Exercises on the Tenses of the Verbs.

The Present Tense is when the Action of which one speaks, is present.

1. Sir,
2. Signóre
3. I come
4. veníre
5. to have the honour
6. avére onóre
7. to see you.
8. vedére.

1. I am
2. éssere
3. infinitely obliged to you
4. infinitaménte obbligáre
5. for this favour.
6. questo favóre.

1. How does
2. [1]stare
3. the lady your mother
4. signóra madre
5. do?

1. She is very well,
2. stáre beníssimo
3. sir, and
4. presents
5. presentáre
6. her compliments
7. compliménto
8. to you.

1. I am
2. éssere
3. her most humble servant,
4. úmile servo
5. and am very glad
6. rallegrársi
7. to hear
8. sentíre
9. she is well.
10. stare bene.

1. Will you
2. volére
3. come
4. veníre
5. and walk with me
6. spasseggiáre
7. in the garden?
8. giardíno?

1. Pray
2. pregáre
3. excuse me,
4. scusáre
5. I cannot stay
6. potére restáre
7. any longer.

1. You are always
2. in great haste
3. grande fretta
4. when
5. you come
6. veníre
7. to see me.
8. vedére.

1. I beg your pardon,
2. mi perdoni
3. sir, I have been
4. here
5. quì
6. above an hour,
7. circa ora
8. and my sister
9. sorélla
10. is all alone
11. tutto solo
12. at home.
13. casa.

1. I am sorry you will not stay:
2. [2]dispiacére volére rimanére
3. I entreat you
4. supplicáre
5. to present
6. presentáre
7. my most humble respects
8. úmile rispétto
9. to the lady
10. signóra
11. your mother.
12. madre.

[1] When we inquire after any body’s health, we make use of the verb stare, instead of fare, or éssere.

[2] An impersonal verb; mi dispiáce che non vogliáte rimanére.

The Imperfect Tense is when the Action of which one speaks, is going on, or is interrupted.

1. Sir,
2. Signóre
3. we were speaking
4. parláre
5. of you,
6. when
7. quando
8. you came in.
9. entrare.

1. What
2. che
3. were you saying
4. dire
5. of me,
6. ladies?
7. signóra?

1. We were saying
2. dire
3. that when
4. quando
5. you were in France,
6. éssere Fráncia
7. among the ladies,
8. fra dame
9. you were
10. éssere
11. the most gallant,
12. galánte
13. the most courteous,
14. cortése
15. and the most complaisant
16. compiacente
17. gentleman
18. signóre
19. in the world.
20. mondo.

1. I did not think,
2. pensáre
3. ladies,
4. signora
5. I was so happy as
6. avere la fortuna
7. to be the subject of
8. éssere soggétto
9. your conversation;
10. conversazióne
11. and what
12. do you think
13. crédere
14. I am now?

1. We believe that
2. crédere
3. you are still
4. éssere ancóra
5. very civil,
6. civíle
7. and very complaisant;
8. compiacénte
9. but
10. ma
11. not so gallant
12. galánte
13. as you were then.
14. éssere.

1. Louis the XIVth was
2. Luígi [1]
3. one of the greatest kings
4. grande Re
5. in the world;
6. mondo
7. he was
8. a lover of fine sciences,
9. amatóre bello léttera
10. he did not love flatterers,
11. amáre adulatóre
12. neither did he
13. always follow
14. sempre seguíre
15. his own inclinations;
16. inclinazióne
17. and if
18. e se
19. he could not
20. get the victory
21. guadagnáre vittória
22. over his enemies
23. nemíco
24. by the force of his arms,
25. forza arma
26. he would get it
27. ottenére
28. by the number of his louis d’ors;
29. número luígi d’oro
30. in a word,
31. in somma
32. he was
33. a great politician.
34. grande politíco.

[1] We also make use of the imperfect tense, when we speak in time past of the habitual qualities and actions of any person alive or dead.

The Perfect Definite is a Tense perfectly past, and often determined by an Adverb of time past.

1. Where
2. dove
3. did you go
4. andáre
5. yesterday,
6. jéri
7. that
8. you were not
9. éssere
10. at home,
11. when
12. quando
13. I went
14. veníre
15. to see you?
16. vedére?

1. I went to see
2. andáre vedére
3. Mr. N.
4. il signór
5. who is not well.
6. stare

1. Did you meet with
2. trováre
3. any company
4. compagnía
5. there?

1. Yes, sir, I met with
2. his uncle
3. zio
4. and three of
5. tre
6. his sisters.
7. sorélla.

1. What was
2. quale éssere
3. the subject of
4. soggetto
5. your conversation?
6. conversazíone?

1. We spoke of
2. parláre
3. many
4. molto
5. different things.
6. differénte cosa.

1. Did you speak
2. Italian
3. Italiáno
4. with them?

Yes, all our conversation was in Italian.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: No Italian translation was provided for this line.

1. Did they say
2. dire
3. you speak it
4. well?
5. bene?

1. They said
2. nothing
3. niente
4. about it.

1. Did they not ask you
2. domandáre
3. of whom
4. chi
5. you learn?
6. imparáre?

Yes, I told them I was learning of you.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: No Italian translation was provided for this line.

1. The emperor, Julius Cæsar,
2. imperatóre Giúlio Césare
3. after
4. dopo
5. he had conquered
6. conquistáre
7. Britain,
8. Brettágna
9. built a tower
10. [1]edificáre torre
11. at London,
12. Londra
13. but he continued not there;
14. restáre
15. he appointed
16. constituíre
17. rulers in his stead,
18. governatóre vece
19. and returned
20. ritornáre
21. from London
22. Londra
23. to Rome.
24. Roma.

