Table Of ContentITALIAN
IN 3 MONTHS
Milena Reynolds
YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO
UNDERSTANDING AND
SPEAKING ITALIAN
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THIRD EDITION
Series Editor Elise Bradbury
Senior Editor Amelia Petersen
Senior Art Editor Jane Ewart
Managing Editors Christine Stroyan, Carine Tracanelli
Managing Art Editor Anna Hall
Production Editor Robert Dunn
Senior Production Controller Samantha Cross
Jacket Project Art Editor Surabhi Wadhwa-Gandhi
Jacket Design Development Manager Sophia MTT
Art Director Karen Self
Associate Publishing Director Liz Wheeler
Publishing Director Jonathan Metcalf
DK INDIA
Project Art Editor Anjali Sachar
Senior DTP Designer Shanker Prasad
Managing Editor Rohan Sinha
Managing Art Editor Sudakshina Basu
This revised edition published in Great Britain in 2022 by
Dorling Kindersley Limited
DK, One Embassy Gardens, 8 Viaduct Gardens,
London, SW11 7BW
First published in Great Britain by
Hugo’s Language Books Limited
The authorised representative in the EEA is
Dorling Kindersley Verlag GmbH. Arnulfstr. 124,
80636 Munich, Germany
Copyright © 1987, 1997, 2003, 2022 Dorling Kindersley Limited
A Penguin Random House Company
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001–326926–Jan/2022
Written by
Milena Reynolds
Formerly Lecturer in Italian, Morley College, London
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced
into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the
prior written permission of the copyright owner.
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-0-2415-3741-1
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Preface
THIRD EDITION This edition of Hugo Italian in 3 Months was written by
Series Editor Elise Bradbury
Milena Reynolds, whose experience in teaching her
Senior Editor Amelia Petersen
Senior Art Editor Jane Ewart native tongue ranges from beginners to post-graduate
Managing Editors Christine Stroyan, Carine Tracanelli
Managing Art Editor Anna Hall level. She has drawn on this expertise to produce a simple
Production Editor Robert Dunn yet complete course for students working at home and
Senior Production Controller Samantha Cross
Jacket Project Art Editor Surabhi Wadhwa-Gandhi aiming to acquire a good working knowledge of Italian
Jacket Design Development Manager Sophia MTT
in a short time. It is based on the Hugo principle of
Art Director Karen Self
Associate Publishing Director Liz Wheeler teaching only what is really essential for a firm grasp of
Publishing Director Jonathan Metcalf
practical, everyday language use.
DK INDIA
Project Art Editor Anjali Sachar
Senior DTP Designer Shanker Prasad The course begins with a detailed explanation of Italian
Managing Editor Rohan Sinha
pronunciation (our ‘imi tate d pronunciation’ system will help
Managing Art Editor Sudakshina Basu
you through the early stages). We strongly encourage you
This revised edition published in Great Britain in 2022 by to download the free DK Hugo In 3 Months app (see p.4) and
Dorling Kindersley Limited to listen to the accompanying audio – this will enable you
DK, One Embassy Gardens, 8 Viaduct Gardens,
London, SW11 7BW to pick up the distinctive sounds of the Italian language.
First published in Great Britain by
Hugo’s Language Books Limited
The rest of the course is divided into ten sections, each of
The authorised representative in the EEA is
Dorling Kindersley Verlag GmbH. Arnulfstr. 124, which should take about a week to complete – so even if
80636 Munich, Germany you proceed slightly more slowly than expected, you
Copyright © 1987, 1997, 2003, 2022 Dorling Kindersley Limited should still finish the course within three months. Each
A Penguin Random House Company
section has a main theme divided into three or four related
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001–326926–Jan/2022 topics, presenting the grammar concisely and clearly,
along with examples, exercises, and sample conversations.
Written by Ideally, you should spend about an hour a day on the
Milena Reynolds
Formerly Lecturer in Italian, Morley College, London course, although there is no hard and fast rule on this.
