LESSONS IN ITALIAN. 



1-'.' 



EXERCISE 12. 



1 The present time* are not the best. 2. He had hidden 

 himself in the back room. 3. Our town haa a stone bridge; 

 ours haa only one of wood. 4. Edward haa received from 

 a gold watch, a silver sword, and a pair of steel shoe- 

 5. Once they wore oloth drosses and velvet waist- 

 0. Tho use of copper vessels haa been prohibited in 

 7. Beef, veal, and mutton are for sale in the shambles. 

 \\ ii.it means this ringing of bells P 9. What do you say of 

 cloth which I have bought ? 10. It is good and fine. 11. 

 Ami uf the colour? 12. It is beautiful. 13. What do you 

 think of the man whom you see, of the boy whom ho carries 

 ong with him, and of the beggar who follows him ? 14. Hero 

 ten yards of the taffetas, some of which you wanted, and 

 ve yards of the cambric which you have demanded. 15. 

 d me a dozen of the lemons, and two pounds of the figs which 

 have received from Smyrna. 1C. Spare me a bottle of the 

 de Cologne which has been sent to you. 



THE PARTICLE A. 

 Tho uae of this particle frequently coincides with the use of 

 the preposition to in English grammar. Generally speaking, 

 any kind of direction, expressed by a verb, to or towards a person 

 or thing, is denoted by this word. Tho ideas of similarity or 

 resemblance, of approaching or approximation, of a direction or 

 mere reference to any thing, end, aim, or point of time, form, as 

 it wore, only parts or branches of this fundamental signification 

 of fie particle a; and whenever the action of the subject of a sen- 

 tence (i.e., of the nominative) expresses such direction or approach 

 to or towards persons or things, a must be placed before them. 

 For example : 



Ac-c6-sta-ti til-la td-vo-la, approach thyself to the table. 



Al cd-ne dd-te gli 6s-si, give the bones to the dog. 



II fi-glio ras-so-mi-jlia al pii-dre, the son is like the father. 



Nt par-le-ro al eu-gi-nn, I shall speak of it to the cousin. 



,41 niii-to si ri-co-nu-sce V uc-cel-lo, by the soug one knows the bird. 



L' a-vd-ro non pn-sa che al da-nd-ro, the avaricious man only thinks 



of money. 



T-o lo dis-si al a-m{-co v6-stro, I told it your friend. 

 E"-gli lo die-dt a' po-vt-ri, he gave it to the poor. 

 I'-o vd-do a Rd-ma, I go to Borne. 

 Non cre-di-te a ld-ro, do not believe them. 



Du-si a hit, an-dd-t a cii-sa, I told him, go home (i.e., to the house). 

 Pic-chid-re dl-la p6r-ta, to knock at the door. 

 Scri-ve-re a qual-che-du-no, to write to somebody. 

 Ag-giu-gne-re u-na cd-sa ad un* ul-tra, to add one thing to another. 

 Cf-de-re sii-o di-ri(-to a yuaJ-c/ie-dii-iio, to transmit or cede one's 



right to any one. 

 Co-strin-ge-re ti-no ad u-na a-zio-ne, to compel or force any one to 



some action. 

 Ver-rb a mtz-zo gi6r-no, a m&-za n6l-te, dl-le dii-, al tem-po fis-sd-to, 



al pri-mo del im ; -se, I shall come at noon, at midnight, at two 



o'clock, at the appointed time, on the first of the month. 



Phrases, not literally or strictly expressing an abode, resi- 

 ce, stay, continuance, or being in a place, but merely near- 

 ness or presence, require the particle a and not in, which always 

 denotes a real and not merely imaginary continuance or being 

 in (i.e., in the interior of) a place or thing, or some action taking 

 :e in it. For example : 



J5T-yU e al bdl-lo, he is at the ball. 



Al /e-stf-no, at the (dancing and gaming) evening party. 



A td-vo-la, at table. 



Al con-cer-to, in the concert. 



A giuo-cd-re, at play or game. 



A stu-did-re, (engaged) in study. 



From what has been explained, it in obvious that in those 

 phrases which merely denote the moving, approaching, or ten- 

 dency to or towards a place or thing, and not strictly the entering 

 or penetrating into it, a and not in must be used ; for in means 

 the actual motion or penetration into the interior of any locality. 

 For example : 



I'-o vu-do al bdl-lo, I go to the balL 



A td-vo-la, to table. 



A cA-na, to supper. 



A im-pa-rd-re, to learn, i.e., to (the pursuit of) learning. 



A giuo-cd-re, to play, i.t., to (the diversion of) playing. 



