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Unit 1 Guidebook
Explore grammar tips and key phrases for this unit

KEY PHRASES

Use basic phrases

Il ragazzo mangia la mela.

The boy eats the apple.

Io sono una donna.

I am a woman.

Lui è un uomo.
He is a man.

Tu mangi il pane.
You eat the bread.

L'uomo beve l'acqua.

The man drinks the water.
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Ragazzo or ragazza?
In Italian, all nouns are either masculine or feminine, even when they don't refer
to people.

Usually, nouns that end in ‑o (like ragazzo) are masculine, and nouns that end in
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‑a (like ragazza) are feminine.

un ragazzo
a boy

una ragazza
a girl

For masculine nouns use un, and for feminine nouns use una.

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La, il, or l’?

La and il both mean the. Use la for feminine nouns, and il for masculine.

la mela
the apple
 il pane
the bread

If the noun starts with a vowel, use l’ instead of la or il.

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l'acqua
the water

l'uomo
the man

Here’s a little recap to help you remember these words more easily.

feminine masculine

la ragazza il ragazzo

la mela il pane

l'acqua l'uomo

KEY PHRASES

Describe basic actions

Noi siamo uomini.

We are men.

Loro sono donne.

They are women.
 Noi leggiamo un libro.
We read a book.

Loro scrivono un libro.

They write a book.

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Scrivete al ragazzo.
You all write to the boy.

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To be or not to be?
Here's something to help with the verb to be in Italian.

subject verb (essere)

io sono
I am

tu sei
you are

lui / lei è
he / she is

noi siamo
we are

voi siete
you all are

loro sono
they are

Like in English, you can use to be to describe people or things.

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Noi siamo donne, loro sono uomini.

We are women, they are men.

From now on, we'll use you for the singular tu and you all for the plural voi.

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Happy endings
Remember that Italian verbs have different endings depending on whether it’s io,
tu, lei, etc.

subject verb (leggere)

io leggo
I read

tu leggi
you read

lui / lei legge

he / she reads
 noi leggiamo
we read

voi leggete
you all read

loro leggono
they read

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Other verbs that end in ‑ere, like scrivere, will follow a similar pattern. But keep
in mind that sometimes there will be exceptions. For example, bere (to drink) and
essere (to be), are special verbs in Italian.​