English | French | Italian |
Good day | Bonjour | Buongiorno |
Good evening | Bonsoir | Buona sera |
Good night (going to bed) | Bonne nuit | Buona notte |
Hello / Hi / Bye | Salut | Ciao |
Goodbye | Au revoir | Arrivederci |
Thank you (very much) | Merci (beaucoup) | Grazie (mille) |
You're welcome | De rien | Prego |
Please | S'il vous plaît | Per favore |
How are you? (formal) | Comment allez-vous ? | Come sta? |
How are you? (informal) | Ça va? | Come stai? |
I'm (really) good. | Je vais (très) bien. | Sto (abbastanza) bene. |
I'm ok. | Comme ci, comme ça. | Cosí cosí. |
Bad / not bad | Mal / pas mal | Male / Non c'è male |
What's your name? (f) | Comment vous appelez-vous ? | Come si chiama? |
What's your name? (in) | Tu t'appelles comment ? | Come ti chiami? |
My name is… | Je m'appelle… | Mi chiamo… |
Where are you from? (f) | D'où venez-vous ? | Di dov'è Lei? |
Where are you from? (in) | Tu es d'où ? | Di dove sei? |
I'm from…. | Je suis de… | Sono di… |
How old are you? (f) | Quel âge avez-vous ? | Quanti anni ha? |
How old are you? (in) | Tu as quel âge ? | Quanti anni hai? |
I'm ___ years old. | J'ai ___ ans. | Ho ___ anni. |
Yes / No | Oui / Non | Si / No |
Do you speak … ? (f) | Parlez-vous … | Parla… |
Do you speak … ? (inf) | Est-ce que tu parles … | Parli… |
I (don't) speak… | Je (ne) parle (pas)… | (Non) parlo… |
I (don't) know | Je (ne) sais (pas). | (Non) lo so. |
Do you understand? (f) | Comprenez-vous? | Capisce? |
Do you understand? (inf) | Est-ce que tu comprends ? | Capisci? |
I (don't) understand | Je (ne) comprends (pas). | (Non) capisco. |
Can you help me? (f) | Pouvez-vous m'aider ? | Può aiutarmi? |
Can you help me? (inf) | Est-ce que tu peux m'aider ? | Puoi aiutarmi? |
Of course. | Bien sûr | Certamente |
I would like… | Je voudrais… | Vorrei… |
Where is / are … ? | Où est / sont… ? | Dov'è / Dove sono… ? |
Excuse me | Excusez-moi | Con permesso |
Pardon me | Pardonnez-moi | Mi scusi |
I'm sorry | Je suis désolé(e). | Mi dispiace |
See you tomorrow | A demain | A domani |
See you later / soon | A tout à l'heure / A bientôt | A più tardi / A presto |
Mister / Misses / Miss | Monsieur / Madame / Mademoiselle | Signore / Signora / Signorina |
Pleased to meet you. | Enchanté(e). | Piacere. / Molto lieto. |
Pardon? | Comment ? | Come? |
How do you say … ? | Comment dit-on … ? | Come si dice … ? |
What's the matter? | Qu'est-ce qu'il y a ? | Cosa c'è? |
What's happening? | Qu'est-ce qui se passe ? | Che succede? |
There is / are… | Il y a… | C'è / Ci sono… |
What is it? | Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ? | Che cosa è? |
Right? | N'est-ce pas ? | Vero? |
It doesn't matter. | Ça ne fait rien. | Non importa |
I have no idea. | Je n'ai aucune idée | Non ho idea |
I don't care. | Ça m'est égal. | Non m'importa |
I'm tired / sick. | Je suis fatigué(e) / malade. | Sono stanco(-a) / malato(-a) |
I'm hungry / thirsty. | J'ai faim / soif. | Ho fame / sete. |
I'm cold / hot. | J'ai froid / chaud. | Ho freddo / caldo. |
I'm bored. | Je m'ennuie. | Mi annoio. |
I forgot. | J'ai oublié. | Ho dimenticato. |
I have to go. | Je dois y aller. | Devo andare. |
Welcome! | Bienvenue | Benvenuti |
Let's go! | Allons-y ! | Andiamo! |
Good luck! | Bonne chance ! | Buona fortuna! |
Have fun! (inf) | Amuse-toi ! | Divertiti! |
Bless you! | A tes souhaits ! | Salute! |
Cheers! | A la vôtre ! | Cincin! |
Pay attention! / Be careful! (f) | Faites attention ! | Fate attenzione! |
Don't worry! (inf) | Ne t'en fais pas ! | Non ti preoccupare! |
Shut up! (f / inf) | Taisez-vous ! / Tais-toi ! | Sta zitto! / Stai zitto! |
Congratulations! | Félicitations ! | Congratulazioni! |
Happy New Year | Bonne Année | Buon Anno |
Happy Easter | Joyeuses Pâques | Buona Pasqua |
Merry Christmas | Joyeux Noël | Buon Natale |
Happy Birthday | Bon Anniversaire | Buon Compleanno |
I love you. (singular) | Je t'aime | Ti amo / Ti voglio bene |
I miss you. (singular) | Tu me manques | Mi manchi |
Adjectives in both languages must agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular and plural) with the nouns they describe. For example. if you are a man, you would use je suis fatigué in French and sono stanco in Italian for I am tired. If you are a woman, you would use je suis fatiguée in French and sono stanca in Italian. Vocabulary words are generally given in the masculine form, with the feminine ending in parentheses.(In French, you generally add -e to form the feminine; while in Italian, you change -o to -a). If there is only one form of an adjective given, then it is the same for masculine and feminine (such as malade in French).
