Senses and perceiving
Sensi e percezione
- Describe taste, smell, sight, sound and touch
- Compare things
- The comparative adjectives: "Più + aggettivo + di," ...
Learn how to use comparative adjectives in Italian to describe senses such as taste, sight, smell, sound, and touch. Practice common phrases and vocabulary like "più dolce di" (sweeter than) and understand sensory comparisons in practical contexts. This lesson includes examples, dialogues, and verb usage to help you express sensory differences clearly and naturally.
Vocabulary (14) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Reorder sentences
Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.
Exercise 2: Match a word
Instruction: Match the translations
Exercise 3: Cluster the words
Instruction: Classify these words according to the senses to which they refer to help you memorize them better.
Aspetti visivi (vista)
Sapori (gusto)
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Toccare
To touch
2
Chiaro
Clear
3
Dolce
Sweet
4
Pulito
Clean
5
Morbido
Soft
Esercizio 5: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Describe the opposite in the pictures using comparatives (more than, as, less than). (Describe the opposite in the pictures using comparatives (more than, as, less than).)
- Ask the person sitting next to you, if they prefer sweet or salty food, sweet or bitter drinks,... (Ask the person sitting next to you, if they prefer sweet or salty food, sweet or bitter drinks,...)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Il caffè è più amaro del tè. Coffee is more bitter than tea. |
|
Una mela è più dura di una banana. An apple is harder than a banana. |
|
I fiori profumano meglio dei calzini. Flowers smell better than socks. |
|
Il cibo salato è buono quanto il cibo dolce. Salty food tastes as good as sweet food. |
|
Preferisci l'odore del caffè o del tè? Do you prefer the smell of coffee or tea? |
|
Preferisco l'odore amaro del caffè. I prefer the bitter smell of coffee. |
| ... |
Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 7: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ieri ___ toccato una stoffa molto morbida al supermercato.
(Yesterday ___ touched a very soft fabric at the supermarket.)2. ___ annusato il profumo dei fiori nel giardino.
(___ smelled the scent of the flowers in the garden.)3. Lui ___ toccato la superficie del tavolo e l'ha trovata più liscia della sedia.
(He ___ touched the surface of the table and found it smoother than the chair.)4. Tu ___ annusato quel formaggio? Sembra più salato del solito.
(You ___ smelled that cheese? It seems saltier than usual.)Exercise 8: A trip to the market
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Annusare - Smell
Passato prossimo
- io ho annusato
- tu hai annusato
- lui/lei ha annusato
- noi abbiamo annusato
- voi avete annusato
- loro hanno annusato
Essere - To be
Passato prossimo
- io sono stato/a
- tu sei stato/a
- lui/lei è stato/a
- noi siamo stati/e
- voi siete stati/e
- loro sono stati/e
Toccare - Touch
Passato prossimo
- io ho toccato
- tu hai toccato
- lui/lei ha toccato
- noi abbiamo toccato
- voi avete toccato
- loro hanno toccato
Essere - To be
Presente
- io sono
- tu sei
- lui/lei è
- noi siamo
- voi siete
- loro sono
Essere - To be
Imperfetto
- io ero
- tu eri
- lui/lei era
- noi eravamo
- voi eravate
- loro erano
Exercise 9: Gli aggettivi comparativi: "Più + aggettivo + di," ...
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The comparative adjectives: "Più + aggettivo + di," ...
Show translation Show answerspiù, come, meno
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
A1.26.1 Grammatica
Gli aggettivi comparativi: "Più + aggettivo + di," ...
The comparative adjectives: "Più + aggettivo + di," ...
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Toccare to touch Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) ho toccato | I touched |
| (tu) hai toccato | You touched |
| (lui/lei) ha toccato | he/she touched |
| (noi) abbiamo toccato | We touched |
| (voi) avete toccato | You have touched |
| (loro) hanno toccato | they touched |
Annusare to smell Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) ho annusato | I smelled |
| (tu) hai annusato | You smelled |
| (lui/lei) ha annusato | he/she smelled |
| (noi) abbiamo annusato | we have smelled |
| (voi) avete annusato | You have smelled |
| (loro) hanno annusato | they smelled |
Don't see progress when learning on your own? Study this material with a certified teacher!
Do you want to practice Italian today? That is possible! Just contact one of our teachers today.
Understanding Comparative Adjectives in Italian Senses
This lesson focuses on learning how to express comparisons using comparative adjectives in Italian, especially related to the five senses: sight, taste, smell, sound, and touch. You will learn the grammatical structure "più + adjective + di" which means "more + adjective + than" in English, allowing you to compare qualities like sweetness, bitterness, scent, volume, and texture.
Key Vocabulary and Sensory Categories
- Visual aspects (vista): il chiaro (light), lo scuro (dark), pulito (clean), sporco (dirty)
- Taste (gusto): amaro (bitter), dolce (sweet), salato (salty), duro (hard)
Practice Through Examples
Examples help illustrate how to use comparatives naturally:
- Il suono della musica è più alto di quello della televisione. (The sound of the music is louder than that of the TV.)
- Questo caffè è meno amaro del tè che bevo di solito. (This coffee is less bitter than the tea I usually drink.)
- La mela è più dolce dell'arancia. (The apple is sweeter than the orange.)
- Posso toccare quella stoffa? È più morbida di questa. (Can I touch that fabric? It's softer than this one.)
Comparing Sensory Experiences
By describing different sensory experiences through dialogues, you will get familiar with everyday comparisons, such as smelling spices at the market or tasting Italian desserts. This contextual learning helps solidify vocabulary and sentence structures.
Verb Usage and Tips
The lesson also includes simple past tense examples with verbs like annusare (to smell) and toccare (to touch), essential for talking about recent sensory experiences in Italian.
Instruction vs. Italian Differences
Italian often uses double comparatives with "più... di" to express "more... than," which is straightforward yet differs from English phrasing sometimes. For example, "Il caffè è più amaro del tè" translates to "The coffee is more bitter than the tea." In English, sometimes "less" or "as... as" is also used, but Italian comparatives classify clearly with "più" (more), "meno" (less), and "tanto... quanto" (as much as). Useful words include: più (more), meno (less), quanto (as), dolce (sweet), amaro (bitter), pulito (clean), morbido (soft). This provides a practical framework for clear comparisons in everyday conversations.
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
