Valentina Nicastro
Italian is a beautiful, musical language — we can all agree on that, right? But there’s a specific category of the vocabulary that’s honestly next-level. I’m talking about words for sounds, the ones that don’t just describe a rustling leaf or a crackling fire, they sound like one. From a grammatical point of view, many …
Do you need to scrub the floor to remove that stubborn stain? Maybe you’ve realized they made you pay way too much for that coffee? Or perhaps someone grabbed the last taxi right under your nose? In Italian, we have one verb that perfectly captures the frustration (and action!) in all these situations: fregare. fregare …
Whether you’re marveling at a mosaic tucked inside a quiet neighborhood church or letting your local friend know that the wine they recommended is absolutely incredible, at some point knowing how to express that you like something in Italian becomes kind of essential. But of course, there isn’t just one way to say it. Instead, …
As beautiful as it can be, love often brings a side of drama, jealousy, and the occasional betrayal that makes you want to throw your partner’s belongings out the window. And that leads us to today’s word: cornuto In a nutshell, cornuto in Italian means “cuckold:” it’s the betrayed one, the unfortunate soul who is …
The wind and I are not great friends. In fact, I’m one of those who usually blames it for the colpo d’aria (you know, that uniquely Italian phenomenon where a “hit of air” is supposedly responsible for everything from a scratchy throat to a stiff neck). So yeah, calm, windless days are very much my …
Stato is one of those words you’ll hear everywhere, and sooner or later, you’ll need it too. Take a look at this sentence: Siamo arrivati nello stato di New York proprio il giorno in cui è stato dichiarato lo stato di emergenza. We arrived in the state of New York on the very day the …