Italian Word of the Day: Carattere (character / personality)

In order to describe someone’s character, personality or disposition in Italian, you need to know the word carattere. Carattere has its etymology from the Latin word character and ultimately derives from the Greek term kharaktḗr, which means “a stamping tool”. It is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Bruno ha …

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Italian Word of the Day: Giocoso (playful)

Italian word "giocoso"

In this article, we delve into the essence of the Italian adjective giocoso, which usually translates as playful or jovial. Giocoso is an adjective whose form changes depending on what it describes. In its masculine form, it ends in -o and in its feminine form, -a. The respective plurals are -i and -e. It comes …

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Italian Word of the Day: Cannuccia (drinking straw)

I recently began using a standing desk and under-the-desk treadmill at work, and although the set-up has been revolutionary for my health and mood, I initially found it incredibly difficult to drink water while walking, as it would splash all over the desk. (Not a pretty sight, believe me!) Fortunately, I managed to resolve the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Basso (low / short)

Basso is one of those Italian words that has numerous translations in English, so let’s not waste any time and dive right in! Basso is first and foremost an adjective that comes from the Latin bassum. To make it feminine, simply swap the -o out for an -a to make bassa. The respective plural forms …

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Italian Idiom of the Week: Essere buono come il pane (to be good-natured)

Can you think of anything more delicious and soul-satisfying than a freshly baked loaf of homemade pane (bread), still warm from the oven? I certainly can’t! In the Italian idiomatic expression essere buono come il pane (literally “as good as bread”), the goodness of bread extends beyond its taste to represent someone’s kind, loving and …

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