Italian · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 26
Ha i capelli neriShe has black hair
Describing people splits the work between your two engines: essere for character and traits (è simpatica, è gentile, è stanco), avere for body features — WITH the article: ha i capelli neri, ha gli occhi verdi. It is chapter 6's team returning: years are had, and so is hair. Chapter 23's colors find their second job, and Mike looks for Anna at the bar: she has black hair.
Dialogue
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Com'è Anna?— What does Anna look like?
- GiuliaMike, la mia amica Anna arriva al bar ma io sono in ritardo. Com'è? È alta e molto simpatica.Mike, my friend Anna is arriving at the bar but I'm running late. What is she like? She is tall and very nice.
- MikeMa come la trovo? Ha i capelli neri?But how do I find her? Does she have black hair?
- GiuliaSì, ha i capelli neri, lunghi, e gli occhi verdi.Yes, she has long black hair and green eyes.
- MikeCapito: alta, simpatica, capelli neri e occhi verdi!Got it: tall, nice, black hair and green eyes!
Dialogue
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La foto di famiglia— The family photo
- MarcoChe bella foto! Chi è questa signora? Ha i capelli bianchi e gli occhi neri.What a lovely photo! Who is this lady? She has white hair and dark eyes.
- GiuliaÈ mia nonna Elena. È molto gentile — e un po' severa! Accanto c'è mio padre: è alto e ha gli occhi verdi, come me.That's my grandmother Elena. She is very kind — and a bit strict! Next to her is my father: he is tall and has green eyes, like me.
- MarcoE questo cane con gli occhi grandi? È stanco o è triste?And this dog with the big eyes? Is he tired or sad?
- GiuliaÈ Ulisse, il cane di Mike! Non è triste — è stanco: la domenica corre molto. Ma è sempre contento.That's Ulisse, Mike's dog! He is not sad — he is tired: on Sundays he runs a lot. But he is always happy.
Vocabulary
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- i capelli
n.m.pl.hair (born plural in Italian — ha i capelli neri; one single hair is un capello)
- l'occhio / gli occhi
n.m.the eye / the eyes (CILS-attested; ha gli occhi verdi — the gli from chapter 11 earns its keep)
- simpatico / simpatica
adjectivenice, likeable (of character — a person you warm to; NOT «sympathetic»)
- gentile
adjectivekind, polite (-e class: same form for him and her, plural gentili — chapter 5's third family)
- stanco / stanca
adjectivetired (a state of the moment — still essere: sono stanco)
- contento / contenta
adjectivehappy, glad (sono contento — the everyday happy; felice is its bigger sibling, chapter 38)
- lungo / lunga
adjectivelong (ha i capelli lunghi — the h-shield from P2 guards the hard g: lunghi, lunghe)
- corto / corta
adjectiveshort (of things — hair, a street; short PEOPLE are basso, chapter 10)
- la foto
n.f.the photo (feminine and invariable — short for fotografia: la foto, le foto)
- arrivare
verbto arrive (sono arrivato — partire's other half; arrivederci hides its cousin)
- la signora
n.f.the lady; Mrs
- sempre
adverbalways
Grammar
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Essere or avere? Describing people
Explanation
Two engines, two jobs. ESSERE carries character, states, and whole-person measures: è simpatica, è gentile, è alto, è stanco, è contento. AVERE carries the parts and the numbers: ha i capelli neri, ha gli occhi verdi, ha 25 anni. Note the article: with avere, body parts ALWAYS arrive with their article — ha I capelli lunghi, ha GLI occhi grandi — never bare. And the adjective agrees with the part, not the person: Anna ha i capelli nerI (neri with capelli, not nera with Anna). The question for all of it is Com'è? — «com'è Anna?» asks character and looks at once. If your language describes with a single verb, the pair looks like a luxury: the test is to ask «am I talking about the whole person or a part?» — whole person → essere, part → avere with the article.
Examples
- Anna è alta e molto simpatica.Anna is tall and very nice.
- Anna ha i capelli neri e gli occhi verdi.Anna has black hair and green eyes.
- Com'è tuo fratello? È giovane, ha i capelli corti.What is your brother like? He is young, he has short hair.
- Oggi sono stanco ma sono contento.Today I am tired but I am happy.
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