Italian Word of the Day: Veloce (fast)

The Italian word for fast or quick is veloce. It derives from the Latin word velox meaning quick. When I was first learning Italian, I found this word very easy to remember because it shares the same origin as the English word velocity, not to mention the name of everyone’s favourite dinosaur in Jurassic Park, …

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Italian Word of the Day: Nuovo (new)

The usage of the adjective nuovo (feminine: nuova, plural: nuovi or nuove) in Italian is almost identical to the word new in English. Just as it can refer to something that didn’t exist before, it can also describe something produced, introduced, or discovered recently or for the first time, or an unused item. Ho comprato …

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Italian Word of the Day: Forte (strong)

Italian word for 'strong'

You may already be familiar with the word forte, as it is the term we use in English for a thing at which someone excels (in other words, someone’s strong suit). Although this meaning exists in Italian as well, the primary meaning of forte (plural: forti) is strong. Carlo è forte ma se la tira …

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Italian Word of the Day: Piccolo (small / little)

Italian word for small or little

The word for small or little in Italian is piccolo (masculine). The feminine form is piccola and the plural forms are piccoli (masculine) and piccole (feminine). As in English, you can use the adjective to describe something that is small in size. Ho comprato questa piccola caffettiera oggi. Era in offerta. I bought this small …

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Italian Word of the Day: Fortunato (lucky)

Italian word for 'lucky'

If you win the lottery, meet the man or woman of your dreams, or come into a great inheritance, your friends might say that you are fortunato (masculine) or fortunata (feminine), which is the Italian word for lucky. It has the same etymology as the synonym fortunate. Mi sento fortunato di poter vivere in Italia. …

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Italian Word of the Day: Azzurro (light blue / azure)

The Italian word for blue is very simple: just chop off the e at the end of the English word and you end up with blu, which is the generic term for any shade of colour between green and violet. From there, you can choose between many variants to describe the colour with more precision: …

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