Did you know that there are numerous ways to translate the word “crazy“ into Italian? One of the most frequently used translations is the adjective folle, which happens to be our word of the day! folle crazy / foolish The word comes from the Latin follem, meaning inflated ball or bellows, and by extension, an …
When describing something that has exceeded its normal dimensions, Italians often use the adjective gonfio (feminine: gonfia, plural: gonfi / gonfie). gonfio First and foremost, you can use it to describe something filled with air, in which case we’d generally use the adjective inflated in English. For example, an inflated balloon would be un palloncino …
Today we’re going to be looking at the Italian word secco, whose principal translation is dry in English. It comes from the Latin siccus of the same meaning. Because secco is an adjective, the ending changes in accordance with the gender and/or plurality of the subject: Broadly speaking, secco can refer to anything that lacks …
I happened to hear today’s word while listening to my favourite Italian radio station, Radio Italia, where they were discussing the unusually hot temperatures that have gripped Italy over the past week. In some places in the south, the mercury has soared past the 40°C / 104°F mark. Arroventato is an adjective that translates as red-hot …
The opposite of a friend, or amico, in Italian is a nemico (enemy). It should be fairly easy to remember as it shares the same origin as the English word nemesis. Nemico is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: But of course, in the scenario where your worst enemy is …
Famigerato is an adjective that derives from the Latin word famigeratus, the past participle of famigerare meaning “to make famous”. In ancient Italian, the original meaning was famous, used in a positive or ironic sense, but over time, the meaning shifted to infamous or notorious. Adjectives such as famigerato always agree with the noun they …