SIGNS AND ABBREVIATIONS
f feminine
fp feminine plural
fs feminine singular
lit. literally
m masculine
mp masculine plural
ms masculine singular
pl. plural
sing. singular
Square brackets indicate an explanatory comment attached to an example,
e.g.
C’è Luisa al telefono. That’s Luisa on the phone.
[i.e. she has just rung]
Quanto zucchero [ms] vuoi? How much sugar do you want?
‘Dov’è Anna?’ ‘No lo so.’ ‘Where’s Anna?’ ‘I don’t know.’
[lit. I don’t know it]Round brackets in an example show that the material in brackets is optional,
e.g.
‘Hai i libri?’ ‘Sì, (ce) li ho.’ ‘Have you got the books?’
‘Ye s , I’ve got them.’
Ne ho mangiati due. I ate two (of them).
A chi scrivete? Who(m) are you writing to?Round brackets round an entire sentence show that, while possible, this is a
formal form that is not often used, e.g.
( (Loro) Partono, Signori Bianco?) Are you leaving(, Mr and Mrs
Bianco)?