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photo-stories about movies:

Conosciamoli meglio

We post Parte 1 of a cineracconto (photo-story) the first Saturday of a month, with a new puntata (installment) posted each following Saturday. They are bilingual, with Italian and English side-by-side. At the bottom of each puntata, you will find the link for the following one.

Parte 1 of all our cineracconti are posted on the Welcome page at the top, with the current puntata of the current film posted first in line. You can also find all puntate of each cineracconto on the Film Post Archive page; or scroll through the page called “I film: Conosciamoli meglio.” You can also see alphabetical lists of our Italian and our international films on the Welcome page in the lower right.

Our first cineracconti posted before Roma città aperta (Feb. 2021) were written at a higher level. (These are a mix of Italian and international films.) New words are highlighted in the text and listed as a glossario at the bottom of each puntata (installment). These cineracconti are posted in Italian on the blog, with an English translation on a separate PDF linked at the top and bottom of each puntata. (We’re in the process of updating these older cineracconti to the new format.) The older films, from Risate di Gioia (April 2020) and earlier have Vertigo Italian grammar exercises about the film posted at the end of the final installment. (All international films include grammar exercises at the end of the final installment.)

Spoileriamoli meglio grammar exercises about various non-cineracconto movies can be found at the bottom of the Welcome page and in the Archive.

At the request of one of our subscribers, we’ve prepared one cineracconto – Miracolo a Milano – in PDF format. You’ll find the installments at the top of Miracolo Parte 1.

On the Welcome page, we post In Arrivo! the next film that we will be writing about. 

Style

Hyperlinks for more information are only included in the Italian version of the cineracconti. However, we underline the text in the English translation, to note where the hyperlink can be found in the Italian.

Wherever we can identify them, we credit the actors, even those in minor roles, sometimes including notes about them. If you notice an un-credited actor and you know who it is, please let us know!

Since the English is just a translation assist, we only include the actors’ names in the Italian version.

The dialogue is written verbatim in the cineracconti as originally spoken in the film, not copied from subtitles. However, to make the story more accessible and useful to students, we do: simplify some grammar, adjust non-standard grammar, update vocabulary where appropriate, and translate from dialect into standard Italian. In order to convey the feeling of the Italian language, our English translations sometimes lean toward maintaining the Italian syntax to help students have a feel for the language or to aid them in understanding the structure. We put a lot of effort into writing the most effective translations that we can; you can read more details about our approach to each particular film at the bottom of Parte 1 of each cineracconto (or at the top of the English translation document of the earlier films).

Glossario

Here’s an explanation of the glossary format (for films before Roma città aperta, Feb. 2021). We always list the translation for the word as it is used in the cineracconto. Also:

For verbs: the Italian infinitive in parentheses

• accoglie (accogliere) – he welcomes

• si afferra (afferrarsi) – she clutches

We generally do not include the infinitive for the auxiliaries ‘avere’ or ‘essere’ when they are used to indicate the passato prossimo. And, with the passato prossimo and other compound tenses, we don’t indicate that the main verb is in the past participle, since that is a given.

• ha riempito (riempire) – he filled 

We do not include ‘essere’ or ‘venire’ when they are used for the passive voice.   

From the sentence in the cineracconto: Una grande massa di palloncini viene rilasciata dal soffitto. >>

• rilasciata (rilasciare) – released (past participle)

For unmodified nouns, adjectives and other words: the possible endings

• scema (o/a/i/e) – stupid girl

• le trecce (ia/e) – the braids

     – except for the past participle, because it is always o/a/i/e:

• battuti (battere) – beaten, defeated (past participle)

For modified words, only the endings for the word that is modified:

• la stazione (e/i) ferroviaria (a/e) – railway station
  We don’t list all the possible endings for “ferroviaria” (o/a/i/e).

For nouns introduced by preposizioni articolate (combined prepositions) in the cineracconto, we only list the articles and don’t include the prepositions in the glossario listing.

• allo stipite: lo stipite

• sulla soglia: la soglia

Words are alphabetized according to the main content word – generally a noun or a verb – without regard for articles, auxiliaries, prepositions, etc., or words like “avere” and “stare” when they are used as grammatical markers that don’t add content. 

Words listed in the glossario are not listed again when repeated in new installments of the same film cineracconto (unless there are different meanings for different uses, in which case there will be multiple listings). But they will always be listed again in future cineracconti about other films. We normally aim to use language that can be translated literally. However, there are some common words and phrases that just can’t be translated that way; in these cases we’ve used an English equivalent.

• Che c’entriamo (entrare)? – What does it have to do with us?

In a few cases, it’s difficult to convey the meaning without context and we just include the entire sentence in the glossario.

• “Io non riesco trovarmi in una grande città”. – “I don’t see myself in the big city.”
  

We put idiomatic expressions in quotation marks; that is: phrases where the words in combination mean something different from what they mean separately.

• “si mettono (mettersi) al lavoro” – they get down to business

• “si rode (rodersi) il fegato” – he’s eating his heart out.

English Translation Documents

A link to the English translation document is posted at the top and bottom of each cineracconto installment, pre-February 2021 (before Risate di Gioia).

Our English translation document is a language-learning tool. These cineracconti are written at an advanced intermediate (B2) level.

Sometimes the English translation indicates a different meaning from the glossario definition. In these cases, the glossario definition may be a little more generic – so that the student can go on to use the word in other contexts – while the translation reflects a more precise usage in the context of the cineracconto. For example:

Cineracconto: In lontananza, il sole sta cercando di aprirsi un varco tra le nuvole.

Glossario: aprirsi un varco (co/chi) – to open a gap

Translation: In the distance, the sun is trying to break through the clouds.

Note: If you have thoughts about our translations – or any other ideas about the blog, please let us know. We’d love to hear your thoughts. You can write to me directly at judycohen.iknewthemwell@gmail.com.

GRAMMAR AND FILM:

Poster art by: Saul Bass, Enzo Nistri, Anselmo Ballester, Anselmo Ballester

Vertigo  &  Io ti salverò!

The examples in the Vertigo grammar exercises are always about the movies in the cineracconti. There is a link to the Vertigo exercises at the bottom of the final installment of the cineracconto. Right next to the Vertigo link, there is a link to the Io ti salverò! answer sheets. These are PDF documents that can be printed out, for students to practice or for teachers to copy and share with their classes.

Spoileriamoli meglio

Spoileriamoi meglio grammar exercises are based on various movies. These exercises, like the Vertigo exercises, are all PDF documents and they can be printed out.

We would love for other Italian teachers to copy and distribute these exercises for classroom use. Just please: don’t alter the original document in any way, including the website URL.

How can I find out about new photo-stories?

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If you have ideas for us or any feedback about the blog, please email us directly at info@liconoscevobene.net. We love to hear from our readers!