1st LESSON. THE ROMAN REGIONAL SPEECH: A LITTLE THESAURUS.
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Read and learn by heart:

AO'H !!!                Excuse me Sir, ...

PIGLIANCULO             Ingenuous

BUCHO DE CULO           ("CH" like "Chopper") Lucky

'STICAZZI !             I can't believe what you are saying !

(A') BELLA CECIONA      Young pretty girl ("A'", optional, means "very" with 
the following possibilities: A = very; AA = very very)

ALL'ANIMA DE LI MORTACCI TUA !
Say a prayer for me when you go to visit your grand-parents at the cemetery

2nd LESSON. THE ROMAN REGIONAL SPEECH: VERBS
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Read and learn by heart:

Infinitive: DARE 'NA SOLA (to cheat, to sell a pup)

Imperative : DAJE 'NA SOLA (cheat him/her/it)  -  DATEJE 'NA SOLA (cheat
them)

Present:  
IO DO' 'NA SOLA
TU DAJ 'NA SOLA
EGLI DA' 'NA SOLA
NOI DDAMO 'NA SOLA
VOI DDATE 'NA SOLA
LORO DANNO 'NA SOLA

Future:
IO DARO' 'NA SOLA
(the rest like the future for "dare")

or: (IO) STO PPE' DARE 'NA SOLA or MO' TE SOLO (where "te" stands for "to
you")
Rare: TE STO' PE' SOLA' (I'm going to cheat you)

Past:
(IO) 'TTTO'DDATO NA' SOLA ("to you") 
usually after "AO'H, TE RICORDI QUANNO...?"  (Do you remember when...?)

Also:
(IO) TE DIEDI (or TE DETTI) NA' SOLA (or T'HO SOLATO)

Conditional / Conjunctive (usually the same for Roman dialect):
IO (TE) DAREBBE 'NA SOLA   -  I would cheat (you)


Usual reply: AO'H, CE DEVI PROVA' (Please, don't)

3rd LESSON:"Driving across town"
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This is the 3rd "Ready to go!" Italian course Lesson.
After this lesson, when they ask you "How is your Italian" you'll answer "I'm
ready to go!".

Fundamentals you  have to know to understand this lesson are the following:
1.	In Italy we usually drive keeping the right side of the road, but this is
only a suggestion.
2.	Right of way must be given to bigger cars, no matter where they come from
(right or left); 
this means that:
2A.	your car has the right of way when it is bigger than the others;
2B.	in case of traffic, right of way must be given in order of car dimension.
3.	To drive - in Italy - you need to know the other driver's family
composition; how many sisters/brothers he/she has, if he/she is married or
not and the job of brothers and father (usually sisters/mother's job is
known...).
4.	Regional revisions are necessary; each region has an own philosophic
driving system and you cannot live for long without knowing the one in which
you are driving. The following will be a Middle Italy-based system with some
partial appendixes.


IDIOMATIC FORM : FANATIC.
Ao'h, chi sso' ??!! Nicky Lauda ?!!
(Hey, how I'm driving well !! It seems Nicky Lauda's car.
Author's note: after Nicky Lauda accident usually changed in "Ao'h, chi sso'
??!! Michael Schumacher ?!!")


IDIOMATIC FORM : QUIET DRIVER.
Ao'h, chi ssei' ??!! Michael Schumacher ?!!
(Hey, how are you driving !? You think you are Michael Schumacher ?!
After Nicky Lauda accident usually changed in "Ao'h, chi ssei' ??!! Nicky
Lauda ?!!")


VERB DECLENSION : HORN PLAYER ("CLACSON")
Ao'h, suona tua sorella !!!
(Hey, play your sister !!! - instead of the horn ...)

Declension of the idiomatic form (the driver is the first singular person):
IO:  TE SUONO TUA SORELLA!
I play your sister!

TU:  SUONATI TUA SORELLA!
Play your sister!

LUI:  CHE MI PORTI SUA SORELLA DA SUONARE!
Call his sister and I'll play her!

(LEI - Feminine- :  VIENI CHE TI SUONO IO!)
Come here and I'll play you!

NOI: non sense...

VOI: PORTATECI LE VOSTRE SORELLE CHE ME LE SUONO TUTTE INSIEME!
Call your sisters and I'll play all them together!

ESSI: CE DEVONO PROVA', MI SUONO LE LORO SORELLE IN FILA, CON UNA MANO ALZATA
E CANTANDO L'AIDA!
If they try (to do something) I'll play all their sisters while I sing the
"Aida" with an hand up! 
(Roman Dialect Appendix)


IDIOMATIC FORMS: SOMEONE IS CROSSING THE ROAD, WALKING
Allora vuoi morire !?
(Are you sure you want to cross now ??!!)

Ao'h, la vecchia da' pochi punti !
(Typical Italian game: when you strike someone walking, you get points. In
this case an old woman has a small value. More points when on a wheel-chair
or pregnant).


HITCHHIKING (OR THUMBING) - AUTOSTOP:
Si', mo' te carico e poi domani mio figlio non trova lavoro!
(I cannot help you - "mo" stands for "now" - because I'm afraid about the
future of my son).
Typical "Forza Italia" idiomatic form. Depressed regions.

BLACK HITCHHIKER  --->  Sei negro ?!! Corri !!!
(As you are black, you're supposed not to need the car as you run very
fast...)
Typical "Lega Lombarda" idiomatic form. Developed regions.


More verbs and forms in the next lessons.
Please make exercises.

(Andrea_Spalla@RCM.INET.IT)

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