Sicilian Phrasebook

Sicilian Phrasebook GREETINGS Bon giornu. Bona sira.Good evening. Bona notti.Good night. Addiu.Good-bye. Comu si senti?How are you? Bonu, grazii, e Lei?Fine, thanks, and you? Unn cà ¨ mali.Not bad. Piaciri di canuscirvi.Pleased to meet you. GETTING ALONG Parra inglisi? Iu unn parru sicilianu.I do not speak Sicilian. Ma capisciu si parra chià ¹ lentamenti.But Ill understand if you speak more slowly. Mi capisci si parru inglisi?Do you understand me if I speak English? Cà ¨ nessunu cca ca parra inglisi?Does anyone speak English here? Comu si dici in sicilianu...?How do you say in Sicilian...? ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS Mi po diri comu si va a ...? Quantu si ci metta a [town name] di cca?How far is [town name] from here? Quantu si ci metti in machina?How long does it take by car? Mi po mustrari na carta unna mi trovu?Can you show me on the map where I am? Gira sinistra.Turn left. Gira destra.Turn right. Jiti rittu rittu.Go straight ahead. Faciti un giru cumpletu.Make a U-turn. Jiti à ´ primincruciamentu.Go to the first intersection. Unn à ¨ luntanu.Its not far. È vicinu.Its nearby. Si ci metti cincu minuti a pedi.Its a five-minute walk. TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION Pi favuri, unna à ¨ u benzinaiu u chià ¹ vicinu? Pi favuri, mi metta deci litri di benzina.Ten liters of gas, please. Mi volcontrollar a pressioni dà ® gummi?Would you check the tire pressure? Unna pozzu parcheggiari?Where can I park? Cà ¨ un parcheggiu ca vicinu?Is there a parking lot nearby? È un parcheggiu liberu?Is this a free parking lot? ON THE BUS Quali autobus devu prenniri pi jiri à ¢ Quattru Canti? Unna à ¨ a firmata?Where is the bus stop? È chistu lautobus pi San Fratellu?Is this the rigth bus for San Fratello? Un biglettu, pir favuri.One ticket, please. Devu scinniri a...I have to get off at... Mi po diri unna devu scinniri?Can you tell me where to get off? AT THE TRAIN STATION Quannu à ¨ u prossimu trenu pi Missina? Vogghiu un bigliettu di andata e ritornu.Id like a round-trip ticket. Un bigliettu sulu di andata.One-way ticket, please. Un bigliettu di prima classi, pi favuri.First class, please. A chi ura arriva u trenu di...?At what time does the train arrive from...? Chi à ¨ direttu o espressu?Is it a local or an express? Mi po dari un orariu?May I have a timetable? Da quali binariu parti u trenu?From what platform does it leave? U trenu parti dà ´ binariu...The train leaves from platform... U trenu pir Catania parti a...The train for Catania leaves at... È trenu cu prinotazzioni ubbligatoria.You need a reservation for this train. FOOD AND DRINK agneddu antipastu mistumixed antipasto baccalarudry salted cod bivannidrinks calamarisquid cicirichickpeas ducisweets fasolibeans panibread pipipepper pumudamuritomatoes sasizzasausage u primufirst course u secunnusecond course vinu biancuwhite wine vinu russured wine SHOPPING Comu Le pozzu sirviri? Vogghiu sulu dar un occhiata.I just want to have a look. Vogghiaccattarun capeddu.Id like to buy a hat. Unna à ¨ u camerinu?Where is the fitting room? Pozzu cangiari na vota accattatu?May I return this? Faciti anchi modifichi cca?Do you make alterations here? Pozzu pagari cà ¢ carta di creditu?Can I pay with my credit