There are two ways to say "you" in both languages, formally (f) or informally (inf). The formal you is the polite form and should be used with people you do not know or with people to whom you want to show respect. The informal you should be used with children and animals, and with close friends and family.
The major difference in pronunciation between the two languages is that French has several silent letters, while every letter must be pronounced in Italian. In addition, French contains four distinctive nasal vowels that do not exist in Italian.
Vowels
Vowels in French are somewhat complex (12). Vowels in Italian are much simpler (7). Vowels that do not exist in English are highlighted.
French Vowels |
Italian Vowels |
English Pronunciation |
||
[i] | vie, midi, lit, riz | [i] | vita | meet |
[y] | rue, jus, tissu, usine | ee rounded | ||
[e] | blé, nez, cahier, pied | [e] | vedi | wait |
[ø] | jeu, yeux, queue, bleu | ay rounded | ||
[ɛ] | lait, aile, balai, reine | [ɛ] | era | bet |
[œ] | sœur, œuf, fleur, beurre | eh rounded | ||
[a] | chat, ami, papa, salade | [a] | kane | not |
[ɑ] | bas, âne, grâce, château | ah longer | ||
[u] | loup, cou, caillou, outil | [u] | uva | boot |
[o] | eau, dos, escargot, hôtel | [o] | sole | coat |
[ɔ] | sol, pomme, cloche, horloge | [ɔ] | modo | law |
[ə] | fenêtre, genou, cheval, cerise | rut |
I'm using the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols for the vowels and a rough phonetic transcription for those who do not know the IPA.
French has three front rounded vowels that do not exist in English, but you can learn to pronounce them correctly because their unrounded counterparts do exist in English. To pronounce [y], round your lips when saying [i]; to pronounce [ø], round your lips when saying [e]; and to pronounce [œ], round your lips when saying [ɛ]. The distinction between [a] and [ɑ] continues to disappear in modern French, so don't worry about trying to distinguish these two sounds.
Pronouncing Italian vowels is rather easy. The only problems arise when distinguishing the two e's and o's. If the vowel is stressed, then it is always closed [e] and [o]. If the vowel is not stressed, it is always open [ɛ] and [ɔ]. This can change according to regional dialects in Italy, of course, but this is the standard rule.
Nasal Vowels, Semi-Vowels/Consonants, & Diphthongs
The four nasal vowels are a distinctive feature of French. There are also three semi-vowels. In Italian, there are two semi-vowels, several diphthongs and a few triphthongs.
French nasal vowels |
French semi-vowels |
Italian semi-vowels |
|||
[ã] | gant, banc, dent | [w] | oui, Louis | [w] | quando, uomo |
[ɛ̃] | pain, vin, linge | [ɥ] | lui, suisse | [j] | piano, ieri, piove |
[œ̃] | brun, lundi, parfum | [j] | oreille, Mireille | ||
[õ] | rond, ongle, front |
The distinction between the two nasals [ɛ̃] and [œ̃] is disappearing in French. Italian semi-vowels are written ua, ue, uo, ui for [w] and ia, ie, io, iu for [j]. If another vowel precedes u or i, then it is a diphthong: ai, ei, oi, au, eu. The combination iu + another vowel creates a triphthong.
