English/Sicilian Language Course

The Sicilian Alphabet The Sicilian alphabet has twenty one letters: A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, Z z. The Vowels Phonetic The vowels in the Sicilian language are five: a, e, i, o, u . These vowels can have a short sound or a long one, according to the position they occupy in the word in which they are located. When these vowels have an accent at the end of the word, they have a strong sound. The sound of these vowels is as follows: 5 Vowels a is pronounced as in the word palm pàrma e is pronounced as in the word echo lèccu i is pronounced as in the word ring anèddu o is pronounced as in the word lost pèrsu u is pronounced as in the word foot pèdi Consonants b has a labial sound and is pronounced as in bold (arditu), bag (burza): Consonants bèddu beautiful bàgnu bath biàncu white c has a guttural or hard sound with the vowels a, o, u, as in cart, cold, cool: Consonants càni dog café coffee còcu cook c has also a guttural or hard sound with e and i if the vowel is preceded by the h, and is pronounced as in kènnel, kick: Consonants chiàvi key chiàru clair chèccu stutterer c has a palatal soft sound if is followed by e and i as in change, chief: Consonants ciùri flower cìra wax ciùmi river In some cases the sound of c acquires the sound of the sh as in shift, shield, again, only in pronunciation: Consonants sciùmi river sciàrari to smell sciùri flower d has a dental sound as in deal, dark: Consonants diàriu diary dinàri money dènti teeth f is pronounced as in fear, far: Consonants fùmu smoke fàri to do fìnu fine g , as c, has a guttural or hard sound if followed by a, o, u, as in garage, goal, goose: Consonants gàttu cat gudìri to enjoy gùla throat g is also guttural or hard with e and i if it is followed by the h, as in ghetto, gift: Consonants ghiàcciu ice ghèrciu cross-eyed ghiòmmaru ball of tread g can also be palatal if followed by e and i, as in gentle, giant: Consonants giùvini young man gèmitu moan giùgnu June If g is followed by the n, it acquires a nasal sound, as in canyon: Consonants gnurànti ignorant gnissàri to plaster gnumìnia ignominy h has no sound. It is used to make the hard sound preceded by the c and the g. l is liquid as in the words limp, law: Consonants lìnu linen lùna moon làna wool m is labial and is pronounced as in the words market, minister: Consonants maìstru teacher mìu mine mègghiu better n is palatal and is pronounced as in nail, neck, none: Consonants nàsu nose nìdu nest nànu dwarf p is labial and is pronounced as in parade, pedal, pig: Consonants piàttu plate pònti bridge pùmu apple q is always followed by u as in quake, quest, quick: Consonants quàli what, which, that, who, whom quànnu when àcqua water r is pronounced as in radio, ready, ring: Consonants ràma tree-branch ràggia outrage rìccu rich s is pronounced as in sack, second, sick: Consonants saìtta arrow, thunderbolt sìccu thin, dry sùli sun t is dental and it is pronounced as in table, tèmpest, tip: Consonants tàli such tèmpu time, weather timùni rudder v is pronounced as in value, vein, view: Consonants vìnu wine vuluntà will vòlu flight z is pronounced soft as in zero, zipper, zone: Consonants zòna zone zelu zeal zeru zero or hard as in: Consonants zziu uncle zzazzara long hair zzicca tick Ortography A treaties in Sicilian orthography does not exist. Because of the strong influence of other languages, the Sicilian language has been in evolution, maybe, longer than any other language. As a matter of fact, after quite some time of the last linguistic imposition, which was the Italian language, we have the first serious, and maybe the last up to now, attempt at establishing the Sicilian orthography. This attempt was done by Giorgio Piccitto and published in 1947. It is very important, but not extensive. This course will follow, in the majority of cases, G. Piccitto's orthography rules. Double Consonants Generally some consonants almost always have a strong sound, even if they are located at the beginning of the word. But if they double up in the pronunciation, they do not double up in the written language. Such consonants are: b, c, d, g, m, n, r and z. This is not the correct spelling, only the correct pronunciation, the correct spelling is only with one consonant, excluding the exceptions. Double Consonants Bbàbbu stupid Bbèddu beautiful Bbrùttu ugly Ddùppiu double Ddòppu after Dduttùri doctor Ggìgghiu eye-lash Ggia` already Ggiàrnu pale Mmùrmuru murmur Mmèrda escrement Nnimìcu enemy Nnòmu name Rrìzza sea urchin Rròta wheel Zzappùni mattock Zzappagghiùni gnat While the following are written with as double consonants: Double Consonants Ccà here Cci to you, to them Cchiù more Ddòcu there, next to you Ddà there, next to him, away from us The double consonant appears very often in the Sicilian written language as already seen in the above example and in the following: Double Consonants abbecceddàriu first grade book abbannunàri to abandon famìgghia family stràzziu torment allammicàtu hungry, empty-stomach sùnnu they are nùmmaru number lìbbru book Digraph A digraph is indicated by the union of two letters forming one sound: gn, ch, gh, dr, tr Digraphs gn has a nasal sound as in canyon ògni every lìgnu