card? Non accettamu carti di creditu, sulu contanti.We do not accept credit cards, only cash. Mi poincartari u me acquistu in pacchettu regalu?Can you gift-wrap my purchase? Tuttu ntà ´ negozziu à ¨ in saldu.Every item in the store is on sale. È troppu granni / nicu / lungu / curtu.Its too large / small / long / short. SERVICES Mi po puliri sti cammisi, pir favuri? Quannu sarannu pronti i causi?When are the pants going to be ready? Mi bisogninu pi sabatu.I need them by Saturday. Devu pagari ora o quannu i vegnu a ritirari?Should I pay now or when I come to pick them up? Eccu a so ricevuta.Here is your receipt. Vulissi tagghiari i capiddi.I would like a haircut. Vulissi un tagghiu curtu.I would like my hair short. Vulissi sulu na spuntata.I would like my hair trimmed. Faciti anchi massaggi cca?Do you also do massages? MONEY Unna à ¨ a banca a chià ¹ vicina? Quannu apri / chiudi a banca?When does the bank open / close? Unna pozzu truvari un Bancomat?Where can I find an ATM? A quantu sta u dollaru oggi?How much is the dollar today? Chi tassa ci mittiti sà » cambiu esteru?What is your fee on currency exchange? Accitati carti di creditu?Do you accept credit cards? AT THE BEACH Unna pozzu affitari una sdraia? A chi ura devu ristituiri a sdraia?At what time shall I return the deck chair? Chi voli diri a bannera russa?What does the red flag mean? Quantu pozzu natari a largu?How far am I allowed to swim here? Unna pozzu accattari na buttighia dacqua nta spiaggia?Where can I buy a bottle of water on the beach? È chista na spiaggia pubblica?Is this a public beach? HEALTH Pozzu vidiri un dutturi, pi favuri? Chiamati lambulanza!Call an ambulance! Unn mi sentu bonu.I dont feel well. Mi sentu malatu.I feel sick. Mi fa mali a testa.I have a headache. Mi fa mali a panza.I have a stomachache. Haiu un allergia.I have an allergy. Cercu na farmacia.I am looking for a pharmacy. Mi po diri unna à ¨ a farmacia chià ¹ vicina?Where is the nearest pharmacy, please? Devu pigghiari sta pinnula cu acqua?Should I take this pill with water? EMERGENCIES Latru! Aiutu!Help! Lassami in paci!Leave me alone! Vattinni!Go away! Mi scipparu a cullana!They snatched my necklace! Haiu bisognu di un interpetri.I need an interpreter. Cà ¨ un dutturi cca?Is there a doctor here? Focu!Fire! Chiamati i pomperi!Call the firemen! MEASURES centimetru chilometrukilometer chilukilo litruliter metrumeter DAYS OF THE WEEK luneddà ¬ marteddà ¬Tuesday mercoleddà ¬Wednesday gioveddà ¬Thursday venerddà ¬Friday sabbatuSaturday duminicaSunday MONTHS OF THE YEAR jinnaru fivraruFebruary marzuMarch apriliApril maggiuMay giugnuJune lugliuJuly agustuAugust settembriSeptember ottubbriOctober novembriNovember dicembriDecember TIME Chi ura à ¨? È luna.It is one oclock. Sunu id dui.It is two oclock. Sunu i dui e menzu.It is two-thirty. Sunu i dui menu un quartu.It is a quarter to two. THE FOUR SEASONS primavera estatisummer autunnuautumn invernuwinter THE WEATHER Chi tempu fa? Fa friddu oggi.Today it is cold. Fa cauru.Its warm. Chiovi.Its raining. È na bedda jurnata.Its a gorgeous day. Nun chiovi, ma fa ventu.Its not raining, but it is windy. È nuvulusu.Its cloudy. Quanti gradi fa fora?How many degrees is it outside? Rumani ci sar una timpesta.Tomorrow there will be a thunderstorm.

