Italian Idiom: Fare il bastian contrario (to be contrary)

A bastian contrario is a polemical individual who adopts opinions and attitudes that go against those held by the majority, so fare il bastian contrario can be translated as “to be contrary” or “to be a contrarian.” fare il bastian contrario to be contrary Before we take a look at the word bastian, which has …

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Italian Word of the Day: Oibò (oh / oh my / darn)

Today we’re going to be looking at the short yet fun word oibò! According to Treccani, oibò (also written ohibò with an “h”), is an exclamation of onomatopoeic origin used to express a range of emotions, including indignation, nausea, contempt, surprise, and disapproval. Some possible translations include oh, well, oh my, darn and my goodness. …

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Italian Word of the Day: Barba (beard)

Whether you love them or hate them, many men choose to grow a beard at some point in their lives. In Italian, the word for this type of peli del volto (facial hair) is barba. barba beard The word comes from the Latin barba of the same spelling and meaning. Barba is a feminine noun, …

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Can you pass this basic Italian test?

Can you pass this basic Italian test?

Italian is one of the most popular languages to learn worldwide, and it’s no wonder—it sounds absolutely beautiful! Whether you’re just starting out or have been learning for a while, why not give this basic Italian test a try? Can you beat my mom’s score of 25 out of 30? Let’s see how well you …

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Italian Word of the Day: Ruvido (rough / uneven)

Italian word "ruvido"

If you want to describe a surface that is rough or uneven rather than smooth (liscio), you can use the adjective ruvido. ruvido rough / uneven Since ruvido is an adjective, it has masculine, feminine and plural forms: The word is derived from the Vulgar Latin *ru(g)ĭdum, is a derivative of ruga, meaning wrinkle. Questo …

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Italian Word of the Day: Piscina (swimming pool)

Since the birth of our son, my husband and I have made a joint commitment to prioritise fitness in our lives. While I hit the gym and regularly attend spin classes, my husband has chosen to focus on running and swimming at our local piscina (swimming pool). Six months in and we’re seeing pretty good …

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