Learn Italian: a beginner's journey

Learning the names of family members is one of the most important first steps when learning a new language. In Italian, family terms can be slightly different from those in other languages, so it is important to know them well.  In this article we will look at the most common terms and use them in simple sentences to help you remember them. Kinship terms Let's start by exploring the Italian vocabulary related to family. This list will introduce you to the most common terms related to family and will help you to describe your family relationships. Here is a list of the most common kinship terms: Padre / Father  Papà / Dad Mamma / Mum Madre / Mother Fratello / Brother Sorella / Sister Nonno / Grandfather Nonna / Grandmother Zio / Uncle Zia / Aunt Cugino / Cousin (male) Cugina / Cousin (female) Figlio / Son Figlia / Daughter Marito / Husband Moglie  / Wife Genitori / Parents (father and mother together) Figli / Children (plural of son/daughter) Possessive adjecti...

We are going to explore together a very important element of the Italian language: the definite articles. These small but powerful words will help you add precision and definition to your sentences. But don't worry, using definite articles in Italian is easier than you might think! If you think of a sentence as a house, definite articles are the keys that allow you to open the right doors. Are you ready? Let's get started! What is a definite article? The definite articles are very similar to those found in other languages such as English (the), French (le, la, l', les), Spanish (el, la, los, las) or German (der, die, das).  In Italian, the definite article is used to indicate something specific that is already known to both the speaker and the listener. Here are some examples : Il gatto è sulla poltrona. (The cat is on the armchair) Here, the definite article indicates that we are talking about a specific cat that we both know. Apro la porta. (I am opening the door.) The ...