Italian stories
Eagle Becomes Real Dad After Thinking Rock Was His Egg
Murphy, un’aquila calva, pensava che una roccia fosse il suo uovo.
Murphy, MUR-fee, Murphy,
un’aquila oon ah-KWEE-lah a bald eagle,
calva, KAL-vah, bald,
pensava pen-SAH-vah thought
che keh that
una OO-nah a
roccia ROH-chah rock
fosse FOHS-seh was
il eel his
suo SOO-oh his
uovo. WOH-voh. egg.
Lo ha protetto per settimane, comportandosi come un padre.
Lo loh He
ha ah has
protetto proh-TET-toh protected
per per for
settimane, set-tee-MAH-neh, weeks,
comportandosi kom-por-TAN-doh-see acting
come KOH-meh like
un oon a
padre. PAH-dreh. father.
Poi, un aquilotto orfano è arrivato al santuario.
Poi, POH-ee, Then,
un oon an
aquilotto ah-kwee-LOT-toh baby eagle
orfano OR-fah-noh orphaned
è eh is
arrivato ar-ree-VAH-toh arrived
al ahl at the
santuario. san-too-AH-ree-oh. sanctuary.
Hanno messo l’aquilotto con Murphy, e lui è diventato il suo nuovo papà.
Hanno AHN-noh They
messo MES-soh put
l’aquilotto lah-kwee-LOT-toh the eaglet
con kon with
Murphy, MUR-fee, Murphy,
e eh and
lui LOO-ee he
è eh is
diventato dee-ven-TAH-toh became
il eel its
suo SOO-oh its
nuovo NWOH-voh new
papà. pah-PAH. dad.
Murphy nutre e si prende cura del piccolo aquilotto ora.
Murphy MUR-fee Murphy
nutre NOO-treh feeds
e eh and
si prende cura see PREN-deh KOO-rah cares for
del del the
piccolo PEEK-koh-loh baby
aquilotto ah-kwee-LOT-toh eagle
ora. OH-rah. now.
Il santuario dice che Murphy sta facendo un ottimo lavoro.
Il eel The
santuario san-too-AH-ree-oh sanctuary
dice DEE-cheh says
che keh that
Murphy MUR-fee Murphy
sta stah is
facendo fah-CHEN-doh doing
un oon a
ottimo OHT-tee-moh great
lavoro. lah-VOH-roh. job.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/us/murphy-bald-eagle-rock.html
Test your comprehension
What did Murphy think the rock was?
- un aquilotto orfano
- il suo uovo
- un santuario
- una pietra preziosa
Who arrived at the sanctuary?
- un aquilotto orfano
- un altro adulto
- un falco
- un gabbiano
What role did Murphy take on after the orphaned eaglet arrived?
- un insegnante
- un nuovo papà
- un protettore
- un amico
How is Murphy performing in his new role according to the sanctuary?
- sta facendo male
- sta facendo un ottimo lavoro
- non è sicuro
- ha bisogno di aiuto
Grammar cards for this story
Present Continuous Tense
- Example: “Murphy nutre e si prende cura del piccolo aquilotto ora.”
- Explanation: The present continuous tense is used to describe actions that are currently happening at the moment of speaking. In this sentence, “nutre” (nourishes) and “si prende cura” (takes care) are in the present tense, indicating that Murphy is actively caring for the eaglet right now.
Past Simple Tense
- Example: “Lo ha protetto per settimane.”
- Explanation: The past simple tense is used to talk about actions that were completed in the past. The phrase “ha protetto” (has protected) indicates that Murphy’s action of protecting the rock took place over a span of time in the past and is now completed.
Future Simple Tense
- Example: “Il santuario dice che Murphy sta facendo un ottimo lavoro.”
- Explanation: The future simple tense indicates what will happen in the future. The phrase “sta facendo” (is doing) suggests that the sanctuary is currently observing Murphy’s actions and will continue to evaluate his performance going forward.
Subject-Verb Agreement
- Example: “Hanno messo l’aquilotto con Murphy.”
- Explanation: In this sentence, the subject “Hanno” (they) agrees with the plural verb form “messo” (put). Subject-verb agreement is essential in ensuring that the verb matches the number (singular or plural) of the subject.