gio73 ha scritto:Well let's say I'm studying English very hard in the last two years
I translate: Bene, diciamo che sto studiando inglese molto duramente da due anni
are you agree with me?
Yes, this is how, in English, we use to express the duration form. In fact, now I'm still studying it.
gio73 ha scritto:when I started the high school (last year) I was extremely unfriendly with the language because of the different type of course I wanted to take, called "veicolare"
I don't understand...
"quando ho iniziato la scuola superiore (lo scorso anno) io ero molto poco pratico con il linguaggio (Do you mean speaking skill?) perchè ... io volevo naturalmente prendere ... del tipo differente..."
Here the words "unfriendly with the language" would be literally translated as "poco amichevole con la lingua" but you can surely notice by yourself that this is an English expression. English expressions (especially idioms) must be learnt by heart (here another expression
), because you can not rely on your ears (another one).
So the meaning is:
ero molto impacciato or
poco confidente con la lingua... (can we say "impacciato" in italian?
anyway...
).
Then,
because of is another expression, and it cannot be transated literally: it means
due to.
So in the sentence
because of the different type of course I wanted to take... the meaning is:
I was extremely unfriendly with the language,
this is because or
this fact is because,
this fact is due to...
gio73 ha scritto:Regarding the sentence: I agree with you, in this case is certainly better to use the present perfect, even though some British people are very friendly in using either the past simple and the present perfect.
Translation
Riguardo la frase: sono d'accordo con te, in questo caso è meglio usare il present perfect, anche se molti inglesi usano indifferentemente il past simple e il present perfect
Ok!
You've only forgot the word "certainly", which is an intensifier (=rafforzativo). I imagine you know the translation. Now you also know the best translation for "to be friendly / unfriendly with".
Just a curiosity: are you a maths teacher trying to get ahead with English? You look very interested! Did you have English lessons in the past?
To all: if you want me to correct your English (well, the mistakes I'm able to correct), just let me know.
In the meanwhile, here another tip to improve and/or revise both your grammar and vocaboulary: when you learn a new word or expression (idiom, way to say, etc.), then think and write down three sentences using them. It's a method that gave proof to work pretty well
.
"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis."
-----------------------------------
Outside, in the newly fallen darkness, the world had been trasformed.
The sky had become a glistening tapestry of stars.