Heather Broster
If someone provides you with an explanation but you struggle to understand the meaning behind their words, it is only natural to ask the question: What do you mean? One way to express this in Italian is with the phrase Che cosa vuoi dire? which, word-for-word, can be translated as What do you want to …
Italian verbs can be divided into three families, called “conjugations”, based on the ending of the infinitive. Verbs ending in -are belong to the first conjugation, those in -ere to the second conjugation and those in -ire to the third conjugation. Avere (“to have”) and essere (“to be”) are the only exceptions since they belong …
If you want to sound like an Italian and know more about their culture, you should learn expressions like fare i conti senza l’oste or trovare il pelo nell’uovo. Let’s take a look at the most common Italian idioms: words and expressions that have a different meaning compared to their literal translations. 1. Fare i …
The word for a city in Italian is città. It is derived from the Latin civitatem, a derivative of civis meaning “citizen“. It generally refers to any human settlement of considerable size with streets, public services, and a local administration. Because it is an invariable feminine noun, the plural form is the same as the …
One of the cardinal rules Italian learners are taught from day one is that possessive adjectives always require a definite article, or the equivalent of “the” in Italian, when they precede the noun being modified. For example: However, there is one glaring exception to this rule, which is members of the family in the singular. …
When learning Italian, it is important to remember that not all native expressions can be translated directly into English. The main reason is that culture has a big impact on the vocabulary used in the language of a specific country. Curious to know more? Below you will find some of the most important Italian words …