Heather Broster
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 begins, 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 because …
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, …
December, or dicembre in Italian, is the month in which winter (inverno) officially begins in the northern hemisphere. The days may be short and the weather variable, but it is certainly the most magical time to visit Italy thanks to the festive atmosphere. Some things that characterise Italy in December include elaborate nativity scenes (presepi) …
Il Natale è alle porte is a very common expression used when Christmas is only days away. It literally translates as “Christmas is at the doors” and equates to the English expressions: Il Natale è alle porte. Christmas is just around the corner. The use of the definite article il (the) is optional. You can …
Students of Italian often find themselves feeling confused about when to use ancora versus di nuovo since both can be translated with the word “again”. In this article, we attempt to shed some light on the differences in their usage. How to Use “Ancora” in Italian Before we delve into ancora as a translation for …