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Paolo is in the kitchen. Something smells wonderful.

He doesn't know it yet, but he's just given us three perfect examples of the most important use of da in this episode.

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In Part 1B we go further with the preposition da.  Into duration, passive constructions, fixed expressions, and the verbs that reach for da when they need what comes next. We also look at why Italian stays in the present tense where English would reach for the past, and what that tells us about how Italian thinks about time.

And at the mercatino, something arrives at the repair stall that stops Carlo completely in his tracks. For the first time since the stall opened, there is something he cannot fix.

A small word. A very big job.

Piano piano. Vivendo e imparando.

⏳ CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
0:30 DA for Duration
4:20 DA in Passive Constructions
6:25 Le Locuzioni Fisse
8:39 Di chi è questo verbo?
12:00 Transition to La Scena
12:37 La Scena – Il Momento del Silenzio
19:59 La Scena – Senza Interruzioni
24:17 Listener Challenge
27:04 Wrap-up

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• Read my blog here
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Email: [email protected]

Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

All content © 2026 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano

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Episode 4 – Preposition DA – Part 1A

Most learners first meet da when talking about where someone comes from. But that's only the beginning.

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In this episode, we explore three of the most common uses of da. You'll learn how it marks the source of a letter, a message or a journey, how it tells us where movement begins, and why Italians say vado da Marco or sono dal dottore without ever mentioning the word "place."

As always, the grammar grows naturally through conversation between Myra and Antonio, with plenty of examples, comparisons with English, and opportunities to notice the patterns that native speakers use every day.

One small word. Three big jobs.

⏳ CHAPTERS 

0:00 Introduction
1:56 DA for Origin and Source
3:44 DA for Movement Away from a Place
6:23 DA for Person-Centred Locations
8:56 Wrap-up

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Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

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In this short preview, we revisit what happened at the repair stall in our continuing story at the summer market before moving on to a few more uses of the Italian preposition a.

You'll hear a short recap of the story, answer some comprehension questions, and discover what to listen for in the full episode.

In the complete subscriber episode, you'll learn:

•  more common destinations that use a
•  the difference between places and institutions 
•  another family of verbs that naturally take a
•  useful fixed expressions you'll hear every day 
•  and more listening practice with our continuing story. 

Become a supporter to unlock the complete episode and all bonus lessons.

Support the show

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Impariamo l’italiano piano piano!
Here are a few ways you can connect with me:

• Read my blog here
• -->Leave me a voice message<-- 
  You might even be featured on the show! 
• Take the listener survey
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Email: [email protected]

Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

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In Part 1B of our exploration of the Italian preposition a, it's time to put everything into practice.

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We'll discover how a combines with definite articles to form al, allo, alla, all', ai, agli, and alle, and we'll meet a family of common verbs that naturally take a, including provare a, riuscire a, cominciare a, continuare a, and imparare a.

Then, at last, we arrive at the neighbourhood summer market. As Carlo, Sara, and Luca welcome their first customers, you'll hear a doing its many jobs in real Italian: pointing to places, recipients, times, and actions. Along the way, another small mystery begins to unfold...

By the end of this episode, you'll not only recognize the patterns—you'll hear them working naturally inside a story.

Buon ascolto... e buona caccia agli a!

⏳ CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
1:14 Articulated Forms
6:17 Di chi è questo verbo?
9:21 Transition to La Scena
10:11 La Scena – Il Primo Giorno del Mercatino
22:27 La Scena – Senza Interruzioni
28:10 Listener Challenge
30:27 Wrap-up 

Support the show

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Impariamo l’italiano piano piano!
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• Read my blog here
• -->Leave me a voice message<-- 
  You might even be featured on the show! 
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Email: [email protected]

Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

All content © 2026 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano

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In the first part of our exploration of the Italian preposition a, we begin to uncover one of the most common and versatile little words in the Italian language.

--> Link to Post for Transcript for this episode <--

We'll see how a points the way to cities, introduces the recipient of an action, appears in common time expressions, and forms part of dozens of everyday fixed expressions you'll hear from your very first Italian lesson.