1. Henry the VIIIth,
2. Enrico ottávo
3. king of England,
4. Re Inghilterra
5. regarded not
6. badáre
7. the bulls
8. bolla
9. and threatenings
10. mináccia
11. which came from Italy;
12. veníre Italia
13. he violently shook off
14. violenteménte scuótere
15. the papal power,
16. papále potére
17. though he retained
18. ritenére
19. the Roman religion.
20. Románo religióne.

[1] We also make use of the perfect definite, when we speak of the transactions of persons who are dead.

The Preterpluperfect is a Tense so perfectly past, that it cannot be interrupted.

1. I am very glad
2. rallegrársi
3. to see you,
4. vedére
5. for
6. your brother
7. fratello
8. told me
9. dire
10. you were gone to France.

1. ’Tis true
2. vero
3. I was resolved
4. risólvere
5. to go there,
6. andáre
7. if
8. [1]
9. my father had given me
10. padre avére dare
11. money enough
12. danáro
13. to make that journey.
14. fare viággio.

1. Had he given you
2. avére dáre
3. leave
4. licénza
5. to go there?
6. andáre?

1. Yes,
2. si
3. and he gave me
4. dare
5. fifty guineas
6. cinquánta ghinéa
7. to make my journey.
8. fare viággio.

1. If
2. [2]
3. he had given me
4. avére dare
5. thirty more,
6. trenta
7. I should have gone
8. essere andáre
9. to Paris
10. Parígi
11. to pass the summer.
12. passáre estáte.

1. If
2. you had come to see me,
3. veníre vedére
4. I would have lent
5. avére prestáre
6. you some.

1. I am
2. éssere
3. much obliged
4. molto obbligáto
5. to you for it.

1. When you had a mind
2. quando pensare
3. to go to France,
4. andáre Fráncia
5. were you resolved
6. risólvere
7. to set out
8. partíre
9. without
10. senza
11. taking leave of
12. licenziársi
13. your friends?
14. amíco?

1. No, sir,
2. no signóre
3. I had already taken leave of
4. essere digià licenziársi da
5. several.
6. molto.

1. Very well,
2. beníssimo
3. but
4. ma
5. you had forgotten me.
6. scordársi.

1. I am sorry
2. dispiacére
3. you have
4. so bad an opinion
5. cattívo opinióne
6. of me.

[1] Gram. p. 206, on if before that tense.

[2] See Gram. p. 206, on the particle if before the imperfect indicative.

On the Future, or time to come.

1. When
2. quando
3. will you go into
4. andáre
5. the country?
6. campágna?

1. I believe
2. crédere
3. I shall go there
4. andáre
5. to-morrow.
6. dománi.

1. Will you stay
2. restáre
3. long there?
4. un pezzo?

1. No, sir,
2. I shall stay but
3. two or three weeks.
4. due o tre settimána.

1. How
2. will you spend your time
3. passáre tempo
4. when you are there?
5. quando [1] éssere

1. I’ll go and see
2. andáre vedére
3. my friends,
4. amíco
5. and I will divert myself
6. divertíre
7. with those who
8. receive me
9. [2]ricévere
10. kindly.
11. corteseménte.

1. Will you not carry
2. portáre
3. some books
4. with you?
5. libro

1. No,
2. for I am sure
3. perchè sicúro
4. while I am there,
5. mentre [3]
6. I shall have
7. avére
8. no time
9. tempo
10. to read.
11. léggere.

1. You will forget
2. scordársi
3. all your Italian.
4. tutto Italiano.

1. I am certain
2. certo
3. I shall not,
4. di no
5. for I will not stay long there.
6. restáre molto

1. When once you are there,
2. una volta [4] éssere
3. your friends
4. amíco
5. will not permit you
6. permettere
7. to leave them
8. lasciáre
9. so soon.
10. così presto.

1. You shall see that
2. vedére
3. I’ll be here
4. éssere quì
5. next Sunday,
6. próssimo Doménica
7. and that
8. my friends
9. amíco
10. will not have so much power
11. avére tanto potére
12. over me as
13. you think.
14. pensáre.

1. What
2. will you bring me
3. portáre
4. from
5. the country?
6. campágna?

1. I’ll bring you
2. portáre
3. some partridges,
4. perníce
5. a hare,
6. lepre
7. and some pheasants.
8. fagiáno.

1. I shall be obliged
2. éssere obbligáto
3. to you for them.

[1] When you are there, render, when you shall be there.

[2] Ricevere, must be in the future, third person plural.

[3] Render, while I shall be there, mentre starò là.

[4] Render, when once you shall be there, quando una volta ci saréte.

On the Imperative, or Mood that commands.

1. Go from me
2. andáre
3. to my lady;
4. signóra
5. present my respects to
6. presentáre rispétto
7. her: give her this letter,
8. dare questo léttera
9. and bring me an answer;
10. portáre rispósta
11. should she not be
12. éssere
13. at home,
14. casa
15. stay till
16. restáre
17. she comes back.
18. ritornáre.

1. Speak Italian
2. parláre Italiáno
3. with me,
4. meco
5. pronounce well,
6. pronunziáre
7. begin again,
8. ricominciáre
9. read softly,
10. leggere adágio
11. repeat your lesson,
12. ripétere lezióne
13. go.
14. coraggio.