Italian Word of the Day: Piatto (flat / plate / dish)

Today we are going to be looking at a useful everyday word that can be classified as both an adjective and a noun: piatto. piatto flat / plate / dish ‘Piatto’ the adjective Used as an adjective, this word translates to flat or level. It is derived from the Latin *plattum, which in turn comes …

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Italian Word of the Day: Nascondere (to hide / conceal)

Whenever my mom and I take my son to school, he enjoys playing hide-and-seek behind the walls and buildings that line the streets, adding a bit of excitement to our daily stroll! His penchant for this game inspired me to write about the word nascondere, which translates to to hide. nascondere to hide The word …

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Italian Word of the Day: Meno male (thank goodness)

In Italian, there’s no better exclamation to convey your relief than meno male. In English, it can be translated as thank goodness, or more casually, it’s like letting out a big sigh of relief – phew! meno male Meno means less whereas male means bad, so the expression literally means “less bad.” Domani non dovrebbe …

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Italian Word of the Day: Vivere (to live)

Do you love life, even when it gets you down? Then it’s time to learn one of the most essential verbs in Italian, vivere (to live)! vivere to live Here is how it is conjugated in the present tense: io vivo = I livetu vivi = you live (informal)lui vive = he liveslei vive = she livesLei vive …

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Italian Word of the Day: Burro (butter)

What do Italians call that deliciously creamy substance we love to spread on toast in the morning? The answer is burro (butter)! burro butter Burro, derived from the Old French burre, traces its origins to the Latin butyrum and the Greek bṹtyron, a combination of bûs (cow) and tyrós (cheese) according to the Devoto-Oli Italian …

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