Duolingo English Test Italian Practice 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the correct Italian translation of 'She speaks Italian well'?
- Lei parla bene l'italiano. (Correct answer)
- Lei parlare bene l'italiano.
- Lei parli bene italiano.
- Lei ha parla bene l'italiano.
Correct answer: Lei parla bene l'italiano.
'Lei parla' is the third-person singular present tense of 'parlare' (to speak). Italian requires a definite article before language names when modified by an adverb, so 'l'italiano' is correct. The other options use the infinitive, subjunctive, or an incorrect tense.
Question 2: Which is the correct plural form of 'il libro' (the book) in Italian?
- i libri (Correct answer)
- le libri
- il libri
- i libro
Correct answer: i libri
Masculine nouns ending in -o form their plural by changing -o to -i, and the masculine plural definite article is 'i'. So 'il libro' becomes 'i libri'. 'Le' is feminine plural and the noun stem must also change.
Question 3: How do you say 'My name is Sofia' in Italian using a reflexive verb?
- Mi chiamo Sofia. (Correct answer)
- Io chiamo Sofia.
- Mi chiamare Sofia.
- Io mi chiamano Sofia.
Correct answer: Mi chiamo Sofia.
'Chiamarsi' is the reflexive verb meaning 'to be called/named.' The first-person singular form is 'mi chiamo,' literally 'I call myself.' The subject pronoun 'Io' is optional and not needed here.
Question 4: Which sentence correctly uses the preposition 'di' to express possession in Italian?
- Questo è il libro di Marco. (Correct answer)
- Questo è il libro di il Marco.
- Questo è Marco libro.
- Questo è Marco's libro.
Correct answer: Questo è il libro di Marco.
Italian expresses possession with 'di + noun,' without combining 'di' with a definite article before a proper name. 'Di il' would contract to 'del' only before a common noun. There is no apostrophe-s possessive in Italian.
Question 5: What is the correct Italian translation of 'We are going to the beach'?
- Andiamo alla spiaggia. (Correct answer)
- Andiamo a la spiaggia.
- Noi andiamo a spiaggia.
- Andare alla spiaggia.
Correct answer: Andiamo alla spiaggia.
'A + la' contracts to 'alla' in Italian, so 'alla spiaggia' is mandatory. The verb 'andiamo' already implies 'we,' so the subject pronoun 'noi' is optional. 'Andare' is the infinitive and cannot stand alone as the main verb.
Question 6: How do you form the negative of 'Mangio la pizza' (I eat pizza) in Italian?
- Non mangio la pizza. (Correct answer)
- Mangio non la pizza.
- Non mangare la pizza.
- Io non mangiare la pizza.
Correct answer: Non mangio la pizza.
In Italian, negation is formed by placing 'non' directly before the conjugated verb. The verb remains conjugated — not in the infinitive — and 'non' never goes between the verb and its object.
Duolingo English Test Italian Practice 1
What is the correct Italian translation of 'She speaks Italian well'?