French & Italian Comparative Tutorial IV: Learn Two Languages Simultaneously
 


Comparatives & Superlatives

Comparatives of Superiority, Inferiority, and Equality

English French Italian
more ... than plus ... que / plus de ... que più ... che / più ... di
less ... than moins .... que / moins de... que meno ... che / meno ... di
as ... as aussi ... que / autant de ... que così... come / tanto ... quanto

French comparatives are less complicated than Italian comparatives. Plus... que, moins... que, and aussi... que are used with adjectives, while plus de... que, moins de... que and autant de... que are used with nouns. In Italian, più...che and meno... che are used when comparing two qualities of the same thing, and with adjectives, verbs or adverbs; while più... di and meno... di are used when comparing two different things. Così... come and tanto... quanto are used interchangeably with adjectives, but tanto...quanto can also compare two quantities (in which case, the words agree in gender and number with the noun they describe).

Marc a plus d'amis que d'amies. / Marco ha più amici che amiche. Mark has more male friends than female friends.
Paul est plus grand que Franco. / Paolo è più alto di Franco. Paul is taller than Frank.
Paris est aussi belle que Rome. / Parigi è così bella come Roma. Paris is as beautiful as Rome.

Superlatives

Use the correct form of the definite article if using an adjective, or just the masculine singular form if using an adverb, and plus / moins or più / meno. The preposition de / di (plus contractions, if needed) means in with all superlatives.

If the adjective follows the noun, you must repeat the definite article before the superlative form in French, but not in Italian.

C'est la ville la plus riche d'Italie. / È la città più ricca d'Italia. It's the richest city in Italy.

Irregular Forms

English
French
Italian
adjective - comparative - superlative
good - better - best bon - meilleur/e - le/la meilleur/e buono - migliore - il/la migliore
bad - worse - worst mauvais - pire - le/la pire cattivo - peggio - il/la peggiore
little - less - least petit - moindre - le/la moindre piccolo - minore - il/la minimo
     
adverb - comparative - superlative
well - better - best bien - mieux - le mieux bene - meglio - il meglio
badly - worse - worst mal - pis - le pis male - peggio - il peggio
little - less - least peu - moins - le moins poco - meno - il meno
much - more - most beaucoup - plus - le plus molto - più - il più

Clothing & Toiletries

English French Italian English French Italian
apron le tablier il grembiale silk la soie la seta
barrette la barrette il fermaglio skirt la jupe la gonna
bathrobe le peignoir l'accappatoio sleeve la manche la manica
belt la ceinture la cintura slippers les pantoufles la pantofola
blouse le chemisier la camicetta soap le savon il sapone
boot la botte lo stivale sock les chaussettes il calzino
bra le soutien-gorge il reggiseno stocking le bas la calza
bracelet le bracelet il braccialetto suit (men / women) le costume / le tailleur l'abito / il vestito
brush la brosse la spazzola per capelli sunglasses les lunettes de soleil gli occhiali da sole
buckle la boucie la fibbia suspenders les bretelles le bretelle
button le bouton il bottone sweater le pull-over il maglione
cap la casquette il berretto swimsuit le maillot de bain il costume da bagno
clothes les vêtements i vestiti thread le fil il filo
coat le manteau il cappotto tie la cravate la cravatta
collar le col il colletto T-shirt le t-shirt la maglietta
comb le peigne il pettine umbrella le parapluie l'ombrello
contact lens les lentilles (f) le lenti a contatto underwear les sous-vêtements le mutandine
cotton le coton il cotone waistcoat le gilet il panciotto
dress la robe il vestito watch la montre l'orologio
earmuffs le cache-oreilles il paraorecchie wool la laine la lana
earrings la boucle d'oreille l'orecchino toothbrush la brosse à dents lo spazzolino
fashion la mode la moda toothpaste le dentifrice il dentifricio
glasses les lunettes gli occhiali makeup le maquillage il trucco
glove les gants il guanto lipstick le rouge il rossetto
handbag le sac à main la borsa nail polish le vernis à ongles lo smalto per unghie
handkerchief le mouchoir il fazzoletto nail polish remover le dissolvant l'acetone (m)
hat le chapeau il cappello mascara le mascara il mascara
jacket la veste / le blouson la giacca blush le blush il fard
jeans le jean jeans eyeliner l'eyeliner lo spazzolino per unghie
mittens les moufles le manopole eyeshadow l'ombre à paupière l'ombretto
necklace le collier la collana foundation le fond de teint il fondotinta
needle l'aiguille (f) l'ago lotion la lotion la lozione
nightgown la chemise de nuit la camicia da notte shampoo le shampooing lo sciampo
outfit l'ensemble il corredo conditioner l'après-shampooing il balsamo
overcoat le pardessus il soprabito shaving cream la mousse à raser la crema da barba
pajamas le pyjama il pigiama razor le rasoir il rasoio
pants le pantalon i pantaloni tweezers les pinces à épiler le pinzette
pin l'épingle (f) lo spillo nail clippers le coupe-ongles le forbicine
pocket la poche la tasca nail file la lime la lima
purse la bourse la borsetta floss le fil dentaire il filo interdentale
raincoat l'imperméable l'impermeable curling iron le fer à friser il ferro arricciacapelli
ribbon le ruban il nastro straightening iron le lisseur la piastra stiracapelli
ring la bague l'anello hairspray la laque la lacca
sandals les sandales i sandali hairdryer le sèche-cheveux l'asciugacapelli
scarf l'écharpe la sciarpa powder la poudre la polvere
shirt la chemise la maglia perfume le parfum il profumo
shoe la chaussure la scarpa cologne le cologne la colonia
shoelace le lacet il laccio suntan lotion la lotion solaire l'emulsione solare
shorts le short i pantaloncini sponge l'éponge (f) la spugna


