Italian Word of the Day: Fuoco (fire)

The greatest turning point in history for the human species was the discovery of fire, or fuoco in Italian. fuoco fire Fuoco is a masculine noun and takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Mi sono seduto vicino al fuoco per scaldarmi. I sat beside the fire to warm myself up. In a figurative sense, fuoco …

Read more

Italian Phrase of the Week: È così! (It is what it is!)

Italian phrase "è così"

In situations where you aren’t entirely thrilled with the status quo or the outcome of a situation, but have resigned yourself to accepting it for what it is, you might want to use the phrase È così! in Italian. This expression usually translates as It is what it is! or That’s how it is/things are! …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Nipote (grandchild / nephew / niece)

Whereas in English, we have separate words for grandson, granddaughter, grandchild, nephew and niece, in Italian, there is just one word that covers them all: nipote (plural: nipoti). nipote grandchild / nephew / niece In order to figure out which relative is being referred to, it helps to pay attention to the gender of the …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Inverno (winter)

Winter – or inverno in Italian – is the coldest season of the year due to the Earth‘s axis being oriented away from the sun. It occurs between autumn (autunno) and spring (primavera) each year. inverno winter Inverno is a masculine noun whose plural form is inverni. It takes the following definite and indefinite articles: …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Verdura (vegetables)

The word verdura in Italian is interesting because it is normally used as a singular collective noun, referring to the category vegetables as a whole, or more specifically, the parts of a vegetable plant that can be used in human nutrition. verdura vegetable / vegetables For example, if you say La verdura fa molto bene …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Pioggia (rain)

Although Italy has a variety of microclimates, the rainy season generally occurs between March and May and again between September and November, with October and November being the rainiest months of the year. In the Piemonte region where I used to live, violent thunderstorms are also common during the peak summer months. The word for …

Read more