Place and time · Italian grammar A1

There is, there are: c'è, ci sono#

Formation

“There is” is c'è before a singular noun, and “there are” ci sono before a plural noun: the verb agrees with the noun that follows. In the negative, non is placed in front: non c'è, non ci sono. A question keeps the word order of the statement: C'è un bancomat qui vicino? (“Is there a cash machine near here?”).

Use

C'è says that something exists or is found in a place. To ask where something already known is, dove and the verb essere are used: dov'è (with an apostrophe) in the singular, dove sono in the plural; the answer uses è or sono, not c'è: Dov'è il museo? — È in centro. Non c'è also says that a person is not there: Il dottore non c'è.

In questa strada c'è un museo.There is a museum in this street.
Sul tavolo ci sono tre uova.There are three eggs on the table.
In questa via non c'è un bar.There isn’t a café in this street.
Dov'è l'ospedale?Where is the hospital?

Difference from English

C'è and ci sono match “there is” and “there are” closely, and agree in the same way. Two differences remain. “Where is…?” is dov'è…?, not dove c'è…?: c'è is used to say that something exists, not to place something already known. And non c'è is used for an absent person where English says “he isn’t here” or “she’s out”: Marco non c'è.

Common mistakes

~~C'è due bar.~~ → Ci sono due bar.Before a plural noun, ci sono is used, as “there are” is in English.
~~Dove c'è la stazione?~~ → Dov'è la stazione?To place something already known, dov'è is used.

Practise

“Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, There is, there are: c’è, ci sono “Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, Questions and the negative: c’è…? non c’è, dov’è?

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Prepositions: a, in, di, da, con, per#

Formation

The simple prepositions of Italian are di, a, da, in, con, su, per and tra (or fra). At A1 they are used mainly with places, transport and the time.

Places. Before the name of a town, a is used; before the name of a country, in, with no article. Both serve for where one is and for where one is going, so a covers “in”, “at” and “to” before a town: abito a Genova (“I live in Genoa”), vado in Spagna (“I’m going to Spain”). Before some everyday places, a or in is used with no article: a casa, a scuola, a letto; in ufficio, in banca, in centro, in città, in cucina, in giardino.

Transport. Before a means of transport, in is used, with no article, where English says “by”: in treno, in macchina, in autobus, in aereo, in bicicletta. “On foot” is a piedi.

Origin and possession. Di gives the home town with essere (sono di Palermo, “I’m from Palermo”) and the owner (la casa di Laura, “Laura’s house”; Di chi è?, “Whose is it?”). Da gives the place one comes from with venire (vengo da Parigi). Con means “with”, per “for”.

Mio fratello lavora a Londra.My brother works in London.
A luglio mia sorella va in Germania.In July my sister is going to Germany.
Domenica i bambini restano a casa.On Sunday the children are staying at home.
Mia madre lavora in banca.My mother works in a bank.
Mio padre va al lavoro in macchina.My father goes to work by car.
Vado a scuola a piedi.I walk to school.

Difference from English

In English, “in”, “at” or “to” depends on the meaning: “in London”, “to London”. In Italian, the preposition depends on the kind of place: a for every town, whether one lives there or goes there (a Londra), and in for every country (in Inghilterra). “By car”, “by train” are in macchina, in treno; Italian has no “by” here. Italian has no equivalent of the English “’s”: “Laura’s house” is la casa di Laura. A casa has no article, like “at home”; nor have in banca and in ufficio, where English says “in a bank”, “at the office”.

Common mistakes

~~Abito in Roma.~~ → Abito a Roma.Before the name of a town, a is used, even where English says “in”.
~~Vado a Francia.~~ → Vado in Francia.Before the name of a country, in is used, even where English says “to”.
~~Vado per treno.~~ → Vado in treno.“By” train is in, with no article.

Practise

“Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, A and in: towns and countries “Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, A and in: everyday places “Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, At what time: all’una, alle otto

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The preposition a and the article: al, alla, alle#

Formation

Before a noun with the definite article, a combines with the article into one word: a + il = al, a + lo = allo, a + la = alla, a + l' = all', a + le = alle. These forms are called articulated prepositions (preposizioni articolate). At A1 they are used with places and with the time; the other articulated prepositions are not studied yet.

Use

Before a place that takes the article, the articulated preposition is used: al cinema, al supermercato, alla stazione, all'albergo. The everyday places built with no article keep no article: a casa, in banca. Some nouns allow both: all'ospedale or in ospedale. Vicino and davanti are followed by a, which combines with the article: vicino alla posta, davanti al bar. Before the time, alle is used, and all' before una: alle otto, all'una.

Sabato Paolo va al supermercato.On Saturday Paolo is going to the supermarket.
Ci vediamo alla fermata dell'autobus.See you at the bus stop.
Il treno arriva alle sei.The train arrives at six.
Pranzo all'una.I have lunch at one.

