Heather Broster
Most people in the English speaking world strictly associate witches with Halloween. In our minds, they are dark clad figures with flying brooms, ragged clothing, craggy features, and perhaps, a black cat for company. As far as I know, Italy is the only country in the world where witches are also closely linked to the …
Without his faithful sleigh – or slitta (feminine, plural: slitte) in Italian – and the help of his eight reindeer, Santa Claus wouldn’t be able to deliver presents to the millions of children across the world! (Or so the story goes!) La slitta di Babbo Natale è carica di regali. Santa’s sleigh is loaded with …
The word for reindeer in Italian is renna (feminine, plural: renne). Reindeer are one of the most recognised modern Christmas symbols across the world because they are depicted as pulling Santa Claus‘ sleigh across the night sky. In Italian, these eight reindeer are called: Cometa, Ballerina, Fulmine, Donnola,Freccia, Saltarello, Donato, Cupido Tu conosci tutti i …
Knowing how to pay a compliment is a huge part of learning any language to proficiency. Using them properly can improve your relationships with other people, which is extremely important when making new friendships in a foreign country. In English, we tend to say Good job!* or Well done! to praise an individual or a …
At Christmastime, children all over the world are encouraged to write letters to Santa Claus that include a list of presents they would like to receive – if they’ve been good, that is! The word for list in Italian is very similar to the English: simply add an a to the end to make it …
Today’s word of the day is part of our Italian Christmas Word Advent Calendar series. Each day throughout December, we’ll post a word that is related to the holiday season. Enjoy! Christmas is an exciting time of the year for children because they know they will receive lots of toys under the Christmas tree! The …