Italian Word of the Day: Triste (sad)

The word for sad in Italian, which comes from the Latin tristis, is triste. Like all other adjectives that end in e, the ending of triste stays the same regardless of whether the subject is masculine or feminine. In its plural form, it becomes tristi. È una situazione molto triste per tutte le persone coinvolte. …

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Italian Word of the Day: Elegante (elegant)

If you attend a party wearing an abito da sera (evening dress) or a smoking (tuxedo), there is a very good chance someone will compliment you on how elegante (elegant) you look! The word elegante is used in reference to both masculine and feminine subjects. It can refers to clothes but also manners and attitude. …

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Italian Word of the Day: Interessante (interesting)

As you might have already guessed by the similarities in their spelling and pronunciation, interessante is the word for interesting in Italian. The singular interessante becomes interessanti in the plural. The gender of the subject doesn’t influence the ending as it does with some adjectives. Trovo che questo libro sia più interessante dell’ultimo che ho …

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Italian Word of the Day: Sporco (dirty)

If you have young children or a pet that likes to roll around in the mud, one word you simply cannot do without is sporco, the Italian word for dirty. As with many adjectives, the ending changes depending on whether the subject is masculine, feminine or plural. Devo pulire la stanza perché è molto sporca. …

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Italian Word of the Day: Giallo (yellow)

One of the seven colours that sits between arancione (orange) and verde (green) on the spectrum is giallo (yellow). It is also one of the three primary colours along with rosso (red) and blu (blue). It comes from the Latin word galbĭnus which means greenish-yellow or yellowish. Il giallo era il mio colore preferito quando …

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Italian Word of the Day: Tirchio (stingy)

Are you wondering what the best Italian word is to describe that Scrooge in your life, the one who wouldn’t part with a penny if his or her life depended on it? Well, you’re in luck! 😉 The word for stingy in Italian is tirchio. According to Treccani, it likely comes from the old dialectal …

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