Heather Broster
The word for young lady in Italian is signorina (feminine, plural: signorine). It derives from the word signora meaning lady or woman. The suffixes -ino / -ina are used to form diminutives, so signorina literally means little lady. L’ho conosciuta quando era una bambina, ma ora è diventata una signorina. I met her when she …
The Italian word for apple is mela (feminine, plural: mele) and the tree upon which they grow is called melo. Both words derive from the Latin word “mālum” meaning “any tree-fruit fleshy on the outside and having a kernel within.” (Lewis & Short Latin Dictionary) Today it forms the basis of many fruit names in …
The word for night in Italian is notte (feminine, plural: notti). Even if you’ve only been studying Italian for a few short weeks, you will certainly have encountered the greeting buona notte which means good night. Buona notte Alice, e grazie ancora di tutto! Good night, Alice, and thanks again for everything! Occasionally, Italians use …
Call me a killjoy, but swearing bothers me in any language. Whereas others might assail one another with flying f-words and references to bodily excrements, I am more partial to euphemisms. And let’s be honest – they are often far more entertaining and effective than swear words themselves! In this article, you will find many …
Have you got a romantic side to you? If so, let’s take a look at the word for heart in Italian, which is cuore (masculine, plural: cuori). As in English, the word cuore can refer to the muscular organ that pumps blood around the body, the symbol ♥ represented by two equal curves meeting at …
One of the most memorable scenes from the movie Eat Pray Love is when the protagonist Elizabeth (played by Julia Roberts) is sitting in a local barber shop, talking with her Italian tutor and his friend about the Italian expression Il dolce far niente. In the words of the tutor, this phrase translates as the …