Heather Broster
Some adjectives in Italian have only one straightforward meaning, while others encompass a range broader than you might anticipate. Magro is one such adjective! magro thin / light / scarce Since magro is an adjective, its ending changes based on the gender and number of the subject – magro (masculine, singular), magra (feminine, singular), magri …
Problems (i problemi) are a common part of daily life, but that doesn’t make them any less challenging to handle! Today’s idiom – essere alle prese con – addresses precisely this issue as we’ll see below. essere alle prese con to be dealing / struggling with / up against Sono alle prese con un sacco …
When we see our favorite actors on the big screen or hear the most popular singers belting out a catchy tune on the radio, we rarely stop to consider that they might be bilingual or even multilingual. As it turns out, many celebrities speak more than one language, and a surprisingly number speak Italian fluently …
Occhiata, which is the combination of the word occhio (eye) with the noun-forming suffix -ata, may not be the most profound word in Italian but it is used very frequently in everyday conversation. occhiata glance / quick look It translates to glance, glimpse, quick look or peek depending on the context, and as you’ve probably …
Today’s word of the day, bagnato (wet), is inspired by the dreadful weather we’ve been experiencing here in Wales. We’ve barely seen a couple of weeks of sunshine in nearly nine months! bagnato wet Bagnato is an adjective that is also the past participle of the verb bagnare (to wet / to water). Bagnare, in …
If you live in a region with unpredictable weather patterns, you likely understand the importance of layering your clothing. In Italian, this practice of donning multiple layers is aptly described as vestirsi a cipolla. vestirsi a cipolla to dress in layers The phrase vestirsi a cipolla literally means “to dress like an onion.” This expression …