Italian Word of the Day: Barca (boat)

The Italian word for boat, which is barca (feminine, plural: barche), derives from the Latin term of the same spelling. There are many different types of boats in existence, the most common of which include: A small boat is known as a barchetta or barchina/o (the diminutive forms) whereas a large boat is called a …

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Italian Word of the Day: Curioso (curious)

The word for curious in Italian is curioso. It derives from the Latin curiosus meaning careful or diligent. Because it is an adjective, the ending of curioso changes depending on whether you are talking about a solitary male (curioso), a solitary female (curiosa), a group of males or a mixed group (curiosi) or a group …

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Italian Word of the Day: Borsa (bag)

One possible translation for the word bag in Italian is borsa (feminine, plural: borse)*. *Note: Another word that translates as bag in Italian, along with its related forms sacchetto and sacca, is sacco. Sacco generally denotes any large sack, such as a sack of potatoes (sacco di patate) or a trash bag (sacco della spazzatura), …

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Italian Word of the Day: Gola (throat)

The word for throat in Italian is gola (feminine, plural: gole). It derives from the Latin gula. One of the telltale symptoms of a cold is a mal di gola (sore throat), otherwise known as a gola infiammata (lit: an inflamed throat). In some cases, you may also experience a gola secca (dry throat) or …

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Italian Word of the Day: Zucchero (sugar)

The word for sugar in Italian is zucchero (masculine, plural: zuccheri). It likely entered the language via medieval Latin from the Arabic word sukkar. Most people are familiar with the standard zucchero semolato (white sugar) or zucchero bruno (brown sugar) but there are also many other kinds of sugar in existence including: Ho usato lo …

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Italian Phrase of the Week: Mi sono perso/a! (I’m lost!)

If you are travelling around Italy and somehow manage to lose your way despite having invested in a reliable map and travel book, fear not – you can always rely on the tried and tested method of asking the locals for help! 😀 To inform someone that you are lost in Italian, you can use …

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