, so hopefully they will be ready to harvest in the summer. The enjoyable part of my fall garden duties this year has involved planting for next spring!
As I have mentioned in my previous Your Italian-American Gardening Tips blogs, this year I have been focusing on my raised gardens, and all the wonderful Italian vegetables that can be grown in the suburbs, even in a small space.
My hope is that you will enjoy the tips I’ve learned about gardening through many years of experience and be encouraged to start an Italian garden yourself — be it large or small, in a yard or on your porch, or even indoors in pots near a sunny window — after reading the blogs in this series “Your Italian Gardening Tips.”
Putting Garden Beds to Rest, Harvesting Leeks and Planting Garlic
Fall 2020
As I mentioned in the introduction to my blog, during these past fall months, I did manage to complete the boring and labor intensive but necessary part of gardening — putting my garden beds to rest. Little by little, when a sunny day would appear, I took the opportunity to pull out my old and spent tomato and bean plants. I also finally cleared out my lettuce patch.
The soil in the raised beds that grew these annual vegetables all summer was then amended with compost and mulched leaves. I also added crushed egg shells to provide calcium for the tomato plants next year. I planted garlic bulbs in the perimeter of the beds where I will grow tomatoes next year. Some gardeners believe that garlic planted by tomatoes is beneficial and although I am not sure this is true, the particular location in my garden works for both plants for me and I will be able to harvest the garlic in mid summer before the tomato plants become too large and take over .
To plant garlic, simply separate the cloves and plant as you would any bulb, with the pointy side up. I like the Italian hard neck garlic best, of course. Homegrown garlic is said to be more flavorful, and I do love the garlic shoots (scapes) in the springtime.
Finally, I covered the garden beds that I don’t expect to produce until I plant again in spring with black landscape fabric, which I hope will keep weeds from growing in the meantime.
I had a small fall harvest of leeks from my garden beds as well. In the center of the lettuce bed, leeks had grown up nicely during the cool weather, just in time for me to harvest two for my family’s favorite “Thanksgiving Leek and Potato Soup.” I have not mentioned that I have been growing leeks up until now, as this year was my first attempt, and I wasn’t sure how things would go. Actually, although the initial planting was a bit difficult (the young seedlings I bought were grown together in one pot), after each seedling separated and placed in the soil, my leeks grew pest-free and virtually weed-free. The only activity required was to mound up the soil around each plant periodically as it grew. Here is how my gardens looked in the early fall and today, with the leeks still happily growing in the center of my mulched plot in early December.
Young leeks growing in early fall 2020December leeks 2020. Self-seeded borage growing to the left of the raised bed.
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Thanksgiving Leek and Potato Soup
Leek and potato soup is simplicity itself. Just two ingredients boiled together in a little salted water and then puréed, with a bit of cream added, yield a light, delightfully complex oniony flavored soup. Leek and onion soup is the most requested soup for Thanksgiving that I make, over mushroom and butternut squash. Below is my Instagram post from this year’s version.
My leeks were smaller than the grocery store leeks, but so flavorful that just two worked perfectly. Whether store bought or homegrown, the only trick is to remember to continuously clean the leeks of the bits of dirt that hide in between the layers. The white, long “bulb” part of the leek is used in cooking, along with the tender green portion of the bulb at its top. The long green leaves can be discarded into the compost bin.
Overwintering herbs is one of the most tricky things about gardening. One has to know which herbs will survive the particular winter climate where they are gardening. Herbs that are said to be perennial (come up on their own each year) in one region may have to be grown as annuals in a another, colder region. Here is a short run-down of what I have found to work in northern Illinois.
Since I find fresh herbs essential to good cooking I’d love to hear more helpful tips on how to overwinter, so please feel free to leave a comment at the end of this blog!
Rosemary and Bay leaf: Each year I plant rosemary and bay leaf in pots so I can take them indoors to overwinter. Although their woody stems and tough leaves make it seem like they should be cold hardy, both plants will die with the first frost, so it is essential that they be moved indoors early. Rosemary and bay leaf are an important ingredient in Italian winter roasts and stews, so I find it wonderful to have easy access to these herbs in a sunny corner of my kitchen. The fresh bay leaf in particular has so much more flavor than the dried supermarket bay leaves that I will only use fresh bay leaves from my own plant, or those that I have dried myself the year before.
This is the second overwinter for my bay plant, and this year has been responding will to the blue spectrum of my new grow light, making many new leaves since I have brought it indoors. It is also the second year for my rosemary plant, which is particularly finicky, and needs good, cool air circulation and therefore to be kept away from any heating vents. Both plants will die if given too much water, so it is best to keep the soil dry.
Parsley: Parsley is a biennial, which means that it will grow into a plant every other year (setting seed in the year in between). Parsley does not always grow easily from seed easily in Illinois, so I take a large pot of parsley indoors every year and keep it as long as it will last. I will obtain new plants in spring from the gardening store.