Consonants
French consonants
ex + vowel | egz | examen, exercice | eg-zah-mawn, eg-zehr-sees |
ex + consonant | eks | exceptionnel, expression | ek-sehp-see-oh-nel, ek-spreh-see-ohn |
ch (Latin origin) | sh | architecte, archives | ar-shee-tekt, ar-sheev |
ch (Greek origin) | k | orchestre, archéologie | ohr-kehs-tr, ar-kay-oh-loh-zhee |
ti + vowel (except é) | see | démocratie, nation | day-moh-krah-see, nah-see-ohn |
Italian consonant + vowel combinations
c + a, o, u, he, hi | k | amica, amico, amiche | ah-mee-kah, ah-mee-koh, ah-mee-keh |
c + ia, io, iu, e, i | ch | bacio, celebre, cinema | bah-cho, cheh-leh-breh, chee-neh-mah |
g + a, o, u, he, hi | g | gara, gusto, spaghetti | gah-rah, goo-stoh, spah-geh-tee |
g + ia, io, iu, e, i | dj | Giotto, gelato, magico | djoh-toh, djeh-lah-toh, mah-djee-koh |
sc + a, o, u, he, hi | sk | scala, scuola, scheda | skah-lah, skoo-oh-la, skeh-dah |
sc + ia, io, iu, e, i | sh | sciarpa, sciupato, scemo | shar-pah, shoo-pah-toh, sheh-moh |
In both languages, s is generally pronounced the same as in English, except when it is between two vowels, then it is pronounced like z. H is always silent.
Double consonants in Italian must be pronounced individually: il nonno (eel nohn-noh) is pronounced differently than il nono (eel noh-noh)
Liaison in French forces a preceding consonant to be pronounced before the following vowel of the next word. Normally, this consonant is silent, but it must be pronounced at the beginning of the next word: très (treh) and heureux (uh-ruh) become treh zuh-ruh when pronounced together. S and x are pronounced as z, d as t and f as v in liaisons.
Stress
In general, stress falls on the last syllable in French and the second-to-last syllable in Italian. If stress falls on the last syllable in Italian, the vowel is written with an accent mark (la città). However, it is also possible for the stress in Italian to fall on the third-to-last syllable (America, telefono) and even the fourth-to-last syllable (telefonano) in third person plural verb conjugations.
English | French | Italian |
A | ah | ah |
B | bay | bee |
C | say | chee |
D | day | dee |
E | uh | eh |
F | eff | eff-eh |
G | zhay | zhee |
H | ahsh | ahk-kah |
I | ee | ee |
J | shee | ee loon-gah |
K | kah | kahp-pah |
L | ell | ehl-eh |
M | emm | ehm-eh |
N | enn | ehn-eh |
O | oh | oh |
P | pay | pee |
Q | kew | koo |
R | air | ehr-reh |
S | ess | ehs-seh |
T | tay | teh |
U | ew | oo |
V | vay | voo |
W | doo-blah-vay | dohp-pyah voo |
X | eeks | eeks |
Y | ee-grek | ee greh-kah |
Z | zed | dzeh-tah |
English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian |
zero | zéro | zero | |||
one | un | uno | first | premier (ère) | primo (a) |
two | deux | due | second | deuxième | secondo (a) |
three | trois | tre | third | troisième | terzo (a) |
four | quatre | quattro | fourth | quatrième | quarto (a) |
five | cinq | cinque | fifth | cinquième | quinto (a) |
six | six | sei | sixth | sixième | sesto (a) |
seven | sept | sette | seventh | septième | settimo (a) |
eight | huit | otto | eighth | huitième | ottavo (a) |
nine | neuf | nove | ninth | neuvième | nono (a) |
ten | dix | dieci | tenth | dixième | decimo (a) |
eleven | onze | undici | eleventh | onzième | undicesimo (a) |
twelve | douze | dodici | twelfth | douzième | dodicesimo (a) |
thirteen | treize | tredici | thirteenth | treizième | tredicesimo (a) |
fourteen | quatorze | quattordici | fourteenth | quatorzième | quattordicesimo (a) |
fifteen | quinze | quindici | fifteenth | quinzième | quindicesimo (a) |
sixteen | seize | sedici | sixteenth | seizième | sedicesimo (a) |
seventeen | dix-sept | diciassette | seventeenth | dix-septième | diciassettesimo (a) |
eighteen | dix-huit | diciotto | eighteenth | dix-huitième | diciottesimo (a) |
nineteen | dix-neuf | diciannove | nineteenth | dix-neuvième | diciannovesimo (a) |
twenty | vingt | venti | twentieth | vingtième | ventesimo (a) |
twenty-one | vingt et un | ventuno | twenty-first | vingt et unième | ventunesimo (a) |
twenty-two | vingt-deux | ventidue | twenty-second | vingt-deuxième | ventiduesimo (a) |
twenty-three | vingt-trois | ventitre | twenty-third | vingt-troisième | ventitreesimo (a) |
thirty | trente | trenta | twenty-fourth | vingt-quatrième | ventiquattresimo (a) |
forty | quarante | quaranta | twenty-fifth | vingt-cinquième | venticinquesimo (a) |
fifty | cinquante | cinquanta | |||
sixty | soixante | sessanta | one-half | une moitié | un mezzo |
seventy | soixante-dix | settanta | one-third | un tiers | un terzo |
eighty | quatre-vingts | ottanta | one-fourth | un quart | un quarto |
ninety | quatre-vingt-dix | novanta | |||
hundred | cent | cento | once | une fois | una volta |
hundred one | cent un | centuno | twice | deux fois | due volte |
two hundred | deux cents | duecento | three times | trois fois | tre volte |
thousand | mille | mille | |||
million | un million | un milione |
When writing numbers, switch the use of commas and periods. For example, 4.50 in English would be written as 4,50 in French and Italian. In French, cent has a plural form: cents, but mille is invariable (there is no plural form); while in Italian, cento is invariable and mille has a plural form: mila.
