Sicilian Course

8/12/2019 Sicilian Course

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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(



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



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



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






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



>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



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



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






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



#-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.






&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



'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



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



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



&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



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






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



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+



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+



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+



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



#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



&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(



&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+



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



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+



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



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






)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



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



>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(



>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



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



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



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.



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






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



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



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(



)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






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



#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



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



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



)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



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



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



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






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



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



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



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



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





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



!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



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



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



)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






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



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






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.



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



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



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



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



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(



9UZU *Sicilian 'espers+ &))D[[[##9;:U *The >isco!ery of America + &)>[)##9ZY9 *%nification of #taly + &>)))D[#

9:U: *#talian3'atican Treaty+ &)&[[#[

9:;X *Knd of orld ar ##+ &)&[D'

Documents

Sicilian Course