Language Instruction

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Lezione Numero Due/Lesson Number Two

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Lesson 2, Part 1: Language Instruction

Il Carnevale/Carnival

  • Oggi in Italia inizia il Carnevale./Today in Italy, Carnival begins.
    • Carnevale is a farewell to meat.
    • It's an historically pagan celebration of the passage from winter to spring.
    • For Christians, il Carnevale became the period of big celebrations before quaresima/lent, that is instead a period of repentance, when people give up certain luxuries (until Easter Sunday).
    • Next Tuesday, Martedì Grasso/Fat Tuesday, Carnevale ends and the quaresima begins. There are big festivities.
    • We eat sweet treats, like frittelle (fried sweet dumplings, cream puffs) e chiacchiere.
    • People (mostly kids) wear costumes. There are guge parades in Venezia, Viareggio (vicino a Pisa), Ivrea.

Determinative Articles

Listen to the instructor speak about determinative articles:

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Determinative articles

Where Do You Come From

ITALIAN ENGLISH
(Tu) Da dove vieni? Where do you come from?
(Io) Vengo da Salò, in Italia I come from Salò, in Italy
Io Vengo da Boston, negli Stati Uniti I come from Boston, United States

Listen to the instructor speak about how to express where you come from.

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Da dove vieni? Where do you come from?

This, That, These, Those

ITALIAN ENGLISH
Questo (masc. sing.) This, close to the speaker
Codesto (masc. sing.) That, close to the listener, mostly in disuse
Quello (masc. sing.) That, from the both the speaker and the listener
   
Questo, Questa This
Questi, Queste These
Quello, Quella That
Quelli, Quelle Those
   
Questa sera-> Stasera cuciniamo Tonight-> Tonight we cook
Questa cipolla è più grande di quella. This onion is larger than that.
Queste cipolle sono più piccole di quelle. These onions are smaller than those.

Listen to the instructor speak about how to say "this", "that", "these", and "those".

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This, That, These, and Those

Compiti/Assignments

Lesson 2 Assignments (PDF)

Dettato/Dictation

Ascolta e scrivi. /Listen and write.

Use this audio file forr the dictation exercise.

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Dictation exercise

Related Resources

Light on the Piazza: The Newsletter for Lovers of Italian Culture

Map of Italy

Chiacchiere di Carnevale

Le Fritelle di Carnevale

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