Clothing styles and fashion
Stili di abbigliamento e moda
- Talk about your favourite outfit.
- Describe your outfit and fashion.
- The expressions of place: 'accanto', 'davanti', 'dentro', etc...
This lesson teaches Italian location expressions like "accanto" (next to), "davanti" (in front of), and "dentro" (inside), useful for describing clothing and fashion. Practice phrases such as "la giacca è davanti allo specchio" and "la cravatta è di fianco alla camicia."
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (17) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
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
La cravatta
The tie
2
Le mutande
The knickers
3
Cambiarsi
To change clothes
4
L'accessorio
The accessory
5
Il completo
The suit
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. Ieri ti ______ il completo elegante che avevo suggerito per la riunione.
(Yesterday I ______ the elegant suit that I had suggested for the meeting.)2. Prima di uscire, ti sei ______ nel vestito che ti stava meglio.
(Before going out, you ______ changed into the outfit that suited you best.)3. Quando ti avevo consigliato lo stile giusto, avevo già ______ idea sul completo.
(When I had recommended the right style, I had already ______ my mind about the suit.)4. Dopo la prova, hai ______ la cravatta che il negoziante ti aveva consigliato accanto alla sciarpa.
(After trying it on, you ______ the tie that the shop assistant had recommended to you next to the scarf.)Exercise 4: Getting Ready for an Elegant Evening
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Consigliare - Advise
Trapassato prossimo
- io avevo consigliato
- tu avevi consigliato
- lui/lei aveva consigliato
- noi avevamo consigliato
- voi avevate consigliato
- loro avevano consigliato
Cambiarsi - Change oneself
Passato prossimo
- io mi sono cambiato/a
- tu ti sei cambiato/a
- lui/lei si è cambiato/a
- noi ci siamo cambiati/e
- voi vi siete cambiati/e
- loro si sono cambiati/e
Cambiarsi - Change oneself
Imperfetto
- io mi cambiavo
- tu ti cambiavi
- lui/lei si cambiava
- noi ci cambiavamo
- voi vi cambiavate
- loro si cambiavano
Scegliere - Choose
Passato prossimo
- io ho scelto
- tu hai scelto
- lui/lei ha scelto
- noi abbiamo scelto
- voi avete scelto
- loro hanno scelto
Indossare - Wear
Passato prossimo
- io ho indossato
- tu hai indossato
- lui/lei ha indossato
- noi abbiamo indossato
- voi avete indossato
- loro hanno indossato
Exercise 5: Le espressioni di luogo: 'accanto', 'davanti', 'dentro', etc...
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The expressions of place: 'accanto', 'davanti', 'dentro', etc...
Show translation Show answerslungo, dentro, dietro, sotto, davanti, fuori, di fianco, lontano
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
A2.27.2 Grammatica
Le espressioni di luogo: 'accanto', 'davanti', 'dentro', etc...
The expressions of place: 'accanto', 'davanti', 'dentro', etc...
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Consigliare to advise Share Copied!
Trapassato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) avevo consigliato | I had advised |
| (tu) avevi consigliato | You had advised |
| (lui/lei) aveva consigliato | he/she had advised |
| (noi) avevamo consigliato | we had advised |
| (voi) avevate consigliato | You had advised |
| (loro) avevano consigliato | they had advised |
Cambiarsi to change clothes Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| si è cambiato/si è cambiata | he/she changed clothes |
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.
Overview of the Lesson: Clothing Styles and Fashion
This A2 level lesson focuses on practical Italian vocabulary and expressions related to clothing and fashion, with an emphasis on spatial expressions used to describe the location of clothing items. You will encounter phrases such as "accanto" (next to), "davanti" (in front of), and "dentro" (inside), which are essential for accurately describing outfits, stores, and fashion arrangements.
Key Vocabulary and Expressions
- accanto: next to (e.g., "Questo abito è accanto al cappotto.")
- davanti: in front of (e.g., "La giacca è davanti allo specchio.")
- dentro: inside (e.g., "I pantaloni sono dentro al sacchetto.")
- di fianco a: beside (e.g., "La cravatta è di fianco alla camicia.")
- appeso/appesa: hung (used to describe items hanging, e.g., "Questo abito è appeso lungo la parete.")
- Clothing items: giacca (jacket), pantaloni (trousers), cravatta (tie), sciarpa (scarf), completo (suit), camicia (shirt), abito (dress, suit)
Lesson Content Summary
The lesson presents dialogues set in fashion contexts such as shopping in a clothing store, discussing outfits at work, and talking about preferred clothing styles. These practical scenarios allow learners to practice describing clothing items with spatial prepositions, improving both vocabulary and sentence structure skills.
Additionally, there are verb conjugation exercises focusing on present tense verbs like indossare (to wear), consigliare (to recommend), togliere (to take off), and trovare (to find), reinforcing correct verb forms in everyday contexts.
A short mini story illustrates a day of fashion shopping, incorporating verbs in context and demonstrating natural language use. The story can deepen understanding through a gap-fill exercise and a verb conjugation table for further practice.
Differences and Useful Notes for English Speakers
Italian spatial expressions often use prepositions combined with definite articles (e.g., "davanti allo specchio"), which is a common structure not always mirrored in English. When describing clothing locations, Italians specify the item's position relative to another item or place using words such as "accanto a," "dietro," "sopra," and "dentro," emphasizing spatial relationships more explicitly.
Useful phrases include:
- La giacca è davanti allo specchio. – The jacket is in front of the mirror.
- La cravatta è dentro al cassetto. – The tie is inside the drawer.
- Gli accessori sono accanto al vestito. – The accessories are next to the dress.
These expressions enrich your ability to describe environments and outfits with precision and naturalness in Italian.
These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏
