Grammatica Inglese — Guida completa
Tempi verbali, condizionali, modali e inglese parlato. Pensata per memorizzare e ripassare velocemente.
Come leggere la guida
Formula / schema
Quando usarlo
Inglese parlato
Casi particolari
Errori comuni
Per ogni tempo verbale trovi: la formula (affermativa, negativa, interrogativa, risposte brevi), i casi particolari (terza persona, spelling, irregolari), quando usarlo, l'alternativa nel parlato e una tabella con 50+ esempi mix work/personal in 3 colonne: forma grammaticale, versione spoken, traduzione.
Inglese parlato: panoramica
L'inglese parlato non viola la grammatica: la comprime. Le regole formali rimangono valide, ma nel parlato quotidiano si verifica:
- Uso massiccio di contrazioni:
I have→I've,do not→don't - Riduzioni fonetiche:
going to→ gonna,want to→ wanna,got to→ gotta,let me→ lemme - Sostituzione dei tempi complessi con tempi semplici (specie l'americano:
I just finishedal posto diI've just finished) - Tempi quasi assenti nel parlato: Future Perfect Continuous e Past Perfect Continuous, spesso sostituiti dai loro corrispettivi semplici
- Risposte brevi:
Are you coming?→ Yeah, Nope, Yep, Sure
⚠️ Attenzione: scrittura formale
Contrazioni come gonna, wanna, gotta, ain't, dunno NON vanno usate in email di lavoro, documenti, esami o scrittura formale. Sono accettate in chat, messaggi, social, conversazione informale.
Contrazioni informali (cheat sheet)
| Forma piena | Spoken | Esempio | Registro |
|---|---|---|---|
| going to | gonna | I'm gonna call him. | informale |
| want to / want a | wanna | I wanna go home. | informale |
| got to / have got to | gotta | I gotta finish this. | informale |
| have to | hafta | I hafta leave now. | molto informale |
| has to | hasta | She hasta work late. | molto informale |
| let me | lemme | Lemme check. | informale |
| give me | gimme | Gimme a second. | informale |
| got you / got it | gotcha | Gotcha, thanks! | informale |
| kind of / sort of | kinda / sorta | I'm kinda tired. | informale |
| out of | outta | I'm outta time. | informale |
| a lot of | lotta | I have lotta work. | informale |
| don't know | dunno | I dunno where it is. | informale |
| you | ya | See ya tomorrow. | informale |
| did you | didja | Didja see that? | molto informale |
| what are you | whatcha | Whatcha doin'? | molto informale |
| am not / is not / are not / have not | ain't | I ain't going. (dialettale/colloquiale) | molto informale / dialettale |
| could have / would have / should have | coulda / woulda / shoulda | I shoulda told you. | informale |
| because | 'cause / cuz | Cuz I said so. | informale |
| them | 'em | Tell 'em I'll be late. | informale |
Present Simple
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + V (base) | 3ª pers. sing: V + -s/-es | I work. / She works. |
| Negativa | S + do/does + not + V | I don't work. / She doesn't work. |
| Interrogativa | Do/Does + S + V? | Do you work? / Does she work? |
| Risposte brevi | Yes, S + do/does. | No, S + don't/doesn't. | Yes, I do. / No, she doesn't. |
| Wh- question | Wh- + do/does + S + V? | Where do you work? |
⚠️ Casi particolari (3ª persona singolare)
- Verbi che finiscono in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o → aggiungi -es:
watch → watches,go → goes,do → does,fix → fixes - Verbi che finiscono in consonante + y → y → ies:
study → studies,fly → flies(maplay → plays, vocale + y resta uguale) - Irregolari:
have → has,be → is/am/are,do → does
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Abitudini e routine: I drink coffee every morning.
- Fatti permanenti / verità generali: Water boils at 100°C.
- Stati e situazioni durature: She lives in Rome.
- Orari, programmi fissi: The train leaves at 6.
- Avverbi tipici:
always, often, usually, sometimes, rarely, never, every day, on Mondays
🗣 Inglese parlato
Il Present Simple è usato esattamente come nella forma scritta. Tipiche contrazioni: do not → don't, does not → doesn't. Nelle domande veloci la d di do spesso si fonde: Do you...? → D'you...?, Does he...? → 'Zee...?
❌ Errori comuni
- She don't work → She doesn't work
- Does she works? → Does she work? (il verbo principale resta base)
- I am work → I work (no to be con verbo)
📋 50+ esempi (Q = domanda, A = risposta)
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken English | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Do you work from home on Fridays? | D'you work from home on Fridays? | Lavori da casa il venerdì? |
| workA Yes, I work remotely twice a week. | Yeah, I work remote twice a week. | Sì, lavoro da remoto due volte a settimana. |
| workQ What time does the meeting start? | What time's the meeting start? | A che ora inizia la riunione? |
| workA It starts at 9 sharp. | Starts at 9 sharp. | Inizia alle 9 in punto. |
| workQ Does Mark handle the client accounts? | Does Mark handle the client stuff? | Mark si occupa dei clienti? |
| workA Yes, he does. He manages the top three. | Yep, he handles the top three. | Sì, gestisce i primi tre. |
| workQ Do we have a stand-up every morning? | D'we have a stand-up every morning? | Abbiamo lo stand-up ogni mattina? |
| workA Yes, at 9:30, except Fridays. | Yeah, 9:30, not Fridays. | Sì, alle 9:30, tranne il venerdì. |
| workQ Does your team use Jira or Linear? | Does your team use Jira or Linear? | Il tuo team usa Jira o Linear? |
| workA We use Linear for product, Jira for ops. | We use Linear for product, Jira for ops. | Usiamo Linear per il prodotto, Jira per ops. |
| workQ Where do you keep the shared docs? | Where d'you keep the shared docs? | Dove tieni i documenti condivisi? |
| workA In the team drive under "Specs". | Team drive, "Specs" folder. | Nel drive del team, cartella "Specs". |
| workQ Does the office close early on Fridays? | Does the office close early Fridays? | L'ufficio chiude presto il venerdì? |
| workA Yes, at 4 PM in summer. | Yeah, 4 PM in summer. | Sì, alle 16 d'estate. |
| workQ Who approves the timesheets? | Who approves timesheets? | Chi approva i timesheet? |
| workA Your direct manager does. | Your manager does. | Il tuo manager diretto. |
| workQ Do clients call you directly? | D'clients call you directly? | I clienti ti chiamano direttamente? |
| workA No, they go through support first. | Nope, they hit support first. | No, passano prima dal supporto. |
| workQ Does the company offer training budget? | Does the company give training budget? | L'azienda offre budget per la formazione? |
| workA Yes, €1,500 per person per year. | Yeah, 1.5k a year per person. | Sì, 1.500€ a testa l'anno. |
| workQ How often do you travel for work? | How often d'you travel for work? | Quanto spesso viaggi per lavoro? |
| workA About once a month. | 'Bout once a month. | Circa una volta al mese. |
| workQ Does she report to you or to David? | Does she report to you or David? | Risponde a te o a David? |
| workA She reports to me on this project. | She reports to me on this one. | Su questo progetto risponde a me. |
| workQ Do you take calls during lunch? | D'you take calls at lunch? | Prendi chiamate a pranzo? |
| workA No, I block my calendar at noon. | Nah, calendar's blocked at noon. | No, blocco il calendario a mezzogiorno. |
| personalQ Do you live near the office? | D'you live near the office? | Vivi vicino all'ufficio? |
| personalA Yes, I walk there in 15 minutes. | Yeah, 15-min walk. | Sì, ci arrivo a piedi in 15 minuti. |
| personalQ Where do your parents live? | Where d'your parents live? | Dove vivono i tuoi? |
| personalA They live in a small town in Tuscany. | Small town in Tuscany. | In un paesino in Toscana. |
| personalQ Do you play any sports? | D'you play any sports? | Fai qualche sport? |
| personalA I play tennis on Saturdays. | Tennis on Saturdays. | Gioco a tennis il sabato. |
| personalQ Does your brother work in IT too? | Does your bro work in IT too? | Anche tuo fratello lavora nell'IT? |
| personalA No, he teaches math. | Nope, he teaches math. | No, insegna matematica. |
| personalQ What time do you usually wake up? | What time d'you usually wake up? | A che ora ti svegli di solito? |
| personalA Around 7, even on weekends. | 'Round 7, even weekends. | Verso le 7, anche nei weekend. |
| personalQ Do you cook at home or eat out? | D'you cook or eat out? | Cucini a casa o mangi fuori? |
| personalA I cook most nights. | I cook most nights. | Cucino quasi tutte le sere. |
| personalQ Does it rain a lot in Milan? | Does it rain much in Milan? | Piove molto a Milano? |
| personalA Not really. Mainly in autumn. | Not really. Mainly fall. | Non molto. Soprattutto in autunno. |
| personalQ Do you speak any other languages? | D'you speak any other languages? | Parli altre lingue? |
| personalA Italian, English and some Spanish. | Italian, English, bit of Spanish. | Italiano, inglese e un po' di spagnolo. |
| personalQ Does your dog need a walk in the morning? | Does your dog need a morning walk? | Il tuo cane ha bisogno di una passeggiata la mattina? |
| personalA Yes, every day at 7. | Yep, every day at 7. | Sì, tutti i giorni alle 7. |
| personalQ How do you usually get to work? | How d'you usually get to work? | Come vai di solito al lavoro? |
| personalA By metro. It takes 20 minutes. | Metro. 20 minutes. | In metro, ci metto 20 minuti. |
| personalQ Do you read before going to bed? | D'you read before bed? | Leggi prima di dormire? |
| personalA Almost every night. | Pretty much every night. | Quasi tutte le sere. |
| personalQ Does the bakery open on Sundays? | Does the bakery open Sundays? | La panetteria apre la domenica? |
| personalA Only until 1 PM. | Only till 1. | Solo fino all'una. |
| personalQ Do they live together? | D'they live together? | Vivono insieme? |
| personalA Yes, they share a flat downtown. | Yeah, share a place downtown. | Sì, dividono un appartamento in centro. |
| personalQ Does your sister drive? | Does your sis drive? | Tua sorella guida? |
| personalA No, she prefers public transport. | Nope, prefers public transport. | No, preferisce i mezzi pubblici. |
| workQ Do you ever take Mondays off? | D'you ever take Mondays off? | Prendi mai i lunedì di ferie? |
| workA Rarely. I prefer long weekends. | Rarely. I like long weekends. | Raramente. Preferisco i weekend lunghi. |
| workQ Does the contract include overtime? | Does the contract cover overtime? | Il contratto prevede gli straordinari? |
| workA Yes, up to 10 hours per month. | Yeah, up to 10 hours a month. | Sì, fino a 10 ore al mese. |
Present Continuous
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + am/is/are + V-ing | I am working. / She is working. |
| Negativa | S + am/is/are + not + V-ing | I'm not working. / She isn't working. |
| Interrogativa | Am/Is/Are + S + V-ing? | Are you working? |
| Risposte brevi | Yes, S + am/is/are. | No, S + 'm not/isn't/aren't. | Yes, I am. / No, she isn't. |
| Wh- question | Wh- + am/is/are + S + V-ing? | What are you doing? |
⚠️ Casi particolari (spelling -ing)
- Verbi che finiscono in -e muta: si toglie la e:
make → making,write → writing - Verbi monosillabici consonante + vocale + consonante: si raddoppia la finale:
run → running,sit → sitting,get → getting - Verbi in -ie:
ie → ying:lie → lying,die → dying - Verbi statici (stative verbs) NON usano la forma in -ing:
know, like, love, want, need, believe, understand, own, belong, seem, hear, see (vedere)
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Azione in corso ORA: I'm writing an email.
- Situazione temporanea: I'm staying at a hotel this week.
- Programmi futuri già fissati: I'm meeting John tomorrow at 3.
- Cambiamenti graduali: Prices are rising.
- Critica con
always: He's always complaining! (lamentela) - Marcatori:
now, right now, at the moment, currently, this week/month, today, these days
🗣 Inglese parlato
L'-ing finale spesso diventa -in' nel parlato veloce: What are you doing? → Whatcha doin'?. Contrazioni d'obbligo: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're. Per programmi futuri il Present Continuous batte going to e will per concretezza: I'm flying to London on Tuesday suona più "definitivo" di I'll fly.
❌ Errori comuni
- I am knowing him → I know him (stative)
- She is wanting a coffee → She wants a coffee
- I doing → I am doing / I'm doing (serve sempre l'ausiliare)
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken English | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Are you working on the proposal right now? | You workin' on the proposal? | Stai lavorando alla proposta adesso? |
| workA Yes, I'm finishing the cost section. | Yeah, finishin' the costs. | Sì, sto finendo la parte costi. |
| workQ Is Sarah leading the kickoff today? | Is Sarah leadin' the kickoff? | È Sarah a condurre il kickoff oggi? |
| workA No, she's covering another call. | Nope, she's on another call. | No, sta facendo un'altra call. |
| workQ What are they discussing in there? | What're they discussin' in there? | Cosa stanno discutendo là dentro? |
| workA They're going over the Q3 numbers. | Goin' over Q3 numbers. | Stanno rivedendo i numeri del Q3. |
| workQ Are we still hiring for that role? | We still hirin' for that role? | Stiamo ancora cercando per quella posizione? |
| workA Yes, we're interviewing this week. | Yeah, interviewin' this week. | Sì, facciamo colloqui questa settimana. |
| workQ Why is he calling me at 7 AM? | Why's he callin' me at 7? | Perché mi sta chiamando alle 7? |
| workA He's probably trying to catch you before stand-up. | Probably tryin' to catch ya before stand-up. | Sta probabilmente provando a prenderti prima dello stand-up. |
| workQ Are you joining the offsite next month? | You joinin' the offsite next month? | Vieni all'offsite il mese prossimo? |
| workA Yes, I'm flying in on Sunday night. | Yeah, flyin' in Sunday night. | Sì, arrivo domenica sera. |
| workQ Is the team expanding next quarter? | Is the team growin' next quarter? | Il team si sta espandendo il prossimo trimestre? |
| workA Yes, we're adding three engineers. | Yeah, addin' three engineers. | Sì, prendiamo tre ingegneri. |
| workQ What is the client expecting from us? | What's the client expectin'? | Cosa si aspetta il cliente da noi? |
| workA A working prototype by Friday. | A workin' prototype by Friday. | Un prototipo funzionante entro venerdì. |
| workQ Are you taking notes during the call? | You takin' notes during the call? | Stai prendendo appunti durante la call? |
| workA Yes, I'm sharing the doc later. | Yeah, sharin' the doc after. | Sì, dopo condivido il documento. |
| workQ Is he always interrupting in meetings? | Is he always interruptin'? | Interrompe sempre nelle riunioni? |
| workA Honestly, yes. It's getting annoying. | Honestly, yeah. Gettin' annoying. | Onestamente sì, sta diventando fastidioso. |
| workQ Are you presenting tomorrow morning? | You presentin' tomorrow morning? | Presenti tu domani mattina? |
| workA Yes, I'm pitching to the board at 10. | Yeah, pitchin' to the board at 10. | Sì, faccio il pitch al board alle 10. |
| workQ Why are sales dropping this quarter? | Why're sales droppin' this quarter? | Perché le vendite stanno calando? |
| workA Customers are switching to a cheaper competitor. | Customers are jumpin' to a cheaper competitor. | I clienti stanno passando a un concorrente più economico. |
| workQ Is marketing running a new campaign? | Is marketing runnin' a new campaign? | Il marketing sta facendo una nuova campagna? |
| workA Yes, they're launching it on Monday. | Yeah, launchin' it Monday. | Sì, parte lunedì. |
| personalQ What are you doing tonight? | Whatcha doin' tonight? | Cosa fai stasera? |
| personalA I'm meeting some friends for dinner. | Meetin' friends for dinner. | Esco a cena con amici. |
| personalQ Are you watching that new series? | You watchin' that new series? | Stai guardando quella nuova serie? |
| personalA Yes, I'm on episode four. | Yeah, on episode 4. | Sì, sono al quarto episodio. |
| personalQ Is your son still playing football? | Is your kid still playin' football? | Tuo figlio gioca ancora a calcio? |
| personalA Yes, he's training three times a week. | Yeah, trainin' three times a week. | Sì, si allena tre volte a settimana. |
| personalQ Are you going to the gym today? | You hittin' the gym today? | Vai in palestra oggi? |
| personalA Yes, I'm leaving in 20 minutes. | Yeah, leavin' in 20. | Sì, esco fra 20 minuti. |
| personalQ Why is the baby crying? | Why's the baby cryin'? | Perché piange il bambino? |
| personalA He's teething. | He's teethin'. | Gli stanno spuntando i denti. |
| personalQ Are they still renovating the kitchen? | They still renovatin' the kitchen? | Stanno ancora ristrutturando la cucina? |
| personalA Yes, it's taking forever. | Yeah, takin' forever. | Sì, ci sta mettendo un'eternità. |
| personalQ What are you cooking? It smells amazing. | Whatcha cookin'? Smells great. | Cosa stai cucinando? Profumo buonissimo. |
| personalA I'm making lasagna. | Makin' lasagna. | Sto facendo le lasagne. |
| personalQ Is it raining outside? | Is it rainin' outside? | Sta piovendo fuori? |
| personalA It's just starting. | Just startin'. | Sta appena iniziando. |
| personalQ Are you reading anything good these days? | You readin' anything good these days? | Stai leggendo qualcosa di bello in questo periodo? |
| personalA Yes, I'm getting into sci-fi. | Yeah, gettin' into sci-fi. | Sì, mi sto appassionando alla fantascienza. |
| personalQ Is your dad feeling better? | Is your dad feelin' better? | Tuo padre sta meglio? |
| personalA Yes, he's recovering well. | Yeah, recoverin' well. | Sì, si sta riprendendo bene. |
| personalQ Are we meeting at 8 or 8:30? | We meetin' at 8 or 8:30? | Ci vediamo alle 8 o alle 8:30? |
| personalA Let's say 8:15 to be safe. | Let's say 8:15 to be safe. | Diciamo 8:15 per sicurezza. |
| personalQ What is your sister studying? | What's your sis studyin'? | Cosa studia tua sorella? |
| personalA She's doing a master's in design. | She's doin' a master's in design. | Sta facendo un master in design. |
| personalQ Are you saving for something specific? | You savin' for somethin' specific? | Stai risparmiando per qualcosa di preciso? |
| personalA Yes, I'm putting money aside for a house. | Yeah, puttin' money aside for a house. | Sì, sto mettendo da parte per una casa. |
| personalQ Is the dog eating less than usual? | Is the dog eatin' less than usual? | Il cane mangia meno del solito? |
| personalA Yes, I'm a bit worried. | Yeah, kinda worried. | Sì, sono un po' preoccupato. |
Present Perfect
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + have/has + past participle (V3) | I have worked. / She has worked. |
| Negativa | S + have/has + not + V3 | I haven't worked. / She hasn't worked. |
| Interrogativa | Have/Has + S + V3? | Have you worked? / Has she worked? |
| Risposte brevi | Yes, S + have/has. | No, S + haven't/hasn't. | Yes, I have. / No, she hasn't. |
⚠️ Casi particolari
- Il past participle (V3) dei verbi regolari = verbo + -ed. Per gli irregolari va memorizzato (vedi sezione verbi irregolari).
- Contrazioni standard:
I've, you've, he's, she's, it's, we've, they've(attenzione:he's= he is OPPURE he has — il contesto disambigua) - Con
since+ punto nel tempo (since 2020, since Monday); confor+ durata (for 3 years, for an hour)
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Esperienze di vita (senza specificare quando): I have visited Paris.
- Azione passata con risultato/rilevanza nel presente: I've lost my keys. (ora non posso entrare)
- Azione iniziata nel passato e ancora in corso: I've lived here for 5 years.
- Azione appena conclusa: I've just finished.
- Marcatori:
ever, never, already, yet, just, recently, lately, so far, for, since, this week/month/year
🗣 Inglese parlato (CRUCIALE)
Differenza British vs American: gli americani usano spesso il Past Simple al posto del Present Perfect con just, already, yet:
| British | American (spoken) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| I've just finished. | I just finished. | Ho appena finito. |
| Have you eaten yet? | Did you eat yet? ("Djeet yet?") | Hai mangiato? |
| I haven't done it yet. | I didn't do it yet. | Non l'ho ancora fatto. |
| She's already left. | She already left. | È già andata via. |
Per esperienze (Have you ever been to...?) anche gli americani usano il Present Perfect. Per durate con for/since, il Present Perfect è obbligatorio in entrambe le varietà.
❌ Errori comuni
- I have seen him yesterday → I saw him yesterday (con tempo finito → Past Simple)
- I am here since 2020 → I have been here since 2020
- I have gone to Paris (se sei tornato) → I have been to Paris.
