Italian · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 1 of 12
Stories and memories
Storie e ricordi
Tell a story about the past in Italian: use the passato prossimo, the imperfetto and the trapassato prossimo together, and link events.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell a story in the past
- Say what had happened before with the trapassato prossimo
- Use the three past tenses together
- Link events with mentre, poi and alla fine
Listen
In Lucca, Filippo asks his grandmother Adele how she met his grandfather. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Filippo
Nonna, mi racconti come hai conosciuto il nonno?
Grandma, will you tell me how you met Grandad?
Adele
Certo. Era l'estate del sessantacinque. Avevo diciannove anni e lavoravo in un negozio di scarpe qui a Lucca.
Of course. It was the summer of '65. I was nineteen and I worked in a shoe shop here in Lucca.
Filippo
E il nonno era un cliente?
And was Grandad a customer?
Adele
No. Un sabato sono andata a una festa in piazza con la mia amica Luisa. Ero stanchissima, perché avevo lavorato tutto il giorno, ma Luisa aveva insistito.
No. One Saturday I went to a party in the square with my friend Luisa. I was exhausted because I'd worked all day, but Luisa had insisted.
Filippo
E lì hai visto il nonno per la prima volta?
And that's where you saw Grandad for the first time?
Adele
Sì, ma più tardi. Mentre ballavamo, all'improvviso ha cominciato a piovere e siamo entrate in un bar.
Yes, but later. While we were dancing, it suddenly started to rain, and we went into a café.
Filippo
E lui era nel bar.
And he was in the café.
Adele
Esatto. Era lì con degli amici. Mi ha offerto un caffè e mi ha dato la sua giacca, perché avevo lasciato l'ombrello al negozio.
Exactly. He was there with some friends. He bought me a coffee and gave me his jacket, because I'd left my umbrella at the shop.
Filippo
Che romantico! E poi?
How romantic. And then?
Adele
Il giorno dopo è venuto al negozio a riprendere la giacca e mi ha chiesto di uscire con lui.
The next day he came to the shop to collect his jacket, and he asked me out.
Filippo
E tu hai detto subito di sì?
And you said yes straight away?
Adele
No, prima ho detto di no. Ma lui è tornato ogni giorno per una settimana, e alla fine ho accettato. Ci siamo sposati due anni dopo.
No, at first I said no. But he came back every day for a week, and in the end I said yes. We got married two years later.
Understand
The trapassato prossimo: had done
When you tell a story in the past, you sometimes need to go one step further back, to something that had happened before. For this, Italian uses the . It's easy to form: the of or + the past participle. means “I had worked”, and means “I had gone”.
Choose or as in the . With , the participle agrees with the subject: , . Short words like (already) and go between the two parts: (I had already eaten).
| Person | ||
|---|---|---|
| / | ||
| / | ||
| / / | / | |
| / | ||
| / | ||
| / |
Three past tenses in one story
In a story, each past tense has its own job. The moves the story forward: , ( has an irregular participle, ). The paints the background: , . The goes back to something that happened earlier: .
English often uses the simple past where Italian needs the trapassato: (I was tired because I'd worked all day, or because I worked all day).
| Tense | Its job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| what happened next | (We went into a café.) | |
| the background | (It was raining and it was cold.) | |
| what had happened before | (I'd left my umbrella at the shop.) |
Linking the story
These words help you put events in order. (while) usually goes with the imperfetto, for something that was going on. (suddenly) brings in a new event in the passato prossimo: .
after a length of time means “later”: (two years later). Compare (two years ago).
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| first, at first | |
| then | |
| the next day | |
| while | |
| suddenly | |
| in the end | |
| two years later |
More in the grammar: The imperfetto: describing the past · The trapassato prossimo: had done
New words
- Mi racconti…?Will you tell me…? · from (to tell a story)
- insistereto insist · = Luisa had insisted
- per la prima voltafor the first time
- mentrewhile
- ballareto dance
- all'improvvisosuddenly
- cominciare ato start (doing something) · = it started to rain
- entrareto go in, to come in · with :
- Esatto.Exactly. / That's right.
- l'ombrelloumbrella · masculine
- riprendereto take back, to collect · like :
- chiedere di uscireto ask someone out · = to ask; = he asked me
- accettareto accept, to say yes
- sposarsito get married · = we got married
Practise
1.Which form means “I had worked”?
2.Complete with the trapassato prossimo of (io).
I was tired because I'd worked all day.
3.Complete with the past participle of .
When Bruno arrived, Luisa and Adele had already gone out.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.While we were dancing, it started to rain.
5.Which tense do you use for the background of a story, like the weather or someone's age?
6.Match the Italian with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Mi racconti come vi siete conosciuti?
Will you tell me how you met?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.