French telephone numbers are ten digits, beginning with zero, and the country code is 33 (Belgium: 32, Switzerland: 41, Canada: 1). Italian telephone numbers are between 8 and 11 digits, most beginning with zero, and the country code is 39.
Definite Article (the) | French | Italian | Indefinite Article (a, an) | French | Italian |
masculine singular | le | il | masculine singular | un | un |
begins with vowel | l' | l' | begins with vowel | un | un |
begins with s + cons. | lo | begins with s + cons. | uno | ||
masculine plural | les | i | masculine plural | des | dei |
plural of l' and lo | gli | plural: di + gli | degli | ||
feminine singular | la | la | feminine singular | une | una |
begins with vowel | l' | l' | begins with vowel | une | un' |
feminine plural | les | le | feminine plural | des | delle |
Articles are slightly more complicated in Italian. The rows in italics only concern Italian and not French. If a masculine Italian noun begins with s + consonant, z, gn, ps, x, or i + vowel, you must use lo as the definite article (instead of il). However, la is still used for all feminine Italian nouns that begin with those same letters. Only il changes to i in the plural, while l' and lo change to gli. Feminine articles are more simple: la and l' change to le in the plural. The plural indefinite article can be expressed as some in English, but it is not always used.
this / these + noun | French | Italian | that / those + noun | French | Italian |
masculine singular | ce | questo | masculine singular | ce | quel |
begins with vowel | cet | quest' | begins with vowel | cet | quell' |
begins with s + cons. | questo | begins with s + cons. | quello | ||
masculine plural | ces | questi | masculine plural | ces | quei |
plural of l' and lo | questi | plural: di + gli | quegli | ||
feminine singular | cette | questa | feminine singular | cette | quella |
begins with vowel | cette | quest' | begins with vowel | cette | quell' |
feminine plural | ces | queste | feminine plural | ces | quelle |
In French, ce, cet, and cette can be translated as this or that, while ces can be translated as these or those. If you would like to be precise, you can add -ci to the end of the noun to specify this/these (for what is close to you), and -là to the end of the noun to specify that/those (for what is further away from you). For example, cette chaise-ci means this chair while cette chaise-là means that chair. In Italian, two distinct forms exist to distinguish between what is close and what is far away: quest- for close, and quel- for far away.
In Italian, demonstrative adjectives (which precede nouns) and demonstrative pronouns (which take the place of nouns) have very similar forms. In French, the demonstrative pronouns have different forms. You can add -ci and -là to the French demonstrative pronouns to specify what is close (this/these) and what is far away (that/those): celui-ci means this one, while celui-là means that one.
this / these + verb | French | Italian | that / those + verb | French | Italian |
masculine singular | celui | questo | masculine singular | celui | quello |
masculine plural | ceux | questi | masculine plural | ceux | quelli |
feminine singular | celle | questa | feminine singular | celle | quella |
feminine plural | celles | queste | feminine plural | celles | quelle |
There are two genders of nouns in both languages, masculine and feminine, and two numbers, singular and plural. Adjectives agree in gender and number with nouns, so you must learn the gender with each noun in order to form grammatically correct phrases. Usually the last letter of the noun will tell you which gender it is.
Gender
In French, masculine singular nouns generally end with a consonant, -
age or -ment. Feminine singular nouns generally end with -ure, -sion,
-tion, -ence, -ance, -té, and -ette.
In Italian, masculine singular nouns generally end with -o or -ore. Feminine
singular nouns generally end with -a or -zione. Nouns ending with -e
and -ista can be either gender, so you must learn those individually.
A few masculine nouns end with -a: il problema, il tema, il teorema,
il poeta, il cinema, il programma; and a few feminine nouns end with
-o: la mano, la radio, la foto, la moto.
