In Italian and English, and most other European languages for that matter, the names of the most historically important places tend to get translated. For example, London in Italian becomes Londra, Paris is Parigi, and Köln is Colonia, just to name a few. The good news for learners is that, in most cases, the English …
When learning a language, one of the first aspects that we must analyse is the alphabet, or more specifically, the ordered sequence of letters and sounds that allow us to read and write. Let’s take a look at the aspects that clearly distinguish the Italian alphabet from those of other languages. The Italian alphabet derives …
“Modal verb.” Sounds like a scary grammatical term, doesn’t it? Well, it actually isn’t as fear-inducing as you might think! Modal verbs – known as a verbi servili in Italian – always serve the verb that follows them. Their job is to express likelihood, ability, permission, request, capacity, suggestion, order, obligation, or advice, or in …
Contrary to popular belief, the best way to learn Italian for travel isn’t to memorise an entire travel phrase book from start to finish, but rather, to pick out a few key phrases that will come in handy over the course of your stay in Italy … and that you will actually remember! After all, …
We all know that the Italian language is abundant in rich, complicated and, at times, convoluted words. Among them are also some very long words, the most difficult to memorise, although they are helped by a pleasant and fun melody. What is the longest Italian word you know? It might be a word such as: …
Even though Italian and English share many similarities, there are plenty of words that trip up Italian students repeatedly – and not all of them are false friends! One of the biggest headaches for learners is the double consonant, which is pronounced differently to a single consonant in that the sound is lengthened and more …