Valentina Nicastro
When you start learning Italian, numbers are probably one of the very first things you pick up. Uno (one), due (two), tre (three)… you memorise them, practise a little, and then move on to other topics. Then you hear real, everyday Italian, and suddenly those numbers stop being mere quantities. Take due (two) for example: …
October brings us, among other things, la Giornata Internazionale del Caffè (International Coffee Day – Oct 1st). Do we Italians need an excuse to talk about coffee? No, but we’ll take it anyway! You may already be familiar with how to order coffee in Italy or you’ve probably heard about the eternal shame of ordering …
Still staring at the map after the guy on the Italian weather forecast warned about a strong swirl of cold air coming from la Manica, and you have no idea where that is? Read on to find out! manica sleeve / bunch / English Channel 1. MANICA = Sleeve The word manica in Italian comes …
Why waste a whole sentence describing someone’s personality when one word can do all the job? Today I’ll introduce you to some of the most colourful Italian character types, from the people who kill the mood the second they walk in to chronic complainers and those who always, always know better. Forget vague descriptions – …
Buono (good), buonissimo (really good), non è buono (it’s not good)… these are all great words to know when commenting on food in Italian. But when we really love (or hate) what’s on our plate, we like to be a bit more creative and reach for expressions that, when translated literally, can sometimes sound pretty …
You are eating out with your Italian friends, then il conto (the bill) lands on the table and suddenly things get a little awkward. Who’s paying? Will you split it half and half? Or will everyone just pay for what they ordered? Here are five useful expressions to help you handle the moment smoothly. 1. …