Avere (to have) is one of the most important words in the Italian language. Not only does it function on its own as a verb but it also forms an essential component of compound tenses such as the passato prossimo (present perfect) and futuro anteriore (future perfect). For this reason, it appears in numerous idiomatic …
According to the Roman Catholic tradition, the Italian Father’s Day (La Festa del Papà) is celebrated, not on the third Sunday in June like many other countries in the world, but on March 19th, otherwise known as Saint Joseph’s Day (La Festa di San Giuseppe). It is recognised as an important time to commemorate fatherhood, …
If you’re anything like me, you probably spend much of the day on social media platforms such as Twitter, laughing at the funny interactions, rolling your eyes at the often pointless debates or just mindlessly scrolling. But did you know that Twitter can actually serve as a great tool for learning a new language? 😀 …
Many tenses in Italian are formed by combining an auxiliary verb – either avere (to have) or essere (to be) – with the past participle of the main verb. These so-called compound tenses include the passato prossimo (present perfect), trapassato prossimo (pluperfect), futuro anteriore (future perfect), and trapassato remoto (preterite perfect). Whether the main verb …
The second Sunday of May is Mother’s Day in Italy, known as La Festa della Mamma in Italian. In addition to being a celebration honouring the mothers (mamme) in our lives, it is also a time to commemorate motherhood, maternal bonds, and the significant influence of mothers in our society. In recognition of this special …
One of the most effective ways of picking up a new language is through music and song. Not only does music make language learning more enjoyable, but it is also repetitive, allowing unfamiliar vocabulary and grammar patterns to sink in more quickly than if you heard them only a few times in conversation. Children, in …