A2.20: Family trip to the zoo

Viaggio in famiglia allo zoo

Explore Italian conjunctions like 'nè...nè', 'sia…sia', and 'o…o' in the context of organizing a family trip to the zoo, describing animals like il leone (lion), la giraffa (giraffe), and l'elefante (elephant). Learn practical phrases to talk about preferences and choices during your outing.

Listening and reading

Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.

A2.20.1 Dialogo

Una domenica al safari di Ravenna

A Sunday at the Ravenna Safari


Vocabulary (17)

 Il deserto: The desert (Italian)

Il deserto

Show

The desert Show

 La giungla: The jungle (Italian)

La giungla

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The jungle Show

 Selvaggio: wild (Italian)

Selvaggio

Show

Wild Show

 L'animale: The animal (Italian)

L'animale

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The animal Show

 L'elefante: The elephant (Italian)

L'elefante

Show

The elephant Show

 Il gufo: The owl (Italian)

Il gufo

Show

The owl Show

 Il leone: The lion (Italian)

Il leone

Show

The lion Show

 La giraffa: The giraffe (Italian)

La giraffa

Show

The giraffe Show

 La tigre: The tiger (Italian)

La tigre

Show

The tiger Show

 La scimmia: The monkey (Italian)

La scimmia

Show

The monkey Show

 Il rinoceronte: The rhinoceros (Italian)

Il rinoceronte

Show

The rhinoceros Show

 Le specie: The species (Italian)

Le specie

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The species Show

 L'acquario: the aquarium (Italian)

L'acquario

Show

The aquarium Show

 Il panorama: the landscape (Italian)

Il panorama

Show

The landscape Show

 Affascinante: fascinating (Italian)

Affascinante

Show

Fascinating Show

 Pericoloso: dangerous (Italian)

Pericoloso

Show

Dangerous Show

 Ammirare (to admire) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Ammirare

Show

To admire Show

Exercises

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

Exercise 1: Translate and use in a sentence

Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.

1

Il deserto


The desert

2

Il rinoceronte


The rhinoceros

3

Il leone


The lion

4

La tigre


The tiger

5

Affascinante


Fascinating

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 _______ sia il leone sia la tigre allo zoo.

(Tomorrow I will _______ both the lion and the tiger at the zoo.)

2. Non _______ né il rinoceronte né l'elefante durante la gita.

(I will not _______ neither the rhinoceros nor the elephant during the trip.)

3. _______ o all'acquario o alla giungla selvaggia.

(_______ either to the aquarium or to the wild jungle.)

4. Sarà un'esperienza molto affascinante sia per i bambini sia per gli _______.

(It will be a very fascinating experience both for children and _______.)

Exercise 4: Family trip to the zoo

Instruction:

Domani io (Ammirare - Futuro semplice) il leone e la tigre perché sono animali molto affascinanti. Tu (Scegliere - Futuro semplice) se visitare lo zoo o l'acquario con noi. Mio figlio e mia figlia (Guardare - Futuro semplice) sia la giraffa sia l'elefante con grande interesse. Noi (Organizzare - Futuro semplice) una pausa per ammirare il panorama della giungla e del deserto. Infine, mia moglie e io (Decidere - Futuro semplice) se fare una passeggiata tra la scimmia e il rinoceronte oppure andare subito a vedere il gufo.


Tomorrow I will admire the lion and the tiger because they are very fascinating animals. You will choose whether to visit the zoo or the aquarium with us. My son and my daughter will watch both the giraffe and the elephant with great interest. We will organize a break to admire the view of the jungle and the desert. Finally, my wife and I will decide whether to take a walk between the monkey and the rhinoceros or go immediately to see the owl.

Verb Tables

Ammirare - Admirare

Futuro semplice

  • io ammirerò
  • tu ammirerai
  • lui/lei ammirerà
  • noi ammireremo
  • voi ammirerete
  • loro ammireranno

Scegliere - Scegliere

Futuro semplice

  • io sceglierò
  • tu sceglierai
  • lui/lei sceglierà
  • noi sceglieremo
  • voi sceglierete
  • loro sceglieranno

Guardare - Guardare

Futuro semplice

  • io guarderò
  • tu guarderai
  • lui/lei guarderà
  • noi guarderemo
  • voi guarderete
  • loro guarderanno

Organizzare - Organizzare

Futuro semplice

  • io organizzerò
  • tu organizzerai
  • lui/lei organizzerà
  • noi organizzeremo
  • voi organizzerete
  • loro organizzeranno

