KPG Italian flashcards

34 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Raddoppiamento fonosintattico

Lengthening of a word-initial consonant after certain monosyllables like è, ho, da, che. It affects listening: 'a casa' sounds like 'a ccasa' and can change perceived meaning.

First-pass listening strategy

On the first playback, identify speaker, setting and purpose only. Detail extraction (numbers, times, prices) is reserved for the second pass, since most exam audio is played twice.

Distractor number pairs

Listening items often present two figures close together, such as two times or two prices. The wrong option repeats one figure; the right option matches the figure tied to the question.

Register cue: Lei vs tu

Formal Italian uses Lei with third-person singular verbs; informal uses tu with second-person forms. The first exchange usually establishes which register the whole dialogue follows.

Decimal comma in Italian

Italian uses a comma for decimals and a dot for thousands: 1.250,50 euro means one thousand two hundred fifty euros and fifty cents. Reading it as English notation gives a wrong answer.

Inference listening question

A question asking what the speaker implies or suggests. The correct option paraphrases attitude or intention, not the literal words spoken, so literal matches are usually traps.

Nominalisation in exam texts

Nouns built from verbs or adjectives, like l'aumento from aumentare. Converting them back to verb phrases reveals the real subject and action of a long B1–B2 sentence.

Passato remoto function

The tense used in literary and historical narrative for completed past actions (nacque, fu, ebbe). It does not change meaning versus passato prossimo; it marks written narrative style.

Connector: tuttavia

A contrast connector meaning however or nevertheless. It signals that the next clause contradicts or qualifies the previous one, which is often the key to a reading comprehension item.

Connector: pertanto

A consequence connector meaning therefore. When it appears, the following clause states a result or conclusion drawn from the preceding statement.

Impersonal si in texts

Constructions like si tratta di, si può, si deve leave the agent unspecified. Answer options that name a specific person as the actor are therefore usually incorrect.

Headline present tense

Italian headlines drop articles and use the present tense for past events, e.g. Governo approva la legge. Expand the headline into a full sentence before choosing an answer.

False friend: attualmente

Attualmente means currently or at present, not actually. The English actually corresponds to in realtà or effettivamente, a common reading comprehension trap.

False friend: eventualmente

Eventualmente means possibly or if necessary, not eventually. The English eventually is rendered by alla fine or prima o poi.

Congiuntivo triggers

Expressions such as penso che, è importante che, benché, affinché, prima che and senza che require the subjunctive in the dependent clause rather than the indicative.

Sequence of tenses: congiuntivo

A present main verb takes congiuntivo presente (credo che venga); a past main verb takes congiuntivo imperfetto (credevo che venisse). Mismatching the two is a standard exam error.

Article with possessives

The definite article precedes possessives: il mio libro. Singular family nouns drop it (mia madre), except loro (il loro padre) and affectionate diminutives (la mia mamma).

Pronoun ne vs ci

Ne replaces a partitive or quantity (Ne ho due); ci replaces a place or a phrase with a/in (Ci vado). Both precede the conjugated verb or attach to an infinitive.

Più di vs più che

Use più... di before nouns and pronouns; use più... che before verbs, adjectives and prepositions, as in è più facile dire che fare.

Reflexive vs reciprocal si

Si lavano means they wash themselves; si incontrano means they meet each other. Context or the phrase l'un l'altro disambiguates the two readings.

Fixed preposition idioms

Expressions such as andare a piedi, viaggiare in treno, andare a cavallo and parlare per telefono use fixed prepositions. Changing the preposition is a frequent distractor.

Accento: e vs è

Unaccented e means and; accented è means is. Similar pairs include si/sì and ne/né, where the accent alone changes the word and the sentence meaning.

Formal Lei pronouns

Formal address pairs Lei with third-person verbs and the pronouns La, Lo and Le: Le posso chiedere...? Informal address uses tu with second-person forms throughout.

Scusi vs scusa

Scusi is the formal form used to apologise or attract attention; scusa is informal. Permesso is said specifically when asking to pass through a space.

Conditional politeness

Requests soften with the conditional: Potrebbe...?, Vorrei..., Mi piacerebbe... The bare imperative reads as a command and is inappropriate in formal contexts.

Refusal pattern

A polite refusal moves through appreciation (Grazie mille), regret (Purtroppo), a reason (perché...) and often an alternative (Magari la prossima volta).

Prego and figurati

Prego answers thanks or invites someone in; figurati (formal figuratevi) means don't mention it. Ci mancherebbe conveys of course or not at all.

Discourse markers

Allora opens a turn, comunque shifts topic, insomma summarises, appunto confirms and dunque concludes. Recognising them helps follow the structure of a dialogue.

Email openings and closings

Gentile plus surname, or Gentilissimo without a name, opens a formal email. Cordiali saluti is formal, Un caro saluto semi-formal, A presto informal.

Indirect speech deixis

Reported speech shifts time and place words: domani becomes l'indomani, qui becomes lì, adesso becomes allora, often with a tense shift to imperfetto or condizionale.

Regions with special autonomy

Five Italian regions hold special autonomy under constitutional statute: Valle d'Aosta, Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sicilia and Sardegna. Italy has twenty regions in total.

Festa della Repubblica

Celebrated on 2 June, it marks the 1946 referendum that established the Republic. The Constitution itself took effect on 1 January 1948.

Italian school stages

Scuola dell'infanzia (3–6), primaria (6–11), secondaria di I grado (11–14), secondaria di II grado (14–19), then università. Compulsory schooling covers roughly ages 6 to 16.

Protected minority languages

Law 482/1999 recognises historical minority languages including friulano, sardo, ladino, sloveno and tedesco, the last spoken in Alto Adige alongside Italian and German official use.