Verbs: Other common irregular verbs

Other irregular verbs to memorize in French in the present tense:

mettre - to wear vivre - to live lire - to read dire - to say voir - to see
mets vis lis dis vois
mets vis lis dis vois
met vit lit dit voit
mettons vivons lisons disons voyons
mettez vivez lisez dites voyez
mettent vivent lisent disent voient
croire - to believe écrire - to write recevoir - to receive suivre - to follow mourir - to die
crois écris reçois suis meurs
crois écris reçois suis meurs
croit écrit reçoit suit meurt
croyons écrivons recevons suivons mourons
croyez écrivez recevez suivez mourez
croient écrivent reçoivent suivent meurent


Other irregular verbs to memorize in Italian in the present tense:

dare - to give bere - to drink dire - to say, tell salire - to go up uscire - to go out
do bevo dico salgo esco
dai bevi dici sali esci
beve dice sale esce
diamo beviamo diciamo saliamo usciamo
date bevete dite salite uscite
danno bevono dicono salgono escono

Human Body

English French Italian English French Italian
ankle la cheville la caviglia mouth la bouche la bocca
arm le bras il braccio muscle le muscle il muscolo
artery l'artère l'arteria nail l'ongle (m) l'unghia
back le dos il dorso neck le cou il collo
beard la barbe la barba nerve le nerf il nervo
belly le ventre il ventre pain la douleur il dolore
bladder la vessie la vescica nose le nez il naso
blood le sang il sangue palm la paume la palma
body le corps il corpo pulse le pouls il polso
bone l'os (m) l'osso rib la côte la costola
brain la cervelle il cervello shin / tibia le tibia la tibia
breast le sein il seno shoulder l'épaule (f) la spalla
breath la haleine l'alito skeleton le squelette lo scheletro
calf le mollet il polpaccio skin la peau la pelle
cheek la joue la guancia skull le crâne il cranio
chest la poitrine il petto sole la plante la pianta
chin le menton il mento spine l'épine dorsale (f) la spina dorsale
coccyx le coccyx il coccige stomach l'estomac (m) lo stomaco
cold le rhume il raffreddore tear la larme la lacrima
complexion le teint la carnagione temple la tempe la tempia
cough la toux la tosse thigh la cuisse la coscia
disease la maladie la malattia throat la gorge la gola
ear l'oreille (f) l'orecchio thumb le pouce il pollice
elbow la coude il gomito toe l'orteil (m) il dito del piede
eye l'œil l'occhio tongue la langue la lingua
eyebrow le sourcil il sopracciglio tooth la dent il dente
eyelid la paupière la palpebra vein la veine la vena
face le visage / la figure la faccia / il viso wound la blessure la ferita
fever la fièvre la febbre waist la taille la vita
finger le doigt il dito wrist le poignet il polso
fist le poing il pugno  
flesh la chair la carne see voir vedere
foot le pied il piede hear entendre udire
forehead le front la fronte smell sentir annusare
gum la gencive la gengiva taste goûter assaggiare
hair les cheveux i capelli touch toucher toccare
hand la main la mano  
head la tête la testa enamel l'émail lo smalto
headache le mal de tête il mal di testa filling le plombage l'otturazione
health la santé la salute crown la couronne la corona
heart le cœur il cuore gum la gencive la gengiva
heel le talon il tallone bone l'os l'osso
hip la hanche l'anca root la racine la radice
intestine l'intestin (m) l'intestino nerve la nerf il nervo
jaw la mâchoire la mascella iris l'iris l'iride
kidney le rein il rene cornea la cornée la cornea
knee le genou il ginocchio pupil la pupille la pupilla
leg la jambe la gamba retina la rétine la retina
lip la lèvre il labbro optic nerve le nerf optique il nervo ottico
liver la foie il fegato lens le cristallin la lente
lung le poumon il polmone      
moustache la moustache i baffi      


Verbs: Future / Conditional Tenses

Rather than using auxiliary verbs before the infinitive to form the future and conditional tenses (will and would in English), French and Italian add different endings to the infinitives. There are several irregular stems, but these stems are used to form both the future and conditional tenses. The endings for the future tense are similar to the present tense conjugations of avoir/avere in both French and Italian. However, the French conditional uses the same endings as the imperfect, whereas the Italian conditional uses endings similar to the preterite/simple past instead.

You must drop -e from -re verbs in French and drop -e from all infinitives in Italian, as well as change -ar to -er, before adding the endings. For example, you add the endings to parler-, partir-, and prendr- in French and to parler-, partir-, and prender- in Italian.

Endings for Future and Conditional Tenses for all verbs

Future
Conditional
French Italian French Italian
-ai -ais -ei
-as -ai -ais -esti
-a -ait -ebbe
-ons -emo -ions -emmo
-ez -ete -iez -este
-ont -anno -aient -ebbero

Irregular Stems for Future and Conditional

French Stems
Italian Stems
aller to go ir- avere to have avr-
avoir to have aur- andare to go andr-
courir to run courr- bere to drink berr-
devoir to have to devr- cadere to fall cadr-
envoyer to send enverr- dare to give dar-
être to be ser- dovere to have to dovr-
faire to do fer- essere to be sar-
falloir to be necessary faudr- fare to do/make far-
mourir to die mourr- porre to put/place porr-
pleuvoir to rain pleuvr- potere to be able to potr-
pouvoir to be able to pourr- rimanere to remain/stay rimarr-
recevoir to receive recevr- sapere to know (facts) sapr-
savoir to know saur- stare to be star-
tenir to hold tiendr- tenere to hold terr-
valoir to be worth vaudr- tradurre to translate tradurr-
venir to come viendr- vedere to see vedr-
voir to see verr- venire to come verr-
vouloir to want voudr- volere to want vorr-

Notice that the stems for voir (to see) in French and venire (to come) in Italian are the same (verr-).

For the past future (will have) and past conditional (would have) tenses, use the future or conditional of the auxiliary verb (to have or to be) + past participle.

