The start of the New Year (anno nuovo) is typically when many people tend to make a list of resolutions (buoni propositi) for the following year. By taking stock of what worked during the previous year, we are able to set goals for the next. Resolutions can be as simple as trying to lose weight …
Most people in the English speaking world strictly associate witches with Halloween. In our minds, they are dark clad figures with flying brooms, ragged clothing, craggy features, and perhaps, a black cat for company. As far as I know, Italy is the only country in the world where witches are also closely linked to the …
Knowing how to pay a compliment is a huge part of learning any language to proficiency. Using them properly can improve your relationships with other people, which is extremely important when making new friendships in a foreign country. In English, we tend to say Good job!* or Well done! to praise an individual or a …
In English, we have but one word for day but in Italian, there are two: giorno and giornata. Knowing which to use can be tricky if you’ve only just started learning the language, so here are some helpful tips to clear up the confusion! Giorno It takes 24 hours for the earth to rotate on …
We all love a funny idiom, especially those whose content seems to have nothing to do with the intended meaning. Some good examples in English include kick the bucket (to die), Bob’s your uncle (it’s as simple as that), and a piece of cake (easy)…but what about Italian? It turns out that it too has …
If you love belting out Christmas songs as much as I do, you’ll be delighted to know that there is no lack of Christmas tunes you can sing along to in the Italian language. You’ll find that some have a very familiar melody whereas others are original Italian creations. In this article, we’ve come up …