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- Topic: Italian >
- "Loro sono ragazze."
197 Comments
I can't hear a difference in the pronounciation between ragazzi and ragazze. I know the difference but just hearing the woman speak it, I cant tell a difference
You can flag the post, and when it asks you what's wrong, say the recording is unclear
Ragazzi = plural masculine ragazze=plural feminine in italian you use different words "in front of"a word for masculine and feminine. Ex:i ragazzi=the boys le ragazze=the girls
I wouldn't worry about it too much. From my experience I don't think the 'grading' is that specific!
2200
No, they are pronounced differently, although for some people the difference is less clear.
ragazzi ends with an "ee" sound like "free" or "tree", but can often sound closer to "ih" as in "hit" or "pitch".
ragazze ends with an "ay" sound like "rake" or "bake", but can often sound closer to "eh" as in "pet" or "let".
It's the "ih" vs "eh" that can sound similar.
Oh okay thanks its only my second time on here and my ears still have water in them from going swimming yesterday. It's a pain in the butt.
- 2200
It's not just you and the water in your ears! It can be hard sometimes to hear the difference between similar sounds.
You're point is correct. Sometimes it's gets too hard that I want to give up on the whole subject... :(
I think they did say "ragazze", meaning that they wanted us to translate "They are girls." It is just really hard to tell sometimes with the Stephen Hawkings-esque robot voice the question is given in. :/
Exactly. Many users here believe that someone is actually reading these, but I am convinced that it is an automated reading engine, like Microsoft Sam or as in Google Translate, and it obviously has some defects.
Does anyone have a trick to remembering ragazza/ragazzo/ragazze/ragazzi? I've been having a really tough time keeping them straight.
Remember you vouls and just think "ladies first" 'a' and 'e' are feminine and 'i' and 'o' are masculine
many or the nouns follow this pattern: male singular end in o, male plural in i, feminine singular end in a and the plural ends in e.
I remember them by the three r's or just think as ragazza and ragazze as for girls and boys ragazzo and ragazzi. I'm a beginner.
I believe the "I" in ragazzi is pronounced like a long "E" and the "E" in ragazze is pronounced like "eh"
I agree. Listening to it with headphones its easier to notice the subtle differences but "ragazze" end with an "ehh" sound and "ragazzi" end with an "ee".
I am - sono You are (sing) - sei He/she/it is- è We are - siamo You are (pl) - siete They are -sono
The to be verb in most languages is irregular so it can easily look like it's severeal different words.
How can they state ragazze as kids not the boys... practically its ok but i lost a heart...
- 2200
Because "ragazze" is specifically "girls", the plural of "ragazza".
"Boys" or more generally "kids/children" is "ragazzi", the plural of "ragazzo".
in practical usage, what is the difference between ragazzo and bambino ? is bambino more informal ?? thanks :)
Ragazzo means children and so does bambino,but bambino can also mean baby.So ragazzo is a little more formal because if you were talking to a kid,they might get offended if you use bambino
Is there a page we preread before answering questions? How do I know what "loro" means?
Loro = they sono = are ragazze = girls
We are girls = Noi siamo ragazze
You are girls = Voi siete ragazze
I was under the impression that ragazze was children and that ragazza was girl?
- 2200
Ragazza is girl, ragazze is girls. Ragazzo is boy, ragazzi boys or children. The Romance languages default to masculine.
I'm saying it exactly how it sounds like she is speaking, and it still says I'm wrong. This has happened twice now on the speaking ones.
The first time I got it wrong, the translation shows 'They are kids'. The next time I type this translation, it shows 'They are girls'. Confused!!! Please help
- 2200
Only the masculine form can be either "boy/child/kid" (ragazzo) or "boys/children/kids" (ragazzi). The feminine form can only be "girl" (ragazza) or "girls" (ragazzi).
Why is sono used for both Io and loro? First person singular and third person plural pronouns use same conjugated form of verb?
- 2200
It just is. No language is perfectly regular. But it's easy to know when you mean "io" and when you mean "loro" because everything after the "sono" would have to be either singular or plural.
