Ogni quanto? Quante volte?

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OUR NEW NAME AND ADDRESS IS VIA OPTIMAE! {www.viaoptimae.com}

Didattichiamo! will slowly be phased out, so read this post on our new site and subscribe by email to receive our latest updates.

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~the simple present tense & expressions of frequency~

As with English, the Italian simple present tense is often used to express repeat or habitual actions— what is generally or normally done.

Mangio la colazione.

I eat breakfast.

Non bevo il latte.

I don't drink milk. 

Often times, expressions of frequency are also used in these types of sentences:

Mangio la colazione ogni giorno.

I eat breakfast everyday.

Non bevo mai il latte.

I never drink milk. 

As the name suggests, these expressions not only tell you when but also how often.  They answer the following questions:

New to the present tense? Need to review conjugation and negation? You may want to start with… 

UPDATE: links redirect to the same posts on the new site, VIA OPTIMAE
  (1) How Italian verbs work, (Intro to verbs & grammar terms)
  (2) Italian present tense: -ARE verbs
  (3) Italian present tense: -ERE verbs
  (4) Italian present tense: -IRE verbs
  (5) La negazione - Negation

In practicing and using the simple present tense, you'll find you frequently need an expression of frequency… so let's go over some of the most common ones, and see how they fit into sentences:

ogni…

           (every…)

...giorno, settimana, mese, anno

(day, week, month, year)

Mangio la colazione ogni giorno.

I eat breakfast every day.

If you want to say a specific day, you can say it in one of three ways:

Mangiamo la lasagna ogni domenica.

We eat lasagna every Sunday.

-or-

Non mangiamo la carne il venerdì.
We do not eat meat on Fridays.

Mangiamo la lasagna la domenica.

We eat lasagna on Sundays.

Sunday is feminine: "la domenica"; all the other days of the week are masculine and take  "il"

-or-

Mangiamo fuori casa tutti i venerdì.

We eat out every Friday.

Mangiamo la lasagna tutte le domeniche.

We eat lasagna every Sunday.

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una volta, due volte… 

(once, twice...)

...al giorno, alla settimana, al mese, all'anno

(a day, a week, a month, a year)

Mangio il gelato due volte alla settimana.

I eat ice cream two times a week.

Paghiamo le tasse una volta all'anno.

We pay taxes once a year.

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Avverbi (adverbs)

 sempre<--->mai

always <---> never

Many actions fall somewhere on this continuum of frequency:

 

[This is a non-exhaustive list- there are other adverbs of frequency: normalmente (normally); ogni tanto (every once in awhile); raramente (rarely) etc. but the above continuum is a good place to start!]

sempre

always

Mangio sempre la colazione.

I always eat breakfast.

Notice how the adverb "sempre" is after the verb "mangio"?  That is the standard position for adverbs in an Italian sentence… another option is at the start of the sentence — but this depends a bit on the adverb itself and the emphasis.  

Sempre mangio la colazione.

I always eat breakfast.

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quasi sempre

almost always

Mangi quasi sempre la stessa cosa.

You almost always eat the the same thing.

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spesso

often

Lei mangia spesso lo yogurt.

She often eats yogurt.

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di solito

usually

-Cosa mangiate di solito?

What do you all usually eat?

-Di solito, mangiamo il pesce.

Usually, we eat fish.

By nature, the question puts emphasis on the adverb, so it sounds natural to respond with the adverb at the beginning...

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a volte

sometimes

A volte, mangiano fuori.

Sometimes, they eat out.

"A volte" as an adverb is often found at the beginning of the sentence.

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quasi mai

almost never

Non mangio quasi mai il riso.

I almost never eat rice.

Remember, as discussed in La negazione - Negation Italian requires double negatives!  So if the adverb is negative, like "quasi mai" or "mai", you must also use the negating word "non" before the verb.  

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mai

never

Non mangi mai l'insalata.

You never eat salad.

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Hai capito? (Did you understand?)  

Try this free PDF worksheet with a quick summary of this lesson as well as practice exercises: UPDATE: new worksheet can be accessed from this post on the new site, VIA OPTIMAE (worksheet link redirects there)

Ogni quanto? Quante volte?: 
The Simple Present Tense & Expressions of Frequency Worksheet 
(free PDF available on Google drive UPDATE: link redirects you this post on the new site, where the new worksheet can be accessed)

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As always, you can submit your answers to didattichiamo(@gmail.com) UPDATE: viaoptimae{@gmail.com} for free corrections!

