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, …
The air is getting colder, the streets are filled with colourful lights, the trees are covered in beautiful decorations: that’s right, Christmas is just around the corner! In Italy, Christmas is everyone’s favourite time of year. Children, in particular, spend Christmas Eve anxiously waiting for Santa Claus, the jolly fellow who has spent the entire …
In Italian, articles accompany nouns and indicate whether they are a) masculine or feminine (gender) and b) singular or plural (number). In Italian grammar, there are definite articles (il, lo, la, l’, i, gli, le) and indefinite articles (un, una, uno, un’) . In this article, you’ll learn the difference between Italian definite and indefinite …
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 …