Practice Makes Perfect Basic Italian

By Alessandra Visconti

More than 1 million books sold in the Practice Makes Perfect series!
Learn Italian in bite-sized lessons!

The key to Practice Makes Perfect: Basic Italian is how manageable the grammar and vocabulary are presented to you. You’re not overwhelmed by it all! Supported by engaging exercises, these 50 units cover all aspects of grammar and vocabulary, giving you a solid foundation in the language. Each unit is three pages in length, and you can expect to be completed with each in 10 to 15 minutes.

Features

• Key grammatical concepts and core vocabulary are absorbed almost effortlessly through exercises
• Flexibility for self-study or as a complement to your first-year class

• Language: English
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Release date: Oct 6, 2010
• ISBN: 9780071741729

Book preview

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ISBN: 978-0-07-174172-9

MHID:       0-07-174172-0

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Contents

Preface

I

1 Ciao! · Greetings · The Italian alphabet · Cognates

2 Come sta? · Key phrases in Italian

3 Sei americano? · Adjectives of nationality · Four-form and two-form adjectives

4 I numeri · Numbers 0 to 20

5 Che cosa studi? · Regular -are verbs

RIPASSO 1 CAPITOLI 1–5

II

6 Di dove sei? · Irregular verb essere · C’è / Ci sono

7 Prendi un caffè? · Regular -ere verbs · Irregular verb avere

8 Andiamo al ristorante! · Nouns: gender and number (I) · The indefinite article

9 La dieta mediterranea · The definite article · Regular -ire verbs

10 Prendiamo un caffè? · Nouns: gender and number (II)

RIPASSO 2 CAPITOLI 6–10

III

11 I numeri cardinali · Cardinal numbers from 21 to 1 billion

12 I numeri ordinali · Ordinal numbers · Irregular nouns

13 Quando? · Days of the week

14 I miei amici · Possessive adjectives

15 Siamo a Venezia! · Prepositions a, in, di

RIPASSO 3 CAPITOLI 11–15

IV

16 Avere o essere? · What’s your personality?

17 Brrr! Ho freddo! · Months, holidays, and seasons

18 Come sta, professore? · Formal vs. informal · Irregular verb fare

19 Dove vai questo fine settimana? · Irregular verb andare · More on preposition in

20 Non lo so! · Sapere vs. conoscere · Questo, quello, and bello

RIPASSO 4 CAPITOLI 16–20

V

21 Hai studiato ieri? · Present perfect · Expressions of time

22 Ho bisogno di molti soldi! · Molto o poco

23 Va tutto bene? · Adverbs

24 Essere o avere? · Passato prossimo of intransitive verbs

25 Che lavoro fai? · Professions (I)

RIPASSO 5 CAPITOLI 21–25

VI

26 A che ora? · Telling time · Comparisons

27 Quale vestito preferisci? · Colors · Clothing

28 Bravissimo! · Superlatives

29 A che ora ti alzi? · Reflexive pronouns and verbs (I)

30 Andiamo al cinema? · Prepositional contractions · The partitive · Irregular verbs venire and tenere

RIPASSO 6 CAPITOLI 26–30

VII

31 Andiamo al mercato · Shopping list

32 Com’era? · L’imperfetto (The imperfect)

33 Dove si sono conosciuti? · Reflexive verbs (II)

34 Si parla italiano · Irregular nouns (II) · The impersonalsi

35 Dove lavora? · Professions (II) · The verb volerci · The adverb ci

RIPASSO 7 CAPITOLI 31–35

VIII

36 Lo vedi? · Il pronome complemento diretto · The pronoun ne

37 Hai scritto a Roberto? · Complemento oggetto indiretto · The verb piacere (I)

38 Quando andremo in Italia? · Il futuro

39 Cosa faresti? · Il condizionale

40 Ti è piaciuta la partita? · The verb piacere (II) · Irregular comparative adjectives

RIPASSO 8 CAPITOLI 36–40

Answer key

Culture corner translations

Italian-English glossary

Preface

Practice Makes Perfect: Basic Italian is a companion text designed to help improve grammar, fluency, and overall proficiency in Italian. It is intended to supplement the listening, reading, and speaking activities covered in class with a focus on the basic foundations of elementary Italian. Although it is intended primarily for middle and high school students, the materials covered and the vocabulary will be useful to learners of all ages and to anyone needing a quick review. The table of contents clearly summarizes the grammar structures featured in each chapter, which can be done consecutively or in any sequence appropriate to the learners’ needs.

Each chapter starts with a clear and concise explanation of the grammatical points of the chapter and a list of frequently used words. The explanation is followed by graded exercises, which engagingly and effectively drill the new material. The true/false and matching exercises raise awareness of the new form without requiring the learner to produce it. These are followed by exercises and drills that elicit the production and the repetition of the new form until it can be produced with more fluency and ease. The Culture corner sections are short descriptions of music, art, science, and popular culture in Italy. These readings are designed to develop reading and comprehension skills. The learners are not expected to understand every word, but rather are encouraged to read these sections for general meaning. This will develop the inference skills and the ability to get the main idea from passages containing unfamiliar vocabulary. After this initial reading the learners may want to check their comprehension by reading the English translation in the Answer key, and more advanced students may try doing their own translation, summary, or paraphrase of the text for additional practice.

Here is a summary of what this workbook provides:

Reinforcement of material already presented in another format or setting

Clear presentation of grammatical structures as they are used in common real-life situations

Glosses of frequently used words divided into topics

Engaging exercises that develop the ability to notice, recognize, and use new forms

Readings that introduce interesting cultural or historical facts

A comprehensive exercise review every five chapters

An Answer key to all the exercises

An Italian-English glossary of vocabulary used throughout the book

The nota bene feature makes learners aware of common errors and helps prevent them!

Learning a new language is stimulating and fun, and will open the door to a new world. This book will reinforce fundamental knowledge of Italian so that learners can enter that world with confidence.

I would like to thank my editors for their patience and their attention to detail and my students for testing the material for clarity and giving me invaluable feedback. I thank my family for the unwavering support and assistance offered as this book took shape.

•I•

CAPITOLO 1 Ciao! · Greetings · The Italian alphabet · Cognates

CAPITOLO 2 Come sta? · Key phrases in Italian

CAPITOLO 3 Sei americano? · Adjectives of nationality · Four-form and two-form adjectives

CAPITOLO 4 I numeri · Numbers 0 to 20

CAPITOLO 5 Che cosa studi? · Regular -are verbs

Ripasso 1 Capitoli 1–5

Grammar

The Italian alphabet

Cognates

C and g sounds

Adjectives of nationality

Four-form and two-form adjectives

Conjugation of regular -are verbs

Vocabulary