Have been= esperienza;have gone= sei ancora lì
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale (BrE) | Spoken (AmE) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Have you finished the report? | Did you finish the report? | Hai finito il report? |
| workA Yes, I've just sent it. | Yeah, I just sent it. | Sì, l'ho appena mandato. |
| workQ Has the client approved the budget? | Did the client approve the budget yet? | Il cliente ha approvato il budget? |
| workA No, they haven't replied yet. | Nope, they didn't reply yet. | No, non hanno ancora risposto. |
| workQ How long have you worked here? | How long you been here? | Da quanto lavori qui? |
| workA I've worked here for 5 years. | I've been here 5 years. | Lavoro qui da 5 anni. |
| workQ Have you ever managed a team? | Ever managed a team? | Hai mai gestito un team? |
| workA Yes, I've led teams of up to 10. | Yeah, led teams up to 10. | Sì, ho gestito team fino a 10 persone. |
| workQ Has anyone seen the latest deck? | Anyone seen the latest deck? | Qualcuno ha visto l'ultima presentazione? |
| workA I've shared it on Slack. | I shared it on Slack. | L'ho condivisa su Slack. |
| workQ Have you already spoken to HR? | You already talked to HR? | Hai già parlato con HR? |
| workA Yes, I've discussed it with them. | Yeah, talked it over with them. | Sì, ne ho parlato con loro. |
| workQ Has the deal closed? | Did the deal close yet? | L'accordo si è chiuso? |
| workA Not yet, but we're close. | Not yet, but we're close. | Non ancora, ma siamo vicini. |
| workQ Have they hired the new CFO? | Did they hire the new CFO yet? | Hanno assunto il nuovo CFO? |
| workA Yes, she's started this Monday. | Yeah, she started Monday. | Sì, ha iniziato lunedì. |
| workQ Has the bug been fixed? | Did they fix the bug yet? | Hanno sistemato il bug? |
| workA Yes, we've deployed the patch. | Yeah, we pushed the patch. | Sì, abbiamo deployato la patch. |
| workQ How many demos have you done this month? | How many demos you done this month? | Quante demo hai fatto questo mese? |
| workA I've done about 12 so far. | 'Bout 12 so far. | Circa 12 finora. |
| workQ Have you ever worked remotely full-time? | Ever worked fully remote? | Hai mai lavorato da remoto a tempo pieno? |
| workA Yes, I've done it for two years. | Yeah, did it for two years. | Sì, l'ho fatto per due anni. |
| workQ Has the contract been signed? | Did they sign the contract yet? | Il contratto è stato firmato? |
| workA Yes, both parties have signed. | Yeah, both signed. | Sì, hanno firmato entrambe le parti. |
| workQ Have you taken any vacation this year? | You taken any vacation this year? | Hai preso ferie quest'anno? |
| workA Just a week so far. | Just a week so far. | Solo una settimana finora. |
| workQ Has the project hit any blockers? | The project hit any blockers? | Il progetto ha avuto blocchi? |
| workA We've had two so far, both solved. | Had two so far, both fixed. | Ne abbiamo avuti due, entrambi risolti. |
| personalQ Have you ever been to Japan? | Ever been to Japan? | Sei mai stato in Giappone? |
| personalA No, but I've always wanted to go. | Nope, but I've always wanted to. | No, ma ho sempre voluto andarci. |
| personalQ Have you eaten yet? | Djeet yet? / Did you eat yet? | Hai mangiato? |
| personalA Not yet, I'm starving. | Not yet, I'm starving. | Non ancora, sto morendo di fame. |
| personalQ Has Anna called you back? | Did Anna call you back yet? | Anna ti ha richiamato? |
| personalA No, she hasn't. | Nope, she didn't. | No. |
| personalQ How long have you known each other? | How long you known each other? | Da quanto vi conoscete? |
| personalA Since high school. | Since high school. | Dal liceo. |
| personalQ Have you seen the new Marvel movie? | You seen the new Marvel? | Hai visto il nuovo film Marvel? |
| personalA Not yet, no spoilers please! | Not yet, no spoilers! | Non ancora, niente spoiler! |
| personalQ Has the package arrived? | Did the package come yet? | È arrivato il pacco? |
| personalA Yes, it's just been delivered. | Yeah, just got here. | Sì, è appena arrivato. |
| personalQ Have you tried that new restaurant? | You tried that new place? | Hai provato quel nuovo ristorante? |
| personalA Yes, I've been there twice. | Yeah, been there twice. | Sì, ci sono stato due volte. |
| personalQ Has your sister moved to London yet? | Did your sis move to London yet? | Tua sorella si è trasferita a Londra? |
| personalA Yes, she's been there for 3 months. | Yeah, been there 3 months. | Sì, è là da 3 mesi. |
| personalQ Have you ever broken a bone? | Ever broken a bone? | Ti sei mai rotto un osso? |
| personalA Yes, I've broken my arm twice. | Yeah, broke my arm twice. | Sì, mi sono rotto il braccio due volte. |
| personalQ Have they bought a house yet? | Did they buy a house yet? | Hanno comprato casa? |
| personalA Not yet, they're still looking. | Not yet, still lookin'. | Non ancora, stanno ancora cercando. |
| personalQ Have you lost weight? | You lost weight? | Sei dimagrito? |
| personalA A little, I've started running. | A bit, started runnin'. | Un po', ho iniziato a correre. |
| personalQ Have you read his new book? | You read his new book? | Hai letto il suo nuovo libro? |
| personalA I've just started it. | I just started it. | L'ho appena iniziato. |
| personalQ Has it rained much this week? | Did it rain much this week? | È piovuto molto questa settimana? |
| personalA Yes, it's rained every day. | Yeah, rained every day. | Sì, è piovuto tutti i giorni. |
| personalQ Have you ever flown business class? | Ever flown business? | Hai mai volato in business? |
| personalA Once, on a long-haul. | Once, on a long-haul. | Una volta, su un lungo raggio. |
| personalQ Have you finally booked the holiday? | You finally booked the trip? | Hai finalmente prenotato la vacanza? |
| personalA Yes, we leave on the 20th. | Yeah, leavin' on the 20th. | Sì, partiamo il 20. |
Present Perfect Continuous
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + have/has + been + V-ing | I have been working. |
| Negativa | S + have/has + not + been + V-ing | I haven't been working. |
| Interrogativa | Have/Has + S + been + V-ing? | Have you been working? |
| Wh- question | Wh- + have/has + S + been + V-ing? | How long have you been waiting? |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Durata di un'azione iniziata nel passato e ancora in corso (enfasi sulla durata): I've been studying for 3 hours.
- Azione appena terminata con effetto visibile: I've been running. (sono sudato/stanco)
- Spesso con
for, since, all day, lately, recently, how long - Differenza con Present Perfect: il PPC sottolinea la durata e il processo; il PP sottolinea il risultato. I've read the book (finito) vs I've been reading the book (sto ancora leggendo)
🗣 Inglese parlato
Usato spesso. Contrazione: have been → 've been, has been → 's been. La -ing finale diventa -in': I've been workin' all day. Nel parlato americano, per azioni concluse di breve durata si tende a usare il Past Simple: I worked all day invece di I've been working all day.
❌ Errori comuni
- Stative verbs (know, like, love, want, believe) NON usano il continuous: I've been knowing him for years → I've known him for years
- Per azioni puntuali o quantità, usa il Present Perfect, non il PPC: I've been writing 3 emails → I've written 3 emails
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ How long have you been working on this? | How long you been workin' on this? | Da quanto ci stai lavorando? |
| workA I've been working on it for two weeks. | Been workin' on it two weeks. | Ci sto lavorando da due settimane. |
| workQ Have you been waiting long? | You been waitin' long? | Aspetti da molto? |
| workA About 20 minutes. | 'Bout 20 minutes. | Circa 20 minuti. |
| workQ What have you been doing all morning? | What you been doin' all morning? | Cos'hai fatto tutta la mattina? |
| workA I've been preparing the slides. | Been preparin' the slides. | Ho preparato le slide. |
| workQ Has the team been complaining about the tools? | Has the team been complainin' 'bout the tools? | Il team si è lamentato degli strumenti? |
| workA Yes, they've been asking for an upgrade. | Yeah, been askin' for an upgrade. | Sì, chiedono un upgrade. |
| workQ Have they been hiring lately? | They been hirin' lately? | Stanno assumendo ultimamente? |
| workA Yes, they've been growing fast. | Yeah, growin' fast. | Sì, stanno crescendo in fretta. |
| workQ Has the website been having issues? | Has the site been havin' issues? | Il sito sta avendo problemi? |
| workA Yes, it's been crashing all week. | Yeah, been crashin' all week. | Sì, va in crash da una settimana. |
| workQ How long has she been managing the team? | How long's she been managin' the team? | Da quanto gestisce il team? |
| workA She's been leading them since March. | Been leadin' 'em since March. | Da marzo. |
| workQ Have you been getting enough sleep? | You been gettin' enough sleep? | Stai dormendo abbastanza? |
| workA Not really, deadlines are killing me. | Not really, deadlines killin' me. | Non proprio, le scadenze mi stanno ammazzando. |
| workQ Has the system been running smoothly? | Has the system been runnin' okay? | Il sistema funziona bene? |
| workA Mostly, with minor glitches. | Mostly, few glitches. | Per lo più sì, qualche problemino. |
| workQ Have you been training the new hires? | You been trainin' the new hires? | Stai formando i nuovi assunti? |
| workA Yes, every afternoon this week. | Yeah, every afternoon this week. | Sì, ogni pomeriggio questa settimana. |
| workQ Has the boss been on your case? | Has the boss been on your case? | Il capo ti sta addosso? |
| workA A bit, he's been pushing for results. | A bit, been pushin' for results. | Un po', vuole risultati. |
| workQ Have you been keeping up with the docs? | You been keepin' up with the docs? | Stai stando al passo con la documentazione? |
| workA Trying my best. | Tryin' my best. | Ci provo. |
| workQ Has she been looking for another job? | Has she been lookin' for another job? | Sta cercando un altro lavoro? |
| workA Yes, she's been interviewing a lot. | Yeah, been interviewin' a lot. | Sì, sta facendo molti colloqui. |
| workQ Have we been losing customers? | We been losin' customers? | Stiamo perdendo clienti? |
| workA A few, but we've been winning bigger ones. | A few, but winnin' bigger ones. | Qualcuno, ma ne stiamo prendendo di più grandi. |
| workQ What have you been focusing on? | What you been focusin' on? | Su cosa ti stai concentrando? |
| workA On automating the reports. | Automatin' the reports. | Sull'automatizzare i report. |
| personalQ What have you been up to lately? | What you been up to lately? | Cos'hai combinato ultimamente? |
| personalA I've been studying for an exam. | Been studyin' for an exam. | Sto studiando per un esame. |
| personalQ Have you been sleeping well? | You been sleepin' well? | Stai dormendo bene? |
| personalA Not really, it's too hot. | Not really, too hot. | Non proprio, fa troppo caldo. |
| personalQ How long has it been raining? | How long's it been rainin'? | Da quanto piove? |
| personalA Since this morning. | Since this morning. | Da stamattina. |
| personalQ Have you been working out? | You been workin' out? | Ti stai allenando? |
| personalA Yes, three times a week. | Yeah, three times a week. | Sì, tre volte a settimana. |
| personalQ Has your back been hurting again? | Has your back been hurtin' again? | Ti fa male la schiena di nuovo? |
| personalA Yes, for a couple of weeks. | Yeah, couple weeks. | Sì, da un paio di settimane. |
| personalQ Have they been arguing a lot? | They been arguin' a lot? | Stanno litigando molto? |
| personalA Lately, yes. | Lately, yeah. | Ultimamente sì. |
| personalQ Have you been cooking more at home? | You been cookin' more at home? | Stai cucinando di più a casa? |
| personalA Yes, trying to save money. | Yeah, tryin' to save. | Sì, per risparmiare. |
| personalQ Has your dog been behaving? | Has your dog been behavin'? | Il tuo cane fa il bravo? |
| personalA Mostly, except at night. | Mostly, except at night. | Per lo più sì, tranne di notte. |
| personalQ Have you been watching that show? | You been watchin' that show? | Stai guardando quella serie? |
| personalA I've been binge-watching it. | Been bingein' it. | Me la sto vedendo tutta. |
| personalQ Has she been seeing someone? | She been seein' someone? | Sta uscendo con qualcuno? |
| personalA Yes, for about two months. | Yeah, 'bout two months. | Sì, da circa due mesi. |
| personalQ Have you been feeling stressed? | You been feelin' stressed? | Ti senti stressato? |
| personalA A little, work's been heavy. | A bit, work's been heavy. | Un po', il lavoro è pesante. |
| personalQ Have the kids been behaving at school? | The kids been behavin' at school? | I bambini si comportano bene a scuola? |
| personalA So far, so good. | So far, so good. | Per ora sì. |
| personalQ Have you been driving a lot? | You been drivin' a lot? | Stai guidando molto? |
| personalA Yes, for the new job. | Yeah, for the new job. | Sì, per il nuovo lavoro. |
| personalQ Have they been traveling much? | They been travelin' much? | Stanno viaggiando molto? |
| personalA Yes, they've been all over Asia. | Yeah, been all over Asia. | Sì, sono stati ovunque in Asia. |
Past Simple
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + V-ed (regolari) | S + V2 (irregolari) | I worked. / I went. |
| Negativa | S + did + not + V (base) | I didn't work. / I didn't go. |
| Interrogativa | Did + S + V (base)? | Did you work? / Did you go? |
| Risposte brevi | Yes, S + did. | No, S + didn't. | Yes, I did. / No, I didn't. |
| Wh- question | Wh- + did + S + V (base)? | Where did you go? |
| To be (eccezione!) | was/were diretto: I was, you were, he/she/it was, we/you/they were | I was tired. / Were you there? |
⚠️ Casi particolari
- Spelling regolari -ed: consonante + y →
ied(study → studied); -e finale → +d (love → loved); CVC monosillabo → raddoppia (stop → stopped) - Irregolari: vanno memorizzati (go → went, see → saw, take → took, write → wrote). Vedi tabella in fondo.
- Dopo
didil verbo torna SEMPRE alla forma base: Did you went? → Did you go?
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Azioni concluse in un momento definito del passato: I called him yesterday.
- Serie di azioni passate: I woke up, had coffee and left.
- Abitudini passate (alternativa a used to): When I was a kid, I played every day.
- Marcatori:
yesterday, last week/month/year, ago, in 2020, when I was...
🗣 Inglese parlato
Tempo dominante nel parlato. In AmE, sostituisce molto spesso il Present Perfect con just/already/yet: I just saw him, Did you finish yet?. did you → didja, did he → didee. Forme contratte di was/were not: wasn't, weren't.
❌ Errori comuni
- I didn't went → I didn't go
- When did you came? → When did you come?
- I have called him yesterday → I called him yesterday (tempo finito)
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Did you send the invoice yesterday? | Didja send the invoice yesterday? | Hai mandato la fattura ieri? |
| workA Yes, I sent it before lunch. | Yeah, sent it before lunch. | Sì, l'ho mandata prima di pranzo. |
| workQ Who called the client? | Who called the client? | Chi ha chiamato il cliente? |
| workA Marco did, this morning. | Marco did, this morning. | Marco, stamattina. |
| workQ When did the project start? | When'd the project start? | Quando è iniziato il progetto? |
| workA It started in January. | Started in January. | È iniziato a gennaio. |
| workQ Did you attend the conference last week? | Didja go to the conference last week? | Sei andato alla conferenza la settimana scorsa? |
| workA No, I couldn't make it. | Nope, couldn't make it. | No, non ce l'ho fatta. |
| workQ What did the CEO say in the all-hands? | What'd the CEO say in the all-hands? | Cos'ha detto il CEO all'all-hands? |
| workA She announced a new product line. | She announced a new product line. | Ha annunciato una nuova linea di prodotti. |
| workQ Did the deal go through? | Did the deal go through? | Il contratto è andato in porto? |
| workA Yes, we signed on Friday. | Yeah, signed Friday. | Sì, abbiamo firmato venerdì. |
| workQ How long did the demo last? | How long'd the demo last? | Quanto è durata la demo? |
| workA About 45 minutes. | 'Bout 45 minutes. | Circa 45 minuti. |
| workQ Did you get my Slack message? | Didja get my Slack? | Hai ricevuto il mio Slack? |
| workA Yes, I replied an hour ago. | Yeah, replied an hour ago. | Sì, ho risposto un'ora fa. |
| workQ Who organized the offsite last year? | Who organized last year's offsite? | Chi ha organizzato l'offsite l'anno scorso? |
| workA HR did, with the help of an agency. | HR did, with an agency. | HR, con l'aiuto di un'agenzia. |
| workQ Did the bug appear in production? | Did the bug hit prod? | Il bug è uscito in produzione? |
| workA Yes, two users reported it. | Yeah, two users flagged it. | Sì, due utenti l'hanno segnalato. |
| workQ Where did you meet the new VP? | Where'd you meet the new VP? | Dove hai incontrato il nuovo VP? |
| workA At the leadership offsite in May. | At the leadership offsite in May. | All'offsite della leadership a maggio. |
| workQ Did you negotiate the salary? | Didja negotiate the salary? | Hai negoziato lo stipendio? |
| workA Yes, I asked for 10% more. | Yeah, asked for 10% more. | Sì, ho chiesto il 10% in più. |
| workQ Did the team meet the deadline? | Did the team hit the deadline? | Il team ha rispettato la scadenza? |
| workA Yes, with two days to spare. | Yeah, two days early. | Sì, con due giorni di anticipo. |
| workQ Did you take notes during the call? | Didja take notes during the call? | Hai preso appunti durante la call? |
| workA Yes, I shared them on Notion. | Yeah, dropped 'em on Notion. | Sì, li ho messi su Notion. |
| personalQ What did you do last weekend? | What'd you do last weekend? | Cosa hai fatto lo scorso weekend? |
| personalA I went hiking with friends. | Went hikin' with friends. | Ho fatto un'escursione con amici. |
| personalQ Did you watch the game yesterday? | Didja watch the game? | Hai guardato la partita ieri? |
| personalA Yes, what a comeback! | Yeah, what a comeback! | Sì, che rimonta! |
| personalQ When did you move to Milan? | When'd you move to Milan? | Quando ti sei trasferito a Milano? |
| personalA Three years ago, in 2023. | Three years ago, 2023. | Tre anni fa, nel 2023. |
| personalQ Did you sleep well last night? | Didja sleep well? | Hai dormito bene stanotte? |
| personalA Not really, the dog kept barking. | Not really, dog kept barkin'. | Non proprio, il cane continuava ad abbaiare. |
| personalQ Where did you go on holiday? | Where'd you go on vacation? | Dove sei andato in vacanza? |
| personalA We spent two weeks in Greece. | Two weeks in Greece. | Due settimane in Grecia. |
| personalQ Did you enjoy the dinner? | Didja enjoy dinner? | Ti è piaciuta la cena? |
| personalA Yes, the pasta was amazing. | Yeah, pasta was amazing. | Sì, la pasta era ottima. |
| personalQ What time did you get home? | What time'd you get home? | A che ora sei arrivato a casa? |
| personalA Around midnight. | 'Round midnight. | Verso mezzanotte. |
| personalQ Did your brother pass his exam? | Did your bro pass his exam? | Tuo fratello ha passato l'esame? |
| personalA Yes, he got top marks. | Yeah, aced it. | Sì, ha preso il massimo. |
| personalQ Did you call your mum? | Didja call your mom? | Hai chiamato tua madre? |
| personalA Not yet, I'll call her tonight. | Not yet, I'll call her tonight. | Non ancora, la chiamo stasera. |
| personalQ How was the flight? | How was the flight? | Com'è stato il volo? |
| personalA It was bumpy but short. | Bumpy but short. | Turbolento ma corto. |
| personalQ Did you remember to lock the door? | Didja remember to lock up? | Ti sei ricordato di chiudere a chiave? |
| personalA Yes, I double-checked. | Yeah, double-checked. | Sì, ho ricontrollato. |
| personalQ Did you grow up in the city? | Didja grow up in the city? | Sei cresciuto in città? |
| personalA No, in a small village. | Nope, small village. | No, in un piccolo paese. |
| personalQ Did you like the movie? | Didja like the movie? | Ti è piaciuto il film? |
| personalA Not really, the ending was weak. | Not really, endin' was weak. | Non molto, il finale era debole. |
| personalQ When did you start playing guitar? | When'd you start playin' guitar? | Quando hai iniziato a suonare la chitarra? |
| personalA I started when I was 15. | Started when I was 15. | Ho iniziato a 15 anni. |
Past Continuous
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + was/were + V-ing | I was working. / We were working. |
| Negativa | S + was/were + not + V-ing | I wasn't working. / We weren't working. |
| Interrogativa | Was/Were + S + V-ing? | Were you working? |
| Wh- question | Wh- + was/were + S + V-ing? | What were you doing at 9? |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Azione in corso in un momento specifico del passato: At 9 PM I was watching TV.
- Azione lunga interrotta da una breve (combinato con Past Simple): I was cooking when the phone rang.
- Due azioni parallele in corso nel passato: While I was studying, she was reading.
- Sfondo narrativo: The sun was shining and birds were singing.
- Marcatori:
while, when, as, at that moment, at 8 PM yesterday
🗣 Inglese parlato
Molto frequente. was/were non si contrae in affermativa, ma wasn't/weren't sì in negativa. Pronuncia veloce di was she → "wuz she", were you → "wer ya". L'-ing diventa -in'.
