Tutti pazzi per le scarpe di Lidl!

All crazy for Lidl sneakers!

20 March, 2022

Free

Intermediate (B1)

tutti pazzi per Lidl! qualche giorno fa la catena di supermercati economici Lidl ha messo in vendita anche in Italia la propria collezione di vestiti “Lidl Fan Collection”.

come in altri paesi prima, anche in Italia la collezione è andata a ruba, con gente in coda davanti ai supermercati già prima dell’apertura.

La collezione, in particolare le scarpe, è finita ovunque in poche ore. molti pezzi, tuttavia, si trovano già su eBay e altri negozi online a prezzi molto più elevati: le scarpe da ginnastica da 12,99 euro vengono rivendute online anche a 1.500 euro. Un vero affare…

E voi, che ne pensate?

Keywords

la catena di supermercati: supermarket chain – 超市连锁店

mettere in vendita: to put on sale – 上架销售

la collezione: collection – 系列

andare a ruba: to sell like hotcakes – 畅销

in coda: in line, queuing – 排队

elevato/a: high, elevated – 高的

le scarpe da ginnastica: sneakers – 运动鞋

l’ affare: bargain, deal – 便宜货, 交易

Grammar

Il passivo con “venire”
Passive form with “venire”

“…le scarpe da ginnastica da 12,99 euro vengono rivendute online anche a 1.500 euro”
(…the sneakers priced at 12.99 euros are resold online for as much as 1,500 euros)

In this sentence, the verb “vengono rivendute” is a passive form of the verb “rivendere” (to resell). It means “are resold” or “get resold” in English.

The passive form of a verb in Italian is usually formed with the auxiliary verb “essere” (to be), followed by the past participle of the verb. However, in some cases, the auxiliary verb “venire” (to come) can also be used to form the passive, especially when the emphasis is on the action itself rather than the subject who performs it.

For example:

La cena verrà servita alle 8 (The dinner will be served at 8)
Questo libro viene letto da molti studenti ogni anno (This book is read by many students every year)
Le notizie vengono diffuse in tempo reale grazie ai social media (News is spread in real time thanks to social media)
Il film viene proiettato al cinema tre volte al giorno (The movie is screened at the cinema three times a day)
La macchina viene lavata ogni sabato mattina (The car is washed every Saturday morning)
Le case venivano costruite in mattoni rossi (The houses were being built with red bricks)

Note that “venire” can’t be used when there is a compound tense (with an auxiliary verb) in the active sentence. For example:

Il bambino ha mangiato la torta (passato prossimo)
→ La torta è stata mangiata dal bambino

Translation

Everyone is crazy about Lidl! Some time ago, the German discount chain Lidl launched its own limited edition clothing collection “Lidl Fan Collection” for sale in Italy, as it has already done in some Northern European countries.

As expected, the collection was a huge hit in Italy as well, with people queuing up in front of stores since dawn just to get their hands on at least one of the items. The collection, particularly the sneakers, sold out almost everywhere within a few hours.

And as predicted, many of these pieces are already being resold on eBay or other online stores at prices even ten times higher: the sneakers, whose original price is €12.99, are now being sold for as much as €1,500. A real bargain for the seller…

What do you think about this?

Tutti pazzi per le scarpe di Lidl!