wood ch has a guttural sound as in kill chìnu full chiòvu nail gh has a guttural sound as in ghetto ghiàcciu ice ghicàri to arrive dr has a palatal sound as in drift dròga drug dràgu dragon tr has a palatal sound as tree trènu train trènu train trùccu trick Some digraphs have a cacuminal sound, which means that the sound is made by the tongue reaching the top of the palate. These digraphs are: dd has the palatal sound as the d in good, wood: Digraphs dd addumàri to light dd ìddu he, him dr drìttu strait ddr as a strong dr addrizzàri to make strait tr trènu train ttr as a strong tr attrìci actress Contrasting Pairs Some words in Sicilian change meaning by the addition of a consonant that they have in common, that is with a certain consonant they have one meaning and by doubling that same consonant the word has a different meaning: Contrasting Pairs Doubling nànu dwarf >>> nànnu grandfather làna wool >>> lànna tin, can scanàri to knead >>> scannàri to slaughter pùpa doll >>> pùppa stern mìna mine >>> mìnna breast pàla shovel >>> pàlla ball nùdu naked >>> nùddu nobody casàta houseful >>> cassàta Sicilian cake còpia copy >>> còppia couple mòda fashion >>> mòdda spring, soft grìdu yell >>> grìddu cricket ùna one >>> ùnna wave stufàtu stew >>> stuffàtu bored, disgusted abbilìri to frustrate >>> abbillìri to embellish Articles The Sicilian articles divide into two types, definite: lu, la, li, (the) and indefinite un, nu, na (a, an). These articles, as the nouns they describe, have a gender, they can be feminine: la (singular), li (plural), and masculine: lu (singular), li (plural). The indefinite un, nu, masculine, na, feminine, are always singular. Definite Articles Lu cavàddu the horse Li cavàddi the horses Un cavàddu a horse La càsa the house Li càsi the houses Na fìmmina a woman For nouns that start with a z or with an s followed by a consonant, the form nu of the indefinite article should be used: Indefinite Articles Àvi nu zìu bònu. He has a good uncle. C'era nu scalùni àutu. There was a tall step. Avìa nu stìpu vàsciu. He had a low cabinet. Si nni purtò nu zàinu chìnu. He took a full knapsack with him. These articles in today Sicilian are used as a for la, i for li. and u for lu: Examples i cavàddu the horse i cavàddi the horses a càsa the house i càsi 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 (over), davanti (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... Prepositions with article Vàiu a la càsa. I go to the house. La càsa è di lu fràti. The house is of the brother. Sùgnu cu lu zìu. I am with the uncle. Èranu nta la crèsia. They were in the church. These prepositions are used today in a contracted form: â (a la), dû (di lu), cû (cu lu), nnô (nni lu), ntâ (nni la): Prepositions Contracted form Vàiu â càsa. I go to the house. La càsa è dû fràti. The house is (belongs) of the brother. Sùgnu cû zìu. I am with the uncle. Èranu ntâ crèsia. They were in the church. The plural of these preposition changes somewhat in the contracted mode. Prepositions Plural contracted form Regular Contracted Iàmu a li càsi. We go to the houses. Iàmu ê càsi. We go to the houses. Li càsi sùnnu di li fràti. The houses belong to the brothers. Li càsi sùnnu dî fràti. The houses are (belong) of the brothers. Èramu cu li zii. They were with the uncles. Èramu chî zii. We were with the uncles. Ièru nni li crèsii. They went in the churches. Ièru ntê crèsii. They went in the churches. Same thing happens with the indefinite article. Prepositions with the Indefinite article Regular Contracted Ci lu dùgnu a un càni. I give it to a dog. Ci lu dùgnu ôn càni. I give it to a dog. La cùrpa èra di un fràti. The fault was of one brother. La cùrpa èra dûn fràti. The fault was of one brother. Lu pulizìa c'un palìcu. He cleans it with a tooth-pick. Lu pulizìa cûn palìcu. He cleans it with a tooth-pick. Va sèmpri nni un cucìnu. He goes always to one cousin. Va sèmpri nnôn cucìnu. He goes always to one cousin. If a preposition is followed by an indefinite article and refers to a feminine noun, it does not make any contractions: Prepositions with no contaction Appartinèva tùttu a na sòru. Everything belonged to a sister. Tutti li vèsti èranu di na fìgghia. All the dresses belonged to one daughter. Si sciarriàvanu sùlu cu na zìa. They argued only with an aunt. Chi si po` fàri pi na màtri? What can one do for a mother? Adverbs In Sicilian we have adverbs of place: sutta (under), supra (above,on), cca (here), ddà (there), unni (where) etc... Adverbs Of place Mi mìsiru sùtta lu pònti. They put me under the bridge. Iu ddà nun ci iàva. I was not going to go there. Mi mannàru ùnni c'èra pirìculu. They sent me where it was dangerous. Of time: doppu (after), ora (now), aeri (yesterday) oi or oggi (today), dumàni (tomorrow), quànnu (when), mai (never)etc. Adverbs Of time Iu cci ìvi dòppu d'ìddu. I went after to him. Mê sòru arrìva dumàni. My sister will arrive tomorrow. Ìddu vìnni òra di la càsa. He came now from the house. La càsa e` già pulìta. The house is already clean. Of quantity: abbastànza (enough, plenty), picca (little, few), assai (a lot, many), menu (less) cchiu` (more), tantu (so much), etc... Adverbs Of quantity Àiu pìcca sòrdi, nun mi ncuitàri. I have little money, don't