Along the way, we'll revisit indirect object pronouns, compare them with their full forms using a, and begin collecting another group of useful Italian expressions to add to your growing toolkit.

Our visit to the summer market will have to wait just a little longer. In Part 1B, we'll continue with the articulated forms of a, explore the verbs that naturally take a, and finally head to the market on opening day, where everything we've learned begins to come to life.

Buon ascolto... e buona caccia agli a!

⏳ CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
2:00 A as a Destination – Cities
3:35 A with Indirect Objects
6:21 Indirect Object Pronouns
7:23 A with Time
8:49 A in Fixed Expressions
10:52 Wrap-up 

Support the show

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Impariamo l’italiano piano piano!
Here are a few ways you can connect with me:

• Read my blog here
• -->Leave me a voice message<-- 
  You might even be featured on the show! 
• Take the listener survey
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Email: [email protected]

Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

All content © 2026 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano

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In this preview of Le piccole parole – Episodio 2 – Part 3, we return to our exploration of one of the hardest-working little words in Italian: di.

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In the full version we explore di in comparisons, time expressions, adjectives that naturally take di, and a final collection of common verbs and fixed expressions you'll hear every day in Italian. Along the way, we'll also answer an important question: when does Italian use che instead of di in comparisons?

Antonio shares a short story inspired by real events, packed with examples of di in action. You'll hear it first at slow speed, then again at a more natural pace, before we finish with a practical framework that will help you recognise what di is doing whenever you encounter it.

By the end of the episode, you'll have far more than a translation of di. You'll have a way of thinking about it.

The full episode is available to show supporters.

To unlock the complete lesson, transcript, the rest of this mini-series, and the companion series of reference materials, simply click the Support the Show link in the show notes of this or any episode.

Un pezzetto alla volta.

 ⏳ CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
2:45 Antonio's Story (Slow Speed)
3:56 Wrap-up

Support the show

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Impariamo l’italiano piano piano!
Here are a few ways you can connect with me:

• Read my blog here
• -->Leave me a voice message<-- 
  You might even be featured on the show! 
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Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

All content © 2026 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano

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You thought di was finished?

Not quite.

In this preview of Di – Part 2, Antonio develops a new hobby: cataloguing every di he can find in Paolo's grandmother's recipe box. Along the way, we stumble across one of the most surprising features of Italian grammar: sometimes del, della, and dei don't mean of the at all.

This preview includes the opening section of the lesson and our first encounter with the partitive.

In the full episode, available to supporters, we explore:

•  articulated forms (del, dello, della, and the rest) 
•  the partitive and how to recognize it 
•  more verbs that belong to di
•  additional fixed expressions 
•  and a few more discoveries from Paolo's kitchen. 

Piano piano. Un pezzetto alla volta.

Support the show

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Impariamo l’italiano piano piano!
Here are a few ways you can connect with me:

• Read my blog here
• -->Leave me a voice message<-- 
  You might even be featured on the show! 
• Take the listener survey
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Email: [email protected]

Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

All content © 2026 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano

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What does di really mean?

Most learners know it as "of," but di does far more than that. In this episode of Le piccole parole, we explore how di expresses relationships, origin, topic, material, quantity, common expressions, and more. Along the way, Antonio discovers that di is hiding everywhere, including in one of Nonna's old recipe cards.

--> Link to Post for Transcript for this episode <--

Support the show to continue with Di – Part Two, where we'll explore articulated forms such as del and della, the partitive, and more verbs that belong to di.

⏳ CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction
3:25 DI as a Relational Marker
4:38 DI for Origin
5:51 DI for Topic
7:23 DI for Material and Contents
9:04 DI with Quantities and Groups
10:51 DI in Fixed Expressions
12:51 Di chi è questo verbo?
15:01 Articulated Forms Preview
17:02 Transition to La Scena
18:20 La Scena – La Fontana del Quartiere
25:03 La Scena senza interruzioni
28:16 Listener Challenge
30:35 Wrap-up

Support the show

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Impariamo l’italiano piano piano!
Here are a few ways you can connect with me:

• Read my blog here
• -->Leave me a voice message<-- 
  You might even be featured on the show! 
• Take the listener survey
• Join us on meetup!

