Italian · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 7 of 12
Education and learning
Tornare a studiare
Talk about school, university and learning in Italian: choose the right congiuntivo tense, express regrets, and use come se.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Choose the right tense of the congiuntivo in a longer sentence
- Talk about regrets with avrei dovuto and se avessi…
- Use come se + congiuntivo
- Talk about the Italian university system
Listen
In Urbino, Loredana Magi, who left university more than twenty years ago, meets a tutor, Professor Guido Bartolucci, because she wants to go back. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Guido
Buongiorno, signora Magi, si accomodi. Allora, mi diceva al telefono che vuole iscriversi di nuovo all'università.
Good morning, Ms Magi, have a seat. So, you were telling me on the phone that you want to enrol at university again.
Loredana
Sì. Mi ero iscritta a Lettere nel novantotto, ma dopo tre anni ho lasciato gli studi. Pensavo che fosse troppo tardi per ricominciare, e invece eccomi qui.
Yes. I'd enrolled in humanities in '98, but I gave up my studies after three years. I thought it was too late to start again, but here I am.
Guido
Non è mai troppo tardi. Quest'anno abbiamo più di cento studenti sopra i quarant'anni. Posso chiederLe perché li aveva lasciati?
It's never too late. This year we have over a hundred students over forty. May I ask why you gave them up?
Loredana
Mio padre stava male, e dovevo aiutare nel negozio di famiglia. Avrei dovuto riprendere gli studi l'anno dopo, ma poi mi sono sposata, sono arrivati i figli…
My father was ill, and I had to help in the family shop. I should have gone back to my studies the following year, but then I got married, the children came along…
Guido
Capisco. E quanti esami aveva dato?
I see. And how many exams had you taken?
Loredana
Dodici. Ma temo che da allora sia cambiato tutto: quando studiavo io, la laurea durava quattro anni.
Twelve. But I'm afraid everything has changed since then: when I was a student, a degree lasted four years.
Guido
Dodici? Non pensavo che ne avesse dati così tanti. Oggi c'è la laurea triennale, e poi, se vuole, la magistrale. Con i Suoi esami, potrebbe finire la triennale in due anni.
Twelve? I didn't think you'd taken so many. Today there's a three-year bachelor's degree, and then, if you like, a master's. With your exams, you could finish the bachelor's in two years.
Loredana
Magari! Ma lavoro tutto il giorno: non potrei mai frequentare tutte le lezioni.
If only. But I work all day: I could never attend all the lectures.
Guido
Non si preoccupi. Ormai molti corsi si possono seguire anche online, e per chi lavora di solito frequentare non è obbligatorio.
Don't worry. Lots of courses can be followed online now, and for people who work, attendance usually isn't compulsory.
Loredana
Sa, se non avessi lasciato, oggi farei l'insegnante. Era il mio sogno.
You know, if I hadn't left, I'd be a teacher today. It was my dream.
Guido
Ne parla come se fosse ormai impossibile. Invece, se si laurea tra qualche anno, potrà ancora insegnare per molto tempo.
You talk about it as if it were impossible now. But if you graduate in a few years, you'll still be able to teach for a long time.
Loredana
Ha ragione. Non voglio pentirmi anche di questo. Allora, cosa devo fare per iscrivermi?
You're right. I don't want to regret this too. So, what do I have to do to enrol?
Understand
Which congiuntivo? La concordanza dei tempi
The tense of the congiuntivo depends on two things: the tense of the main verb, and whether the action happens at the same time, before or after. This is called (the sequence of tenses).
If the main verb is in the present or the future, use the congiuntivo presente or passato: . If the main verb is in the past or the conditional, use the congiuntivo imperfetto for the same time, and the trapassato for something earlier: , . For something later after a past verb, use the condizionale passato: . After a conditional like , the congiuntivo imperfetto covers both now and later.
| Main verb | Same time | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| … | / | ||
| … | |||
| … |
Talking about regrets
Italian has several ways to look back at what you didn't do. + infinitive means “I should have”: . means “I could have”. The unreal past, or a mixed sentence, says what would be different: .
+ congiuntivo trapassato means “If only I had…”: To say you regret something, use + infinitive: (I regret not finishing). + congiuntivo means “It's a shame that…”.
- Avrei dovuto studiare di più.I should have studied more.
- Magari l'avessi saputo prima!If only I'd known earlier!
- Peccato che tu non sia venuto.It's a shame you didn't come.
Come se, and studying in Italy
(as if) is always followed by the congiuntivo imperfetto or trapassato: , (He said hello as if nothing had happened).
At university, you (take an exam), and marks go up to 30, with (30 with honours) as the best. A (three years) can be followed by a (two more years). School ends with the .
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| to enrol in, to sign up for | |
| to take an exam | |
| / | bachelor's / master's degree |
| to graduate (from university) | |
| to attend lectures, classes | |
| grant, scholarship |
More in the grammar: If-clauses: se + present, se + congiuntivo imperfetto · The conditional: would and would have · The congiuntivo: the Italian subjunctive · The sequence of tenses: la concordanza dei tempi
New words
- iscriversito enrol, to sign up · like :
- Letterehumanities, arts (at university) · feminine plural
- ricominciareto start again
- eccomihere I am · +
- l'esameexam · masculine; = to take an exam
- la laureauniversity degree
- triennalethree-year · = the three-year degree
- frequentareto attend; to go to (regularly)
- la lezionelesson, lecture, class
- ormainow, by now; (with a negative idea) too late now
- seguireto follow; to take (a course)
- come seas if · + congiuntivo imperfetto or trapassato
- laurearsito graduate
- pentirsi dito regret · = I regret
Practise
1.Complete: “Pensavo che ___ troppo tardi.”
2.Complete with the congiuntivo trapassato of (lei).
I didn't think she'd taken so many.
3.Complete with the congiuntivo imperfetto of .
You talk about it as if it were impossible.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I should have gone back to my studies.
5.Which sentence is correct?
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
Pensavo che fosse troppo tardi.
I thought it was too late.
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.