Personal information: name, age, family, where you live
Your own life, in Italian. Everything this week should be true about you.
About you and your family
- Mi chiamo…My name is…Mi chiamo David.My name is David.
- Sono di…I'm from…Sono di Londra.I'm from London.
- Abito a…I live in…Abito a Wateringbury.I live in Wateringbury.
A before a town, in before a country — abito in Inghilterra.
- Ho … anniI am … years oldHo sessanta anni.I am sixty years old.
Literally I have sixty years — the same idea as French.
- un figlioa sonHo un figlio.I have a son.
- una figliaa daughterHo due figlie.I have two daughters.
- un maritoa husband
- una mogliea wife
Unlike French femme and Spanish mujer, Italian keeps wife and woman separate — donna is a woman.
- un nipote / una nipotea grandson / a granddaughter
One word doing four jobs — it also means nephew and niece. The article is your only clue.
- la famigliathe familyla mia famigliamy family
Italian keeps the article in front of the possessive — literally the my family.
- un amico / un' amicaa friend (m / f)
- il lavoroworkLavoro a casa.I work at home.
- [in pensione]retiredSono [in pensione].I am retired.
A fixed chunk. Worth having ready — it comes up constantly.
What the colours above mean
6 of 10 colours so farA thing, a person or a place.
An action or a state — what is happening.
Stands in for a noun — I, you, he, it.
the / a / some — and possessives like mon, ma.
Links words together — to, in, of, for.
Learn it whole. Do not take it apart.
Articles arrive as grey, carrying gender through bold and slanted. Conjunctions like e stay plain until Week 4.
The article that comes with the possessive
Italian says la mia famiglia, il mio libro — the article stays. That looks redundant to an English speaker and it is not optional. The one place it drops is single family members: mia madre, mio figlio, with no article. Both the article and the possessive carry the gender style, so a feminine noun gives you three slanted words in a row — which is exactly the redundancy the system is built on.
Sentence frames
- 1
Mi chiamo name e abito a place.
I'm ___ and I live in ___.
- 2
Ho number anni e sono [in pensione].
I'm ___ and I'm retired.
- 3
Ho un figlio / due figlie e number nipoti.
I have ___ and ___ grandchildren.
Daily mini-tasks
Listening this week
LearnAmo — introducing yourself
YouTube
Clear, energetic, and entirely in Italian with subtitles. Find the video on presentarsi.
What stuck?
Check it before you close the page.
Up to 10 of this week's words and frames. Say each one out loud before you look, and say whether you think you have it. Guessing first and then checking is what makes it stick — reading the answer feels better and does less.