Duration form

Materie:	Appunti
Categoria:	Inglese
Download:	895
Data:	26.09.2007
Numero di pagine:	4
Formato di file:	.doc (Microsoft Word)

Inizio modulo
Duration Form
La duration form è una forma particolare che serve:
a. a indicare una durata di un azione nel tempo
b. l'inizio di un'azione nel tempo
Per segnalare che l'azione espressa dal verbo è (o era) in qualche modo avvenuta,' laddove in italiano il verbo è al presente, in Inglese si mette il PASSATO PROSSIMO (PRESENT PERFECT); e laddove in Italiano si usa l'imperfetto, in Inglese SI USA IL TRAPASSATO PROSSIMO. Il "da" in Italiano, per esprimere la durata, in Inglese diventa for.
Es.: I have been here for two hours = son qui da due ore
Es.: She had been reading for an hour when the phone rang = leggeva da un ora quando suonò il telefono
Per indicare un inizio si usa since:
Es.: She has lived in London since 1998
Es.: they have been studying French since last year

-The simple preposition da (or its compound, depending on whether the subject requires a definite article or not) is used to express the starting time of a duration, thus translating several English forms:
 the form as of ...:
da giovedì = as of thursday
da oggi = as of today
dal 13 maggio = as of May 13th
 the form since ...:
da giugno del 1958 = since June 1958
dall'altroieri = since the day before yesterday
da mercoledì scorso = since last wednesday
da quel giorno = since that day
 the form from ..., when followed by to ... (see below for the second part of this expression):
dal 1975 al 1980 = from 1975 to 1980
da settembre a ottobre = from September to October
dalle cinque alle nove = from five (o'clock) to nine
da adesso in poi = from now on
-The simple preposition a ... indicates the end of a time length.
Remember that when a is followed by a vowel (especially another a), it changes to ad.
This preposition translates English to, when introduced by from (same case as above):
da lunedì a domenica = from monday to sunday
dal lunedì alla domenica = from (every) monday to (every) sunday
dalle cinque alle sette = from five (o'clock) to seven
da maggio ad agosto = from May to August (notice ad instead of a, due to agosto)

-the same preposition a is also used for stating an hour, as English at:
alle sette e mezza = at half past seven
alle nove meno dieci = at ten to nine
all'una e venti = at twenty past one
a mezzanotte = at midnight

-When a time length has no definite origin, and only the finishing time is stated, fino a ... is used to express the latter, translating several English forms:
 the form until (or till):
fino a sabato = until saturday
fino a domani = until tomorrow
fino alle cinque = until five o'clock
 the form up to ... (also generally used with numbers, measures, etc.):
fino al 1950 = up to 1950
fino ad ora = up to now (notice ad instead of a, because of ora)
fino al quindici = up to number fifteen
fino a sei metri = up to six metres
fino a qui = up to here
-The English preposition for ..., expressing duration, is translated by preposition per ...:
per cinque settimane = for five weeks
ho lavorato lì per cinque giorni = I have worked there for five days
l'ingresso è gratis per tutto il 1995 = the entrance is free for the whole (year) 1995
In expressing time length, English always uses for + the duration of the action, but Italian also uses another form: da + the duration of the action.
This is the only tricky bit in translating these forms into Italian, so be sure to focus it well.
lavoro da due anni = I have been working for two years
non vedo Paolo da cinque mesi = I haven't seen Paul for five months
la radio non funziona da due settimane = the radio has not been working for two weeks
piove da due giorni = it has been raining for two days
In Italian, this form is rather different from the previous one, although it might seem similar in English:
ho lavorato per cinque settimane = I have worked for five weeks
this sentence mainly gives stress to the time length of the action, and little importance is given to when the action started;

lavoro da cinque settimane = I have been working for five weeks
the English form gives stress to the fact that the action has taken place habitually for the given time (i.e. "I have worked every day for a time length of five weeks"), while the Italian form carries a meaning of "I have been working every day starting from five weeks ago": this is why preposition da is used, as if to say "from a starting moment, five weeks ago".

-Also notice that when preposition da is used for English since, the Italian tense always refers to the latest moment of the action, as if looking at the action back in time, while the English tense refers to the starting moment of the action, or anyway to an earlier time than its end:
non vedo Paolo dal 1975 = I have not seen Paul since 1975
vedo (present tense) is referred to "now", while have seen (present perfect tense) refers to "1975"
Also when the action happens in the past, there is a difference between the Italian tense and the English one:
non vedevo Paolo dal 1975 = I had not seen Paul since 1975
vedevo (imperfect tense) is referred to the time of the sentence, while had seen (present perfect tense) refers to an earlier time ("1975").