Italian

Arrive at the Hotel Hilde in the Dolomites and tell the owner about your journey, with the past made with essere: sono arrivata, e stato lungo.

Meet Chef Walter, Salvo and Ciro in the hotel kitchen and ask how long they have worked there, with da and the present: da quanto tempo lavori qui, da tre anni.

Hear what Nonna did at your age, in the imperfetto, the past for how things were: avevo, lavoravo, non avevamo niente.

Explain a disaster in the kitchen to Chef Walter, with the two pasts together: mentre portavo i piatti, e caduto tutto.

Learn a Sicilian word from Salvo and ask what it means, with the pronoun before the past: l'ho sentito, l'ho detto.

Handle a guest's complaint in the dining room, with the trapassato for what had happened before: avevo ordinato il pesce, non la carne.

Plan your day off with Chiara, with mai and the past for ever and never: sei mai stata, non ci sono mai stata, non ho mai sciato.

Tell Chiara how your first ski lesson went, with the past of reflexive verbs: mi sono fatta male, mi sono divertita.

Join Ciro's pizza night for the staff and say who made what, with the pronouns of the past agreeing: l'ho fatta io, ne ho fatte venti.

Hear from Nonna how winter was in Fontelupo when she was little, with si andava, the Italian for what everyone used to do.

Deal with a letter from the bank that says you have not paid, with avevo gia pagato, the Italian for I had already paid.

Talk with guests who come every winter and once found the hotel closed, with siamo venuti, the plural past with essere.

Hear Signora Hilde tell how her father built the hotel and how it grew, with l'ha costruito, the Italian for he built it.

Pass Chef Walter's test in the kitchen, with avevi mai fatto, the Italian for had you ever made.

Tell a colleague about Carnival night, with si e vestito da and mi sono vestita da, the reflexive past with essere.

Hear Nonna tell about her first job at fourteen, with avevo quattordici anni and piangevo, the imperfetto for age and feelings.

Tell how the kitchen got through the night the power went, with e andata via la luce mentre cucinavamo, the passato prossimo against mentre and the imperfetto.

Hear Chiara's secret about a boy she met on the slopes, with gliel'ho detto, the Italian for I told him.

Give a friend advice about the boy she likes, with io al posto tuo and diglielo, the Italian for tell him.

Hear Salvo say he misses the sea, ask how long it has been, and say what you used to do as a child, with da piccolo andavo.

Hear from Signora Hilde that the inspector came while everyone was in the kitchen, and that it all went well.

Tell Pietro on the phone that you have put money aside for the roof, how much is still missing, and that you will manage, with ne ho messi da parte.

Hear Nonna tell the day she left Italy, with the weather of that day in the imperfetto and what happened in the passato prossimo.

Chat with a guest who turns out to be from Boston too, and say how long you have been here with sono qui da gennaio.

Toast the end of the season with the kitchen brigade, and tell a group what they did with avete lavorato bene, siete stati bravi.

Hear Signora Hilde ask whether you would come back next year, with the polite conditional tornerebbe, and take time to think it over.

Pack on the last morning, say what you forgot and where you left it, with l'ho lasciata and l'ho lasciato agreeing with the thing.

Hear Chiara's news on the phone, say I told you so, and be happy for a friend, with ci siamo messi insieme and te l'avevo detto.

Come home to Fontelupo in spring, be welcomed back, and tell Nonna that everything has bloomed, with e fiorito tutto.