In most cases, the gender of a noun is the same in French and Italian. But there are some cases in which the genders are reversed. (For example, names of cities and letters of the alphabet are masculine in French, but feminine in Italian.)
Masculine in French / Feminine
in Italian |
Feminine in French / Masculine
in Italian |
||||
English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian |
air | l'air | l'aria | affair, case | l'affaire | l'affare |
art | l'art | l'arte | tooth | la dent | il dente |
calm | le calme | la calma | oil | l'huile | l'olio |
number/digit | le chiffre | la cifra | limit | la limite | il limite |
couple | le couple | la coppia | sea | la mer | il mare |
Sunday | le dimanche | la domenica | method | la méthode | il metodo |
summer | l'été | l'estate | minute | la minute | il minuto |
forehead | le front | la fronte | panic | la panique | il panico |
guide | le guide | la guida | period | la période | il periodo |
spring | le printemps | la primavera | planet | la planète | il pianeta |
sand | le sable | la sabbia | second | la seconde | il secondo |
evening | le soir | la sera | attempt | la tentative | il tentativo |
Number
In French, singular nouns generally add -s (unless the noun already ends
in -s, -z, or -x, then they change nothing for the plural), though
nouns ending in -au, -eau, and -eu add -x instead (or change -al/-ail
to -aux) to form the plural. (Exceptions: festival, carnaval,
bal, pneu, bleu, landau, détail, chandail all add -s)
There are also seven nouns ending in -ou that add -x instead of -s: bijou,
caillou, chou, genou, pou, joujou, hibou
French Irregular Plurals: l'œil - les yeux (eye-eyes); le
ciel - les cieux (sky-skies); le jeune homme - les
jeunes gens (young man-young men); and three nouns are masculine
in the singular, but feminine in the plural: amour, délice,
orgue
In Italian, singular nouns that end with -o or -e, whether masculine
or feminine, change to -i in the plural. Feminine nouns change -a to
-e in the plural. Monosyllabic nouns, nouns that end with an accented
letter, with a consonant, and with -i do not change in the plural. Nouns
ending in -ca, -go, -ca, and -ga add an -h before the plural ending (as
a rule of pronunciation). Nouns that end with -io can either change to
-ii in the plural (if the i of -io is stressed), or to -i (if the i of
-io is not stressed).
Italian Irregular Plurals: l'uomo - gli uomini (man-men); il dio - gli dei (god-gods); il bue - i buoi (beef); il centinaio - le centinaia (century-centuries); il dito - le dita (finger-fingers); il riso - le risa (laughter); l'uovo - le uova (egg-eggs); l'ala - le ali (wing-wings); l'arma - le armi (weapon-weapons); la mano - le mani (hand-hands)
Subject Pronouns |
Direct Object Pronouns |
Indirect Object Pronouns |
Disjunctive Pronouns |
||||||||
English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian |
I | je | io | me | me | mi | me | me | mi | me | moi | me |
you (s, inf) | tu | tu | you (s, inf) | te | ti | you (s, inf) | te | ti | you (s, inf) | toi | te |
you (s, f) | vous | Lei | you (s, f) | vous | La | you (s, f) | vous | Le | you (s, f) | vous | Lei |
he / she | il / elle | lui / lei | him / her | le / la | lo / la | him / her | lui | gli / le | him / her | lui /elle | lui / lei |
one / we | on | si | |||||||||
we | nous | noi | us | nous | ci | us | nous | ci | us | nous | noi |
you (pl, inf/f) | vous | voi | you (pl, inf) | vous | vi | you (pl, inf) | vous | vi | you (pl, inf) | vous | voi |
they (m/fem) | ils / elles | loro | them | les | li | them | leur | loro | them | eux / elles | loro |
s = singular, pl = plural, inf = informal, f = formal, m = masculine, fem = feminine
There is more than one you in both languages, depending on how many people you are speaking to and how informal or formal you are being. In French, tu is singular and informal (when speaking to one person, such as a family member); while vous is plural, whether informal or formal (when speaking to more than one person) AND singular and formal (when speaking to one person, whom you do not know well or to whom you'd like to show respect). In Italian, tu is informal and singular, while Lei is formal and singular and voi is plural, whether informal or formal. Keep in mind that Lei takes a third person singular form when conjugating verbs (same as for he/she - lui/lei).
On and si are used as an abstract subject meaning one, they, you, we, people in general, etc. There are several translations of this into English where the subject doesn't refer to any person already mentioned: They say it's going to rain today. How are you supposed to do this? What should one do with $10 million? In addition, the French on is very commonly used to mean we instead of nous in everyday conversation. It always take a third person singular form when conjugating verbs, even though it refers to more than one person.
