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Mini Grammar Moments: Gram“MATTI”calmente Corretta

By Melissa Muldoon
Monday, April 9th, 2018

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Se voi frequentate la pagina di Facebook di Studentessa Matta, sapete già che ho iniziato una rubrica in cui vi do suggerimenti sulla grammatica italiana. Ecco un riassunto dei “momenti” Gram“MATTI”calmente Corretta dalla settimana precedente.

If you are on the Matta Facebook page you are now aware of the quick grammar tips I frequently post. Here is a recap of last week’s Gram“MATTI”calmente Corretta Momenti.

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Mini-grammar lesson: Crescere e Coltivare

La primavera è qui e le cose stanno crescendo di nuovo. Spring is here…things are growing again.

Crescere = increasing, growing, developing, expanding (Voglio crescere mia figlia qui. Sarebbe bello veder crescere questa città. O … Ascolta, Anna cresci! – Listen Anna it’s time to grow up!)

Coltivare = cultivate, grow – as in farming, nurturing, fostering hopes and dreams (Ecco un opuscolo su come coltivare l’uva da vino. Coltivo il sogno di trasferirmi nelle Hawaii.)

To keep things alive we need to water them too!

Innaffiare = to water or irrigate. (Devo innaffiare le piante e i fiori nella serra, quasi mi dimenticavo.)

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Mini-grammar lesson: “Pensare a…” or “Pensare di…” ??? Which preposition should you use?

Well, the answer to that is it depends. (Don’t you hate that when you get an answer like that?)

But it is true! It depends on what you want to say.

When you want to communicate you are thinking about “SOMETHING or SOMEONE” you use the presposition “A”

When you want to communicate you are thinking about “DOING SOMETHING ACTIVE” you use the preposition “Di”

Thinking about something or someone

I met this amazing man last night and I can’t stop thinking about him / Ieri sera ho conosciuto un’uomo fantastico. Ancora oggi penso a lui!

Or…reality check…this is more like it: I ate this really great pasta carbonara last night and now I can’t stop thinking about it. / Ieri sera ho mangiato una pasta carbonara squisita e adesso penso solo a questo.

Thinking of doing something

Adesso penso di baciare quel uomo affascinante. / Now I’m thinking about kissing that fascinating man.

Or…reality check: Adesso penso di ordinare un altro piatto di pasta carbonara. Domani penso di andare in palestra due volte!

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Mini-grammar lesson: Sensibile o Sensitivo?

Due parole che suonano simile ma hanno significati diversi. Two words that sound the same but have different meanings.
Falsi amici = False friends because they seem like words we already know in English

Sensibile sounds like the English word Sensible but really means to be sensitive

Sensitivo sounds like the English word Sensitive but really means to be clairvoyant

Esempi:

Sensibile = che risponde a stimoli fisici / to respond to something outside yourself (Sono molto sensibile ai raggi solari. / Le mie figlie sono tutte e due ragazze molto sensibili)

Sensibile = something that is percivable, sizable, substanzial (C’è stato un sensibile incremento della disoccupazione.

e

Sensitivo = emotional, sensitive, sensory (È una ragazza sensitiva che piange spesso. / I miei ragazzi sono tutti e due molto sensati / un sensitivo mi ha detto che presto incontrerò l’uomo)

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Mini-grammar lesson: Truccarsi e Struccarsi

In Italian adding an “S” to the beginning of a word often creates an antonym

Conoscete la differenza tra le parole?

(Attenzione: the root words are Truccare e Struccare but they can also be made reflexive)

Truccarmi = to make yourself up – as in putting on my makeup (Ma non ho intenzione di vestirmi bene, non ho intenzione di truccarmi, tantomeno di flirtare con lui.)

Struccarmi = as in to remove my makeup (Mi è stato regalato questo panno per struccarmi e lo trovo eccezionale!)

Italian-grammar-moments-grammatticalmente-corretta-studentessa-matta-grammatica

Mini-grammar lesson: Tetto o Tetta ???

Attenzione! Adding an “O” or and “A” to the end of a word makes a BIG difference in meaning.

Take for instance Tetto and Tetta. I always hesitate before saying this word…I know the difference and have every good intention of saying the right thing…but inevitably the other word pops out and causes for great hilarity among my friends. Mi prendono in giro sempre! They are always making fun of me for this one!

Tetto – Roof

(Dobbiamo ripulire il tetto dalla neve. / Devo scendere da questo tetto adesso.)

From this word we get

Architetto = architect

Senza tetto = homeless

On the otherhand…

Tetta = Boob, tit

(Intanto cerco quale frase farmi tatuare sulla tetta sinistra. / Ho toccato la tetta di una statua qui fuori, la statua di Giulietta nel cortile sotto il balcone.

Mini-grammar lesson: Correre o Scorrere

Okay, here is another pair of words that sound similar. I was listening to Noemi’s song “Tutto questo scorre” and was trying to figure out the word. (Even in English songs sometimes you don’t hear words clearly and can go for years singing them incorrectly! Take for instance Elvis Presley’s song Return to Sender. A friend after 20 years still thought the song was Return December!) Anyway, when I first heard Noemi singing “scorre” I thought I heard “storia,” then “correre.”..but the word is definitely scorre! 😉

So what is the difference?

Correre = to run (volvevo vedere quanto riuscivi a correre)

Scorrere = to flow, pour or course (L’acqua scorre lungo questo canale. Devi solo lasciar scorrere le cose.)

Now here is Noemi’s song! – Ti farà scorrere il sangue!

If you like this post you might like these posts too:

Join me in Arezzo this September to Study Italian and dive deeper into Italian Culture

Il vino fa cantare and other Italian food idioms

Gram-MATTI-calmente corretta 1st Edition Grammar Tips

3 Things the Arentini Like Best about Arezzo

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Comments

  1. Kathryn Occhipinti says:
    April 12, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    Great mini lessons! I love how you describe words that are related. For instance, most books only include truccarsi. Of course, if we put on make up, we will be taking it off sooner or later and need to know how to describe both actions!

    Reply

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