Italian Language Stack Exchange
Italian Language Stack Exchange

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"La mia famiglia" or "mia famiglia"?

I am confused as I thought "mia famiglia" translated to "my family", but I was recently corrected and told it was "la mia famiglia"... What is the difference?
Michelle
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What are the most recognized Italian language certifications available for foreign language speakers?

I have a firm plan to attempt official Italian language exams. After searching on the internet I have come across about a few of them like CELI, CILS, and PLIDA. Can anyone suggest me which ones are most recognized and ideal and what should be the…
Muhammad Maqsoodur Rehman
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Is 'Dà questa' correct, or should it be 'Da' questa'?

Giulietta: «Quale devo dare?» a) Romeo: «Dà questa». b) Romeo: «Da' questa». Which one is grammatical, a) or b)? As far as I can tell in "Da' questa" "Da'" is different from "Dà" because it is the contracted form of "Dai". Am I right?
Kyriakos Kyritsis
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“Smetti di” oppure “smettila di”?

Ciao a tutti! I have a question. I know that “to stop doing something” is smettere di fare qualcosa. Nevertheless I’ve heard Italian speakers add the pronoun la when using the verb in the imperative mood. So instead of Smetti di fare questo! I hear…
George Law
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Stressed syllable

I've been learning Italian recently just by myself on a very casual basis. One thing that I find confusing is which syllable to stress. I've read the rules - i.e. usually the penultimate syllable is stressed, unless there is an accent mark on the…
Klitos Kyriacou
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Use of 'secondo' in different contexts

As a passionate Italian learner, I find myself on this website a lot. What I enjoy about the website is that askers might find themselves posting their question in English or even Italian. For the most part, I am able to fully comprehend what the…
Veer Singh
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How do you form questions in "passato prossimo"?

I was just wondering how does one form questions when you use the tense "passato prossimo". Is it necessary that the verb comes first before the subject/doer? Or the syntax doesn't matter? For example, between the 2 sentences below, which one is…
Alysson
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Use of the indefinite article in Italian vs. English

In English, we would say: I am a boy. We are boys. using the indefinite article in the singular case. Is this the case with Italian as well? In other words, would you translate the above sentences as follows? Io sono un ragazzo. Noi siamo…
seafood258
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Nome collettivo degli animali dell'aia

Qual è l'insieme delle galline? E delle oche? Per le pecore è il gregge, per le vacche la mandria, ma per le galline mi viene solo covata che è solo per i pulcini.
473183469
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What is the correct form of "from" in the following sentence?

This is the sentence I would like to say in Italian: "He does not come from the United States" (formal). I think it is: Lui non viene dagli Stati Uniti. What is the correct word for from in this instance? I know it has to be plural, I think…
Msfolly
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Esiste la parola “rotolacampo”?

Vedo che qualcuno usa la parola “rotolacampo” per designare quei cespugli rotolanti tipici di certe atmosfere semidesertiche americane (i tumbleweed, in inglese). Ma esiste veramente, questa parola? Ovviamente, visto che c'è chi la usa, la risposta…
DaG
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Cosa sono "... Gli inesprimibili!"?

Leggendo il bel racconto pieno di ironia "Skating-Ring" della Marchesa Colombi (pseudonimo di Maria Antonietta Torriani, 1840-1920), dalla raccolta "Donne allo specchio" a cura di Guido Davico Bonino, mi imbatto in un'espressione velata che non…
Claudia
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What's the difference between "zingaro" and "tzigano?"

In my mother tongue "zingaro" and "tzigano" have the same translation. Are they synonyms? I can remember two Italian songs where these words are used: "Il cuore è uno zingaro" and "Il violino tzigano" and they seem to be interchangeable. Are…
Centaurus
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Perché si dice becco per dire bocca?

Becco viene spesso usato in locuzioni con riferimento alla bocca. L'analogia è chiara ma mi chiedo se questi modi di dire abbiano un'origine precisa, antichi modi di dire (greci o latini) o la commedia dell'arte ad esempio. Becco: In alcune…
user519
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Differenze tra l'uso delle lineette [dash] in inglese ed in italiano

Esistono differenze nel'uso? Mi riferisco esclusivamente all' em dash , ovvero il trattino lungo utilizzato per separare parti della frase —e non singole parole. Faccio alcuni esempi dell'uso inglese: "He is the friend —the only one— that helped me…
Cindie
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