In both languages, if you want to use it to refer to a noun, you must know the gender. For example, il in French can mean he or it, depending on what noun the pronoun refers to. Il est petit, le garçon. He is small, the boy. Il est petit, le lit. It is small, the bed. Notice that they can also be translated in two ways in French (ils and elles), depending on the gender of the noun.
Present Tense |
Past Tense |
Future Tense
|
||||||
être / essere - to be | suis | sono | étais | ero | serai | sarò | ||
es | sei | étais | eri | seras | sarai | |||
est | è | était | era | sera | sarà | |||
sommes | siamo | étions | eravamo | serons | saremo | |||
êtes | siete | étiez | eravate | serez | sarete | |||
sont | sono | étaient | erano | seront | saranno | |||
avoir / avere - to have | ai | ho | avais | avevo | aurai | avrò | ||
as | hai | avais | avevi | auras | avrai | |||
a | ha | avait | aveva | aura | avrà | |||
avons | abbiamo | avions | avevamo | aurons | avremo | |||
avez | avete | aviez | avevate | aurez | avrete | |||
ont | hanno | avaient | avevano | auront | avranno | |||
faire / fare - to do, make | fais | faccio | faisais | facevo | ferai | farò | ||
fais | fai | faisais | facevi | feras | farai | |||
fait | fa | faisait | faceva | fera | farà | |||
faisons | facciamo | faisions | facevamo | ferons | faremo | |||
faites | fate | faisiez | facevate | ferez | farete | |||
font | fanno | faisaient | facevano | feront | faranno |
Past tense here refers to the imperfect, not preterite.
In French, the subject pronoun must always be used before the verb conjugations. When the verb begins with a vowel, je becomes j' and is connected to the verb (j'ai). In informal situations, the same happens with tu: it becomes t' and is connected to the following verb (t'as). In Italian, you do not have to use the subject pronouns, unless you want to emphasize the subject or to avoid ambiguity.
There are several common and idiomatic expressions with the verbs avoir and avere, which translate to be in English:
to be hungry | avoir faim | avere fame |
to be thirsty | avoir soif | avere sete |
to be warm | avoir chaud | avere caldo |
to be cold | avoir froid | avere freddo |
to be right | avoir raison | avere ragione |
to be wrong | avoir tort | avere torto |
to be sleepy | avoir sommeil | avere sonno |
to be afraid (of) | avoir peur (de) | avere paura (di) |
to be # years old | avoir # ans | avere # anni |
to need | avoir besoin de | avere bisogno di |
to want, feel like | avoir envie de | avere voglia di |
There is another verb in Italian that means to be, stare. But this verb is only used in expressions relating to health and feelings and when expressing the progressive form (be + gerund in English).
Present Tense |
Past Tense |
Future Tense
|
|
stare - to be | sto | stavo | starò |
stai | stavi | starai | |
sta | stava | starà | |
stiamo | stavamo | staremo | |
state | stavate | starete | |
stanno | starano | staranno |
Interrogatives / Conjunctions / Adverbs
English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian |
who | qui | chi | because | parce que | perché |
whose | de qui | di chi | and | et | e |
what | qu'est-ce que / quoi | che cosa / che / cosa | or | ou | o |
where | où | dove | but | mais | ma |
where from | d'où | di dove | if | si | se |
why | pourquoi | perché | not | pas | non |
when | quand | quando | very | très | molto |
how | comment | come | also | aussi | anche |
how much | combien | quanto | while | pendant | mentre |
which | quel(le) | quale | since | depuis | da |
that | que | che | although | bien que | benché |
English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian |
Monday | lundi | lunedì | January | janvier | gennaio |
Tuesday | mardi | martedì | February | février | febbraio |
Wednesday | mercredi | mercoledì | March | mars | marzo |
Thursday | jeudi | giovedì | April | avril | aprile |
Friday | vendredi | venerdì | May | mai | maggio |
Saturday | samedi | sabato | June | juin | giugno |
Sunday | dimanche | domenica | July | juillet | luglio |
August | août | agosto | |||
spring | le printemps | la primavera | September | septembre | settembre |
summer | l'été (m) | l'estate (f) | October | octobre | ottobre |
autumn | l'automne (m) | l'autunno | November | novembre | novembre |
winter | l'hiver (m) | l'inverno | December | décembre | dicembre |
The days of the week and months of the year are all masculine in both languages (except domenica in Italian). If you want to express an action that happens habitually on a certain day, use the definite article before the day: le lundi / il lunedì (on Mondays). In a season or a month is translated as en in French (except for in spring, which is au printemps) and in in Italian. When writing the date, use the definite article (le or il) plus the number and then the month: le 5 mai / il 5 maggio. For the first day of a month, you must use premier or primo instead of the number.