Future + past participle (will have + p.p.)
Conditional + past participle (would have + p.p.)
avoir avere avoir avere
aurai avrò aurais avrei
auras avrai aurais avresti
aura avrà aurait avrebbe
aurons avremo aurions avremmo
aurez avrete auriez avreste
auront avranno auraient avrebbero
être essere être essere
serai sarò serais sarei
seras sarai serais saresti
sera sarà serait sarebbe
serons saremo serions saremmo
serez sarete seriez sareste
seront saranno seraient sarebbero

 

Agreement of Tenses

Clauses beginning with if (si / se) require different tenses in French and Italian.

In French, if is followed by the present tense, and the verb in the following clause is in the future tense. In Italian, both verbs must be in the future tense:

Si j'ai le temps, je viendrai chez toi. / Se avrò il tempo, verrò a casa tua. If I have the time, I will go to your place.

The conditional is used after if in both languages; however, if the verb in the main clause is in a past tense, then the Italian verb in the subordinate if clause must be in the past conditional. French can use either the present or past conditional in this case.

Je ne sais pas s'il pourrait le faire. / Non so se lo potrebbe fare. I don't know if he would be able to do it.

Je savais que tu ne viendrais pas / Sapevo che non saresti venuto. I knew that you wouldn't come.
[Italian must use past conditional (saresti venuto) instead of present conditional in the if clause since the verb in the main clause is in the past tense (sapevo).]


Verbs: Would, Could, Should

 

The conditional tenses are used in translating would, could, and should in both French and Italian. Would is slightly different from the others in that would + main verb is one word and would have + main verb is only two words. I have used the verb do (faire / fare) as an example below, but remember that sometimes you may need to use essere as the auxiliary instead of avere in Italian depending on what the main verb is. (Using avere as the auxiliary for all verbs is acceptable in conversational or colloquial Italian.) In addition, for could have and should have, I've listed the formation as conditional of have + past participle instead of past conditional to make it easier to remember that three different words are needed. For example, conditional of avoir + pu is the same as past conditional of pouvoir.

 

English French Italian
WOULD + infinitive conditional of verb  conditional of verb 
I would do je ferais farei
you would do tu ferais faresti
he would do il ferait farebbe
we would do nous ferions faremmo
you would do vous feriez fareste
they would do ils feraient farebbero
WOULD HAVE + past participle conditional of avoir + past participle of verb conditional of avere + past participle of verb
I would have done j'aurais fait avrei fatto
you would have done tu aurais fait avresti fatto
he would have done il aurait fait avrebbe fatto
we would have done nous aurions fait avremmo fatto
you would have done vous auriez fait avreste fatto
they would have done ils auraient fait avrebbero fatto
COULD + infinitive conditional of pouvoir + infinitive  conditional of potere + infinitive 
I could do je pourrais faire potrei fare
you could do tu pourrais faire potresti fare
he could do il pourrait faire potrebbe fare
we could do nous pourrions faire potremmo fare
you could do vous pourriez faire potreste fare
they could do ils pourraient faire potrebbero fare
COULD HAVE + past participle conditional of avoir + pu + infinitive conditional of avere + potuto + infinitive
I could have done j'aurais pu faire avrei potuto fare
you could have done tu aurais pu faire avresti potuto fare
he could have done il aurait pu faire avrebbe potuto fare
we could have done nous aurions pu faire avremmo potuto fare
you could have done vous auriez pu faire avreste potuto fare
they could have done ils auraient pu faire avrebbero potuto fare
SHOULD + infinitive conditional of devoir + infinitive  conditional of dovere + infinitive 
I should do je devrais faire dovrei fare
you should do tu devrais faire dovresti fare
he should do il devrait faire dovrebbe fare
we should do nous devrions faire dovremmo fare
you should do vous devriez faire dovreste fare
they should do ils devraient faire dovrebbero fare
SHOULD HAVE + past participle conditional of avoir + dû + infinitive conditional of avere + dovuto + infinitive
I should have done j'aurais dû faire avrei dovuto fare
you should have done tu aurais dû faire avresti dovuto fare
he should have done il aurait dû faire avrebbe dovuto fare
we should have done nous aurions dû faire avremmo dovuto fare
you should have done vous auriez dû faire avreste dovuto fare
they should have done ils auraient dû faire avrebbero dovuto fare

But wait, it gets more confusing!

There are other - not quite as common - structures that translate to could have and should have in French and Italian that are word-for-word translations into English (therefore, easier to remember), but they have slightly different meanings than the structures above that use the past conditional of pouvoir/potere and devoir/dovere. The above structures imply that the action did not take place, while the following structures imply that the action might have happened or was supposed/expected to happen.

When could have means might have, use the conditional of pouvoir/potere + avoir/avere + a past participle. You will see this form used in newspapers when the facts are still being verified.

Il pourrait avoir aidé
Potrebbe aver aiutato

He could have helped = He might have helped (but it is not known whether he did or not)

Compare this with the forms above:
Il aurait pu aider
Avrebbe potuto aiutare

He could have helped (but he did not)

When should have means supposed to, use the conditional of devoir/dovere + avoir/avere + a past participle.

Il devrait avoir aidé
Dovrebbe aver aiutato

He should have helped = He was supposed to help (and it is expected that he did so)

Compare this with the forms above:
Il aurait dû aider
Avrebbe dovuto aiutare

He should have helped (but he did not)


Y & en / Ci & ne

Y and ci are pronouns used to replace a prepositional phrase beginning with any preposition except de / di, and they translate as it or there in English.

J'y pense. / Ci penso. I'm thinking about it.
J'y suis allé. / Ci sono andato. I went there.
N'y pense pas. / Non pensarci. Don't think about it.

En and ne are pronouns used to replace a prepositional phrase beginning with de / di, da or to replace the noun following a number, and they translate as about it/them or of it/them in English.

J'en ai quatre. / Ne ho quattro. I have four (of them).
Parles-en. / Parlane. Talk about it.
Je n'en doute pas. / Non ne dubito. I don't doubt it.

In French, y and en are placed before a conjugated verb and between a conjugated verb and infinitive, but after an imperative (and connected to it by a hypen). In Italian, ci and ne are placed before a conjugated verb, but after an imperative, infinitive or gerund (and they are written together as one word).