Do as much as you feel capable of doing; it is better to
All rights reserved. learn a little at a time, and to learn that thoroughly.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced
into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the At the beginning of each day’s session, spend ten minutes
prior written permission of the copyright owner.
going back over what you learned the day before. Study
A CIP catalogue record for this book
each new rule or numbered section carefully, to ensure
is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-0-2415-3741-1 you have fully understood the grammar and examples
Printed and bound in Latvia given, before listening to the audio to learn the
pronunciation of sample sentences and new vocubulary.
Then revisit each conversation and note how it uses the
www.dk.com
constructions that have been explained. With the
conversations, we suggest that you listen to them first,
This book was made with Forest Stewardship
then read them aloud and see how closely you can
Council™ certified paper – one small step
in DK’s commitment to a sustainable future. imitate the voices on the recording. Try to understand
For more information go to
www.dk.com/our-green-pledge rather than memorize.
PREFACE 3
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Finally, complete the exercises that accompany each
section. Repeat them until the answers come easily.
Repetition is vital to language learning. The more often
you listen to a conversation or repeat an oral exercise,
the faster your listening skills and fluency in speaking
will improve.
When you’ve completed the course, you should have a
very good understanding of the language – more than
sufficient for gen er al holiday or business purposes, and
enough to support you in language validation tests if that
is your aim. Re mem ber that it is important to continue
ex pand ing your vo cab u lary by reading in Italian or
watching Italian films – or, best of all, visiting Italy.
We hope you enjoy Hugo Italian in 3 Months, and we wish
you success with your studies!
About the audio app
The audio app that accompanies this Italian course contains
audio recordings for all the conversations, numbered sections,
and vocabulary boxes, as well as many of the exercises.
There is no audio for the Reading practice section.
Where you see this symbol, it indicates that there is no
audio for that section.
To start using the audio with this book, first download the
DK Hugo In 3 Months app on your smartphone or tablet
from the App Store or Google Play. Then select Italian from
the list of titles.
Please note that this app is not a stand-alone course. It is
designed to be used together with the book, to familiarize
you with Italian speech and to provide examples for you
to repeat aloud.
4 ITALIAN IN 3 MONTHS
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Contents
Pronunciation 7 Travelling by plane and car
Finally, complete the exercises that accompany each Irregular verbs
section. Repeat them until the answers come easily. Week 1 11 Conversations and ex er cis es
Greetings & booking a room Key phrases & vocabulary
Repetition is vital to language learning. The more often
Gender
you listen to a conversation or repeat an oral exercise, Articles: ‘a’, ‘an’, ‘the’ Week 4 69
the faster your listening skills and fluency in speaking Questions Booking a place to stay
will improve. Negative sentences Modal verbs: ‘want’, ‘can’,
Making introductions ‘must’
When you’ve completed the course, you should have a Present tense of essere (‘to be’) Verbs with -isc- conjugations
very good understanding of the language – more than Forms of address Buying property
Present tense of avere (‘to The imperative
sufficient for gen er al holiday or business purposes, and
have’) Negative imperative
enough to support you in language validation tests if that
Present tense of -are verbs Irregular present-tense verbs
is your aim. Re mem ber that it is important to continue Talking about what you do and Irregular im per a tives
ex pand ing your vo cab u lary by reading in Italian or where you live The euro and more numbers:
watching Italian films – or, best of all, visiting Italy. Conversations and ex er cis es 1,000 to 1,000,000,000
Key phrases & vocabulary Days of the week, months
and dates
We hope you enjoy Hugo Italian in 3 Months, and we wish Week 2 26 Asking about facilities
you success with your studies!
Talking about your home Conversations and exercises
‘Mr’, ‘Mrs’, ‘Miss’, ‘Ms’ Key phrases & vocabulary
Plurals of the art icles
Plurals of nouns and ad jec tives Week 5 87
About the audio app
Present tense of -ere and -ire Buying a drink
verbs Object pronouns: ‘me’, ‘you’,
The audio app that accompanies this Italian course contains ‘My’, ‘mine’, ‘your’, ‘yours’, etc. ‘him’, etc.
audio recordings for all the conversations, numbered sections, Renting a flat The conditional (‘would’)
C’è (‘there is’) and ci sono The imperative with obj ect
and vocabulary boxes, as well as many of the exercises.