The proper nouns of towns, cities, boroughs, or similar 

 localities, are an exception to the hut-mentioned rule, for it k 

 quite allowable indiscriminately to place a or n before thea 

 whenever the abode, residence, atay, arrival, continuance, Off 

 I..-IH- in or within them (.., in their interior) is to be d* 

 aignatod. For example : 



Jf-gli 4 a or in Hd-po-li, he is at or in Nnplee. 

 Tm-vdnJo-ri 4-gli u-iui wH-a a Pa-ri-yi, beta* ooo is Parle. 

 Kl-lai ar-ri-vd-ta a or in Kar-4>ota, she is armed in W 



The verbs par-K-re, to depart, to set oat or off, and om-M. 

 nu-d-re, to continue, proceed on (one's journey), are another ex- 

 ception, for they require the preposition per before the name of 

 that locality, or even country, towards which a journey or any 

 motion is directed. For example : 



If -gli e par-ti-to ptr Co-ctan-tt-nl-po-lt. <prr Pit-tro-bur^o, pr U Sm- 

 M-ra, be has started for Constantinople, for St. Petersburg, for 

 Switzerland. 



Con-(i-nu-d-r tl fii-o vidg-gio per la Po-M-nia, ptr M6-tc*, to proceed 

 on one's journey to Poland, to Moscow. 



Next to tit, the particle a is of the moat extensive use, and 

 though the relations in which this word stands to others are 

 not quite so loose and vague as those of di, they are various 

 enough to admit of modes of application which, even in Italian, 

 might sometimes be more suitably dispensed with by the uae of 

 prepositions of a more logical distinctness, and consequently a 

 greater clearness in special instances. For example : 



Mon-td-re a ca-dl-lo (for *<5-pra un ca-vdl-lo), to get or mount 



on horseback. 

 I'-tri a p6-chi gi6r-ni ri- tor-no (for d<J-po pf-chi gior-ni), he returned 



a few days after. 



Fd-rt a vo-lon-td di cio-sc u-no (for M-edn-do la w-bm-fd), to act ac- 

 cording to, or to conform to the will of everybody. 

 Bat-te-an-si a ]>dl-me (for cdl-U pdl-mt), they fought with the r^'if* 



of their hands. 

 Le rot-tu-rt fu-ro-no mu-rd-tt a pit-tra a cal-ci-na (for com pO-tra 



con cal-ct-na), the breaches were walled up with stone and j+ 

 Non ci con-ver-rd com-ldi-U-r a n p6-ea gtn-tt (for <xfo-tn> n p6-c* 



gin-te), it will not become us to fight against so few. 

 MoJ-ti/dn-no le-ne a spe-rdn-za di gua-dd-gno (for pr i p*-rdn-M), 



many are honest through the hope of profit, etc. 



It is obvious that this variety of the significations of a will, 

 for the purpose of translating it into English, require the use of 

 many prepositions or other words, and sometimes even of ad- 

 verbial expressions or phrases, which only practice and a patient 

 method of reading good writers, by accurately comparing the 

 idioms and genius of the two languages, fully can teach. In a 

 course of merely elementary lessons, I must naturally restrict 

 myself to some, I think, useful hints in the following illustra- 

 tions : 



The particle a may be translated by the objective case (with- 

 Dut any preposition). For example: 



Fd-rt v-dV-r ad al-ci-no u-na c6-ta, to let any one aee something. 



Do-man-dd-rt ad al-cu-no, to ask one. 



Toc-cd-rt ad al-cu-no, to concern one. 



So-prao-rf-w-re ad al-cu-no, to survive one. 



Sup-pU-re a <jua'l-c?i c5-*a, to complete or make up something. 



By the preposition to. For example : 



Xp-plt'-cdr-si ad u-na c<5-a, to apply oneself to something. 

 V6l-gtr-ti ad al-cu-no, to turn to somebody. 

 A si-ni-stra, a man-en, to the left. 

 A di-stra, to the right. 



An-dd-rt, vt-ni-n a un Iu6-go, to go, come to a place. 

 Do-Un-( a mo>-(, grieved to death. 



Pat-td-rt a /I di tpd-da, to put to the sword (i.t., to the edge of 

 the sword). 



By the preposition at. For example : 

 Al It-vdr dtl tMt, at sunrise. 

 Al pri-mo cfo-no, at the first hint or sign. 

 A mt-o !n-no, to my mind, liking, taste, fancy, wiU. 

 S+dJ-rt a fd-ro-la. to sit at table. 

 *-*t-rt ($td-rt, tro-tdr-ri) a un Iu4-fo, to be at a place. 



By the preposition on or upon. For example : 

 A p4-na di m6r-lt, upon (or under) pain of death. 

 Af-fi-ddr-ti ad ai-cu-no, to reckon or rely upon one. 