Verbs: Subjunctive Mood

Present Subjunctive of Regular Verbs

Add these endings to the ils/elles present tense stem of French (ils boivent; boiv-) and the regular verb stem (parlare; parl-) in Italian:

French Italian
all verbs -are -ere / -ire 2nd -ire
-e -i -a -isca
-es -i -a -isca
-e -i -a -isca
-ions -iamo -iamo -iamo
-iez -iate -iate -iate
-ent -ino -ano -iscano

Present Subjunctive of Common Verbs

All of the following Italian verbs are irregular, but only a few of the French verbs are considered irregular. Notice that in both languages, if the verb has a stem change in the subjunctive, it is usually only the singular forms and the third person plural that is affected.

French Italian French Italian French Italian French Italian
être essere / stare avoir avere faire fare aller andare
sois sia / stia aie abbia fasse faccia aille vada
sois sia / stia aies abbia fasses faccia ailles vada
soit sia / stia ait abbia fasse faccia aille vada
soyons siamo / stiamo ayons abbiamo fassions facciamo allions andiamo
soyez siate / stiate ayez abbiate fassiez facciate alliez andiate
soient siano / stiano aient abbiano fassent facciano aillent vadano
               
venir venire vouloir volere pouvoir potere devoir dovere
vienne venga veuille voglia puisse possa doive debba
viennes venga veuilles voglia puisses possa doives debba
vienne venga veuille voglia puisse possa doive debba
venions veniamo voulions vogliamo puissions possiamo devions dobbiamo
veniez veniate vouliez vogliate puissiez possiate deviez dobbiate
viennent vengano veuillent vogliano puissent possano doivent debbano
               
savoir sapere boire bere dire dire donner dare
sache sappia boive beva dise dica donne dia
saches sappia boives beva dises dica donnes dia
sache sappia boive beva dise dica donne dia
sachions sappiamo buvions beviamo disions diciamo donnions diamo
sachiez sappiate buviez beviate disiez diciate donniez diate
sachent sappiano boivent bevano disent dicano donnent diano
               
sortir uscire poser porre rester rimanere monter salire*
sorte esca pose ponga reste rimanga monte salga
sortes esca poses ponga restes rimanga montes salga
sorte esca pose ponga reste rimanga monte salga
sortions usciamo posions poniamo restions rimaniamo
montions saliamo
sortiez usciate posiez poniate restiez rimaniate montiez saliate
sortent escano posent pongano restent rimangano montent salgano

* The verb scegliere in Italian follows this same pattern.

Some impersonal verbs in French have irregular subjunctive forms: pleuvoir - il pleuve, falloir - il faille, valoir - il vaille

 

Uses of Subjunctive

The subjunctive mood must be used in subordinate clauses when the verb in the dependent clause expresses want, wish, doubt, fear, necessity, feelings, etc. for both French and Italian.

Italian also requires the subjunctive after verbs of hope and opinion, while French uses the indicative after these verbs (however, verbs of opinion in the negative or interrogative do in fact use the subjunctive in French).

Je veux que Paul me réponde. / Voglio che Paolo mi risponda. I want Paul to answer me.
Il faut que Giacomo visite le centre. / Bisogna che Giacomo visiti il centro. Giacomo must visit the center.
Je suis triste qu'il parte. / Sono triste che lui parta. I'm sad that he's leaving.
Je pense qu'elle comprend l'allemand. / Penso che lei capisca il tedesco. I think that she understands German.

The subjunctive must also be used after certain impersonal phrases and conjunctions:

il est (im)possible que / è (im)possibile che it's (im)possible that
il est probable que / è probabile che
it's probable that
il est utile que / è utile che
it's useful that
il est juste que / è giusto che
it's right that
il suffit que / basta che
it's enough that
bien que / benché, sebbene, nonostante
although
pourvu que, à condition que / purché, a condizione che, a patto che
provided that
afin que / affinché
so that
pour que / perché
in order that
à moins que / a meno che
unless
sans que / senza che
without
avant que / prima che
before

The imperfect subjunctive is rarely used nowadays in French, but it is still very common in Italian.


Imperfect Subjunctive of Regular Verbs

French uses the il/elle form of the simple past to form the stem for the imperfect subjunctive; while Italian uses the regular stem.

French
Italian
all verbs
-are
-ere
-ire
-sse -assi -essi -issi
-sses -assi -essi -issi
-^t -asse -esse -isse
-ssions -assimo -essimo -issimo
-ssiez -aste -este -iste
-ssent -assero -assero -issero

The third person singular in French adds a circonflexe accent over the vowel that occurs before the t.


Imperfect Subjunctive of Irregular Verbs

Verbs that are irregular in the imperfect indicative are also irregular in the imperfect subjunctive in Italian.

essere avere bere dare dire fare stare
fossi avessi bevessi dessi dicessi facessi stessi
fossi avessi bevessi dessi dicessi facessi stessi
fosse avesse bevesse desse dicesse facesse stesse
fossimo avessimo bevessimo dessimo dicessimo facessimo stessimo
foste aveste beveste deste diceste faceste steste
fossero avessero bevessero dessero dicessero facessero stessero

 

Agreement of tenses is stricter in Italian, so you must use the imperfect sujunctive in a subordinate clause if the dependent clause is in a past indicative or conditional tense. Furthermore, the imperfect subjunctive is required in Italian after come se (as if) and se (if) in hypothetical sentences (with verbs that require the subjunctive); whereas the imperfect indicative is used in French.

Il parle comme s'il était italien. / Parla come se fosse italiano. He speaks as if he were Italian.
Si j'étais riche, j'achèterais un palais. / Se fossi ricco, comprerei un palazzo. If I were rich, I would buy a palace.
J'ai pensé qu'il me comprenait. / Ho pensato che lui mi capisse. I thought that he understood me.