❌ Errori comuni
- Stative verbs → niente continuous: I was knowing him → I knew him
- Confusione was/were:
I/he/she/it was,you/we/they were
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ What were you working on when I called? | What were ya workin' on when I called? | A cosa stavi lavorando quando ho chiamato? |
| workA I was reviewing the contract. | Reviewin' the contract. | Stavo rivedendo il contratto. |
| workQ Were you sleeping during the webinar? | Were ya sleepin' during the webinar? | Stavi dormendo durante il webinar? |
| workA No, but I was zoning out. | Nope, but kinda zonin' out. | No, ma stavo distraendomi. |
| workQ Was the team waiting for you? | Was the team waitin' for ya? | Il team ti stava aspettando? |
| workA Yes, I joined 5 minutes late. | Yeah, joined 5 min late. | Sì, sono entrato 5 minuti in ritardo. |
| workQ What were they discussing when you left? | What were they discussin' when ya left? | Cosa stavano discutendo quando sei uscito? |
| workA They were arguing about the budget. | Arguin' about the budget. | Stavano litigando sul budget. |
| workQ Were you taking minutes? | Were ya takin' minutes? | Stavi facendo il verbale? |
| workA No, James was. | Nope, James was. | No, lo faceva James. |
| workQ Was the system working at 3 AM? | Was the system workin' at 3 AM? | Il sistema funzionava alle 3 di notte? |
| workA No, it was down for an hour. | Nope, was down for an hour. | No, era giù da un'ora. |
| workQ Were you presenting when the fire alarm went off? | Were ya presentin' when the alarm went off? | Stavi presentando quando è suonato l'allarme? |
| workA Yes, right in the middle of slide 5. | Yeah, mid slide 5. | Sì, in mezzo alla slide 5. |
| workQ What was she saying about the new policy? | What was she sayin' 'bout the new policy? | Cosa stava dicendo sulla nuova policy? |
| workA That it was effective immediately. | That it was effective right away. | Che entrava in vigore subito. |
| workQ Were you expecting that question? | Were ya expectin' that question? | Te l'aspettavi quella domanda? |
| workA Not really, it caught me off guard. | Nope, caught me off guard. | Non proprio, mi ha colto alla sprovvista. |
| workQ Were they hiring when you applied? | Were they hirin' when ya applied? | Stavano assumendo quando hai fatto domanda? |
| workA Yes, for multiple roles. | Yeah, multiple roles. | Sì, per più ruoli. |
| workQ What was the client expecting from the demo? | What was the client expectin'? | Cosa si aspettava il cliente dalla demo? |
| workA Something simpler, honestly. | Somethin' simpler, honestly. | Qualcosa di più semplice, onestamente. |
| workQ Were you using the new dashboard? | Were ya usin' the new dashboard? | Stavi usando la nuova dashboard? |
| workA Yes, and it was crashing. | Yeah, and crashin'. | Sì, e andava in crash. |
| workQ What was happening in the office while we were away? | What was goin' on at the office while we were gone? | Cosa succedeva in ufficio mentre eravamo via? |
| workA They were renovating the third floor. | Renovatin' the third floor. | Stavano ristrutturando il terzo piano. |
| workQ Were they considering us for the role? | Were they considerin' us? | Ci stavano valutando per il ruolo? |
| workA Yes, until they went internal. | Yeah, till they went internal. | Sì, finché non hanno scelto interno. |
| personalQ What were you doing when the earthquake hit? | What were ya doin' when the quake hit? | Cosa stavi facendo durante il terremoto? |
| personalA I was taking a shower. | Takin' a shower. | Mi stavo facendo la doccia. |
| personalQ Were the kids sleeping when you got home? | Were the kids sleepin' when ya got home? | I bambini dormivano quando sei arrivato? |
| personalA Yes, finally. | Yeah, finally. | Sì, finalmente. |
| personalQ Was it raining when you left? | Was it rainin' when ya left? | Pioveva quando sei uscito? |
| personalA Pouring, actually. | Pourin', actually. | Diluviava, anzi. |
| personalQ What was she wearing at the party? | What was she wearin' at the party? | Cosa indossava alla festa? |
| personalA A red dress, she looked amazing. | Red dress, looked amazing. | Un vestito rosso, era splendida. |
| personalQ Were you driving when I called? | Were ya drivin' when I called? | Stavi guidando quando ho chiamato? |
| personalA Yes, that's why I didn't pick up. | Yeah, that's why I didn't pick up. | Sì, per quello non ho risposto. |
| personalQ What was your dog doing in the kitchen? | What was your dog doin' in the kitchen? | Cosa faceva il tuo cane in cucina? |
| personalA He was stealing food again. | Stealin' food again. | Rubava di nuovo cibo. |
| personalQ Were you listening to me? | Were ya listenin' to me? | Mi stavi ascoltando? |
| personalA Sorry, I was distracted. | Sorry, I was distracted. | Scusa, ero distratto. |
| personalQ What were you thinking about? | What were ya thinkin' about? | A cosa stavi pensando? |
| personalA About moving abroad. | 'Bout movin' abroad. | Al trasferirmi all'estero. |
| personalQ Was your phone ringing during the movie? | Was your phone ringin' during the movie? | Il telefono ti suonava durante il film? |
| personalA Yes, I forgot to silence it. | Yeah, forgot to silence it. | Sì, mi ero scordato di silenziarlo. |
| personalQ Were you laughing or crying? | Were ya laughin' or cryin'? | Stavi ridendo o piangendo? |
| personalA Both, honestly. | Both, honestly. | Entrambi, sinceramente. |
| personalQ What were your parents doing in Lisbon? | What were your folks doin' in Lisbon? | Cosa facevano i tuoi a Lisbona? |
| personalA They were visiting old friends. | Visitin' old friends. | Trovavano vecchi amici. |
| personalQ Were you waiting long at the doctor's? | Were ya waitin' long at the doc's? | Hai aspettato molto dal dottore? |
| personalA Almost two hours. | Almost two hours. | Quasi due ore. |
| personalQ What were the neighbours arguing about? | What were the neighbors arguin' about? | Su cosa litigavano i vicini? |
| personalA Something about parking. | Somethin' 'bout parking. | Qualcosa sul parcheggio. |
| personalQ Were you cooking when the guests arrived? | Were ya cookin' when guests arrived? | Stavi cucinando quando sono arrivati gli ospiti? |
| personalA Yes, dinner was almost ready. | Yeah, dinner was almost ready. | Sì, la cena era quasi pronta. |
Past Perfect
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + had + V3 (past participle) | I had worked. |
| Negativa | S + had + not + V3 | I hadn't worked. |
| Interrogativa | Had + S + V3? | Had you worked? |
| Wh- question | Wh- + had + S + V3? | What had you done? |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Azione passata avvenuta PRIMA di un'altra azione passata: When I arrived, they had already eaten.
- Reported speech per riportare il Present Perfect o il Past Simple: She said she had finished.
- Marcatori:
before, after, by the time, when, already, just, never, until then
🗣 Inglese parlato
Nel parlato veloce viene spesso sostituito dal Past Simple quando l'ordine cronologico è chiaro dal contesto. When I got there, they had already left → spesso When I got there, they'd already left oppure ancora più colloquiale When I got there, they already left. Contrazione obbligatoria: had → 'd. ATTENZIONE: 'd può essere had O would: il contesto lo distingue.
❌ Errori comuni
- Non serve il Past Perfect se le azioni sono nello stesso momento o se l'ordine è già chiaro con before/after: After I ate, I went out (entrambi past simple va bene)
- I had ate → I had eaten (V3, non V2)
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Had you finished the report before the meeting? | You'd finished the report 'fore the meeting? | Avevi finito il report prima della riunione? |
| workA Yes, I'd sent it the night before. | Yeah, sent it the night before. | Sì, l'avevo mandato la sera prima. |
| workQ What had the client done before complaining? | What'd the client done before complainin'? | Cosa aveva fatto il cliente prima di lamentarsi? |
| workA They had ignored three emails. | They'd ignored three emails. | Avevano ignorato tre email. |
| workQ Had the system already crashed when you logged in? | Had the system crashed when ya logged in? | Il sistema era già in crash quando ti sei collegato? |
| workA Yes, it had been down for an hour. | Yeah, down for an hour. | Sì, era giù da un'ora. |
| workQ By the time you joined, had they signed? | By the time ya joined, had they signed? | Quando sei arrivato, avevano firmato? |
| workA Yes, just minutes earlier. | Yeah, minutes before. | Sì, pochi minuti prima. |
| workQ Had he ever managed a remote team before? | Had he ever managed a remote team before? | Aveva mai gestito un team remoto? |
| workA No, that was his first time. | Nope, first time. | No, era la prima volta. |
| workQ What had gone wrong before the launch? | What'd gone wrong before launch? | Cosa era andato storto prima del lancio? |
| workA The QA tests had failed twice. | QA had failed twice. | I test QA erano falliti due volte. |
| workQ Had marketing prepared materials in time? | Had marketing prepped stuff in time? | Il marketing aveva preparato i materiali in tempo? |
| workA Yes, they had delivered everything. | Yeah, delivered everything. | Sì, avevano consegnato tutto. |
| workQ Had you spoken to legal before signing? | You'd talked to legal before signing? | Avevi parlato con il legale prima di firmare? |
| workA Yes, they had cleared it. | Yeah, they'd cleared it. | Sì, avevano dato l'ok. |
| workQ What had she promised the team? | What'd she promised the team? | Cosa aveva promesso al team? |
| workA A bonus if we hit the target. | Bonus if we hit target. | Un bonus se centravamo il target. |
| workQ Had you ever worked with that vendor before? | You'd ever worked with that vendor? | Avevi mai lavorato con quel fornitore? |
| workA Yes, on two projects. | Yeah, two projects. | Sì, su due progetti. |
| workQ Had they raised the issue earlier? | Had they raised it earlier? | Avevano sollevato il problema prima? |
| workA Yes, twice, but no one listened. | Yeah, twice, but no one listened. | Sì, due volte, ma nessuno ha ascoltato. |
| workQ By the deadline, had we tested everything? | By the deadline, had we tested everything? | Entro la deadline avevamo testato tutto? |
| workA Most of it, not all. | Most of it, not all. | Quasi tutto, non proprio tutto. |
| workQ Had your manager approved the plan? | Had your boss approved it? | Il tuo capo aveva approvato il piano? |
| workA Yes, the week before. | Yeah, the week before. | Sì, la settimana prima. |
| workQ Had the budget been spent by Q2? | Had the budget been spent by Q2? | Il budget era stato speso entro il Q2? |
| workA Almost 80% of it. | 'Bout 80%. | Quasi l'80%. |
| workQ What had the engineers warned us about? | What'd the engineers warned us 'bout? | Di cosa ci avevano avvisato gli ingegneri? |
| workA Scalability under heavy load. | Scalability under heavy load. | La scalabilità sotto carico. |
| personalQ Had you eaten before the movie? | You'd eaten before the movie? | Avevi mangiato prima del film? |
| personalA Yes, a quick sandwich. | Yeah, a quick sandwich. | Sì, un panino veloce. |
| personalQ Had they ever been to Italy before? | Had they ever been to Italy? | Erano mai stati in Italia? |
| personalA No, it was their first trip. | Nope, first trip. | No, era il loro primo viaggio. |
| personalQ Had you finished homework before dinner? | You'd finished homework before dinner? | Avevi finito i compiti prima di cena? |
| personalA Mostly, except math. | Mostly, except math. | Quasi tutti, tranne matematica. |
| personalQ Had the train left by the time you got there? | Had the train left by the time ya got there? | Il treno era già partito quando sei arrivato? |
| personalA Yes, by two minutes. | Yeah, two minutes. | Sì, di due minuti. |
| personalQ Had you seen the movie before? | You'd seen the movie before? | Avevi già visto il film? |
| personalA Twice, actually. | Twice, actually. | Due volte, anzi. |
| personalQ Had it stopped raining when you left? | Had it stopped rainin' when ya left? | Aveva smesso di piovere quando sei uscito? |
| personalA Yes, finally. | Yeah, finally. | Sì, finalmente. |
| personalQ What had he forgotten this time? | What'd he forgotten this time? | Cosa aveva dimenticato stavolta? |
| personalA His passport, again. | His passport, again. | Il passaporto, di nuovo. |
| personalQ Had she told you about the engagement? | Had she told ya 'bout the engagement? | Ti aveva detto del fidanzamento? |
| personalA Not until last night. | Not till last night. | Solo ieri sera. |
| personalQ Had your parents met before the wedding? | Had your parents met before the wedding? | I vostri si erano conosciuti prima del matrimonio? |
| personalA Yes, twice, briefly. | Yeah, twice, briefly. | Sì, due volte, brevemente. |
| personalQ Had the kids slept on the flight? | Had the kids slept on the flight? | I bambini avevano dormito in aereo? |
| personalA Surprisingly, yes. | Surprisingly, yeah. | Sorprendentemente, sì. |
| personalQ Had you locked the car? | You'd locked the car? | Avevi chiuso la macchina? |
| personalA I thought I had. | I thought I did. | Pensavo di sì. |
| personalQ Had they invited everyone? | Had they invited everyone? | Avevano invitato tutti? |
| personalA Just close family. | Just close family. | Solo i parenti stretti. |
| personalQ Had he finished the book by Sunday? | Had he finished the book by Sunday? | Aveva finito il libro per domenica? |
| personalA No, two chapters left. | Nope, two chapters left. | No, due capitoli alla fine. |
| personalQ Had the cat scratched the sofa again? | Had the cat scratched the sofa again? | Il gatto aveva graffiato di nuovo il divano? |
| personalA Yes, the new one this time. | Yeah, the new one this time. | Sì, quello nuovo stavolta. |
Past Perfect Continuous
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + had + been + V-ing | I had been working. |
| Negativa | S + had + not + been + V-ing | I hadn't been working. |
| Interrogativa | Had + S + been + V-ing? | Had you been working? |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Azione lunga avvenuta prima di un altro momento passato, con enfasi sulla durata: I had been working for hours when she finally called.
- Causa di una situazione passata: He was tired because he had been running.
- Spesso con
for, since, how long, all dayriferiti al passato
🗣 Inglese parlato (raro)
Tempo POCO usato nel parlato quotidiano. Viene quasi sempre sostituito dal Past Continuous o dal Past Simple quando l'ordine è chiaro. I had been waiting for an hour when he arrived → spoken: I'd been waitin' an hour when he showed up oppure ancora più semplice I was waitin' an hour when he showed up. Tipico di racconti scritti o orali strutturati, non della chiacchierata.
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken (semplificato) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ How long had you been working there when they promoted you? | How long were ya there when they promoted ya? | Da quanto lavoravi lì quando ti hanno promosso? |
| workA I'd been working there for 3 years. | Was there 3 years. | Lavoravo lì da 3 anni. |
| workQ Had you been waiting for the call? | You been waitin' for the call? | Stavi aspettando la chiamata? |
| workA Yes, all morning. | Yeah, all morning. | Sì, tutta la mattina. |
| workQ Had the team been complaining for long? | Had the team been complainin' long? | Il team si lamentava da tempo? |
| workA For months, actually. | For months, actually. | Da mesi, anzi. |
| workQ What had he been doing before he resigned? | What'd he been doin' before resigning? | Cosa faceva prima di dimettersi? |
| workA He'd been leading product. | Was leadin' product. | Guidava il prodotto. |
| workQ Had the servers been failing for a while? | Had the servers been failin' a while? | I server avevano problemi da un po'? |
| workA Yes, intermittently for weeks. | Yeah, on and off for weeks. | Sì, a intermittenza da settimane. |
| workQ Had you been preparing for that role? | You been preppin' for that role? | Ti stavi preparando per quel ruolo? |
| workA For about a year. | 'Bout a year. | Circa un anno. |
| workQ Had they been losing money for long? | Had they been losin' money long? | Perdevano soldi da tempo? |
| workA Two straight quarters. | Two straight quarters. | Due trimestri di fila. |
| workQ Had marketing been pushing this campaign? | Had marketing been pushin' this? | Il marketing spingeva su questa campagna? |
| workA Yes, for months. | Yeah, for months. | Sì, da mesi. |
| workQ Had you been considering an offer? | You been thinkin' 'bout an offer? | Stavi valutando un'offerta? |
| workA A couple of them, yes. | Couple of 'em, yeah. | Un paio, sì. |
| workQ Had the project been running over budget? | Had the project been over budget? | Il progetto sforava il budget? |
| workA Yes, since Q2. | Yeah, since Q2. | Sì, dal Q2. |
| workQ What had she been working on before the layoff? | What was she workin' on before the layoff? | Su cosa lavorava prima del licenziamento? |
| workA She'd been redesigning the website. | Was redesigning the site. | Stava ridisegnando il sito. |
| workQ Had clients been requesting that feature? | Had clients been askin' for that? | I clienti chiedevano quella feature? |
| workA Yes, for over a year. | Yeah, over a year. | Sì, da più di un anno. |
| workQ Had you been negotiating long before they accepted? | You been negotiating long? | Trattavate da tanto prima dell'accordo? |
| workA Six weeks of back-and-forth. | Six weeks of back-and-forth. | Sei settimane di tira e molla. |
| personalQ How long had you been waiting before they apologized? | How long were ya waitin' before they said sorry? | Da quanto aspettavi prima che si scusassero? |
| personalA About 40 minutes. | 'Bout 40 minutes. | Circa 40 minuti. |
| personalQ Had it been snowing all night? | Had it been snowin' all night? | Era nevicato tutta la notte? |
| personalA Non-stop. | Non-stop. | Senza sosta. |
| personalQ Had they been dating long before getting engaged? | They been datin' long before getting engaged? | Stavano insieme da molto prima del fidanzamento? |
| personalA Almost 7 years. | Almost 7 years. | Quasi 7 anni. |
| personalQ Had you been thinking about moving? | You been thinkin' 'bout moving? | Pensavi al trasferimento? |
| personalA For at least a year. | At least a year. | Almeno da un anno. |
| personalQ Had he been drinking before he drove? | Had he been drinkin' before driving? | Aveva bevuto prima di guidare? |
| personalA A glass or two. | A glass or two. | Un bicchiere o due. |
| personalQ Had the kids been arguing again? | Had the kids been arguin' again? | I bambini litigavano di nuovo? |
| personalA Yes, over the remote. | Yeah, over the remote. | Sì, per il telecomando. |
| personalQ Had you been crying? | You been cryin'? | Stavi piangendo? |
| personalA Just a little. | Just a little. | Un pochino. |
| personalQ What had she been hiding from us? | What was she hidin' from us? | Cosa ci nascondeva? |
| personalA She'd been planning a surprise party. | Was plannin' a surprise party. | Stava organizzando una festa a sorpresa. |
| personalQ Had he been smoking again? | Had he been smokin' again? | Aveva ripreso a fumare? |
| personalA Yes, secretly. | Yeah, in secret. | Sì, di nascosto. |
| personalQ Had you been feeling unwell for a while? | You been feelin' bad for a while? | Ti sentivi male da un po'? |
| personalA A couple of weeks. | Couple weeks. | Un paio di settimane. |
| personalQ Had they been arguing all evening? | They been arguin' all night? | Avevano litigato tutta la sera? |
| personalA Pretty much. | Pretty much. | Praticamente sì. |
| personalQ Had the dog been barking long? | Had the dog been barkin' long? | Il cane abbaiava da tanto? |
| personalA About 10 minutes. | 'Bout 10 minutes. | Circa 10 minuti. |
| personalQ Had you been saving for that car for long? | You been saving for that car long? | Risparmiavi per quell'auto da tanto? |
| personalA Two years and counting. | Two years and countin'. | Due anni e più. |
| personalQ Had he been training for the marathon? | He been training for the marathon? | Si allenava per la maratona? |
| personalA Six months straight. | Six months straight. | Sei mesi di fila. |
| personalQ Had they been renovating since spring? | They been renovating since spring? | Ristrutturavano dalla primavera? |
| personalA Yes, with delays. | Yeah, with delays. | Sì, con ritardi. |
Future Simple (will)
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + will + V (base) | I will call. / She will call. |
| Negativa | S + will + not + V → won't | I won't call. |
| Interrogativa | Will + S + V? | Will you call? |
| Contrazione | I'll, you'll, he'll, she'll, it'll, we'll, they'll | I'll be there. |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Decisione presa nell'istante: The phone is ringing — I'll get it!
- Previsioni: It will rain tomorrow.
- Promesse, offerte, minacce: I'll help you. / I won't tell anyone.
- Fatti futuri certi: She will be 30 next year.
- Marcatori:
tomorrow, next week, in a few days, probably, perhaps, I think, I'm sure
🗣 Inglese parlato
Contrazione obbligatoria nel parlato: I'll, you'll, he'll, won't. La forma piena I will nel parlato indica enfasi (promessa solenne). Differenza con going to: will = decisione spontanea, going to = piano preesistente. Nel parlato veloce he will → he'll → pronuncia quasi /hil/.
❌ Errori comuni
- I will to call → I will call (mai to dopo will)
- He wills come → He will come (will è invariato)
- Dopo if/when/before/after/as soon as/until riferiti al futuro NON si usa will: When I will arrive → When I arrive
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Will you send the report by Friday? | You'll send the report by Friday? | Manderai il report per venerdì? |
| workA Yes, I'll have it ready. | Yeah, I'll have it ready. | Sì, lo avrò pronto. |
| workQ Will the client accept the offer? | Will the client take the offer? | Il cliente accetterà l'offerta? |
| workA I think they will. | I think so. | Penso di sì. |
| workQ Will the new hire start on Monday? | Will the new hire start Monday? | Il nuovo assunto inizierà lunedì? |
| workA Yes, she'll be onboarded by HR. | Yeah, HR'll onboard her. | Sì, HR la accoglierà. |
| workQ Will you join the call? | You'll join the call? | Ti uniresti alla call? |
| workA Sure, I'll dial in. | Sure, I'll dial in. | Certo, mi collego. |
| workQ When will the prototype be ready? | When'll the prototype be ready? | Quando sarà pronto il prototipo? |
| workA In two weeks at most. | Two weeks max. | Massimo due settimane. |
| workQ Will the meeting run long? | Will the meeting run long? | La riunione sarà lunga? |
| workA No, I'll keep it under 30 min. | Nope, I'll keep it under 30. | No, la tengo sotto i 30 min. |
| workQ Will they raise the budget for Q4? | They'll bump the budget for Q4? | Aumenteranno il budget per il Q4? |
| workA Probably by 15%. | Prob'ly 15%. | Probabilmente del 15%. |
| workQ Will you take Friday off? | You'll take Friday off? | Ti prenderai venerdì? |
| workA Yes, I'll be back Monday. | Yeah, back Monday. | Sì, torno lunedì. |
| workQ Will marketing handle the launch? | Will marketing handle the launch? | Il marketing gestirà il lancio? |
| workA Yes, they'll own it end-to-end. | Yeah, they'll own it. | Sì, lo gestiranno end-to-end. |
| workQ Will we hit the Q4 target? | We'll hit Q4 target? | Centreremo il target del Q4? |
| workA If sales keep up, yes. | If sales keep up, yeah. | Se le vendite reggono, sì. |
| workQ Will you let me know about the decision? | You'll let me know? | Mi farai sapere della decisione? |
| workA Of course, I'll ping you. | Sure, I'll ping ya. | Certo, ti scrivo. |
| workQ Will the deadline be extended? | They'll push the deadline? | La scadenza sarà spostata? |
| workA By a week, maybe. | 'Bout a week, maybe. | Forse di una settimana. |
| workQ Will you cover for me tomorrow? | You'll cover for me tomorrow? | Mi copri domani? |
| workA No problem. | No prob. | Nessun problema. |
| workQ Will the office be closed for Christmas? | Office'll be closed for Christmas? | L'ufficio sarà chiuso a Natale? |
| workA From the 24th to the 2nd. | 24th to the 2nd. | Dal 24 al 2. |
| workQ Will he be the lead on this? | He'll lead on this? | Sarà lui il responsabile? |
| workA Yes, with junior support. | Yeah, with junior support. | Sì, con supporto junior. |
| personalQ Will you come to the wedding? | You'll come to the wedding? | Verrai al matrimonio? |
| personalA Of course, I'll be there. | Course, I'll be there. | Certo, ci sarò. |
| personalQ Will it rain tomorrow? | Will it rain tomorrow? | Pioverà domani? |
| personalA They say it will. | They say so. | Dicono di sì. |
| personalQ Will you call me later? | You'll call me later? | Mi chiami dopo? |
| personalA Yes, after dinner. | Yeah, after dinner. | Sì, dopo cena. |
| personalQ Will the kids enjoy the park? | Will the kids like the park? | Ai bambini piacerà il parco? |
| personalA Definitely, there are slides. | For sure, there's slides. | Sicuramente, ci sono scivoli. |
| personalQ Will you marry me? | Will ya marry me? | Mi sposi? |
| personalA Yes, I will! | Yes, I will! | Sì, lo voglio! |
| personalQ Will the show start on time? | Will the show start on time? | Lo spettacolo inizierà in orario? |
| personalA They usually do. | They usually do. | Di solito sì. |
| personalQ Will you pick me up at the station? | You'll pick me up at the station? | Mi prendi alla stazione? |
| personalA Sure, what time? | Sure, what time? | Certo, a che ora? |
| personalQ Will your parents be home? | Your folks'll be home? | I tuoi saranno a casa? |
| personalA Yes, they will. | Yeah, they will. | Sì. |
| personalQ Will it snow this winter? | Will it snow this winter? | Nevicherà quest'inverno? |
| personalA Probably less than last year. | Prob'ly less than last year. | Probabilmente meno dell'anno scorso. |
| personalQ Will you take the dog out? | You'll take the dog out? | Porti fuori il cane? |
| personalA I'll go in a sec. | I'll go in a sec. | Vado tra un attimo. |
| personalQ Will the flight be on time? | Will the flight be on time? | Il volo sarà in orario? |
| personalA Looks like it. | Looks like it. | Sembra di sì. |
| personalQ Will she forgive him? | She'll forgive him? | Lo perdonerà? |
| personalA Eventually, probably. | Eventually, prob'ly. | Alla fine, probabilmente. |
| personalQ Will you bring wine? | You'll bring wine? | Porti il vino? |
| personalA I'll grab a bottle. | I'll grab a bottle. | Prendo una bottiglia. |
Going to (futuro intenzionale)
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + am/is/are + going to + V | I am going to call. / She is going to call. |
| Negativa | S + am/is/are + not + going to + V | I'm not going to call. |
| Interrogativa | Am/Is/Are + S + going to + V? | Are you going to call? |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Intenzione, piano già pensato prima del momento di parlare: I'm going to study tonight.
