A2.18: Visit the countryside

Visita la campagna

Explore Italian countryside vocabulary through dialogues about visiting borghi, farm animals like mucche (cows), pecore (sheep), and cavalli (horses), plus verbs like andare (to go) and nutrire (to feed), ideal for A2 learners.

Vocabulary (18)

 La mucca: The cow (Italian)

La mucca

Show

The cow Show

 Il cavallo: The horse (Italian)

Il cavallo

Show

The horse Show

 Il maiale: The pig (Italian)

Il maiale

Show

The pig Show

 La capra: the goat (Italian)

La capra

Show

The goat Show

 Il toro: The bull (Italian)

Il toro

Show

The bull Show

 La mosca: The fly (Italian)

La mosca

Show

The fly Show

 Il pollo: the chicken (Italian)

Il pollo

Show

The chicken Show

 La pecora: the sheep (Italian)

La pecora

Show

The sheep Show

 La campagna: the countryside (Italian)

La campagna

Show

The countryside Show

 Il paesaggio: The landscape (Italian)

Il paesaggio

Show

The landscape Show

 Il villaggio: The village (Italian)

Il villaggio

Show

The village Show

 L'agricoltura: agriculture (Italian)

L'agricoltura

Show

Agriculture Show

 Il contadino: The farmer (Italian)

Il contadino

Show

The farmer Show

 All'aria aperta: In the open air (Italian)

All'aria aperta

Show

In the open air Show

 L'azienda agricola: the farm (Italian)

L'azienda agricola

Show

The farm Show

 La natura: Nature (Italian)

La natura

Show

Nature Show

 Nutrire (to feed) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Nutrire

Show

To feed Show

 Allevare (to raise) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Allevare

Show

To raise Show

Exercises

These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.

Esercizio 1: Conversation exercise

Istruzione:

  1. Where did you grow up? On the countryside or in the city? (Where did you grow up? On the countryside or in the city?)
  2. Did you have to care for animals? Farm animals or pets? (Did you have to care for animals? Farm animals or pets?)
  3. What do you think of the bull fighting in Spain? (What do you think of the bull fighting in Spain?)

Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes

Example phrases:

Sono cresciuto in campagna.

I grew up on the countryside.

La mia famiglia ha una fattoria, quindi ho aiutato molto a prendermi cura dei maiali, delle mucche e delle galline.

My family has a farm so I helped a lot to care for the pigs, cows and chicken.

Sono cresciuto in una piccola città. La mia famiglia aveva un cane. Mi occupavo di lui.

I grew up in a small city. My family had a dog. I helped to care for him.

Sono cresciuto a Berlino, la capitale della Germania. Avevamo solo un piccolo appartamento, quindi non abbiamo mai avuto un animale domestico.

I grew up in Berlin, the capital of Germany. We only had a small apartment so we never had a pet.

Penso che la corrida sia una tradizione importante in Spagna e voglio assistere a un incontro.

I think the bull fighting is an important tradition in Spain and I want to see a fight.

La corrida in Spagna è crudele. Quella tradizione deve finire presto per proteggere i tori.

The bull fighting in Spain is cruel. That tradition has to end soon to protect the bulls.

...

Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards

Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Domani __________ un'azienda agricola per vedere come si allevano gli animali.

(Tomorrow __________ a farm to see how animals are raised.)

2. Il contadino __________ le mucche prima di mezzogiorno.

(The farmer __________ the cows before noon.)

3. Le capre __________ nel campo vicino al villaggio.

(The goats __________ in the field near the village.)

4. Tu __________ in una casa all'aria aperta durante il weekend.

(You __________ in an open-air house during the weekend.)

Exercise 4: Visiting the countryside: a weekend on the farm

Instruction:

Questo weekend io e mia moglie (Andare - Futuro semplice) in un villaggio nella campagna italiana. (Volere - Presente) vedere da vicino come il contadino (Allevare - Presente) gli animali e come si lavora in un'azienda agricola. Sabato mattina, io (Nutrire - Futuro semplice) le mucche e le pecore, mentre lei (Osservare - Presente) il paesaggio e le capre. La domenica, insieme, (Camminare - Futuro semplice) all'aria aperta, esplorando la natura e salutando cavalli, maiali e polli. Ci piace molto trascorrere il tempo libero immersi nell'agricoltura e nel silenzio della campagna, lontani dal caos della città.


This weekend my wife and I will go to a village in the Italian countryside. We want to see up close how the farmer raises the animals and how work is done on a farm. On Saturday morning, I will feed the cows and sheep, while she observes the landscape and the goats. On Sunday, together, we will walk outdoors, exploring nature and greeting horses, pigs, and chickens. We really enjoy spending our free time immersed in agriculture and the silence of the countryside, far from the chaos of the city.

Verb Tables

Andare - Andare

Futuro semplice

  • io andrò
  • tu andrai
  • lui/lei andrà
  • noi andremo
  • voi andrete
  • loro andranno

Volere - Volere

Presente

  • io voglio
  • tu vuoi
  • lui/lei vuole
  • noi vogliamo
  • voi volete
  • loro vogliono

Allevare - Allevare

Presente

  • io allevo
  • tu allevi
  • lui/lei alleva
  • noi alleviamo
  • voi alleviate
  • loro allevano

Nutrire - Nutrire

Futuro semplice

  • io nutrirò
  • tu nutrirai
  • lui/lei nutrirà
  • noi nutriremo
  • voi nutrirete
  • loro nutriranno

Osservare - Osservare

Presente

  • io osservo
  • tu osservi
  • lui/lei osserva
  • noi osserviamo
  • voi osservate
  • loro osservano

Camminare - Camminare

Futuro semplice

  • io camminerò
  • tu camminerai
  • lui/lei camminerà
  • noi cammineremo
  • voi camminerete
  • loro cammineranno

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Visit the Countryside: Lesson Overview

This A2-level lesson immerses you in the Italian rural life and culture through dialogues, vocabulary, and grammar centered on visiting the countryside and farms. You will explore how to describe small villages (borghi), discuss animals commonly found on farms, and discover different rural regions of Italy.

Key Topics Covered

  • Vocabulary of the countryside: Learn words like borgo (small village), campi (fields), colline (hills), and names of farm animals such as pecore (sheep), mucche (cows), galline (chickens), cavalli (horses), maiali (pigs), capre (goats).
  • Dialogues: Practice real conversations about visiting the countryside, discussing famous rural regions like Tuscany and Marche, asking about landscapes and animals you find there.
  • Verb Conjugation Focus: Future tense verbs such as visiteremo (we will visit), nutrirf2 (I will feed), and present tense verbs describing farm activities, helping you talk about plans and routines.
  • Short Story: A contextual narrative about spending a weekend on a farm with activities like feeding animals and hiking, reinforcing vocabulary and the use of present and future tenses.

Notable Vocabulary and Expressions

  • La campagna: the countryside
  • Fattoria: farm
  • Animali della fattoria: farm animals
  • Paesaggio: landscape
  • Allevare: to raise (animals)
  • Pascolare: to graze
  • Camminare all'aria aperta: to walk outdoors

Language Notes

Italian often uses definite articles before general nouns, so la campagna (the countryside) is standard, whereas in English, campagnais simply translated as countrysidewithout an article unless specified. Verb tenses emphasize future actions, like nutrirf2 (I will feed), which in English is expressed with "will" plus verb. Also, Italian verbs conjugate for each subject explicitly, whereas English uses more uniform forms.

Useful phrases include asking about the landscape: Com'18paesaggio intorno? (What is the landscape like around?), and animals: Quali animali si trovano? (What animals are there?). These are practical for conversations in rural settings.

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