Animals & Insects

English French Italian English French Italian
animal l'animal (m) l'animale (m) lark l'alouette (f) l'allodola
ant la fourmi la formica lion le lion il leone
antelope l'antilope l'antilope (f) lizard le lézard la lucertola
antenna l'antenne l'antenna lobster (spiny) la langouste l'aragosta
antler la ramure le corna louse le pou il pidocchio
badger le badger il tasso mackerel la maquereau lo sgombro
bat la chauve-souris il pipistrello mole la taupe la talpa
beak le bec il becco monkey le singe la scimmia
bear l'ours (m) l'orso mosquito la moustique la zanzara
bee l'abeille (f) l'ape (f) moth le papillon de nuit la falena
beetle la scarabée lo scarabeo mouse la souris il topo
bird l'oiseau (m) l'uccello mule le mulet il mulo
blackbird le merle il merlo mussel la moule il pidocchio
bull le taureau il toro nest le nid il nido
butterfly le papillon la farfalla nightingale le rossignol l'usignolo
calf le veau il vitello octopus la pieuvre il polpo
carp la carpe la carpa ostrich l'autruche lo struzzo
cat le chat il gatto owl le hibou il gufo
caterpillar le chenille il bruco ox le bœuf il bue
cheetah le guépard il ghepardo oyster l'huître (f) l'ostrica
chicken le poulet il pollo parrot le perroquet il pappagallo
chimpanzee le chimpanzé lo scimpanzé partridge la perdrix la pernice
claw la griffe l'artiglio paw la patte la zampa
cockroach le cafard lo scarafaggio penguin le pingouin il pinguino
cod la morue il merluzzo pig le cochon il porco
cocoon le cocon il bozzolo pigeon le pigeon il piccione
cow la vache la vacca pike le brochet il luccio
crab le crabe il granchio pony le poney il pony
crayfish l'écrevisse (f) il gambero rabbit le lapin il coniglio
crocodile le crocodile il coccodrillo raccoon le raton laveur il procione
crow le corbeau il corvo rat le rat il ratto / il sorcio
deer le cerf il cervo rooster le coq il gallo
dog le chien il cane salmon le saumon il salmone
donkey l'âne (m) l'asino scale l'écaille (f) la squama
dragonfly la libellule la libellula scorpion le scorpion lo scorpione
duck le canard l'anitra sea gull la mouette il gabbiano
eagle l'aigle (m) l'aquila seahorse l'hippocampe (m) il cavalluccio marino
eel l'anguille (f) l'anguilla seal le phoque la foca
egg l'œuf l'uovo shark le requin lo squalo
elephant l'éléphant (m) l'elefante (m) sheep la mouton la pecora
feather la plume la penna shrimp la crevette il gamberetto / il gambero
fin la nageoire la pinna skin le peau la pelle
fish le poisson il pesce slug la limace la lumaca
flea la puce la pulce snail l'escargot (m) la chiocciola
fly la mouche la mosca snake le serpent / la couleuvre il serpente / la biscia
fox le renard la volpe sole la sole la sogliola
frog la grenouille il ranocchio sparrow le moineau il passero
fur la fourrure la pelliccia spider l'araignée (f) il ragno
gill la branchie la branchia squid le calmar il calamaro
giraffe la girafe la giraffa squirrel l'écureuil (m) la scoiattolo
goat la chèvre la capra starfish l'étoile de mer la stella di mare
goose l'oie (f) l'oca stork la cigogne la cicogna
gorilla le gorille il gorilla swallow l'hirondelle (f) la rondine
grasshopper la sauterelle la cavalletta swan le cygne il cigno
hamster le hamster il criceto tadpole le têtard il girino
hare le lièvre la lepre tail la queue la coda
hedgehog le hérisson il riccio tiger le tigre la tigre
hen la poule la gallina toad le crapaud il rospo
heron le héron l'airone (m) trout la truite la trota
herring la hareng l'aringa tuna le thon il tonno
hoof le sabot lo zoccolo turkey le dindon il tacchino
horn la corne il corno turtle la tortue la tartaruga
horse le cheval il cavallo wasp la guêpe la vespa
hummingbird le colibri il colibrì weasel la belette la donnola
iguana l'iguane l'iguana whale la baleine la balena
insect l'insecte (m) l'insetto wing l'aile (f) l'ala
jellyfish la méduse la medusa wolf le loup il lupo
kitten le chaton il gattino worm le ver il verme
ladybug la coccinelle la coccinella zebra le zèbre la zebra
lamb l'agneau (m) l'agnello      


