Heather Broster
A mistake I often hear Italians make when they’re not fluent in English is using boring when they actually mean annoying. There’s a very good reason for this: in Italian, there’s just one simple word for both adjectives – noioso. noioso boring / annoying According to Treccani, noioso probably originates from the Old Provençal word …
Are you someone who loves a good natter? If so, there is no better verb than chiacchierare, the Italian equivalent of to chat or to make small talk. It even sounds like the concept it describes, wouldn’t you agree? chiacchierare to chat According to Treccani, the origin of this word is indeed onomatopoeic. Unlike parlare, …
Have you ever sworn someone to absolute secrecy? I know I have – although I was much more inclined to do so as a teenager, when I’d confide in my best friends about my secret crushes. These days, I’m far less likely to let my secrets slip. Age has taught me that, however well-intentioned people …
Mio figlio (my son) has never been a fan of peas. Put a plate of them in front of him and you’d think I’d served him a bowl of tiny green villains. He’ll happily eat pasta, most kinds of minestra (soup) and practically anything else Italian, but peas? Absolutely not. Which is kind of a …
Is there someone in your life with whom you had an instant connection? Perhaps that person is your spouse, or maybe he or she is a childhood friend who, through thick and thin, has stuck by your side all these years. In Italian, there is a very fitting idiom to describe this kind of relationship: …
Did you know Italian contains numerous word pairs where only the gender ending is different? For example, we have mattino and mattina (morning), tavolo and tavola (table), and today’s scrumptious example, cioccolato and cioccolata (chocolate). Curious to discover the subtle yet important difference? Then keep reading! cioccolato cioccolata Now, before we begin, it needs to …