Italian Phrase: Ho sete! (I’m thirsty!)

Last year, we covered how to say “I’m hungry!” in Italian, so today we’re going to look at what to say when you’re feeling a little (or very) parched! Ho sete! I’m thirsty! Let’s break the phrase down into its component parts: ho The first person singular conjugation of avere (to have). Note that Italians …

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Italian Word of the Day: Mucca (cow)

The Italian word for cow is mucca (feminine, plural: mucche). As in English, the word refers to the female of a domesticated breed of ox that produces milk (latte) or beef (carne bovina). To milk a cow in Italian translates as mungere una mucca. Molti allevatori continuano a mungere le loro mucche a mano. Many …

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Italian Word of the Day: Rotto (broken)

The adjective rotto in Italian can refer to anything that is damaged, out of order or in pieces including machines, clothes, household objects, and body parts to name a few. It is the past participle of the verb rompere meaning to break. Being an adjective, rotto also has corresponding feminine and plural forms with different …

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Italian Word of the Day: Gente (people)

One way of translating the word people in Italian is gente (feminine, plural: genti). Although it is almost always used in the singular form, the plural le genti can be seen in literature or when referring to a population (e.g. le genti dell’antica Roma = the people of ancient Rome). It derives from the Latin …

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Italian Word of the Day: Oggi (today)

The word for today in Italian is oggi. It derives from the Latin hŏdie which itself is a contraction of hoc die (on this day). Ieri mi hai detto che l’incontro si sarebbe tenuto oggi, ma in realtà ho scoperto che si svolge domani! Yesterday you told me the meeting would be held today but …

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Italian Word of the Day: Gennaio (January)

Italian word "gennaio"

January, or gennaio in Italian, is the month that marks the beginning of the new year. Despite the days being short and the weather cold, it is a wonderful time to visit Northern Italy if you enjoy skiing and hiking in the mountains. Gennaio is the first month (primo mese) of the year according to …

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