Free Italian All-in-One For Dummies by Consumer Dummies Page A

your intonation) (fah kahl -doh) ( It’s hot. ) ( Is it hot? )
    Sì, abbiamo 35 gradi! (see ahb- byah -moh trehn-tah- cheen -kweh grah -dee!) ( It’s 35 degrees! ) (Celsius 35 = Fahrenheit 95.)
    Fa freddo (statement or question depending on your intonation) (fah frehd -doh) ( It’s cold. ) ( Is it cold? )
    Fa un freddo orribile, – 20! (fah oohn frehd -doh ohr- ree -bee-leh, meh -noh vehn -tee!) ( It’s terribly cold, –20! ) (Celsius –20 = Fahrenheit 0.)
    Fa fresco, fa freschino (statement or question depending on your intonation) (fah freh -skoh, fah freh- skee -noh) ( It’s chilly; it’s 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.) ( It’s raining. )
    Tira vento. ( tee -rah vehn -toh.) ( It’s windy. )
    Lampeggia. (lahm- pehj -jah.) ( It’s lightning. )
    Tuona. ( twoh -nah.) ( It’s thundering. )
    Nevica. ( neh -vee-kah.) ( It’s snowing. )
    Grandina. ( grahn -dee-nah.) ( It’s hailing. )
    Che afa! (keh ah -fah!) ( It’s muggy! )
    Fa bel tempo. (fah behl tehm -poh.) ( It’s beautiful. )
    Fa brutto tempo. (fah brooht -toh tehm -poh.) ( It’s nasty weather. )
    Talkin’ the Talk
    Il signor Brancato and Ms. Roe, airplane seatmates, are talking about the weather.
    Ms. Roe: E l’estate a Milano com’è?
    e lehs- tah -teh ah mee -lah -noh cohm- eh?
    What’s 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 it’s mild.
    Ms. Roe: Come l’estate in Canada.
    koh -meh lehs- tah -teh een kah- nah-dah.
    Like the fall in Canada.
    Â 

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    Â 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 — 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, it’s 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 it’s 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 you’re 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 you’re 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;