Heather Broster
What is a phrasal verb? It’s a verb that is combined with an adverb or preposition to modify the meaning and make the verb usable in a wider variety of contexts. There are hundreds of phrasal verbs in the English language. Italian doesn’t have nearly as many, but it does have some. A number of …
March 20th is the spring equinox in Italy and the northern hemisphere, marking the start of longer days, warmer weather and the appearance of new life. If you’re learning Italian, you may want to increase your spring vocabulary so that you can talk to your friends and family about this time of year. In addition …
Lately my two-year-old son has been very keen on discovering the various plants that grow in our local woodland. Although most plants are safe to touch, there are a few thorny fiends that will give you a nasty prick if you aren’t careful! Spinoso is the adjective Italians use when they want to describe something …
The Italian noun clima means climate. Its origin can be traced back to the late Latin climate-ătis, from the Greek klíma -atos. The term originally denoted a zone of the earth between two lines of latitude, but later began to refer to a region as defined by its atmospheric conditions. Although clima ends in the …
Alla ricerca di una nuova normalità: il mio trasferimento a Firenze At the ripe, old age of 25, I realized that something significant was missing from my life. (Yes, I am fully aware that 25 years old is not old, but I certainly didn’t feel young either.) I was born and raised in the suburban …
The Italian word pasticcio is best translated as mess or muddle in English, and as you have probably guessed, it is used to describe a situation or piece of work that is chaotic, disorganised or poorly executed. It is a masculine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Although the origin of …