Email: [email protected]

Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

All content © 2026 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano

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Meetup event links: Vancouver Chapter / European Chapter

Have you ever finished a podcast episode and thought:

"Now what?"

In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of the Italian Piano Piano meetups and show you exactly what happens during one of our weekly sessions.

You'll meet Antonio, the custom tutor I've been developing alongside the podcast, and you'll hear how meetup participants use guided prompts, questions, and discussion to practise the same grammar concepts we've been exploring in the story Le Pagine del Passato.

Using examples from a previoous workshop, you'll see how learners move beyond simply understanding a grammar point and begin using it in fresh situations, one prompt at a time.

Along the way, we'll revisit scenes with Luca, Sara, and Carlo, explore how the tutor provides feedback, and talk about why some of the most valuable learning happens when we make mistakes and work through them together.

If you've ever wondered what the meetups are like, this episode is your invitation to sit in on one.

Piano piano.

🎧 In this episode:

• Why the meetups were created

• Meet Antonio, the custom tutor

• A guided walkthrough of a typical meetup session

• Pronouns and the gerundio in action

• Luca, Sara, and Carlo return

• The role of discussion, questions, and "aha" moments

• How the podcast, tutor, and meetup work together

--> Link to Post for Transcript for this episode <--

Meetup event links: Vancouver Chapter / European Chapter

⏳ CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction
 0:31 Why Meetups
 3:22 Meet Antonio – The Tutor
 4:31 Starting a Lesson
 6:06 The Two Gerundio Situations
 8:06 Pronoun Placement Practice
 10:46 Luca, Sara & Carlo Return
 13:11 The Aha Moment
 14:12 Story + Practice + Community
 14:47 Wrap-up

Support the show

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Impariamo l’italiano piano piano!
Here are a few ways you can connect with me:

• Read my blog here
• -->Leave me a voice message<-- 
  You might even be featured on the show! 
• Take the listener survey
• Join us on meetup!

Email: [email protected]

Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

All content © 2026 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano

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Have you ever learned that di means "of", a means "to", and con means "with" ... only to discover that real Italian doesn't seem to follow those simple rules?

Welcome to Le piccole parole, a new mini-series dedicated to one of the most challenging aspects of Italian: prepositions.

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In this introductory episode, Maira and Antonio explore why these tiny words cause so many problems for intermediate learners. Along the way, Antonio reminisces about learning prepositions as a child at the mysterious Scuola dei Grammatici, and together they discover that knowing the translations of Italian prepositions is only the beginning.

You'll hear examples such as:

• Vado in banca
• Vivo a Roma
• Vado da Marco
• Parliamo di politica
• Ci vediamo tra due ore

...and you'll see why direct translation from English often leads us astray.

If you've ever wondered when to use di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra or fra, this series is for you.

In the next episode, we'll begin with one of the most common and versatile prepositions in Italian:

di.

Buon ascolto!

⏳ CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction
0:30 Antonio's School Days
1:18 Are Prepositions Really an Intermediate Topic?
2:38 The Nine Simple Prepositions
3:42 When Translation Doesn't Work
6:04 Welcome to Le piccole parole
7:49 Wrap-up

Support the show

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Impariamo l’italiano piano piano!
Here are a few ways you can connect with me:

• Read my blog here
• -->Leave me a voice message<-- 
  You might even be featured on the show! 
• Take the listener survey
• Join us on meetup!

Email: [email protected]

Voice Credits
Special thanks to voice actor Joshua Hess for lending his voice to Impariamo l'Italiano Piano Piano. - Contact: [email protected]

All content © 2026 Impariamo l’italiano piano piano – Un impegno quotidiano