Adjectives
Italian Word of the Day: Impavido (fearless)
One way of saying fearless or undaunted in Italian is impavido. It comes from the Latin impavidus which is a combination of the prefix im- and pavidus (coward). Impavido is the masculine form. The feminine version is impavida, and their respective plural forms are impavidi and impavide. Il principe impavido sfidò il drago per liberare …
Italian Word of the Day: Incorreggibile (incorrigible)
Today, as I was listening to the classic Lucio Battisti hit Ancora Tu on the radio, I was reminded of myself at 23 years old, strolling under the portici (arcades) of Via Roma in Torino, iPod in hand, doggedly trying to memorise the lyrics, and in particular, our word of the day which appears in …
Italian Word of the Day: Nero (black)
The word for the darkest colour in existence owing to the complete absence or absorption of light is nero in Italian, or black in English. Its form changes to nera when modifying feminine nouns, and their respective plurals are neri and nere. Un vestito nero means a black suit, whereas a person who is vestito …
Italian Word of the Day: Malato (sick / ill)
One of the most common adjectives in Italian for someone who is sick or ill is malato. The feminine form is malata and their respective plurals are malati and malate. Just like its English equivalent, it can describe ailing plants and animals too. If you are only suffering from a minor sickness, you can say …
Italian Word of the Day: Anziano (old / elderly)
In Italian, there are two possible ways to translate the word old: Unlike vecchio, which can sound quite impertinent when talking about a person’s age, anziano is more polite and respectful. Il signore anziano sta camminando lentamente verso la piazza. The old gentleman is walking slowly towards the square. The feminine form of anziano is …