Heather Broster
Diminutives are a suffix (a part of speech we add at the end of a root word to alter its meaning) that imply smallness or a sense of endearment. We have a few in the English language. Most commonly, to imply that something is small or young, we can add a –y or –ie. For …
Italian food is delicious. We all know that. The whole world knows that, and so the whole world has adopted Italian cuisine into their hearts. In so doing, we English-speakers have also adopted some Italian words into our food vocabulary, however incorrectly. Check out this list of some of your favorite Italian foods that you …
Do you think knowing how to say “crazy” in Italian might be useful to you as you’re learning the language of love? Some might think not, as it isn’t the most polite way to refer to a person, no matter how well you know them! However, learning this term also has its advantages. By learning …
Ivy, which is known as edera in Italian, is an evergreen climbing plant (pianta rampicante) that thrives on walls, rocks and trees. The name comes from the Latin hedera. Edera is a feminine noun starting with a vowel, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Edera velenosa is what Italians call poison ivy. …
At the stroke of midnight on December 31st, the new year will begin, bringing with it a whole new set of hopes, dreams, wishes, and challenges. The word for midnight in Italian is mezzanotte, which is the union of two words: mezzo (half or middle) and notte (night). The reason mezzo has become mezza is …
On New Year’s Eve, people all over the world ring in the new year by counting down the final ten seconds before the clock strikes midnight. In Italian, countdown is translated with three words: conto alla rovescia. Conto is a masculine noun that has various meanings including calculation, the check you receive at a restaurant, …