Heather Broster
What do you imagine when you hear the word panini? Probably a delicious sandwich, served warm after being toasted to perfection, am I right? What you may not know is that panini is actually the plural of the Italian singular panino, which quite simply means bread roll or sandwich. Etymologically speaking, it is the diminutive …
The word for wind in Italian is vento (masculine, plural: venti) and it comes from the Latin term ventus. Whereas in English, we tend to say It’s windy to describe breezy conditions, Italians have the choice between two expressions: Tira vento. = Lit: It’s pulling wind. C’è vento. = There is wind. Caspita, c’è tanto …
In Italian, there are two predominant terms for watermelon, and the one you end up using the most will depend on where you live in Italy. My husband is from Turin in the north-west of Italy, and the only word he’s ever used for watermelon is anguria (feminine, plural: angurie). This term is also dominant …
In Italian, the word matrimonio (masculine, plural: matrimoni) can mean both wedding and marriage depending on the context. If you’re struggling to remember this word, I’ve found that it helps to think of the English word matrimony. Il matrimonio è durato otto mesi. The marriage lasted eight months. Il matrimonio si è tenuto in gran …
The usage of the word mondo (masculine, plural: mondi), which translates as world, is more or less the same in Italian as it is in English. In its most literal sense, it can refer specifically to the physical planet that we inhabit (Earth), or to other heavenly bodies outside of our solar system. L’astronauta riesce …
If you’re anything like me, you probably spend much of the day on social media platforms such as Twitter, laughing at the funny interactions, rolling your eyes at the often pointless debates or just mindlessly scrolling. But did you know that Twitter can actually serve as a great tool for learning a new language? 😀 …