The adjective sfasato in Italian, which derives from the verb sfasare (to dephase), is used in technical terms to mean out of phase mainly in reference to motors and electrical currents. Learn with our video What should be of interest to most learners of Italian isn’t so much the technical but rather the figurative meaning …
The adjective pignolo (also written as pignuolo in rare cases) in Italian is used to describe someone who is fussy, pedantic or extremely meticulous in nature. Learn with our video It derives from the word pigna (pine cone), but precisely how it came to denote a fussy person is uncertain. According to Treccani, this figurative …
The adjective lunatico in Italian is used to describe someone with a fickle and inconstant character, who is subject to mood swings or sudden outbursts of anger. Although it shares the same origin as the English word lunatic, its meaning is closer to moody or temperamental. Learn with our video Lunatico comes from the Latin …
Gettonato is an adjective that has interesting links to the early days of popular music. Although today it can denote almost anything that is popular or well-liked, it used to refer specifically to popular songs or singers. Learn with our video To understand why, we need to take a deeper look at the origin of …
If you have a soft spot for sugary foods like chocolate, cakes and candy, an adjective you should add to your Italian lexicon right away is dolce, which means sweet. Learn with our video ‘Dolce’ as an adjective Dolce is one of those adjectives whose form only changes for the plural, not for the gender. …
The Italian word for a male winner is vincitore (masculine, plural: vincitori). If you are talking about a female, this becomes vincitrice (feminine, plural: vincitrici). A useful way to remember this word is to think of the English terms victor or invincible. Learn with our video Il vincitore del torneo ha donato tutto il premio …