Basil: Basil, of course, will flower and die back right afterward, and needs to be cut back several times over the summer. My mother and grandmother always clipped a few bunches of basil that would happily grow roots in water glasses on the window sill.
Marjoram and Oregano: Marjoram, which is also called “summer oregano” (and I think far more complex-tasting and fragrant than Italian oregano) is a tender perennial, meaning it will not survive a winter in Illinois. I have had Italian oregano bushes outgrow everything else in my herb garden over the years, though! Italian oregano will die back in the winter and come back year after year.
Mint and Catnip:The mint I planted 2 years ago came up again this year, overtook much of the perennial herb garden, and continued to seed flower beds on the other side of my yard! No need to worry at all about mint surviving the winter! I have had a similar experience with catnip as well.
Ancient Roman Herbs: I love rue for its delicate, finger-like leaves and borage for it’s beautiful pink and blue flowers. The Romans favored these herbs in their cooking, even floating the borage flowers in their wine! Both rue shrubs and individual borage plants and come back year after year in my gardens. Rue even grew well during the 3 weeks of consecutive days over 100 degrees last summer. The borage I planted this summer has already seeded out of its original pot and this fall another crop is growing happily along the southern side of my raised garden.
As I’ve discussed in the last blog in this series, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Italian Beans, Brussels Sprouts, Swiss Chard, by late August my zucchini plants were growing valiantly outside their original garden plot, despite being infested by the squash-vine borer. I cleared out the old plants and harvested a few more zucchini flowers from the newer vines before removing all of the zucchini plants for the season. I specifically did NOT put the vines and leaves into my compost bin, so as not to spread disease. Instead, I bagged them up for the weekly neighborhood garbage collection.
This clean-up revealed the Swiss chard plants I had planted from seed in the summer, which were growing in the perimeter of the bed.
Unfortunately, as the Swiss chard plants had been deprived of sunlight, they had not grown very large by the end of August. (See photo to the right.)
I did find a few additional Swiss chard plants that also had not grown to maturity on a visit to the garden store. So I weeded, amended the soil in my old zucchini bed with compost, and planted additional plants in the center of the garden bed. All my Swiss chard plants have grown nicely in the cool weather and sunlight, and, despite several episodes of frost, one light snow, and a few of my harvests, they continue to do well. A recent photo is below from early December. I expect they will continue to do well as long as the late temperatures stay on the milder side. To harvest Swiss chard and other leafy greens like Italian cavolo nero (“black kale”), which I plan to plant next year, just take a few older leaves from the outer portion of each plant; more leaves will continue to grow in the center.
Swiss chard growing in my old zucchini bed on a sunny fall afternoon 2020
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Strawberry Plants with Rhubarb
My strawberry patch was newly planted this year, so I let it grow freely and have many healthy plants in the perimeter of this garden bed growing into the late fall. Rhubarb is in the center of the same garden bed, since it is said to be a classic companion plant for strawberries. There are a lot of myths that have grown up and been repeated over the years regarding companion planting, and often not much science applied, but to my mind this combination makes sense. Rhubarb and strawberries both come back to life in the early spring, need an open, sunny location to grow, and last into the fall. And, of course, the flavor of the rhubarb stalk and the strawberry fruit blend beautifully together in the classic strawberry rhubarb pie, which was the pie that got me hooked on pie making when I moved to the Midwest!
The strawberries in my previous garden in Peoria did well year after year with a sprinkling of compost in the late fall and strawberry fertilizer in the spring. This year I am a little further north, and I have straw reserved for the coldest days of winter. I plan to cover the strawberries with a thick layer of straw when the temperature drops to -20° for consecutive days, as it usually does in the last two weeks in January. Another precaution I always take is to cover strawberries with old sheets during a springtime frost, to protect the plants during their time of new growth.
Asparagus and Strawberries
My newly planted asparagus also did well growing in their new beds this year. I love asparagus, so have two raised garden beds with asparagus growing in the center. I plan to plant strawberries in the perimeter of each bed this spring, which love to grow partially sheltered from the summer sun under the asparagus fronds. The broad leaves of the strawberry plants in turn provide good ground cover in the perimeter of the asparagus, which grow tall but do not spread.
I will not be able to cut asparagus for the next 2-3 years, but will instead allow them to grow into high, lovely, fern-like plants. Asparagus should be cut back after the fronds turn yellow in the fall and a nice layer of compost applied over the crowns, so the roots can absorb nutrients through the winter and be ready for the springtime sprouts. This year, they developed pretty red berries before I was able to achieve this task. So, I’ll find out in the spring if the birds were able to spread asparagus plants throughout the garden!
Asparagus in the fall with red berries
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Until it is time for spring planting, when I will revisit this series, please follow my Instagram account, Conversationalitalian.french for the many ways to cook with Italian winter vegetables and herbs!
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