- 2200
I am io sono
you are (s) tu sei
he/she is lui/lei è
we are noi siamo
you are (pl) voi siete
they are loro sono
I thought 'sono' is a 'am' right? So it suppose to pronounce using 'siamo' which is mean 'are'. Help me. stuck in here!
- 2200
I am io sono
you are (s) tu sei
he/she is lui/lei è
we are noi siamo
you are (pl) voi siete
they are loro sono
If you rub your hands together then clap quietly is says you got it right, I just did it, its sweet
I just started with Italian and it's a bit confusing so far, BUT I LOVE IT ANYWAY!! :D
"We are girls" cannot be considered as a translation of "Loro sono ragazze". "Loro" in this sentence is referring to a group in which the person speaking is not included, whereas if you use "we" it is obvious that the person uttering that sentence feels part of the mentioned group. I'm an Italian mother-tongue, but I think that anyone with a basic knowledge in both grammars (English and Italian) will recognise the difference between the pronoun "they" and "we" as the one stated above. Infact often the use of the pronoun "we" has a rhethorical function and is very frequent in politics or other persuasive type of discourse.
I'm a little confused. I thought sei was 'are' singular and siamo 'are' plural. Isn't sono 'am' ? Therefore would this not then read They am girls?
All languages have their own rules in some way. If you try not to correlate it with English too much, that would help you, in my opinion.
Note: Io sono = I am, te sei= you(s) are, lui/lei è = he/she is, noi siamo= we are, voi siete = you(pl)/you(formal) are, loro sono they are
- 2200
Yep, except for your typo: You put "te" instead of "tu".
And to clarify it for anyone reading this, the Italian "io" is not capitalized the way the English "I" is.
- 2200
io sono (I am)
tu sei (you are)
lui/lei è (he/she is)
noi siamo (we are)
voi siete (y'all are)
loro sono (they are)
Loro means they sometimes what i like to do is look and see if i makes sense. They are girls make sense so that will probaly be the word you should.go with!
I just don't understand why in one sentence it's "Noi sone ragazzi' and in another it's 'Noi siamo ragazzi'. The difference is still so unclear. Someone please help!
i hear the differences but honestly cannot differentiate kids from boys. one word seems to mean both while the other is just one translation its rather frustrating.
- 2200
The default gender is masculine, which is why "ragazzi" can be either "children" generally or "boys" specifically. Since "ragazze" is feminine, it can only mean "girls".
- 2200
English does not conjugate verbs as completely as other languages do. Our "are" multitasks. The Romance languages conjugate all of their verbs differently for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person, singular and plural. So when you translate, don't just lump them all together under "are".
I am io sono
you are (s) tu sei
he/she is lui/lei è
we are noi siamo
you are (pl) voi siete
they are loro sono
Essere is irregular, but it's easy to tell the difference between "io sono" and "loro sono" because "io" is singular and "loro" is plural, and the rest of the sentence will reflect that.
Rae F. - Thank you. I think I need a book to use along with DuoLingo. WAY back in high school I studied Latin and all the tenses matched to verb cases don't stick in my memory the first time.
Sono ragazza= I am a girl. Siamo ragazza= We are girls. Is this correct? And sono and siamo are always masculine. Ie. Sono ragazzo and sono ragazza.???
- 2200
No.
io sono = I am
tu sei = you are (singular)
lui/lei è = he/she/it is
noi siamo = we are
voi siete = you are (plural)
loro sono = they are
Sono ragazza = I am a girl.
Sono ragazzo = I am a boy.
Siamo ragazze = We are girls.
Siamo ragazzi = We are boys.
- 2200
"essere" is irregular. "sono" can be "I am " or "they are".
http://www.italian-verbs.com/italian-verbs/conjugation.php?parola=essere
Whether you're dealing with a singular or a plural is all the context you need to tell you which one it is.
Do you have to use "Loro" or can you simply say "sono ragazze"? I know sono can also mean I am, which is singular. So is there really a point in saying loro
- 2200
Yes, "sono" can mean "I am" or "they are", but because it is the verb "to be", everything that comes after the verb will tell you right away which one it is.
Sono una ragazza = I am a girl.