bother me. Nn'ài abbastànza manciàri? Do you have enough food? Ài tànti cavàddi e nun li fài cùrriri. You have so many horses and you don't race them. Of manner: comu (like, as), beni (well), accussì (so, this way), nutili (uselessly), ammucciùni (secretly), etc... Adverbs Of manner Tu travàgghiavi ammucciùni, picchì? You were working in secret, why? Fa còmu fàzzu iu. Do as I do. Vògghiu chi lu fài accussì. I want you to do it this way. Other adverbs are: ntunnu (around), siccòmu (since), dintra (in), dunca (then, so), macari (even), avànti (ahead, in front), mentri (while), vicinu (near), primisi (first of all), mmenzu (by means of), versu (toward), nveci (instead) allatu (near, beside), nzinu (until), etc... Other Adverbs  Ci firriàva ntùnnu ma nu lu truvàva. He was going around it but could not find it. Èra allàtu l'àrbulu. He was besides the tree. T'accumpàgnu nzìnu a la càsa. I will accompany you up to your house. Mèntri sùgnu ccà cci vègnu pùru. While I am here I'll come too. The compound prepositions are formed by an adverb and a preposition: Compound Adverbs  with prepositions Ntùnnu a around the Sùtta di under the Ammucciùni di in the secret of (without the knowledge) Vicìnu a near the Dòppu di after the Sùpra di over, above the nzìnu a until, up to Diversamènti di differently from Pi mmènzu di by means of Allàtu a near, beside the Cchiù pìcca di more than Mènu di less than A favùri di in favor of Avìa cchiù pìcca sòrdi di sô pàtri. He had less money than his father. Èra vicìnu a sô nànnu. He was near his grandfather. Ìddu lu fìci a favùri di sô màtri. He did it in favor of his mother. Diversamènti di chìstu nu si putèva fàri. It could not be done differently from this. Pi mancànza di tèmpu màncu manciài. For lack of time I did not even eat. Conjunctions Conjunctions are those parts of speech that tie two sentences, two subjects, two parts of a sentence together: e (and), o (or), nè (neither), ma (but), etc... Conjunctions Iu e tu. You and I. O cci vài tu o cci vàiu iu. Either you go or I go. Iddu vìnni ma ìdda no. He came but she did not. Nun cci iamu nè tu nè iu. Neither you nor I will go. Cci iamu iu e ìddu. You and I went there. The Apostrophe The apostrophe is a graphic sign that is used in the encounter of two vowels. Apostrophe L'anèddu the ring L'azzàru the steel L'ebbrèu the Jew L'idìa the idea L'òcchiu the eye L'ùgnu the fingernail Chìstu è l'agnèddu di Pàsqua. This is the Easter lamb. L'òcchiu dû patrùni ngràssa lu cavàddu. The owner's eye fattens the horse. Cci tagghiàva l'ùgna a sô fìgghiu. He was trimming his son's nails. In the case of a natural elimination of a vowel at the beginning of a word, it is not necessary to use the apostrophe. In fact, according to G. Piccitto, it should never be used for that reason, as in the indefinite article: Apostrophe and the Indefinite article un a, an na a, an n a, an Dùna na mànu a tô fràti. Give a hand to your brother. Mê màtri èra cu nu zìu mìu. My mother was with an uncle of min. With the exception of the simple preposition in to distinguish it from the article above: Exception 'n in, to Iddu sinn'iu 'n Sicilia. He went to Sicily. Cìcciu iiu 'n Sicìlia. Frank went to Sicily. And in the words that start with an i, where the word loses the i, the apostrophe is not used anymore to show the loss of the vowel, so we have: No Apostrophe  Mpurtànti important Nnuccènti innocent Nzignànti teacher Nchinàri to bow Ncignùsu ingenious Nzivàtu greased Ntàttu whole Ntuppàri to stop, to close Ntisu heard, obeyed Mparàri to learn Mpiccicàtu glued, slow Nun ncurpàri a mia. Do not give the fault to me. Sta canzùna mancu l'àiu ntisu. I never heard this song. Era ncatinàtu all'àrbulu. He was chained to the tree. Archimèdi fu n'omu ncignùsu. Archimedes was a genius. Then we can say that the articles la, lu, li and the pronouns la, lu, li can take the apostrophe and so can the demonstrative adjectives: 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), vi (to you plural), and the reflective si (self action) and cci (to, by him, to, by them) can also take the apostrophe: More Apostrophe  Iu vitti l'ecclìssi. I saw the eclipse. Iddu nun l'abbruciò. He did not burn it. Chiàma a dd'abbàti. Call that abbot. Pìgghiati ss'àbbitu. Take that suit. St'abbìsu è laidu. This notice is bad. T'àiu a dari na manu. I have to give you a hand. V'àiu a pulizziàri la casa. I want to clean your house. Nn'ati a dari li sordi. You have to give the money to us. S'innamurò di idda. He fell in love with her. Cc'era sò matri. His, her mother was there (with him, her, them). Iddu l'avìa ma nun dissi nenti. He had it but did not say anything. If cci meets a, o, u does not take the apostrophe: Exception Idda cci avìa iùtu a scola. She had gone to school. Cci unciò l'occhiu. His eye got swollen. But they are pronounced very close, as if they had an apostrophe. Other cases where the apostrophe can be used are in phrases like:  Examples C'avè m'a fari= chi avemu a fari? What can we do? C'avèm'a diri = chi avemu a diri? What can we say? C'avèm'a fari si nun voli vèniri. What can we do if he does not want to come. C'avèm'a diri si la matri nun voli? What can we say if the mother does not want? In some cases where the noun starts with an