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Sicilian language course:
IntroductionAccording to G. Piccitto the orthography of the Sicilian language should be determined by thepronunciation of the spoken language. This will all be well and good, but in any language wefind dialects, or inflections and slang. The Sicilian language is not immune of these problems, ithas many, so called “parrati” that is dialects. ords, many times, are different from one town
to another and pronunciation !ary a lot in many parts of the island.
Although many call the Sicilian language a dialect, it is not so. Sicilian is a language and assuch it has its own dialects. The only problem, and it is a big problem, is that we do not ha!ewritten linguistic rules to assert the Sicilian language as the standard language of Sicily
e ha!e to ha!e rules of grammar and of synta" where orthography and phonetic are anintegral part of the process.
e ha!e attempts at grammar and orthography, but not a full fledged study.
#t is funny that foreigners ha!e always taken an interest in our language, in our history, in ourliterature, in our traditions etc., while we Sicilians ha!e always taken for granted what we ha!e,
to the point that our language is dying, and with it will die our past, our history. # am sorry tosay that this is simply shameful.
$ere, # am going to try to write a brief course of Sicilian language to e"pose it to the Siciliansof the %nited States and e!en of Sicily, hoping that some will take interest in learning ourlanguage, not only how to speak it but, abo!e all how, to write it.
&y attempt will be at establishing some rules on how to write a standard Sicilian, becauseSicily is a country with its own language, its own go!ernment and its own laws, and while manyother regions of #taly ha!e already asserted their right to ha!e their language considered theofficial language of their region, the Sicilians are still in a lethargic state, as usual, toward themother land and what it represents.
Lesson 1: The vowels, phonetic, consonants in sicilian
languageWritten by Nino RussoThe 'owels
Phonetic
The !owels in the Sicilian language are fi!e( a, e, i, o, u .
These !owels can ha!e a short sound or a long one, according to the position they occupy inthe word in which they are located.
hen these !owels ha!e an accent at the end of the word, they ha!e a strong sound.
The sound of these !owels is as follows(
a is pronounced as in the word palm parma
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e is pronounced as in the word echo leccu
i is pronounced as in the word ring aneddu
o is pronounced as in the word lost persu
u is pronounced as in the word foot pedi
)onsonants
b has a labial sound and is pronounced as in bold *arditu+, bag *bag+, bacllus *bacillu+(
bagnu bath
beddu beautiful
bi-ncu white
c has a guttural or hard sound with the !owels a, o, u, as in cart, cold, cool(
cani dog
caf/ coffee
cocu cook
c has also a guttural or hard sound with e and i if the !owel is preceded by the h, as ispronounced as in kennel, kick,(
chi-!i key
chi-ru clair
checcu stutterer
c has a palatal soft sound if is followed by e and i as in change, chief(
celu sky
cira wa"
ciumi ri!er
#n some cases the sound of c ac0uires the sound of the sh as in shift, shield(
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Sciumi ri!er
Sciar-ri to smell
Sciuri flower
d has a dental sound as in deal, dark(
di-riu diary
din-ri money
denti teeth
f is pronounced as in fear, far(
fumu smoke
fari to do
finu fine
g , as c, has a guttural or hard sound if followed by a, o, u, as in garage, goal, goose(
gattu cat
g1diri to en2oy
gula throat
g is also guttural or hard with e and i if it is followed by the h, as in ghetto, gift(
ghi-cciu ice
gherciu cross3eyed
ghi1mmaru ball of tread
g can also be palatal if followed by e and i, as in gentle, giant(
gi4!ini young
g5mitu moan
gi4gnu 6une
#f g is followed by the n, it ac0uires a nasal sound, as in canyon(
gnur-nti ignorant
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gniss-ri to plaster
gnumnia ignominy
h has no sound. #t is used to make the hard sound preceded by the c and the g.
l is li0uid as in the words limp, law(
linu linen
luna moon
lana wool
m is labial and is pronounced as in the words market, minister(
mastru teacher
miu mine
m5gghiu better
n is palatal and is pronounced as in nail, neck, none(
nasu nose
nidu nest
nanu dwarf
p is labial and is pronounced as in par-de, pedal, pig(
pi-ttu plate
ponti bridge
pumu apple
0 is always followed by u as in 0uake, 0uest, 0uick(
0u-li which
0u-nnu when
-c0ua water
r is pronounced as in radio, ready, ring(
rama branch
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raggia rage
riccu rich
s is pronounced as in sack, second, sick (
satta arrow
siccu thin, dry
suli sun
t is pronounced as in table, tempest, tip(
tali such
tempu weather, time
tim4ni rudder
! is pronounced as in !alue, !ein, !iew(
!inu wine
!ulunt- will
!olu flight
7 is pronounced as in 7ero, 7ipper 7one(
7ona 7one
7iu uncle7eru 7ero
Lesson 2: Sicilianortography
Written by Nino RussoA treaties in Sicilian orthography does not e"ist. 8ecause of the strong influence of otherlanguages, the Sicilian language has been in e!olution, maybe, more than any other language.As a matter of fact after 0uite sometime of the last linguistic imposition, which was the #talianlanguage, we ha!e, what we can call, the first serious, and maybe the last up to now, attemptat establishing the rules for a Sicilian orthography.
These were done by Giorgio Piccitto and published in 9:;<. This course will follow, in thema2ority of cases, G. Piccitto=s orthography rules.
>ouble )onsonants
Generally some consonants almost always ha!e a strong sound, e!en if they are located at the
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beginning of the word? but if they double up in the pronunciation, they do not double up in thewritten language. Such consonants are( b, c, d, g,, m, n, r, and 7(
8babbu stupid
8beddu beautiful
8bruttu ugly
>duppiu double
>doppu after
>dutt4ri doctor
Gggghiu eye3lash
Ggi- already
Ggi-rnu pale
&m4rmuru murmur
&merda escrement
@nimcu enemy
@nomu name
ri77a sea urchin
rota wheel
B7app4ni mattock
B7appagghi4ni gnat
hile(
)c- here
)ci to you, to them
)chi4 more
>docu there, ne"t to you
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>d- there
are written with the same strong sound with which they are pronounced, that is with a doubleconsonant.
The double consonant appears !ery often in the Sicilian written language as already seen in theabo!e e"ample and in the following(
Abbeccedd-riu first grade book
Abbannun-ri to abandon
Camigghia family
Str-77iu torment
Allammic-tu hungry, empty3stomach
Sunnu they are
@4mmaru number
Dibbru book
>igraph
8y digraph is indicated the union of two letters forming one sound. Some of these groupsare ( gn, ch, gh, dr, tr
gn has a nasal sound as in canyon( ogni e!ery
lignu wood
ch has a guttural sound as in kill cherubbnu cherub
chio!u nail
gh has a guttural sound as in ghetto ghi-cciu ice
ghic-ri to arri!e
dr has a palatal sound as in drift droga drug
dragu dracon
tr has a palatal sound as tree trenu train
truccu trick
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Some digraph ha!e a cacuminal sound, which means that the sound is made by the tonguereaching the top of the palate. These digraphs are(
dd has the palatal sound as the d in good, wood(
addum-ri to light
iddu he, him
dr as abo!e drittu strait
ddr as a strong dr addri77-ri to make strait
tr as abo!e tru!-ri to find
ttr as a strong tr attrici actress
)ontrasting Pairs
Some words in Sicilian change meaning by the addition of a consonant that they ha!e incommon, that is with a certain consonant they ha!e one meaning and by doubling that sameconsonant the word has a different meaning(
nanu dwarf annu grandfather
lana wool lanna tin, can
scan-ri to knead scann-ri to slaughter
pupa doll puppa stern
mina mine minna breast
pala sho!el palla ball
nudu naked nuddu nobody
cas-ta houseful cass-ta Sicilian cake
copia copy coppia couple
moda fashion modda spring, soft
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gridu yell griddu cricket
una one unna wa!e
stuf-tu stew stuff-tu bored, disgusted
abbilri to frustrate abbillri to embellis
Lesson : Sicilian aticles and prepositions
Written by Nino RussoArticles
The Sicilian articles di!ide into two types, definite( lu, la, li, *the+ and indefinite nu, na *a, an+.
These articles, as the nouns they describe, ha!e a gender, they can be feminine( la *singular+,li *plural+, and masculine( lu *singular+, li *plural+. The indefinite nu, masculine, na, feminine,are always singular.