What time is it? | Quelle heure est-il ? | Che ora è? / Che ore sono? | What's the weather like? | Quel temps fait-il ? | Che tempo fa? |
At what time? | A quelle heure ? | A che ora? | It's nice | Il fait bon | Fa tempo buono |
1:00 | Il est une heure | È l'una | It's beautiful | Il fait beau | Fa bel tempo |
2:00 | Il est deux heures | Sono le due | It's hot | Il fait chaud | Fa caldo |
3:10 | Il est trois heures dix | Sono le tre e dieci | It's cold | Il fait froid | Fa freddo |
19:50 | Il est vingt heures moins dix | Sono le venti meno dieci | It's sunny | Il fait du soleil | C'è il sole |
18:15 | Il est dix-huit heures et quart | Sono le diciotto e un cuarto | It's windy | Il fait du vent | Tira vento |
7:45 | Il est huit heures moins le quart | Sono le otto meno un quarto | It's cool | Il fait frais | Fa fresco |
15:30 | Il est quinze heures et demie | Sono le quindici e mezzo | It's bad | Il fait mauvais | Fa brutto tempo |
noon | midi | mezzogiorno | It's foggy | Il fait du brouillard | C'è la nebbia |
midnight | minuit | mezzanotte | It's cloudy | Il fait nuageux | È nuvoloso |
exactly | précise | in punto | It's stormy | Il fait orageux | Il tempo è burrascoso |
in the morning | du matin | di mattina | It's raining | Il pleut | Piove |
in the afternoon | de l'après-midi | del pomeriggio | It's snowing | Il neige | Nevica |
in the evening | du soir | di sera | It's freezing | Il gèle | Fa un freddo gelido |
English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian |
afternoon | l'après-midi (m) | il pomeriggio | sunrise | le lever du soleil | il levar del sole |
century | le siècle | il secolo | sunset | le coucher du soleil | il tramonto |
dawn | l'aube | l'alba | time | le temps | il tempo |
day | le jour | il giorno | today | aujourd'hui | oggi |
daybreak | le point du jour | la spuntar del giorno | tomorrow | demain | domani |
dusk | la tombée de la nuit | il far della notte | week | la semaine | la settimana |
evening | le soir | la sera | year | l'an (m) | l'anno |
fortnight | la quinzaine | la quindicina | yesterday | hier | ieri |
holiday | la fête | la festa | last, previous | dernier (ère) | ultimo |
hour | l'heure (f) | l'ora | next | prochain(e) | prossimo |
half hour | une demi-heure | una mezz'ora | north | nord | nord |
quarter hour | un quart d'heure | un quarto d'ora | south | sud | sud |
hour and half | une heure et demi | un'ora e mezzo | east | est | est |
leap year | l'année bissextile | l'anno bisestile | west | ouest | ovest |
midnight | la minuit | la mezzanotte | northeast | nord-est | nord-est |
minute | la minute | il minuto | northwest | nord-ouest | nord-ovest |
month | le mois | il mese | southeast | sud-est | sud-est |
morning | la matin | la mattina | southwest | sud-ouest | sud-ovest |
night | la nuit | la notte | to/on the left | à gauche | a sinistra |
noon | le midi | il mezzogiorno | to/on the right | à droite | a destra |
season | la saison | la stagione | straight | tout droit | sempre diritto |
second | la seconde | il secondo |
English | French | Italian | English | French | Italian | |
red | rouge | rosso (-a) | square | le carré | il quadrato | |
pink | rose | rosa | circle | le cercle | il cerchio | |
orange | orange | arancione | triangle | le triangle | il triangolo | |
yellow | jaune | giallo (-a) | rectangle | le rectangle | il rettangolo | |
green | vert(e) | verde | oval | l'ovale | l'ovale | |
blue | bleu(e) | azzurro (-a) | box | la boîte | la scatola | |
purple | lila / violet(te) | viola | sphere | la sphère | la sfera | |
brown | brun(e) / marron | marrone | cube | le cube | il cubo | |
black | noir(e) | nero (-a) | pyramid | la pyramide | la piramide | |
white | blanc(he) | bianco (-a) | cone | le cône | il cono | |
gray | gris(e) | grigio (-a) | cylinder | le cylindre | il cilindro | |
silver | argenté(e) | argento (-a) | heart | le cœur | il cuore | |
gold | dor | oro (-a) | star | l'étoile (f) | la stella | |
diamond | le diamant | il diamante | ||||
crescent | le croissant | la mezzaluna |
Remember that colors are adjectives and they are placed after the noun they modify. In French, add -e to form the feminine; in Italian, change the final -o to -a. Adjectives that already end in -e do not change for the feminine in either language. Adjectives that end in -a (such as lila or viola) tend to be invariable and do not change at all, not even for the plural.