i, the apostrophe is not used: No Apostrophe  Ddu iòcu nun mi piaci. I do not like that game. Sta ièna è laida. This hyena is ugly (or bad). Ssu iardìnu è beddu ciurùtu. That garden is really in blossom. Ddu iacintu è veru beddu. That hyacinth is really beautiful. Ddu ièncu è grossu. That bull is big. But the following can take the apostrophe: More examples with apostrophe  Si nn'iiu = si nni iìu He, she went away. Cc'iiu = cci ìiu He, she went there. Sô frati si nn'iiu n cità. His brother went to the city. A casa cc'iiu cu sô patri. He went home with his father. Gender & Number Unu (masculine) and una (feminine), are not used as indefinite articles, but they are used numerically as number. Gender and Number Quàntu cani c'èranu? Unu. How many dogs were there? One (only one). Quàntu fìmmini arristàru? Sulu una. How many women were arrested? Only one. The words in the Sicilian language have a gender, that is words refer to objects as if they were feminine or masculine. It is a grammatical gender. As a general rule the masculine nouns end in u, as in: Masculine nouns Trenu train Muru wall Ferru iron Santu saint While the feminine nouns end in a, as in: Feminine nouns Lana wool accètta hatchet dàttula date (fruit) orìcchia ear Lu saccu è di mê patri e la cupèrta è di mê matri. The sack blongs to my father and the blanket to my mother. La petra è dura ma lu ferru è cchiù 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: Masculine nouns Boia executioner Paràcqua umbrella Capubbànna ring-leader Lu boia ammazza genti. The excutioner kills people. Lu paracqua mi teni asciuttu. The umbrella keeps me dry. Some nouns that end in ista can be used in both masculine or feminine accordingly and also as singular or plural, as in: Nouns Comunìsta communist Archivìsta archivist Machinìsta machinist Giurnalìsta journalist Prutagunìsta protagonist L'archivìsta sunnu màsculi e fìmmini. The archivists are men and women. Dda(fem) giurnalìsta scrissi l'àrticulu. That journalist wrote the article. Li prutagunìsta èranu tri. The protagonists were three. C'èranu tri comunìsta e nu sucialìsta. There were three communists and one socialist. The plural in Sicilian generally ends in i, for both masculine and feminine nouns, as in: Masculine Plural Nouns Male Singular Male Plural Female Singular Female Plural Telèfunu telèfuni telephone(s) Nanna nanni grand-mother(s) Picciòttu picciòtti young-man(s) Règula règuli rule(s) Casu casi case(s) Serra serri saw(s) Disidèriu disidèri wish(s) Palùmma palùmmi dove(s), pigeon(s) Nannu nanni grand-father(s) Farfàlla farfàlli butterfly(ies) Examples La règula è ca tutti li règuli sunnu mpurtànti. The rule is that all the rules are important. Un picciòttu chiamò a tutti li picciòtti. One young man called all the young men. La farfàlla fa àvutri farfàlli. The butterfly makes other butterflies. Some nouns end in u in the singular but they end in a in the plural, as in: Nouns / Masculine Singular Plural Cutèddu cutèdda knife(ves) Chiòvu chiòva nail(s) Picuràru picuràra sheperd Biscòttu biscòtta biscuit(s) Pumu puma happle(s) Firràru firràra blacksmith(s) Anèddu anèdda ring(s) Pignu pigna pine-tree(s) Pilu pila hair(s) Catùsu catùsa large pipe(s) Ugnu ugna finger-nail(s) Martèddu martèdda hammer(s) Ovu ova egg(s) Prunu pruna plum(s) Examples Fici ammulàri li cutèdda. I had the knives sharpened. Iu àiu un chiòvu e iddu àvi tri chiòva. I have one nail and has three nails. Cu la parèdda si còcinu l'ova. One cooks eggs with the skillet. Some nouns end in i in the singular but end in a in the plural, as in: Nouns / Masculine Singular Plural Limùni limùna lemon(s) Marùni marùna tile(s) Attùri attùra actor(s) Ballùni ballùna balloon(s) Vastùni vastùna stick(s) Buffùni buffùna buffoon(s) Muccatùri muccatùra handkerchief(s) Buttùni buttùna button(s) Cacciatùri cacciatùra hunter(s) Cafùni cafùna uncouth(s) Campiùni campiùna champion(s) Muratùri muratùra mason(s) Cannùni cannùna cannon(s) Duttùri duttùra physician(s) Capùni capùna capon(s) Barùni barùna baron(s) Cirnitùri cirnitùra sifter(s) Passiatùri passiatùra pathway(s) Piccatùri piccatùra sinner(s) Scanatùri scanatùra kneading-board(s) Casciùni casciùna drawer(s) Lapùni lapùna hornet(s) Zappùni zappùna mattock(s) Nzitùni nzitùna pimple(s) Cartùni cartùna carton(s) Examples Iu avìa un buttùni. I had one button. Mê soru avia deci buttùna. My sister had ten buttons. La partìta è di li campiùna. The game is of the champions. La partìta la vincìu lu campiùni. The game was won by the champion. Si mi duni un limùni ti dugnu tri buttùna. If you give me a lemon I will give you three buttons. Many nouns that end in i, remain with the same ending in the plural and they can be masculine or feminine, as in: Nouns Singular Masculine Plural Masculine Sali Sali salt(s) Ciriali ciriali cereal(s) Diamanti diamanti diamond(s) Ucchiali ucchiali eye-glasses Onuri onuri honor(s) Limiti limiti limit(s) Missali missali missal(s) Ponti ponti bridge(s) Singular Feminine Plural Feminine Chiavi chiavi key(s) Vutti vutti barrel(s), cask(s) Vurpi vurpi fox(es) Sorti sorti luck Riazzioni riazzioni reaction(s) Liti liti argument(s) Examples S'arriparàru sutta lu ponti. They repaired under the bridge. Nta li stratùna ci sunnu assài