Nature & Geography

English French Italian English French Italian
air l'air (m) l'aria (f) rain la pluie la pioggia
archipelago l'archipel l'arcipelago (m) rainbow l'arc-en-ciel (m) l'arcobaleno (m)
bank la rive la riva river la fleuve il fiume
bay la baie la baia rock le rocher lo scoglio
barn la grange la stalla root la racine la radice
beach la plage la spiaggia rose la rose la rosa
branch la branche il ramo sand le sable la sabbia
bridge le pont il ponte sea la mer il mare
bud le bouton il bocciolo shadow l'ombre (f) l'ombra
bush le buisson l'arbusto (m) sky le ciel il cielo
cape le cap il capo / promontorio snow la neige la neve
cave la caverne la caverna soil la terre il terreno
city la ville la città south le sud il sud
climate le climat il clima spring (water) la source la sorgente
cloud le nuage la nube / nuvola star l'étoile la stella
coast la côte la costa stem la tige il gambo
comet la comète la cometa storm l'orage (f) / la tempête il temporale
constellation la constellation la costellazione strait le détroit lo stretto
country le pays il paese stream le ruisseau il ruscello
country(side) la campagne la campagna street la rue la strada
current le courant la corrente sun le soleil il sole
daffodil la jonquille il narciso sunflower le tournesol il girasole
daisy la marguerite la margherita thaw la fonte il disgelo
darkness l'obscurité l'oscurità (f) thunder le tonnerre il tuono
desert le désert il deserto tornado la tornade il turbine
dew la rosée la rugiada tree l'arbre l'albero
dust la poussière la polvere trunk le tronc il tronco
earth la terre la terra tulip la tulipe il tulipano
east l'est (m) l'est (m) valley la vallée la valle
farm la ferme la tenuta view la vue la vista
field le champ il campo water l'eau (f) l'acqua
flower la blume il fiore fresh water l'eau douce l'acqua dolce
foam l'écume (f) la schiuma salt water l'eau salée l'acqua salata
fog le brouillard la nebbia watering can l'arrosoir l'annaffiatoio
foliage le feuillage il fogliame waterfall la cascade la cascata
forest la forêt il bosco / la foresta wave la vague / l'onde (f) l'onda (f)
frost la gelée il gelo weather le temps il tempo
grass l'herbe (f) l'erba (f) west l'ouest (m) l'ovest (m)
gulf la golfe il golfo wind le vent il vento
hail la grêle la grandine world le monde il mondo
hay le foin il fieno  
high tide la marée haute l'alta marea North Pole le pôle Nord il Polo Nord
hill la colline la collina South Pole le pôle Sud il Polo Sud
ice la glace il ghiaccio Northern Hemisphere l'hémisphère nord l'emisfero settentrionale
island I'île (f) I'isola (f) Soutern Hemisphere l'hémisphère sud l'emisfero meridionale
isthmus l'isthme l'istmo (m) Arctic Circle la cercle polaire il circolo polare artico
jungle la jungle la giungla equator l'équateur (m) l'equatore (m)
lake le lac il lago Arctic Ocean l'océan Arctique l'Oceano Artico
leaf la feuille la foglia Atlantic Ocean l'océan Atlantique l'Oceano Atlantico
light la lumière la luce Pacific Ocean l'océan Pacifique l'Oceano Pacifico
lightning l'éclair (m) il fulmine / lampo Indian Ocean l'océan Indien l'Oceano Indiano
lily le lis il giglio Caribbean Sea la mer des Antilles il Mar dei Caraibi
low tide la marée basse la bassa marea Mediterranean Sea la Méditerranée il Mar Mediterraneo
meadow le pré il prato North Sea la mer du Nord il Mare del Nord
moon la lune la luna Red Sea la mer Rouge il Mar Rosso
mountain la montagne la montagna Black Sea la mer Noire il Mar Nero
mountain range la chaîne de montagnes la catena montuosa  
mouth (river) l'embouchure (f) l'imboccatura Mercury Mercure Mercurio
mud la vase il fango Venus Vénus Venere
nature la nature la natura Earth Terre Terra
north le nord il nord Mars Mars Marte
peninsula la péninsule la penisola Jupiter Jupiter Giove
plain la plaine il piano / la pianura Saturn Saturne Saturno
planet la planète il pianeta Uranus Uranus Uranio
plant la plante la pianta Neptune Neptuno Nettuno
pond l'étang (m) lo stagno Pluto Pluton Plutone
pot (for plants) le pot à fleurs il vaso da fiori      


Indefinite Pronouns & Adjectives

English French Italian English French Italian
each chacun ciascuno / ognuno some quelque alcuno
each / every chaque ogni as much / many autant de altrettanto
everyone tout le monde tutti other autre altro
everything tout tutto some / certain certain certo
everywhere partout dappertutto / ovunque a lot of beaucoup de molto
someone quelqu'un qualcuno not one / none aucun nessuno
something quelque chose qualcosa several plusieurs parecchio
somewhere quelque part da qualche parte few peu de poco / pochi
no one personne nessuno some quelque(s) qualche
nothing rien niente / nulla such a tel tale / tali
nowhere nulle part da nessuna parte so much/many tant de tanto
whoever n'importe qui / quiconque chiunque too much trop de troppo
which/whatever n'importe quel / quelconque qualunque / qualsiasi everything tout tutto
wherever n'importe où dovunque various différents vario / vari

Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns are slightly easier to learn in Italian than French.

  French Italian
who / that (subject) qui che
who / that (object) que che
about which / whom dont di cui
whose dont il/la/i/le cui
from where d'où da cui
preposition + whom prep. + qui prep. + cui
preposition + which prep. + form of lequel prep. + cui

Notice that cui remains invariable at all times; however, when translating whose in Italian, you must change the article before cui to agree with the noun and not the antecedent. Il quale can always replace cui, but it does agree with the gender and number of its antecedent (comparable to how lequel agrees in French). Plus you have to remember to use the prepositional contractions with the article before quale, so in general, it is easier to just use cui in everyday speech. Il quale is preferred in formal writing.

Forms of lequel and il quale

  French Italian
masc. sing. lequel il quale
fem. sing. laquelle la quale
masc. plural lesquels i quali
fem. plural lesquelles le quali

Sample Sentences

La fille qui parle est sympathique.
La ragazza che parla è simpatica.
The girl who is talking is nice.
La femme que je rencontre s'appelle Lorenza.
La donna che incontro si chiama Lorenza.
The woman that I'm meeting is named Lorenza.
Les livres dont je parle sont d'Elsa.
I libri di cui parlo sono di Elsa.
The books about which I'm talking are Elsa's.
L'homme dont les cheveux sont blancs est mon grand-père.
L'uomo i cui capelli sono bianchi è mio nonno.
The man whose hair is white is my grandfather.
Les personnes à qui je pense sont loin.
Le persone a cui penso sono lontane.
The people about whom I'm thinking are far away.
La maison dans laquelle je vis est très grande.
La casa in cui vivo è grande. =
La casa nella quale vivo è grande.
The house in which I live is very big.

Verbs: Passive Voice

Only verbs that can take a direct object can be made passive in French and Italian. The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent in the passive sentence (expressed by par in French and da + contractions in Italian), and the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The verb becomes a form of be (in the same tense as in the active sentence) + a past participle, which agrees with the subject of the passive sentence. Remember that you can avoid the passive voice by using on / si as explained earlier (especially for verbs that only take indirect objects). The passive voice is used more often in English than in French or Italian, and it is usually best to avoid it in formal writing.

