Heather Broster
The word for bank in Italian is banca (feminine, plural: banche). Banca and its masculine form banco are two Italian words that derive from the same etymology: the Germanic bank meaning bench. While banco has more or less retained its original meaning throughout the centuries (desk, work bench), the feminine banca came to be used …
The way you would say to tell off or to scold in Italian is sgridare. It is a derivative of the verb gridare meaning to shout or yell. Se faccio tardi mamma mi sgrida! If I’m late mom will tell me off! From this word we get the noun sgridata (scolding, telling-off) which may be …
The word for what we call a stroller, baby buggy or pushchair in English is simply passeggino (masculine, plural: passeggini) in Italian. It is a derivative of the word passeggio meaning walk or stroll. Unlike a carrozzina (pram, baby carriage), which is essentially a baby cot on four wheels, a passeggino is an upright seat …
The word for both clock and watch in Italian is orologio (masculine, plural: orologi). It comes from the Latin horologium which in turn derives from the Greek ὡρολόγιον (hōrológion), a combination of the words ὥρα (ora – hour) and λέγω (dire – to say/tell). If you want to specify that you are talking about a …
The word for bicycle in Italian is bicicletta (feminine, plural: biciclette). Both the English and Italian terms were borrowed from the original French word for bicycle which was, you guessed it, bicycle. (These days the French prefer the words bicyclette and vélo.) Just as the English word bicycle is normally abbreviated to bike, so too …
The phrase Mi dispiace in Italian translates as I’m sorry in English. It comes from the verb dispiacere which means to be sorry or to regret. Mi dispiace is mainly used when you wish to express regret or sorrow about an unfortunate situation. Imagine, for example, that your friend tells you that she didn’t pass …