Sono ragazze = They are girls.
If it's singular, it has to be "I am".
If it's plural, it has to be "They are".
- 2200
io sono
tu sei
lui/lei è
noi siamo
voi siete
loro sono
You will always be able to tell whether "sono" is "I am" or "they are" even without any subject pronoun because it's a linking verb, which means the predicate must refer to the subject.
Sono una donna ==> singular ==> I am a woman.
Sono donne ==> plural ==> They are women.
Sono alto ==> singular ==> I am tall.
Sono alti ==> plural ==> They are tall.
I put in boys then I was wrong then I went over under the line so I could check it. it said girls then when I checked why I was wrong it said kid it make no sense
- 2200
Ragazzi is boys/children. Bambini is kids. Ragazze is only girls.
This has been addressed on this page before.
- 2200
io sono = I am
tu sei = you are (singular)
lui è = he is
noi siamo = we are
voi siete = you are (plural)
loro sono = they are
Where does that leave the verb "sei"? That was "are" in an earlier lesson so how does "sono" become "are" for the plural girls? Someone here included a tip on remembering how to pluralize masculine/feminine subjects by remember our a,e,i,o,u vowels and "ladies first" so why would does the plural verb "are" end in "o" for girls? I have to say, I think English is hard to learn for non-natives for several reasons but we don't have all this masculine/feminine business which pretty much affects every sentence spoken. Why not just add an "s" or an "i,e,??? or whatever" to the end of the nouns and then have the appropriate plural verb for the subject as in they, we, you are; he, she, it is? The table is .. ; the tables are... so much simpler. I had started my own little workbook with pronouns, verbs, and vocabulary words and this lesson is showing me that my impression that "sei" and "e' " (are and is) don't work like our are and is. Hence "sono" for they are girls. Why???? At any rate, I will keep trying and I know that it flows from the tongues of native Italians like nectar, but I am pretty sure I will never become fluent in the language. At 75 it's too much to keep track of! :)
- 2200
The Romance languages conjugate verbs a little differently than the Germanic languages do. English is a bit like Dutch in that the singular pronouns (I, thou, he) get their own conjugations while the plural pronouns (we, you, they) all conjugate the same. Although at some point English lost "thou" and now we have only "you" for singular and plural.
In Italian, like other Romance languages, the different pronouns all have their own conjugations. And like pretty much all Indo-European languages, "to be" is one of the irregular verbs.
So in Italian, there's
io sono
tu sei
lui è
noi siamo
voi siete
loro sono
It's only nouns (and the articles/possessives/adjectives that must agree with them) that have gendered endings, not verbs. No natural language is perfectly regular, so there are exceptions, but by and large feminine singular nouns end in -a, feminine plural nouns end in -e, masculine singular nouns end in -o, and masculine plural nouns end in -i. They don't pluralize with -s because that's just not how it works in Italian. Different language, different history, different rules.
So "sono" is the same verb for the first person (Io) and third person plural (loro)?
- 2200
Yes.
But because it's the "to be" verb, which means the subject and the predicate must always agree with each other, there should never be any confusion.
Every time I see the word Loro my brain goes to they are girls or they are boys
- 2200
"To be" is irregular in all Indo-European languages. English has even fewer forms.
You can always tell the difference in Italian because the predicate must agree with the subject when there's a linking verb. Sono una ragazza = I am a girl. Sono ragazze = They are girls. If it's singular, you know it has to be "io" and if it's plural you know it has to be "loro".
Any tips on how to remember ragazzi and ragazzo=boy and ragazze and ragazza=girl?
- 2200
Italian is pretty regular. Most of the time, the following noun endings work like this:
-o masculine singular
-i masculine plural
-a feminine singular
-e feminine plural
Every time I speak to it, it suits I'm wrong. I'm getting very frustrated. My Fiancee said it could be my microphone. I hear the difference just fine. I don't know what's wrong.
- 2200
It's not your microphone or your computer or your internet connection. Speech recognition software isn't that good.
