Italian Word of the Day: Intelligente (intelligent / smart)

The word for intelligent or smart in Italian is intelligente. Both the Italian and English can be traced back to the Latin intelligent- which means understanding. Intelligente is the singular form of the adjective and may be used to describe both masculine and feminine subjects, whereas the plural form is intelligenti. Carlo è un bambino …

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Italian Word of the Day: Presto (early / soon / quick / easy)

Italian word "presto"

There are four main ways to translate the Italian adverb presto into English: early and soon, which are the most common translations, and quick and easy. Let’s take a look at each translation now! Presto = Early One of the most common translations of presto is early. The opposite of the adverb tardi (late), it …

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Italian Phrase: Buona serata! (Have a nice evening!)

If you’ve been learning Italian for a while now, you may already be familiar with the classic greeting Buonasera! which is how you say Good evening! in a formal context. Buonasera signore. Come sta? Good evening sir. How are you? If you want to explicitly wish someone a good evening however, it is necessary to …

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Italian Word of the Day: Zia (aunt)

The word for aunt in Italian is zia (feminine, plural: zie). It comes from the Latin word thia and, as in English, is used to describe the sister of one’s mother or father, or the wife of one’s uncle (zio). To describe the latter, the term zia acquisita (aunt by marriage) is often used. Mia zia abita in Italia da dieci anni. My aunt …

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Italian Word of the Day: Arrabbiato (angry)

The word for angry in Italian is arrabbiato. It is also the past participle of the verbs arrabbiarsi (to get angry) and far(e) arrabbiare (to anger). Because it is an adjective, the ending of arrabbiato changes depending on whether you are talking about a solitary male (arrabbiato), a solitary female (arrabbiata), a group of males …

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Italian Word of the Day: Bisogno (need)

One of the most useful words you’ll come across in the Italian language is bisogno (masculine, plural: bisogni). On its own, it translates as need or desire but when combined with the verb avere (to have) and the preposition di (of ) or the conjunction che (that), it corresponds to the verb to need. The …

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