Heather Broster
The Italian word spinta quite literally means push in English. It is the feminine form of spinto (pushed, compelled), which in turn comes from the verb spingere (to push). spinta push / incentive Because spinta is feminine, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Two of the most common verbs you will see used …
Mistakes are an inevitable part of learning a new language, and they’re not only normal but also an integral aspect of the language acquisition journey. The more mistakes you make, the faster you will learn the correct way to say things. Still, that doesn’t mean some of these mishaps aren’t downright hilarious. In this article, …
The saying costare un occhio della testa (literally “to cost an eye of the head”) in Italian is used to refer to something that costs a lot of money. It draws a comparison between the irrecoverable and painful loss of an eye to the loss of a large monetary sum. Costare un occhio della testa …
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, …