Happy Studying!

-Alex

Italian present tense: -IRE verbs

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OUR NEW NAME AND ADDRESS IS VIA OPTIMAE! {www.viaoptimae.com}

Didattichiamo! will slowly be phased out, so read this post on our new site and subscribe by email to receive our latest updates.

---

Today, we're going to look at the Simple Present Tense and in particular, -IRE verbs: 

In case you missed the previous posts in this series, start there first:  UPDATE: all links redirect to the same posts on the new site, Via Optimae
  (1) How Italian verbs work, (Intro to verbs & grammar terms)
  (2) Italian present tense: -ARE verbs
  (3) Italian present tense: -ERE verbs

-IRE verbs are divided into two groups:

The first group is "normal":  drop the infinitive ending (-IRE) and add the present tense -IRE endings:

So, if I wanted to conjugate the regular -IRE verb 'dormire' (to sleep) in the first person singular or 'io' it would look like this:

Dormo 

I sleep

Dormo di lato.

I sleep on my side.

Applying the same conjugation process to all the other subjects, I end up with this chart:

+

↓

-Dormi di lato?

Do you sleep on your side?

-Sì, dormo di lato.

Yes, I sleep on my side.

-Dormono di lato?

Do they sleep on their side?

-No, dormono a pancia in giù.

No, they sleep on their stomach.

Using the above examples as clues, how would you say:  "We sleep on our side" ? ("We" is "noi", review subject pronouns if needed in: How Italian Verbs Work— UPDATE: links to the same post on the new site, Via Optimae)

[Highlight below to reveal answer]

Dormiamo di lato.

Here are some other regular in the present tense -IRE verbs:

sentire - to sense (esp. hear)

aprire - to open

offrire - to offer

Can you write out the present tense conjugations for each?  

↓

~ I recommend writing them out in a two column, three row table format so that you can refer back to them easily…   You can also use one of the following free printable PDFs… Choose either blank or with a quick summary:

UPDATE: all links (including worksheet links) redirect you to this post on the new site: Via Optimae

Blank conjugation tables

(Blank so you can use them to practice any tense conjugation)

-or-

Italian simple present tense -IRE Summary and tables 
(A summary of this lesson next to blank tables to help you practice.)

~

You can verify your answers or look up the conjugation for any verb/tense in Word Reference's handy conjugator:

..

The simple present tense is the first column of the first row labeled "presente."

~

The second group of -IRE verbs take -ISC- What does that mean?  You just add an -ISC- after the stem of the verb and before the -IRE present tense endings.  This is done for all of the subjects, except noi and voi.

So, to conjugate one of the -ISC- verbs, 'finire' in the 1st person "io", I drop the -IRE, add -ISC- and then add the "io" present tense ending "o."

Finisco 

I finish

Finisco di lavorare presto.

I finish work early.

The same process is done for all the other subjects, except noi and voi which don't take the -ISC:

The subjects that take -ISC- are inside the green "boot."

-Finisci di lavorare presto?

Do you finish work early?

-Sì, finisco di lavorare presto.

Yes, I finish work early.

-Finiscono di lavorare presto?

Do they finish work early on Tuesdays?

-No, non finiscono di lavorare presto.

No, they don't finish work early.

Using the above examples as clues, how would you say:  "We finish work early." ? ("We" is "noi", review subject pronouns if needed in: How Italian Verbs Work— UPDATE: redirects you to same post on the new site, Via Optimae)

[Highlight below to reveal answer]

Finiamo di lavorare presto.

Here are some other -IRE verbs that take -ISC-:

capire - to understand

pulire - to clean

Can you write out the present tense conjugations for each?  

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if an -IRE verb takes -ISC- just by looking… You'll just have to memorize which is which… All the verbs in the image at the beginning of the post are regular— the ones marked with asterisks (*) take -ISC-.  Look them up in a dictionary if necessary and use them to practice!

Happy Conjugating!

-Alex

Want more conjugation practice?
Try these free online -IRE verb conjugation exercises:

Conjuguemos: Italian -IRE verbs 
Conjuguemos: Italian -IRE verbs that take -ISC-

Ready to move on to the next lesson in this series?