Du ca!-ddu the horse
Da casa the house
Di ca!-ddi the horses
Di casi the houses
%n ca!-ddu a horse
@a fmmina a woman
Cor nouns that start with a 7 or with an s followed by a consonant the form nu of the indefinitearticle should be used(
A!i nu 7iu bonu $e has a good uncle
)=era nu scal4ni autu There was a tall step
A!a nu stipu !asciu $e had a low cabinet
Si nni purto nu 7-inu chinu $e took a full knapsack with him
These articles in the spoken language can contract to E for la, F for li. and for lu(
ca!-ddu the horse
E casa the house
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F ca!-ddi the horses
F casi the houses
Prepositions
Prepositions are simple and compound. The simple prepositions are(
a *at+, di *of+, cu *with+, nni *to, by, in+, nna *to, by, in+, nno *to, by, in+ pi *for+, nta *in+,supra *o!er+, da!anti *in front+, sutta *under+, doppu *after+ and more.
These prepositions can also be used with a definite article( a la *to the+, di lu *of the+, cu la*with the+, nni la, etc.(
'-iu a la casa #go # go to the house
Da casa 5 di lu frati The house is of the brother
Sugnu cu lu 7iu # am with the uncle
Hranu nta la cresia They were in the church
These prepositions, in the spoken language, are often contracted to( E, d and c(
'-iu E casa # go to the house
Da casa 5 d frati The house is *belongs+of the brother
Sugnu c 7iu # am with the uncle
Hranu ntE cresia They were in the church
The plural of these preposition changes somewhat in the contracted mode.
egular(
#-mu a li casi e go to the houses
Di casi sunnu di li frati The houses are to the brothers
Hramu cu li 7ii They were with the uncles
#eru nni li cresii They went in the churches
)ontracted
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#-mu I casi e go to the houses
Di casi sunnu dF frati The hoses are *belong+of the brothers
Hramu chF 7ii e were with the uncles
#5ru ntI cresii They went in the churches
Same thing happens with the indefinite article.
egular(
)i lu dugnu a un cani # gi!e it to a dog
Da curpa era di un frati The fault was of one brother
Du puli7a c=un palcu $e cleans it with a tooth3pick
'a sempri nni un cucnu $e goes always to one cousin
)ontracted(
)i lu dugnu Jn cani # gi!e it to a dog
Da curpa era dn frati The fault was of one brother
Du puli7a cn palcu $e cleans it with a tooth3pick
'a sempri nnJn cucnu $e goes always to one cousin
#f a preposition is followed by an indefinite article and refers to a feminine noun, it does notmake any contractions(
Appartin5!a tuttu a na soru K!erything belonged to a sister
Tutti li !esti 5ranu di na fgghia All the dresses belonged to one daughter
Si sciarri-!anu sulu cu na 7ia They argued only with an aunt
)hi si pJ fari pi na matriL hat can one do for a motherL
Lesson !: Sicilian adverbs, con"unctions, the
apostropheWritten by Nino Russon Sicilian we ha!e ad!erbs of place(
sutta *under+, supra *abo!e,on+, cc- *here+, dd- *there+, unni *where* etc.
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&i msiru sutta lu ponti They put me under the bridge
#u dd- nun ci ia!a # was not going to go there
&i mann-ru unni c=era pirculu
They sent me where it was dangerous
Mf time(
doppu *after+, ora, *now+, aeri *yesterday+ oi or oggi *today+, dum-ni *tomorrow+, 0u-nnu*when+, mai *ne!er+etc.
#u cci i!i doppu d=iddu # went after to him
&I soru arr!a dum-ni &y sister will arri!e tomorrow
#ddu !inni ora di la casa $e came now from the house
Da casa e/ gi- pulta The house is already clean
Mf 0uantity(
abbast-n7a *enough, plenty+, picca *little, few+, assai *a lot, many+, menu *less+ cchiu/*more+, tantu *so much+, etc.
Aiu picca sordi, nun mi ncuit-ri
# he!e little money, don=t bother me
@n=-i abbast-n7a manci-riL
>o you ha!e enough foodL
Ni tanti ca!-ddi e nun li fai c4rriri
Oou ha!e so many horses and you don=t race them
Mf manner(
comu *like, as+, beni *well+, accuss *so, this way+, n4tili *uselessly+, ammucci4ni *secretly+,etc.
Tu tra!agghia!i ammucci4ni, picchL
Oou were working in secret, whyL
Ca comu fa77u iu >o as # do
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'ogghiu chilu fai accuss # want you to do it this way
Mther ad!erbs are( ntunnu *around+, sicc1mu *since+, dintra *in+, dunca *then, so+, mac-ri*e!en+, a!-nti *ahead, in front+, mentri *while+, !icnu *near+, prmisi *first of all+, mmen7u *bymeans of+, !ersu *toward+, n!eci *instead+ all-tu *near, beside+, n7inu *until+, etc.
)i firri-!a ntunnu ma nu lu tru!-!a
$e was going around it but could not find it
Kra all-tu l=arbulu $e was besides the tree
T=accump-gnu n7inu a la casa
# will accompany you until your house
&entri sugnu cc- cci !egnu puru
as long as # am here #=ll come too
The compound prepositions are formed by an ad!erb and a preposition
@tunnu a around the
Sutta di under the
Ammucci4ni di in the secret of
'icinu a near the
>oppu di after the
Supra di o!er, abo!e the
n7inu a until
>i!ersam5nti di differently from
Pi mmen7u di 8y means of
All-tu a near, beside the
)chi4 picca di less than
&enu di less than
A fa!4ri di in fa!or of
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A!ia cchi4 picca sordi di sJ patri
$e had less money than his father
Kra !icinu a sJ nannu $e was near his grandfather
#ddu lu fici a fa!4ri di sJ matri
$e did it in fa!or of his mother
>i!ersam5nti di chistu nu si put5!a fari
#t could not be done differently from this
Pi manc-n7a di tempu mancu manci-i
Cor lack of time # did not e!en eat
)on2unctions
)on2unctions are those parts of speech that tie two sentences, two sub2ects, two parts of asentence together(
#u e tu Oou and #
)ci !ai tu e ci !aiu puru iu # will go too
#ddu !inni per1 idda no $e came but she did not
Si nun cci !ai tu mancu cci !aiu iu
#f you do not go, # will not go either
)ci i!i iu sparti d=iddu # went too besides him
The apostrophe
The apostrophe is a graphic sign that is used in the encounter of two !owels.
D=an5ddu the ring
D=a77-ru the steel
D=ebbr5u the 6ew
D=ida the idea
D=1cchiu the eye
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D=ugnu the fingernail
)histu e/ l=agn5ddu di Pas0ua This is the Kaster lamb
D=1cchiu d patr4ni ngrassa lu ca!-ddu
The owner=s eye fattens the horse
)ci tagghi-!a l=ugna a sJ fgghiu
$e was trimming his son=s nails
#n the case of a natural elimination of a !owel at the beginning of a word, it is not necessary touse the apostrophe. #n fact, according to G. Piccitto, it should ne!er be used for that reason, asin the indefinite article(
na a, an
nu a, an
>una na manu a tJ frati Gi!e a hand to your brother
&I matri era cu nu 7iu miu
&y mother was with an uncle of mine
and in the preposition n *in, to+
#ddu si nn?iu n Sicilia $e went to Sicily
And in the words that start with an i, where the word loses the i the apostrophe is not usedanymore to show the loss of the !owel, so we ha!e(
&purt-nti important
@nucc5nti innocent
@7ign-nti teacher
@chin-ri to bow
@cign4su ingenious
@7i!-tu greased
@tattu whole
@tupp-ri to stop, to close
@tisu heard, obeyed
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&par-ri to learn
&piccic-tu glued, slow
@un ncurp-ri a mia >o not gi!e the fault to me
Sta can74na mancu l=aiu ntisu # ne!er heard this song
a ncatin-tu all=-rbulu $e was chained to the tree
Archim5di fu n=omu ncign4su Archimedes was a genius
Then we can say that the articles la, lu, li and the pronouns la, lu, li can take the apostropheand so can the demonstrati!e ad2ecti!es( ddu, dda *that one+, ddi *those ones+, stu *this one+,sti *these ones+, ssa, ssu *that one+, ssi *those ones+. The personal pronouns ti *to you+, nni*to us+, !i *to you plural+, and the reflecti!e si *self action+ and cci *to, by him, to, by them+can also take the apostrophe(
#u !itti l=ecclssi # saw the eclipse
#ddu nun l=abbruci1 $e did not burn it
)hi-ma add=abb-ti )all that abbot
Pgghiati ss=abbitu Take that suit
St=abbsu 5 laidu This notice is bad
T=aiu a dari na manu # ha!e to gi!e you a hand
'=aiu a puli77i-ri la casa # want to clean your house
@n=ati a dari li sordi Oou ha!e to gi!e the money to us
S=innamur1 di idda $e fell in lo!e with her
)c=era sJ matri
$is, her mother was there *with him, her, them+
#ddu l=a!ia ma nun dissi nenti
$e had it but did not say anything
#f cci meets a, o, u does not take the apostrophe(
#dda cci a!a iutu a scola She had gone to school
)ci iunc!i 1gghiu nta lampa # added oil to the lamp
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8ut they are pronounced !ery close, as if they had an apostrophe.
