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Storia di detective - Ispirata al primo capitolo di "Les Italiens" di Enrico Pandiani – HearSay Italian B1
Detective story based on the first chapter of "Les Italiens" by Enrico Pandiani. This course is a support activity to help readers to memorise the vocabulary from the novel and familiarise them with the plot of the first chapter.
Lessons Il mistero del condominio Giulia and Marco arrive at a suspicious crime scene in an old apartment building and inspect its unique architectural layout.
Vocabulary il ballatoio (the gallery balcony) il pianerottolo (the stair landing) la ringhiera (the handrail) la tromba delle scale (the stairwell) il soppalco (the mezzanine loft) arrampicarsi (to climb up) la fessura (the crack) Objectives Describe complex physical spaces Identify key architectural features of a building stairwell Tracce sul pavimento Marco inspects the apartment floor and finds evidence of a struggle and shattered glass.
Vocabulary la piastrella (the floor tile) il tassello (the tile peg) il fruscio (the rustling sound) le impronte (the fingerprints) rimosso/a (torn apart) frantumare (to shatter) conficcarsi (to lodge into) Objectives Locate physical evidence at a scene Describe floor materials and small details Testimoni in stato di shock Giulia comforts a traumatized neighbor who witnessed the suspect escaping down the hall.
Vocabulary impallidire (to turn pale) accasciarsi (to collapse) reggersi (to stand up) bianco come un cencio (as white as a sheet) essere fuori di sé (to be out of one's mind) la vestaglia (the dressing gown) Objectives Describe physical symptoms of shock and fear Use reflexive verbs to explain emotional reactions Indizi e dettagli forensi Marco collects crucial ballistic and forensic evidence left behind by the perpetrator.
Vocabulary il bossolo (the spent cartridge casing) il reperto (the forensic piece of evidence) il silenziatore (the gun silencer) il cecchino (the sniper) il mirino (the gun sight) le manette (the handcuffs) il flic (the cop) Objectives Identify forensic and police terminology Describe tools and components found at a crime scene Cronaca di una fuga Giulia reconstructs the tense, chronological timeline of the suspect's high-stress escape.
Vocabulary sgattaiolare (to slip away) inchiodare (to slam on the brakes) barricarsi (to barricade oneself) inondare (to flood) sventolare (to wave) soffocare (to stifle) in pieno (head-on) Objectives Narrate past events chronologically Contrast the past tense and imperfect tense during high-stress descriptions Gergo e modi di dire Marco and Giulia discuss their suspect theories using colorful, everyday police slang and idioms.
Vocabulary bazzicare (to hang around) roba da matti (pure madness) sapere il fatto suo (to know one's business) levare le tende (to pack up and leave) morto stecchito (stone dead) andare a pezzi (to fall apart) passare al setaccio (comb through) Objectives Use colorful Italian idioms in casual conversation Express disbelief or competence using colloquial language La fine del mistero Giulia and Marco secure the final piece of evidence and conclude their physical investigation of the victim's apartment.
Vocabulary accovacciarsi (to crouch down) la nuca (the nape of the neck) il torace (the chest) la scapola (the shoulder blade) il bavaglio (the gag) il boccione (the water cooler jug) gorgogliare (to bubble) pasticciare (to dab awkwardly) Objectives Explain a sequence of physical actions Use descriptive bodily and ambient terms to close a report 
