The word for a reckless young person who leads a wild, free and unruly life is scavezzacollo in Italian. Three possible translations in English include daredevil, risk-taker and tearaway. Learn with our video It is composed of two words: scavezzare, a single verb that means to break the top off a tree or more generally …
One of our readers recently asked us what the expression mangia mangia means in Italian. Before we get down to the nitty-gritty, let’s take a quick look at what mangia means on its own, and how Italians use this word to create various idiomatic expressions. Learn with our video What does “mangia” mean in Italian? …
This week’s phrase was inspired by the refrain of Zitti e Buoni, the song that won 2021 edition of the European Song Contest. Written by Italian rock band Måneskin, it is dedicated to the widely misunderstood and misjudged Generation Z, to which the band members belong. Siamo fuori di testa! We’re out of our minds! …
Tuttavia is a common Italian conjunction composed of the words tutta (the feminine form of tutto meaning everything) and via (path / way). Being fairly formal, it is used far more in writing than in speech. Learn with our video There is a range of possible translations for this word in English including however, yet, …
If you and a friend go to a restaurant, but the waiters are slow and the dish you ordered doesn’t float your boat, you might describe the restaurant with the phrase: Non è un granché! It’s nothing special! / It’s not all that great! This phrase is used to say that you don’t particularly like …
The most literal translation for the verb spopolare in Italian is to depopulate. Formed from the prefix s- (which in this case denotes a removal or reversal) and the verb popolare (to populate), it is used when a group of people dies or moves away, reducing the population. Learn with our video L’epidemia ha spopolato …