Ho scritto Sono sbagliato, ma la sua ancora la pena sto facendo per un grado così .. ma btw ho indovinato
sono = I'm siano = are
They are girls = Loro saino ragazze
Please correct If I'm wrong.
- 2200
English does not conjugate verbs as completely as other languages do. Our "are" multitasks. The Romance languages conjugate all of their verbs differently for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person, singular and plural. So when you translate, don't just lump them all together under "are".
I am io sono
you are (s) tu sei
he/she is lui/lei è
we are noi siamo
you are (pl) voi siete
they are loro sono
Essere is irregular, but it's easy to tell the difference between "io sono" and "loro sono" because "io" is singular and "loro" is plural, and the rest of the sentence will reflect that.
do not get the difference between ragazze (girls) and ragazze (kids). what am I missing?
for "kids" we say "bambini"
If they are only female it's "bambine"
"ragazze" is more like "teens" (female)
- 2200
The default gender is masculine, not feminine.
ragazzo = boy
ragazzi = boys/children
ragazza = girl
ragazze = girls
- 2200
Well, in English we've got:
I am
you are
he/she/it is
we are
you are
they are
where "are" can conjugate with you, we, or they.
So in Italian, they've got:
io sono
tu sei
lui/lei è
noi siamo
voi siete
loro sono
where "sono" can conjugate with io or loro.
- 2200
No. Only "ragazzi" can also be "children" because the default grammatical gender is masculine.
Everytime I say something into the microphone it always is wrong and then I run out of hearts. Shucks! What do I do?
I have had that problem so many times! All I ca n suggest is going to settings and seeing if your microphone is on. If it is off turn it to on. If it is on, turn i to off, reload the page and then turn it to on. Hope it works! Good luck.
there are two meanings of loro/Loro with a capital it means they but with the lower case l it means you so, since it is at the beginning of the sentence i can't tell if it is the you form or the they form
- 2200
I think you have that backwards. Small l "loro" is "they". I'm not sure Duolingo is teaching "Lei/Loro" as the formal "you" though.
I want to answer in spanish not english. I would like to change that how do i can do it?
- 2200
Try this: https://www.duolingo.com/course/it/es/Learn-Italian-Online
The reverse should be ready in about a month or so: https://www.duolingo.com/course/es/it/Learn-Spanish-Online
- 654
It is impossible, you just seem or the sound is bad. "ragazzi" and "ragazze" have a difference in writting and reading
I don't get it. I mean, 'Io sono' means 'I am' but 'Loro sono' means 'They are'. Can somebody explain this to me?
- 2200
No natural language is perfectly regular or logical.
http://www.italian-verbs.com/italian-verbs/conjugation.php?verbo=essere
- 2200
This question has been asked and answered many times on this page.
http://www.italian-verbs.com/italian-verbs/conjugation.php?parola=essere
- 244
boy/boys and kid/kids or giirl/girls or kid/kids are the same thing (without more context)..
- 2200
No.
Boy/kid and boys/kids are both ragazzo and ragazzi respectively. Singular vs plural. Girl/girls is ragazza and ragazze. Singular vs plural.
It is only boy(s) vs kid(s) that requires more context.
- 2200
This question has been asked and answered many times on this page.
http://www.italian-verbs.com/italian-verbs/conjugation.php?parola=essere
- 2200
Girls: more than one girl. They are girls.
Girl's: one girl owns something. The girl's cat.
Girls': more than one girl owns something. The girls' teacher.
i don't understand why if you put " siamo " it is wrong. SIAMO MEANS ARE IN ITALIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- 2200
Calm down.
The issue is that you're over-simplifying things. English does not conjugate verbs as completely as other languages do. Our "are" multitasks. The Romance languages conjugate all of their verbs differently for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person, singular and plural. So when you translate, you can't just lump them all together under "are".
I am io sono
you are (s) tu sei
he/she is lui/lei è
we are noi siamo
you are (pl) voi siete
they are loro sono
Essere is irregular, but it's easy to tell the difference between "io sono" and "loro sono" because "io" is singular and "loro" is plural, and the rest of the sentence will reflect that, because of the grammatical requirement for number and gender agreement between a noun/pronoun and the adjectives that modify it.
