Valentina Nicastro
There’s no doubt about it: the Italian language loves vowels. You can hear it in the rhythm of everyday conversation. You feel it in the smooth flow of a simple buongiorno, and you definitely see it in the spelling of even the most basic words. Think pane (bread), vino (wine), sole (sun): they all sound …
If I say pasta, your brain probably jumps straight to a steaming plate of spaghetti, maybe with a coating of tomato sauce, a nice shaving of Parmigiano, and that satisfying first twirl on the fork. Pure deliciousness, right? But what if I told you that in Italian pasta isn’t just what’s for dinner? Yep, this …
Short, a little tricky, and absolutely essential: this is avere, the verb for “to have” in Italian and one of the core building blocks of speaking the language. While it may seem exactly the same as its English counterpart, avere comes with its own set of quirks that can be confusing when approaching it for …
Ah, Italian! The language of love, art, and… gender confusion! In Italian, every noun has a gender, either masculine or feminine. Sounds easy, right? Well, not really. Because changing the gender of a word doesn’t just tweak its form; it changes its entire meaning. Here’s an example: asking for una pizza (feminine) will get you …
Too old to learn Italian? Pfft… non esiste (no way)! Learning a new language later in life isn’t some wild fantasy, it’s absolutely possible. Sure, it takes effort. But if you’ve ever survived raising teenagers, balanced a career, or assembled IKEA furniture, you already have what it takes. Let’s retire the idea that language learning …
Why describe human behaviour in the same boring way when we can toss in some hedgehogs, geese, or ants? If you’ve ever wanted to sound more Italian, here are 25 hilarious animal idioms that prove the animal kingdom can truly be a mirror for our quirks (#19 will have you laughing out loud!). 1. Buttarsi …