10 Ways to Sabotage Your Italian Progress

10 Ways to Sabotage Your Italian Progress There are ways to speak Italian quickly, and there are tips and tricks they dont teach in Italian language school. Conversely, there are methods and approaches that will slow down your progress and only prove frustrating and demotivating. You might have the best intentions, but here are ten sure-fire ways how not to learn Italian (or any foreign language, for that matter). 1. Think in English Perform the mental gymnastics that requires a lot of time and effort when conversing in Italian: think in English, then translate into Italian, then retranslate into English after hearing the speakers response. Now watch the listeners eyes glaze over as your brain painstakingly hashes out this unnecessarily complex process. At this rate, youll never learn Italian- unless you forget your native tongue. Think like an Italian if you want to speak like an Italian. 2. Cram Stay up late, drink plenty of espressos, and try to learn a semesters worth in one night. It worked in college, so it should work with a foreign language, right? Well, you cannot get into shape in just a few days at the gym, and you cannot learn Italian by studying just before a test. It takes repeated effort, over an extended period of time, to get results. Rome wasnt built in a day, and no one can become proficient in the Italian present subjunctive tense in an evening. 3. Get the Dubbed Version The Italian movie that was critically acclaimed and that everyones raving about? Its now available on DVD, in English no less. So sit back, microwave some popcorn, and watch the actors lips flap out of synch for two hours. Worse, miss the various nuances of the Italian language during conversations as well as the original voices. (In fact, many viewers believe that English-dubbed films bastardize the original.) Yes, its difficult to listen to a foreign movie in the original version, but no one ever said learning Italian was going to be easy. If the movie is that good, watch it twice- first in Italian, and then with subtitles. It will improve your comprehension, and more than likely the original dialogue will have shades of meaning that could never be conveyed by translation. 4. Avoid Native Italian Speakers Stick with English speakers when studying Italian, because after all, you can communicate with them at will without having to exert any extra effort to making yourself understood. You might not ever learn any of the nuances of Italian grammar, but then, at least you wont embarrass yourself. 5. Stick to Only One Method Theres only one way to learn Italian- your way! Cyclists in the Giro dItalia have bulging quadriceps and huge calf muscles, but their upper body is underdeveloped. Use the same muscles and youll get the same results. Youll never build up the proper lingual techniques required to sound like a native Italian (or at least close to it) if you dont cross-train. Avoid the linguistic equivalent (memorizing the lines in every Fellini movie, or knowing every verb thats related to cooking) and try a balanced approach, whether its reading an Italian textbook, completing workbook exercises, listening to a tape or CD, or conversing with a native Italian speaker. 6. Speak as if Youre Speaking English The Italian alphabet resembles the Latin alphabet used in English. So who needs to roll their rs? Why is it important to know the difference between open and closed es? Although certain Italian dialects might have pronunciation idiosyncrasies relative to standard Italian, that doesnt mean non-native speakers get to make up new rules regarding pronunciation. Get yourself to the linguistic gym and give that tongue a workout! 7. Attend a Learn Italian in 48 Hours Class Granted, there are benefits to learning Italian survival phrases when traveling to Italy, but your short term memory will fail you within days. And then what?! Instead, adopt a more deliberate approach, and learn the basics of the Italian language before traveling to Italy with an Italian for travelers e-mail course over several weeks time. Think of it as preparation for what a vacation in Italy should be: leisurely, with plenty of time for watching the world go by. 8. Dont Listen to Italian Radio or TV Since you cant understand the conversation anyway, dont bother tuning in (via cable or Internet) to Italian radio or TV broadcasts. The announcers speak too quickly, and without any context, your comprehension will approach zero. On the other hand, you might not be able to play a musical instrument, yet regardless if its classical, rap, hip-hop, or metal, you can easily pick up the rhythm, cadences, and tempo of any song. Keep that in mind, and it may be easier to incorporate the distinct intonation of Italian when speaking the language even if you dont understand the words themselves (many opera singers have near-perfect diction when performing Italian works, yet have only a rudimentary understanding of the language). 9. Remain Silently Foolish As the adage goes, It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. So sit there and say nothing in Italian, because otherwise, it will become evident rather quickly if you are unable to distinguish among false cognates in Italian. 10. Travel to Italy Only if Necessary Given the logistics of air travel nowadays, who in their right mind would want to travel to the country of the target language? Theres schlepping luggage everywhere, interminable waits in the airport and on the security line, and leg room sufficient only for children. Then, three times a day at meals, there will be a struggle trying to read menus and ordering food. Imagine, too, if you have certain food allergies or are a vegetarian and have to explain that to the cameriere (waiter)! In fact, if you make the effort, youll discover that traveling to Italy is the best way to learn Italian. While there will be challenges, being immersed in the language is guaranteed to improve your Italian language skills quicker than any other method. Consider it a linguistic adventure, and start planning your itinerary now.