Mther cases where the apostrophe can be used are in phrases like(
)=a!5m=a fari chi a!5mu a fari hat can we doL
)=a!5m=a diri chi a!5mu a diri what can we sayL
)=a!5m=a fari si nun !oli !5niri
hat can we do if he does not want to come
)=a!em=a diri si la matri nun !oliL
hat can we say if the mother does not want
#n some cases where the word starts with an i, the apostrophe is not used(
@un lu !1gghiu fari ddu iocu # do not want to do that play
Sta iena 5 laida This hyena is ugly *or bad+
Ssa ida nun mi piaci # don=t like that idea
Ssu iardnu 5 beddu ciurutu That garden is really in blossom
>du iacntu 5 !eru beddu That hyacinth is really beautiful
>du i5ncu 5 grossu That bull is big
8ut the following can take the apostrophe?
Si nn=Qu si nni Qu $e, she went away
)c=Qu cci Qu $e, she went there
SJ frati si nn=Qu n cit- $is brother went to the city
A casa cc=Qu cu sJ patri $e went home with his father
unu *masculine+ and una *feminine+, are not used as indefinite articles, but they are usednumerically( one.
Ru-ntu cani c=eranuL %nu. $ow many dogs were thereL Mne *only one+
Ru-ntu fmmini arrist-ruL Sulu una. $ow many women were arrestedL Mnly one
Lesson #: $ender in sicilianlanguage
Written by Nino RussoThe words in the Sicilian language ha!e a gender, that is words refer to ob2ects as if they were
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feminine or masculine. #t is not a gender in the anatomic sense of the word, but a grammaticalgender. As a general rule the masculine nouns end in u, as in(
Trenu train
&uru wall
Cerru iron
Santu saint
hile the feminine nouns end in a, as in(
Dana wool
acc5tta hatchet
d-ttula date *fruit+
orcchia ear
Du saccu 5 di mI patri e la cup5rta 5 di mI matri.
The sac blongs to my father and the blanket to my mother.
Da petra 5 dura ma lu ferru e5 cchi4 duru.
The rock is hard but the steel is harder.
Some masculine nouns end in a and remain the same in the plural, as in(
>uca duke
Pu5ta poet
8oia e"ecutioner
Papa pope
Par-c0ua umbrella
>iad5ma diadem
>omma dogma
Cant-sima ghost
)apubb-nna ring3leader
Pu5ma poem
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Du papa st- a oma The pope li!es in ome
Du duca a!i un beddu pal-77u
The duke has a beautiful building
Di pu5ta scri!inu puis The poets write poetry
Di domma li fa lu papa The dogmas are made by the pope
Some nouns that end in ista can be used in both masculine or feminine accordingly and also assingular or plural, as in(
)omunsta communist
Archi!sta archi!ist
&achinsta machinist
Giurnalsta 2ournalist
Prutagunsta protagonist
D=archi!sta sunnu m-sculi e fmmini
The archi!ists are men and women
>da*fem.+ giurnalsta scrissi l=artculu
That 2ournalist wrote the article
Di prutagunsta eranu tri
The protagonists were three
)=eranu tri comunsta e nu sucialsta
there were three communists and one socialist
The plural in Sicilian generally ends in i, for both masculine and feminine nouns, as in(
&asculine
Singular plural
Tel5funu tel5funi telephone*s+
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Picci1ttu picci1tti young3man*s+
)asu casi case*s+
>isid5riu disid5ri wish*s+
@annu nanni grand3father*s+
Ceminine
Singular plural
@anna nanni grand3mother*s+
5gula r5guli rule*s+
Serra serri saw*s+
Pal4mma pal4mmi do!e*s+, pigeon*s+
Carf-lla farf-lli butterfly*ies+
Da r5gula 5 ca tutti li r5guli sunnu mpurt-nti The rule is that all the rules are important
%n picci1ttu chiam1 a tutti li picci1tti
Mne young man called all the young men
Da farf-lla fa a!utri farf-lli
The butterfly makes other butterflies
Some nouns end in u in the singular but they end in a in the plural, as in(
&asculine
Singular plural
)ut5ddu cut5dda knife*!es+
)hi1!u chi1!a nail*s+
Picur-ru picur-ra sheperd
8isc1ttu bisc1tta biscuit*s+
Pumu puma happle*s+
Cirr-ru firr-ra blacksmith*s+
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An5ddu an5dda ring*s+
Pignu pigna pine3tree*s+
Pilu pila hair*s+
)at4su cat4sa large pipe*s+
%gnu ugna finger3nail*s+
&art5ddu mart5dda hammer*s+
M!u o!a egg*s+
Prunu pruna plum*s+
Cici ammul-ri li cut5dda # had the kni!es sharpened
#u -iu un chi1!u e iddu -!i tri chi1!a
# ha!e one nail and has three nails
)u la par5dda si cocinu l=o!a Mne cooks eggs with the skillet
Some nouns end in i in the singular but end in a in the plural, as in(
&asculine
Singular Plural
Dim4ni lim4na lemon*s+
&ar4ni mar4na tile*s+
Att4ri att4ra actor*s+
8all4ni ball4na balloon*s+
'ast4ni !ast4na stick*s+
8uff4ni buff4na buffoon*s+
&uccat4ri muccat4ra handkerchief*s+
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8utt4ni butt4na button*s+
)acciat4ri cacciat4ra hunter*s+
)af4ni caf4na uncouth*s+
)ampi4ni campi4na champion*s+
&urat4ri murat4ra mason*s+
)ann4ni cann4na cannon*s+
>utt4ri dutt4ra physician*s+
)ap4ni cap4na capon*s+
8ar4ni bar4na baron*s+
)irnit4ri cirnit4ra sifter*s+
Passiat4ri passiat4ra pathway*s+
Piccat4ri piccat4ra sinner*s+
Scanat4ri scanat4ra kneading3board*s+
)asci4ni casci4na drawer*s+
Dap4ni lap4na hornet*s+
Bapp4ni 7app4na mattock*s+
@7it4ni n7it4na pimple*s+
)art4ni cart4na carton*s+
#u a!ia un butt4ni # had one button
Da partta 5 di li campi4na The game is of the champions
&I soru a!ia deci butt4na &y sister had ten buttons
Da partta la !incu lu campi4ni
The game was won by the champion
Si mi duni un lim4ni ti dugnu tri butt4na
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#f you gi!e me a lemon # will gi!e you three buttons
&any nouns that end in i, remain with the same ending in the plural and they can be masculine
or feminine, as in(
Singular plural
Sali *masc.+ Sali salt*s+
)ir-li * “ + cir-li cereal*s+
)hi-!i * fem.+ chi-!i key*s+
>iam-nti *masc.+ diam-nti diamond*s+
'utti * fem. + !utti barrel*s+, cask*s+
'urpi * “ + !urpi fo"*es+
%cchi-li *masc.+ ucchi-li eye3glasses
Mn4ri * “ + on4ri honor*s+
Sorti * fem .+ sorti luck
ia77i1ni* “ + ria77i1ni reaction*s+
Dmiti *masc.+ lmiti limit*s+
Diti * fem. + liti argument*s+
&iss-li *masc.+ miss-li missal*s+
Ponti * “ + ponti bridge*s+
S=arripar-ru sutta lu ponti They repaired under the bridge
@ta li strat4na ci sunnu assai ponti
There many bridges on the highways
>ammi la chi-!i di la casa Gi!e me the key for the house
Pgghiati li chi-!i di li porti Take the keys for all the doors
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&isi lu !inu nta la utti $e put the wine in the barrel
#nchu li utti di !inu $e filled the barrels with wine