- Previsione basata su evidenza visibile: Look at those clouds — it's going to rain.
- Differenza con will: going to = piano già fatto / evidenza; will = decisione istantanea / previsione generica
🗣 Inglese parlato (frequentissimo)
going to → gonna (riduzione fonetica standard). I'm gonna, you're gonna, he's gonna... NON si scrive in contesti formali (email lavoro, esami), ma è la pronuncia normale nel parlato di TUTTI i madrelingua. Forma negativa: I'm not gonna.... Domanda: You gonna...?
❌ Errori comuni
- I going to call → I'm going to call (serve to be)
- I'm going to going to the gym → I'm going to the gym (non confondere going to + verbo con going to + luogo: I'm going to Rome)
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken (gonna) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Are you going to apply for that position? | You gonna apply for that role? | Farai domanda per quel ruolo? |
| workA Yes, I'm going to send the CV tonight. | Yeah, I'm gonna send the CV tonight. | Sì, mando il CV stasera. |
| workQ Is the team going to work overtime? | Team gonna work overtime? | Il team farà straordinari? |
| workA Probably this week. | Prob'ly this week. | Probabilmente questa settimana. |
| workQ Are we going to launch in June? | We gonna launch in June? | Lanciamo a giugno? |
| workA That's the plan. | That's the plan. | È il piano. |
| workQ Are they going to fire him? | They gonna fire him? | Lo licenzieranno? |
| workA Looks like it. | Looks like it. | Sembra di sì. |
| workQ Is the boss going to approve this? | Boss gonna approve this? | Il capo approverà? |
| workA I think so. | I think so. | Penso di sì. |
| workQ Are you going to attend the conference? | You gonna go to the conference? | Andrai alla conferenza? |
| workA Yes, I've already booked. | Yeah, already booked. | Sì, ho già prenotato. |
| workQ Are we going to lose this client? | We gonna lose this client? | Perderemo questo cliente? |
| workA Not if we move fast. | Not if we move fast. | Non se ci muoviamo veloci. |
| workQ Is he going to lead the new initiative? | He gonna lead the new initiative? | Guiderà la nuova iniziativa? |
| workA That's what they decided. | That's what they decided. | Hanno deciso così. |
| workQ Are you going to push back on the deadline? | You gonna push back on the deadline? | Spingerai per spostare la scadenza? |
| workA Definitely, it's unrealistic. | Definitely, it's unrealistic. | Sicuramente, è irrealistica. |
| workQ Are you going to ask for a raise? | You gonna ask for a raise? | Chiederai un aumento? |
| workA Yes, at the next review. | Yeah, next review. | Sì, alla prossima review. |
| workQ Is HR going to publish the new policy? | HR gonna publish the new policy? | HR pubblicherà la nuova policy? |
| workA Yes, next Monday. | Yeah, next Monday. | Sì, lunedì prossimo. |
| workQ Are clients going to like the redesign? | Clients gonna like the redesign? | Ai clienti piacerà il redesign? |
| workA Some yes, some no. | Some yes, some no. | Ad alcuni sì, ad altri no. |
| workQ Are you going to recommend her? | You gonna recommend her? | La raccomanderai? |
| workA Absolutely, she's great. | Absolutely, she's great. | Assolutamente, è bravissima. |
| workQ Are we going to refactor the codebase? | We gonna refactor the codebase? | Faremo refactoring del codice? |
| workA In Q3, planned. | Q3, planned. | In Q3, è già pianificato. |
| personalQ Are you going to the gym today? | You goin' to the gym today? | Vai in palestra oggi? |
| personalA Yeah, after work. | Yeah, after work. | Sì, dopo il lavoro. |
| personalQ Are you going to buy that car? | You gonna buy that car? | Comprerai quella macchina? |
| personalA I'm still thinking about it. | Still thinkin'. | Ci sto pensando. |
| personalQ Is it going to rain on Saturday? | Gonna rain Saturday? | Pioverà sabato? |
| personalA The forecast says yes. | Forecast says yeah. | Le previsioni dicono di sì. |
| personalQ Are you going to learn Spanish? | You gonna learn Spanish? | Imparerai lo spagnolo? |
| personalA I'm going to take classes next month. | Gonna take classes next month. | Farò lezioni dal mese prossimo. |
| personalQ Are they going to get married? | They gonna get married? | Si sposeranno? |
| personalA Yes, in September. | Yeah, September. | Sì, a settembre. |
| personalQ Are you going to watch the match tonight? | You gonna watch the match tonight? | Guarderai la partita stasera? |
| personalA Definitely, with the boys. | Definitely, with the boys. | Assolutamente, con i ragazzi. |
| personalQ Is your sister going to move out? | Your sis gonna move out? | Tua sorella se ne andrà di casa? |
| personalA In a few months. | Few months. | Tra qualche mese. |
| personalQ Are you going to cook tonight? | You gonna cook tonight? | Cucinerai stasera? |
| personalA No, we're going to order pizza. | Nope, gonna order pizza. | No, ordiniamo la pizza. |
| personalQ Is he going to apologize? | He gonna apologize? | Si scuserà? |
| personalA I doubt it. | Doubt it. | Ne dubito. |
| personalQ Are the kids going to the zoo? | Kids goin' to the zoo? | I bambini vanno allo zoo? |
| personalA Tomorrow with school. | Tomorrow with school. | Domani con la scuola. |
| personalQ Are you going to call your mum? | You gonna call your mom? | Chiamerai tua madre? |
| personalA Tonight, for sure. | Tonight, for sure. | Stasera, sicuro. |
| personalQ Is the cat going to scratch the new sofa too? | Cat gonna scratch the new sofa too? | Il gatto graffierà anche il divano nuovo? |
| personalA Almost certainly. | Almost for sure. | Quasi sicuramente. |
| personalQ Are we going to be late? | We gonna be late? | Saremo in ritardo? |
| personalA If we don't hurry, yes. | If we don't hurry, yeah. | Se non ci sbrighiamo, sì. |
| personalQ Are you going to text her? | You gonna text her? | Le manderai un messaggio? |
| personalA Yeah, in a minute. | Yeah, in a sec. | Sì, fra un minuto. |
Future Continuous
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + will be + V-ing | I will be working. |
| Negativa | S + will not + be + V-ing → won't be V-ing | I won't be working. |
| Interrogativa | Will + S + be + V-ing? | Will you be working? |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Azione in corso in un momento specifico del futuro: At 8 PM tomorrow, I'll be flying.
- Domande gentili sui piani altrui: Will you be using the car tonight? (più gentile di Will you use...?)
- Programmi futuri previsti: I'll be seeing him next week.
🗣 Inglese parlato
Usato soprattutto per domande gentili e piani strutturati. Contrazioni standard I'll be, he'll be. Nel parlato veloce I'll be workin' all day. Per situazioni simili spesso si usa il Present Continuous: I'm flying tomorrow at 8.
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Will you be working from home tomorrow? | You'll be workin' from home tomorrow? | Lavorerai da casa domani? |
| workA Yes, I'll be on Zoom all day. | Yeah, on Zoom all day. | Sì, sarò su Zoom tutto il giorno. |
| workQ Will the team be presenting at the conference? | Team'll be presenting at the conference? | Il team presenterà alla conferenza? |
| workA Yes, on day two. | Yeah, day two. | Sì, il secondo giorno. |
| workQ Will you be needing the meeting room at 3? | You'll be needin' the room at 3? | Ti servirà la sala alle 3? |
| workA Yes, for a client call. | Yeah, client call. | Sì, per una call cliente. |
| workQ Will she be joining us for lunch? | She'll be joinin' us for lunch? | Si unirà a noi per pranzo? |
| workA She'll be in a meeting. | She'll be in a meeting. | Sarà in riunione. |
| workQ Will you be traveling next quarter? | You'll be travelin' next quarter? | Viaggerai il prossimo trimestre? |
| workA Yes, three trips planned. | Yeah, three trips planned. | Sì, tre viaggi pianificati. |
| workQ Will the team be hiring next month? | Team'll be hiring next month? | Il team assumerà il mese prossimo? |
| workA Two positions open. | Two positions open. | Due posizioni aperte. |
| workQ Will you be using the conference room all morning? | You'll be usin' the room all morning? | Userai la sala conferenze tutta la mattina? |
| workA Until 11. | Till 11. | Fino alle 11. |
| workQ Will the system be running upgrades tonight? | System'll be runnin' upgrades tonight? | Il sistema farà aggiornamenti stanotte? |
| workA From 2 to 4 AM. | 2 to 4 AM. | Dalle 2 alle 4. |
| workQ Will you be reporting to the new VP? | You'll be reportin' to the new VP? | Risponderai al nuovo VP? |
| workA Starting next month. | Starting next month. | Dal mese prossimo. |
| workQ Will marketing be running another campaign? | Marketing'll be runnin' another campaign? | Il marketing farà un'altra campagna? |
| workA Yes, in summer. | Yeah, summer. | Sì, d'estate. |
| workQ Will you be attending the retro? | You'll be at the retro? | Sarai alla retro? |
| workA Of course. | Of course. | Certo. |
| workQ Will the office be reopening soon? | Office'll be reopenin' soon? | L'ufficio riaprirà presto? |
| workA Next week, hopefully. | Next week, hopefully. | La prossima settimana, si spera. |
| workQ Will we be migrating the data on Sunday? | We'll be migratin' data on Sunday? | Migreremo i dati domenica? |
| workA Starting at midnight. | Starting at midnight. | A mezzanotte. |
| workQ Will you be sending updates to the client weekly? | You'll be sending weekly updates to the client? | Manderai aggiornamenti settimanali al cliente? |
| workA Every Friday. | Every Friday. | Ogni venerdì. |
| workQ Will he be replacing her permanently? | He'll be replacin' her permanently? | La sostituirà definitivamente? |
| workA Just for the maternity leave. | Just for maternity leave. | Solo per la maternità. |
| personalQ Will you be coming to the party? | You'll be comin' to the party? | Verrai alla festa? |
| personalA Wouldn't miss it. | Wouldn't miss it. | Non me la perderei mai. |
| personalQ Will you be using the kitchen tonight? | You'll be usin' the kitchen tonight? | Userai la cucina stasera? |
| personalA Only around 8. | Only 'round 8. | Solo verso le 8. |
| personalQ Will the kids be sleeping when you arrive? | Kids'll be sleepin' when you arrive? | I bambini dormiranno quando arrivi? |
| personalA Most likely. | Most likely. | Molto probabilmente. |
| personalQ Will you be staying long? | You'll be stayin' long? | Resterai a lungo? |
| personalA A couple of weeks. | Couple weeks. | Un paio di settimane. |
| personalQ Will it be snowing in the mountains? | Will it be snowin' in the mountains? | Nevicherà in montagna? |
| personalA Probably. | Prob'ly. | Probabilmente. |
| personalQ Will your sister be visiting at Christmas? | Sis'll be visitin' at Christmas? | Tua sorella verrà a Natale? |
| personalA Yes, for 5 days. | Yeah, 5 days. | Sì, per 5 giorni. |
| personalQ Will you be driving or flying? | You'll be drivin' or flying? | Andrai in macchina o in aereo? |
| personalA Flying, it's faster. | Flying, it's faster. | In aereo, è più veloce. |
| personalQ Will the dog be staying with you? | Dog'll be stayin' with ya? | Il cane resterà con te? |
| personalA Yes, while they're away. | Yeah, while they're away. | Sì, mentre sono via. |
| personalQ Will you be watching the finale tonight? | You'll be watchin' the finale tonight? | Guarderai la finale stasera? |
| personalA Of course! | Course! | Certo! |
| personalQ Will you be taking the dog out at 7? | You'll be takin' the dog out at 7? | Porterai il cane fuori alle 7? |
| personalA Yes, as usual. | Yeah, as usual. | Sì, come sempre. |
| personalQ Will they be visiting us in summer? | They'll be visitin' us in summer? | Verranno a trovarci in estate? |
| personalA Most likely in July. | Likely July. | Probabilmente a luglio. |
| personalQ Will you be cooking the turkey? | You'll be cookin' the turkey? | Cucinerai tu il tacchino? |
| personalA As always. | As always. | Come sempre. |
| personalQ Will the kids be playing outside? | Kids'll be playin' outside? | I bambini giocheranno fuori? |
| personalA If the weather holds. | If the weather holds. | Se regge il tempo. |
| personalQ Will you be running tomorrow morning? | You'll be runnin' tomorrow morning? | Correrai domani mattina? |
| personalA At 6, same as usual. | At 6, same as usual. | Alle 6, come al solito. |
Future Perfect
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + will have + V3 | I will have finished. |
| Negativa | S + won't have + V3 | I won't have finished. |
| Interrogativa | Will + S + have + V3? | Will you have finished? |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Azione che sarà conclusa entro un momento del futuro: By 6 PM, I will have finished.
- Spesso con
by, by the time, by then, before, in X years
🗣 Inglese parlato
Tempo poco frequente nel parlato. Spesso sostituito da Future Simple o Present Perfect: By Friday I'll have finished → By Friday I'll be done oppure I'll finish by Friday. Si usa quando serve enfatizzare il completamento entro un termine.
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken (semplificato) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ Will you have finished the report by Monday? | You'll be done with the report by Monday? | Avrai finito il report per lunedì? |
| workA Yes, I'll have it ready. | Yeah, I'll have it ready. | Sì, sarà pronto. |
| workQ By Friday, will we have signed the contract? | By Friday, we'll have signed? | Entro venerdì avremo firmato? |
| workA If legal agrees. | If legal agrees. | Se il legale è d'accordo. |
| workQ Will the team have hit the target by year-end? | Team'll have hit target by year-end? | Il team avrà raggiunto il target a fine anno? |
| workA Most likely. | Most likely. | Molto probabilmente. |
| workQ By next quarter, will you have shipped the feature? | By next quarter, you'll have shipped the feature? | Entro il prossimo trimestre avrai rilasciato la feature? |
| workA Yes, by mid-July. | Yeah, mid-July. | Sì, entro metà luglio. |
| workQ Will the migration have completed by Sunday? | Migration'll be done by Sunday? | La migrazione sarà completata entro domenica? |
| workA By 6 AM Monday. | By 6 AM Monday. | Entro lunedì alle 6. |
| workQ Will you have onboarded the new hires by January? | You'll have onboarded the new hires by January? | Avrai fatto onboarding ai nuovi entro gennaio? |
| workA All four of them. | All four. | Tutti e quattro. |
| workQ By next month, will sales have improved? | By next month, sales'll have improved? | Entro il prossimo mese le vendite saranno migliorate? |
| workA Hopefully by 10%. | Hopefully 10%. | Si spera del 10%. |
| workQ Will the budget have been approved before the launch? | Budget'll be approved before launch? | Il budget sarà approvato prima del lancio? |
| workA Two weeks before, planned. | Two weeks before, planned. | Due settimane prima, pianificato. |
| workQ By Q4, will we have launched in three markets? | By Q4, we'll have launched in three markets? | Entro il Q4 saremo in tre mercati? |
| workA Italy, Spain, France. | Italy, Spain, France. | Italia, Spagna, Francia. |
| workQ Will you have submitted the application by Friday? | You'll have submitted the application by Friday? | Avrai inviato la domanda entro venerdì? |
| workA Yes, well before. | Yeah, well before. | Sì, ben prima. |
| workQ Will he have completed certification by autumn? | He'll have his cert by autumn? | Avrà la certificazione per l'autunno? |
| workA Exam is in September. | Exam's in September. | L'esame è a settembre. |
| workQ By the year's end, will revenue have doubled? | By year end, revenue'll have doubled? | A fine anno il fatturato sarà raddoppiato? |
| workA If we keep this pace. | If we keep this pace. | Se manteniamo questo ritmo. |
| workQ Will the audit have ended by next week? | Audit'll be done by next week? | L'audit sarà finito la prossima settimana? |
| workA By Thursday, fingers crossed. | By Thursday, fingers crossed. | Entro giovedì, incrociamo le dita. |
| workQ Will you have replied to all clients? | You'll have replied to all clients? | Avrai risposto a tutti i clienti? |
| workA By end of day. | By EOD. | Entro fine giornata. |
| personalQ By next year, will you have moved? | By next year, you'll have moved? | L'anno prossimo ti sarai trasferito? |
| personalA Yes, hopefully to Berlin. | Yeah, hopefully Berlin. | Sì, spero a Berlino. |
| personalQ By 30, will you have bought a house? | By 30, you'll have bought a house? | A 30 anni avrai comprato casa? |
| personalA That's the goal. | That's the goal. | È l'obiettivo. |
| personalQ Will the kids have finished homework by 7? | Kids'll have finished homework by 7? | I bambini avranno finito i compiti per le 7? |
| personalA If they focus. | If they focus. | Se si concentrano. |
| personalQ By Sunday, will we have packed everything? | By Sunday, we'll have packed everything? | Entro domenica avremo imballato tutto? |
| personalA Almost everything. | Almost. | Quasi tutto. |
| personalQ Will they have arrived by midnight? | They'll be here by midnight? | Saranno arrivati per mezzanotte? |
| personalA Around 11. | 'Round 11. | Verso le 11. |
| personalQ Will you have learned Spanish in a year? | You'll have learned Spanish in a year? | In un anno avrai imparato lo spagnolo? |
| personalA At least conversational level. | At least conversational. | Almeno livello conversazione. |
| personalQ By next summer, will you have finished your master's? | By next summer, you'll have finished your master's? | L'estate prossima avrai finito il master? |
| personalA Defense in June. | Defense in June. | Discussione a giugno. |
| personalQ Will the parcel have arrived by Tuesday? | Parcel'll be here by Tuesday? | Il pacco arriverà entro martedì? |
| personalA They promised it would. | They promised. | L'hanno promesso. |
| personalQ By 40, will you have travelled to all continents? | By 40, you'll have been to all continents? | A 40 anni avrai girato tutti i continenti? |
| personalA One left: Antarctica. | One left: Antarctica. | Ne manca uno: l'Antartide. |
| personalQ Will the renovation have finished by Christmas? | Renovation'll be done by Christmas? | I lavori finiranno per Natale? |
| personalA Likely yes. | Likely. | Probabilmente sì. |
| personalQ Will you have read the book by book club? | You'll have read the book by book club? | Avrai letto il libro per il book club? |
| personalA Cutting it close. | Cutting it close. | Per un pelo. |
| personalQ Will you have saved enough by next year? | You'll have saved enough by next year? | Avrai risparmiato abbastanza per l'anno prossimo? |
| personalA For a deposit, yes. | For a deposit, yeah. | Per un acconto, sì. |
| personalQ Will they have made up by then? | They'll have made up by then? | Saranno tornati amici per allora? |
| personalA Doubt it. | Doubt it. | Ne dubito. |
| personalQ Will you have decided by tomorrow? | You'll have decided by tomorrow? | Avrai deciso entro domani? |
| personalA Need more time. | Need more time. | Mi serve più tempo. |
Future Perfect Continuous
📐 Formula
| Forma | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Affermativa | S + will have been + V-ing | I will have been working. |
| Negativa | S + won't have been + V-ing | I won't have been working. |
| Interrogativa | Will + S + have been + V-ing? | Will you have been working? |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Durata di un'azione che continuerà fino a un punto del futuro: By June I will have been working here for 10 years.
- Quasi sempre con for + durata e by + momento futuro
🗣 Inglese parlato (rarissimo)
Il tempo verbale meno usato nel parlato quotidiano. Cambridge stessa lo definisce raro nella conversazione. Quasi sempre sostituito dal Future Perfect o dal Present Perfect: By June I'll have been working here for 10 years → In June I'll have worked here 10 years oppure In June it'll be 10 years here. Usalo solo se vuoi davvero enfatizzare la durata di un'azione continua.
