Grammar
🧱Sentence structure
Build clear sentences and learn the core word-order patterns.
A useful starting pattern
A neutral Italian statement often follows subject + verb + complement.
The complement can be an object, a description, a place or a time expression.
Italian word order is flexible for focus, but the neutral pattern is the safest starting point.
- soggetto + verbo + complemento
- Marta prepara la cena.
- I bambini giocano nel parco.
The subject pronoun can disappear
Italian verb endings often identify the subject, so subject pronouns are frequently omitted.
Parlo italiano already means I speak Italian; io is mainly added for contrast or clarity.
Keep an explicit noun subject when the listener needs to know who or what you mean.
- (Io) lavoro qui.
- (Noi) viviamo in Francia.
- Anna lavora qui.
Essere, avere and esserci: first landmarks
Essere links a subject to identity, description or location; avere expresses possession and appears in many everyday expressions.
C’è introduces one thing and ci sono introduces several things.
These are first landmarks; fuller verb patterns belong to the later conjugation phase.
- Sono studente.
- Ho vent’anni.
- Roma è in Italia.
- C’è un bar. / Ci sono due bar.
Agreement, placement and elision
Articles and adjectives normally agree with the noun in gender and number.
Descriptive adjectives often follow the noun, though some frequent adjectives can come before it.
Before a vowel, an article may elide: l’amico, l’amica and un’amica; masculine un does not take an apostrophe.
- un libro nuovo
- due case bianche
- una bella giornata
- l’amico / l’amica / un’amico / un’amica
Negatives, questions and object pronouns
Put non before the conjugated verb to form a basic negative.
Yes/no questions normally keep statement order; intonation and the question mark do the work.
At recognition level, notice that short object pronouns usually stand before the conjugated verb: Lo conosco and Non lo conosco.
- Lavoro qui.
- Non lavoro qui.
- Lavori qui?
- Lo vedo. / Non lo vedo.