CBI 1-01 | Saying ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Italian

Hey, it's Tony from Tony Told Me. On A Yanla, the Inside Fix, a podcast from own, A Yanla Vanzan revisits the stories, teachings, and insights that made her show fix my life a must-watch for millions. With fresh eyes, she re-examines those lessons with greater clarity and shares new wisdom for the challenges we face today. Personal growth evolves over time, and there's always room to find new meaning in old lessons. Listen to A Yanla, the Inside Fix, wherever you get your podcasts. There's rewarding, and then there's remarkably rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve, like earning three times points on dining and access to Sapphire Reserve exclusive tables. Learn more at Chase.com/S Sapphire Reserve. Cards issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank and a member of FDIC, subject to credit approval, terms apply. Coffee Break Italian, Lesson One. Buongiorno. My name is Mark, and I'm here to help you learn Italian. Welcome to Coffee Break Italian. Now, I'd like to introduce you to someone here. Buongiorno Katie. Hello. So tell us a little about yourself, Katie. Well, my name's Katie, and I'm going to be learning Italian along with all of you at home. I have been to Italy a few times, and I'd love to go back. There are so many beautiful places I really want to visit, so I'm really looking forward to improving my Italian with this course. A few words, but not much at all. I do speak French and Spanish, so I'm hoping I'll be able to spot some similarities between the languages. I'm sure you will, and in fact, if any of our listeners have already learned French or Spanish, they'll notice that there are lots and lots of similarities between French, Spanish, and Italian. Now Katie is going to be learning with all of our listeners, and this means that Katie gets to make the mistakes. Katie gets to try things out, and by listening to Katie and listening to me teaching you, hopefully you'll make great progress, but it's not just about me as a speaker of Italian and Katie as a learner of Italian, because we've also got someone else here, and I'd like to introduce you to Francesca, Salve, Francesca. Ciao, Marc! Come and stay! Stobene, grazie tu! Stobene, simul, grazie! Molto bene! Now by the end of this lesson, you will understand exactly what we've just said to each other. Francesca is here to help us in this course, and Francesca is, as you can hear, a native speaker of Italian. Francesca, can you tell us a little about yourself? Yes, my name is Francesca, and as you know, I'm Italian. I come from the very north-west of Italy near the Alps. I'm a language lover, and I did English and Russian at uni, and now I work as a teacher of Italian in Scotland. Perfecto! So, Marc, how come you speak Italian? Well, my grandmother was actually Italian. She came from a little town, or her family came from a little town in the Tuscan hills called Barga, and her family moved to Scotland at the beginning of the 20th century. So, when I was young, we used to speak some Italian at home, and I then went on and studied Italian at university. Some of our listeners may be familiar with coffee-break French, or coffee-break Spanish, but I am absolutely delighted to be working on coffee-break Italian, and it's even better to have a native speaker here with us. So, grazie, Francesca! OK, I think it's time to get started learning some Italian. So, we're going to use our word. That is our word that we'll hear lots and lots on this show, and that is Let's Begin. Francesca, how do we say Let's Begin? Cominciamo! Cominciamo! Now, the very first word that we are going to learn is the word for "hi", or "an informal hello". In Italian you say "ciao". "ciao". "ciao". Now, be careful with the pronunciation of this word. Quite often people think it's "ciao", almost as if it's spelled "ch", or "w", but it's not. It's "ciao". "ciao". Let's listen to Francesca pronounce this word. "ciao". "ciao". Now, the interesting thing about this word is that it also means "bye", so you can say "ciao" to say "hello" or "goodbye". Try seeing it one more time. "ciao". And when it means "bye" very often we say "ciao-ciao". "ciao-ciao". Okay, I have a question for you, and that question is "komestai". Listen again, "komestai". Now, this means "how are you?" Try seeing it after me. "komestai". "komestai". Now, just to explain, when I say a word, or when Francesca says a word, then we're going to leave some space for our listeners to repeat, so that you can get used to repeating these words and phrases and learning Italian with us. So let's try seeing "komestai", again. "komestai". "komestai". So how would I answer this? Well, there are lots of ways to answer the question, "komestai". The easiest one is perhaps to say "beni". "beni". Listen again, "beni". "beni". So let's try the question and answer. I'll ask you, "how are you?" and you can answer, "well". "komestai" Katie. "beni". And how can I say "what's about you?" Well, you can say "etu". "etu". Try that again. "etu". "etu". So let's try it. "komestai" Katie. "beni". "etu". "sto bene". "grazie". Now, I've had it a couple of new words in there. I said "sto bene". That means "I'm well". "sto bene". "sto bene". "sto bene". Okay, please remember, and I'm talking to all of our listeners here, that you should be repeating along after me and before Katie. So I'll give you some time. I'll say the word and then Katie's going to say the word after you have repeated. So let's think about that other word that I used. I said "sto bene". "grazie". "grazie". "grazie". There are three syllables there, almost "grazie". "grazie". Okay, perfecto. "grazie". It