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken (semplificato) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| workQ By June, how long will you have been working here? | By June, how long you been here? | A giugno, da quanto sarai qui? |
| workA I'll have been working here for 10 years. | I'll have been here 10 years. | Saranno 10 anni. |
| workQ Will you have been managing the team for a year by then? | You'll have been managin' the team a year by then? | Avrai gestito il team per un anno entro allora? |
| workA Just over a year. | Just over a year. | Poco più di un anno. |
| workQ Will the team have been working overtime for weeks by launch? | Team'll have been workin' overtime for weeks by launch? | Il team farà straordinari da settimane al lancio? |
| workA About six weeks. | 'Bout six weeks. | Circa sei settimane. |
| workQ By Friday, will we have been negotiating for a month? | By Friday, we'll have been negotiating a month? | Entro venerdì negozieremo da un mese? |
| workA Five weeks exactly. | Five weeks exactly. | Esattamente cinque settimane. |
| workQ Will the system have been running tests all night? | System'll have been runnin' tests all night? | Il sistema avrà girato i test tutta la notte? |
| workA From 10 PM. | From 10 PM. | Dalle 22. |
| workQ By December, how long will she have been leading the project? | By December, how long's she been leadin' the project? | A dicembre, da quanto guida il progetto? |
| workA Two and a half years. | Two and a half years. | Due anni e mezzo. |
| workQ Will you have been studying for the certification for 6 months? | You'll have been studyin' for the cert 6 months? | Avrai studiato per la certificazione per 6 mesi? |
| workA A bit more. | A bit more. | Qualcosa di più. |
| workQ Will the office have been operating remotely for a year? | Office'll have been remote for a year? | L'ufficio sarà stato in remoto per un anno? |
| workA Yes, since last March. | Yeah, since last March. | Sì, da marzo scorso. |
| workQ By the time he retires, how long will he have been working here? | By the time he retires, how long he been here? | Quando andrà in pensione, da quanto avrà lavorato qui? |
| workA 35 years straight. | 35 years straight. | 35 anni di fila. |
| workQ Will marketing have been planning this for months by launch? | Marketing'll have been planning this for months by launch? | Il marketing pianificherà da mesi al lancio? |
| workA Yes, since January. | Yeah, since January. | Sì, da gennaio. |
| workQ Will the team have been using the new tool for a quarter? | Team'll have been on the new tool a quarter? | Il team avrà usato il nuovo tool per un trimestre? |
| workA First full quarter. | First full quarter. | Primo trimestre intero. |
| workQ By summer, will you have been training the team for 3 months? | By summer, you'll have been training the team 3 months? | Entro l'estate avrai allenato il team per 3 mesi? |
| workA Twice a week. | Twice a week. | Due volte a settimana. |
| personalQ By next month, how long will you have been dating? | By next month, how long you been datin'? | Da quanto vi frequenterete il mese prossimo? |
| personalA One year. | One year. | Un anno. |
| personalQ Will you have been living in Milan for 5 years by 2027? | By 2027, you'll have lived in Milan 5 years? | Entro il 2027 vivrai a Milano da 5 anni? |
| personalA Five and a half. | Five and a half. | Cinque e mezzo. |
| personalQ Will they have been married for 20 years next month? | They'll have been married 20 years next month? | Saranno sposati da 20 anni il mese prossimo? |
| personalA Yes, big anniversary. | Yeah, big anniversary. | Sì, grande anniversario. |
| personalQ By tonight, will it have been raining for 12 hours? | By tonight, it'll have rained 12 hours? | Stasera avrà piovuto per 12 ore? |
| personalA At this rate, yes. | At this rate, yeah. | Di questo passo, sì. |
| personalQ Will you have been driving for 10 hours straight? | You'll have been drivin' 10 hours straight? | Avrai guidato per 10 ore di fila? |
| personalA With short breaks. | With short breaks. | Con piccole pause. |
| personalQ By June, will you have been training for the marathon for a year? | By June, you'll have been training for the marathon a year? | A giugno avrai preparato la maratona per un anno? |
| personalA Exactly one year. | Exactly one year. | Esattamente un anno. |
| personalQ Will the kids have been studying for hours by dinner? | Kids'll have been studyin' hours by dinner? | I bambini avranno studiato per ore entro cena? |
| personalA Most of the afternoon. | Most of the afternoon. | Quasi tutto il pomeriggio. |
| personalQ By 2030, will you have been working from home for a decade? | By 2030, you'll have worked from home a decade? | Entro il 2030 lavorerai da casa da un decennio? |
| personalA If nothing changes. | If nothing changes. | Se non cambia nulla. |
| personalQ Will she have been singing in the choir for 15 years? | She'll have been singin' in the choir 15 years? | Avrà cantato nel coro per 15 anni? |
| personalA Since she was 12. | Since she was 12. | Da quando aveva 12 anni. |
| personalQ By next year, will you have been saving for the trip for two years? | By next year, you'll have saved for the trip two years? | L'anno prossimo avrai risparmiato per il viaggio per due anni? |
| personalA Two full years. | Two full years. | Due anni interi. |
| personalQ Will the dog have been waiting at the door for an hour? | Dog'll have been waitin' at the door an hour? | Il cane avrà aspettato alla porta per un'ora? |
| personalA Probably more. | Prob'ly more. | Probabilmente di più. |
| personalQ By spring, will you have been learning piano for 6 months? | By spring, you'll have learned piano 6 months? | In primavera studierai pianoforte da 6 mesi? |
| personalA Slow progress though. | Slow progress though. | Progressi lenti però. |
| personalQ Will they have been renovating that house for two years? | They'll have been renovatin' that house two years? | Avranno ristrutturato quella casa per due anni? |
| personalA Started in 2024. | Started in 2024. | Iniziato nel 2024. |
| personalQ By Christmas, will you have been studying English for a year? | By Christmas, you'll have studied English a year? | A Natale avrai studiato inglese per un anno? |
| personalA Daily practice. | Daily practice. | Pratica quotidiana. |
| personalQ Will you have been waiting long when I arrive? | You'll have been waitin' long when I get there? | Avrai aspettato molto quando arrivo? |
| personalA Just got here. | Just got here. | Appena arrivato. |
Condizionali — Panoramica
📐 Tabella riassuntiva dei 5 condizionali
| Tipo | Struttura | Uso |
|---|---|---|
| Zero | If + Present Simple, Present Simple | Verità generali, leggi di natura, conseguenze automatiche |
| First | If + Present Simple, will + V | Possibilità reali nel futuro |
| Second | If + Past Simple, would + V | Situazioni ipotetiche presenti/future (irreali o improbabili) |
| Third | If + Past Perfect, would have + V3 | Situazioni ipotetiche passate (irreali, mai accadute) |
| Mixed | If + Past Perfect, would + Voppure If + Past Simple, would have + V3 | Mix tra passato irreale e presente/passato |
⚠️ Regola d'oro
L'ordine delle clausole può essere invertito: If I were rich, I would travel = I would travel if I were rich. Nel primo caso serve la virgola, nel secondo no.
Dopo if NON si usano will o would (se non in casi speciali di cortesia/insistenza).
Zero Conditional
📐 Formula
If + Present Simple, Present Simple • If you heat water, it boils.
Alternative: when al posto di if: When you press this button, the machine starts.
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Verità generali e leggi di natura: If you don't water plants, they die.
- Conseguenze automatiche / istruzioni: If the alarm goes off, leave the building.
- Abitudini condizionate: If I'm tired, I go to bed early.
🗣 Spoken
Identico in scritto e parlato. Si scambia con when quando la conseguenza è sempre vera: If/When I drink coffee at night, I can't sleep.
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| work If we miss the deadline, the client gets angry. | If we miss the deadline, client gets pissed. | Se manchiamo la scadenza, il cliente si arrabbia. |
| work If sales drop, bonuses shrink. | If sales drop, bonuses shrink. | Se le vendite calano, i bonus si riducono. |
| work If you push the wrong button, the system crashes. | If you hit the wrong button, system crashes. | Se premi il pulsante sbagliato, il sistema crasha. |
| work If clients pay late, we charge interest. | If clients pay late, we charge interest. | Se i clienti pagano in ritardo, addebitiamo interessi. |
| work If you arrive after 9, you sign the late book. | If you're in after 9, you sign the late book. | Se arrivi dopo le 9, firmi il registro ritardi. |
| work If sales hit target, the team gets a bonus. | If sales hit target, team gets a bonus. | Se le vendite arrivano al target, il team prende il bonus. |
| work If a server fails, the load balancer redirects traffic. | If a server fails, load balancer redirects traffic. | Se un server cade, il load balancer reindirizza. |
| work If the build breaks, CI sends an alert. | If the build breaks, CI alerts. | Se la build si rompe, CI manda un alert. |
| work If the printer is out of paper, the icon turns red. | If the printer's outta paper, icon goes red. | Se la stampante finisce la carta, l'icona diventa rossa. |
| work If we ship buggy code, support gets flooded. | If we ship buggy code, support gets flooded. | Se rilasciamo codice buggy, il supporto viene sommerso. |
| workQ What happens if a client cancels? | What happens if a client cancels? | Cosa succede se un cliente annulla? |
| workA If a client cancels, they get 50% back. | If they cancel, they get 50% back. | Se annullano, riprendono il 50%. |
| workQ What if the deal falls through? | What if the deal falls through? | E se l'accordo salta? |
| workA If it falls through, we lose the quarter. | If it falls through, we lose the quarter. | Se salta, perdiamo il trimestre. |
| work If you don't follow the SOP, audits fail. | If you skip the SOP, audits fail. | Se non segui la procedura, gli audit falliscono. |
| work If the dashboard shows red, escalate. | If the dashboard's red, escalate. | Se la dashboard è rossa, escala. |
| work If sprints are too long, focus drops. | If sprints get too long, focus drops. | Se gli sprint sono troppo lunghi, cala la concentrazione. |
| work If meetings start late, we run over. | If meetings start late, we run over. | Se le riunioni iniziano tardi, sforiamo. |
| work If you don't document, no one knows. | If you don't document, nobody knows. | Se non documenti, nessuno lo sa. |
| work If you exceed the budget, you justify it. | If you go over budget, you justify it. | Se sfori il budget, lo giustifichi. |
| work If users complain, we open a ticket. | If users complain, we open a ticket. | Se gli utenti si lamentano, apriamo un ticket. |
| work If you mute yourself, no one hears you. | If you're muted, no one hears ya. | Se sei mutato, nessuno ti sente. |
| work If a contractor stays over 12 months, they get vested. | If a contractor stays over 12 months, they get vested. | Se un consulente resta oltre 12 mesi, matura diritti. |
| work If revenue drops 10%, freeze hiring. | If revenue drops 10%, freeze hiring. | Se il fatturato cala del 10%, blocco delle assunzioni. |
| work If you escalate too early, managers ignore you. | If you escalate too early, managers tune ya out. | Se escali troppo presto, i manager ti ignorano. |
| personal If I drink coffee at night, I can't sleep. | If I drink coffee at night, can't sleep. | Se bevo caffè la sera, non dormo. |
| personal If you don't water the plants, they die. | If ya don't water the plants, they die. | Se non innaffi le piante, muoiono. |
| personal If it's sunny, we walk to work. | If it's sunny, we walk to work. | Se c'è sole, andiamo al lavoro a piedi. |
| personal If you mix red and blue, you get purple. | If ya mix red and blue, ya get purple. | Se mescoli rosso e blu, ottieni viola. |
| personal If you don't sleep enough, you get cranky. | If ya don't sleep enough, ya get cranky. | Se non dormi abbastanza, diventi insofferente. |
| personal If I eat seafood, I get sick. | If I eat seafood, I get sick. | Se mangio pesce, sto male. |
| personal If you press 2, you reach voicemail. | If ya press 2, ya get voicemail. | Se premi 2, vai alla segreteria. |
| personal If you don't lock the door, the cat escapes. | If ya don't lock the door, cat gets out. | Se non chiudi a chiave, il gatto scappa. |
| personal If the alarm rings, I wake up grumpy. | If the alarm goes, I wake up grumpy. | Se suona la sveglia, mi sveglio scontroso. |
| personal If kids skip breakfast, they're tired by 10. | If kids skip breakfast, they're tired by 10. | Se i bambini saltano la colazione, sono stanchi alle 10. |
| personalQ What happens if it rains during the picnic? | What if it rains during the picnic? | Cosa succede se piove durante il picnic? |
| personalA If it rains, we move indoors. | If it rains, we go inside. | Se piove, ci spostiamo dentro. |
| personalQ What if the kids get sick? | What if the kids get sick? | E se i bambini si ammalano? |
| personalA If they get sick, we stay home. | If they're sick, we stay home. | Se si ammalano, restiamo a casa. |
| personal If the dog hears thunder, he hides. | If the dog hears thunder, he hides. | Se il cane sente i tuoni, si nasconde. |
| personal If you exercise daily, you feel better. | If ya exercise daily, ya feel better. | Se ti alleni ogni giorno, stai meglio. |
| personal If you put metal in the microwave, it sparks. | If ya put metal in the microwave, it sparks. | Se metti metallo nel microonde, fa scintille. |
| personal If I miss the 7 AM bus, I take the metro. | If I miss the 7 bus, I take the metro. | Se perdo l'autobus delle 7, prendo la metro. |
| personal If you smile at strangers here, they smile back. | If ya smile at strangers here, they smile back. | Se sorridi agli sconosciuti qui, ti sorridono. |
| personal If you eat after 9 PM, you sleep badly. | If ya eat after 9 PM, ya sleep bad. | Se mangi dopo le 21, dormi male. |
| personal If I drink wine, I get headaches. | If I drink wine, I get headaches. | Se bevo vino, mi viene mal di testa. |
| personal If you skip the gym for a week, you feel it. | If ya skip the gym for a week, ya feel it. | Se salti la palestra per una settimana, lo senti. |
| personal If the kids see candy, they want some. | If kids see candy, they want some. | Se i bambini vedono caramelle, le vogliono. |
| personal If we order pizza, the dog gets excited. | If we order pizza, the dog gets excited. | Se ordiniamo pizza, il cane si entusiasma. |
| personal If you talk to him before coffee, he's grumpy. | If ya talk to him before coffee, he's grumpy. | Se gli parli prima del caffè, è scorbutico. |
| personal If you tickle her, she laughs. | If ya tickle her, she laughs. | Se le fai il solletico, ride. |
First Conditional
📐 Formula
If + Present Simple, will + V (base) • If it rains, I will stay home.
Varianti: may, might, can, should, must, going to al posto di will: If you study, you might pass.
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Situazioni reali e possibili nel futuro: If it rains, I'll take an umbrella.
- Promesse, minacce, avvertimenti: If you don't stop, I'll call the police.
- Patti, accordi, offerte condizionali: If you help me, I'll buy dinner.
🗣 Spoken
Contrazione 'll obbligatoria. Spesso gonna sostituisce will: If we win, we're gonna celebrate.
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| work If we close this deal, we'll get a bonus. | If we close this deal, we'll get a bonus. | Se chiudiamo l'accordo, prendiamo il bonus. |
| work If the client signs, we'll celebrate. | If client signs, we're gonna celebrate. | Se il cliente firma, festeggiamo. |
| work If you finish by 5, I'll review it tonight. | If ya finish by 5, I'll review it tonight. | Se finisci per le 5, lo guardo stasera. |
| work If you miss the demo, I'll send the recording. | If ya miss the demo, I'll send the recording. | Se perdi la demo, ti mando la registrazione. |
| work If the build fails, we'll roll back. | If the build fails, we'll roll back. | Se la build fallisce, facciamo rollback. |
| work If they accept, we'll start in June. | If they accept, we're starting in June. | Se accettano, partiamo a giugno. |
| work If I get promoted, I'll buy dinner. | If I get promoted, I'll buy dinner. | Se vengo promosso, offro la cena. |
| work If sales pick up, we'll hire two more. | If sales pick up, we'll hire two more. | Se le vendite riprendono, ne assumiamo altri due. |
| work If you escalate, I'll back you up. | If ya escalate, I'll back ya up. | Se escali, ti appoggio. |
| work If they're late, we'll start without them. | If they're late, we'll start without 'em. | Se sono in ritardo, iniziamo senza di loro. |
| workQ What will you do if they reject the offer? | What'll you do if they reject? | Cosa farai se rifiutano l'offerta? |
| workA If they reject it, I'll renegotiate. | If they reject, I'll renegotiate. | Se rifiutano, rinegozio. |
| workQ What if the launch flops? | What if launch flops? | E se il lancio è un flop? |
| workA If it flops, we'll pivot. | If it flops, we'll pivot. | Se va male, cambiamo strategia. |
| work If you train the new hire, I'll write the docs. | If ya train the new hire, I'll write docs. | Se formi il nuovo, scrivo io la documentazione. |
| work If the meeting runs over, I'll skip lunch. | If the meeting runs over, I'll skip lunch. | Se la riunione sfora, salto il pranzo. |
| work If you need help, I'll be online till 7. | If ya need help, I'll be online till 7. | Se ti serve aiuto, sono online fino alle 7. |
| work If we miss the deadline, the client will sue. | If we miss the deadline, client'll sue. | Se manchiamo la scadenza, il cliente farà causa. |
| work If you skip standup, I'll fill you in. | If ya skip standup, I'll fill ya in. | Se salti lo standup, ti aggiorno. |
| work If we don't ship by Q3, heads will roll. | If we don't ship by Q3, heads'll roll. | Se non rilasciamo per il Q3, salteranno teste. |
| work If the audit fails, we'll have to redo Q1 reports. | If the audit fails, we'll redo Q1 reports. | Se l'audit fallisce, rifacciamo i report del Q1. |
| work If they cancel the contract, we'll fight it. | If they cancel, we'll fight it. | Se annullano il contratto, lo contesteremo. |
| work If you're late again, HR will be involved. | If you're late again, HR's gettin' involved. | Se sei in ritardo di nuovo, interverrà HR. |
| work If you bring data, they'll listen. | If ya bring data, they'll listen. | Se porti dati, ti ascoltano. |
| work If the merger happens, half the team will leave. | If the merger happens, half the team's leaving. | Se la fusione avviene, mezzo team se ne va. |
| personal If you call me, I'll pick up. | If ya call me, I'll pick up. | Se mi chiami, rispondo. |
| personal If it rains, we'll cancel the picnic. | If it rains, we'll cancel the picnic. | Se piove, annulliamo il picnic. |
| personal If you cook, I'll do the dishes. | If ya cook, I'll do the dishes. | Se cucini tu, lavo io i piatti. |
| personal If we leave early, we'll beat the traffic. | If we leave early, we'll beat the traffic. | Se partiamo presto, evitiamo il traffico. |
| personal If you don't eat, you'll be hungry later. | If ya don't eat, you'll be hungry later. | Se non mangi, dopo avrai fame. |
| personal If she calls, I'll let her know. | If she calls, I'll let her know. | Se chiama, glielo dico. |
| personal If you're tired, I'll drive. | If you're tired, I'll drive. | Se sei stanco, guido io. |
| personal If we don't book now, prices will go up. | If we don't book now, prices'll go up. | Se non prenotiamo ora, i prezzi salgono. |
| personal If you don't apologize, she won't speak to you. | If ya don't apologize, she won't talk to ya. | Se non ti scusi, non ti parlerà. |
| personal If we win the lottery, we'll buy a boat. | If we win the lottery, we're buying a boat. | Se vinciamo alla lotteria, ci compriamo una barca. |
| personalQ What will you do if she says no? | What'll ya do if she says no? | Cosa farai se dice di no? |
| personalA If she says no, I'll move on. | If she says no, I'll move on. | Se dice di no, vado avanti. |
| personalQ What if the train is delayed? | What if the train's delayed? | E se il treno è in ritardo? |
| personalA If it's delayed, I'll grab a coffee. | If it's delayed, I'll grab a coffee. | Se è in ritardo, mi prendo un caffè. |
| personal If you finish the homework, you'll get ice cream. | If ya finish homework, ya get ice cream. | Se finisci i compiti, prendi il gelato. |
| personal If the kids behave, we'll go to the cinema. | If the kids behave, we'll go to the movies. | Se i bambini si comportano bene, andiamo al cinema. |
| personal If you don't sleep, you'll be miserable tomorrow. | If ya don't sleep, you'll be miserable tomorrow. | Se non dormi, domani starai male. |
| personal If we're free, we'll join you. | If we're free, we'll join ya. | Se siamo liberi, ci uniamo. |
| personal If he asks, just say yes. | If he asks, just say yes. | Se chiede, dici di sì. |
| personal If you let the dog out, lock the gate. | If ya let the dog out, lock the gate. | Se fai uscire il cane, chiudi il cancello. |
| personal If we get there early, we'll get good seats. | If we get there early, we'll get good seats. | Se arriviamo presto, prendiamo i posti buoni. |
| personal If you take the kids, I'll cook. | If ya take the kids, I'll cook. | Se prendi tu i bambini, cucino io. |
| personal If she doesn't reply by tonight, I'll text again. | If she doesn't reply tonight, I'll text again. | Se non risponde stasera, le riscrivo. |
| personal If you bring snacks, I'll bring drinks. | If ya bring snacks, I'll bring drinks. | Se porti gli snack, porto io da bere. |
| personal If we leave the window open, the cat will jump out. | If we leave the window open, cat'll jump out. | Se lasciamo la finestra aperta, il gatto salta fuori. |
| personal If you forget your jacket, you'll freeze. | If ya forget your jacket, you'll freeze. | Se dimentichi la giacca, gelerai. |
Second Conditional
📐 Formula
If + Past Simple, would + V (base) • If I had more time, I would travel.
Eccezione importante: con il verbo be si usa were per TUTTE le persone (forma del congiuntivo): If I were you, I would accept. Nel parlato veloce was è tollerato, ma were è più corretto.
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Situazioni ipotetiche, irreali o improbabili nel presente/futuro: If I won the lottery, I would quit my job.
- Consigli: If I were you, I would talk to him.
- Sogni, desideri: If I could fly, I would visit Mars.
🗣 Spoken
Contrazione standard would → 'd: I'd, you'd, he'd, she'd, we'd, they'd. Attenzione: 'd può essere would O had — contesto distingue. In AmE was al posto di were è frequentissimo nel parlato: If I was you... (ma negli esami usa were).
