Intanto is a very common adverb in Italian that has different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. It comprises the preposition in (in) and the adverb tanto (many) and in old Italian, it was written as two words. 1. Intanto = Meanwhile The first possible translation for intanto is meanwhile, in …
The Italian adjective affascinante, which can translate in a number of ways including fascinating and attractive, comes from the verb affascinare meaning to fascinate. The singular form is always affascinante and the plural form is always affascinanti regardless of the gender of the subject. When used to describe a person or one of their physical …
The verb sfarfallare is the fusion of the prefix s-, the noun farfalla (butterfly) and the verb ending -are. There are more meanings associated with this word than you might think, so let’s take a look at them now! Let’s begin with the most literal definition, which is to emerge from a pupal case or …
While scrolling back through our older words of the day, I was shocked to discover that I’ve never written about one of my favourite words, addirittura. I believe now is the time to right that wrong! addirittura even / really Addirittura is an adverb derived from the archaic phrase a dirittura, where dirittura means direction. …
The word for a person (usually a king or ruler) who holds absolute power, and exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way, is despota in Italian. It comes from the Greek despótēs which was the word for the “master of the house”. In ancient Italian, the word ended in an -o rather than an …
Some Italian words take time to master because they lack a precise or direct equivalent in English. The adverb ormai is a prime example of this. ormai While ormai is commonly translated as now, by now, at this point, nearly, finally, anymore, and already, it’s not always clear when each translation is appropriate. Given its …