Some nouns make the plural by adding ra to the singular, as in(
Singular plural
8ordu b1rdura fringe*s+
)orpu c1rpura body*s+
)o77u c177ura nape*s+
)untu c4ntura tale*s+
Cocu f1cura fire*s+
#ocu l1cura play*s+
&armu m-rmura marble*s+
&ercu m5rcura mark*s+, slash*s+
&unnu m4nnura world*s+
@nomu nn1mura name*s+
Sangu s-ngura 8lood*s+
Sonnu s1nnura dream*s+
Du mI nomu 5 Sicili-nu &y name is sicilian
Di sJ nn1mura sunnu Crancsi Their names are Crench
&i sunn-i un sonnu l-idu # had a bad dream
Si sunn-ru s1nnura boni They had good dreams
Some masculine nouns form the feminine in different ways than what we ha!e pre!iously said,they add issa or trici to the feminine, as in(
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&asculine feminine
>utt4ri dutturssa doctor
Ab-ti abbatssa abbot, abbess
8ar4ni barunssa baron, baroness
Pu5ta puitssa poet
Att4ri attrci actor, actress
)unti cuntssa count, countess
)ampi4ni campiunssa champion
Piccat4ri piccatrci sinner
Tradit4ri traditrci traitor
Du bar4ni chiam1 la barunssa
The baron called the baroness
Du dutt4ri tra!agghi1 cu la dutturssa
The doctor worked with the *she+ doctor
D=att4ri e l=attrci eranu n75mmula
The actor and the actress were together
Tu si piccat4ri e idda 5 piccatrci
Oou are sinner and she is sinner
The words that end in cu, form the plural in ci in the masculine, but in chi in the feminine, asin(
&asculine masculine feminine feminine
Singular plural singular plural
Amcu amci amca amchi friend*s+
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Antip-ticu antip-tici antip-tica antip-tichi unpleasant
Sarc-sticu sarc-stici sarc-stica sarc-stichi sarcastic
8isb5ticu bisb5tici bisb5tica bisb5tichi e"tra!agant
)at1licu cat1lici cat1lica cat1lichi catholic
&1nacu m1naci m1naca m1nachi monc*s+, nun*s+
Dricu lrici lrica lrichi lyric
Pruf5ticu pruf5tici pruf5tica pruf5tichi prophetic
Du m1nacu sta cu li m1naci The monk li!es with the monks
Da m1naca sta cu li m1nachi $e nun li!es with the nuns
>da fmmina 5 antip-tica That lady is unpleasant
>di fmmini sunnu antp-tichi Those ladies are unpleasant
Du mI amcu a!i li sJ amci &y friend has his friends
Da sJ amca a!i li sJ amchi $er friend has her friends
Some e"eptions are(
@icu nichi small, youn
iccu ricchi rich
8i-ncu bi-nchi white
Criscu frischi fresh
&I fgghiu 5 nicu &y son is little
Di cungghia sunnu tutti nichi The rabbits were all little
TJ 7iu era riccu Oour uncle was rich
Di re sunnu tutti ricchi The kings are all rich
Du ca!-ddu 5 bi-ncu The horse is white
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Di casi sunnu bi-nchi The hoses are white
Some nouns that end in cu do not ha!e a feminine(
8eccu becchi he3goat*s+
Sucu suchi 2uce*s+
Sceccu scecchi donkey*s+
D-stracu l-strachi terrace*s+
)ocu cochi cook*s+
Saccu sacchi sac*s+
Sbarcu sbarchi landing*s+
Scaccu scacchi chess
Buccu 7ucchi trunk*s+
Att-cca lu sceccu a lu 7uccu Tie the donkey to the tree
&etti li sacchi nta l=-stracu Put the sacs on the terrace
#oca a li scacchi cu lu cocu Play chess with the cook
Some nouns that end in gu or ga make the plural in ghi(
Dargu larghi wide
Dongu longhi long
angu ranghi rank*s+
Dagu lagghi lake*s+
Anga anghi molar*s+
Sirnga siringhi siringe*s+
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Alb5rgu alberghi hotel*s+
Du ciumi era longu The ri!er was long
Di strati eranu larghi $e streets were wide
&i fici scipp-ri na anga # had un molar pulled
A!a dui anghi malati # had two bad molars
Du dutt4ri usa li sirnghi The doctor uses siringes
>d- c=eranu tanti laghi M!er there were many lakes
D=alb5rghi eranu chini The hotels were full
Then we ha!e the nouns with the accented final !owel. These nouns remain as they are,mostly they are feminine and do not change in the plural, as in(
)arit-
Trib4
Ginirusit-
)it-
Pruprit-
Stirilit-
%manit-
Pu!irt-
@ta li cit- nun ci sunnu li trib4
There are any tribes in the cities
Da ginirusit- 5 di lu p1pulu Sicili-nu
The generosity is of the Sicilian people
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Da trib4 5 na cumunit- di genti
The tribe is a community of people
Lesson %: Sicilian
ad"ectives
Written by Nino RussoAd2ecti!es
Ad2ecti!e is a modifier, that is it modifies the noun and it agrees with the noun in number andgender. Generally, for the masculine and feminine, they follow the same rules as the nouns.The ad2ecti!e in Sicilian usually follows the noun, as in(
Da casa bedda The beautiful house
Du muru autu The tall wall
Da !ucca china The full mouth
D=-r!ulu nicu The small tree
A!5mu un ca!-ddu beddu e ha!e a beautiful horse
Acchian1 la scala auta $e climbed a tall ladder
&I frati a!ia un cani nicu &y brother had a small dog
A iddu ci d5ttiru na palla russa They ga!e him a red ball
Sometimes the ad2ecti!e precedes the noun it modifies to gi!e a greater emphasis to the0uality of the noun. The most common ad2ecti!es that follow this rule are(
8eddu beautiful
8ra!u good
)aru dear
Gran big, great
8ruttu bad
8on good
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)hidda 5 na bedda picci1tta
That one is *really+ a beautiful young lady
#ddu a!i nu gran ca!-ddu $e *really+ has a great horse
Du patri a!i n=-!utru cani
The father has an other *different+ dog
Da iena 5 un bruttu arm-lu
The hyena is *truly+ an ugly *bad+ animal
#ddu 5 un caru picci1ttu $e is a dear young man
$ere too we ha!e e"ceptions in the endings. Some ad2ecti!es end in i, and they can follow amasculine or feminine noun and ha!e the same ending in the plural form, as in(
&asculine Ceminine
Du bordu diagun-li Da lnia diagun-li The diagonal line, edge
Du suli luc5nti Da stidda luc5nti The shining star, sun
Du !iolu cum4ni Da strata cum4ni The common street, pathway
Assra !itti na stidda luc5nti Dast night # saw a brilliant star
#u nni !itti 0u-ttru stiddi luc5nti # saw four brilliant stars
&i tru!-!a nta la tra775ra cum4ni # was in the commn pathway
>du omu 5 gnur-nti That man is ignorant
Some ad2ecti!es form ad!erbs by adding menti to the ending(
Ad2ecti!e Ad!erb
%m-nu umanam5nti humanly
'eru !eram5nti truly
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Sicuru sicuram5nti certainly
Stanu stranam5nti strangely
%n 5ssiri um-nu l=-i a tratt-ri cchi4 umanam5nti pussbili.
Oou ha!e to treat a human being as humanly as possible
Ru-nnu parr-!a cu mia sicuram5nti dic5!a fissar.
hen he was talking to me he was lying *saying nonsense+
Anchi si lu fattu era !eru un signfica ca era !eram5nti bonu.
