Saturday, March 21, 2020
The Remote Past Tense in Italian
The Remote Past Tense in Italian The remote past tense (passato remoto), although typically used to talk about history or in literature, is actually a simple tense and is formed by one word. In general, as we referenced, it refers to the historical past or to events that have happened in the distant past relative to the speaker. However, there are many places in the south of Italy that still use the remote past tense as the passato prossimo. For example, someone might use the past remote tense to talk about something that happened just two weeks ago. How to Form the Past Remote Tense Follow this format to form the passato remoto of regular verbs: For -are verbs, drop the infinitive ending and add one of these personal endings to the root: -ai, -asti, -à ², -ammo, -aste, -arono.For -ere verbs, drop the infinitive ending and add these personal endings to the root: -ei, -esti, -à ©, -emmo, -este, -erono. Note that many regular -ere verbs have an alternative form in the first person singular, third person singular, and third person plural forms.For -ire verbs, drop the infinitive ending and add these personal endings to the root: -ii, -isti, -à , -immo, -iste, -irono. Here are a few examples of how the remote past is used in Italian: Dante si rifugià ² a Ravenna. - Dante took refuge in Ravenna.Petrarca morà ¬ nel 1374. - Petrarca died in 1374.Michelangelo nacque nel 1475. - Michelangelo was born in 1475. The table below provides examples of three regular Italian verbs (one of each class) conjugated in the remote past tense. Conjugating Italian Verbs in the Remote Past Tense PARLARE RICEVERE CAPIRE io parlai ricevei (ricevetti) capii tu parlasti ricevesti capisti lui, lei, Lei parl ricev (ricevette) cap noi parlammo ricevemmo capimmo voi parlaste riceveste capiste loro, Loro parlarono riceverono (ricevettero) capirono Irregular Verbs in the Past Remote Tense Like with most verbs in Italian, there are plenty of irregular ones in the past remote tense. Here are five common verbs. 1) Essere – To be fui                   fummo fosti                foste fu                    furono - Albert Einstein fu un uomo di grande saggezza. – Albert Einstein was a man of great wisdom. - â€Å"Fatti non foste per viver come bruti†¦Ã¢â‚¬ - â€Å"Consider your origins: You were not born to live like brutes. [Dante, La Divina Commedia, canto XXVI) 2) Avere – To have ebbi               avemmo avesti            aveste ebbe              ebbero - Ebbero cosà ¬ tanta fortuna da vincere persino il primo premio della lotteria nazionale! - They had such luck that they also won the first prize of the National Lottery! - Giulia ebbe il coraggio di donare un rene a sua sorella. - Giulia had the courage to donate a kidney to her sister. 3) Fare – To do/make feci                 facemmo facesti           faceste fece               fecero - Con pochi soldi fecero un matrimonio bellissimo. – They set up a beautiful wedding with little money. - Facemmo tutto il possibile per riportare alla luce l’affresco di Raffaello. - We did everything possible to bring to light Raffaello’s fresco. 4) Stare – To stay/to be stetti              stemmo stesti             steste stette             stettero - Mi ricordo che stetti in silenzio tutta la festa. Ero troppo timida! - I remember I spent the whole party without saying a word. I was too shy! - I feriti, dopo la scoperta della penicillina nel 1937, stettero subito meglio. - The wounded felt immediately better after the discovery of penicillin in 1937. 5) Dire – To say dissi              dicemmo dicesti           diceste disse             dissero - Cimabue disse: â€Å"L’allievo ha superato il maestro.†– Cimabue said: â€Å"The pupil has surpassed the teacher.†- Romeo e Giulietta si dissero parole d’amore che sono arrivate fino ai nostri tempi! - Romeo and Juliet said words of love to each other that have persisted until the present!
