Heather Broster
Have you ever done something to benefit yourself, knowing full well that your actions could put someone else at a disadvantage? Or perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of somebody’s selfish actions? Either way, there is a very appropriate expression in Italian to describe this way of behaving. tirare acqua al proprio mulino to …
There are certain phrases that seem to pop of my mouth almost without thinking. One of them is the typical line “What’s wrong?” And I probably say it most often to mio figlio (my son)! Sometimes it’s because he’s gone unusually silenzioso (quiet). Sometimes he’s come through the door looking abbattuto (despondent) after school. Sometimes …
There are a few “mild” Italian curse words that I would happily use in front of mia suocera (my mother-in-law) without feeling the slightest bit guilty, and mannaggia is definitely one of them! mannaggia darn / shoot / blast Mannaggia is an exclamation, or more specifically an interjection, used when someone is being annoying or …
I’ve never really understood why mothers-in-law get such a bad rap. Whilst living in Torino, my suocera gave me a place to live when I wasn’t earning enough to rent my own apartment, cooked for me when I got home late from work in the evening, and I would even say that she was solely …
Have you ever done someone a small favour, even just a tiny one, only to find yourself wondering a few days later how you somehow ended up doing tutto (everything) for them? Maybe you agree to cover one shift, and suddenly you’re the person everyone asks whenever they need time off. Or you lend someone …
There are few moments in life more satisfying than getting a lot while giving very little in return. You know the feeling: someone else is paying, the work is already done, the fridge is full, and somehow you’ve landed in the middle of it all thinking, Che bello! (How lovely!) Italians have a word for …