K!en if what happened was true it does not mean that it was truly good
>iminuti!e, Augmentati!e
#n Sicilian we find two ways of altering the 0uality or 0uantity of a noun or an ad2ecti!e( adiminuti!e to denote 0uantity or 0uality, someone or something small or to denoteendearment, in the noun or ad2ecti!e, as in(
S5ggia siggit5dda chair, little chair, cute chair
&-sculu masculddu lad, little lad, cute lad
Soru sur477a sister, little sister, cute sister
&ischnu mischin5ddu poor thing, poorest thing *someone+
Porta purtic5dda door, little door, cute door
Piru pirddu pear, little pear, cute pear
Surd-tu surdat5ddu soldier, small, cute soldier
A!a un m-sculu e ci fici na sur477a
# had a boy and # made him a little sister
&I 7iu a!i un masculddu &y uncle has a little boy
>da casa a!i na bedda purtic5dda that house has a pretty little door
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>du surdat5ddu, mischnu, e/ fir4tu
That little soldier, poor thing, is wounded
An augmentati!e, to denote 0uantity? to make an augmentati!e, the ending uni is added to thenoun or ad2ecti!e, as in(
)asa cas4ni house, big house
'ecchiu !icchi4ni old man, !ery old man
&anu man4ni hand, big hand
Cossu fuss4ni ditch, big ditch
Paredda paridd4ni skillet, big skillet
Gaddina gaddin4ni chicken, big chicken
A pe2orati!e, to denote 0uality. To make a pe2orati!e the suffi" a77u *mascul.+ or a77a *femin.+is added to the noun or ad2ecti!e(
)asa cas-77a house, ugly big house'5cchiu !icchi-77u old, ugly, bad old man
&anu man-77a hand, ugly big handCossu fuss-77u ditch, ugly big ditchPar5dda paridd-77a skillet, ugly big skillet Gaddna gaddin-77achicken, ugly big chicken
#ddu sta!a nta na cas-77a $e li!ed in an ugly house)hista nun 5 casa, chista 5 cas4ni This is not a house, it is a big houseDu piccirddu a!ia dui man4na The baby had two big handsCri5!a lo!u nta nu paridd4ni She was frying the egg in a big skilletKra un fuss-77u chinu di fangu #t was an ugly ditch full of mud
)omparati!e and Absolute
The comparati!e in Sicilian is made in two ways. )omparison by e0uality by adding thead!erbs, comu, tantu e 0u-ntu *as+, as in(
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>du libbru 5 comu lu miu That book is like mine
#u -iu tantu pani 0u-ntu nn=-i tu # ha!e as much bread as you
Da mI casa 5 bedda comu la tua &y house is as beautiful as your
And comparison by ine0uality, by adding the ad!erb cchi4 *more+, or menu, *less+
&I frati 5 cchi4 granni d=iddu &y brother is older than he
SJ soru 5 cchi4 bedda di mia $is sister is more beautiful than #
#u sordi nn=aiu menu d=iddu # ha!e less money than he
)ertain comparati!es, made up by m5gghiu *better+, p5ggiu *worse+, do not take the ad!erbcchi4 *more+, as in(
&5gghiu di chiddu 8etter than that
P5ggiu di l=-!utru orse than the other
Du s-cciu fari m5gghiu d=iddu # know how to do it better than he does
Pi tra!agghi-ri 5 p5ggiu di mia #n order of work he is worse than # am
The relati!e superlati!e is formed by adding the article lu, la, li, as in(
Di cchi4 nichi the youngest
Du cchi4 forti the strongest
Di cchi4 chini the fullest
Du cchi4 autu the tallest
&I fgghia 5 la cchi4 bedda di tutti &y daughter is the most beautiful of all
>du muru 5 lu cchi4 ghi-!utu di chidd=-!utri
That wall is the highest of those others
Sta corda 5 la cchi4 forti di l=-!utri dui This rope is the strongest of the others
>di cir-si sunnu li cchi4 duci di tutti Those cherries are the sweetest of all
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The superlati!e absolute is made by adding the suffi" issimu, issima, for the singular, andissimi for the plural. #t also can be formed with the ad!erbs assai, !eru or the suffi" uni, as in(
8enssimu !ery well
)arssimu dearest
'eru laidu truly ugly *ugliest+
Assai lentu truly slow *slowest+
'eru duci truly sweet *sweetest+
icc4ni !ery rich
'eru longu truly long *longest+
Du conti 5 ricc4ni The count is !ery rich
>da fmmina 5 !eru laida That woman is truly ugly
)arssimu amicu, !ui siti assai lentu
&y dearest friend, you are !ery slow
Sta strata 5 !eru longa This road is !ery long
Possessi!e ad2ecti!es
The ad2ecti!es of possession are?
&asculine Singular Ceminine
&iu mia mine
Tou tua yours
Sou sua his, hers
Plural
@ostru nostru ours
'ostru !ostru yours
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Soi soi theirs
These ad2ecti!es, in the singular, applied to a noun contract to mI, tJ, sJ, and the plural soialso contract to sJ, as in(
&I frati my brother
TJ soru your sister
SJ patri his, her father
SJ figghiu their son
&I 7iu !inni cu sJ nannu &y uncle came with his grandfather
TJ fgghiu Qu a sJ casa Oour son went to his house
)i dettiru li sordi a sJ fgghiu They ga!e money to their son
These ad2ecti!es are also used with a simple or compound preposition, as in(
Stu gattu lu tru!-i !icnu la mI casa # found this cat near my house
#ddu ioca cu la tJ palla $e plays with your ball
>da casa di sJ matri That house belongs to his mother
Ssu cani nun di mI cucnu That dog is not my cousin=s
D=-rbuli sunnu di tJ patri The trees belong to your father
Du ca!-ddu lu dugnu a sJ nip4ti # will gi!e the horse to his nephew
Dunt-nu di la mI casa Car from my house
all-tu a mI patri 8esides my father
The preposition di denotes possession(
Da casa di &aria &ary=s house
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Du cani di Petru Peter=s dog
Du ca!-ddu di &arcu &arc=s horse
>i cuiL >i &arcu. hoseL &arc=s
Ruantitati!e Ad2ecti!e
The ad2ecti!e 0uantitati!e indicates 0uantity, as in(
Ru-ntu sunnuL $ow many are thereL
Ru-ntu acchi-ni tantu scinni
As much you go up so much you will come down
Ru-ntu surd-ti c=eranuL $ow many soldiers were thereL
The numerals, sometimes indicate an appro"imate 0uantity, as in(
@a dicna about ten
@a cinchna about fi!e
%n cintin-ru about a hundred
@a cin0uantna about fifty
)=eranu na cin0uantna d=arm-li There were about fifty animals
Ru-si na !intina About twenty
>ammi na chilata di pasta Gi!e me about a kilo of pasta
>ammnni d fila di spagh5tti
Gi!e me a couple *a few strands+ of spaghetti
>emostrati!e Ad2ecti!es
The demonstrati!e ad2ecti!es are those that indicate of which ob2ect we are talking about.
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They are(
&asculine Ceminine
)histu chista this
)hissu chissa that
)hiddu chidda that
)histu 5 mI patri This is my father
)hissu e chissa sunnu li mI 7iiThat one and that one are my aunt and uncle
Cor clarification the ad!erbs here, there, further often are used, as in(
)histu cc- chista cc- This one here *near me+
)hissu ddocu chissa ddocu That one there *near you+
)hiddu dd- chidda dd- That one there *away from both of us+
)histu cc- mi piaci m5gghiu # like better this one here
)hissu ddocu e cchiu/ sapurtu That one *near you+ is prettier
)hiddu dd- nun e miu That one there is not mine
These ad2ecti!es are often used in a contracted way, as in(
Stu sta this
Ssu ssa that
>du dda that
Stu ball4ni 5 russu This balloon is red
Ssu -r!ulu 5 ghi-!utu That tree is tall
>du gaddu canta ogni matna That rooster crows e!ery morning
Lesson &: Sicilian
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pronouns
Written by Nino Russo>emostrati!e Pronouns
The demostrati!e pronouns are(
)histu chista this *near me+
)hissu chissa that *near you+
)hiddu chidda that *away from us+
)histu nun mi pi-ci !1gghiu chiddu # do not like this, # want that
Prefirsciu chistu a chiddu # prefer this one to that one
)hissa nun mi pi-ci # do no like that one
Personal Pronouns
The personal pronouns are as follows(
Singular
#u, mi #, me
Tu, ti you
#ddu he, him, she, her
Plural
@ui, nu-tri, nni we, us
'ui, !ui-tri, !i you
#ddi they, them
#u !aiu a )at-nia # go to )atania
#ddi la!-nu li robbi They are washing the clothes
'ui-tri nun c=5ra!u a la cresia Oou were not at church
Tu ci isti puru Oou went too.
#ddi i5ru a chiam-ri a iddu They went to call him
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The following pronouns are also used with a preposition, as in(
>i mia of me
A tia to you
@ni iddu, a idda by him, to her
>i nui, cu nui-tri of us, with us
nni !ui , a !ui-tri by you, to you
)u iddi with them
Du cani si scanta di mia The dog fears me *is fearful of me+
Stu libbru lu dugnu a tia # gi!e this book to you
&I soru si nni iu cu iddi &y sister went with them
>da gatta !inni nni nui-tri That cat came by us
Possessi!i Pronouns.
