As in all languages, some words appear more frequently than others in Italian. This happens because in everyday life we tend to repeat the same words over and over again, simplifying our speech and making it more accessible to the listener. This also facilitates the study of a new language, as even a small vocabulary …
When I first moved to Turin many years ago, I was surprised to discover that not only is Thanksgiving not celebrated in Italy, but also that many Italians have never even heard of the national American holiday. (Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have been so shocked since the celebration is based on the 1621 harvest …
Although Italian has gained the reputation of being a “phonetic language” – meaning that there is a direct relationship between the spelling and sounds – there are a few pesky letters that aren’t always pronounced in the same way. One such letter is C. In today’s article, we’re going to discover the different ways in …
The idioms are common in all languages, and each is inextricably linked to the language itself and the culture of the country from which it originates. This means that Italian expressions are not the same as those in English. In fact, when one has to translate a common saying from one language to the other, …
When one thinks of Italy, the first language that undoubtably comes to mind is Italian, but did you know that multiple dialects and regional languages are spoken throughout the peninsula even to this day? This is because, up until the year 1861, Italy wasn’t a single unified nation but rather a conglomerate of states, each …
In all languages, including Italian, there are countless adjectives whose job is to add an extra layer of meaning to the words they describe. Of course, some adjectives are used more frequently than others because in spoken language, we tend to simplify concepts and repeat the same words over and over again. In this article, …