LESSONS IN ITALIAN. 



115 



Boyoml tli" tiros vogotat'on dwindles down to y 



i-lcss |)l:int.-i; HUll U few 



t'.ir exist' 

 ni-;ir ! th,- poli; as c\|.l poru ha .-:trato. 



LESSONS IN ITALIAN. XXIII. 



AUXlLIAi: 



itkm of It.: . compared with that of the 



Knx'l. lowing peculiar^ i 



!-snn;il pronouns i-ii. I; tu, thou ; J-gli, tt'to, ho; 

 ''; Vt '>i, yo" i -no, tt'ri (in.), ft* 



r.), they, may be omitted before (.In? Italian vm-lu ; 

 becanso tin-ir persons, with an unmistakable cWrncsH, are ex- 

 pressed by tin- difference of their terminations ; as, d-mo, dmi, 

 i-mi<i-io, a-md-te, d-ma-no, I love, thou lovost, he (she) 

 loves, we love, you love, they love, is equivalent to i-o d-mo, tu 

 -jli (> ! l-lu) d-ma, n6i a-mid-mo, v6i a-md-te, e-gli-no (el-le- 

 'ii',. In Knglish, for want of inflections, the personal 

 pronouns are inseparable from the verbs ; and in this respect 

 iuu language has the advantage of a greater brevity and 

 . of expression. In two cases, however, even before 

 ; verbs, the personal pronouns are indispensable. In the 

 lace, when they are required by emphasis or contrast: 

 thus, (-0 v'eii-tre-rd ddn-tro, I shall enter ; noi er-rid-mo, m'ti sia- 

 mo in-gan-nd-ti, e non v6i, we are mistaken, we are cheated, not 

 you. In the second place, in the singular, before the three 

 - of the subjunctive of the present, and also in tbo 

 singular before the first and second person of the subjunctive of 

 the imperfect, which are alike, the personal pronouns, for the 

 most part, ought to bo used, to avoid confusion : thus, die i-o 

 . C/K; tu db-bia, ch' 6-gli db-bia, that I may have, that thou 

 mayest have, that he may have ; s-; i-o a-vds-si, se tu, a-vSs-si, if 

 I had, if thou hodst ; che i-o sl-a, die tu si-a, ch' 6-tjli si-a, that 

 I may be, that thou mayest be, tliat he may be ; se i-o f6s-si, se 

 tu f6s-si, if I were, if thou wert, instead of die db-bia, se a-vte-si, 

 che si-a, se f6s-si, etc. 



2. Like most of the modern languages derived from the Latin 

 stock, the Italian has five preterite tenses, while the English 

 language, like the German, Dutch, Danish, and Swedish, has 

 only three, the imperfect, the perfect, and the pluperfect. The 

 Italian conjugation, in this respect, has the advantage of a 

 greater pieoision, and, in narrations, of a greater variety. 



3. The English conjugation has only two tenses formed with- 

 out the aid of auxiliaries, the present and the imperfect. The 

 other tenses, the perfect, pluperfect, and future, are merely peri- 

 phrases. The Italian conjugation has four tenses formed with- 

 out the aid of auxiliaries, the present, the imperfect, the inde- 

 terminate preterite (pas-sd-to in-de,-ter-mi-nd-to), and the future. 

 The determinate preterite, the pluperfect, and the future past, 

 are the only Italian tenses requiring the aid of the auxiliaries 



(to have) and 6s-se-re (to be). In this point, also, the 

 Italian conjugation has the advantage of greater brevity, while 

 in English the accumulation of auxiliaries, particularly in the 

 future past, renders it more difficult to avoid a drawling and 

 heavy style : thus, a-vrS-i a-md-to must be expressed by four 

 words (I should have loved) ; sa-re-i std-to fe-ri-to, by Jive (I 

 should have been wounded). 



4. The Italian subjunctive is far more different from the 

 indicative than in English, where, for the most part, it resembles 

 it, and can only bo known by the sense or by certain conjunctions 

 connected with it : thus, (ind.) d-mo, I love, (subj.) A-mi (unless, 

 though, etc.), I love ; (ind.) a-md-va, I loved, (subj.) a-mos-si 

 (if, etc.), I loved ; (ind.) ho a-md-to, I have loved, (subj.) db-bia 

 a^md-io (unless, though, etc.), I have loved. 



5. The Italian language has several regular forms for the con- 

 jugation of its verbs. The English has but one. This sim- 

 plicity, no doubt, is an advantage of tho English conjugation, 

 but it is cour. terbalanced by the greater variety of tho Italian. 



From these peculiaritios, taken together, tho learning of the 

 Italian verb is by for taa most difficult part of tho Italian 

 grammar, and a profound and complete knowledge of this part 

 of speech may almost bo pronounced a science in itself. For- 

 tunately, a smaller amount of knowledge will suffice 'for the 

 beginning of reading and conversation, and the rest may' safely 

 bo left to time, perseverance, and studious practice, without 

 which a foreigner can never hope to acquire a perfect acquaint- 



anoo with any language, not even with the English, i. 



' it* remarkable simplicity . In the conjugation of the 

 auxiliaries, and of tho verbs, we shall present to the lean, 

 only their regular forms, to bo committed to memory, bat sUo, 

 for tl..i i urpoM of reference, some remarks on their aru^ent, 

 poetical, ind enroncout variation*. It in almost n*dlM to 

 linL out that the consecutive numbers in each mood which 

 we have .ppondod to tho forms on which it bos been considered 

 aeoemry to offer any explanation with regard to vu. 

 etc., refer to the paragraphs similarly numbered in the remarks 

 on each m >od in saoce* 



CONJUOA riON OP THE AUXILIARY VKttB S-SE-KE,> to U. 



