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 …
When I first started learning Italian many moons ago, I clearly recall that one of the topics I struggled with the most was difference between the prepositions da and per when talking about periods of time or durations. Indeed, it is possible to translate for X number of years (to use a common example) as …
There are certain phrases that seem to pop of my mouth almost without thinking. One of them is the typical line “What’s wrong?” And I probably say it most often to mio figlio (my son)! Sometimes it’s because he’s gone unusually silenzioso (quiet). Sometimes he’s come through the door looking abbattuto (despondent) after school. Sometimes …
Buono (good), buonissimo (really good), non è buono (it’s not good)… these are all great words to know when commenting on food in Italian. But when we really love (or hate) what’s on our plate, we like to be a bit more creative and reach for expressions that, when translated literally, can sometimes sound pretty …
You are eating out with your Italian friends, then il conto (the bill) lands on the table and suddenly things get a little awkward. Who’s paying? Will you split it half and half? Or will everyone just pay for what they ordered? Here are five useful expressions to help you handle the moment smoothly. 1. …