Singular
Du miu mine
Du tou, tJ yours
Du sou, sJ his, hers
Plural
Du nostru ours
Du !ostru yours
Du sou, sJ theirs
Di nostri pussidim5nti sunnu granni Mur possession are big
Sta casa 5 la mia This is my house
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Di nostri par5nti annu a !5niri tutti cc-
Mur relati!es wiil all come here
Di sJ par5nti nun ci !anno Their relati!es will not go
The possessi!e ad2ecti!e precedes always the noun to which it refers, the possessi!e pronouncan stay by itself, as in(
'aiu E mI *a la mia+ casa # go to my house
Du tJ bicch5ri e la sJ buttgghia
Oour glass and his, her bottle
Tu parti cu la tJ machna, e iu cu la mia
Oou lea!e with your car and # with mine
#u m-nciu lu mI pani e tu lu tJ
# eat my bread and you yours
elati!e Pronouns
The relati!e pronouns can refer to person, animal or thing, they are(
)hi which, that, who, whom
)a which, that, who, whom
)ui, c which, whom
Ruali which. ho
)hi e ca are ne!er used with a preposition(
Da manu chi aiuta The hand that helps
D=omu ca tra!-gghia The man who works
)ui is always used with a preposition(
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)hista 5 la casa di cui ti parr-i
This is the house of which # talked to you
#n some Sicilian sayings, cui is used as who(
)ui cu cani si curca cu pucci si le!a.
ho goes to bed with the dog will rise with flees.
)ui duna pani a lu cani perdi lu pani e lu cani.
ho gi!es bread to the dog loses the bread and the dog.
Ru-li is always preceded by the definite article(
Ru-nnu !itti l=a!!uc-tu di 'ic5n7u, lu 0u-li addifinnu a Petru, nun lu !osi tali-ri.
hen # saw 'ince=s attorney, who defended Peter, # did not e!en wanted to look at him.
@cuntr-i la soru di usulia cu la 0u-li iu ia!a a scola.
# met oalie=s sister with whom # used to go to school
%ses e"pressi!e of chi, comu, 0u-ntu(
)omu 5 bedda dda piccirdda
$ow beautiful is that little girl
Ru-ntu 5 l-idu ddu cani $ow ugly is that dog
)hi furt4na hat luck
)hi beddi rosi hat beautiful roses
Lesson ':
Sicilian verbs
Written by Nino Russo'erbs( Au"iliary
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The au"iliary !erbs are two(
A!ri To ha!e
Hssiri To be
They are called au"iliary because they help the main !erb(
Aiu manci-tu # ha!e eaten
Sugnu sud-tu # am sweating
#n Sicilian this form, which is called present perfect, is not much used, instead the preterite isused in most cases.
The !erbs are organi7ed in con2ugation and the con2ugations are organi7ed in modes andtenses. The most commonly used are the #ndicati!e &ode, the #mperati!e &ode, theSub2uncti!e, the Gerundi!e, the Participle, and the #nfinite. The )onditional is also used but notas much.
#n Sicilian it is not necessary to ha!e the personal pronoun before the !erb, because the endingof the !erb, or the contest of the sentence, determines the number of the person, singular orplural, to which it is referred.
As an au"iliary the !erb a!ri *to ha!e+ is mostly used.
#ndicati!e &ode of the 'erbs to $a!e and to 8e Tenses
Present
*#u+ Aiu # ha!e sugnu # am
*tu+ Ni you ha!e sQ you are
*iddu, idda+ N!i he, she, it has 5 he, she, it is
*nui+ A!5mu we ha!e semu we are
*!ui+ A!ti you ha!e siti you are
*iddi+ Nnnu they ha!e sunnu they are
#u aiu na soru # ha!e a sister
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#ddu 5 mal-tu $e is sick
#mperfect
a!ia # had
era # was
a!5!i you had eri you were
a!ia he, she, it had era he, she. #t was
a!amu we had 5ramu we were
a!a!u you had 5ra!u you were
a!anu they had 5ranu they were
tu a!5!i tanti cucni iddi 5ranu assitt-ti
Oou had many cousins They were siting
Present Perfect
Aiu a!4tu # ha!e had aiu statu # ha!e been
'ui a!ti a!4tu dui cani #u aiu statu E casa
Oou ha!e had two dogs # ha!e been at the house
Preterite
#ddu appi li sordi $e had the money
@ui fomu a mmari e were at the sea
Appi # had fui
A!sti you had fusti
Appi he,she,it had fu
Npimu we had fomu
A!sti!u you had f4sti!u
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Nppiru they had foru
Past Perfect
A!ia a!4tu # had had
a!ia statu # had been
#u a!ia a!4tu na bicicl5tta #u a!ia statu fora
# had had a bicycle # had been outside
Sub2uncti!e &ode( Tenses present
Aiu # *may+ ha!e sia # *may+ be
Ni you *may+ ha!e si= you *may+ be
N!i he, she, it *may+ has sia he *may+ be
A!5mu we *may+ ha!e siamu we *may+ be
A!ti you *may+ ha!e siati you *may+ be
Nnnu they *may+ ha!e sianu they *may+ be
The Sicilian uses the present sub2uncti!e as the present indicati!e.
#ddu cridi ca iu aiu na gatta
#ddi p5nsanu ca iu sugnu st4pitu
$e belie!es tha # ha!e a cat
They think that # am *may be+ a fool
#mperfect
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A!ssi # had, might ha!e
fussi # was, might be
A!ssi you had, might ha!e
fussi you were, might be
A!ssi he,she, it had, might ha!e
fussi he, she, it was, might be
A!ssimu we had, might ha!e
f4ssimu we were, might be
A!ssi!u you had, might ha!e
f4ssi!u you were, might be
a!ssiru they hadmight ha!e
f4ssiru they were, might be
#u pins-!a chi iddu a!ssi un frati
#ddu crid5!a ca f4ssimu ns5mmula
# thouht that he had a brother
$e belie!ed that we were together
Past Perfect
A!ssi a!4tu # had had, might ha!e had
a!ssi statu # had been, might ha!e been
#ddi !ul5!anu chi a!ssi a!4tu na casa
#u spir-!a ca iddu a!ssi statu n Siclia
The wanted that # might ha!e had a house
# hoped that he might ha!e been in Sicily
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)onditional &ode( Present
A!irra # would ha!e
sarra *f1ra+ # would be
A!irrssi yoiu
sarssi you
A!irrssi he, she, it
sarra *f1ra+ he, she, it
A!irramu we
sarramu *f1ramu+ we
A!irra!u you
sarra!u *f1ra!u+ you
A!irranu they
sarranu *f1ranu+ they
A!irra a tra!agghiari )histi sarranu boni
# would ha!e to work These would be good
A!irra parr-tu cu )icciu, ma a!ia gi- part4tu.
# would ha!e spoken to Crank, but he had already left.
Sarra arri!-to doppu ma !inni a c4rriri.