(‘there are’) pron ouns
There is no audio for the Reading practice section.
Prepositions: ‘to’, ‘from’, etc. Irregular verbs: bere, dire, sapere
Possession Irregular past par ti ci ples: bere,
Where you see this symbol, it indicates that there is no Question words: ‘whose?’, cuocere, dire
audio for that section. ‘what?’, ‘where?’ Two verbs for ‘can’: sapere,
Conversations and ex er cis es potere
Key phrases & vocabulary Likes and dislikes: Mi piace/
To start using the audio with this book, first download the
Non mi piace
DK Hugo In 3 Months app on your smartphone or tablet Week 3 48 Ordering a meal
from the App Store or Google Play. Then select Italian from Asking the way & buyi ng tick ets Uses of the preposition da
the list of titles. ‘This’, ‘that’, ‘those’, etc. Conversations and ex er cis es
Indefinite adjectives (‘some’, Key phrases & vocabulary
‘any’, etc.)
Please note that this app is not a stand-alone course. It is Taking buses and trains Week 6 108
designed to be used together with the book, to familiarize
Numbers Going shopping
you with Italian speech and to provide examples for you
Telling the time The pronoun ne
to repeat aloud. Past participles Object pronouns with perfect
Talking about the past tenses
4 ITALIAN IN 3 MONTHS CONTENTS 5
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Double pronouns (‘he gives it Week 9 167
to me’) Talking about jobs
At the bank Relative pronouns: ‘who’, ‘which’,
Ordinal numbers: ‘first’, ‘second’, ‘that’
etc. Choosing forms of address
More irregular verbs: aprire, Irregular verbs: imperatives of
chiedere, chiudere, mettere, etc. andare, dire, fare
Making a complaint Shortened imperatives with
Conversations and ex er cis es pronouns
Key phrases & vocabulary Talking about current affairs
The present participle (-ing form)
Week 7 126 Present and past continuous
Describing ailments Use of stare per …
Reflexive verbs (‘I enjoy myself’) Irregular verb: eleggere
Describing an accident Negative pronouns and adverbs:
Imperfect tense (‘I was doing’) ‘nothing’, ‘no one’, ‘never’, etc.
Use of the perfect and Verbs ending in -gliere
imperfect Spelling things out
Imperfect of essere Conversations and exercises
Irregular plurals Key phrases & vocabulary
Parts of the body
More irregular verbs Week 10 190
Past perfect (“I had done”) Getting to know people
Conversations and ex er cis es The future tense
Key phrases & vocabulary Irregular verbs in the future
and conditional
Week 8 147 Future perfect and past
Talking about hobbies and conditional
interests Talking about jobs and interests
Expressing opinions ‘Each other’ / ‘one another’
Comparatives: ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘as’ Use of the prepositions a, da, di
Superlatives: ‘most’, ‘least’ Talking about the weather
Irregular comparatives and Disjunctive (stressed) pronouns
superlatives Conversations and exercises
Arranging a meeting Key phrases & vocabulary
Prepositions with inf in i tives
Apologizing Key to exercises 211
Letter-writing practice
Expressions using avere Mini-dictionary 227
Agreeing and dis a greeing Italian–English
Use of the verb fare English–Italian
Irregular verb: accorgersi
Con ver sa tions and exercises Index 251
Key phrases & vocabulary
6 ITALIAN IN 3 MONTHS
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Pronunciation
Double pronouns (‘he gives it Week 9 167 Before you start the first chapter, read the following rules
to me’) Talking about jobs on pron unc i ation. If you’ve downloaded the app, listen to
At the bank Relative pronouns: ‘who’, ‘which’,
the audio as you read the example words and sentences.
Ordinal numbers: ‘first’, ‘second’, ‘that’
Italian pronunciation is not too complicated, and once
etc. Choosing forms of address
you’ve mastered the sounds that are different from
More irregular verbs: aprire, Irregular verbs: imperatives of
chiedere, chiudere, mettere, etc. andare, dire, fare English, you’ll find that you can pronounce the words you
Making a complaint Shortened imperatives with learn quite easily. Our imitated pronunciation aims to help
Conversations and ex er cis es pronouns you with this until you get familiar with the sounds.