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| work If I were the CEO, I'd change the strategy. | If I was the CEO, I'd change the strategy. | Se fossi il CEO, cambierei strategia. |
| work If we had more budget, we'd hire two engineers. | If we had more budget, we'd hire two engineers. | Se avessimo più budget, assumeremmo due ingegneri. |
| work If they paid me 20% more, I'd stay. | If they paid me 20% more, I'd stay. | Se mi pagassero il 20% in più, resterei. |
| work If the team were bigger, we could deliver faster. | If the team was bigger, we could deliver faster. | Se il team fosse più grande, consegneremmo prima. |
| work If I knew the answer, I'd tell you. | If I knew the answer, I'd tell ya. | Se sapessi la risposta, te la direi. |
| work If we hired a designer, the product would look better. | If we hired a designer, the product'd look better. | Se assumessimo un designer, il prodotto sarebbe più bello. |
| work If I worked from home full-time, I'd save 2 hours a day. | If I worked from home full-time, I'd save 2 hours a day. | Se lavorassi da casa full-time, risparmierei 2 ore al giorno. |
| work If the boss listened more, retention would improve. | If the boss listened more, retention'd improve. | Se il capo ascoltasse di più, la retention migliorerebbe. |
| work If we had better tools, our output would double. | If we had better tools, output'd double. | Se avessimo strumenti migliori, raddoppieremmo la produzione. |
| work If I were in your shoes, I'd accept the offer. | If I was in your shoes, I'd take it. | Se fossi al tuo posto, accetterei l'offerta. |
| workQ What would you do if you got the promotion? | What'd ya do if ya got the promotion? | Cosa faresti se ti promuovessero? |
| workA I'd take it and move team. | I'd take it and switch teams. | L'accetterei e cambierei team. |
| workQ What if the company went under? | What if the company went under? | E se l'azienda fallisse? |
| workA I'd find a new job quickly. | I'd find a new job quick. | Troverei un nuovo lavoro in fretta. |
| work If clients understood our pricing, they wouldn't haggle. | If clients got our pricing, they wouldn't haggle. | Se i clienti capissero i prezzi, non tirerebbero sul prezzo. |
| work If we automated reports, we'd save 10 hours a week. | If we automated reports, we'd save 10 hours a week. | Se automatizzassimo i report, risparmieremmo 10 ore a settimana. |
| work If you had veto power, what would you change? | If ya had veto power, what'd ya change? | Se avessi potere di veto, cosa cambieresti? |
| work If meetings were shorter, productivity would skyrocket. | If meetings were shorter, productivity'd skyrocket. | Se le riunioni fossero più corte, la produttività esploderebbe. |
| work If the founder stepped down, the culture would change. | If the founder stepped down, culture'd change. | Se il founder si dimettesse, cambierebbe la cultura. |
| work If we expanded to the US, sales would triple. | If we expanded to the US, sales'd triple. | Se ci espandessimo negli USA, triplicheremmo le vendite. |
| work If I had a free month, I'd rewrite the docs. | If I had a free month, I'd rewrite docs. | Se avessi un mese libero, riscriverei la documentazione. |
| work If sales weren't seasonal, planning would be easier. | If sales weren't seasonal, planning'd be easier. | Se le vendite non fossero stagionali, pianificare sarebbe più facile. |
| work If the office had natural light, mood would improve. | If the office had natural light, mood'd improve. | Se l'ufficio avesse luce naturale, l'umore migliorerebbe. |
| work If you negotiated harder, you'd get 10% more. | If ya negotiated harder, you'd get 10% more. | Se trattassi più duro, avresti il 10% in più. |
| work If I could choose, I'd work four days a week. | If I could choose, I'd work four days a week. | Se potessi scegliere, lavorerei 4 giorni a settimana. |
| personal If I won the lottery, I'd buy a house by the sea. | If I won the lottery, I'd buy a beach house. | Se vincessi alla lotteria, comprerei casa al mare. |
| personal If I were taller, I'd play basketball. | If I was taller, I'd play basketball. | Se fossi più alto, giocherei a basket. |
| personal If you came earlier, we'd have time to chat. | If ya came earlier, we'd have time to chat. | Se venissi prima, avremmo tempo per chiacchierare. |
| personal If she really loved him, she'd stay. | If she really loved him, she'd stay. | Se lo amasse davvero, resterebbe. |
| personal If I had a dog, I'd walk every day. | If I had a dog, I'd walk every day. | Se avessi un cane, camminerei tutti i giorni. |
| personal If you spoke louder, I could hear you. | If ya spoke louder, I could hear ya. | Se parlassi più forte, ti sentirei. |
| personal If we lived closer, I'd see you every week. | If we lived closer, I'd see ya every week. | Se vivessimo più vicini, ti vedrei tutte le settimane. |
| personalQ What would you do if you had a year off? | What'd ya do with a year off? | Cosa faresti con un anno libero? |
| personalA I'd travel around Asia. | I'd travel around Asia. | Viaggerei in Asia. |
| personalQ What would you do if you could speak any language? | What'd ya do if ya could speak any language? | Cosa faresti se parlassi qualsiasi lingua? |
| personalA I'd live abroad for a year. | I'd live abroad for a year. | Vivrei all'estero per un anno. |
| personal If I were you, I'd take the offer. | If I was you, I'd take it. | Se fossi in te, accetterei. |
| personal If we had kids, we'd need a bigger flat. | If we had kids, we'd need a bigger flat. | Se avessimo figli, ci servirebbe una casa più grande. |
| personal If you were nicer, more people would like you. | If ya were nicer, more people'd like ya. | Se fossi più gentile, ti vorrebbero più persone. |
| personal If I could choose any career, I'd be a writer. | If I could pick any career, I'd be a writer. | Se potessi scegliere una carriera, farei lo scrittore. |
| personal If you slept earlier, you'd feel better. | If ya slept earlier, you'd feel better. | Se dormissi prima, staresti meglio. |
| personal If she didn't smoke, she'd run faster. | If she didn't smoke, she'd run faster. | Se non fumasse, correrebbe più veloce. |
| personal If they invited us, we'd go. | If they invited us, we'd go. | Se ci invitassero, andremmo. |
| personal If I could time-travel, I'd visit the 70s. | If I could time-travel, I'd visit the 70s. | Se potessi viaggiare nel tempo, andrei negli anni '70. |
| personal If you cooked more, we'd eat better. | If ya cooked more, we'd eat better. | Se cucinassi di più, mangeremmo meglio. |
| personal If I had a chef, I'd never eat out. | If I had a chef, I'd never eat out. | Se avessi uno chef, non mangerei mai fuori. |
| personal If you trained more, you'd run a marathon. | If ya trained more, you'd run a marathon. | Se ti allenassi di più, faresti una maratona. |
| personal If we moved to the countryside, life would be slower. | If we moved to the country, life'd be slower. | Se ci trasferissimo in campagna, la vita sarebbe più lenta. |
| personal If you texted her, she'd reply. | If ya texted her, she'd reply. | Se le scrivessi, risponderebbe. |
| personal If you ate less sugar, you'd lose weight. | If ya ate less sugar, you'd lose weight. | Se mangiassi meno zucchero, dimagriresti. |
| personal If they had a pet, they'd be happier. | If they had a pet, they'd be happier. | Se avessero un animale, sarebbero più felici. |
Third Conditional
📐 Formula
If + Past Perfect, would have + V3 (past participle) • If I had studied, I would have passed.
Varianti: could have, might have, should have: If you had told me, I could have helped.
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Situazioni ipotetiche del passato che NON sono avvenute: If I had taken the early train, I would have arrived on time. (ma non l'hai preso)
- Rimpianti, recriminazioni: If you had listened, this wouldn't have happened.
🗣 Spoken (CRUCIALE)
Nel parlato veloce: would have → would've → suona "woulda" /ˈwʊdə/. Stessa cosa per could have → coulda, should have → shoulda, might have → mighta. ERRORE COMUNE dei madrelingua: scrivere "would of" al posto di would have perché suona uguale. NON farlo. had → 'd: If I'd known, I would've called.
❌ Errori comuni
- If I would have known → If I had known (mai would dopo if)
- I would of gone → I would have gone (mai of)
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken (woulda / coulda / shoulda) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| work If I had taken the job, I would have moved to NYC. | If I'd taken the job, I woulda moved to NYC. | Se avessi accettato il lavoro, mi sarei trasferito a NY. |
| work If we had hired her, we would have won the contract. | If we'd hired her, we woulda won the contract. | Se l'avessimo assunta, avremmo vinto il contratto. |
| work If they had warned us, we could have prepared. | If they'd warned us, we coulda prepped. | Se ci avessero avvisato, avremmo potuto prepararci. |
| work If you had asked, I would have helped. | If ya'd asked, I woulda helped. | Se avessi chiesto, ti avrei aiutato. |
| work If the deal had closed, we would have hit target. | If the deal'd closed, we woulda hit target. | Se l'accordo si fosse chiuso, avremmo centrato il target. |
| work If I had known about the bug, I would have rolled back. | If I'da known 'bout the bug, I woulda rolled back. | Se avessi saputo del bug, avrei fatto rollback. |
| work If we hadn't outsourced, we would have saved money. | If we hadn't outsourced, we woulda saved money. | Se non avessimo dato in outsourcing, avremmo risparmiato. |
| work If marketing had launched earlier, sales would have been higher. | If marketing'd launched earlier, sales woulda been higher. | Se il marketing avesse lanciato prima, le vendite sarebbero state più alte. |
| work If you had documented, the next team would have understood. | If ya'd documented, the next team woulda understood. | Se avessi documentato, il team successivo avrebbe capito. |
| work If we had tested more, we wouldn't have shipped broken code. | If we'd tested more, we wouldn'ta shipped broken code. | Se avessimo testato di più, non avremmo rilasciato codice rotto. |
| workQ What would have happened if the deal had failed? | What woulda happened if the deal'd failed? | Cosa sarebbe successo se l'accordo fosse saltato? |
| workA We would have had layoffs. | We woulda had layoffs. | Avremmo avuto licenziamenti. |
| workQ What if you had taken the other offer? | What if ya'd taken the other offer? | E se avessi accettato l'altra offerta? |
| workA I would have earned more, but hated the team. | I woulda earned more, but hated the team. | Avrei guadagnato di più ma odiato il team. |
| work If you had answered my email, we wouldn't have lost the client. | If ya'd answered my email, we wouldn'ta lost the client. | Se avessi risposto alla mia email, non avremmo perso il cliente. |
| work If the budget had been bigger, we would have hired senior staff. | If the budget'da been bigger, we woulda hired senior staff. | Se il budget fosse stato più grande, avremmo assunto senior. |
| work If you had pushed harder, you would have got the raise. | If ya'd pushed harder, you woulda got the raise. | Se avessi insistito di più, avresti avuto l'aumento. |
| work If she hadn't left, she would have been promoted. | If she hadn't left, she woulda been promoted. | Se non se ne fosse andata, sarebbe stata promossa. |
| work If we had pivoted earlier, we would have survived. | If we'd pivoted earlier, we woulda survived. | Se avessimo cambiato strategia prima, saremmo sopravvissuti. |
| work If I had been at the meeting, I would have spoken up. | If I'da been at the meeting, I woulda spoken up. | Se fossi stato alla riunione, avrei detto la mia. |
| work If they had read the brief, they wouldn't have asked. | If they'd read the brief, they wouldn'ta asked. | Se avessero letto il brief, non avrebbero chiesto. |
| work If we had backed up, we wouldn't have lost the data. | If we'd backed up, we wouldn'ta lost the data. | Se avessimo fatto backup, non avremmo perso i dati. |
| work If the project hadn't been delayed, we would have shipped in May. | If the project hadn't been delayed, we woulda shipped in May. | Se il progetto non fosse stato ritardato, avremmo rilasciato a maggio. |
| work If you had called me, I would have explained. | If ya'd called me, I woulda explained. | Se mi avessi chiamato, ti avrei spiegato. |
| work If they had been more flexible, I would have stayed. | If they'd been more flexible, I woulda stayed. | Se fossero stati più flessibili, sarei rimasto. |
| personal If I had studied harder, I would have passed. | If I'da studied harder, I woulda passed. | Se avessi studiato di più, avrei passato. |
| personal If you had told me, I would have come. | If ya'd told me, I woulda come. | Se me l'avessi detto, sarei venuto. |
| personal If we had left earlier, we wouldn't have missed the train. | If we'd left earlier, we wouldn'ta missed the train. | Se fossimo partiti prima, non avremmo perso il treno. |
| personal If I had known you were coming, I would have cooked. | If I'da known ya were comin', I woulda cooked. | Se avessi saputo che venivi, avrei cucinato. |
| personal If she had invited me, I would have gone. | If she'd invited me, I woulda gone. | Se mi avesse invitato, sarei andato. |
| personal If we hadn't argued, we would still be together. | If we hadn't argued, we'd still be together. | Se non avessimo litigato, staremmo ancora insieme. |
| personal If you had worn a helmet, you wouldn't have got hurt. | If ya'd worn a helmet, ya wouldn'ta got hurt. | Se avessi messo il casco, non ti saresti fatto male. |
| personalQ What would you have done if you'd missed the flight? | What woulda ya done if ya'd missed the flight? | Cosa avresti fatto se avessi perso il volo? |
| personalA I would have rebooked the next morning. | I woulda rebooked the next morning. | Avrei riprenotato per la mattina dopo. |
| personalQ What if you hadn't met her? | What if ya hadn't met her? | E se non l'avessi incontrata? |
| personalA My life would have been different. | My life woulda been different. | La mia vita sarebbe stata diversa. |
| personal If I hadn't quit smoking, I would have got sick. | If I hadn't quit smokin', I woulda got sick. | Se non avessi smesso di fumare, mi sarei ammalato. |
| personal If you had saved earlier, you could have bought the house. | If ya'd saved earlier, ya coulda bought the house. | Se avessi risparmiato prima, avresti potuto comprare casa. |
| personal If they had moved here, life would have been different. | If they'd moved here, life woulda been different. | Se si fossero trasferiti qui, la vita sarebbe stata diversa. |
| personal If we had taken the other route, we wouldn't have got stuck. | If we'd taken the other route, we wouldn'ta got stuck. | Se avessimo preso l'altra strada, non saremmo rimasti bloccati. |
| personal If I had brought an umbrella, I wouldn't have got soaked. | If I'da brought an umbrella, I wouldn'ta got soaked. | Se avessi portato l'ombrello, non mi sarei bagnato. |
| personal If you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened. | If ya'd listened to me, this wouldn'ta happened. | Se mi avessi ascoltato, non sarebbe successo. |
| personal If he had apologized, she would have forgiven him. | If he'da apologized, she woulda forgiven him. | Se si fosse scusato, lei l'avrebbe perdonato. |
| personal If I had set an alarm, I wouldn't have overslept. | If I'da set an alarm, I wouldn'ta overslept. | Se avessi messo la sveglia, non avrei dormito troppo. |
| personal If you had checked the weather, you would have brought a coat. | If ya'd checked the weather, ya woulda brought a coat. | Se avessi controllato il meteo, avresti portato il cappotto. |
| personal If we had booked earlier, the trip would have been cheaper. | If we'd booked earlier, the trip woulda been cheaper. | Se avessimo prenotato prima, il viaggio sarebbe costato meno. |
| personal If you hadn't lied, I would have trusted you. | If ya hadn't lied, I woulda trusted ya. | Se non avessi mentito, mi sarei fidato. |
| personal If they had brought food, we wouldn't have starved. | If they'da brought food, we wouldn'ta starved. | Se avessero portato cibo, non saremmo morti di fame. |
| personal If I had stayed, things would have changed. | If I'da stayed, things woulda changed. | Se fossi rimasto, le cose sarebbero cambiate. |
| personal If you had remembered, she wouldn't be upset. | If ya'd remembered, she wouldn't be upset. | Se ti fossi ricordato, lei non sarebbe arrabbiata. |
Mixed Conditional
📐 Formula
Combina due tempi del condizionale per esprimere situazioni miste:
| Tipo | Struttura | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Past → Present | If + Past Perfect, would + V | If I had studied harder, I would be a doctor now. |
| Present → Past | If + Past Simple, would have + V3 | If I were more careful, I wouldn't have lost it. |
🎯 Quando usarlo
- Past → Present: una condizione del passato non avvenuta avrebbe avuto effetto sul presente: If you had told me yesterday (passato), I would know what to do now (presente).
- Present → Past: una condizione del presente (carattere, situazione attuale) avrebbe cambiato un evento passato: If I were a better cook (presente), I would have made dinner last night (passato).
🗣 Spoken
Molto utile nelle discussioni e nei rimpianti reali. Frequente nei dialoghi emotivi. If I'd left earlier, I'd be home now è una delle frasi più usate per esprimere rimpianto sul tempo presente.
📋 50+ esempi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| work If I had accepted that offer, I'd be in London now. | If I'da taken that offer, I'd be in London now. | Se avessi accettato quell'offerta, ora sarei a Londra. |
| work If we had hired more devs, we'd be ahead of schedule. | If we'd hired more devs, we'd be ahead of schedule. | Se avessimo assunto più sviluppatori, ora saremmo avanti. |
| work If she hadn't quit, she'd be VP by now. | If she hadn't quit, she'd be VP by now. | Se non si fosse licenziata, ora sarebbe VP. |
| work If I were more assertive, I would have got the promotion. | If I was more assertive, I woulda got the promotion. | Se fossi più assertivo, avrei avuto la promozione. |
| work If you were a faster typer, you'd have finished by now. | If ya were a faster typer, you'd have finished by now. | Se digitassi più veloce, avresti già finito. |
| work If we had invested in marketing, we'd be a known brand today. | If we'd invested in marketing, we'd be a known brand today. | Se avessimo investito in marketing, oggi saremmo un brand noto. |
| work If I were less stressed, I would have handled the call better. | If I was less stressed, I woulda handled the call better. | Se fossi meno stressato, avrei gestito meglio la call. |
| work If you had set up monitoring, we'd know what's wrong now. | If ya'd set up monitoring, we'd know what's wrong now. | Se avessi configurato il monitoring, sapremmo cosa c'è che non va. |
| work If we hadn't lost that engineer, we wouldn't be behind. | If we hadn't lost that engineer, we wouldn't be behind. | Se non avessimo perso quell'ingegnere, non saremmo indietro. |
| work If you were more organized, the project would have launched. | If ya were more organized, the project woulda launched. | Se fossi più organizzato, il progetto sarebbe stato lanciato. |
| workQ What would the team look like if we had hired her? | What'd the team look like if we'd hired her? | Come sarebbe il team se l'avessimo assunta? |
| workA We'd be more diverse. | We'd be more diverse. | Saremmo più diversi. |
| work If I had learned to delegate earlier, I'd be less burned out today. | If I'da learned to delegate earlier, I'd be less burned out today. | Se avessi imparato a delegare prima, ora sarei meno esaurito. |
| work If she didn't speak Spanish, she wouldn't have got the Madrid role. | If she didn't speak Spanish, she wouldn'ta got the Madrid role. | Se non parlasse spagnolo, non avrebbe ottenuto il ruolo a Madrid. |
| work If we had backed up daily, the system wouldn't be down now. | If we'd backed up daily, system wouldn't be down now. | Se avessimo fatto backup quotidiani, ora il sistema non sarebbe giù. |
| work If I were a morning person, I would have caught that flight. | If I was a morning person, I woulda caught that flight. | Se fossi mattiniero, avrei preso quel volo. |
| work If we had patented it, we'd own the market now. | If we'd patented it, we'd own the market now. | Se l'avessimo brevettato, ora domineremmo il mercato. |
| work If I were less risk-averse, I would have started my own company. | If I was less risk-averse, I woulda started my own company. | Se fossi meno avverso al rischio, avrei fondato un'azienda mia. |
| work If they hadn't blocked the merger, we'd be twice the size. | If they hadn't blocked the merger, we'd be twice the size. | Se non avessero bloccato la fusione, saremmo il doppio. |
| work If you knew German, you would have been chosen for Berlin. | If ya knew German, you woulda been picked for Berlin. | Se sapessi il tedesco, saresti stato scelto per Berlino. |
| personal If I had taken that job, I'd be living in Tokyo now. | If I'da taken that job, I'd be in Tokyo now. | Se avessi accettato quel lavoro, ora sarei a Tokyo. |
| personal If you hadn't gone to that party, we wouldn't have met. | If ya hadn't gone to that party, we wouldn't have met. | Se non fossi andato a quella festa, non ci saremmo conosciuti. |
| personal If I were taller, I would have made the basketball team. | If I was taller, I woulda made the basketball team. | Se fossi più alto, avrei fatto parte della squadra. |
| personal If we had bought that house in 2018, we'd be much richer now. | If we'd bought that house in 2018, we'd be way richer now. | Se avessimo comprato quella casa nel 2018, ora saremmo molto più ricchi. |
| personal If you were more patient, the kids would behave better. | If ya were more patient, kids'd behave better. | Se fossi più paziente, i bambini si comporterebbero meglio. |
| personal If I had married him, I'd be miserable. | If I'da married him, I'd be miserable. | Se l'avessi sposato, sarei infelice. |
| personal If she didn't hate flying, they would have visited last year. | If she didn't hate flying, they woulda visited last year. | Se non odiasse volare, sarebbero venuti l'anno scorso. |
| personal If I had studied medicine, I'd be a doctor now. | If I'da studied medicine, I'd be a doctor now. | Se avessi studiato medicina, ora sarei medico. |
| personal If you hadn't moved, we'd still be neighbours. | If ya hadn't moved, we'd still be neighbors. | Se non ti fossi trasferito, saremmo ancora vicini. |
| personal If we were rich, we would have travelled the world. | If we were rich, we woulda traveled the world. | Se fossimo ricchi, avremmo girato il mondo. |
| personalQ Where would you be if you'd stayed in your hometown? | Where'd ya be if ya'd stayed in your hometown? | Dove saresti se fossi rimasto nel tuo paese? |
| personalA Probably married with three kids. | Prob'ly married with three kids. | Probabilmente sposato con tre figli. |
| personal If I had quit smoking earlier, I would be healthier today. | If I'da quit smokin' earlier, I'd be healthier today. | Se avessi smesso di fumare prima, oggi sarei più in salute. |
| personal If you hadn't lied, we wouldn't be in this mess. | If ya hadn't lied, we wouldn't be in this mess. | Se non avessi mentito, non saremmo in questo casino. |
| personal If I were braver, I would have asked her out. | If I was braver, I woulda asked her out. | Se fossi più coraggioso, le avrei chiesto di uscire. |
| personal If he had gone to university, he'd have a better job today. | If he'da gone to college, he'd have a better job today. | Se fosse andato all'università, oggi avrebbe un lavoro migliore. |
| personal If I were more disciplined, I would have learned guitar. | If I was more disciplined, I woulda learned guitar. | Se fossi più disciplinato, avrei imparato la chitarra. |
| personal If we had adopted a dog, the kids would be happier. | If we'da adopted a dog, the kids'd be happier. | Se avessimo adottato un cane, i bambini sarebbero più felici. |
| personal If you weren't so stubborn, we would have made up by now. | If ya weren't so stubborn, we woulda made up by now. | Se non fossi così testardo, ci saremmo già riappacificati. |
| personal If I had been there, she wouldn't have got hurt. | If I'da been there, she wouldn'ta got hurt. | Se ci fossi stato, non si sarebbe fatta male. |
| personal If you were less worried, you would have slept last night. | If ya were less worried, you woulda slept last night. | Se fossi meno preoccupato, ieri avresti dormito. |
| personal If I hadn't met you, my life would feel empty. | If I hadn't met ya, my life'd feel empty. | Se non ti avessi incontrato, la mia vita sarebbe vuota. |
| personal If they were closer, we would have seen them last weekend. | If they were closer, we woulda seen 'em last weekend. | Se fossero più vicini, li avremmo visti lo scorso weekend. |
| personal If I had learned to drive at 18, I would own a car now. | If I'da learned to drive at 18, I'd own a car now. | Se avessi imparato a guidare a 18 anni, avrei una macchina. |
| personal If you were more outgoing, you would have made friends sooner. | If ya were more outgoing, you woulda made friends sooner. | Se fossi più estroverso, avresti fatto amici prima. |
| personal If we hadn't argued, we'd still be married. | If we hadn't argued, we'd still be married. | Se non avessimo litigato, saremmo ancora sposati. |
| personal If she liked sports, she would have come to the game. | If she liked sports, she woulda come to the game. | Se le piacesse lo sport, sarebbe venuta alla partita. |
| personal If I had eaten less, I wouldn't be so full now. | If I'da eaten less, I wouldn't be so full now. | Se avessi mangiato meno, ora non sarei così pieno. |
| personal If they were on time, we would have caught the start. | If they were on time, we woulda caught the start. | Se fossero puntuali, avremmo preso l'inizio. |
| personal If I hadn't broken my leg, I'd be skiing right now. | If I hadn't broken my leg, I'd be skiing right now. | Se non mi fossi rotto la gamba, ora starei sciando. |
Verbi modali
📐 Regole generali dei modali
- Sono invariabili: stessa forma per tutte le persone (no -s alla 3ª pers.)