Decidere - Decidere

Futuro semplice

  • io deciderò
  • tu deciderai
  • lui/lei deciderà
  • noi decideremo
  • voi deciderete
  • loro decideranno

Exercise 5: Le congiunzioni 'nè...nè', 'sia…sia', 'o…o'

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Grammar: The conjunctions 'nè...nè', 'sia…sia', 'o…o'

Show translation Show answers

nè, sia, o

1.
Non voglio vedere ... il leone ... la tigre oggi.
(I don't want to see either the lion or the tiger today.)
2.
La nostra famiglia ammira ... l'elefante ... la giraffa.
(Our family admires both the elephant and the giraffe.)
3.
Puoi scegliere ... la giungla ... il deserto per la visita.
(You can choose either the jungle or the desert for the visit.)
4.
Non sento ... il gufo ... la scimmia nella giungla.
(I don't hear either the owl or the monkey in the jungle.)
5.
In questo zoo ci sono ... animali selvaggi ... specie rare.
(In this zoo there are both wild animals and rare species.)
6.
Domani andremo ... al panorama ... all'acquario per ammirare.
(Tomorrow we will go either to the panorama or to the aquarium to admire.)
7.
Non mangio ... carne ... pesce durante il viaggio.
(I eat neither meat nor fish during the trip.)
8.
Vediamo ... il rinoceronte ... il leone nella savana.
(We see both the rhinoceros and the lion in the savannah.)

Grammar

It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!

A2.20.2 Grammatica

Le congiunzioni 'nè...nè', 'sia…sia', 'o…o'

The conjunctions 'nè...nè', 'sia…sia', 'o…o'


Verb conjugation tables for this lesson

Ammirare to admire

Futuro semplice

Italian English
(io) ammirerò I will admire
(tu) ammirerai You will admire
(lui/lei) ammirerà he/she will admire
(noi) amireremo/ammireremo we will admire
(voi) ammirerete You will admire
(loro) ammireranno they will admire

Exercises and examples phrases

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Lesson Overview: Family Trip to the Zoo

This lesson explores the use of Italian conjunctions nè...nè, sia...sia, and o...o through the context of planning and describing a family trip to the zoo. It is tailored for A2 level learners aiming to improve their ability to coordinate ideas, preferences, and alternatives in conversational Italian.

Key Grammar Focus: Coordinating Conjunctions

The phrases "nè...nè", "sia...sia", and "o...o" are essential conjunction pairs used to link ideas, express choices, and emphasize inclusiveness or exclusions in Italian. Examples include:

  • Vuoi andare o allo zoo o al parco naturale? (Do you want to go either to the zoo or to the nature park?)
  • Possiamo vedere sia i leoni sia le giraffe. (We can see both the lions and the giraffes.)
  • Così nessuno si annoierà, nè i bambini nè gli adulti. (So that neither the children nor the adults get bored.)

Conjunction Breakdown:

  • O...o - Used to present alternatives or choices.
  • Sia...sia - Used to express "both...and" inclusivity.
  • Nè...nè - Used to express negation of both options (neither...nor).

Practical Content and Dialogue Examples

The lesson includes realistic dialogues simulating family conversations that organize a visit, describe animals, and talk about famous zoos in Italy. These provide valuable context to practice the conjunctions naturally:

  • Choosing between the zoo or nature park.
  • Discussing animals seen or not seen, using both negation and inclusion with nè...nè and sia...sia.
  • Comparing and choosing between different Italian zoos for family visits.

Mini Story and Verb Practice

A short story about a family trip to the zoo enhances vocabulary and verb conjugation practice focused on future and present tenses, for example:

  • Andare (to go): io andrò, tu andrai, noi andremo
  • Volere (to want): io voglio, tu vuoi, loro vogliono
  • Preferire (to prefer): io preferisco, tu preferisci, lei preferisce

This allows learners to consolidate grammar alongside thematic vocabulary.

Language Differences and Useful Phrases

In English, conjunctions like "either...or", "both...and", and "neither...nor" serve the same function but differ structurally from Italian.

Some useful Italian phrases to express preferences or alternatives include:

  • Preferisco vedere... (I prefer to see...)
  • Possiamo visitare o ... o ... (We can visit either ... or ...)
  • Sia ... sia ... sono interessanti. (Both ... and ... are interesting.)

Mastering these will help learners structure more coherent and natural sentences when discussing plans and comparisons.

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