back to basics

Ciao Fran,

in Italian the sentence "he is at the restaurant" can be translated in two different ways:

-using the verb "stare"
Example: lui sta al ristorante

-using the verb "essere"
Example: lui è al ristorante

If you want to say "my husband is playing golf", you will need to say:

-mio marito sta giocando a golf

The Italian present progressive tense is very similat to the way it's in English.
You will need to use the present conjugation of the verb stare (meaning "to be") followed by a present participle of the verb

But remember that :

-if the verb in the infinitive form ends in -are, you will need to change the end of it by replacing it with -ando

-if the verb in the infinitve form ends in -ere,-ire, you will need to change the end of it by replacing it with -endo

Examples:
-giocare -> giocando
-piangere -> piangendo
-domire -> dormendo

The translation of the question "are you all still at your summer house?" will be :

-siete ancora nella casa al mare?

The literal translation of "summer house" is "casa estiva" but it's not used.
People usually refers to it as "casa al mare" (if the house is on the beach) or "casa in montagna" (if it's on the mountains)

I hope this helps.
Ciao

Ciao Fran,

your translation is very funny

The adjective in Italian can be placed before or after the noun.

When we talk about size and quality, the description of the noun (the adjective) sometimes comes before it, as in la bella donna and la bella ragazza.

Adjectives referring to quantities also come before the noun, as in le tre bottiglie, and le due amiche.

Color and nationalities, size and qualities typically come after the noun, as in la macchina bianca, i bambini italiani, il gatto piccolo, il ragazzo intelligente.

Some adjctives can be also placed before of after the noun.
Using it after the noun helps to emphasize the meaning of the adjective.

Example:

-Un nuovo negozio ( which means that the speaker has never heard about he shop before but it doesn't mean the shop is new)
-Un negozio nuovo (which means that the shop is new)

The correct sentence will be "come al solito lui sta bevendo vino" ( he is drinking wine as usual).

I hope this helps.
Ciao

Ciao Fran,

"aiutarmi" is the translation of "to help me".
Example:
-puoi aiutarmi domani? (can you help me tomorrow?)

"trovarmi" can have different meaning depending on the sentence.
As it origins from the verb "aiutare" (to help), it'll be translated mostly as "to find myself".
Example"
-non voglio trovarmi in certe situazioni
(i don't want to find myself -to be- in certains situations)

These verbs are the union of the infinitive of the verb "aiutare"+ the pronoun.

aiutarvi = aiutare + pronoun "vi" (voi) - to help you (pl)
aiutarmi = aiutare + pronoun "mi" (me) - to help me

"secondo mia sorella..." means "according to my sister".

The word "pioggia" means "rain" and the expression "it rains" is "piove".

Please let me know if something is not clear.
Ciao

Ciao Fran,

congratulazioni!!!! 97% is a very good score.
"Bel" is the shortened form of "bello" (beautiful, nice).
You will need to use "bel" in front of masculine nouns starting by consonant.
"Bello" instead is used in front of masculine nouns starting with:

-gn. example: bello gnomo (lo gnomo)
-ps. example: bello psicologo (lo psicologo)
-s+consonan. example: bello spazzolino (lo spazzolino)
-z. example: bello zampone (lo zampone)
-x. example: bello xilografo (lo xilografo)

I hope this helps.
Ciao

Ciao Lawrence,

the sentence "please send me a scanned copy of your electricity bill" is Italian can be translated in two different ways:

"per cortesia mandami la copia scannerizzata della tua bolletta dell'elettricità"
(which is the literal translation using the friendly form)

"vi prego di mandarmi la copia scannerizzata della Vostra bolletta dell'elettricità"
(which if a bit formal as if addressing to company
literally "I please you to send me the scanned copy of your electricity bill)

I hope the helps.
Ciao