Calendar dates and holidays
Date del calendario e festività
- The basic dates and holidays
- How is the date formed?
Learn how to say and form dates in Italian with examples like "Il primo gennaio" (January 1st) and traditional holidays such as "Capodanno" and "Natale." This lesson covers key vocabulary to talk about calendar dates and Italian festive celebrations.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (10) 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 words into two categories: traditional Italian holidays and calendar dates.
Feste tradizionali italiane
Date del calendario
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Il calendario
The calendar
2
Pasquetta
Easter Monday
3
La vacanza
The holiday
4
Pasqua
Easter
5
Decorare
To decorate
Esercizio 5: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Say the name of the holiday and it's date. (Say the name of the holiday and it's date.)
- What are your plans for the holidays? With whom are you going to spend it? (What are your plans for the holidays? With whom are you going to spend it?)
- What day is today? (What day is today?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Natale è il venticinque dicembre. Christmas is the twenty-fifth of December. |
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Le vacanze estive sono a luglio e agosto. Summer holiday is in July and august. |
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Pasqua è sempre in un'altra data. Easter is always on another date. |
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Ho intenzione di festeggiare il Natale con la mia famiglia. I plan to celebrate christmas with my family. |
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Festeggerò il Capodanno con i miei amici. I am going to celebrate new year's with my friends. |
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Oggi è il quattordici febbraio 2025. Today is the forteenth of february of 2025. |
| ... |
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. Ogni anno noi ______ la casa per Natale.
(Every year we ______ the house for Christmas.)2. Il primo gennaio noi ______ l'albero di Capodanno.
(On January 1st we ______ the New Year's tree.)3. In aprile noi sempre ______ la casa per Pasqua.
(In April we always ______ the house for Easter.)4. Durante le vacanze di Natale noi ______ il salotto con le luci.
(During the Christmas holidays we ______ the living room with lights.)Exercise 8: Preparing the House for Christmas
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Decorare - Decorare
Presente
- io decoro
- tu decori
- lui/lei decora
- noi decoriamo
- voi decorate
- loro decorano
Festeggiare - Festeggiare
Presente
- io festeggio
- tu festeggi
- lui/lei festeggia
- noi festeggiamo
- voi festeggiate
- loro festeggiano
Raccogliere - Raccogliere
Presente
- io raccolgo
- tu raccogli
- lui/lei raccoglie
- noi raccogliamo
- voi raccogliete
- loro raccolgono
Exercise 9: Come si forma la data?
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: How is the date formed?
Show translation Show answers25 dicembre, 10 luglio, 1 ottobre, 1 gennaio, 5 maggio, 30 aprile, 25 aprile, 12 agosto
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Decorare to decorate Share Copied!
Presente
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) decoro | I decorate |
| (tu) decori | you decorate |
| (lui/lei) decora | he/she decorates |
| (noi) decoriamo | we decorate |
| (voi) decorate | You decorate |
| (loro) decorano | they decorate |
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Overview of the Lesson: Calendar Dates and Holidays in Italian
This lesson is designed for beginners (A1 level) to help you understand how to talk about important dates and traditional holidays in Italian. You will learn how to form dates correctly and use common expressions related to Italian festivities.
Key Vocabulary: Italian Holidays and Dates
- Feste tradizionali italiane (Traditional Italian Holidays): Capodanno, Carnevale, Il Natale, Pasqua, Pasquetta
- Date del calendario (Calendar Dates): 1 gennaio, 25 aprile, 31 dicembre
How to Express Dates in Italian
When telling dates, Italian usually places the article before the day, for example Il primo gennaio (The first of January). Note that some holidays like Natale (Christmas) are often used without an article: Natale è il 25 dicembre.
Common Expressions and Example Sentences
- Il primo gennaio è Capodanno, Buon anno nuovo! (January 1st is New Year's Day, Happy New Year!)
- La Vigilia di Natale è il 24 dicembre, e il Natale è il 25 dicembre. (Christmas Eve is December 24th, and Christmas is December 25th.)
- Decoriamo la casa per il Carnevale il 10 febbraio ogni anno. (We decorate the house for Carnival every year on February 10th.)
- A Pasqua andiamo a pranzo con la famiglia, e Pasquetta è il giorno dopo. (At Easter we have lunch with the family, and Easter Monday is the day after.)
Useful Phrases When Discussing Dates
- Quando è la riunione? (When is the meeting?)
- È il primo maggio. (It is the first of May.)
- Puoi venire venerdì prossimo? (Can you come next Friday?)
- Qual è la data esatta? (What is the exact date?)
Grammar Highlight: Verb "Decorare" (To Decorate)
This lesson includes practice with the verb decorare, present tense conjugation:
- io decoro
- tu decori
- lui/lei decora
- noi decoriamo
- voi decorate
- loro decorano
Example: Ogni anno noi decoriamo la casa per Natale.
Differences Between English and Italian Date Expressions
In Italian, dates are usually expressed with articles and ordinal numbers for the day (e.g., il primo maggio - the first of May), whereas in English, ordinal numbers are mostly used in speech but often dropped in writing (e.g., May 1st versus May 1). Also, certain holidays in Italian are used without an article (like Natale), which differs from English, where the definite article is generally not used either but naming and capitalization conventions vary.
Useful expressions: È il + [ordinal number] + [month] for saying the date, e.g., È il 25 aprile. To ask a date: Quando è ...? (When is ...?).
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