- These are usually verbs that don't take a direct object.

- In general, they convey a motion, or a lack of motion, or a process of change.

Here are some of them:

andare

venire

partire

uscire

arrivare

entrare

tornare (ritornare)

stare

essere

piacere

nascere

rimanere

diventare

divenire

(This is not a complete list. Many verbs can take either essere or avere, depending on the sentence.)

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Which auxiliary verb in the passato prossimo: avere or essere?

- Most verbs form the passato prossimo with avere.

- All verbs used transitively have avere as their auxiliary.

- Essere is the auxiliary for most verbs used intransitively.

Transitive: Ho visto Maria. - I saw Maria. (transitive means it takes a direct object.)

Intransitive: Sono andata al cinema. - I went to the cinema. (intransitive means it cannot take a direct object.

(A verb used intransitively can take an indirect object, or an object of a preposition)

- Passato prossimo with "essere": Making the past participle agree with the subject (in the past): If the auxiliary is essere, you have to change the last letter of the past participle to agree in gender and number with the subject. (See practice set 86).

Maria è andata al cinema.

Mario è andato al cinema.

Siamo tornati all'hotel.

Le ragazze sono arrivate.

Sono uscita. - I went out (feminine).

Sono uscito. - I went out (masculine).

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Indirect object pronouns, Direct object pronouns:

We've already learned the direct object pronouns, which answer the question "Who?" or "What?" asked after the verb.

(example) Vedo Mario. Lo vedo. (I see Mario. I see him.)

Mangio la pizza. La mangio.

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In contrast, indirect object pronouns answer the question "To whom?" or "For whom?"

(example) Do la pizza a Mario. Gli do la pizza. (I give the pizza to Mario. To him, I give the pizza.)

Compro una cartolina per Maria. Le compro una cartolina. (I'm buying a postcard for her.)

Mi piace l'appartamento. - The apartment is pleasing to me.

The indirect object pronouns mi ti ci vi are the same as the direct object pronouns. In Italian, indirect object pronouns differ from direct object pronouns only in the third-person:

to / for him - gli

to / for her - le

to / for you (formal) - Le

to / for them - gli

(You may still hear someone use "loro": to / for them - loro)

Some Italian verbs take an indirect object, whereas in English they would take a direct object. You have to memorize these.

dire - to say, tell

domandare , chiedere - to ask

fare male - to hurt, or to be bad for

piacere - to please

telefonare - to telephone

volere bene - to love, to care for

For example:

Gli dico buongiorno. (indirect object in Italian.) I tell them good morning. (Direct object in English.)

Le chiedo una birra. I ask her for a beer.

La testa mi fa male. My head hurts. (My head is hurting to me.)

Mi piace la festa. I like the party. (The party is pleasing to me.)

Le telefono, signora. I'll call you, signora.

Ti voglio bene. I love you.

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-Passato prossimo with "avere": click here to read about agreeing a direct object pronoun with an avere verb.

So, to sum up what we've learned about agreement in the passato prossimo:

1. When the auxiliary is essere, the past participle will always agree with the subject. Siamo arrivati. (We arrived.) (Page 221). Verbs used reflexively or reciprocally fit into this category because the auxiliary is always essere. Ci siamo alzati. (We got up.) Ci siamo telefonati. (We called each other.)

2. When the auxiliary is avere, the past participle has to agree with the direct object when it is a pronoun. Ho mangiato la pizza. L'ho mangiata. (Page 217).

- The verb "piacere"

You say "Piacere" when you meet someone.

"Mi dispiace" when you're sorry

"Mi piace" when one thing is pleasing to you (to say you like something)

"Mi piacciono" when more than one thing is pleasing to you.

"Non mi piace" when one thing displeases you (to say you don't like something)

"Mi piace sciare" - I like to ski. "To ski" is the subject. "Me" is the indirect object of the verb "piacere".

"Mi piacciono la festa e la musica." The party and the music are pleasing to me. (I like the party and the music.) The verb is plural because the subject is plural: "The party and the music" is the subject. "Me" is the indirect object of "piacere".

- Che ora è? Che ore sono?

A che ora parte il treno per Padova?

A che ora arriva il treno da Perugia?

- More ways to say "some": Alcuni / Alcune and Qualche

qualche before a "countable" singular noun = "some" or "any" or "a few"

Vorrei qualche fragola. (I would like some strawberries, literally, "some strawberry")

Vorrei qualche mela.

Vorrei qualche chilo di mele. (I would like a few kilos of apples. literally, "I would like a few kilo of apples")

you would NOT use qualche with uncountable words like "prezzemolo" or "olio" or "pane". You could say: "Qualche pagnotta" (literally, some loaf of bread)

 

alcuni (masculine plural), alcune (feminine plural) before a "countable" plural noun = "some" or "a few" or "any"

Vorrei alcuni fagioli.

Vorrei alcuni piselli.

Vorrei alcune cipolle.

Vorrei alcune arance.

- Parole da ricordare:

piantare - to plant

basilico - basil

un cetriolo, dei cetrioli - a cucumber, some cucumbers

un peperone, dei peperoni - a pepper, some peppers

una melanzana, delle melanzane - an eggplant, some eggplants

mercato degli agricoltori - "a farmers' market" (according to WordReference)

vale la pena - to be "worth it", to be worth the effort

una fila - a line of people (also, una coda)

fare la fila - to line up

affitto - rent

comodo - comfortable

spero - I hope.

sperare - to hope

affittare - to rent a house, an apartment

noleggiare - to rent a car, a DVD, a bicycle

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-Compiti. (homework)

1. Passato prossimo. Read page 220. do Practice Set 86.

2. Passato prossimo. (white handout) Side 1: with auxiliary avere. Of all the verbs listed, the following have irregular participles:

chiedere, dare, fare, mettere, perdere, prendere, rispondere, dire, vedere, spendere. See page 216 for the past participles.

On the other side, with auxiliary essere. See page 220.

3. Indirect object pronouns. Do Practice Set 77. Page 208, 209. Some of the sentences take indirect object pronouns. Numbers 1, 3, 6, and 9 take indirect object pronouns. The rest take direct object pronouns.

4. Indirect object pronouns (yellow handout). click here for the answers

5. Dialog: "Lucia has to go to Padova." (green handout). Read about the trains in Italy, then do the section "Gianna wants to go to Desenzano..." The second part ("You're waiting at Vicenza station") is optional, and the questions pertain to the Italian paragraph at the bottom of the page.

6. Alla stazione. (pink handout). Practice the phrases so we can do these in class next week. (both sides).

7. Piacere. Do Practice Set 81. Page 212.

8. Prepositions. Do Practice Set 58. Page 162.

9. (optional) Alcuni / Alcune, Qualche, Un po' di. Do Practice Sets 42, 43, and 44. Pages 134, 135, 136.