Italian phrase of the day: Ieri sera sono uscito
I normally do not do anything on a school night, but
Ieri sera sono uscito
Last night I went out
Literally: 'Yesterday evening (I)-am gone-out'.
Last night we went to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern to see Zoe Lyons' one-woman show. She usually comperes the weekly comedy night there (BrouHaHa), which we went to a few times, so the idea of a whole show by her was very promising.
And she delivered. It was brilliant. I like Zoe Lyons because she's one funny lesbian with a mean streak and yet she manages not to take it out personally to anyone in the audience. I should know about it, as I once had a goatee and one of the acts Lyons introduced looked at me and said I had a hairy c**t on my face. Classy.
I hope Lyons will go places (we saw her last week on the telly in one of those chart-type shows, I think it was The Most Annoying People of 2007, of which she was not one, she was one of the talking heads). And yet I hope she'll stay local and we get to see her often.
Zoe Lyons mi fa ridere
Zoe Lyons makes me laugh
Literally: 'Zoe Lyons to-me makes laugh'.
If you want to find out more
In English you always use 'have' for all actions in the past of the type 'I have done something'.
In Italian sometimes you use 'have' in most cases, and 'am/are…' in others.
This is why today's phrase 'I have gone out' is 'I am gone out' in Italian ('Sono uscito').
Off the top of my head (but there might be exceptions), when the action described is a movement from A to B, then you use 'am' instead of 'have':
- I have come in = sono entrato
- I have gone = sono andato
- I have climbed = sono salito
- I have gone/come down = sono sceso
- I have left = sono partito
But:
- I have travelled = ho viaggiato
- I have flown = ho volato
- I have sailed = ho navigato
- I have driven = ho guidato
You can read more about the past at BBC Italian Steps, but I'm afraid there is not a definite rule around this. Just one of those things you have to learn. Sorry.
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