When you start learning Italian, numbers are probably one of the very first things you pick up. Uno (one), due (two), tre (three)… you memorise them, practise a little, and then move on to other topics. Then you hear real, everyday Italian, and suddenly those numbers stop being mere quantities. Take due (two) for example: …
October brings us, among other things, la Giornata Internazionale del Caffè (International Coffee Day – Oct 1st). Do we Italians need an excuse to talk about coffee? No, but we’ll take it anyway! You may already be familiar with how to order coffee in Italy or you’ve probably heard about the eternal shame of ordering …
Those who have only just started learning Italian – and, let’s be honest, those who have been studying it for donkey’s years as well – may find it tricky to know which verb to use when talking about il freddo (the cold). This is because, in English, we use the verb to be regardless of …
Did you know Italian contains numerous word pairs where only the gender ending is different? For example, we have mattino and mattina (morning), tavolo and tavola (table), and today’s scrumptious example, cioccolato and cioccolata (chocolate). Curious to discover the subtle yet important difference? Then keep reading! cioccolato cioccolata Now, before we begin, it needs to …
Why waste a whole sentence describing someone’s personality when one word can do all the job? Today I’ll introduce you to some of the most colourful Italian character types, from the people who kill the mood the second they walk in to chronic complainers and those who always, always know better. Forget vague descriptions – …
Mio papà (my dad) has developed a habit over the years that is pretty common amongst the over-sixties: afternoon naps. He never used to be someone who’d let l’omino del sonno (the Sandman) pay him a visit while the sun is up, but these days, if there’s a quiet afternoon and he’s reading a book …