Heather Broster
Today’s adverb invano should be familiar to everyone as the English equivalent is nearly identical, except that we provide a space between the two terms (in vain). Ho cercato di convincerli a scappare, ma è stato tutto invano. I tried to get them to escape, but it was all in vain. Interestingly, many Italians mistakenly …
One way of saying hindrance or obstacle in Italian is intralcio. It comes from the verb intralciare which means ‘to hinder’, ‘to hamper‘ or ‘to interfere‘. intralcio hindrance / obstacle Intralcio is a masculine noun that begins with a vowel, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Some common verbs you will see …
Today we’ll be focusing on an advanced Italian adjective that translates in many ways including gaudy, showy, flamboyant, glitzy and flashy: sgargiante. It is thought to derive from the present participle of the Neapolitan sgargià meaning ‘to look (at someone) with a loving gaze’ with the intention of attracting their attention. sgargiante gaudy / showy …
One of the words for a dandelion in Italian is dente di leone. However, it is also known by a number of other names including insalata matta (literally ‘crazy salad’), soffione (literally ‘big blower’ due to the fluffy white head of seeds that can be easily blown off) and dente di cane (literally ‘dog’s tooth). …
The Italian word for eagle is aquila. Both the Italian and English terms share the same origin, which is the Latin aquila. aquila eagle Because aquila is a feminine noun that starts with a vowel, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: l’aquilathe eagleun’aquilaan eagle le aquilethe eaglesdelle aquile(some) eagles Two of the most …
A lampione is a large glass-covered lamp supported by a column or a support fixed to the wall, used for lighting streets, squares, gardens, and the like. It derives from the word lampa, meaning ‘lightning’ or ‘flash’. lampione street light / lamp post Being a masculine noun, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: …