- Sono seguiti dal verbo all'infinito senza to (eccetto ought to)
- Negativa:
modale + not| Interrogativa:modale + S + V? - Non hanno forma -ing né infinito (non si dice "to can")
📊 Tabella dei modali principali
| Modale | Usi principali | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| can | capacità / permesso / possibilità | I can swim. / Can I leave? |
| could | capacità passata / permesso gentile / ipotesi | I could swim at 5. / Could you help? |
| may | permesso formale / possibilità | May I come in? / It may rain. |
| might | possibilità più remota | It might snow tonight. |
| must | obbligo / deduzione logica | You must wear a seatbelt. / He must be tired. |
| have to | obbligo esterno (no modale puro) | I have to leave at 5. |
| should / ought to | consiglio / opinione | You should rest. / You ought to call her. |
| would | condizionale / cortesia / abitudine passata | I would help. / Would you mind? |
| shall | proposta (UK) / futuro formale | Shall we go? / I shall return. |
| will | futuro / volontà | I will call. / He won't listen. |
🗣 Spoken (importantissimo)
- shall nel parlato americano è praticamente sparito (sopravvive in Shall we...? proposte). Usa should o will.
- must per obbligo è formale; nel parlato si preferisce have to / have got to / gotta. Must rimane forte per deduzione: He must be home — his car's outside.
- could / would / should + have → coulda / woulda / shoulda: You shoulda told me!
- ought to → oughta: You oughta try it.
- have got to → gotta: I gotta go.
- Domande gentili con could/would sono più frequenti di can/will: Could you pass the salt? (più educato di Can you...?)
📋 Differenze chiave nelle deduzioni (livelli di certezza)
| Certezza | Modale | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| 100% sì | must | He must be at home (car is here). |
| ~70% | should | He should be at home by now. |
| ~50% | may / could | He may be at home. |
| ~30% | might | He might be at home. |
| 100% no | can't | He can't be at home (he's in Paris). |
📋 50+ esempi (mix di modali)
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| work Could you send me the file? | Could ya send me the file? | Mi mandi il file? |
| work You should review the contract before signing. | Ya should review the contract before signing. | Dovresti rivedere il contratto prima di firmare. |
| work I must finish this by Friday. | I gotta finish this by Friday. | Devo finire entro venerdì. |
| work Can we move the meeting to 3 PM? | Can we move the meeting to 3? | Possiamo spostare la riunione alle 15? |
| work You shouldn't have promised that. | Ya shouldn'ta promised that. | Non avresti dovuto promettere. |
| work She might join us later. | She might join us later. | Forse si unisce dopo. |
| work Would you mind taking notes? | Would ya mind takin' notes? | Ti dispiace prendere appunti? |
| work We must escalate this to the CEO. | We gotta escalate this to the CEO. | Dobbiamo escalare al CEO. |
| work You ought to apologize publicly. | Ya oughta apologize publicly. | Dovresti scusarti pubblicamente. |
| work Could I take Friday off? | Could I take Friday off? | Potrei prendere venerdì? |
| work They must be in the wrong meeting room. | They must be in the wrong room. | Devono essere nella sala sbagliata. |
| work We could try a different approach. | We could try a different approach. | Potremmo provare un approccio diverso. |
| work He can't have sent that email. | He couldn't have sent that email. | Non può aver mandato quella email. |
| work Shall we start? (BrE) | Shall we start? / Wanna start? | Iniziamo? |
| work You will receive a confirmation by email. | You'll get a confirmation email. | Riceverai una conferma via email. |
| work They may have already left. | They may've already left. | Potrebbero essere già andati via. |
| work Would you like a coffee? | Would ya like a coffee? / Want a coffee? | Vuoi un caffè? |
| work I shouldn't have raised my voice. | I shouldn'ta raised my voice. | Non avrei dovuto alzare la voce. |
| work You don't have to attend if you're busy. | Ya don't have to come if you're busy. | Non sei obbligato a venire se hai da fare. |
| work You mustn't share confidential info. | You can't share confidential info. | Non devi condividere info riservate. |
| work Could you have done it differently? | Could ya have done it differently? | Avresti potuto farlo diversamente? |
| work We might need to delay the launch. | We might need to push the launch. | Forse dobbiamo posticipare il lancio. |
| work She should be promoted next year. | She should be promoted next year. | Dovrebbe essere promossa l'anno prossimo. |
| work I would prefer to handle this myself. | I'd rather handle this myself. | Preferirei gestirlo da solo. |
| work Can you cover for me on Friday? | Can ya cover for me Friday? | Mi copri venerdì? |
| personal Can I have another slice? | Can I have another slice? | Posso averne un'altra fetta? |
| personal You should see a doctor. | Ya should see a doctor. | Dovresti andare dal medico. |
| personal I must remember to call mom. | I gotta remember to call mom. | Devo ricordarmi di chiamare mamma. |
| personal Could we eat earlier tonight? | Could we eat earlier tonight? | Possiamo cenare prima stasera? |
| personal You shouldn't say things like that. | Ya shouldn't say stuff like that. | Non dovresti dire certe cose. |
| personal It might rain this evening. | It might rain tonight. | Potrebbe piovere stasera. |
| personal Would you like to dance? | Wanna dance? | Vuoi ballare? |
| personal We must invite them over soon. | We gotta have 'em over soon. | Dobbiamo invitarli presto. |
| personal You ought to write that down. | Ya oughta write that down. | Dovresti scrivertelo. |
| personal Could you pass the salt? | Could ya pass the salt? | Mi passi il sale? |
| personal She must be exhausted. | She must be exhausted. | Dev'essere esausta. |
| personal We could go camping this weekend. | We could go camping this weekend. | Potremmo andare in campeggio. |
| personal He can't be serious! | He can't be serious! | Non può essere serio! |
| personal Shall we order takeout? | Wanna order takeout? | Ordiniamo da asporto? |
| personal I will always love you. | I'll always love ya. | Ti amerò sempre. |
| personal You may use my laptop. | Ya can use my laptop. | Puoi usare il mio portatile. |
| personal She would always sing in the shower. | She'd always sing in the shower. | Cantava sempre sotto la doccia. |
| personal I shouldn't have eaten that much. | I shouldn'ta eaten that much. | Non avrei dovuto mangiare così tanto. |
| personal You don't have to come if you don't want. | Ya don't have to come if ya don't want. | Non devi venire se non vuoi. |
| personal You mustn't tell anyone! | Don't tell anyone! | Non devi dirlo a nessuno! |
| personal Could you have stayed longer? | Could ya have stayed longer? | Saresti potuto rimanere di più? |
| personal We might go to the beach tomorrow. | We might hit the beach tomorrow. | Forse domani andiamo al mare. |
| personal She should be here soon. | She should be here soon. | Dovrebbe arrivare presto. |
| personal I'd rather stay in. | I'd rather stay in. | Preferirei restare a casa. |
| personal Can you grab some bread? | Can ya grab some bread? | Puoi prendere del pane? |
Phrasal verbs comuni
I phrasal verbs sono verbi composti da verbo + particella (preposizione o avverbio) il cui significato spesso non si deduce dalle singole parole. Sono onnipresenti nel parlato: spesso al posto di sinonimi formali. Postpone in scritto, put off nel parlato.
| Phrasal verb | Equivalente formale | Esempio (work / personal) |
|---|---|---|
| look up | search, consult | I'll look up the address. |
| look forward to | anticipate | I'm looking forward to the trip. |
| look after | take care of | Can you look after the kids? |
| look into | investigate | We'll look into the issue. |
| put off | postpone | Let's put off the meeting. |
| put up with | tolerate | I can't put up with this noise. |
| put down | place, criticize | Put it down here. / Stop putting me down. |
| get up | rise (from bed) | I get up at 7. |
| get along (with) | have a good relationship | I get along with my team. |
| get over | recover from | She's getting over the flu. |
| get back to | respond later | I'll get back to you. |
| get rid of | remove, dispose | Let's get rid of the old desks. |
| turn down | refuse / reduce | I turned down the offer. |
| turn up | arrive / increase | He turned up late. |
| turn off / on | switch off / on | Turn off the lights. |
| turn into | become | The meeting turned into a debate. |
| go on | continue / happen | Go on, I'm listening. / What's going on? |
| go through | experience / review | Let's go through the slides. |
| go over | review | Can we go over the numbers? |
| come up with | think of, invent | She came up with a great idea. |
| come across | encounter / appear (as) | I came across an old photo. |
| come back | return | Come back later. |
| set up | establish, configure | Let's set up a call. |
| set out | begin journey / aim to | We set out to fix this. |
| break down | stop working / analyze | The car broke down. / Let me break it down. |
| break up | end relationship | They broke up last month. |
| bring up | mention / raise (a child) | She brought up a good point. |
| call off | cancel | They called off the wedding. |
| call back | return a call | I'll call you back. |
| check in / check out | register / leave (hotel) | We checked in at 3. |
| figure out | understand, solve | I can't figure it out. |
| find out | discover | I found out yesterday. |
| follow up | continue to check | I'll follow up next week. |
| hang out | spend time casually | Wanna hang out tonight? |
| hang up | end a phone call | She hung up on me! |
| hold on | wait | Hold on a sec. |
| keep up (with) | maintain pace | I can't keep up with the news. |
| let down | disappoint | Don't let me down. |
| make up | invent / reconcile | He made up an excuse. / They made up. |
| pick up | collect / learn | I'll pick you up at 8. |
| point out | indicate | She pointed out the error. |
| run into | meet by chance | I ran into Marco yesterday. |
| run out (of) | finish supply | We ran out of milk. |
| show up | arrive | He didn't show up. |
| sort out | resolve, organize | I'll sort it out. |
| take off | depart (plane) / remove | The plane took off late. |
| take over | assume control | She'll take over the project. |
| take on | accept (challenge) | I'll take on more work. |
| work out | exercise / solve | I work out daily. / It worked out fine. |
| wrap up | conclude | Let's wrap up the meeting. |
Verbi irregolari (top 50)
| Base (V1) | Past (V2) | Past Participle (V3) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was / were | been | essere |
| become | became | become | diventare |
| begin | began | begun | iniziare |
| break | broke | broken | rompere |
| bring | brought | brought | portare |
| build | built | built | costruire |
| buy | bought | bought | comprare |
| catch | caught | caught | prendere/afferrare |
| choose | chose | chosen | scegliere |
| come | came | come | venire |
| cost | cost | cost | costare |
| do | did | done | fare |
| drink | drank | drunk | bere |
| drive | drove | driven | guidare |
| eat | ate | eaten | mangiare |
| fall | fell | fallen | cadere |
| feel | felt | felt | sentire |
| find | found | found | trovare |
| fly | flew | flown | volare |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | dimenticare |
| get | got | got / gotten (US) | ottenere |
| give | gave | given | dare |
| go | went | gone | andare |
| grow | grew | grown | crescere |
| have | had | had | avere |
| hear | heard | heard | sentire |
| hold | held | held | tenere |
| keep | kept | kept | tenere/mantenere |
| know | knew | known | sapere/conoscere |
| leave | left | left | lasciare/partire |
| lose | lost | lost | perdere |
| make | made | made | fare/produrre |
| meet | met | met | incontrare |
| pay | paid | paid | pagare |
| put | put | put | mettere |
| read | read /red/ | read /red/ | leggere |
| run | ran | run | correre |
| say | said | said | dire |
| see | saw | seen | vedere |
| sell | sold | sold | vendere |
| send | sent | sent | mandare |
| sit | sat | sat | sedersi |
| sleep | slept | slept | dormire |
| speak | spoke | spoken | parlare |
| spend | spent | spent | spendere |
| stand | stood | stood | stare in piedi |
| take | took | taken | prendere |
| teach | taught | taught | insegnare |
| tell | told | told | dire/raccontare |
| think | thought | thought | pensare |
| understand | understood | understood | capire |
| wear | wore | worn | indossare |
| win | won | won | vincere |
| write | wrote | written | scrivere |
Avverbi — La spina dorsale della conversazione
Gli avverbi modificano verbi, aggettivi e altri avverbi. Nel parlato sono fondamentali per dare colore, precisione e naturalezza. Capirne la posizione è la chiave: la posizione sbagliata suona "italiano tradotto".
📊 Tipi di avverbi e posizione
| Tipo | Esempi | Posizione tipica |
|---|---|---|
| Frequenza | always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never, hardly ever | Prima del verbo principale, dopo to be: I always work late. / She is always late. |
| Modo | quickly, slowly, well, badly, carefully, easily | Dopo il verbo o l'oggetto: He drives carefully. |
| Tempo | now, today, yesterday, soon, already, yet, still, recently | Inizio o fine frase: Yesterday I worked late. / I worked late yesterday. |
| Luogo | here, there, everywhere, inside, outside, upstairs | Dopo il verbo: She works here. |
| Grado / intensità | very, really, quite, pretty, fairly, extremely, absolutely, totally | Prima dell'aggettivo/avverbio: It's really cold. / She speaks very fast. |
| Probabilità | maybe, perhaps, probably, definitely, certainly, possibly | Prima del verbo principale: I'll probably come. |
| Focus / enfasi | also, too, even, only, just | Varia: I only have €5. / Even I can do it. |
| Connessione | however, therefore, anyway, besides, otherwise | Inizio frase con virgola: However, I disagree. |
⚠️ Regole di formazione
- Aggettivo + -ly → avverbio: quick → quickly, slow → slowly
- Aggettivo in -y: y → ily: easy → easily, happy → happily
- Aggettivo in -le: -le → -ly: simple → simply, terrible → terribly
- Irregolari: good → well, fast → fast, hard → hard, early → early, late → late
- Attenzione: hardly ≠ hard! Hardly significa "a malapena". I hardly know him = lo conosco a malapena, NON "lo conosco duramente".
🗣 Avverbi colloquiali da padroneggiare
| Avverbio | Uso colloquiale | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| actually | "in realtà", per correggere gentilmente o sorprendere | Actually, it's free. |
| basically | "sostanzialmente", riassumere | Basically, we're stuck. |
| literally | "letteralmente" (spesso usato in modo non letterale) | I literally died laughing. |
| seriously | "seriamente", enfasi o domanda incredula | Seriously? / I'm seriously tired. |
| honestly | "onestamente", introduce un'opinione franca | Honestly, I don't care. |
| obviously | "ovviamente" | Obviously, she didn't like it. |
| apparently | "a quanto pare", info di seconda mano | Apparently, he quit. |
| hopefully | "si spera" | Hopefully, it'll work. |
| pretty (avverbio) | "abbastanza" | It's pretty good. |
| quite | "abbastanza" (UK) / "molto" (US) | It's quite expensive. |
| kind of / sort of | "un po'", attenuare | I'm kinda tired. |
| totally / absolutely | "totalmente", rafforzativo | Totally agree! |
| barely / hardly | "a malapena" | I barely slept. |
| almost / nearly | "quasi" | I almost forgot. |
| still / yet / already | "ancora / già" (tempo) | Are you still here? / Have you eaten yet? / I've already done it. |
📋 50+ esempi con avverbi
| Forma grammaticale | Spoken | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| work I always check my emails first thing in the morning. | I always check email first thing. | Controllo sempre le email per prima cosa. |
| work She rarely takes a lunch break. | She rarely takes lunch. | Raramente fa la pausa pranzo. |
| work Honestly, this project is a disaster. | Honestly, this project's a disaster. | Onestamente, questo progetto è un disastro. |
| work Apparently, the deal fell through. | Apparently, the deal fell through. | A quanto pare, l'accordo è saltato. |
| work The new feature works really well. | New feature works real well. | La nuova funzionalità funziona davvero bene. |
| work We hardly ever miss a deadline. | We hardly ever miss a deadline. | Quasi mai sforiamo una scadenza. |
| work I'll probably finish by Friday. | I'll prob'ly finish by Friday. | Probabilmente finirò entro venerdì. |
| work Basically, we need more resources. | Basically, we need more resources. | Sostanzialmente, ci servono più risorse. |
| work She speaks really fast in meetings. | She speaks real fast in meetings. | Parla molto veloce nelle riunioni. |
| work The system is currently down. | System's currently down. | Il sistema è attualmente giù. |
| work I almost missed the deadline. | I almost missed the deadline. | Per poco mancavo la scadenza. |
| work Actually, that's a great point. | Actually, that's a great point. | In realtà, è un'ottima osservazione. |
| work Obviously, we need to escalate. | Obviously, we need to escalate. | Ovviamente, dobbiamo escalare. |
| work The team performed exceptionally well. | Team performed exceptionally well. | Il team ha performato eccezionalmente bene. |
| work I literally have no idea. | I literally have no idea. | Letteralmente non ne ho idea. |
| work Hopefully, the client will accept. | Hopefully, the client'll accept. | Si spera che il cliente accetti. |
| work She handled it pretty well. | She handled it pretty well. | L'ha gestita abbastanza bene. |
| work We seriously need to fix this. | We seriously need to fix this. | Dobbiamo seriamente sistemarlo. |
| work He's totally on top of it. | He's totally on top of it. | Ce l'ha completamente sotto controllo. |
| work The migration went surprisingly smoothly. | Migration went surprisingly smooth. | La migrazione è andata sorprendentemente liscia. |
| work I'm kinda swamped today. | I'm kinda swamped today. | Sono un po' sommerso oggi. |
| work She definitely deserves the promotion. | She definitely deserves the promotion. | Si merita decisamente la promozione. |
| work We've already shipped the fix. | We already shipped the fix. | Abbiamo già rilasciato il fix. |
| work They still haven't replied. | They still haven't replied. | Ancora non hanno risposto. |
| work Frankly, I disagree with that approach. | Frankly, I disagree with that. | Francamente, non sono d'accordo con quell'approccio. |
| personal I usually go for a walk after dinner. | I usually walk after dinner. | Di solito faccio una passeggiata dopo cena. |
| personal She's incredibly talented. | She's incredibly talented. | È incredibilmente talentuosa. |
| personal I've never been to Asia. | I've never been to Asia. | Non sono mai stato in Asia. |
| personal Maybe we'll meet up tomorrow. | Maybe we'll meet up tomorrow. | Forse ci vediamo domani. |
| personal The film was surprisingly good. | The movie was surprisingly good. | Il film era sorprendentemente bello. |
| personal I barely got any sleep last night. | I barely slept last night. | Ho dormito a malapena. |
| personal She drives extremely carefully. | She drives super carefully. | Guida estremamente prudente. |
| personal Honestly, I'm done with him. | Honestly, I'm done with him. | Onestamente, ne ho abbastanza di lui. |
| personal He runs really fast for his age. | He runs real fast for his age. | Corre molto veloce per la sua età. |
| personal We hardly see them anymore. | We hardly see 'em anymore. | Non li vediamo quasi più. |
| personal I'm absolutely starving. | I'm absolutely starving. | Sto morendo di fame. |
| personal Apparently, they got engaged! | Apparently, they got engaged! | A quanto pare si sono fidanzati! |
| personal The kids slept surprisingly well. | Kids slept surprisingly well. | I bambini hanno dormito sorprendentemente bene. |
| personal I totally forgot about the dinner. | I totally forgot 'bout dinner. | Mi sono completamente dimenticato della cena. |
| personal She kindly offered to help. | She kindly offered to help. | Ha gentilmente offerto di aiutare. |
| personal I literally can't even. | I literally can't even. | Letteralmente non ce la faccio. |
| personal Luckily, no one got hurt. | Luckily, no one got hurt. | Per fortuna nessuno si è fatto male. |
| personal The dog is finally calm. | The dog's finally calm. | Il cane è finalmente calmo. |
| personal Suddenly, the lights went out. | Suddenly, lights went out. | All'improvviso si è spenta la luce. |
| personal I rarely eat fast food. | I rarely eat fast food. | Mangio raramente fast food. |
| personal She quite likes him, actually. | She quite likes him, actually. | In realtà le piace abbastanza. |
| personal I just got home. | I just got home. | Sono appena arrivato a casa. |
| personal Eventually, they made up. | Eventually, they made up. | Alla fine si sono riappacificati. |
| personal Frankly, I don't care. | Frankly, I don't care. | Francamente non m'importa. |
| personal She's not particularly happy about it. | She's not particularly happy 'bout it. | Non è particolarmente contenta. |
Linking words — Connettori del discorso
I connettori legano frasi e idee, e fanno la differenza tra un inglese "telegrafico" e uno fluente. Imparali per categoria.
📊 Tabella per categoria
| Funzione | Connettori | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Aggiungere | and, also, in addition, moreover, besides, plus, what's more | It's fast and reliable. / Plus, it's cheap. |
| Contrastare | but, however, although, though, even though, despite, in spite of, on the other hand, yet, still, whereas | It's small but powerful. / However, costs are rising. |
| Causa | because, since, as, due to, because of, owing to | I left because I was tired. |
| Conseguenza | so, therefore, thus, as a result, consequently, that's why | It rained, so we stayed in. |
| Scopo | to, in order to, so as to, so that, in order that | I called to confirm. |
| Esempio | for example, for instance, such as, like, e.g., namely | Fruits like apples and bananas. |
| Sequenza | first, then, after that, next, finally, eventually, in the end | First, we plan. Then, we execute. |
| Riassumere | in short, in conclusion, all in all, to sum up, overall | Overall, it went well. |
| Tempo | when, while, as soon as, before, after, until, since, by the time, meanwhile | Call me as soon as you arrive. |
| Condizione | if, unless, as long as, provided that, in case, otherwise | Unless you call, I'll assume yes. |
| Confronto | like, as, similarly, in the same way, just as | She paints like a pro. |
🗣 Spoken — connettori del parlato
I connettori più frequenti nella conversazione:
- and / but / so / because dominano: forme semplici vincono sempre.
