Heather Broster
The Italian word for easy or simple is facile. As you’ve probably guessed, it shares the same origin as the English word facile (meaning simplistic). Both come from the Latin facilis meaning easy. The singular facile is used to describe both masculine and feminine subjects and there is only one plural (facili). Non è facile …
The Italian equivalent of the verb to breathe in English is respirare. It shares the same origin as the verb to respire, the less used synonym of to breathe. Respirare is an -ARE verb that is conjugated in the following way in the present tense: Faccio fatica a respirare quando corro. I find it hard …
Every year on June 2nd, Italians celebrate la Festa della Repubblica – known as Republic Day in English – which is the name of the Italian national day. It celebrates the institutional referendum held just a year after the end of the Second World War, in which the Italian people voted to abolish the monarchy …
What has become predominantly a single word in English (forever) is actually two words in Italian: the preposition per (for) + sempre (always / still / increasingly). Below are a few common verbs you’ll see used with per sempre: Chi vuole vivere per sempre? Who wants to live forever? Some possible synonyms for per sempre …
According to the Roman Catholic tradition, the Italian Father’s Day (La Festa del Papà) is celebrated, not on the third Sunday in June like many other countries in the world, but on March 19th, otherwise known as Saint Joseph’s Day (La Festa di San Giuseppe). It is recognised as an important time to commemorate fatherhood, …
People across the world are familiar with the informal Italian greeting Ciao! (pronounced CHOW) which can be used at the start of a conversation to greet someone, or at end of a conversation to sign off. The meaning is exactly the same as Hi! and Bye! in English. Ciao Enrica, come stai? Hi Enrica, how …