Heather Broster
There’s a particular reason I’ve chosen to write about the word tovaglia (tablecloth) – and it’s not because I use one every day. (In fact, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I don’t even own one!) Rather, it’s because I often confuse it with two other words that I do use frequently, both of which …
I don’t know about you, but whenever I start learning a new language, I have the terrible habit of mixing up the verbs that correspond to “to hear” and “to listen” (and let’s not even get into “to watch” “to see” and “to look”!) Today’s verb is ascoltare which means “to listen” – let’s discover …
I often joke with my son about the sheer quantity of stuffed animals he’s accumulated over the years – some inherited from my own rather abundant collection, others given to him as presents. If I were to count them all, I’m pretty sure I’d still be here in an hour’s time! An expression that perfectly …
As our son’s birthday draws near, our thoughts have turned to wrapping regali (gifts), baking his torta (cake), and of course, birthday decorations. A classic decoration that makes an appearance at most feste (parties) is the palloncino, the Italian word for balloon. palloncino balloon Palloncino is the diminutive form of pallone, a word that means …
When you’re faced with a seemingly insurmountable task or challenge, it’s easy to want to throw your hands up and walk away. And yes, sometimes it really is best to let certain things go. But if you genuinely want to succeed, remember: non darti per vinto – don’t give up! darsi per vinto to give …
Indaffarato is an adjective meaning busy or run off one’s feet to use a more idiomatic translation. It comes from the noun daffare, meaning ‘work’ or ‘a lot to do.’ indaffarato Being an adjective that ends in -o, the ending changes in accordance with the gender and number of the subject in question. You may …