yourDictionary.com
-- Online dictionaries for foreign languages, including Italian.
Babel Fish Translation
-- This page will translate blocks of text, or entire web pages, usefully if not perfectly
BBC Languages
-- The BBC offers online Italian language learning for free. Take the self-contained online course, improve your listening skills by listening to a related radio report or test your Italian by reading past news articles and completing a quiz. They also offer free online instruction in French, Spanish & German as well as shorter courses in Portuguese, Greek and Chinese.
Indo-European Languages Tutorial Website
-- This no-frills, yet helpful site is maintained by a Linguistics Graduate Student. It offers simple word & phrase crib sheets as well as basic grammar for 14 languages including Italian, French, German and Spanish.
Italian For Beginners - About.com
-- Free online Italian lessons, including a whole section with really, really bad jokes.
The Italian Electronic Classroom
-- The Italian Electronic Classroom is a project of Centro Studi Italiani in San Francisco, CA. The site is aimed at providing free on-line, useful information on difficult aspects of the Italian language to students, teachers, translators, writers. This is a work in progress. Periodically they add new pages on topics covering grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and so on.
Even if you still can't conjugate essere, you should still try to visit at least one of these Libraries in Rome as part of your semester in Rome. A few have staff members who speak English, however we have compiled a list of Italian Phrases for Library Users for your use.
Admittedly, nothing will be able to fill in for native fluency in Italian. However, we feel that if our students are able to imparare italiano well enough to order caffe doppio and pizza a taglio, then surely Potrei consultare questo libro? is well within your reach.
Library Phrases:
Is there someone here who speaks English?
C'e' qualcuno qui che parla inglese?
chay kwal-KOO-no kwi kay PAR-la een-GLAY-zay?
I don't speak Italian very well, unfortunately.
Non parlo molto bene l'italiano, purtroppo.
Nohn PAR-lo MOL-to BAY-nay lee-tahl-ee-AH-no, poor-TROHP-poh.
I'm looking for this book, please.
Cerco questo libro, per favore.
CHER-ko kwes-to LEE-bro, pear fah-VO-ray
May I see this book?
Potrei consultare questo libro?
po-TRAY cohn-sool-TAH-ray KWES-to lee-bro?
or
I would like to see this book, please.
Vorrei consultare questo libro, per favore.
vo-RAY cohn-sool-TAH-ray KWES-to lee-bro, pear fah-VO-ray
I would like to make photocopies of these pages, please.
Vorrei fotocopiare queste pagine, per favore.
vo-RAY fo-to-cop-ee-AHR-ray KWES-tay PA-jee-nay, pear fah-VO-ray
May I take notes?
Posso prendere degli appunti?
POH-so PREN-dehr-ray DAY-lyee ah-POON-tee
May I borrow these books?
Posso predere in prestito questi libri?
POH-so PREN-dehr-ray een PRESS-tee-toh KWES-tee LEE-bree
For how many days?
Per quanti giorni?
pear QWAN-tee JOR-nee
Thank you so much!
Grazie mille!
GRAT-zee-ay MEE-lay
That book is not available.
Quel libro non e' disponibile.
kwel LEE-bro non ay diss-pon-EE-bi-lay.
This is only for you to consult (i.e., use in the library), not to check out/borrow.
E solo per consultazione non prestito.
ay SO-lo pear con-sool-TAH-tsee-OH-nay, non PRES-tee-toh.
May I see your library card?
Posso vedere il suo tesserino?
POH-so veh-DEHR-ray eel SOO-oh tess-er-EEN-oh?
You need to leave your bag in a locker. (...with the caretaker.)
Deve lasciare la borsa in un armadietto. (...con il custode.)
DEH-vay lah-SHAH-ray la BOR-sa een oon ar-mah-dee-ETT-oh. (...kon eel koos-TOE-day.)
Library Terms
author
autore
ow-TOH-ray
title
titolo
TEE-toh-loh
subject
soggetto
soh-JET-toh
publisher
editore
edd-ee-TOH-ray
publication date
data di pubblicazione
DAH-tah dee poo-blee-kaht-zee-OH-nay
year
anno
AH-no
place of publication
luogo
loo-OH-go
edition
edizione
ay-DEET-see-oh-nay
research
ricerca
ree-CHER-ka
keywords
parole chiavi
pah-ROH-lay kee-AH-vee
users (library patrons)
utenti
oo-TEN-tee
consultation (using resources on-site)
consultazione
cohn-sool-taht-zee-OH-nay
borrow/borrowing
prestare/prestito
press-TAH-ray/PRESS-tee-toe
search
cerca/cercare
CHER-ka/cher-KAH-ray
back
indietro
een-dee-AY-troh
available
disponibile
dee-spohn-EE-bee-lay
branch locations (sometimes translated into English as “localisations”)
localizzazioni
loh-kahl-ee-tsah-tsee-OH-nay
