Viavai (masculine, plural: viavai) is the word Italians use to talk about the busy movement of many people or things, especially in and out of a place. In English, possible translations include coming(s) and going(s), bustle and to and fro. Learn with our video and podcast The video is also available on our YouTube channel. …
The adverbial phrase a malapena means barely, scarcely, hardly, just about or only just in English. /ma·la·pé·na/ In both languages, these expressions often (albeit not always) imply some degree of hardship or difficulty. Il paziente con la bronchite riesce a malapena a respirare. The patient with bronchitis is hardly able to breathe.The patient with bronchitis …
A fun Italian word that sounds just like its meaning is ruzzolone (masculine, plural: ruzzoloni), which translates as a tumble or hard fall in English. It derives from the verb ruzzolare (to tumble / to roll) which can ultimately be traced back to the Latin word rota meaning wheel. To take a tumble translates as …
Ever since we began feeling the first aches and pains of age, my husband and I have jokingly started calling each other rottame (masculine, plural: rottami). It derives from rotto, the past participle of the verb rompere (to break), and the suffix -ame whose purpose is to form collective nouns from simple nouns, often with …
Al di là is an adverbial phrase that translates as on the other side or beyond. It is made up of the following components: Al di là c’era il deserto, immenso e dominato da dune enormi. Beyond lay the desert, immense and dominated by enormous dunes. When used as a preposition, it translates as on …
The adjective cervellotico in Italian translates in numerous ways including bizarre, illogical, irrational or odd. It can describe bizarre people, as well as things that don’t correspond to the truth or aren’t founded on reason. Because it is an adjective, the ending changes according to the gender and/or plurality of the subject. For example: Masculine …