Here you can learn Italian accents through the beautiful Italian version of “Journey to the past” (from the cartoon Anastasia), performed by the Italian actress and singer Tosca:
Learn Italian Accents by Singing!
Here are the lyrics with the accented Italian word in red:
Cuor non dirmi no! Forza non lasciarmi,
Heart, don’t say to me I can’t! Strength, don’t desert me!
non abbandonarmi qui, è la vita che
don’t leave me here, this is life
mi offre un’occasione, ma io ho paura, sì…
offering me a chance, but I’m afraid, I am…
Oh, il mondo immenso è se non hai dei ricordi, dietro te!
Oh, it’s an immense world when you haven’t got any memories behind you!
Lungo la mia via c’è già chi mi aspetta,
Along my way, there’s already somebody waiting for me,
c’è da sempre, sì lo so! E mi capiranno sempre
they’ve always been there, yes, I know it! And they will always understand me,
con amore, dove sono scoprirò
with love, I will find out where they are,
e capirò anch’io il perché dei ricordi… dietro me!
and I, too, will understand the meaning of the memories… behind me!
Amor, famiglia son le cose che potresti avere tu,
Love, family, these are the things you might have,
amor, famiglia, io le troverò per non lasciarle mai più!
love, family, I’ll find them and never will I leave them!
Qualche passo e vai dietro la speranza,
A few steps, go, following hope,
la mia strada seguirò, poi saprò chi sono
I will go my own way, then I will know who I am,
ed avrò un futuro nel mio cuore già lo so.
and I will have a future I already know it in my heart.
Sì! Fa che sia un segno non soltanto un sogno
Yes. Let it be a sign, not just a dream,
il passato ora c’è e un posto avrà, qui per me!
now the past is here and it’ll have a place, here for me!
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Learn Italian Accents – Grammar Notes
Only a few Italian words are written with the accent: these are the so-called parole tronche (truncated words) and the accent is on the last syllable, like perché (why), città (town), felicità (happiness), andrò (I will go), etc. Click here for another insightful lesson on Italian accents.
Important Note about Italian Accents: in writing, you have to put the accent on the truncated words only!
Many Italian words have an accent on the penultimate syllable. These words are called parole piane (plain words) like casa (house), macchina (car), albero (tree), etc.
Fewer words have the accent on the antepenultimate syllable (parole sdrucciole – slippery words) and on the ante-antepenultimate syllable (bisdrucciole – twice slippery words).
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Learn Italian Accents: “Far sì che”
“Far sì che” is an Italian idiom that can be translated to English as “to arrange that”, “to see to it that”, “to ensure that”. Here are some examples:
Facciamo sì che i soldi bastino: We arrange that the money will be enough
Faccio sì che tu capisca: I see to it that you understand
Fa’ sì che non si svegli: Ensure that he won’t wake up
Learn Italian Accents – “Sì” Vs. “Si”
This common Italian idiom above contains the word “sì” which means “yes”.
It has to be written with an accent to differentiate it from “si” (without the accent).
This word has 2 main different meanings in Italian:
1. In reflexive verbs
oneself (impersonal)
himself (masculine)
herself (female)
themselves (plural)
itself (in intransitive pronominal verbs)
For example: lavarsi to wash (oneself)
- Lei si lava = she washes herself
- Lui si lava = he washes himself
- Loro si lavano = they wash themeselves
- Il cane si lava = the dog washes itself
2. As Impersonal Verb Subject
The so-called “Si spersonalizzante” is used in Italian to make the verb impersonal. When there is not a specific subject, we use the particle “si” as an indefinite subject which refers to people in general.
If you need to describe an action without a specific subject you have to use the so-called “si spersonalizzante” (depersonalizing “si”) that makes the verb impersonal. Here are some examples:
Si dice che = it is said that they say that.Non si sa mai = You can never tellNon si risponde così! = That’s no way to answer!
By teh way, the last phrase contains the word “così”, which must always be written with an accent. It means “so”, “thus”.
