Houseplants and garden plants
Piante da appartamento e piante da giardino
- Learn the names of common plants and flowers in the house and in the garden.
- Daily plant care routine and gardening.
- Stare + gerund
This lesson introduces the Italian present continuous tense using the "stare + gerundio" form through the theme of houseplants and garden plants. Students learn practical vocabulary for indoor and outdoor plants, express ongoing activities like watering and sowing, and engage with dialogues about plant care. The course also includes exercises focusing on verb conjugations and a short story to enhance comprehension. Differences between Italian and English continuous tenses are highlighted with useful phrases to aid understanding.
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: Divide the following words into two clear categories: "Houseplants" and "Garden plants".
Piante da appartamento
Piante da giardino
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
La rosa
The rose
2
Il fiore
The flower
3
Seminare
To sow
4
Il tulipano
The tulip
5
La foglia
The leaf
Esercizio 5: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Say what you can see in the garden. (Say what you can see in the garden.)
- Describe your own or your ideal garden. (Describe your own or your ideal garden.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Ci sono fiori viola nel giardino. There are purple flowers in the garden. |
|
C'è un grande albero vecchio. There is a big old tree. |
|
Ho fiori gialli e rosa nel mio giardino. I have yellow and pink flowers in my garden. |
|
Ho un'altalena nel mio giardino per i miei bambini. I have a swing in my garden for my children. |
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Non ho cactus nel mio giardino. I don't have cactuses in my garden. |
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Annaffio le mie piante ogni 3 giorni. I water my plants every 3 days. |
| ... |
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. Sto _______ le piante nel giardino adesso.
(I am _______ the plants in the garden now.)2. Tu stai _______ i semi vicino alla casa.
(You are _______ the seeds near the house.)3. Noi stiamo _______ un albero nel cortile.
(We are _______ a tree in the yard.)4. I bambini stanno _______ vicino alla rosa rossa.
(The children are _______ near the red rose.)Exercise 8: Plant care in the garden
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Seminare - To sow
Presente
- io semino
- tu semini
- lui/lei semina
- noi seminiamo
- voi seminate
- loro seminano
Crescere - To grow
Presente
- io cresco
- tu cresci
- lui/lei cresce
- noi cresciamo
- voi crescete
- loro crescono
Annaffiare - To water
Passato prossimo
- io ho annaffiato
- tu hai annaffiato
- lui/lei ha annaffiato
- noi abbiamo annaffiato
- voi avete annaffiato
- loro hanno annaffiato
Stare - To be
Presente
- io sto
- tu stai
- lui/lei sta
- noi stiamo
- voi state
- loro stanno
Exercise 9: Stare + gerundio
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Stare + gerund
Show translation Show answersstanno giocando, state preparando, sto annusando, sto annaffiando, stanno curando, sta sistemando, sta seminando, stiamo crescendo
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Crescere to grow Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) sono cresciuto/sono cresciuta | I have grown |
| (tu) sei cresciuto/sei cresciuta | You have grown |
| (lui/lei) è cresciuto/è cresciuta | he/she has grown |
| (noi) siamo cresciuti/siamo cresciute | we have grown |
| (voi) siete cresciuti/siete cresciute | You have grown |
| (loro) sono cresciuti/sono cresciute | they have grown |
Seminare to sow Share Copied!
Presente
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) semino | I sow |
| (tu) semini | You sow |
| (lui/lei) semina | he/she sows |
| (noi) seminiamo | we sow |
| (voi) seminate | You sow |
| (loro) seminano | they sow |
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Introduction to Italian Present Continuous with Gardening Vocabulary
This lesson focuses on the present continuous tense in Italian, particularly the "stare + gerundio" ("stare" + gerund) construction, which is used to describe ongoing actions. You will learn how to talk about activities related to houseplants and garden plants, expanding your vocabulary about both types of plants and common gardening tasks.
Key Grammar Feature: Present Continuous (Stare + Gerundio)
The lesson emphasizes the use of the present continuous tense to describe actions happening now, for example: "Sto annaffiando le rose nel giardino adesso." (I am watering the roses in the garden now.)
Vocabulary: Plants and Gardening Activities
- Houseplants (Piante da appartamento): la rosa, il tulipano, la foglia, annaffiare le piante
- Garden Plants (Piante da giardino): l'albero, l'erba, la terra, seminare
Practical Dialogues and Exercises
You will find dialogues simulating real conversations about buying and caring for houseplants, discussing gardening work, and giving advice. Example: "Le consiglio un'orchidea o una sansevieria." (I recommend an orchid or a snake plant.) Multiple-choice exercises help reinforce correct verb conjugations in context.
Additional Learning Tools
The lesson also includes a short story about plant care featuring verbs in different tenses related to gardening activities to deepen your understanding. Verb tables for common verbs like seminare (to sow), crescere (to grow), and annaffiare (to water) support your study of conjugations.
Notable Language Differences
In Italian, the present continuous is formed with the verb stare followed by the gerund, unlike English which just uses "to be" plus the -ing form. For example, "I am watering" translates as Io sto annaffiando. Some verbs like seminare (to sow) are regularly conjugated, but the gerund form ends with -ando or -endo depending on the verb group. Understanding this pattern helps you describe ongoing activities clearly.
Useful phrases:
Sto annaffiando le piante — I am watering the plants
Stai seminando i semi? — Are you sowing the seeds?
Noi stiamo coltivando un albero — We are growing a tree
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