 
Active
Passive
English The cat eats the mouse. (present)
The cat ate the mouse. (past)
The cat has eaten the mouse. (pres. perf.)
The cat will eat the mouse. (future)
The mouse is eaten by the cat.
The mouse was eaten by the cat.
The mouse has been eaten by the cat.
The mouse will be eaten by the cat.
French Le chat mange la souris.
Le chat mangeais la souris.
Le chat a mangé la souris.
Le chat mangera la souris.
La souris est mangée par le chat.
La souris étais mangée par le chat.
La souris a été mangée par le chat.
La souris sera mangée par le chat.
Italian Il gatto mangia il topo.
Il gatto mangiava il topo.
Il gatto ha mangiato il topo.
Il gatto mangerá il topo.

Il topo é mangiato dal gatto.
Il topo era mangiato dal gatto.
Il topo é stato mangiato dal gatto.
Il topo sará mangiato dal gatto.

 


Faire / Fare Causative

You can use the verbs faire / fare + an infinitive to the express the idea of having or getting something done or having or making someone do something (instead of doing it yourself.) If the object of the verb is a noun, it is placed after the infinitive. If it is a pronoun, then it is placed before faire or fare (except for loro, which is always placed after the infinitive).

In the present perfect tense, the past participle does not agree with the preceding direct object as it normally would in French, but it does in Italian.

Je fais réparer la voiture. / Faccio riparare la macchina. I'm having the car fixed.
Je la fais réparer. / La faccio riparare. I'm having it fixed.
Je l'ai fait réparer. / La ho fatta riparare. I had it fixed. [No agreement with preceding direct object in French only.]

The reflexive verbs se faire / farsi can also be used in this way when expressing having something done or made for oneself. Remember that être / essere are used as the auxiliary verb in compound tenses.

Je me fais couper les cheveux. / Mi faccio tagliare i capelli. I'm getting my hair cut.
Je me suis fait couper les cheveux. / Mi sono fatto tagliare i capelli. I got my hair cut.

Italian only:

When a causative sentence has two objects, the person being made to do something becomes the indirect object.  In Italian, the indirect object is introduced by a.

Il maestro fa leggere lo studente.  The teacher makes the student read.
Il maestro fa leggere la lettura allo studente.  The teacher makes the student read the passage.

To avoid ambiguity with the indirect object, the preposition da instead of a can be used.  The sentence Abbiamo fatto mandare il pacco a Maria can mean two things:  1) We had Mary send the package or 2) We had the package sent to Mary.  If the first meaning is intended, then da can replace a.


Verbs followed by Prepositions before an Infinitive

Many verbs require the prepositions à / a or de / di before an infinitive. In French, de contracts to d' before an infinitive beginning with a vowel. In Italian, a becomes ad before infinitives beginning with a-. Before infinitives beginning with other vowels, either a or ad may be used.

French verbs + à + infinitive Italian verbs + a + infinitive
aider à   to help   abituarsi a to get used to
apprendre à  to learn  aiutare a to help
arriver à  to manage  andare a to be going to
chercher à  to look for  apprendere a to learn
commencer à  to begin  aspettare a to wait
consister à  to consist  cominciare to begin
continuer à  to continue  consentire a to agree
demander à to ask to continuare a to continue
donner à  to give  convincere a to convince
encourager à  to encourage  correre a to run
enseigner à  to teach  dare a to give
hésiter à  to hesitate  decidersi a to decide
inciter à  to incite  divertirsi a to have fun
insister à  to insist  esitare a to hesitate
inviter à  to invite  fare bene a to do well
obliger à to force to fare in tempo a to be on time
parvenir à  to succeed  fare meglio a to be better off
persister à  to persist in  fare presto a to hurry up
pousser à  to push  forzare a to force
provoquer à  to provoke  giocare a to play
renoncer à  to give up  godere a to enjoy
réussir à  to succeed  imparare a to learn
s'acharner à to be bent on insegnare a to teach
s'amuser à  to have fun  invitare a to invite
s'appliquer à  to apply oneself to  mandare a to send
s'apprêter à to prepare to mettersi a to begin to
s'attacher à  to become attached  passare a to go on
s'attendre à to expect to pensare a to think of
se décider à  to decide  persuadere a to persuade
se mettre à to begin to preparare a to prepare
se plaire à to enjoy procedere a to proceed
se préparer à to get ready provare a to try
se refuser à to refuse to restare a to stay
se résigner à to resign oneself to rimanere a to remain
se résoudre à to resolve to rinunciare a to give up
se risquer à  to risk  ritornare a to come back
s'employer à  to use  riuscire a to succeed
servir à to be useful for salire a to go up
s'exercer à  to practice/learn  scendere a to come down
s'habituer à  to get used to  seguitare a to keep on
s'obstiner à  to insist  servire a to be good for
songer à  to consider  stare a to stay, stand
tarder à to be slow to stare attento a to be careful
tendre à to tend to tardare a to be late
tenir à to be anxious to temere a to be afraid to
veiller à  to look after  tornare a to return
viser à  to aim  venire  a to come to

 