ponti. On the highways there many bridges. Dammi la chiàvi di la casa. Give me the key for the house. Pìgghiati li chiàvi di li porti. Take the keys for all the doors. Misi lu vinu nta la utti. He put the wine in the barrel. Inchìu li utti di vinu. He filled the barrels with wine. Some nouns make the plural by adding ra to the singular, as in: Nouns using "ra" in the plural Singular Plural Bordu bòrdura fringe(s) Corpu còrpura body(s) Cozzu còzzura nape(s) Cuntu còntura tale(s) Focu fòcura fire(s) Iocu lòcura play(s) Marmu mòrmura marble(s) Mercu mèrcura mark(s), slash(s) Munnu mùnnura world(s) Nnomu nnòmura name(s) Sangu sàngura blood(s) Sonnu sònnura dream(s) Examples Lu mè nomu è Siciliànu. My name is Sicilian. Li sò nnòmura sunnu. FrancisiTheir names are French. Mi sunnài un sonnu làidu. I had a bad dream. Si sunnàru sònnura boni. They had good dreams. Some masculine nouns form the feminine in different ways than what we have previously said, they add issa or  trici to the feminine, as in: Nouns Masculine Feminine Duttùri dutturìssa doctor Abàti abbatìssa abbot, abbess Barùni barunìssa baron, baroness Puèta puitìssa poet Attùri attrìci actor, actress Cunti cuntìssa count, countess Campiùni campiunìssa champion Piccatùri piccatrìci sinner Traditùri traditrìci traitor Examples Lu barùni chiamò la barunìssa. The baron called the baroness. Lu duttùri travagghiò cu la dutturìssa. The doctor worked with the (she) doctor. L'attùri e l'attrìci èranu nzèmmula. The actor and the actress were together. Tu si piccatùri e idda è piccatrìci. You 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, as in: Plural Nouns using "ci" and "chi" Masculine Singular Masculine Plural Feminine Singular Feminine Plural Amìcu amìci amìca amìchi friend(s) Antipàticu antipàtici antipàtica antipàtichi unpleasant Sarcàsticu sarcastici sarcàstica sarcàstichi sarcastic Bisbèticu bisbètici bisbètica bisbètichi extravagant Catòlicu Catòlici Catòlica Catòlichi Catholic Mònacu mònaci mònaca mònachi monc(s), nun(s) Lìricu lìrici lìrica lìrichi lyric Prufèticu prufètici prufètica prufètichi prophetic Examples Lu mònacu sta cu li mònaci. The monk lives with the monks. La mònaca sta cu li mònachi. He nun lives with the nuns. Dda fìmmina è antipàtica. That lady is unpleasant. Ddi fìmmini sunnu antpàtichi. Those ladies are unpleasant. Lu mê amìcu avi li sô amìci. My friend has his friends. La sô amìca avi li sô amìchi. Her friend has her friends. Some exceptions are: Exceptions Nicu nichi small, young Riccu ricchi rich Biancu bianchi white Friscu frischi fresh Examples Mê fìgghiu è nicu. My son is young. Li cunìgghia sunnu tutti nichi. The rabbits were all little. Tô ziu era riccu. Your uncle was rich. Li re sunnu tutti ricchi. The kings are all rich. Lu cavàddu è biancu. The horse is white. Li casi sunnu biànchi. The hoses are white. Some nouns that end in cu do not have a feminine and make the plural in chi: Plural Nouns ending in "chi" Beccu becchi he-goat(s) Sucu suchi juce(s) Àstracu àstrachi terrace(s) Saccu sacchi sac(s) Sbarcu sbarchi landing(s) Scaccu scacchi chess Zuccu zucchi trunk(s) Examples Attàcca lu sceccu a lu zuccu. Tie the donkey to the tree. Metti li sacchi nta l'àstracu. Put the sacs on the terrace. Metti lu sucu nta la buttìgghia. Put the juice in the bottle. Some nouns that end in gu or ga make the plural in ghi: Nouns with the plural using "ghi" Largu larghi wide Longu longhi long Rangu ranghi rank(s) Lagu lagghi lake(s) Anga anghi molar(s) Sirìnga sirìnghi siringe(s) Albèrgu albèrghi hotel(s) Examples Lu ciùmi era longu. The river was long. Li strati èranu larghi. He streets were wide. Mi fici scippàri na anga. I had un molar pulled. Avìa dui anghi malàti. I had two bad molars. Lu duttùri usa li sirìnghi. The doctor uses siringes. Dda` c'èranu tanti laghi. Over there were many lakes. L'albèrghi èranu chini. The hotels were full. Then we have the nouns with the accented final vowel. These nouns remain as they are, mostly they are feminine and do not change in the plural, as in: Nouns with accented final vowel Carità charity Tribù tribe Ginirusità generosity Cità city Pruprità property Stirilità sterility Umanità humanity Puvirtà poverty Examples Nta li cità nun ci sunnu li tribù. In the cities there are any tribes. La ginirusità è di lu pòpulu Siciliànu. The generosity is of the Sicilian people. La tribù è na cumunità di genti. The tribe is a community of people. Adjectives An adjective is a modifier, that is it modifies the noun and it agrees with the noun in number and gender. Generally, for the masculine and feminine, they follow the same rules as the nouns. The adjective in Sicilian usually follows the noun, as in: Adjectives La casa bedda. The beautiful house. Lu muru àutu. The tall wall. La vucca china. The full mouth. L'àrvulu nicu. The small tree. Avèmu un cavàddu beddu. We have a beautiful horse. Acchianò la scala àuta. He climbed a tall ladder. Mê frati avìa un cani nicu. My brother had a small dog. A iddu ci dèttiru na palla russa. They gave him a red ball. Sometimes the adjective precedes the noun it modifies to give a greater emphasis to the quality of the noun. The most common adjectives that follow this rule are: Adjectives Beddu beautiful Bravu good