I. INDEFINITE HOOD.* 

 Promt. fis-se-ro, to it. 

 Preterit*.- -fis-se-re sta-to, to have been. 



Futur*. 'se-re per ea-se-re, or a-r<!-ro ad es-se-re, to l about la W. 

 Prmtnt Particlplf. Es-sn-to, twin?, erittmj (obsolete). 

 Preterite Participle. 8ta-to (aing.), sU-ti (plur.). (E*6-to or ri-to, 



formerly une<l, ore now quite obsolete.) 

 Prettnt Gerund.* Es-sen-do (sometimes frta-do), ktiny. 

 I'reteriU tlerund. Es-sen-do stt-to, having 



Vutur$ Gerund. En-*iu-do per es-se-re ( or a-vin-do ad <s-se-re, 

 being about to be. 



II. INDICATIVE MOOD. 



Present Tame. 

 Sing. I'-o HO-DO, / <ii.i. 



Tn s6-i or se'. 



K'.gli ('-s-8o) e. 



[Si-is, one i.i] 

 Plur. Noi siii 1110.= 



Voi si6-te. 



E'-gli-no (ds-si) go-no. 



Imperfect or Simple Preterite. 3 

 Sitig. I'-o -ra, I vat. 



Tu o-ri. 



E'-gli e-ra. 



[Si e-ra, one va."] 

 Plur. Noi c-ra-vd-ino.* 



Voi e-ra-va-te. 



E'-gli-no e-ra-no. 



Indtrminat Preterite* 

 Sing. I'-o fiii, / was. 



Tu fo-sti. 



E'-gli fu. 

 Plur. Noi fuin-mo. 



Vui fo-ste. 7 



E'-gli-no fii-ro-no.* 



Dtrminaf Preterite.* 

 Sing. I'-o so-no sta-to, 1 7iar been. 



Tu s^-i sta-to. 



K'-gli e stii-to. 

 Plur. Noi sia-mo sta-ti. 



Voi sife-te std-ti. 



E'-gli-no (t5s-si) so-no sta-ti. 



Indeterminate Pluperfect. 10 

 Sinij. I'-o e-ra sta-to, I ?ud been. 



Tu t -rl stit-to. 



E'-gli & rasti-to. 

 Fluv. Noi e-m-Vii-mo sta-ti. 



Voi e-ra-va-to sta-ti. 



E'-gli -110 (<5s-si) -ra-iio sta-ti. 



Determinate Pluperfect. 11 

 Sing. I' o fui sta-to. I had bem. 



Tu fo-sti sti-to. 



E'-gli fu fcta-to. 

 Plur. Noi f urn- mo sta-ti. 



Voi fo-ste sta-ti. 



E'-gli-no fti.ro.no stA-ti. 



Future. 

 Sing. I'-o sa-ro," I iUU be. 



Tu sa-ri-i. 



E'-gli sa-ri." 

 Plur. Noi sa-rc-mo. u 



VOi Bu-nS-te. 11 



E'-gli-uo sa-rJn-no. le 



Future Past. 



Sing. I'-o sa-ro sta-to, I nhall hatt 

 Tu sa-ra-i 8ti-to. [been. 



.-a-ri sto-to. 



Plur. Noi sa-re-mo sta-ti. 

 Voi sa-rd-te etii-ti. 

 E'-gli-uo sa- rau-no Bta-tL 



Conditional Pretent.** 

 Sing. I'-o sa-r^-i,'* or sa-ri-a, 1 * I 

 Tu sa-r^-sti." [;iouia be. 

 E'-gli (<H-ln) sa-rib-be, or a- 

 Plur. Noi sa-rtfm-mo. [ri-a.* 1 



Voi sa-r^-ste. 



E'-gli-no sa-reb-be-ro, or sa- 

 reb-bo-no, or sa- ri-a-no. 11 



Conditional Pott. 

 Sing. I'-o sa-r-i sta-to, I iJiould 



hai-t been. 

 Tu ea-rrf-sti sta-to. 

 E'-gli so-rib-be sta-to. 

 Plur. Noi sa-rom-ino sta-tl. 

 Voi sa riS-ste sta-ti. 

 E'-gli-no Stt-rcb-be-ro sti-tl. 



III. IMPERATIVE MOOD. 1 



Sing. Si-i or si-a tu, be thou. 



Non s-sc-rc/ do not (thou) b. 



Si-a <5-gU, let him be. 



IV. SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. 

 Prnt. 

 Sing. I'-o si-a, I mti'i be. 



Tu El-i or si- a,' 



E'-gli si-a. 

 Plur. Noi siii-uio. 



Voi sia-tc. 



E'-gli-no si-a-uo or sie-no. 



Imperfect.' 

 Sing. T-o fos-si.a I might be. 



Tu fete-si. 



E'-gli foa-se. 

 Plur. NiSi ft'is-Ai-mo. 



Voi fo-Bte. 



E'-gli-no f.'is-se-ro.* 



Plur. Cia-rno v6l, lt u be. 



~c veil, be v. [them be. 

 Si c-no or de-no e-gli-uc,*, U' 



Pott. 

 Stny. I'-o sf-a sta-to, I may taw 



Tu st-i, or si-a cti-to. [ben. 



E'-gli si-a sU-to. 

 Plur. Noi sia-mo nta-ti. 



Voisia-testa-f.. 



E'-gli-no si-a-uo stu-ti. 



PUpr/et. 

 Sing. I'-o foa-si sU-to, I night ktw> 



Tu foa-si sta-to. [bK. 



E'-gli fva-a sta-to. 

 Plur. N.'.i fos-Ki-mo ati-ti. 



Voi fo-st ata-ti. 



E'-gli-no fiis-se-ro sta-tv. 



