Italian Word of the Day: Incinta (pregnant)

The Italian word for pregnant is incinta (feminine, plural: incinte). It derives from the Medieval Latin term incincta. Below are a few verbs you’ll frequently see paired with incinta: essere incinta = to be pregnant rimanere incinta = to get pregnant restare incinta = to get pregnant mettere incinta = to impregnate, to get (someone) …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Subito (immediately)

If you are the kind of person who likes getting things done quickly and efficiently, you’re going to love our word of the day! The adverb subito, which derives from the Latin word of the same spelling, can translate in numerous ways including immediately, right away or quickly. Per favore vai all’ufficio postale. Questo pacco …

Read more

How to Say “Happy Birthday!” in Italian – Buon Compleanno!

If you have an Italian friend, significant other or relative whose special day is on the horizon, a sure-fire way to impress them is to learn how to say Happy Birthday in Italian! The official greeting is Buon Compleanno, with buon meaning ‘good‘ and compleanno meaning ‘birthday‘. Important: In Italian, felice (the actual word for …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Macchina (machine / car )

The words machine in English and macchina (feminine, plural: macchine) in Italian both derive from the Latin “machina”, which in turn comes from the Greek “mekhos” meaning contrivance. Both refer to a mechanical apparatus with several parts, which together perform a particular task. Hanno costruito una macchina complicata con semplici materiali domestici. They built a …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Gallo (rooster)

The male counterpart to a gallina (chicken / hen) in Italian is a gallo (masculine, plural: galli). It comes from the Latin word gallus. Some of the most distinctive characteristics of the rooster are its red crest (cresta), dangling wattle (bargigli), puffed-up tail (coda) and most importantly, its crow (canto) which is represented by the …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Capriccio (tantrum / whim)

The words tantrum and whim both translate as capriccio in Italian. Derived from the antiquated form caporiccio, meaning fright or sudden start, it shares the same origin as the English word caprice. Capriccio is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: In the former sense of the word, it is often …

Read more