Our house
La nostra casa
- Describe all the rooms and floors of a house.
- Understand a house rental or sales ad.
- The use of 'c'è' and 'ci sono'
This lesson introduces the use of Italian expressions "c'è" and "ci sono" to describe rooms and objects in a house, covering vocabulary like "la cucina" (kitchen), "il salotto" (living room), and "il giardino" (garden). Learn to talk about interiors and exteriors using clear, practical examples.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (15) 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 the words into two categories: rooms in the house and outdoor or passage spaces, to remember them more easily.
Stanze della casa
Spazi esterni o di passaggio
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Il garage
The garage
2
La camera da letto
The bedroom
3
Il corridoio
The corridor
4
Il balcone
The balcony
5
Muovere
To move
Esercizio 5: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Name the rooms of your house or appartment. (Name the rooms of your house or appartment.)
- Describe different housing types. (Describe different housing types.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Questa casa ha sei stanze. This house has six rooms. |
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Il soggiorno è al piano terra, accanto all'ingresso. The living room is on the ground level, next to the entrance hall. |
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C'è un balcone al primo piano. There is a balcony on the first floor. |
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Il mio appartamento ha una cucina, una camera da letto e un bagno. My apartment has a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom. |
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La camera da letto ha un balcone. The bedroom has a balcony. |
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Sto cercando un appartamento con una camera da letto. I am looking for a one-bedroom apartment. |
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L'affitto del monolocale include tutte le spese mensili. The rent for the studio includes all monthly costs. |
| ... |
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. Nel salotto ___ con i nostri amici ogni weekend.
(In the living room, ___ with our friends every weekend.)2. Ieri ___ pulito la cucina e il bagno.
(Yesterday ___ cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom.)3. ___ mosso i mobili nel corridoio per fare spazio.
(___ moved the furniture in the hallway to make space.)4. ___ un bel giardino dietro la casa dove possiamo rilassarci.
(___ a nice garden behind the house where we can relax.)Exercise 8: Marco's New House
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Convivere - Live together
Presente
- io convivo
- tu convivi
- lui/lei convive
- noi conviviamo
- voi convivete
- loro convivono
Pulire - Clean
Passato prossimo
- io ho pulito
- tu hai pulito
- lui/lei ha pulito
- noi abbiamo pulito
- voi avete pulito
- loro hanno pulito
Muovere - Move
Passato prossimo
- io ho mosso
- tu hai mosso
- lui/lei ha mosso
- noi abbiamo mosso
- voi avete mosso
- loro hanno mosso
Exercise 9: L'uso di 'c'è' e 'ci sono'
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The use of 'c'è' and 'ci sono'
Show translation Show answersc'è, ci sono
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Convivere to live together Share Copied!
Presente
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) convivo | I live together |
| (tu) convivi | You live together |
| (lui/lei) convive | he/she lives together |
| (noi) conviviamo | we live together |
| (voi) convivete | You live together |
| (loro) convivono | They live together |
Muovere to move Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) ho mosso | I moved |
| (tu) hai mosso | You have moved |
| (lui/lei) ha mosso | he/she has moved |
| (noi) abbiamo mosso | we moved |
| (voi) avete mosso | You have moved |
| (loro) hanno mosso | they moved |
Pulire to clean Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) ho pulito | I have cleaned |
| (tu) hai pulito | You have cleaned |
| (lui/lei) ha pulito | He/she has cleaned |
| (noi) abbiamo pulito | we have cleaned |
| (voi) avete pulito | you have cleaned |
| (loro) hanno pulito | they cleaned |
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Lesson Overview: Describing Your House in Italian
This lesson focuses on how to describe various rooms and objects in a house using Italian. It introduces the basic structures that use the verbs c'è and ci sono, which mean "there is" and "there are," respectively. These expressions are essential for talking about what is present in different parts of a home.
Key Language Points
- C'è: used with singular nouns to indicate the presence of one thing or person. Example: C'è una cucina moderna con un grande tavolo. (There is a modern kitchen with a large table.)
- Ci sono: used with plural nouns to indicate the presence of multiple things or people. Example: Ci sono tre camere da letto e un balcone grande. (There are three bedrooms and a big balcony.)
Common Vocabulary: Rooms and Places in a House
Learn the names of interiors and exteriors of a house:
- Interni della casa (Interiors): il bagno (bathroom), il corridoio (hallway), la camera da letto (bedroom), la cucina (kitchen), il salotto (living room)
- Esterni della casa (Exteriors): il giardino (garden), il balcone (balcony), il garage (garage)
Sample Descriptions to Practice
- C'è un bagno nuovo al primo piano della casa.
- Nel salotto ci sono due divani comodi.
- Nel giardino c'è una piccola fontana con delle piante.
- Ci sono le scale vicino all'ingresso per andare al garage.
Useful Verbs Related to the Home
- Convivere (to live together/coexist) – Present tense: io convivo, tu convivi, lui/lei convive, noi conviviamo, voi convivete, loro convivono
- Essere (to be) – Present tense: io sono, tu sei, lui/lei è, noi siamo, voi siete, loro sono
- Pulire (to clean) – Past tense: io ho pulito, tu hai pulito, lui/lei ha pulito, noi abbiamo pulito, voi avete pulito, loro hanno pulito
- Muovere (to move) – Past tense: io ho mosso, tu hai mosso, lui/lei ha mosso, noi abbiamo mosso, voi avete mosso, loro hanno mosso
Dialogue and Interaction Practice
Engage in simple conversations like describing a house's features, asking about available apartments, or discussing the layout during a visit. This encourages practical spoken skills and vocabulary reinforcement.
Useful Notes on Language Differences
Unlike English, Italian combines the verb and the subject in expressions like c'è and ci sono to state existence. While in English we say "there is" or "there are," Italian uses a contracted form that literally means "there it is" or "there they are." These are fundamental for describing places and objects effectively in Italian.
Some practical phrases include:
- C'è una cucina spaziosa con una grande finestra. – There's a spacious kitchen with a large window.
- Nel salotto ci sono due poltrone comode. – In the living room, there are two comfortable armchairs.
- Ci sono delle scale che portano al giardino. – There are stairs that lead to the garden.
Summary
This lesson at the A1 level equips you with the language tools to talk about your home, describe rooms and furniture, and comprehend basic real estate or home-related conversations. Mastering c'è and ci sono, along with related vocabulary, forms a foundation for expressing existence and location in Italian.
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