10 Ways to Respond to “Grazie” (Thank You) in Italian

When someone says “Thank you!” in English, there is more than one way we can respond depending on the formality of the situation and who we are talking to. Unsurprisingly the same applies to the Italian language. In this article, we take a look at ten of the most popular ways of responding to “Grazie!” …

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Italian Word of the Day: Terra (earth)

The Italian word for the beautiful blue planet we all call home is la Terra (the Earth). It is normally spelled with a capital T in scientific contexts. Terra La Terra gira intorno al Sole. The Earth revolves around the Sun. Terra in its uncapitalised form (plural: terre) may be used to refer to the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Aceto (vinegar)

Vinegar, or aceto as it is known in Italian, has a surprisingly wide variety of industrial and domestic uses due to its mild acidity (acidità). aceto vinegar Aceto (plural: aceti) is a masculine noun and takes the following definite and indefinite articles: It is a common ingredient in cooking and is also popular as a natural household …

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Italian Word of the Day: Ferro (iron)

Ferro may not seem like a very interesting word on the surface, but dig a little deeper and you’ll soon discover that it forms the basis of many terms and expressions in both Italian and English! ferro iron Ferro is a masculine noun whose plural form is ferri. Here are its definite and indefinite articles: …

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Italian Word of the Day: Leone (lion)

There are thirty-eight big cat species in the world, but none is quite as iconic as the lion – or leone in Italian. leone lion Here are the definite and indefinite articles that go with this masculine noun: A female lion, or lioness, is called a leonessa, whereas a lion cub can be translated as …

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10 Borrowed English Words in the Italian Language

10 borrowed English words in the Italian language

We are all well aware that English is abound with words of Italian origin but did you know that Italian regularly borrows from English as well? Italian has a long history of incorporating foreign words into its vocabulary but it is only in recent years that the amount of English vocabulary entering Italian has exploded. …

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