Key phrases & vocabulary Talking about current affairs
The present participle (-ing form)
Week 7 126 Present and past continuous
Describing ailments Use of stare per …
THE IMITATED PRONUNCIATION
Reflexive verbs (‘I enjoy myself’) Irregular verb: eleggere
Describing an accident Negative pronouns and adverbs: In the first weeks of the course, the imitated pron un ci ation is
Imperfect tense (‘I was doing’) ‘nothing’, ‘no one’, ‘never’, etc. included for each new word as it occurs in the sections or in the
Use of the perfect and Verbs ending in -gliere vocabulary list at the end of the chapter. In this system, the
imperfect Spelling things out Italian sounds are represented phonetically; read each syl la ble as
Imperfect of essere Conversations and exercises
if it were part of an English word. After the third chapter, word
Irregular plurals Key phrases & vocabulary
stress will continue to be indicated for words in which the
Parts of the body
More irregular verbs Week 10 190 stress is not on the penultimate syllable. If in doubt, you can
Past perfect (“I had done”) Getting to know people always come back to this section or listen to the audio.
Conversations and ex er cis es The future tense
Key phrases & vocabulary Irregular verbs in the future When reading the imitated pronunciation, note that:
and conditional
Week 8 147 Future perfect and past
ah sounds like a in ‘father’, but is shorter than in English
Talking about hobbies and conditional
interests Talking about jobs and interests
oh sounds like the o in ‘bone’ or in ‘hot’
Expressing opinions ‘Each other’ / ‘one another’
Comparatives: ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘as’ Use of the prepositions a, da, di
Superlatives: ‘most’, ‘least’ Talking about the weather eh sounds like the e in ‘bed’ or the ay in ‘say’, but
Irregular comparatives and Disjunctive (stressed) pronouns much shorter
superlatives Conversations and exercises
Arranging a meeting Key phrases & vocabulary
n’y sounds like ‘nyuh’ in ‘onion’
Prepositions with inf in i tives
Apologizing Key to exercises 211
Letter-writing practice l’y sounds like ‘llyuh’ in ‘million’
Expressions using avere Mini-dictionary 227
Agreeing and dis a greeing Italian–English rr is rolled, something like a Scottish r.
Use of the verb fare English–Italian
Irregular verb: accorgersi
Con ver sa tions and exercises Index 251 All new words appear in the vocabulary list at the end of each
chapter. If you feel doubtful about the pron un ci ation, check the
Key phrases & vocabulary
imitated pronunciation in the lists for the first three chapters.
6 ITALIAN IN 3 MONTHS PRONUNCIATION 7
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STRESS
In Italian, most words end in a vowel and are generally stressed
on the next-to-last syllable:
albergo [ahl-bair-goh] hotel
finito [fee-nee-toh] finished
idea [ee-deh-ah] idea
If the stress falls on the last vowel, that vowel will have a
grave accent:
caffè [kahf-fèh] coffee
perché [paihr-kày] why
Sì (‘yes’) has an accent because it might otherwise be
con fused with the word si (‘oneself’), and è (‘is’) is accented to
distinguish it from e (‘and’).
If the stress falls on the third-to-last syllable (or more rarely on
the fourth-to-last), then we will underline the stressed vowel to
indicate where to put the word stress:
timido [tee-mee-doh] shy
bellissimo [behl-lees-see-moh] very beautiful
The combinations -ia, -io, -ie at the end of a word are
nor mal ly considered as a single syllable, so the stress falls
on the preceding syllable:
Venezia [veh-neh-tsiah] Venice
doppio [dohp-pioh] double
Exceptions are marked by underlining the stressed vowel:
scrivania [skree-vah-nee-ah] desk
PRONUNCIATION OF VOWELS
The Italian vowels are a, e, i, o and u. The vowels o and e can
be open or closed according to the context.
a is pronounced like a sala [sah-lah] hall
in ‘father’, but it is
shorter in Italian la [lah] the
e is pronounced like e in letto [leht-toh] bed
‘bed’ or like ay in ‘say’ mela [may-lah] apple
8 ITALIAN IN 3 MONTHS
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