Heather Broster
Boredom often slips in uninvited, like that old friend who barges in unannounced, disrupting our day with a “surprise!” But not everyone sees it as an unwelcome guest. Take Leopardi, the renowned poet – he considered boredom as humanity’s most profound emotion. To him, it revealed the truth that nothing truly satisfies us, leaving us …
The English word space carries various meanings, and the good news for learners is that the Italian equivalent, spazio, covers nearly all of these meanings as well. spazio space Before we dive in, let’s quickly explore its etymology. Spazio derives from the Latin spatium, a word of uncertain origin that encompasses the same meanings as …
Today we’re going to be investigating a lovely word that every learner of Italian should master – dunque – which translates to so, then, therefore or well depending on the surrounding context. dunque so / then / therefore / well Dunque comes from the Vulgar Latin *dunquam, which is a cross of the Vulgar Latin …
A bastian contrario is a polemical individual who adopts opinions and attitudes that go against those held by the majority, so fare il bastian contrario can be translated as “to be contrary” or “to be a contrarian.” fare il bastian contrario to be contrary Before we take a look at the word bastian, which has …
Summer is approaching, and that means sizzling flings and steamy romances are just around the corner. Picture this: sun-kissed Italian beaches, tantalising gelatos, romantic walks under the moonlight. Ah, l’amore! But then comes that painful moment when it’s time to bid arrivederci to your summer love. That’s when you’ll need the phrases I’m about to …
Today we’re going to be looking at the short yet fun word oibò! According to Treccani, oibò (also written ohibò with an “h”), is an exclamation of onomatopoeic origin used to express a range of emotions, including indignation, nausea, contempt, surprise, and disapproval. Some possible translations include oh, well, oh my, darn and my goodness. …