In Italy, in addition to the three main meals – colazione (breakfast), pranzo (lunch) and cena (dinner) – there is a fourth that occurs between lunch and dinner called merenda. Like most words in Italian, merenda derives from the late Latin merere (to deserve), and literally means “things you have to deserve”. /me·rèn·da/ Merenda is …
If you are travelling around Italy, but speak very little to no Italian, a phrase you will probably have to use at some point is «Non parlo italiano» which means “I don’t speak Italian“. Non parlo italiano. I don’t speak Italian. Non is an adverb whose purpose is to express negation. It is one of …
June, or giugno in Italian, is the month that marks the beginning of the middle of the year and the beginning of l’estate (summer). Thanks to the longer days and warm temperatures, it is a wonderful time to visit Italy if you enjoy spending time on the beach, swimming, and hiking in the mountains. Giugno …
A word that consistently makes it onto the list of the top 100 most common words in Italian is lavoro. It derives from the verb lavorare (to work), which in turn comes from the Latin ‘laborare’ (to toil). Because it is a masculine noun, lavoro takes the following definite and indefinite articles: il lavoroun lavoro …
Although we’re leaving the depths of winter behind us, some items of clothing remain indispensable, especially when cold winds are still blowing strong. One of these items is the sciarpa (scarf)! Sciarpa derives from the French écharpe, which in turn comes from the Franconian skerpa, a kind of shoulder belt with loops or pockets for …
The word for fork in Italian is forchetta. It is the diminutive form of the word forca (pitchfork), which comes from the Latin furca. Here are the definite and indefinite articles that must be used with this feminine noun: la forchettathe fork una forchettaa fork le forchettethe forks delle forchette(some) forks A few different kinds …