you want to ask how long someone has been doing something, use Da quanto tempo…? or just Da quanto…? (How long … for?) followed by the present tense. For more information on the present tense, see here.
How long have…?
| Da quanto tempo lavori qui? | How long have you been working here? |
| Da quanto tempo è sposata? | How long have You been married? |
| Da quanto stai in Italia? | How long have you been in Italy? |
Sometimes you’ll want to ask why a friend or acquaintance did or didn’t do something. You can use Perché…? (Why…?) and the past tense to ask. For more information on the past tense, see here.
Why…?
| Perché hai cambiato casa? | Why did you move house? |
| Perché si è licenziata? | Why did You quit your job? |
| Perché non mi hai telefonato? | Why didn’t you call me? |
| Perché non c’è andata? | Why didn’t You go? |
When you’re talking to friends or colleagues you will often need to be able to talk about what you would like to do. To say what you want to do, use vorrei (I’d like). vorrei comes from the verb volere (to want). For more information on volere, see here.
I’d like to…
| Vorrei ringraziarla dell’aiuto. | I’d like to thank You for your help. |
| Vorrei parlare con la signora Martini, per favore. | I’d like to speak to Mrs Martini, please. |
| Vorremmo invitarvi a bere qualcosa. | We’d like to take you out for a drink. |
| Vorremmo presentarle un amico. | We’d like You to meet a friend of ours. |
You can also use voglio (I want) to talk about what you want to do. If you want to say that you want someone to do something, you use voglio che followed by the subjunctive. For more information on the subjunctive, see here.
I want to…
| Voglio organizzare una festa. | I want to organize a party. |
| Voglio invitare un po’ di amici per il mio compleanno. | I want to have a few friends over for my birthday. |
| Voglio che tu venga con me. | I want you to come with me. |
| Voglio che la serata vada bene. | I want the evening to be a success. |
One easy way of making suggestions to your friends and colleagues is to use si potrebbe (we could) followed by the verb in the infinitive. potrebbe comes from the verb potere (to be able). For more information on potere, see here.
We could…
| Si potrebbe chiedere a Paul di venire con noi. | We could ask Paul to join us. |
| Si potrebbe uscire a bere qualcosa insieme. | We could go out for a drink. |
| Ci si potrebbe incontrare un’altra volta. | We could meet another time. |
| Ci si potrebbe trovare al Caffè San Marco. | We could meet at the Caffè San Marco. |
Just as in English you can make a suggestion by simply asking Perché non …? (Why don’t …?).
Why don’t…?
| Perché non ci troviamo uno di questi giorni? | Why don’t we get together sometime? |
| Perché non invitiamo Fabio e la sua ragazza? | Why don’t we invite Fabio and his girlfriend? |
| Perché non li chiami? | Why don’t you phone them? |
| Perché non viene a pranzo con me? | Why not meet me for lunch? |
You can also make a suggestion using the Italian phrase E se…? (How about…?) which is followed by a verb in the imperfect subjunctive. For more information on the subjunctive, see here.
How about…?
| E se li invitassimo a cena? | How about asking them round for dinner? |
| E se venisse con noi? | How about if You came with us? |
| E se passassi a prenderti la mattina? | How about if I picked you up in the morning? |
Use Dovrei…? (Should I…?) followed by the verb in the infinitive to ask if you should do something. dovrei comes from the verb dovere (to have to). For more information on dovere, see here.
Should I…?
| Dovrei invitare Anna? | Should I invite Anna? |
| Dovrei richiamarla? | Should I call her back? |
| Dovrei scusarmi? | Should I apologize? |
When talking to people in a social or work situation, you may wish to express your opinion of something. In Italian you can use credo or penso (I think). When you use credere and pensare with che, the verb which follows is in the subjunctive. For more information on the subjunctive, see here.
I think…
| Penso che sia una splendida idea. | I think it’s a great idea. |
| Penso proprio che sia troppo tardi per andare al cinema. | I think it’s really too late to go to the cinema. |
| Credo che Sonia abbia ragione. | I
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