Heather Broster
The verb gattonare in Italian has two meanings, depending on whether you are describing a human being or an animal. When a human, or more specifically a baby, is the subject, gattonare means to crawl. Mia figlia ha cominciato a gattonare molto presto. My daughter started crawling very early. When talking about predatory animals such …
Has your other half’s snoring been keeping you up all night? Then maybe now’s a good time to learn the Italian verb russare! Derived from the term hrūzzan, it is one of many words that entered Italian via the Lombard language of Northern Italy. Since it is a regular -are verb, it conjugates in the …
The act of quickly closing and opening one’s eye while leaving the other eye open is known as an occhiolino in Italian or wink in English. It is usually performed in such a way that only the recipient notices it. occhiolino wink Occhiolino is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: …
A colloquial adjective for someone whose behaviour or movements are clumsy is imbranato in Italian. The corresponding feminine form is imbranata whereas the respective plurals are imbranati (m) and imbranate (f). imbranato clumsy / awkward The word is thought to derive from the Venetian imbranà (imbrigliato in Italian) which literally translates as harnessed or tightened …
While listening to my favourite Italian radio station, Radio Italia, earlier today, one of the presenters used a fun little word I’d never written about before — but it absolutely deserves a spot on this website: calzante. calzante well-fitting / snug / suitable As you might guess just by looking at it, calzante comes from …
The word gratificante in Italian can translate as rewarding, gratifying, satisfying or fulfilling. It is almost always used in reference to a job, activity or relationship that provides satisfaction and pleasure. Gratificante comes from the verb gratificare meaning to be rewarding or to be gratifying, but also to compensate when talking about money. Gratificante is …