# would ha!e arri!ed later but a came running.
Past
A!irra a!4tu # would ha!e had
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a!irra statu # would ha!e been
A st=ura a!irra a!4tu tri cani
)i a!irra statu dum-ni E sJ casa
8y now # would ha!e had three dogs
# would ha!e been at his house tomorrow
#mperati!e &ode
ith this mode the Sicilian uses the sub2uncti!e(
Ni a manci-ri Oou ha!e to eat
Stai bonu 8e good
A!ti a partri Oou ha!e to lea!e
Stati cueti 8e 0uiet
The negati!e imperati!e in Sicilian of the second singular person is formed by the infininiti!e(
%n a!ri pr5scia >o not be in a hurry
%n 5ssiri testa dura >o not be a hard head
#nfiniti!e
A!ri to ha!e Hssiri to be
A!ri figghi Hssiri p1!iri
To ha!e children To be poor
Passatu
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A!ri a!4tu To ha!e had
Hssiri statu To ha!e been
A!iri a!4tu furt4na To ha!e had luck
Hssiri statu mal-tu To ha!e been sick
Participle( Past
A!4tu had statu been
D=aiu a!4tu sempri # ha!e had it always
#ddu - statu car7ar-tu $e has been in 2ail
Gerund( Present
A!5nnu ha!ing ess5nnu being
A!5nnu sordi si campa m5gghiu
Kss5nnu sulu spennu picca
8y ha!ing money one can li!e better
8y being alone # spend less
Past
A!5nnu a!4tu ha!ing had
ess5nnu statu ha!ing been
A!ennu a!4tu sempri la matri ora mi sentu sulu
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Kssennu statu mal-tu, sugnu siccu
$a!ing always had a mother, now # felt lonely
$a!ing been sick, # am thin
Sicilian espressions with the !erb a!ri *to ha!e+
Aiu pitttu # am hungry
-i siti Oou are thirsty
a!ti sonnu Oou are sleepy
-nnu pr5scia They are in a hurry
a!5mu deci anni l=unu e are ten years old each
#ddu -!i pitttu e iu aiu siti $e is hungry and # am thirsty
#ddi -nnu sonnu e nui a!5mu pr5scia
They are sleepy and we are in a hurry
&I frati a!i cinc=anni e iu nn=aiu no!i
&y brother is fi!e years old and # am nine
Lesson (:
Sicilian verbs
Written by Nino RussoSicilian !erbs ha!e three con2ugations the first with ending in ari(
Parr-ri to speak
&anci-ri to eat
Cum-ri to smoke
The second with the ending in iri short(
ic!iri to recei!e
Scr!iri to write
isp4nniri to answer
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Cinri to finish
Sippillri to bury
>urmri to sleep
Some of these !erbs can be interchanged from short to long and !ice!ersa(
>urmri, d1rmiri *to sleep+? suffrri, s1ffriri *to suffer+? murri, m1riri *to die+? gudri, g1diri *toen2oy+
#u parru Sicili-nu # speak Sicilian
Tu finsci di parr-ri Oou finish talking
iddu dormi ora $e sleeps now
nui-tri manci-mu ancora e are still eating
!ui-tri parr-ti cu idda Oou talk to her
iddi finscinu di tra!agghi-ri
They finish working
#ndicati!e &ode
Present
Parru # speak dormu # sleep
parri you speak dormi you sleep
parra he, she, it speaks dormi he, she, it sleeps
parr-mu we speak durm5mu we sleep
parr-ti you speak durmti you sleep
p-rranu they speak d1rminu they sleep
#mperfect
Parr-!u # spoke durm!i # slept
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parr-!i you spoke durm!i you slept
parr-!a he, she, it spoke durm!a he, she, it slept
parr-!amu we spoke durm5!amu we slept
parr-!a!u you spoke durm5!a!u you slept
parr-!anu they spoke durmanu they slept
The future in Sicilian is ne!er or !ery seldom used, in its place the Sicilian uses the presentindicati!e(
Si >iu !oli e camp-mu dum-ni nni !id5mu
#f God wants and we will li!e we will see each other tomorrow
Present Perfect
Aiu parr-tu # ha!e spoken
aiu durm4tu # ha!e slept
Preterite
Parr-i # spoke durm # slept
parr-sti you spoke durmsti you slept
parro/ he, she, it spoke durmu he,she,it slept
parr-mu we spoke durm5mu we slept
parr-sti!u you spoke durmsti!u you slept
parr-ru they spoke durm5ru they slept
Past Perfect
A!ia parr-tu # had spoken
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a!ia durm4tu # had slept
Sub2uncti!e
Present
See indicati!e present
#mperfect
Parr-ssi # spoke, might speak durmssi, # slept, might sleep
parr-ssi durmssi
parr-ssi durmssi
parr-ssimu durmssimu
parr-ssi!u durmssi!u
parr-ssiru durmssiru
Past Perfect
A!ssi parr-tu # might ha!e spoken
a!ssi durm4tu # might ha!e slept
)onditinal
Present
Parrira # would speak durmira # would sleep
Parrirssi durmirssi
Parrira durmira
Parriramu durmiramu
Parrira!u durmira!u
Parriranu durmiranu
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Past
A!irra parr-tu # would ha!e spoken
a!irra durm4tu # would ha!e slept
#mperati!e
Parra *tu+ speak *sing.+ dormi sleep
parr-ti *!ui+ speak *plur.+ durmti sleep
#nfiniti!e
Present
Parr-ri to speak
durmri to sleep
Past
A!ri parr-tu to ha!e spoken
a!ri durm4tu to ha!e slept
Participle
Past
Parr-tu spoken
durm4tu slept
Gerund
Present
Parr-nnu speaking
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durm5nnu sleeping
Past
A!5nnu parr-tu ha!ing spoken
A!5nnu durm4tu ha!ing slept
These are some of the !erbs that are con2ucated like parr-ri(
&anci-ri to eat
am-ri to lo!e
tru!-ri to find
sun-ri to play *an instrument+
ciati-ri to breath
fum-ri to smoke
amma77-ri to kill
tra!agghi-ri to work
These are some of the !erbs that are con2ugated like dormiri or durmiri(
diri to laugh
finri to finish
gudri to en2oy
murri to die
esstiri to e"ist
c1gghiri to har!est
pr5miri to press
s5ntiri to hear, to feel
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Aiu !in4tu # ha!e caome aiu !ul4tu # ha!ewanted
-i !in4tu you ha!e come ai !ol4tu you ha!ewanted
a!i !in4tu he,she,it has come a!i !ul4tu he, she, ithas wanted
a!5mu !in4tu we ha!e come a!5mu !ol4tu we ha!ewanted
a!ti !in4tu you ha!e come a!ti !ol4tu you ha!ewanted
-nnu !in4tu they ha!e come -nnu !ul4tu they ha!ewanted
Preterite
'inni # came !osi # wanted
!insti you came !ulsti you wanted
!inni he, she, it came !osi he, she, it wanted
!nnimu we came !1simu we wanted
!insti!u you came !ulsti!u you wanted
!nniru they came !1siru they wanted
Past perfect
A!a !in4tu # had come a!a !ol4tu # had wanted
Sub2uncti!e
#mperfect
'inssi # might come !ulssi # might want
!inssi you !ulssi you
!inssi he, she it !ulssi he, she, iti
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!inssimu we !ulssimu we
!inssi!u you !ulssi!u you
!inssiru they !ulssiru they
Past perfect
A!ssi !in4tu # might ha!e come
a!ssi !ol4tu # might ha!e wanted
)onditional
Present
'inirra # would come
!urra # would want
!inirrssi you
!urrssi you
!inirra he, she, it
!urra he, she, it
!inirramu we
!urramu we
!inirra!u you
!urra!u you
!inirranu they
!urranu they
Past
A!irra !in4tu # would ha!e come
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a!irra !ol4tu # would ha!e wanted
#mperati!e
'eni come *you+
!oi want *you+
'egna come *he+ !1gghia want *he+
'in5mu come *we+
!ul5mu want *we+
'inti come *you+
!ulti want *you+
'5gnanu come *they+
!1gghianu want *they+
#nfiniti!e
Present
'5niri to come !ulri to want
Past
/ A!ri !in4tu to ha!e come
a!ri !ul4tu to ha!e wanted
Participle
Past
'in4tu come !ul4tu wanted
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Gerund
Present
'in5nnu coming !ul5nnu wanting
Past
A!5nnu !in4tu ha!ing come
a!5nnu !ul4tu ha!ing wanted
#ntrrogat!e Corms
The interrogati!e forms, most of the time, place the sub2ect at the end of the sentence(
)i Qu a scola &ariaL >id &ary go to schoolL
%nni sta osa L here does ose li!eL
&=asc4ti fgghiuL Are you listening to me, sonL
#nterrogati!e forms chi *what+, cui, cu *who, whom+(
)u !inni a tJ casaL ho came to your houseL
)hi fai ddocuL hat are youy doing thereL
)u ti lu dissi accussL ho told you soL
A chi ser!i chistuL hat= is the pourpose of thisL
A cui la dugnu la l=ac0uaLTo whom should # gi!e the waterL
#nterrogati!e c=5 *there is+ and ci sunnu *thre are+(
)=5 la tele!isi1ni a sJ casaL
#s there a tele!ision at his houseL
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)i sunnu li lampi nta scalaL
Are there lights in the stairwayL
)=5 lu tel5funu nni tJ soruL
#s there a telephone at you sister=sL
)i sunnu li utti pi lu !inuL
Are there barrels for the wineL
The Sicilian language uses two forms of addressing people, the familiar, with peers friends andfamily members, and the polite with strngers, older people or people to whom one wants toshow respect. #n the first case is used the second person singular of the !erb, in the secondcase is used the second person plural of the !erb.