Difference from English

English “to the” and “at the” are two words, and stay two words; in Italian, a and the article must combine: a il is never written. The combined form changes with the gender and number of the noun, as the article does: al cinema, alla stazione. “At six” takes the article in Italian, alle sei, because the hours are counted as le ore.

Common mistakes

~~Vado a il museo.~~ → Vado al museo.A combines with the article il: al.
~~Arrivo a otto.~~ → Arrivo alle otto.Before the time, alle is used.

Practise

“Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, A and the article: al, allo, alla, all’ “Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, At what time: all’una, alle otto

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Words for place: qui, lì, sopra, vicino a#

Formation

Qui (“here”) refers to the place where the speaker is, lì (“there”) to a place further away. Sopra (“on, above”), sotto (“under”) and dietro (“behind”) are usually followed directly by the noun: sotto il letto, dietro la casa. Vicino (“near”) and davanti (“in front”) are followed by a: vicino al parco, davanti alla scuola. Dentro (“inside”) and fuori (“outside”) are usually used on their own. “On the right” and “on the left” are a destra and a sinistra, with no article.

Il gatto dorme sotto il tavolo.The cat is sleeping under the table.
L'albergo è vicino al mare.The hotel is near the sea.
Il bagno è a destra.The toilet is on the right.
I bambini giocano fuori.The children are playing outside.

Difference from English

“Near” takes no preposition in English, but vicino does: a. “In front of” has “of”, but davanti also takes a, not di: “near the station” is vicino alla stazione, “in front of the school” davanti alla scuola. “On the table” is sul tavolo or sopra il tavolo. Lì has an accent, which tells it apart from the pronoun li (“them”).

Common mistake

~~Vicino la banca.~~ → Vicino alla banca.Vicino is followed by a, combined with the article.

Practise

“Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, Here, there, on, under: qui, lì, sopra, sotto “Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, Near, in front of, behind: vicino a, davanti a

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The pronoun ci: ci vado#

Formation

Ci replaces a place already mentioned, like English “there”. It is placed before the conjugated verb, and after non: ci vado, ci vieni?, non ci andiamo. At A1 it is used mainly with andare and venire.

Use

In English, the place is often simply left out: “Do you go to Rome often? — Yes, I go every month.” In Italian, ci is normally said with andare and venire when the place has just been named: Sì, ci vado ogni mese. Ci refers back to the place; lì points to it, and is used for a contrast with qui or to show where something is.

Vai spesso a Roma? — Sì, ci vado ogni mese.Do you often go to Rome? — Yes, I go every month.
Venite alla festa? — No, non ci veniamo.Are you coming to the party? — No, we aren’t.

Difference from English

English has no word quite like ci. “There” comes after the verb and is often dropped (“I go every month”); ci comes before the verb and is not dropped: ci vado, never vado alone in answer to a question about a place. Translating “there” with lì after the verb (vado lì) points at a place, as with a gesture; it does not refer back to the place just named. In a short answer, English repeats the auxiliary (“No, we aren’t”); Italian repeats the verb with ci: No, non ci veniamo. Ci is also the ci of c'è and ci sono.

Common mistakes

~~Vai spesso in centro? — Sì, vado lì.~~ → Vai spesso in centro? — Sì, ci vado.A place just named is taken up with ci, before the verb.
~~Non vado ci.~~ → Non ci vado.Ci comes before the verb, after non.

Practise

“Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, The pronoun ci: ci vado, ci vengo

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Telling the time: sono le otto, è l'una#

Formation

The time is asked with Che ore sono? (Che ora è? is also used). The answer is formed with sono le and the number, in the plural: sono le tre, sono le sei meno un quarto, sono le due e cinque. One o’clock, midday and midnight take a singular verb: è l'una, è mezzogiorno, è mezzanotte, the last two with no article. The word ore is not repeated in the answer.

Use

The time of an event is asked with A che ora…?; the answer uses alle before the number and all' before una: alle otto, all'una. Midday and midnight take a alone: a mezzogiorno.

Scusi, che ore sono? — Sono le dieci.Excuse me, what time is it? — It’s ten o’clock.
È l'una e mezza.It’s half past one.
A che ora parte il treno? — Alle sette e mezza.What time does the train leave? — At half past seven.

Difference from English

English “it” has no equivalent in the answer: the verb agrees with the hours, so “it’s three o’clock” is sono le tre, plural, and “it’s one o’clock” is è l'una, singular. Italian has no word for “o’clock”, and the article is always there: le tre, alle tre. The minutes come after the hour, joined by e (“past”) or meno (“to”): “half past seven” is le sette e mezza, “a quarter to six” le sei meno un quarto.

Common mistakes

~~È undici.~~ → Sono le undici.The time is given with sono le and the number.
~~Sono le una.~~ → È l'una.One o’clock takes a singular verb.
~~Sono le sette passate mezza.~~ → Sono le sette e mezza.“Half past” is e mezza, after the hour.