Caru dear Gran big, great Bruttu bad Bon good Examples Chidda è na bedda picciòtta That one is (really) a beautiful young lady. Iddu avi un gran cavàddu. He (really) has a great horse. Lu patri avi n'àvutru cani. The father has another (different) dog. La iena è un bruttu armàlu. The hyena is (truly) an ugly (bad) animal. Iddu è un caru picciòttu. He is a dear young man. Here too we have exceptions in the endings. Some adjectives end in i, and they can follow a masculine or feminine noun and have the same ending in the plural form, as in: Adjectives (exceptions) Diagunàli diagonal Lucènti shining Cumùni common Gnurànti ignorant Dèbbuli weak Masculine Feminine Lu bordu diagunàli La linia diagunàli The diagonal line, edge Lu suli lucènti La stidda lucènti The shining star, sun Lu viòlu cumùni La strata cumùni Easement, pathway Examples Assìra vitti na stidda lucènti. Last night I saw a brilliant star. Iu nni vitti quàttru stiddi lucènti. I saw four brilliant stars. Mi truvàva nta la trazzèra cumùni. I was in the common pathway. Ddu omu è gnurànti. That man is ignorant. Some adjectives form adverbs by adding menti to the ending: Examples Adjective Adverb Umànu umanamènti humanly Veru veramènti truly Sicùru sicuramènti certainly Stanu stranamènti strangely Examples Un èssiri umànu l'ài a trattàri cchiù umanamènti pussìbili. You have to treat a human being as humanly as possible. Quànnu parràva cu mia sicuramènti dicèva fissarì. When he was talking to me he was lying (saying nonsense). Anchi si lu fattu era veru un signìfica ca era veramènti bonu. Even if what happened was true it does not mean that it was truly good. Diminutive, Augmentative and Pejorative In Sicilian we find three ways of altering the quality or quantity of a noun or an adjective: The diminutive to denote quantity or quality, making someone or something smaller or to denote endearment, to make the diminutive the suffixes iddu, eddu, teddu, ceddu, and uzzu are added to the noun or adjective, as in: Diminutive Suffix added Sèggia siggitèdda chair, little chair or cute chair Màsculu masculìddu lad, little lad or cute lad Soru surùzza sister, little sister or cute sister Mischinu mischinèddu poor thing, poorest thing (someone) Porta purticèdda door, little door or cute door Piru pirìddu pear, little pear or cute pear Surdàtu surdatèddu soldier, small or cute soldier Matri matrùzza mother, dear or good mother Examples C'era un beddu vinticèddu. There was a nice breeze. Chistu è un bon picciuttèddu. This is a good little boy. Avìa un màsculu e ci fici na surùzza. I had a boy and I made him a little sister. Mê ziu avi un masculìddu. My uncle has a little boy. Dda casa avi na bedda purticèdda. That house has a pretty door. Ddu surdatèddu, mischìnu, è firùtu. That dear soldier, poor thing, is wounded. The augmentative, to denote also quantity or quality. To make an augmentative the suffix uni is added to the noun or adjectives, in so doing if the noun is feminine by using the augmentative it becomes masculine, as in: Augmentative Suffix added (la) Casa (lu) casùni house, big house Vècchiu vicchiùni old man, very old man (la) Manu (lu) manùni hand, big hand Fossu fussùni ditch, big ditch (la) arèdda (lu) pariddùni skillet, big skillet (la) addìna (lu) gaddinùni chicken, big chicken The pejorative, to denote ugliness. To make a pejorative the suffix azzu (mascul.) or azza (femin.) is added to the noun or adjective: Pejorative Suffix added Casa casàzza house, ugly, ugly big house Vècchiu vicchiàzzu old, ugly old, bad old man Manu manàzza hand, ugly, ugly big hand Fossu fussàzzu ditch, ugly, ugly big ditch Parèdda pariddàzza skillet, ugly, ugly big skillet Gaddìna gaddinàzza chicken, ugly, ugly big chicken Examples Iddu stava nta na casàzza. He lived in an ugly house. Chista nun è casa, chista è casùni. This is not a house, it is a big house. Lu piccirìddu avia dui manùna. The baby had two big hands. Frièva l'ovu nta nu pariddùni. She was frying the egg in a big skillet. Era un fussàzzu chinu di fangu. It was an ugly ditch full of mud. As one can see, in most cases, these alterations follow the rules of masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Comparative and Absolute The comparative in Sicilian is made in two ways. Comparison by equality by adding the adverbs, comu, tantu and quàntu (as), as in: Comparative of equality Ddu libbru è comu lu miu. That book is like mine. Iu àiu tantu pani quàntu nn'ài tu. I have as much bread as you. La mê casa è bedda comu la tua. My house is as beautiful as yours. And comparison by inequality, by adding the adverb cchiu` (more), or menu, (less): Comparative of inequality Mè frati è cchiù granni d'iddu. My brother is older than he. Sò soru è cchiù bedda di mia. His sister is more beautiful than I. Iu sordi nn'àiu menu d'iddu. I have less money than he. Certain comparatives, made up by mègghiu (better), pèggiu (worse), do not take the adverb cchiù (more), as in: Comparative with "megghiu" and "peggiu" Mègghiu di chiddu. Better than that. Pèggiu di l'avutru. Worse than the other. Lu sàcciu fari mègghiu d'iddu. I know how to do it better than he does. Pi travagghiàri è pèggiu di mia. As far as work goes, he is worse than I am. The relative superlative