Command line tool for Italian language studies

Question

I made a small command line tool to help my Italian studies. Any thoughts on how it could be improved? I can't think of much but would like to be proved wrong.

import random

class RegularVerb(object):
    def __init__(self, name):
        self._name = name

    def name(self):
        return self._name

    def _make(self, verb_end):
        return self.name()[:-3] + verb_end

    def _build_condizionale_semplice(self, verb_forms, prefix):
        def verb_base(prefix):
            return (prefix + condizionale_semplice_base
                    for condizionale_semplice_base in 
                    ['rei', 'resti', 'rebbe', 'remmo', 'reste', 'rebbero']
                   )
        return dict(zip(verb_forms, verb_base(prefix)))


class EreVerb(RegularVerb):
    def __init__(self, name, verb_forms):
        super(EreVerb, self).__init__(name)
        self._condizionale_semplice = self._build_condizionale_semplice(verb_forms, 'e')

    def condizionale_semplice(self, verb_form):
        return self._make(self._condizionale_semplice[verb_form])


class IreVerb(RegularVerb):
    def __init__(self, name, verb_forms):
        super(IreVerb, self).__init__(name)
        self._condizionale_semplice = self._build_condizionale_semplice(verb_forms, 'i')

    def condizionale_semplice(self, verb_form):
        return self._make(self._condizionale_semplice[verb_form])


class AreVerb(RegularVerb):
    def __init__(self, name, verb_forms):
        super(AreVerb, self).__init__(name)
        self._condizionale_semplice = self._build_condizionale_semplice(verb_forms, 'e')

    def condizionale_semplice(self, verb_form):
        return self._make(self._condizionale_semplice[verb_form])


class Questioner():

    def __init__(self, verb_forms, verbs):
        self._verb_forms = verb_forms
        self._verbs = verbs

    def _handle_answer(self, user_answer, correct_answer):
        if user_answer == correct_answer:
            print "bravo!"
        else:
            print "no, correct form is:", correct_answer

    def ask_random_condizionale_semplice(self):
        def ask(verb_form, verb): 
            print "condizionale semplice for {0} in {1}?".format(verb.name(), verb_form),
            self._handle_answer(raw_input(), verb.condizionale_semplice(verb_form))
        ask(random.choice(self._verb_forms), random.choice(self._verbs))


def build_regular_verbs(verbs, verb_forms):
    def make(verb):
        if verb[-3:] == 'are':
            return AreVerb(verb, verb_forms)
        elif verb[-3:] == 'ire':
            return IreVerb(verb, verb_forms)
        elif verb[-3:] == 'ere':
            return EreVerb(verb, verb_forms)
        else:
            raise Exception("not a regular verb")
    return [make(v) for v in verbs]


def build_questioner(verb_forms, regular_verbs):
    return Questioner(verb_forms, 
                      build_regular_verbs(
                        regular_verbs,    
                        verb_forms
                      )
                     )

if __name__ == "__main__":
    questioner = build_questioner( 
                        ['I sg', 'II sg', 'III sg', 'I pl', 'II pl', 'III pl'],
                        ['passare', 'mettere', 'sentire'],
                       )
    while True: 
        questioner.ask_random_condizionale_semplice()

Answer 1

Maybe this could provide of a more neat way of relating verbs with veb_forms:

verb_binder = dict(are=AreVerb, ire=IreVerb, ere=EreVerb)

def build_regular_verbs(verbs, verb_forms):
    def make(verb):
        try:
            return verb_binder[verb[-3:]](verb, verb_forms)
        except KeyError:
            raise Exception("not a regular verb")

    return [make(v) for v in verbs]

not sure if verb_binder dictionary should be a module global or local to the function or maybe it should be located elsewhere, but this is the idea.

Answer 2

You should be able to delete this method:

def condizionale_semplice(self, verb_form):
    return self._make(self._condizionale_semplice[verb_form])

from the Ere, Are, and Ire classes and add it to the RegularVerb class, since it is the same for all three.