family | la famille | la famiglia | stepson | le beau-fils | il figliastro |
mother | la mère | la madre | stepsister | la belle-sœur | la sorellastra |
mom | maman | mamma | stepbrother | le beau-frère | il fratellastro |
father | le père | il padre | half-sister | la demi-sœur | la sorellastra |
dad | papa | papà | half-brother | le demi-frère | il fratellastro |
parents | les parents | i genitori | mother-in-law | la belle-mère | la suocera |
daughter | la fille | la figlia | father-in-law | le beau-père | il suocero |
son | le fils | il figlio | daughter-in-law | la belle-fille | la nuora |
children | les enfants | i figli | son-in-law | le gendre | il genero |
sister | la sœur | la sorella | sister-in-law | la belle-sœur | la cognata |
brother | le frère | il fratello | brother-in-law | le beau-frère | il cognato |
wife | la femme / l'épouse | la sposa | godmother | la marraine | la madrina |
husband | le mari / l'époux | lo sposo | godfather | le parrain | il padrino |
grandmother | la grand-mère | la nonna | girl | la jeune fille | la ragazza |
grandfather | le grand-père | il nonno | boy | le garçon | il ragazzo |
grandparents | les grands-parents | i nonni | baby | le bébé | il bambino |
granddaughter | la petite-fille | la nipote | woman | la femme | la donna |
grandson | le petit-fils | il nipote | man | l'homme | l'uomo |
grandchildren | les petits-enfants | i nipoti | adult | l'adulte | l'adulto |
cousin (f) | la cousine | la cugina | relatives | les parents | i parenti |
cousin (m) | le cousin | il cugino | twins | les jumeaux | i gemelli |
aunt | la tante | la zia | birth | la naissance | la nascita |
uncle | l'oncle | lo zio | death | la mort | la morte |
niece | la nièce | la nipote | marriage | le mariage | il matrimonio |
nephew | le neveu | il nipote | divorce | le divorce | il divorzio |
stepmother | la belle-mère | la matrigna | single | célibataire | celibe / nubile |
stepfather | le beau-père | il patrigno | married | marié(e) | sposato (-a) |
stepdaughter | la belle-fille | la figliastra | divorced | divorcé(e) | divorziato (-a) |
Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns
French |
Italian |
French |
Italian |
French |
Italian |
French |
Italian |
|
adjective + noun | masculine singular |
masculine plural |
feminine singular |
feminine plural |
||||
my | mon | il mio | mes | i miei | ma | la mia | mes | le mie |
your (s) | ton | il tuo | tes | i tuoi | ta | la tua | tes | le tue |
his / her | son | il suo | ses | i suoi | sa | la sua | ses | le sue |
our | notre | il nostro | nos | i nostri | notre | la nostra | nos | le nostre |
your (pl) | votre | il vostro | vos | i vostri | votre | la vostra | vos | le vostre |
their | leur | il loro | leurs | i loro | leur | la loro | leurs | le loro |
In Italian, you must always use the definite article before the possessive adjective, except with singular family members that are not modified in any way. However, loro is invariable and always preceded by the definite article. In both languages, you generally use the definite article instead of a possessive adjective when referring to parts of the body (because it is obvious who they belong to).
In Italian, possessive adjectives (which precede nouns) and possessive pronouns (which take the place of nouns) have the same form. However, in French, there are different words for the possessive pronouns.
French |
Italian |
French |
Italian |
French |
Italian |
French |
Italian |
|
verb + pronoun | masculine singular |
masculine plural |
feminine singular |
feminine plural |
||||
mine | le mien | il mio | les miens | i miei | la mienne | la mia | les miennes | le mie |
yours (s) | le tien | il tuo | les tiens | i tuoi | la tienne | la tua | les tiennes | le tue |
his / hers | le sien | il suo | les siens | i suoi | la sienne | la sua | les siennes | le sue |
ours | le nôtre | il nostro | les nôtres | i nostri | la nôtre | la nostra | les nôtres | le nostre |
yours (pl) | le vôtre | il vostro | les vôtres | i vostri | la vôtre | la vostra | les vôtres | le vostre |
theirs | le leur | il loro | les leurs | i loro | la leur | la loro | les leurs | le loro |
Remember that the forms for her/hers in Italian can also be capitalized and use for the singular formal your/yours: il Suo / i Suoi / la Sua / le Sue.
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