French verbs + de + infinitive Italian verbs + di + infinitive
accepter de   to accept   accettare di to accept
arrêter de  to stop  ammettere di to admit
avoir envie de  to feel like  aspettare di to wait for
avoir honte de  to be ashamed  aspettarsi di to expect
avoir peur de  to be afraid  augurare di to wish
avoir raison de  to be right  avere bisogno di to need
avoir tort de  to be wrong  avere il piacere di to have the pleasure
cesser de  to stop avere intenzione di to intend
choisir de  to choose  avere paura di to be afraid
conseiller de   to advise avere voglia di to feel like
convenir de  to agree upon avvertire di to warn, caution
craindre de  to fear cercare di to try
décider de  to decide  cessare di to cease
défendre de  to forbid  chiedere di to ask
demander de  to ask  comandare di to command
désespérer de  to despair credere di to believe
dire de  to say  decidere di to decide
dissuader de  to dissuade dimenticare di to forget
empêcher de  to prevent  dire di to say, tell
entreprendre de  to undertake dispensare di to excuse
envisager de  to contemplate domandare di to ask
essayer de  to try  dubitare di to doubt
être heureux de  to be happy  fingere di to pretend
être obligé de  to be required  finire di to finish
éviter de  to avoid  lamentarsi di to complain
finir de  to finish  mancare di to lack
interdire de  to forbid  minacciare di to threaten
menacer de  to threaten  offrire di to offer
négliger de  to neglect ordinare di to order
oublier de  to forget  pensare di to plan
permettre de  to permit  permettere di to permit
persuader de  to persuade proibire di to prevent, prohibit
prier de  to beg promettere di to promise
promettre de  to promise  rendersi conto di to realize
recommander de  to recommend ricordare di to remember
refuser de  to refuse  sapere di to know
regretter de  to regret  sbagliare di to make a mistake
remercier de  to thank  scrivere di to write
reprocher de  to reproach scusarsi di to apologize
rêver de  to dream  smettere di to stop, cease
risquer de  to risk  sognare di to dream
se dépêcher de  to hurry up  sperare di to hope
se garder de  to keep oneself suggerire di to suggest
s'étonner de  to astonish tentare di to try, attempt
s'excuser de  to apologize  tratarre di to bargain
venir de  to have just     

 


Preterite / Simple Past Tense

The preterite is not used very often in French, except in literature. It is also rare in spoken Italian in the north of the country, but it used in the south. The preterite is the simple past tense that translates as one word in English (did), as compared to the compound past tense of the present perfect (have done) and the continuous past expressed by the imperfect (was doing/used to do). You may not need to know how to produce these forms, but you should at least recognize them in writing.

French Italian
-er verbs -ir / -re verbs -are verbs -ere verbs -ire verbs
-ai -is -ai -ei -ii
-as -is -asti -esti -isti
-a -it
-âmes -îmes -ammo -emmo -immo
-âtes -îtes -aste -este -iste
-èrent -irent -arono -erono -irono

Irregular French verbs that follow a pattern: Some verbs use their past participle as a stem, and then add endings for the simple past. In this case, the six endings are similar to those for -ir/-re verbs: -s, -s, -t, -^mes, -^tes, -rent.

avoir croire lire dire dormir devoir recevoir vivre
eus crus lus dis dormis dus reçus vécus
eus crus lus dis dormis dus reçus vécus
eut crut lut dit dormit dut reçut vécut
eûmes crûmes lûmes dîmes dormîmes dûmes reçûmes vécûmes
eûtes crûtes lûtes dîtes dormîtes dûtes reçûtes vécûtes
eurent crurent lurent dirent dormirent durent reçurent vécurent
               
prendre sortir vouloir mettre connaître savoir pouvoir  
pris sortis voulus mis connus sus pus  
pris sortis voulus mis connus sus pus  
prit sortit voulut mit connut sut put  
prîmes sortîmes voulûmes mîmes connûmes sûmes pûmes  
prîtes sortîtes voulûtes mîtes connûtes sûtes pûtes  
prirent sortirent voulurent mirent connurent surent purent  

Other French verbs do not use their past participles as stems, but they still take the same endings.

être faire écrire venir voir conduire
fus fis écrivis vins vis conduisis
fus fis écrivis vins vis conduisis
fut fit écrivit vint vit conduisit
fûmes fîmes écrivîmes vînmes vîmes conduisîmes
fûtes fîtes écrivîtes vîntes vîtes conduisîtes
furent firent écrivirent vinrent virent conduisirent
           
mourir naître ouvrir craindre battre  
mourus naquis ouvris craignis battis  
mourus naquis ouvris craignis battis  
mourut naquit ouvrit craignit battit  
mourûmes naquîmes ouvrîmes craignîmes battîmes  
mourûtes naquîtes ouvrîtes craignîtes battîtes  
moururent naquirent ouvrirent craignirent battirent  

Italian verbs that are irregular in the preterite tend to end in -ere. The io, lui/lei, and loro forms have an irregular stem, while the tu, noi, and voi forms mostly use a regular stem. These irregular verbs usually use either an -s- or a double consonant in the irregular forms. Avere and essere are the most irregular.

avere essere chiedere decidere mettere
ebbi fui chiesi decisi misi
avesti fosti chiedesti decidesti mettesti
ebbe fu chiese decise mise
avemmo fummo chiedemmo decidemmo mettemo
aveste foste chiedeste decideste metteste
ebbero furono chiesero decisero misero
         
prendere ridere rimanere vincere leggere
presi risi rimasi vinsi lessi
prendesti ridesti rimanesti vincesti leggesti
prese rise rimase vinse lesse
prendemmo ridemmo rimanemmo vincemmo leggemo
prendeste rideste rimaneste vinceste leggeste
presero risero rimasero vinsero lessero
         
scrivere vivere conoscere rompere sapere
scrissi vissi conobbi ruppi seppi
scrivesti vincesti conoscesti rompesti sapesti
scrisse visse conobbe ruppe seppe
scrivemmo vincemmo conoscemmo rompemmo sapemmo
scriveste vinceste conosceste rompeste sapeste
scrissero vissero conobbero ruppero seppero
         
tenere volere dire venire divenire
tenni volli dissi venni divenni
tenesti volesti dicesti venisti divenisti
tenne volle disse venne divenne
tenemmo volemmo dicemmo venimmo divenimmo
teneste voleste diceste veniste diveniste
tennero vollero dissero vennero divennero

Bere and fare use stems from their original Latin infinitives, while nascere and piacere use -qu- in the irregular forms.

bere fare nascere piacere
bevvi feci nacqui piacqui
bevesti facesti nascesti piacesti
bevve fece nacque piacque
bevemmo facemmo nascemmo piacemmo
beveste faceste nasceste piaceste
bevvero fecero nacquero piacquero

 



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