Family plans
Piani familiari
- Talk about plans and ambitions for the future
- Talk about your relationships and family plans
- The gerund, the three conjugations
This lesson focuses on using the gerundio and present tense to discuss family plans, introducing key verbs like "stare vivendo" (to be living), "stare pensando" (to be thinking), and "stare creando" (to be creating). You'll practice expressing ongoing actions and intentions about marriage, children, and future ambitions.
Listening and reading
Start this class by listening to the audio and completing the corresponding exercises.
Vocabulary (13) 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
I gemelli
The twins
2
Avere un bambino
To have a child
3
L'ex compagno
The ex partner
4
Sposarsi
To marry
5
L'adulto
The adult
Esercizio 2: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Qual è il prossimo grande passo che vuoi fare (tu e il tuo partner)? (What is the next big step (your partner and) you want to take?)
- Vorresti mettere su famiglia? (Would you like to start a family?)
- Ti piacerebbe avere animali domestici? Perché sì o perché no? (Would you like to have pets? Why or why not?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Io e il mio partner ci sposiamo a giugno. My partner and I are getting married in June. |
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Non ho un partner, ma la mia migliore amica e io ci siamo appena trasferiti insieme. I don't have a partner but my best friend and I just moved in together. |
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Vorrei iniziare una famiglia presto. Mi piacerebbe avere 3 bambini. I would like to start a family soon. I would love to have 3 children. |
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Non voglio avere figli in futuro. Il mio partner ed io siamo molto felici senza di loro. I don't want to have children in the future. My partner and I are very happy without them. |
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Vorrei avere un cane e due gatti in futuro. Sono cresciuto con animali domestici e desidero lo stesso per i miei figli. I would like to have a dog and two cats later. I grew up with pets and I would like the same for my children. |
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Un animale domestico comporta molte responsabilità e con il nostro lavoro e due bambini non abbiamo abbastanza tempo per prenderci cura di un animale. A pet is a lot of responsibility and with our work and two children we do not have enough time to care for a pet. |
| ... |
Exercise 3: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 4: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Se avessimo più spazio, __________ un giardino per i bambini.
(If we had more space, __________ a garden for the children.)2. Mia sorella __________ l'anno prossimo se trovasse la persona giusta.
(My sister __________ next year if she found the right person.)3. Se tuo figlio impara l’italiano, potrebbe __________ meglio qui.
(If your son learns Italian, he could __________ better here.)4. Stai __________ un progetto interessante per la tua famiglia, vero?
(You are __________ an interesting project for your family, right?)Exercise 5: Family Plans
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Creare - Creare
Imperfetto
- io creavo
- tu creavi
- lui/lei creava
- noi creavamo
- voi creavate
- loro creavano
Morire - Morire
Futuro semplice
- io morirò
- tu morirai
- lui/lei morirà
- noi moriremo
- voi morirete
- loro moriranno
Sposarsi - Sposarsi
Presente
- io mi sposo
- tu ti sposi
- lui/lei si sposa
- noi ci sposiamo
- voi vi sposate
- loro si sposano
Parlare - Parlare
Presente
- io parlo
- tu parli
- lui/lei parla
- noi parliamo
- voi parlate
- loro parlano
Creare - Creare
Presente
- io creo
- tu crei
- lui/lei crea
- noi creiamo
- voi create
- loro creano
Exercise 6: Il gerundio, le tre coniugazioni
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: The gerund, the three conjugations
Show translation Show answersparlando, scrivendo, vivendo, facendo, sposando, morendo, creando, giocando
Grammar Share Copied!
It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!
Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Creare to create Share Copied!
Imperfetto
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) creavo | I was creating |
| (tu) creavi | you were creating |
| (lui/lei) creava | he/she was creating |
| (noi) creavamo | we were creating |
| (voi) creavate | you created |
| (loro) creavano | they were creating |
Morire to die Share Copied!
Futuro semplice
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) morirò | I will die |
| (tu) morirai | You will die |
| (lui/lei) morirà | he/she will die |
| (noi) moriremo | We will die |
| (voi) morirete | You will die |
| (loro) moriranno | they will die |
Sposarsi to marry Share Copied!
Presente
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) mi sposo | I marry |
| (tu) ti sposi | You marry |
| (lui/lei) si sposa | he/she marries |
| (noi) ci sposiamo | we marry |
| (voi) vi sposate | You marry |
| (loro) si sposano | They marry |
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Family Plans: Understanding the Gerund and Verb Conjugations
This lesson focuses on how to discuss family plans in Italian by using the gerund (il gerundio) and the three main conjugations of verbs. It is designed at an A2 level, helping learners build conversational skills around everyday topics such as talking about children, marriage, and personal ambitions.
Key Grammar Topic: The Gerund
The gerund in Italian is used to express actions that are ongoing, equivalent to the English '-ing' form. It combines with the appropriate form of "stare" to form the present progressive tense, which indicates actions happening at the moment.
- Example: "Sto vivendo" (I am living), "stiamo facendo" (we are doing).
- Common verbs in the gerund form from this lesson include: vivere, pensare, parlare, creare, fare, sperare.
The Three Verb Conjugations Covered
The lesson includes verbs from the three conjugation groups (-are, -ere, -ire). Understanding their present progressive forms is essential for expressing current actions.
- Parlare (to speak) – io sto parlando is usually simplified to "io parlo" in conversations but is important for drills.
- Vivere (to live) – io sto vivendo
- Creare (to create), fare (to do/make), and others are also practiced in this tense.
Practical Language: Talking about Family Plans
Using dialogs set in natural social contexts such as at the park, at the bar, and at dinner, the lesson teaches phrases and vocabulary for discussing future plans, marriage, children, and shared ambitions.
- Examples include: "Stiamo pensando di avere un bambino l’anno prossimo." (We are thinking of having a child next year.)
- "Sto lavorando molto per avere una carriera stabile." (I am working a lot to have a stable career.)
- "Stiamo facendo molti preparativi." (We are making many preparations.)
Useful Vocabulary and Phrases
- Family-related phrases: avere un bambino, mettere su famiglia, preparativi, matrimonio
- Expressions with gerund: stare pensando, stare facendo, sto cercando
Differences and Similarities Between English and Italian
Unlike English, Italian forms the present progressive with the verb stare plus the gerund, e.g., sto vivendo (I am living). English uses "to be" + verb + -ing, which is similar but structurally different. Additionally, Italian gerunds are regular but have distinct endings according to the verb conjugation group.
Some useful Italian expressions and their English equivalents from the lesson:
- Stiamo preparando la casa – We are preparing the house
- Sto pensando di chiedere – I am thinking of asking
- Stiamo vivendo questo periodo – We are living this period
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