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
What You Should Know About Nigeria
What You Should Know About Nigeria Population: 152,217,341 (July 2010 estimate)Capital: AbujaBordering Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Chad, NigerLand Area: 356,667 square miles (923,768 sq km)Coastline: 530 miles (853 km)Highest Point: Chappal Waddi at 7,936 feet (2,419 m)Nigeria is a country located in West Africa along the Atlantic Oceans Gulf of Guinea. Its land borders are with Benin to the west, Cameroon, and Chad to the east and Niger to the north. Nigerias main ethnic groups are Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba. It is the most populous country in Africa and its economy is considered one of the fastest growing in the world. Nigeria is known for being the regional center of West Africa. History of Nigeria Nigeria has a long history that dates back as far as 9000 B.C.E. as shown in archaeological records. The earliest cities in Nigeria were the northern cities of Kano and Katsina that started around 1000 C.E. Around 1400, the Yoruba kingdom of Oyo was founded in the southwest and reach its height from the 17th to the 19th century. Around this same time, European traders began establishing ports for the slave trade to the Americas. In the 19th century, this changed to the trading of goods like palm oil and timber. In 1885, the British claimed a sphere of influence over Nigeria and in 1886, the Royal Niger Company was established. In 1900, the area became controlled by the British government and in 1914 it became the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. Throughout the mid-1900s and especially after World War II, the people of Nigeria began pushing for independence. In October 1960, it came when it was established as a federation of three regions with a parliamentary government. In 1963 however, Nigeria proclaimed itself a federal republic and drafted a new constitution. Throughout the 1960s, Nigerias government was unstable as it underwent several governmental overthrows; its prime minister was assassinated and was engaged in a civil war. Following the civil war, Nigeria focused on economic development and in 1977, after several more years of government instability, the country drafted a new constitution. Political corruption remained throughout the late 1970s and into the 1980s though and 1983, the Second Republic government as it came to be known was overthrown. In 1989, the Third Republic began and in the early 1990s, government corruption remained and there were several attempts to again overthrown the government. Finally, in 1995, Nigeria began to transition into a civilian rule. In 1999 a new constitution and in May of that same year, Nigeria became a democratic nation after years of political instability and military rule. Olusegun Obasanjo was the first president during this time and he worked to improve Nigerias infrastructure, the governments relationship with its people and its economy. In 2007, Obasanjo stepped down as president. Umaru YarAdua then became the president of Nigeria and he vowed to reform the countrys elections, fight its crime problems and continue working on economic growth. On May 5, 2010, YarAdua died and Goodluck Jonathan became the president of Nigeria on May 6. Government of Nigeria Nigerias government is considered a federal republic and it has a legal system based on English common law, Islamic law (in its northern states) and traditional laws. Nigerias executive branch is made up of a chief of state and a head of government- both of which are filled by the president. It also has a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Nigerias judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court and the Federal Court of Appeal. Nigeria is divided into 36 states and one territory for local administration. Economics and Land Use in Nigeria Although Nigeria has long had problems of political corruption and a lack of infrastructure it is rich in natural resources like oil and recently its economy has begun to grow into one of the fastest in the world. However, oil alone provides 95% of its foreign exchange earnings. Nigerias other industries include coal, tin, columbite, rubber products, wood, hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, and steel. Nigerias agricultural products are cocoa, peanuts, cotton, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, yams, rubber, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, timber, and fish. Geography and Climate of Nigeria Nigeria is a large country that has a varied topography. It is about twice the size of the U.S. state of California and is located between Benin and Cameroon. In the south, it has lowlands that climb into hills and plateaus in the central part of the country. In the southeast, there are mountains while the north consists mainly of plains. Nigerias climate also varies but the center and the south are tropical due to their locations near the equator, while the north is arid. More Facts about Nigeria Life expectancy in Nigeria is 47 years of ageEnglish is Nigerias official language but Hausa, Igbo Yoruba, Fulani, and Kanuri are others that are spoken in the countryLagos, Kano, and Ibadan are the largest cities in Nigeria References Central Intelligence Agency. (1 June 2010). CIA - The World Factbook - Nigeria. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ni.html Infoplease.com. (n.d.). Nigeria: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107847.htmlUnited States Department of State. (12 May 2010). Nigeria. Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2836.htmWikipedia.com. (30 June 2010). Nigeria - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)