means "thank you". So I can say "sto bene". "grazie". "sto bene". "grazie". Okay, it's time now to repeat these words and phrases that we've been learning. And for this, we're going to turn to Francesca. Francesca, with your perfect pronunciation, can you repeat each of the words and phrases here? I'll say the English. You can say the Italian, we'll leave some space for our listeners to repeat, and then it's over to Katie. Okay, so to begin with, we learned how are you? "komestai". "komestai". Let's hear that again. "komestai". "komestai". And one answer to that is "fine" or "well". "benni". Okay, we also learned how to say "i am well", using that little word meaning "i'm". "sto bene". "sto bene". Let's try that one again. "sto bene". "sto bene". Okay, and we were also being polite with a nice word for "thank you". How do we say "thank you" in Italian? "grazie". "grazie". And remember those three syllables there. They're all run together quickly, but there are three syllables. "grazie". "grazie". "grazie". "perfetto". Now that's a word I'll say quite often. "perfetto" means "perfect". "perfetto". "perfetto". Okay, so we now know how to say "how are you?" And I'm well, thanks. What about other answers? How can I say "i'm very well"? To say "i'm very well", we use the word "molto". "molto". As in "sto molto bene". "sto molto bene". "molto". Try saying that again. "molto". "molto". So let's practice this. If I ask you "how are you?" you can answer "I'm very well, thanks". How are you? "sto molto bene, grazie". And you? "sto benissimo". "sto benissimo". What does that mean? Well, I think you can probably guess what it means. Sto benissimo. Fantastic, by any chance. Absolutely. Yeah, the isimo ending means very, very, very something. So benissimo. Sto benissimo. Okay. Sto benissimo. Okay, try to bounce on the sound. Sto benissimo. Sto benissimo. Perfect. Okay, so we've got sto bene. Sto bene. Sto molto bene. Sto benissimo. Sto benissimo. So far we've learned benissimo, molto bene, bene, but what's the opposite of bene? Well, if bene is good, the word for bad is male. Male. So to say, I'm not feeling so good. I'm feeling bad. You would say stomale. Stomale. Can you work out how you would say I'm feeling very bad? Molto male. That's right. So how do you say I'm feeling very bad? Sto molto male. That's right. I'm putting in a feeling in there. I'm feeling very bad because that's really what we would see in English. If you say I'm very bad, it probably means you're not so. I'm feeling very bad, would be. Sto molto male. And can you work out how you would say I'm feeling really, really, really bad? The opposite of benissimo. Would it be malissimo? Perfecto. Sto malissimo. Sto malissimo. And I think, to be honest, that most Italians there would probably throw in a mamma mia stomaleissimo. Mamma mia stomaleissimo. Very good. Just watch mamma mia mamma. Mamma. Yeah, because in Italian, we've got a double M and there is M-a-m-m-a mamma. Mamma. That's it. An Italian, when you've got a double consonant, you need to bounce on that consonant, so it's benissimo. Mamma. And of course, mamma is the word, it's a familiar word for mother, so like mamma mia mamma mia is like saying ma mia mamma mia stomaleissimo. Perfecto. Okay, we're going to take a short break there and we'll be back in just a moment. Interrompiamo questa trasmissione per una comunicazione importante. If you'd like to make faster progress with your Italian, don't forget that you can use the premium version of this course, which features video versions of the lessons, comprehensive lesson notes and bonus listening materials. Allora, cosa spetti? What are you waiting for? If you'd like to take your Italian to the next level, go to coffeebreakitalianplus.com. On Iganla, the inside fix, a podcast from own. Iganla Van San revisits the stories, teachings and insights that made her show fix my life a must watch for millions. Personal growth evolves over time and there's always room to find new meaning in old lessons. Listen to Iganla, the inside fix wherever you get your podcasts. Who says Halloween only last one day? With Wayfair, one night of Halloween becomes a whole season at home from larger than life yard decor and moody lighting to festive accents for every room in the house. Wayfair has what you need to make Halloween feel like magic all in one place because the best Halloween memories aren't made in just one night. They're made all season long. Shop Halloween decor now at Wayfair.com. Wayfair every style every home. There's rewarding and then there's remarkably rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve, like enjoying access to our award-winning lounges with two complimentary guests every time you travel. Learn more at Chase.com/safirereserve. Cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank and a member FDIC, subject to credit approval terms apply. OK, let's get on with the lesson. OK, it's time out for something a little different and this is something that we're going to be doing in every second Coffee Break Italian episode. And that's where we turn to Francesca for our Cafe Culturale in which Francesca's going to be sharing some of the interesting aspects of Italian culture and of course helping us with our pronunciation and indeed our language skills at the same time. So it's over to you Francesca. That's right, Mark. At the end of every lesson, I will spend a few minutes talking to you about an aspect of Italian culture, un aspecto della cultura italiana. So while you're learning the language, you can learn a little about the country too. I thought it would be important in this first lesson to tell you exactly where