is formed by adding the article lu, la, li, as in: Relative Superlative Article added Li cchiù nichi the youngest Lu cchiù forti the strongest Li cchiù chini the fullest Lu cchiù autu the tallest Mê figghia è la cchiù bedda di tutti. My daughter is the most beautiful of all. Ddu muru è lu cchiù ghiavutu di chidd'avutri. That wall is the highest of those others. Sta corda è la cchiù forti di l'avutri dui. This rope is the strongest of the others. Ddi cirasi sunnu li cchiù duci di tutti. Those cherries are the sweetest of all. The absolute superlative is made by adding the suffix issimu, issima, for the singular, and issimi for the plural. It also can be formed with the adverbs assai, veru or the suffix uni, as in: Absolute Superlative Benìssimu very well Carìssimu dearest Veru làidu truly ugly (ugliest) Assai lentu truly slow (slowest) Veru duci truly sweet (sweetest) Riccùni very rich (richest) Veru longu truly long (longest) Lu conti è riccùni. The count is very rich. Dda fìmmina è veru làida. That woman is truly ugly. Carìssimu amicu, vui siti assài lentu. My dearest friend, you are very slow. Sta strata è veru longa. This road is very long. Possessive Adjectives The adjectives of possession are: Possessive Adjectives Masculine Singular Feminine Singular Miu mia mine Tou tua yours Sou sua his, hers Masculine Plural Feminine Plural Nosrtu nostra ours Vostru vostra yours Soi soi theirs These adjectives, in the singular, applied to a noun contract to mè, tò, sò, and the plural soi also contract to sò, as in: Possessive Adjectives singular / plural Mè frati my brother Tò soru your sister Sò patri his, her father Sò figghiu their son Mè ziu vinni cu sò nannu. My uncle came with his grandfather. Tô fìgghiu §u a sò casa. Your son went to his house. Ci dèttiru li sordi a sò fìgghiu. They gave money to their son. These adjectives are also used with a simple or compound preposition, as in: Adjectives with Compound Preposition Stu gattu lu truvài vicìnu a la mè casa. I found this cat near my house. Iddu iòca cu la tô palla. He plays with your ball. Dda casa è di sô matri. That house belongs to his mother. Ssu cani nun è di mè cucinu. That dog is not my cousin's. L'àrbuli sunnu di tò patri. The trees belong to your father. Lu cavàddu lu dugnu a sò niputi. I will give the horse to his nephew. Iddu è luntànu di la mè casa. He is far from my house. Iu era allàtu a mè patri. I was besides my father. The preposition di denotes possession: Examples La casa di Maria. Mary's house. Lu cani di Petru. Peter's dog. Lu cavàddu di Marcu. Marc's horse. Di cui? Di Marcu. Whose? Marc's. Quantitative Adjective The adjective quantitative indicates quantity, as in: Quantu, picca, troppu, tantu, abbastanti, assai: Adjectives of Quantity Quàntu sunnu? How many are there? Abbastanti! Enough! Nn'aiu picca. Only have a littlle. Quàntu acchiàni tantu scinni. As much you go up so much you will come down. Quàntu surdàti c'eranu? How many soldiers were there? The numerals become nouns, when they indicate an approximate quantity, as in: Numerals Adjectives of Quantity Na dicìna about ten Na cinchìna about five Un cintinàru about a hundred Na cinquantìna about fifty Quàsi na vintìna. About twenty. Dammi na chilàta di pasta. Give me about a kilo of pasta. C'eranu na cinquantìna d'armàli. There were about fifty animals. Dammi du fila di spaghètti. Give me very little spaghetti (a couple of strings). Esclamative Adjectives Chi (what), comu (how), quàntu (how) Adjectives Esclamative Comu è bedda dda piccirìdda! How beautiful is that little girl! Quàntu è làidu ddu cani! How ugly is that dog! Chi furtuna! What luck! Chi beddi rosi! What beautiful roses! Relative Adjectives Tantu, Tali: Adjectives Relative Tanti frati, tanti soru. So many brothers as many sisters. Tali gioia, tali duluri. Such joy, such pain. Demostrative Adjectives The demonstrative adjectives are those that indicate of which object we are talking about. They are: Adjectives Demonstrative Masculine Feminine Chistu chista this (near me, us) Chissu chissa that (near you) Chiddu chidda that (away from you, us) Examples Chistu è mê patri. This is my father. Chissu e chissa sunnu li mê zii. That one and that one (those) are my aunt and uncle. For clarification the adverbs ccà (here), ddocu (there), often are used, as in: Adjectives with adverbs Masculine Feminine Chistu ccà chista ccà this one here (near me) Chissu ddocu chissa ddocu that one there (near you) Chiddu ddà chidda ddà that one there (away from us) Examples Chistu ccà mi pici mègghiu. I like better this one here. Chissu ddocu è cchiù sapurìtu. That one (near you) is prettier. Chiddu ddà nun è miu. That one there is not mine. These adjectives are often used in a contracted way, as in: Contracted Adjectives  Masculine Feminine Stu sta this Ssu ssa that Ddu dda that Examples Stu ballùni è russu. This balloon is red. Ssu àrvulu è ghiàvutu. That tree is tall. Ddu gaddu canta ogni matìna. That rooster crows every morning. Demostrative Pronouns The demostrative pronouns are:  Demonstrative Pronouns Masculine Feminine Chistu chista this (near me) Chissu chissa that (near you) Chiddu chidda that (away from us) Examples Chistu nun mi piàci vògghiu chiddu. I do not like this, I want