My own business
La mia attività
- Discuss plans for starting a business.
- Talk about daily bookkeeping responsibilities.
- Expressions with 'ecco' and 'è'
Explore essential expressions with 'ecco' and 'è' to discuss business plans and daily accounting tasks, learning vocabulary like 'piano' (plan), 'registro contabile' (accounting book), and 'bilancio' (budget). This A2 lesson helps you confidently describe your business activities and responsibilities in Italian.
Vocabulary (14) 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
Il profitto
The profit
2
I costi
The costs
3
Investire
To invest
4
Avere un'idea
To have an idea
5
Il marketing
Marketing
Esercizio 2: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Do you run your own business? Do you have a partner? (Do you run your own business? Do you have a partner?)
- Did you ever have an idea for your own business? (Did you ever have an idea for your own business?)
- What doubts did you have? (What doubts did you have?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Non gestisco la mia attività. È troppa responsabilità per me. I don't run my own business. It is too much responsibility for me. |
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Gestisco un negozio di abbigliamento in città. Ho un socio e sta andando alla grande. I run a clothing shop in the city. I have a partner and it is going great. |
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Quando avevo poco più di vent'anni volevo aprire una caffetteria. When I was in my early twenties I wanted to open a coffee shop. |
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Non ho mai avuto un'idea per un mio business. Preferisco lavorare per qualcun altro. I never had an idea for my own business. I prefer to work for someone else. |
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Ho deciso di non avviare un'attività in proprio perché è meno faticoso. I decided against my own business because it is less exhausting. |
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Sto ancora pensando di aprire la mia attività. È meno sicuro però, ed è per questo che non l'ho ancora fatto. It am still thinking about opening my own business. It is less secure though, that is the reason why I haven't done it yet. |
| ... |
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 ______ un'idea innovativa, potrei avviare un'impresa con successo.
(If ______ an innovative idea, I could start a business successfully.)2. Dovresti ______ nei materiali di qualità per guadagnare più clienti.
(You should ______ in quality materials to gain more customers.)3. Ecco il documento con tutti i costi e le tasse che ______ pagare ogni mese.
(Here is the document with all the costs and taxes that ______ have to pay every month.)4. Se ______ di più sul marketing, il profitto aumenterebbe.
(If ______ more on marketing, the profit would increase.)Exercise 5: My activity: starting a business
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Avere - Avere
Presente
- io ho
- tu hai
- lui/lei ha
- noi abbiamo
- voi avete
- loro hanno
Essere - Essere
Passato prossimo
- io sono stato/a
- tu sei stato/a
- lui/lei è stato/a
- noi siamo stati/e
- voi siete stati/e
- loro sono stati/e
Dire - Dire
Presente
- io dico
- tu dici
- lui/lei dice
- noi diciamo
- voi dite
- loro dicono
Essere - Essere
Presente
- io sono
- tu sei
- lui/lei è
- noi siamo
- voi siete
- loro sono
Dovere - Dovere
Presente
- io devo
- tu devi
- lui/lei deve
- noi dobbiamo
- voi dovete
- loro devono
Decidere - Decidere
Presente
- io decido
- tu decidi
- lui/lei decide
- noi decidiamo
- voi decidete
- loro decidono
Exercise 6: Espressioni con 'ecco' ed 'è'
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
Grammar: Expressions with 'ecco' and 'è'
Show translation Show answersEccolo, Ecco, È la mia, ecco, è lui, Eccola
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!
Investire to invest Share Copied!
Trapassato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) avevo investito | I had invested |
| (tu) avevi investito | you had invested |
| (lui/lei) aveva investito | he/she had invested |
| (noi) avevamo investito | we had invested |
| (voi) avevate investito | You had invested |
| (loro) avevano investito | they had invested |
Guadagnare to earn Share Copied!
Passato prossimo
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| (io) ho guadagnato | I earned |
| (tu) hai guadagnato | You have earned |
| (lui/lei) ha guadagnato | He/she earned |
| (noi) abbiamo guadagnato | we earned |
| (voi) avete guadagnato | You have earned |
| (loro) hanno guadagnato | they earned |
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Lesson Overview: Starting Your Own Business in Italian
This lesson focuses on expressions with "ecco" and "è", essential for discussing plans, responsibilities, and meetings related to running a business in Italian. It is designed for A2 level learners who want to build practical vocabulary and conversational skills around business topics.
Key Content and Highlights
- Expressions: Understanding how to use "ecco" (here is/are) to present documents, plans, or lists, and "è" (is) to describe importance or conditions.
- Dialogue Practice: Realistic conversations about opening a business, managing daily accounting, and starting meetings. For example: "Ecco il piano con tutti i costi e i fornitori." (Here is the plan with all the costs and suppliers.) and "È importante valutare bene il mercato prima di iniziare." (It is important to carefully evaluate the market before starting.)
- Mini Story: A short narrative about Marco and Lucia preparing to launch their innovative company, using essential verbs like avere, essere, dire, and dovere in present and past tenses, providing contextual verb usage.
- Verb Tables and Conjugations: Clear presentation of six key verbs conjugated in relevant tenses to help reinforce understanding and memorization.
- Multiple Choice Exercises: Sentences designed to practice choosing correct verb forms in business contexts, reinforcing grammar and comprehension.
Practical Vocabulary and Phrases
- Aprire una nuova azienda – To open a new business
- Lista delle attrezzature necessarie – List of necessary equipment
- Registro contabile – Accounting ledger
- Relazione sulle vendite – Sales report
- Bilancio aggiornato – Updated budget
Language Notes: Italian vs. English
Italian uses "ecco" to draw attention to something presented or given, often translated as "here is/are" in English, but it is used more frequently in spoken Italian to highlight items during conversations. In contrast, "è" is the third person singular of the verb essere (to be) and is straightforwardly translated to "is." These small words play an important role in organizing information, especially in business discussions.
Useful phrases include:
- "Ecco il documento." – "Here is the document."
- "È importante..." – "It is important..."
- "Devo aggiornare le fatture." – "I have to update the invoices."
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