Italian is spoken and then to teach you how to say some of the country's main cities in this beautiful language. Italian is, of course, the official language of Italy and we say "Italia" in Italian. It is also one of the four official languages in Svizzera, Switzerland. But did you know that it's also spoken in Malta, Croatia, Slovenia and France and that there are 63 million Italian speakers around the world? That's a lot. Multitaliani, no? Let's now look at the names of some well-known places in Italy and find out how to say them in Italian. Now, I'm sure you all know the capital city, Rome, which is in the middle of the country on the west. In Italian, we say Roma, Roma, which is quite similar to the English. If we go north of the capital, we are sure you will have heard of Florence, but do you know what it is in Italian? "Firenze" we say "Firenze" or "florenze" is in the Tuscana region. Can you guess what that is? See, Tuscany and that's also where you find Pisa. If you continue further north or to the east coast, you find Venetia, which is very popular with tourists as they like to stroll through the narrow streets or take a gondola ride on the canals. Can you guess where we are? Molto bene, Venice, Venetia. If we traveled south of Roma, we would find ourselves in Napoli, Naples and you will probably know that Italy is shaped like a boot. So, where would we be if we went all the way to the south, to the toe of the boot? Sicilia, which of course is Sicily. Now, obviously, there are many more beautiful Italian cities that we are sure you will know, but we are going to leave it there for now and perhaps we will talk about more in future episodes. Let's practice those names in Italian one more time. Venetia, Venetia, Venetia, Venetia, Venetia, Venetia, Venetia, Venetia, Venetia, Venetia, Venetia. That's another word that we've not learned. It's the response to "thank you". Let's try it again. Grazie. Prego. So, it literally means "I pray", but it's the very natural response when anyone says "grazie". So, let's try saying it one more time. Prego. Katie. Prego. Fantastic. Now, before we finish this first lesson of coffee-break Italian, we've got time to go through some of the words and phrases that we've learned. So, I'll see the English, Francesca. We'll say the Italian, we'll give our listeners some time to repeat, and then Katie will say the word "finally". Does that sound okay, Francesca? - Bah bene. - Okay, so the first word, or the first new phrase that we've learned here is "I'm very well". - Sto molto bene. - Sto molto bene. - Okay, and I'm really, really, really, really well. - Sto benissimo. - Sto benissimo. - And the phrase for "I'm feeling bad". - Sto male. - Sto male. - And if you're feeling very bad? - Sto molto male. - Sto molto male. - And when you're feeling really awful? - Sto malissimo. - Sto malissimo. - And adding in that other little expression, "Oh, my goodness, I feel awful". - Mamma mia, sto malissimo. - Okay, it's time to put some of this language to the test. What we're going to do is have a conversation, Francesca, and I are going to discuss how we're feeling and kitty. You're going to have to decide who's feeling well and who's feeling not so well. - Va bene. - Okay. - Va bene, just means okay. Is that okay? Va bene. - Va bene. - Okay. And you can indeed answer it with va bene. - Va bene. - Okay. Let's try it. Ciao Francesca. Comestài. - Ciao, Marc. Sto bene. E tu? - Oggi. Sto male. - Oh, mamma mia. - Let's listen again. Ciao Francesca. Comestài. - Ciao, Marc. Sto bene. E tu? - Oggi. Sto male. - Oh, mamma mia. - Okay, kitty. Not too difficult, but can you tell us who is feeling well and who wasn't feeling so well? - I think Francesca was the lucky one. She was feeling well, and I think Marc, you were having a bad day. - I was indeed. And indeed, I used another word there that we've not learned yet, and that word is "Oggi". Oggi. - Oggi. - It means "today". So I can say "Oggi, Sto male". - Oggi, Sto male. - How would you answer the question? How are you today? - Kitty. - Comestài, Oggi. - Penissimo. Comestài, Oggi. - Comestài, Oggi. - Okay, now this is really the end of our first episode of Coffee Break Italian, and we hope that you've enjoyed it. Let us know what you think. Head over to iTunes, where you can leave a review, and of course subscribe to our podcast to receive every episode automatically. You can also go to CoffeeBreakItalian.com, where you can find out how to get more out of the course. - And why not come and join me to practice your Italian even more on the Coffee Break Italian Facebook page? And if you use Twitter, we are at LearnItalian on Twitter. - Okay, "E tutto per oggi", Kitty, what do you think that means "E tutto per oggi"? - I'll have a guess. That's all for today? - Sí, perfecto. - Si sentiamo presto. - Bye. - Ciao, ciao. - Hey, it's Tony from Tony Told Me. On A Yanlar, the inside fix, a podcast from own, A Yanlar Van San revisits the stories, teachings, and insights that made her show Fix My Life a Must Watch for millions. With fresh eyes, she re-examines those lessons with greater clarity, and shares new wisdom for the challenges we face today. Listen to A Yanlar, the inside fix, wherever you get your podcasts. Who says Halloween only lasts one day? With Wayfair, one night of Halloween becomes a whole season at home. From larger than life yard decor and moody lighting to festive accents for every room in the house, Wayfair has what you need to make Halloween feel like magic, all in one place. Because the best Halloween memories aren't made in just one night, they're made all season long. For more Halloween decor now, at Wayfair.com, that's w-a-y-f-a-i-r.com.