The word for the hair on one's head is the plural capelli in Italian. The singular capello, on the other hand, usually refers to an individual strand of hair. IPA: /ca·pél·lo - ca·pél·li/ This word is easily mixed up with the similar sounding cappelli, the plural of cappello, which is the Italian word for hat. You can hear the difference by carefully listening to the phrase below. (Pay … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Capelli (hair)
Italian Phrase: Buon appetito! (Enjoy your meal! / Bon appetit!)
When I was working as an au pair for an Italian family in Turin, the three children I looked after would begin every meal with a cheerful chorus of Buon appetito! (Enjoy your meal!), an expression many Italians say before eating. IPA: /buòn ap·pe·tì·to/ The proper response to this expression is grazie, altrettanto (thanks, likewise) or grazie, anche a te / voi (thanks, and to you or you … [Read more...] about Italian Phrase: Buon appetito! (Enjoy your meal! / Bon appetit!)
Italian Word of the Day: Luglio (July)
We have officially entered the first days of July (i primi giorni di luglio) which means it is time to get out the swimsuits, sunscreen and the classic Spritz - one of Italy's favourite alcoholic summer drinks! IPA: /ˈlu.ʎo/ Luglio is the seventh month (settimo mese) of the year according to the Julian and Gregorian calendars. As is the case with all months of the … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Luglio (July)
Italian Word of the Day: Bocca (mouth)
The Italian word for mouth is bocca (feminine, plural: bocche), which comes from the Latin bucca meaning cheek. IPA: /ˈbok.ka/ Below are a few common verbs you'll often see used with bocca: aprire la bocca = to open one's mouthchiudere la bocca = to close one's mouthcoprire la bocca = to cover one's mouthtenere la bocca chiusa = to keep one's mouth shutmettere in bocca = to put in one's … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Bocca (mouth)
Italian Word of the Day: Colazione (breakfast)
The word for breakfast in Italian is colazione (feminine, plural: colazioni). IPA: /co·la·zió·ne/ Traditionally, the first meal eaten just after waking up was referred to as la prima colazione (the first breakfast), whereas the midday meal was called la seconda colazione (the second breakfast). The latter has since been replaced by the word pranzo (lunch) but the term prima colazione still … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Colazione (breakfast)
Italian Word of the Day: Natura (nature)
The Italian word for nature is the similar sounding natura (feminine, plural: nature). It corresponds to the English meaning of the word in every sense as we'll discover below. IPA: /naˈtu.ra/ The first translation is the physical world that surrounds us including plants (piante), animals (animali), the landscape (paesaggio) and any other features or products of the earth. Noi esseri … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Natura (nature)