Italian Word of the Day: Piccolo (small / little)

Italian word for small or little

The word for small or little in Italian is piccolo (masculine). The feminine form is piccola and the plural forms are piccoli (masculine) and piccole (feminine). As in English, you can use the adjective to describe something that is small in size. Ho comprato questa piccola caffettiera oggi. Era in offerta. I bought this small …

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Italian Word of the Day: Gabinetto (toilet)

Italian word for 'toilet'

There are several way to translate the word toilet in Italian. You can say bagno, but this noun also means bathroom or bath. There is the French “toilette” that is also used in the Italian language, or if you’re a bit posh, you can ask for the servizi igienici (sanitary services). But perhaps the most …

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Italian Word of the Day: Fratello (brother)

If you aren’t an only child, chances are that you have either a sorella (sister) or a fratello (brother), or perhaps one of each, or maybe many of them. (My dad has nine siblings!) An older brother is called a fratello maggiore whereas a younger brother is a fratello minore. Alternatively, you can say fratellone …

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Italian Word of the Day: Azzurro (light blue / azure)

The Italian word for blue is very simple: just chop off the e at the end of the English word and you end up with blu, which is the generic term for any shade of colour between green and violet. From there, you can choose between many variants to describe the colour with more precision: …

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Italian Word of the Day: Unico (unique / only)

If you want to talk about something that is one of a kind, you can use the word unique in English, which translates to unico (masculine, plural: unici) and unica (feminine, plural: uniche) in Italian. La voce di Freddy Mercury era unica. Nessun altro cantava come lui. The voice of Freddy Mercury was unique. Nobody …

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Italian Word of the Day: Vino (wine)

Like food, wine plays a very important role in Italy’s commerce and culture. Mangiare (eating) together is a fundamental part of Italian social life, and whether you’re at a restaurant or someone’s house, a bottiglia (bottle) of wine is always on the table. The word for wine in Italian is vino (masculine, plural vini). As …

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