Getting to know you - Lesson 2 - Conversation:

Da quanto tempo è in Italia?

(How long have you been in Italy?)


(photo by  Armando Mancini used under terms of Creative Commons license.)
napoli


 






Capitano Gentile:

Da quanto tempo è in Italia, Tenente?

Tenente Smith:

Da due mesi, Signor Capitano.

Capitano Gentile:

E a Napoli?

Tenente Smith:

Da poco, sono qui da tre settimane.

Capitano Gentile:

Come trova l'Italia?

Tenente Smith:

E un bel paese e Napoli è una bellissima città, pero fa molto caldo.

Capitano Gentile:

Da quale parte degli Stati Uniti viene?

Tenente Smith:

Dalla California.

Capitano Gentile:

Anche Sua moglie?

Tenente Smith:

Si, è di San Francisco.


 

Translation:

Captain Gentile:

(For) how long have you been in Italy, Lieutenant?

Lieutenant Smith:

(For) two months (Mr.) Captain.

Captain Gentile:

And in Naples?

Lieutenant Smith:

(For) only a short time. I have been here (for) three weeks.

Captain Gentile:

How do you find Italy?

Lieutenant Smith:

It's a beautiful country and Naples is a very beautiful city, but it's very warm.

Captain Gentile:

From what part of the United States do you come?

Lieutenant Smith:

From California.

Captain Gentile:

Your wife also?

Lieutenant Smith:

Yes, she is from San Francisco.



 



Notes on conversation

1. Da quanto tempo è in Italia? Literally, "For how long are you in Italy." In Italian the question and the answer are in the present tense.

2. E means "you are," "she is," "he is," "it is." "You," "she," "he," "it" may be omitted when the subject is understood.

3. Gender of nouns. Every noun in Italian is either masculine or feminine: un paese (masculine), "a country" ("village"); una città (feminine), "a city."

4. Adjectives agree with the nouns they modify. For example, un bel paese, "a beautiful country"; una bella città, "a beautiful city."

5. Bellissima, "very beautiful," also agrees with the noun it modifies: un bellissimo paese, una bellissima città.

6. Da also means "from;" di literally means "of." In Italian "you come from" (viene da) and "you are of" [place of birth] (à di) .