Ciao! At our last Parla Italiano “Professore” Gabriella taught us about una tipica famiglia italiana (a typical Italian family). La cultura italiana é conosciuta in tutto il mondo come una cultura basata sulla famiglia (Italian culture is known all over the world as a family-based culture).
Quali sono i componenti principali di una famiglia (what are the main components of a family)?
- Moglie/Marito – Wife/Husband
- Mamma/Papá – Mother/Father
- Fratello/Sorella – Brother/Sister
- Figlio/Figlia – Son/Daughter
- Nonno/Nonna – Grandfather/Grandmother
- Nipote- Nephew/Niece
- Zio/Zia – Uncle/Aunt
- Cugino/Cugina – Male cousin/female cousin
- Ragazzo/Ragazza – Boyfriend/Girlfriend
- Fidanzato/Fidanzata – Boyfriend/Girlfriend or Fiancee (Which results in confusing Facebook relationship status updates)
Now that you know how to say each family member in Italian here are some domande relative alla famiglia (questions concerning family.)
- Quante persone ci sono nelle tua famiglia? (How many people are in your family?) Nella mia famiglia ci sono 4 persone. (In my family there are 4 people.)
- Quanti figli/fratelli/zii/cugini hai? (How many children/siblings/aunts & uncles/cousins do you have?) Ho 3 figli/fratelli/zii/cugini. (I have 3 children/siblings/aunts & uncles/cousins.)
- Da dove viene la tua famiglia? (Where does your family come from?) La mia famiglia viene da Canada. (My family comes from Canada.)
- Come si chiama tua madre? (What is your mother’s name?) Mia madre si chiama Gena. (My mother’s name is Gena.)
In between bites of food & Italian phrases we got to know everyone at the table – including the birthday girl, Stephanie. As is Italian tradition we continuously surprised her by singing Tanti auguri (Happy Birthday) over and over. Tanti auguri a Stephanie!
Interested in joining us? We’ll be meeting again on Wednesday, November 7th. Email Jesse to make reservations. Until next time, here is a video explaining how to say each of the family members in Italian. Ciao!