that. Prefirìsciu chistu a chiddu. I prefer this one to that one. Chissa nun mi piàci. I do no like that one. Personal Pronouns The personal pronouns are as follows: Personal Pronouns Singular Iu, mi I, me Tu, ti you Iddu, idda he, him, she, her Plural Nui, nuiàtri, nni we, us Vui, vuiàtri, vi you Iddi, cci they, them Examples Iu vaiu a Catània. I go to Catania. Iddi làvanu li robbi. They are washing the clothes. Vuiàtri nun c'èravu a la crèsia. You were not at church. Tu ci isti puru. You went too. Iddi ièru a chiamàri a iddu. They went to call him. The following pronouns are also used with a preposition, as in: Pronouns with preposition Singular Di mia of me A tia to you Nni iddu, a idda by him, to her Di nui, cu nuiàtri of us, with us nni vui, a vuiàtri by you, to you Cu iddi with them Examples Lu cani si scanta di mia. The dog fears me (is fearful of me). Stu libbru lu dugnu a tia. I give this book to you. Mê soru si nni iu cu iddi. My sister went with them. Dda gatta vinni nni nuiàtri. That cat came by us. Possessive Pronouns Possessive Pronouns Singular Lu miu mine Lu tou, lu tô yours Lu sou, lu sô his, hers Plural Lu nostru ours Lu vostru yours Lu sou, lu sô theirs Examples Li nostri pussidimènti sunnu granni. Our possessions are big. Sta casa è la mia. This is my house. Li nostri parènti annu a vèniri tutti cca`. Our relatives will all come here. Li sô parènti nun ci vanno. Their relatives will not go. Lu sô cavàddu è biàncu. His horse is white. The possessive adjective precedes always the noun to which refers, the possessive pronoun can stay by itself, as in: Possessive Pronouns and adjective Vàiu â mê (a la mia) casa. I go to my house. Lu tô bicchèri e lu miu. Your glass and mine. Tu parti cu la tô màchina, e iu cu la mia. You leave with your car and I with mine. Iu mànciu lu mê pani e tu lu tô. I eat my bread and you yours. Relative Pronouns The relative pronouns can refer to person, animal or thing, they are: Relative Pronouns Chi which, that, who, whom Ca which, that, who, whom Cui, cû which, whom Quàli which, Who Chi and ca are never used with a preposition: Relative Pronouns "Chi" and "Ca" La manu chi aiùta. The hand that helps. L'omu ca travàgghia. The man who works. Cui is always used with a preposition: Relative Pronouns "Cui" Chista è la casa di cui ti parrài. This is the house of which I talked to you. In some Sicilian sayings, cui is used as who: Other uses of "Cui" Cui cu cani si curca cu pucci si leva. Who goes to bed with the dog will rise with flees. Cui duna pani a lu cani perdi lu pani e lu cani. Who gives bread to the dog loses the bread and the dog. Quàli is always preceded by the definite article: Relative Pronouns "Quali" Quànnu vitti l'avvucàtu di Vicènzu, lu quàli addifinnìu a Petru, nun lu vosi taliàri. - When I saw Vince's attorney, who defended Peter, I did not even wanted to look at him. Ncuntrài la soru di Rusulìa cu la quàli iu iàva a scola. - I met Rosalie's sister with whom I used to go to school. Indefinite Pronouns Nuddu, certuni, certi, quali, qalunqui, ognunu ecc. Indefinite Pronouns Cu' c'e`? Nuddu. Who is there? Nobody. Quantu cci nn'e`? Quarcunu. How many are there? Some. Qualunqui u po` fari stu travagghiu. Anybody can do this job. Interrogative Pronouns chi? comu? quantu? quali? cui? Interrogative Pronouns Cu' fu? Who was it? Quant'eranu? How many were there? Verbs Auxiliary The auxiliary verb is one: Verbs  Auxiliary Avìri To have It is called auxiliary because it helps the main verb: Example Àiu manciàtu I have eaten. In Sicilian this form, which is called present perfect, is not much used, instead the preterit is used in most cases. The verbs are organized in conjugation and the conjugations are organized in modes and tenses. The most commonly used are the Indicative Mode, the Imperative Mode, the Subjunctive, the Participle, and the Infinitive. The Conditional is also used but not as much. In Sicilian it is not necessary to have the personal pronoun before the verb, because the ending of the verb, or the contest of the sentence, determines the number of the person, singular or plural, to which it is referred. Indicative Mode of the Verbs to Have and to Be Tenses Present Tense  (Iu) Áiu I have sugnu I am (tu) Ái you have sí you are (iddu, idda) Ávi he, she, it has è he, she, it is (nui) Avèmu we have semu we are (vui) Avìti you have siti you are (iddi) Ánnu they have sunnu they are Examples Iu áiu na soru. I have a sister. Iddu è malatu. He is sick. Imperfect avìa I had era I was avèvi you had eri you were avìa he, she, it had era he, she, it was avìamu we had èramu we were avìavu you had èravu you were avìanu they had èranu they were Examples Tu avèvi tanti cucìni. You had many cousins. Iddi èranu assittàti. They were siting. Present Perfect Áiu avùtu I have had Áiu statu I have been Examples Vui avìti avùtu dui cani. You have had two dogs. Iu áiu statu â casa. I have been at the house. Preterite Áppi I had fui I was Avìsti you had fusti you were Áppi he, she, it had fu he, she, it was Àppimu we had fômu we were Avìstivu you had fùstivu you were Áppiru they had fôru they were Examples Iddu áppi li sordi. He had the money. Nui fômu a mmari. We were at the sea. Past Perfect Avìa avùtu. I had had.