your intonation) (fah kahl -doh) ( Itâs hot. ) ( Is it hot? )
Sì, abbiamo 35 gradi! (see ahb- byah -moh trehn-tah- cheen -kweh grah -dee!) ( Itâs 35 degrees! ) (Celsius 35 = Fahrenheit 95.)
Fa freddo (statement or question depending on your intonation) (fah frehd -doh) ( Itâs cold. ) ( Is it cold? )
Fa un freddo orribile, â 20! (fah oohn frehd -doh ohr- ree -bee-leh, meh -noh vehn -tee!) ( Itâs terribly cold, â20! ) (Celsius â20 = Fahrenheit 0.)
Fa fresco, fa freschino (statement or question depending on your intonation) (fah freh -skoh, fah freh- skee -noh) ( Itâs chilly; itâs a little chilly. ) ( Is it chilly? )
Intonation makes your comments about the weather statements or questions. The following simple words allow you to remark on the weather in any condition.
Piove. ( pyoh -veh.) ( Itâs raining. )
Tira vento. ( tee -rah vehn -toh.) ( Itâs windy. )
Lampeggia. (lahm- pehj -jah.) ( Itâs lightning. )
Tuona. ( twoh -nah.) ( Itâs thundering. )
Nevica. ( neh -vee-kah.) ( Itâs snowing. )
Grandina. ( grahn -dee-nah.) ( Itâs hailing. )
Che afa! (keh ah -fah!) ( Itâs muggy! )
Fa bel tempo. (fah behl tehm -poh.) ( Itâs beautiful. )
Fa brutto tempo. (fah brooht -toh tehm -poh.) ( Itâs nasty weather. )
Talkinâ the Talk
Il signor Brancato and Ms. Roe, airplane seatmates, are talking about the weather.
Ms. Roe: E lâestate a Milano comâè?
e lehs- tah -teh ah mee -lah -noh cohm- eh?
Whatâs the summer like in Milan?
Sig. Brancato: Molto calda e lunga.
mohl -toh kahl -dah eh loohn -gah.
Very hot and long.
Ms. Roe: E la primavera?
eh lah pree-mah -veh -rah?
And the spring?
Sig. Brancato: La mia stagione preferita.
lah mee- ah stah- joh -neh preh-feh- ree -tah.
My favorite season.
Ms. Roe: Davvero?
dahv- veh -roh?
Really?
Sig. Brancato: Sì, perché è mite.
see, pehr- keh eh mee -teh.
Yes, because itâs mild.
Ms. Roe: Come lâestate in Canada.
koh -meh lehs- tah -teh een kah- nah-dah.
Like the fall in Canada.
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 Weather-wise
Italy is a fortunate country, at least as far as weather is concerned. During at least three of the four seasons, it has a mild climate and gets a lot of sun.
The summers are for the most part warm â sometimes too hot. The winters can be very cold, but snow is rare, except for primarily in the mountains of north and central Italy, but as far south as Calabria.
Summer in the cities is generally terribly hot, so most Italians take their vacation in August and flee to cooler places: the sea or the lakes or the mountains. As a matter of fact, in August, itâs hard to find actual residents in the big cities. The only people you find there are likely to be tourists and those Italians who have to work.
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Chapter 5
Casa Dolce Casa: Home Sweet Home
In This Chapter
Talking about where you live
Touring your home
Y our home is a big part of your life, and itâs likely to be a popular topic of conversation. People may ask you where you live and what your home is like. This chapter introduces you to the different vocabulary and situations associated with the house and life at home.
Describing Where You Live
When someone asks you where youâre from, you want to tell them the name of your country, followed by your city (or hometown) and state. You may also want to mention the type of home you have. The following sections show you how to do just that.
Stating your country and hometown
When telling where youâre from, you can start by saying your country of origin; you use the word sono ( soh -no) ( I am ) followed by an adjective of nationality that matches your gender, or you use vengo ( vehn -goh) ( I am ) followed by a variation of the words da (dah) ( from ) + the definite article and a country. (See Chapter 3 of Book I for a list of countries and nationalities in Italian.) Here are some examples:
Sono americano/a;