Many of the students of Italian, especially the beginner’s have a tendency to stick with what they are familiar with. Once the beginners learn the three modal verbs, which include potere, which means to be able to or can, they will then come up with many sentences beginning with the word “Posse….? attempting to sound tactful, when the verb riuscire, which means to succeed, to manage, to be able, is a more accurate verb. This is a quirk which will identify the speaker as a person for whom English is their madrelingua meaning native tongue.
For those students who are studying English as their second language, it may seem as if there is no rhythm or reason for the use of prepositions. For those who are studying Italian, they seem to have the same problem. As a student of Italian you will need to reconcile the fact that just as in English, there are few rules and many exceptions when it comes to the use of prepositions in Italian. By accepting that fact as soon as you possibly can, you will be able to move forward in the process of learning the language much quicker. There is one sure way to approach the prepositions and that is to commit to memory the use of the simple prepositions, such as a, con, da, di, in, per, su and tra and fra, which are interchangeable.
For a person reasonably fluent in the English language as a second language, there are certain usages of words and phrases you will never hear them speak, such as replacing the word says with the word goes. There are several other words and phrases, which are not part of the formal English grammar but are used commonly by us during casual conversations. You will not find these phrases or the improper usage of words in the formal or the written language.
Italian is not that different. There are several words and phrases in Italian, which have minimal meaning in the language, but serve important functions within the language. When a person is having a conversation and never uses those words sound slightly overly formal. The words are difficult to translate, but mastering them will make you sound as if you fit into the norm.
Scott Wells suggests: http://www.allthingspondered.com/2132/ to discover more about learning the Italian language.
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