13 SOGGETTO E VERBO. ESSERE E AVERE
subjectsverbs
Rossella Pescatori
Learning Objectives
- In this section, you will learn how to identify subjects and verbs in sentences.
Studiamo !
It is nearly impossible to talk without using verbs, so understanding how they work is key. Let’s take a closer look.
(a) A verb (verbo) is almost always used to describe an action, for example: “to laugh”, “to drink”, “to wonder” and “to write”.
I “laugh”.
Marie “sings” songs.
They “wonder” about their friends.
Jean “writes” a lot.
(b) A subject (soggetto) performs the action conveyed by the verb. In the examples above, the subjects are: “I”, “Marie”, “They”, and “Jean”.
(c) Some verbs are called “linking verbs” (e.g., “to be”) because they “link” a subject to a noun or adjective:
Subject + verb + noun => That woman “is” a professor.
Subject + verb + adjective(s) => That woman “is” tall and brunette.
Compare, for example, “You eat tacos” (eat = action verb) to “You are a nice person” (are = linking verb).
(d) A subject (s.) can be simple or complex:
simple s. verb => “The dog” eats steak.
complex s. verb => “The only thing I need to get the job done” is a computer.
IL VERBO ESSERE
I pronomi soggetto
A “subject pronoun” (pronome soggetto) substitutes for a subject noun with a simpler form, usually one syllable long. For example, the man can be replaced by he in a conversation (The bold type indicates the subject of each sentence):
The man is my friend => He is my friend.
s=subject
The same applies to more complex subject noun phrase like this:
The big man over there with the blue shirt likes pizza => He likes pizza.
Here are the Italian subject pronouns:
|
Italiano |
Pronomi soggetto
Inglese |
|---|---|
| io | I |
|
tu Lei |
you (casual, informal) you (formal, singular) |
|
lui lei |
he she |
| noi | we |
| voi | you (plural) |
| Loro | they (masculine, and feminine) |
In Italian most of the time subject pronouns are omitted. Subject pronouns are only used when we want to give an emphasis to the subject.
Ex. I am that one: Io sono quello lì!
The following chart is organized in a way that makes it easier to remember how pronouns and verbs are different from each other. It distinguishes between (a) singular and plural forms, on the one hand, and (b) 1st, 2nd and 3rd persons, on the other:
| Pronomi soggetto
persona |
singulare |
plurale |
|---|---|---|
| 1) Prima persona | io | noi |
| 2) Seconda persona | tu, Lei | voi |
| 3) Terza persona | lui, lei | Loro |
1st, 2nd and 3rd person are three different points of view:
- In the 1st person, the speaker is talking about himself, herself, themselves: (I, me, we, us.): For example: “I am happy; we are happy.”
- In the 2nd person, the speaker is talking about the person he or she is talking to (you, y’all, you guys). For example: “You are happy. You guys are happy.”
- In the 3rd person, the speaker is talking about someone else who is usually absent from the conversation: “She is happy. They are happy.
ESSERE
Studiamo!
You can identify and describe people or things using the linking verb essere (to be). It is one of the most frequently used verbs and we have already seen many examples of it above.
| ESSERE
Pronomi soggetto |
Italiano |
Inglese |
|---|---|---|
| io | sono | I am |
| tu | sei | you are (familiar) |
|
lui lei Lei (you formal) |
è è è |
he is, it is she is, it is you are (formal) |
| noi | siamo | we are |
| voi | siete | you are ( plural) |
| loro | sono | they are (people or things) |
]
| ESSERE (TO BE)
persona |
singolare |
plurale |
|---|---|---|
| Prima persona | sono | siamo |
| Seconda persona | sei | siete |
| Terza persona | è | sono |
Notice how the form of the verb essere changes according to who or what the subject is. This subject-verb agreement is called conjugation (la coniugazione). You will learn a variety of verbs and conjugations throughout the course.
Use non to make a sentence negative. Just place the verb after, like this:
Io sono (v.) (I am). ==> Io non sono (v.) (I am not).
— Sei professore ?
— No, non sono professore.
Notice: Italians normally omit to say the subject pronouns.
AVERE
The verb avere (to have) is very important verb in Italian.
| io ho | I have |
| tu hai | you have |
| lui ha, lei ha | he has, she has, or you have forma |
| noi abbiamo | we have |
| voi avete | you have |
| loro hanno | they have |
Expression with AVERE.
- AVERE FAME to be hungry
- AVERE SETE to be thirsty
- AVERE VOGLIA DI to feel like
- AVERE BISOGNO DI to need
- AVERE CALDO to be hot
- AVERE FREDDO to be cold
- AVERE PAZIENZA to be patient
- AVERE FRETTA to be in a hurry