Camiliar(
Pgghiami ssu pani Get me that bread
Att-cca sta corda. Tie this rope
)hi-ma lu cani )all the dog
Polite(
'ossa chi-ma a me frati )all my brother
)i parr-ssi !ossa cu iddu Oou talk to him
'ossa mi fa n fa!4ri >o me a fa!or
A sentence is made negati!e by adding nun or the contracted un before the !erb(
%n sacciu nenti # do not know anything
@un capsciu chiddu chi dici
# do not understand what you are saying
%n parru bonu lu Sicili-nu # do not speak Sicilian well
Lesson 1): *lteration o+ the participle, re+leive +or-s in sicilian
language
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Written by Nino RussoAlteration of the Participle
The Sicilian language alters the past participle in the same way alters the nouns with thediminuti!e, augmentati!e and pe2orati!e forms(
>ispir-tu desperate
dispirat5ddu a little desperate
dispirat4ni !ery desperate
dispirat-77u badly desperate
)om= 5 lu tempuL )anciat5ddu.
$ow is the weatherL A little changed.
S nn=iu tJ soruL S era mprisciat-77a.
#s your sister goneL Oes, she was in a kind of a hurry
&I cucnu !inni !istut4ni.
&y cousin came !ery dressed up.
Runnu parr1 era mpacciat5ddu
hen he spoke he was a little imbarassed.
K"pressions with the 'erb “Cari”
Mggi fa c-!uru Today it is hot
>d- fa bon tempu M!er there the weather is nice
)c- fa un friddu di m1riri $ere it is so cold one can die
# picciutt5ddi fac5!anu !uccira
The little ones were making noise
'idri a mI patri accuss mi fa pena
To see my father in those conditions it pained me
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Cacci na dumm-nna a tJ soru
Ask a 0uestion to your sister
Cacti finta di durmri
&ake belie!e that you are asleep
efle"i!e forms
#n the refle"i!e forms the !erb describes what the sub2ect is doing(
&i di!5rtu # en2oy myself
T=addummsci Oou fall asleep *you put yourself to sleep+
Si la!a $e is washing himself
@ni sus5mu e get oursel!es up
'i c4rcati Oou go to bed *put yourself to bed+
Si talanu They look at themsel!es
Ru-nnu !aiu a mari mi di!5rtu
hen # go to he beach, # en2oy myself
Arrist-ru a tali-risi a lu sp5cchiu
They stayed to watch themsel!es in the mirror
Kranu stanchi e si curc-ru
They were tired and went to bed
>oppu dui uri di stari assitt-ti !i sussti!u
After two hours of sitting you got up
Lesson 11: Nu-bers, the days o+ the wee., seasons in sicilian
language
Written by Nino RussoDi misi di l=annu(
#nn-ru 6anuary
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Cri!-ru Cebruary
&-r7u &arch
Aprli April
&-iu &ay
Gi4gnu 6une
D4gliu 6uly
A4stu August
Sitt5mmiru September
Mtt4!iru Mctober
@u!5mmiru @o!ember
>ic5mmiru >ecember
The days of the week(
D4nniri &onday
&-rtiri Tuesday
&5rcuri ednesday
#1!iri Thurday
'5nniri Criday
S-batu Saturday
>umnica Sunday
The seasons of the year(
Prima!5ra, stati, at4nnu, mmernu
Spring, summer, autumn, winter
Prima!5ra and stati are feminine. at4nnu e mmernu are masculine.
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Da prima!5ra 5 china di ciuri Springtime is full of flowers
@na la stati fa ca!uru #n summer it is hot
@na l=at4nnu c=5 la !innigna #n the fall the grapes are har!ested
@na lu mmernu c=5 friddu #n winter it is cold
)ardinal @umbers
9 unu one 99 4nnici ele!en U9 !int4nu twentyone
U dui two 9U d4dici twel!e UU !intid4i twentytwo
V tri three 9V trdici thirteen UV !intitr etc. twentythree etc.
; 0u-ttru four 9; 0uatt1rdici fourteen VW trenta thirty
X cincu fi!e 9X 0unnici fifteen V9 trent4nu thirtyone
Y sei si" 9Y sdici si"teen VU trentad4i thirtytwo
< setti se!en 9< diciss5tti se!enteen VV trentatr etc. Thirtythree etc.
Z ottu eight 9Z dici1ttu eghteen ;W 0uaranta forty
: no!i nine 9: dicinn1!i nineteen ;9 0urant4nu fortyone
9W deci ten UW !inti twenty ;U 0uarantad4i etc. fortytwo etc.
XW cin0u-nta fifty ZW ott-nta eighty
YW siss-nta si"ty :W no!-nta ninety
<W sitt-nta se!enty 9WW centu one hundred
The number !inti, trenta, 0uaranta, cin0uanta, sissanta sittanta, ottanta e no!anta lose thefinal !owel before the unu *one+ and the ottu *eight+
'int1ttu, trent1ttu, cin0uant1ttu etc.
To centu are added the abo!e numbers, and the same method is used after 9WWW. thenumerals abo!e one hundred are written as one word
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9W9 centu4nu etc. one hundred and one etc.
UWWW duimla Two thousand
999 centu4nnici etc. one hundred ele!en etc.
UXWW duimilacincuc5ntu Twentyfi!e hundred
9U9 centu!int4nu etc. one hundred and twentione
VWWW trimla three thousand
UWW duic5ntu two hundred
9WW.WWW centumla one hundred thousand
VWW tricc5ntu three hundred
9WWW.WWW un mili4ni one million
;WW 0uattruc5ntu four hundred
9WWW.WWW.WWW un mili-rdu one billion
XWW cincuc5ntu fi!e hundred
YWW seic5ntu si" hundred
<WW settic5ntu se!en hundred
ZWW ottuc5ntu eight hundred
:WW no!ic5ntu nine hundred
9WWW milli one thousand
9WW9 millie4nu one thousand and one
The numerals from 99WW on are not read ele!en hundred etc. in Sicilian, but &illiec5ntu etc
9VWW millietricc5ntu thirteen hundred
9<WW milliesettic5ntu se!enteen hundred
9:WW millieno!ic5ntu nineteen hundred
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UVWW duimilatricc5ntu twenty three hundred
#n Sicilian the date uses the day first and then the month and the year. The day uses always acardinal number preceded by the determinati!e article, but on the first day of the month ituses the ordinal number(
Du primu di gi4gnu The first of 6une
Du < di maiu The se!enth of &ay
Ru-ntu nn=a!5mu oggiL hat is todayL
Mggi nn=a!5mu Y. Today is the si"th
#ddu partu lu X di austu. $e left on the fifth of august
&I matri !eni lu 9X di sitt5mmiru
my mother will come on the fifteenth of September.
Mrdinal @umbers
Primu Cirst
dudic5simu twelfth
Sec4nnu second
tridic5simu thirteenth
Ter7u third
0uattordic5simu fourteenth
Ru-rtu fourth
!intitri5simu twentithird
Runtu fifth
!intcinch5simu twentyfifth
Sestu si"th
trentott5simu thirtyeighth
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S5ttimu se!enth
0uarant5simu fortieth
Mtt-!u eighth
cent5simu one hundredth
@onu nineth
cincucent5simu fi!e hundredth
>5cimu tenth
mill5simu one thousandth
%nnic5simu ele!enth
miliun5simu one millionth
#n the ordinal numbers, after the d5cimu, it is enough to drop the final !owel of the numberand adding esimu. Mnly in those numbers ending with an i the !owel stays(
'intitri5simu UVrd
)in0uantatri5simu etc. XVrd
and those number ending with the u, they drop the final !owel and add the h(
'inticinch5simu UXth
Ruarantacinch5simu etc. ;Xth
The ordinal numbers beha!e as ad2ecti!es and follow the gender and the number of the nounthey describe(
Du primu !iaggiu the fisrt tra!el
Di primi ac0ui the first rains
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Da prima missa the first mass
Di primi casi the first huses
Da 0uarta !ota the fourth time
#f the ordinal number refers to title, it follows the name(
Cidiricu ## Crederick the ##
Krricu '# $enry the '#
Duigi #[ Douis the #[
The ordinal numbers are written with special capital letters(
# primu 9st## sec4nnu Und### ter7u Vrd#' 0u-rtu ;th' 0untu Xth'# sestu Yth'## s5ttimu <th'### ott-!u Zth
#[ nonu :th
[ d5cimu 9Wth
[# unnic5simu 99th [#[ dicinnu!5simu9:th
[[ !int5simu UWth[[[ trent5simu V9st[D 0uarant5simu ;WthD cin0uant5simu XWthD[ sissant5simu YWth[) no!ant5simu :Wth) cent5simu 9WWth> cincucent5simu XWWth
& mill5simu 9WWWth
The omans did not know the cardinal numbers and they used the ordinal numbers for e!eryneed. for this reason they used to write e!en the dates with ordinal numbers. here are somee"amples of how the years are written with ordinal numbers(