Recently one of our readers asked us to write an article explaining the different uses for magari in Italian. Given that this is one of our all-time favourite words, we were more than happy to oblige! Magari = maybe / perhaps The translation for magari which learners find easiest to comprehend is maybe or perhaps. …
The Italian word infatti is a useful conjunction whose purpose is to confirm, prove or justify a previous statement, much like the English terms in fact, as a matter of fact and indeed. Learn with our video Here is an example that shows how infatti can be used in a sentence. Non mi piace il …
The word for the violent noise something makes when it smashes against a hard surface is fracasso (masculine, plural: fracassi) in Italian. Derived from the verb fracassare, it best translates into English as to smash. Learn about ‘fracasso’ with our video Il vaso si è rotto con gran fracasso. The vase broke with a loud …
The adverb perfino in Italian is made up of the prefix per– and the preposition fino (up to, as far as). It is used much in the same way as the adverb even in English, in that it emphasises something surprising or extreme. Important: perfino has an alternative form, persino, but don’t worry, they are …
Balordo is one of those fun Italian adjectives that you will rarely see in a textbook, but comes up all the time in casual conversation between native speakers. Its etymological origin has not been confirmed. It may derive from the French balourd, which in turn comes from the ancient French beslourd. Learn with our video …
The adjective sfasato in Italian, which derives from the verb sfasare (to dephase), is used in technical terms to mean out of phase mainly in reference to motors and electrical currents. Learn with our video What should be of interest to most learners of Italian isn’t so much the technical but rather the figurative meaning …