Music and art
Musica e arte
- Talk about culture events in the city.
- Go to the museum, an exposition, musical,...
- Indirect speech: “dire che”
Discover core Italian vocabulary about music and art, including words like "museo" (museum) and "suonare" (to play an instrument). This lesson focuses on the use of indirect speech with "dire che" to report events such as attending concerts and exhibitions.
Listening & reading materials
Practice vocabulary in context with real materials.
Vocabulary (13) 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 categories: words related to music and words related to visual art.
Musica
Arte visiva
Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence
Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.
1
Suonare uno strumento
To play an instrument
2
L'esibizione
The exhibition
3
La chitarra
The guitar
4
La radio
The radio
5
Il pianoforte
The piano
Esercizio 5: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Describe the activities in the pictures. (Describe the activities in the pictures.)
- Talk about your favourite art and music. (Talk about your favourite art and music.)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
|
Ci sono due ragazzi che guardano la televisione. There are two boys watching the television. |
|
Puoi vedere un artista che lavora a un progetto artistico. You can see an artist working on an art project. |
|
Mi piace la mostra di Picasso. I like the exposition of Picasso. |
|
A che ora inizia il concerto? What time does the concert start? |
|
Vado a una mostra di arte moderna. I go to an exposition on modern art. |
|
Mi piace il rock, ma mi godo anche un concerto jazz. I like rock, but also I enjoy a Jazz concert. |
| ... |
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. Luca dice che ____ al museo domani.
(Luca says he ____ to the museum tomorrow.)2. Maria dice che ____ molto bene il pianoforte.
(Maria says she ____ the piano very well.)3. Giovanni dice che il concerto ____ alle otto.
(Giovanni says the concert ____ at eight.)4. Lucia dice che la mostra ____ chiusa oggi.
(Lucia says the exhibition ____ closed today.)Exercise 8: Let's go to the museum and the concert
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Andare - Go
Passato prossimo
- io sono andato
- tu sei andato
- lui/lei è andato/a
- noi siamo andati
- voi siete andati
- loro sono andati
Dire - Say
Presente
- io dico
- tu dici
- lui/lei dice
- noi diciamo
- voi dite
- loro dicono
Incontrare - Meet
Passato prossimo
- io ho incontrato
- tu hai incontrato
- lui/lei ha incontrato
- noi abbiamo incontrato
- voi avete incontrato
- loro hanno incontrato
Suonare - Play
Presente
- io suono
- tu suoni
- lui/lei suona
- noi suoniamo
- voi suonate
- loro suonano
Essere - Be
Presente
- io sono
- tu sei
- lui/lei è
- noi siamo
- voi siete
- loro sono
Comprare - Buy
Passato prossimo
- io ho comprato
- tu hai comprato
- lui/lei ha comprato
- noi abbiamo comprato
- voi avete comprato
- loro hanno comprato
Exercise 9: Il discorso indiretto: “dire che”
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Indirect speech: “dire che”
Show translation Show answersdice che l'opera, dice che suona il pianoforte, dice che suona, dicono che il concerto, dice che cantare, dice che la mostra, dice che va, dice che il museo
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.
Lesson Overview: Music and Art in Italian
This lesson introduces you to Italian vocabulary and expressions related to the themes of music and visual art, using real-life contexts such as museums, concerts, and art exhibitions. It focuses particularly on the use of "discorso indiretto" (indirect speech) with the phrase "dire che" (to say that), a common and practical structure for daily conversations.
Key Grammar Focus: Indirect Speech with "dire che"
Italian uses indirect speech to report what someone else has said. This lesson teaches how to construct sentences with "dire che" followed by a verb in the present or past tense, e.g. Maria dice che va al museo oggi (Maria says that she is going to the museum today).
Useful Vocabulary Highlights
- Music-related words: il cantante (the singer), il pianoforte (the piano), la chitarra (the guitar), il musicista (the musician), suonare uno strumento (to play an instrument)
- Art-related words: il museo (the museum), l'esibizione (the exhibition or performance), il dipinto (the painting)
Verb Tenses and Examples
The lesson covers common verbs in the present and passato prossimo (present perfect) tenses, essential for everyday conversations, especially when talking about events:
- Andare (to go): io sono andato, tu sei andato, lui/lei è andato/a
- Dire (to say): io dico, tu dici, lui/lei dice
- Incontrare (to meet): ho incontrato, hai incontrato, ha incontrato
- Suonare (to play an instrument): io suono, tu suoni, lui/lei suona
- Essere (to be): io sono, tu sei, lui/lei è
- Comprare (to buy): ho comprato, hai comprato, ha comprato
Practical Usage Through Storytelling and Dialogues
The content includes a mini story describing a trip to a museum and a concert, which incorporates indirect speech and the vocabulary listed above. The dialogues encourage practicing how to report information about concerts and exhibitions, utilizing the key expressions and structures.
Differences Between English and Italian in This Context
English indirect speech often shifts verb tenses (e.g., "He says that he is going" vs. "He said that he was going"), whereas Italian sometimes retains present tense after certain verbs like "dire che" depending on context. Also, the Italian structure dire che literally means "to say that," acting as a clear signal for reported speech, which may not always have a direct parallel in English sentence structure.
Useful phrases and their English equivalents include:
- Maria dice che va al museo oggi – "Maria says that she is going to the museum today."
- Luca dice che suona la chitarra in un concerto – "Luca says that he plays the guitar in a concert."
- Giovanni dice che l'esibizione è alle 20 – "Giovanni says that the performance is at 8 PM."
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
