Heather Broster
Avere (to have) is one of the most important words in the Italian language. Not only does it function on its own as a verb but it also forms an essential component of compound tenses such as the passato prossimo (present perfect) and futuro anteriore (future perfect). For this reason, it appears in numerous idiomatic …
Only a couple of days ago, we published an article about the word for lightning (fulmine) so it would be remiss of us if we didn’t talk about its partner in crime tuono (masculine, plural: tuoni) which is the word for thunder in Italian. Tuono derives from the verb tuonare (or the old literary variation …
When giving someone a present on a special occasion, such as their birthday or at Christmas, we often accompany the act of giving with a phrase such as «This is for you». The way you would say this phrase in Italian ultimately depends on the grammatical gender of the gift in question. If it is …
In English, we have two separate terms to describe a cloth bag stuffed with soft material used as a comfortable support. The kind we use to support the head while sleeping or lying down is called a pillow whereas the kind placed on chairs and sofas is called a cushion. In Italian, both are referred …
Today we’re going to talk about a little word with a very big meaning: the adverb cioè. It is a fusion of the pronoun ciò (this, that) and è, which is the verb essere (to be) conjugated in the third person singular of the present tense. Cioè is used to introduce detailed information, a correction …
The word for powerful in Italian is potente. If you have trouble remembering this word, I find it helps to create a mental link with the English term potent. The singular potente modifies both masculine and feminine singular subjects. In its plural form, it becomes potenti. As in English, potente can be interpreted in the …