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 …
As you immerse yourself in Italian life, agio is a term you’ll quickly come to appreciate. After all, who doesn’t relish a life of ease and comfort? agio ease / comfort Agio is derived from the Provençal aize meaning proximity and the Late Latin adiăcens meaning near or comfortable. Being a masculine noun beginning with …
Recently my son has taken a keen interest in tongue-twisters, especially those that his dear old mum has trouble saying. A tongue-twister in Italian is known as a scioglilingua, which is the combination of the verb sciogliere (to melt) and the noun lingua (tongue). scioglilingua tongue-twister Scioglilingua is an invariable noun, so it’s form doesn’t …
Some words perfectly capture the essence of the concept they describe, and the Italian adjective mogio is a great example. It can be translated as despondent, dispirited, or dejected, among other terms. mogio despondent / dispirited / dejected Mogio most likely derives from the Venetian mògio (wet) which, in turn, comes from the Latin mollior, …
If you are shocked or stunned by something to the extent that all colour drains from your face, a great word you can use to describe this feeling in Italian is allibito. allibito shocked / stunned Allibito is an adjective whose ending changes in accordance with the gender and number of the subject. If the …
Today we’re going to be looking at the short yet fun word oibò! According to Treccani, oibò (also written ohibò with an “h”), is an exclamation of onomatopoeic origin used to express a range of emotions, including indignation, nausea, contempt, surprise, and disapproval. Some possible translations include oh, well, oh my, darn and my goodness. …