We learn Italian step by step | Impariamo l'italiano piano piano
Impariamo l’italiano piano piano is a story-based podcast for B1–B2 Italian learners who want to improve their grammar and vocabulary by following an ongoing mystery, rather than studying isolated lessons. Beginners are welcome too - everything unfolds piano piano, one step at a time.
Each episode advances a serialized story, Le Pagine del Passato, allowing you to experience Italian in context as meaning builds gradually through memory, dialogue, and investigation. Grammar structures such as the imperfetto, passato prossimo, congiuntivo, and object pronouns emerge naturally through the narrative, helping you recognize how Italian works in real situations.
Hosted by Myra, an instructional designer and adult language learner, the show is joined by Antonio - a dramatic, opinionated presence who interrupts, comments, and occasionally derails things, making the learning process both human and entertaining. Together, they guide listeners toward greater confidence in Italian, step by step.
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Full transcripts are shared through the Companion Series on Substack, where supporters can access episode texts and study materials:
https://welearnitalian.substack.com
🎙 Listen, learn, and improve your Italian fluency - one episode at a time!
We learn Italian step by step | Impariamo l'italiano piano piano
Episode 18: Combined Pronouns - Placement, Agreement + Reflexives
Episode 18 is all about one big question: once you know how to form combined pronouns, where do you actually put them in the sentence?
In this episode, we walk through the four main placement situations step by step: before conjugated verbs, attached to infinitives with modal verbs, attached to informal positive commands, and with negative commands. Then we add an essential rule that makes everything click in the passato prossimo: past participle agreement when the direct object pronoun comes before the verb.
And because this comes up constantly in real Italian, we also include reflexive pronouns combined with direct object pronouns, with clear examples you can start using right away.
You’ll also get a fun mini-story practice section with dialogue and fill-in-the-blank responses, so you can train your ear and your instincts in a more natural way.
Piano piano, it starts to feel automatic.
⏳ CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
1:50 Part 3: Where Do Combined Pronouns Go?
2:35 Situation 1: Before Conjugated Verbs
4:56 Agreement in the Passato Prossimo (Preview)
6:08 Practice Mini-Story: Scene 1
8:14 Situation 2: With Infinitives (After Modal Verbs)
9:12 Option 1: Attached to the Infinitive
9:56 Option 2: Before the Modal Verb
10:41 Situation 3: Positive Commands (Attached Pronouns)
12:17 Formal Commands
13:56 Negative Formal Commands
14:37 Scene 2: Informal Commands
15:55 Quick Summary: Pronoun Placement
17:18 Part 4: Combined Pronouns in the Passato Prossimo
18:41 Passato Prossimo Examples
21:49 Apostrophes Explained
22:08 Story Scene 3: Passato Prossimo Agreement
23:51 Story Scene 4: Modal Verbs (Two Options)
25:54 Part 5: Reflexive Pronouns
28:32 Scene 5: Reflexive + Direct Object Pronouns
30:06 Wrap-Up
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🎧 Episode 18: Combined Pronouns - Placement, Agreement + Reflexives
📄 Episode Transcript & Study Materials
For this episode, the full transcript is available on Substack, where it’s easier to read, search, and follow along with the explanations.
👉 Here is a link to all of my posts on Substack.
I’ve moved transcripts there so everything can live in one place: the episode text, examples, and Companion Series materials all together.
📘 Want the Study Guide and Practice Exercises?
If you’d like to go deeper, this episode is part of the Companion Series, which includes:
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