Heather Broster
In idiomatic expressions, it’s common for Italians to use the word zucca, which means pumpkin, gourd, or squash, to draw comparisons to human heads and brains. An example of such an idiom is “avere sale in zucca,” which translates literally to “to have salt in one’s gourd.” It is used to describe someone who is …
Do you feel extremely nervous when you have to converse with native Italian speakers? I know I do. Despite having studied the language for over ten years, I still experience sweaty palms and a lump in my throat whenever I find myself speaking to someone new. Today, we will be exploring a language learning app …
No two cultures are entirely the same. While most Western cultures are fairly similar, there are still minor differences that make each culture beautifully unique. Sometimes these differences seem strange or even counter-intuitive to foreigners. For example, Italians struggle to understand why Americans insist on building everything “bigger” in hopes of making it “better.” Americans, …
Nursery rhymes are part of everyone’s upbringing, regardless of our cultural background. These rhythmic verses serve as gentle reminders of our early years, and we take pleasure in sharing them across generations. In this piece, we present fifteen widely recognised traditional Italian nursery rhymes that are certain to evoke fond memories, particularly if you grew …
Storia is a multifaceted word in Italian that means so much more than its English cognate, story. Let’s find out more about it now! Storia is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Arguably the most common translation for storia is history, not story as one might expect. Storia can …
Since the day my son was born, I’ve been speaking to him in Italian, despite not being a native speaker of the language. Now that he is three (going on thirteen), I’ve become extremely familiar with the phrases we often repeat to children, whether we intend to or not! In this article, you will find …