Practise

“Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, The time: che ore sono?

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Days and times of day: il lunedì#

Use

Without an article, the name of a day refers to one particular day, the nearest one: Venerdì vado da Laura (“On Friday I’m going to Laura’s”, this Friday). With the definite article, it expresses a habit: Il venerdì vado in piscina (“On Fridays I go swimming”, every Friday). The days are masculine (il lunedì, il sabato), except la domenica. The parts of the day are built in the same way: la mattina (“in the morning”), il pomeriggio (“in the afternoon”), la sera (“in the evening”).

Il sabato facciamo la spesa.We do the shopping on Saturdays.
Lunedì ho lezione di tedesco.On Monday I have a German lesson.
La sera leggo un libro.In the evening I read a book.

Difference from English

English “on” before a day has no Italian equivalent: “on Monday” is lunedì. The plural of English “on Mondays” is not translated: the habit is expressed by the singular article, il lunedì. The days are written with a small letter in Italian: lunedì, sabato.

Common mistake

~~Su lunedì ho lezione.~~ → Lunedì ho lezione.A day takes no preposition.

Practise

“Questions and the negative: non, chi, dove, quando”, Days and times of day: il lunedì, la mattina

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Frequency and time words: sempre, spesso, ieri, fa#

Formation

The adverbs of frequency are sempre (“always”), spesso (“often”), di solito (“usually”) and qualche volta (“sometimes”; a volte is also used). Sempre and spesso are generally placed after the verb: Mangio spesso al ristorante. Di solito and qualche volta often come at the start of the sentence. Mai (“never”) placed after the verb takes non before the verb: non bevo mai. “Ago” is fa, placed after the length of time: due giorni fa, un anno fa.

Use

The adverbs of frequency are used mainly with the present, for a habit. The time words ieri, ieri sera, stamattina, la settimana scorsa and … fa are used with the past; scorso agrees with its noun: sabato scorso, la settimana scorsa.

Mia madre si alza sempre presto.My mother always gets up early.
Di solito prendo l'autobus.I usually take the bus.
Qualche volta andiamo al cinema.Sometimes we go to the cinema.
Sono arrivato a Roma tre giorni fa.I arrived in Rome three days ago.

Difference from English

In English, “always” and “often” come before the verb (“I often eat out”); in Italian, sempre and spesso come after it: Mangio spesso fuori. Fa is placed exactly like “ago”, after the length of time: due ore fa, “two hours ago”. “Never” takes non before the verb as well: “I never drink” is non bevo mai. Qualche (“some”) is followed by a singular noun, even with a plural meaning: qualche volta (“sometimes”).

Common mistakes

~~Sempre mangio a casa.~~ → Mangio sempre a casa.Sempre is placed after the verb.
~~Bevo mai il caffè.~~ → Non bevo mai il caffè.Mai after the verb takes non before it.
~~Qualche volte.~~ → Qualche volta.Qualche is followed by a singular noun.

→ See also: The negative: non, non… mai, non… niente (A1)

Practise

“Questions and the negative: non, chi, dove, quando”, Frequency: sempre, spesso, non… mai

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The weather: piove, fa caldo#

Formation

Weather verbs are used with no subject, in the third person singular: piove (“it rains, it is raining”), nevica (“it snows, it is snowing”). Heat and cold are expressed with fa followed by an adjective: fa caldo, fa freddo, fa bello. Sun and wind are expressed with c'è: c'è il sole, c'è vento.

Oggi piove, resto a casa.It’s raining today, so I’m staying at home.
In estate fa caldo a Roma.It’s hot in Rome in summer.
Andiamo al parco? C'è il sole.Shall we go to the park? It’s sunny.

Difference from English

English weather verbs have “it” as their subject (“it is raining”); Italian has no word for “it”: piove. English “it is hot” and “it is cold” use “be”; Italian uses fare: fa caldo, fa freddo, not è caldo. “It’s sunny” is c'è il sole, “there is the sun”. Piove is both “it rains” and “it is raining”.

Common mistake

~~È freddo oggi.~~ → Fa freddo oggi.Cold weather is expressed with fa.

In short

Point	Form	Example
there is, there are	c'è + singular, ci sono + plural	Ci sono due bar.
where is…?	dov'è…? dove sono…?	Dov'è il museo?
town, country	a + town, in + country	a Roma, in Italia
everyday places	a or in with no article	a casa, in banca
transport (“by”)	in with no article; a piedi	in treno
a + article	al, allo, alla, all', alle	al cinema, alle otto
words for place	vicino a, davanti a; sotto, sopra, dietro	vicino alla banca
ci	replaces a place	Ci vado.
the time	sono le + number; è l'una	Sono le tre.
habit	article + day	il lunedì
“ago”	time + fa	tre giorni fa
weather	no subject; fa + adjective	piove, fa freddo

Practise

“Place and time: c’è, a and in, che ore sono”, The weather: piove, fa caldo

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