TRY:  La negazione - Negation (UPDATE: redirects you to the same post on the new site, Via Optimae)

Italian present tense: -ERE verbs

---

OUR NEW NAME AND ADDRESS IS VIA OPTIMAE! {www.viaoptimae.com}

Didattichiamo! will slowly be phased out, so read this post on our new site and subscribe by email to receive our latest updates.

---

Today, we're going to look at the Simple Present Tense and in particular, -ERE verbs: 

In case you missed the previous posts in this series, start there first:  UPDATE: all links redirect to the same posts on the new site, Via Optimae
  (1) How Italian verbs work, (Intro to verbs & grammar terms)
  (2) Italian present tense: -ARE verbs

Today, we're going to look at the Simple Present Tense and in particular, -ERE verbs: 

To conjugate -ERE verbs in the simple present tense, just drop the -ERE from the infinitive form, and add one of the following endings:

So, if I wanted to conjugate the regular verb: 'credere' (to believe) in the first person singular or 'io' it would look like this:

Credo 

I believe

Credo nei miracoli.

I believe in miracles.

Applying the same conjugation process to all the other subjects, I end up with this chart:

+

↓

-Credi nei miracoli?

Do you believe in miracles?

-Sì, credo nei miracoli.

Yes, I believe in miracles.

-Credono nei miracoli?

Do they believe in miracles?

-No, non credono nei miracoli.

No, they don't believe in miracles.

Using the above examples as clues, how would you say:  "We believe in miracles." ? ("We" is "noi", review subject pronouns if needed in: How Italian Verbs Work— redirects to same post on the new site, Via Optimae)

[Highlight below to reveal answer]

Crediamo nei miracoli.

Here are some other regular -ERE verbs:

prendere - to take

scrivere - to write

vivere - to live

Can you write out the present tense conjugations for each?  

↓

~

I recommend writing them out in a two column, three row table format so that you can refer back to them easily…   You can also use one of the following free printable PDFs… Choose either blank or with a quick summary:

UPDATE:  All links (including those for the worksheets) redirect you to this post on the new site, Via Optimae

Blank conjugation tables
(Blank so you can use them to practice any tense conjugation)

-or-

Italian simple present tense -ERE Summary and tables 
(A summary of this lesson next to blank tables to help you practice.)

~

You can verify your answers or look up the conjugation for any verb/tense in Word Reference's handy conjugator:

..

The simple present tense is the first column of the first row labeled "presente."

~

A note on consonant sound changes

In Italian present tense: -ARE verbs we talked about how the letter /h/ is added to certain conjugations so that the verb maintains its original consonant sound in all the forms.

-ERE verbs are a bit different, and seem to like consonant sound changes.  So if you're conjugating and find that when you add the new ending, the consonant changes, it's probably correct as is. 

This change in consonant sound occurs in verbs with stems that end in the "g" or "c." Let's look at some examples:

leggere  /ˈlɛddʒere/

to read

In the infinitive, the g's are followed by the letter /e/ which means you pronounce it "soft" (like the /j/ in the English "jester").

When you conjugate it into the 1st person, you add an "o" and that changes the sound of the /g/ from "soft" to "hard" (like the /g/ in the English "go".)

For -ERE verbs, this consonant sound change is okay!  Let's look at all the forms of "leggere"

The consonant sounds are different (like /g/ in English "go") for the "io" and "loro" forms.

conoscere  /koˈnoʃʃere/

to know, be familiar with

In the infinitive, the /sc/ is followed by an /e/ which means you pronounce it "soft", like the "sh" in the English "share".

When you conjugate it into the 1st person, you add an "o" and that changes the sound of the /sc/ from "soft" to "hard", it becomes like the "sk" in the English  "ski".

Again, the consonant sound change happens in both the "io" and the "loro" forms:

As you can see, 'leggere' and 'conoscere' are both conjugated completely regularly.  You don't need to worry about any spelling changes for them.

Full pronunciation of all present tense forms of "leggere" and "conoscere" available through RhinoSpike (Special thanks to native speaker Gabriella for doing the recording!)

That's it for now on -ERE verbs... keep practicing your conjugation until it becomes natural to you!  (You can use the words in the image at the beginning of the post– they're all regular!)

Happy Conjugating!

-Alex

Want more conjugation practice?
Try this free online -ERE verb conjugation exercise:

Conjuguemos: Italian -ERE verbs 

Ready to move on to the next lesson in this series?

TRY:  Italian Present Tense: -IRE verbs (UPDATE: redirects to the same post on the new site, Via Optimae)