As you might have already guessed by the similarities in their spelling and pronunciation, interessante is the word for interesting in Italian.
The singular interessante becomes interessanti in the plural. The gender of the subject doesn’t influence the ending as it does with some adjectives.
Trovo che questo libro sia più interessante dell’ultimo che ho letto.
I find that this book is more interesting than the last one I read.
Interessante derives from the verb interessare which means to interest.
Mi interessa molto studiare le lingue.
Studying languages interests me a lot. /
I’m very interested in studying languages.
A euphemistic way of saying that you are pregnant in Italian is essere in stato interessante which literally translates as to be in an interesting state.
Another good expression is fare l’interessante which means to act in a mysterious manner or to put on airs in order to attract attention or arouse curiosity. A similar expression is cercare di rendersi interessante (try to make oneself interesting) which means to try to attract attention.
So che con te non ho bisogno di fare l’interessante. Mi accetti come sono.
I know that with you I don’t need to put on a show. You accept me as I am.
Finally, interessante can be used as a replacement for adjectives such as convenient when talking about the price of something or a business endeavour. It can describe a person who is attractive, original or even mysterious, and or has certain qualities that make him or her attractive.
- un prezzo interessante = a convenient price
- una donna interessante = an attractive / fascinating / charming / mysterious women
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
