Heather Broster
Aiuto, which means help or aid, is arguably one of the most useful Italian words you can learn. After all, you never know when you might find yourself in need of assistance in a foreign country! The noun aiuto is masculine, and used with the following articles: Aiuto comes from the Latin adiutus which in …
In this article, I’d like to explore a very common error that learners of Italian, especially native English speakers, tend to make. It concerns two expressions: avere senso and fare senso. Although they both contain the word senso (sense), the difference in their meaning couldn’t be greater. Avere senso / Fare senso In English, when …
Mother’s Day is coming up! The second Sunday of May is recognised in Italy, as well as many other countries around the world, as Mother’s Day (la Festa della Mamma) – the day to celebrate our amazing mothers. In Italy, Mother’s Day as it is celebrated today is a relatively new holiday. This holiday and …
Marco Mengoni is currently one of Italy’s most famous singer-songwriters. He first rose to fame in 2009 after winning the Italian version of X-Factor. Then, in 2013, he won the Sanremo Music Festival with the song L’essenziale, earning him the right to represent Italy in the Eurovision Song Contest where he came in seventh place. …
When I first starting learning Italian, I remember attempting to translate the phrase “(That is) good to know!” in various ways, none of which were remotely correct. The most cringeworthy attempt was probably Bello di sapere quello! which generated quite a few laughs from my work colleagues. So let me save you the trouble I …
The word for a nail, as in the covering on the upper surface of the tip of the finger and toe in primates, is unghia in Italian. If you want to specify which part of the body you are referring to, you can use the terms le unghie delle mani (lit. the nails of the …