- plus (più colloquiale di moreover): It's cheap, plus it's reliable.
- anyway / anyways: torna al punto dopo una digressione. Anyway, as I was saying...
- though a fine frase: significa "però" colloquiale. It's expensive. I like it, though.
- besides: aggiunge un argomento. I'm tired. Besides, it's late.
- otherwise: "altrimenti". Take your umbrella, otherwise you'll get wet.
Filler words & discourse markers — Suonare naturale
I filler words e i discourse markers sono parolette che i madrelingua usano per guadagnare tempo per pensare, cambiare argomento, chiedere conferma, attenuare o introdurre un'idea. Usarli con moderazione fa la differenza tra "scolastico" e "naturale".
⚠️ Regola del buon uso
I filler aiutano ma vanno dosati: troppi like, you know, basically rendono il discorso confuso e infantile. L'obiettivo è sapere quando un madrelingua li userebbe e non sentirsi spaesati quando li sente.
🗣 I 25 marcatori del parlato
| Marker | Funzione | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| well | esitazione, introdurre risposta | Well, it depends. |
| so | cambiare argomento, concludere | So, what's next? |
| actually | correggere, contraddire gentilmente | Actually, it's €30. |
| basically | riassumere | Basically, we're stuck. |
| literally | enfatizzare (spesso non letterale) | I literally couldn't move. |
| I mean | riformulare, chiarire | I mean, it's not perfect, but... |
| you know | cercare consenso, riempire pause | It's that thing, you know. |
| like | introdurre paragoni, esempi, citazioni | He was like, "What?" |
| right? | chiedere conferma | That makes sense, right? |
| I guess | attenuare un'opinione | I guess so. |
| I suppose | simile a I guess (più UK) | I suppose you're right. |
| kind of / sort of | attenuare un aggettivo o azione | I'm kinda tired. |
| by the way (btw) | introdurre un'aggiunta | By the way, did you call her? |
| anyway / anyways | tornare al tema, chiudere | Anyway, gotta go. |
| seriously | enfatizzare | Seriously, you should try it. |
| honestly | introdurre franchezza | Honestly, I don't care. |
| obviously | indicare ovvietà | Obviously, she said no. |
| apparently | informazione sentita | Apparently, they broke up. |
| uh / um / er | pausa di pensiero | Uh, let me think. |
| oh | sorpresa, riconoscimento | Oh, I see! |
| look | attirare attenzione | Look, we need to talk. |
| listen | introdurre informazione importante | Listen, I have an idea. |
| okay / OK | chiudere fase, mostrare comprensione | Okay, let's start. |
| alright | simile a OK | Alright, see you tomorrow. |
| fine | accettazione (a volte rassegnata) | Fine, I'll do it. |
📋 Esempi di conversazione con filler
| Dialogo formale | Dialogo con filler (più naturale) | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| work The project is delayed. | So, basically, the project is delayed. | Allora, in pratica, il progetto è in ritardo. |
| work The cost is higher than expected. | Well, actually, the cost is kind of higher than we thought. | Beh, in realtà, il costo è un po' più alto del previsto. |
| work I disagree with the approach. | Honestly, I mean, I just don't agree with this approach, you know? | Onestamente, cioè, non sono proprio d'accordo, capisci? |
| work We need more resources. | Look, we need more resources, plain and simple. | Guarda, ci servono più risorse, chiaro e semplice. |
| work The client accepted. | So, like, the client actually accepted! | Allora, tipo, il cliente in realtà ha accettato! |
| work Let's move on. | Alright, so, anyway, let's move on. | Va bene, allora, comunque, andiamo avanti. |
| work I think it's fine. | I guess it's fine, sort of. | Direi che va bene, più o meno. |
| work They're hiring again. | Apparently, they're hiring again. | A quanto pare stanno assumendo di nuovo. |
| work The meeting was useful. | Actually, the meeting was pretty useful. | In realtà la riunione è stata abbastanza utile. |
| work She quit yesterday. | So, you know what? She quit yesterday. | Allora, sai una cosa? Si è dimessa ieri. |
| personal I lost my keys. | Oh man, I literally lost my keys. | Oh accidenti, ho letteralmente perso le chiavi. |
| personal I'm tired. | I'm, like, super tired right now. | Sono tipo super stanco adesso. |
| personal Let's eat. | Okay, so, what should we eat? | Ok allora, cosa mangiamo? |
| personal She didn't reply. | I mean, honestly, she didn't even reply. | Cioè, onestamente, non ha nemmeno risposto. |
| personal I'm not sure. | Well, I don't really know, you know? | Beh, non lo so proprio, capisci? |
| personal It's late. | Anyway, it's getting late. | Comunque, si sta facendo tardi. |
| personal The party was fun. | Oh, the party was, like, so fun! | Oh, la festa è stata super divertente! |
| personal I forgot. | Oh, right, I totally forgot. | Ah giusto, mi sono completamente dimenticato. |
| personal Are you sure? | Wait, seriously? | Aspetta, davvero? |
| personal I agree. | Yeah, totally, I agree. | Sì, totalmente, sono d'accordo. |
Reported Speech (discorso indiretto)
Il discorso indiretto si usa per riportare quello che qualcuno ha detto. Cambia il tempo del verbo (backshift), i pronomi e le espressioni di tempo/luogo.
📐 Backshift dei tempi
| Diretto | Indiretto | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Past Simple | "I work" → He said he worked. |
| Present Continuous | Past Continuous | "I'm working" → He said he was working. |
| Present Perfect | Past Perfect | "I've finished" → He said he had finished. |
| Past Simple | Past Perfect | "I worked" → He said he had worked. |
| will | would | "I'll call" → He said he would call. |
| can | could | "I can swim" → She said she could swim. |
| must / have to | had to | "I must go" → He said he had to go. |
| may | might | "I may come" → She said she might come. |
⚠️ Cambiamenti di tempo, luogo, pronomi
| Diretto | Indiretto |
|---|---|
| now | then |
| today | that day |
| tomorrow | the next/following day |
| yesterday | the day before / the previous day |
| here | there |
| this | that |
| I / you | he, she / I, me (dipende dal contesto) |
🎯 Verbi introduttivi
- say: He said (that) he was tired. (senza oggetto indiretto)
- tell: He told me (that) he was tired. (richiede oggetto indiretto)
- ask: per le domande indirette: She asked if I was coming.
- Altri: explain, mention, suggest, promise, warn, complain, admit, deny
🗣 Spoken
Nel parlato veloce il that si omette spesso: He said he was tired.
Domande indirette: se è Yes/No question → if / whether: She asked if I knew.
Se è Wh-question → mantiene il wh-: He asked where I lived. (ATTENZIONE: ordine soggetto + verbo, NON inversione!)
Nel parlato giovanile americano: be like per citare: And he was like, "I can't believe it!"
Forma passiva
La forma passiva sposta il focus dall'agente all'azione/oggetto. Usata molto nello scritto formale, in news, manuali, paper scientifici; meno nel parlato.
📐 Formula generale
S (oggetto della frase attiva) + to be (tempo verbale) + V3 (past participle) + (by + agente)
| Tempo | Attivo | Passivo |
|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | They make cars. | Cars are made. |
| Present Continuous | They are making cars. | Cars are being made. |
| Past Simple | They made cars. | Cars were made. |
| Past Continuous | They were making cars. | Cars were being made. |
| Present Perfect | They have made cars. | Cars have been made. |
| Past Perfect | They had made cars. | Cars had been made. |
| Future | They will make cars. | Cars will be made. |
| Modale | They must make cars. | Cars must be made. |
🎯 Quando usarla
- Quando l'agente è sconosciuto: My bike was stolen.
- Quando l'agente è ovvio o irrilevante: The package was delivered yesterday.
- Per enfatizzare l'azione più che chi la compie: The contract was signed in Rome.
- Stile formale di paper, articoli, manuali
🗣 Spoken
Meno frequente nel parlato, sostituita spesso da:
- get + V3 (più colloquiale di be + V3): My phone got stolen.
- they / people / you generico al posto del passivo: They cancelled the flight invece di The flight was cancelled.
📋 Esempi attivo → passivo
| Attivo | Passivo (formale) | Spoken (get-passive) |
|---|---|---|
| They hired her last week. | She was hired last week. | She got hired last week. |
| Someone broke the window. | The window was broken. | The window got broken. |
| They fired him. | He was fired. | He got fired. |
| The team is reviewing the proposal. | The proposal is being reviewed. | The proposal is being reviewed. |
| They've launched the product. | The product has been launched. | The product's been launched. |
| Someone will fix it. | It will be fixed. | It'll get fixed. |
| They cancelled the meeting. | The meeting was cancelled. | Meeting got cancelled. |
| They had completed the work. | The work had been completed. | The work had been done. |
| Marketing must approve it. | It must be approved by marketing. | Marketing has to approve it. |
| They are promoting Sarah. | Sarah is being promoted. | Sarah's getting promoted. |
Gerundio (-ing) vs Infinito (to + V)
Una delle aree più ostiche per gli italiani: quale forma usare dopo un verbo? Non c'è una regola unica, dipende dal verbo principale. Bisogna memorizzare le liste.
📐 Tre categorie principali
🟦 Verbi seguiti da GERUNDIO (-ing)
enjoy, avoid, finish, mind, suggest, recommend, miss, deny, admit, postpone, consider, imagine, keep, practice, risk, can't help, can't stand, give up, look forward to
- I enjoy reading.
- She avoided answering.
- Would you mind closing the door?
- I'm looking forward to seeing you. (ATTENZIONE: to qui è preposizione, non infinito!)
🟩 Verbi seguiti da INFINITO (to + V)
want, need, decide, plan, hope, expect, promise, agree, refuse, offer, learn, manage, afford, fail, choose, pretend, seem, tend, would like, would love, would prefer
- I want to go.
- She decided to leave.
- We can't afford to wait.
- I'd like to apologize.
🟨 Verbi che accettano ENTRAMBI con significato diverso
| Verbo | + -ing | + to V |
|---|---|---|
| remember | ricordare di aver fatto qualcosa: I remember locking the door. | ricordarsi di fare: Remember to lock the door. |
| forget | dimenticare di aver fatto: I forgot meeting him. | dimenticare di fare: I forgot to call. |
| stop | smettere di fare: I stopped smoking. | fermarsi PER fare: I stopped to smoke. |
| try | provare a (sperimentare): Try opening the window. | cercare di (sforzo): I tried to help. |
| regret | rimpiangere di aver fatto: I regret saying that. | essere spiacenti di dover dire: I regret to inform you... |
| need | aver bisogno di essere fatto (passivo): The car needs washing. | aver bisogno di fare: I need to wash the car. |
| like / love / hate | preferenza generale: I like swimming. | scelta in un contesto specifico: I like to swim in the morning. |
🟪 Verbi seguiti da OGGETTO + INFINITO
want, ask, tell, expect, allow, advise, encourage, force, persuade, remind, warn, teach
- I want you to come. (NON I want that you come)
- She told him to leave.
- They allowed me to enter.
🟧 Verbi seguiti da OGGETTO + INFINITO senza to (bare infinitive)
make, let, hear, see, watch, feel, help (anche con to)
- She made me cry. (NON She made me to cry)
- Let me help.
- I saw him leave.
❌ Errore italiano tipico
- I want that you come → I want you to come
- She made me to cry → She made me cry
- I'm looking forward to see you → I'm looking forward to seeing you
Articoli: a / an / the / zero article
📐 Le tre opzioni
| Articolo | Uso | Esempio |
|---|---|---|
| a / an | indeterminativo singolare: cosa non specifica | I bought a book. |
| the | determinativo: cosa specifica, già menzionata o unica | The book on the table is mine. |
| ∅ (nessuno) | concetti generali, nomi al plurale generico, nomi non numerabili generici | I like music. / Dogs are loyal. |
⚠️ A vs AN
Dipende dal suono iniziale, non dalla lettera:
- a davanti a suono consonantico: a book, a university (u suona /ju/), a European
- an davanti a suono vocalico: an apple, an hour (h muta), an MBA (la m si pronuncia /em/)
🎯 Casi particolari di "the"
- Cose uniche: the sun, the moon, the world, the Internet
- Superlativi: the best, the most expensive
- Numeri ordinali: the first, the second
- Fiumi, mari, oceani, catene montuose: the Thames, the Alps, the Pacific (ma NON laghi e singole montagne: Lake Como, Mount Everest)
- Strumenti musicali: play the piano
- Nazioni con "of" o plurali: the United States, the UK, the Netherlands (ma Italy, France, Japan)
❌ Errori comuni
- NO the davanti a colazione/pranzo/cena: at the lunch → at lunch
- NO the con i nomi astratti generici: The life is hard → Life is hard
- NO the con i giorni della settimana generici: on Monday NON on the Monday
- NO the con i mezzi di trasporto: by car, by train NON by the car
Numeri, date, orari
🔢 Numeri
- 0: zero (matematica), nought (UK), oh (numeri di telefono), nil (calcio), love (tennis)
- Decimali: si usa il punto, non la virgola. 3.14 → three point one four
- Migliaia: virgola separa, punto è il decimale. 1,000.50 = mille e cinquanta centesimi
- Telefono: cifre singole, 0 = oh. 020 7946 0958 → "oh-two-oh, seven-nine-four-six, oh-nine-five-eight"
- Anni: 1999 → "nineteen ninety-nine"; 2026 → "twenty twenty-six" o "two thousand and twenty-six"
📅 Date
| Formato | Scrittura | Pronuncia |
|---|---|---|
| UK | 15 May 2026 / 15th May 2026 | "the fifteenth of May, twenty twenty-six" |
| US | May 15, 2026 / May 15th, 2026 | "May fifteenth, twenty twenty-six" |
Preposizioni: on + giorno specifico (on Monday, on May 15); in + mese/anno/stagione (in May, in 2026, in summer); at + orario/festività (at 3 PM, at Christmas, at the weekend UK / on the weekend US).
🕐 Orari
- 9:00 → "nine o'clock" / "nine"
- 9:15 → "quarter past nine" (UK) / "nine fifteen" (US)
- 9:30 → "half past nine" (UK) / "nine thirty" (US)
- 9:45 → "quarter to ten" / "nine forty-five"
- 9:05 → "five past nine" / "nine oh five"
- AM (mattina) / PM (pomeriggio-sera): 3 PM = 3 dopo pranzo, 3 AM = 3 di notte
- 12:00 = noon / midday (mezzogiorno); 00:00 = midnight
Small talk & espressioni quotidiane
Il small talk è il lubrificante sociale della conversazione: saluti, frasi di apertura, espressioni cortesi. Padronaggiarne 30-40 ti rende immediatamente più fluente.
👋 Saluti e introduzioni
| Espressione | Contesto | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| How's it going? | Informale | Come va? |
| How are you doing? | Informale | Come stai? |
| What's up? / Sup? | Molto informale | Che si dice? |
| How have you been? | Dopo molto tempo | Come sei stato? |
| Long time no see! | Idiomatico, dopo tanto | Quanto tempo! |
| Nice to meet you. | Prima volta | Piacere di conoscerti. |
| Pleased to meet you. | Più formale | Piacere. |
| Nice to see you again. | Reincontro | Piacere di rivederti. |
| How do you do? | Molto formale (UK) | Come va? (risposta: stessa frase) |
👋 Saluti di commiato
| Espressione | Contesto | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| See you later / See ya | Informale | A dopo. |
| Take care | Affettuoso | Stammi bene. |
| Have a good one | Generico, USA | Buona giornata/serata. |
| Catch you later | Informale | Ci sentiamo. |
| Talk to you soon | Comune | A presto. |
| I gotta run / I have to go | Per chiudere | Devo andare. |
| It was nice talking to you | Cortese | È stato bello parlare con te. |
🙏 Ringraziamenti, scuse, cortesia
| Espressione | Quando | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| Thanks a lot / Thanks so much | Standard | Grazie mille. |
| I really appreciate it | Più formale | Lo apprezzo davvero. |
| Cheers | UK informale per "grazie" | Grazie. |
| You're welcome / No worries / No problem / Sure thing | Risposta a "thanks" | Prego / Figurati. |
| My pleasure | Cortese | Piacere mio. |
| Don't mention it | Formale | Non c'è di che. |
| Sorry / I'm sorry | Generico | Scusa. |
| Excuse me | Per attirare attenzione | Mi scusi. |
| My bad | Informale, ammettere errore | Colpa mia. |
| I apologize | Formale | Mi scuso. |
| That's okay / No worries | Risposta a scuse | Tranquillo. |
💬 Espressioni utili per la conversazione
| Espressione | Quando usarla | Italiano |
|---|---|---|
| How was your weekend? | Lunedì in ufficio | Com'è stato il weekend? |
| What do you do (for a living)? | Conoscere qualcuno | Di cosa ti occupi? |
| What are you up to? | Chiedere cosa fai/farai | Cosa fai? / Cosa hai in programma? |
| I'm just kidding | Dopo una battuta | Sto solo scherzando. |
| No way! | Sorpresa / negazione enfatica | Ma dai! / Assolutamente no! |
| Are you kidding me? | Sorpresa incredula | Stai scherzando? |
| That makes sense | Confermare comprensione | Ha senso. |
| I see / Got it | Confermare | Capisco. / Ricevuto. |
| I have no idea | Non sapere | Non ne ho idea. |
| That's a good point | Validare argomento | Hai ragione. / È vero. |
| To be honest… | Introdurre opinione franca | A essere onesti… |
| It depends | Risposta non univoca | Dipende. |
| Could you repeat that? | Non aver capito | Puoi ripetere? |
| Sorry, I didn't catch that | Più colloquiale | Scusa, non ho colto. |
| What do you mean? | Chiedere chiarimenti | Cosa intendi? |
| Let me think about it | Prendere tempo | Fammici pensare. |
| I'll get back to you | Risponderò più tardi | Ti faccio sapere. |
| Sounds good! | Approvare proposta | Mi sta bene! |
| Works for me | Approvare | Per me va bene. |
| You bet! | Conferma enfatica | Sicuro! |
| No big deal | Minimizzare | Non è un problema. |
| Never mind | Lasciar perdere | Lascia stare. |
| It's up to you | Dare scelta | Decidi tu. |
| Whatever you prefer | Cortesia | Come preferisci. |
Altri aspetti utili — Suggerimenti per progredire
Ecco aree che ti consiglio di approfondire dopo aver consolidato quanto trovi qui:
🎯 Pronuncia & ascolto
- Linking & connected speech: come i suoni si fondono tra parole (es. "an apple" → /ənˈæpəl/, "want to" → /ˈwɒnə/). Ascolta i podcast a velocità normale.
- Word stress: la sillaba accentata cambia il significato (record sostantivo /ˈrekɔːrd/ vs verbo /rɪˈkɔːrd/).
- Sentence stress: in inglese si accentuano le parole "piene" (sostantivi, verbi, aggettivi); le funzionali (articoli, preposizioni, pronomi) si "schiacciano".
- Suoni tipici dell'inglese che non esistono in italiano: th /θ/ e /ð/ (think, this), w distinto da v (wine vs vine), schwa /ə/ (vocale neutra molto frequente).
🎯 Vocabolario tematico
- Idioms (modi di dire): break the ice, hit the books, piece of cake, under the weather, hit the road, in a nutshell
- Collocations: combinazioni fisse di parole (make a decision NON do a decision; strong coffee, heavy rain, fast food).
- Business English: terminologia specifica (KPIs, stakeholders, deliverables, alignment, bandwidth, runway).
- Slang & espressioni nuove: ghosting, vibes, FOMO, lit, salty, cap (no cap) — utili per capire i media, da usare con cautela.
🎯 Aree grammaticali avanzate
- Causative form: have/get something done (far fare): I had my hair cut.
- Subjunctive: I suggest (that) he be more careful. (raro nel BrE moderno, più comune in AmE formale)
- Inversione enfatica: Never have I seen such a thing!
- Cleft sentences: It was John who called. / What I need is time.
- Relative clauses (who, which, that, whose, where): The man who called is here. Distinzione defining (no virgole) vs non-defining (con virgole).
- Wish / If only: I wish I were younger. / If only I had known.
🎯 Pragmatica & registri
- Politeness: usare could / would al posto di can / will, aggiungere please, indirettezza (I was wondering if you could…).
- British vs American English: oltre alle differenze grammaticali, vocabolario diverso (lift/elevator, flat/apartment, lorry/truck, biscuit/cookie, autumn/fall) e ortografia (colour/color, organise/organize, centre/center).
- Tone shift: capire quando un madrelingua è ironico, sarcastico, formale o "passive-aggressive" è una skill culturale prima che linguistica.
🗣 Strategia di studio per la conversazione
- Input massiccio: podcast (es. "All Ears English", "The Daily", BBC Radio 4), serie TV in inglese con sottotitoli inglesi (non italiani).
- Shadowing: riascolta una frase e ripetila imitando ritmo, intonazione, pause.
- Parla a voce alta con te stesso: spiega cosa stai facendo, racconta la tua giornata.
- Apps: Anki / Quizlet per le flashcard di vocabolario; iTalki / Cambly / Preply per parlare con tutor madrelingua.
- Errori OK: l'obiettivo è comunicare, non essere perfetti. I madrelingua sono molto tolleranti, basta che il messaggio arrivi.
Fonti consultate
I contenuti grammaticali sono validati su fonti autorevoli. Le contrazioni informali e le riduzioni fonetiche sono coerenti con la documentazione di Cambridge e British Council; la distinzione Past Simple vs Present Perfect tra American e British English è confermata dalle stesse fonti.
- Cambridge — Contractions
- Cambridge — Past Simple or Present Perfect?
- Cambridge — Future Perfect Continuous
- British Council — Future forms: will / going to / present continuous
- British Council — Present perfect: just, yet, still, already
- Pronuncian — Informal contractions (gonna, wanna, gotta, etc.)
- Cambridge English — Present Perfect in British vs American English