In Italian, any verb that follows the plural first-person pronoun noi (we) must be conjugated with the ending -iamo in the present tense. This means that, for example, the infinitive andare (to go) becomes noi andiamo (we go), fare (to do/make) becomes noi facciamo (we do/make) and venire (to come) becomes noi veniamo (we come). …
When not in the midst of a short-lived diet regime, I have the terrible habit of binging on chips (or crisps as they are known in the UK) and French fries. There is something about their salty greasiness that just hits the spot! The word for both of these irresistible junk foods in Italian is …
The word for both peanut and the peanut plant in Italian is arachide (feminine, plural: arachidi). Just as you can call a peanut a groundnut, goober or monkey nut in English, Italian too has three synonyms: nocciola americana, pistacchio di terra and cece di terra. Le arachidi sono il mio snack preferito. Peanuts are my …
If you want to say to stuff / gorge oneself in Italian, you can use the reflexive verb abbuffarsi (alternative spelling: abboffarsi). According to Treccani, this verb likely derives from buffare meaning to huff or to puff. If you have trouble remembering it, I find it helpful to make a mental association with the term …
A plant whose sweet-smelling leaves are often used as a herb in Italian cooking is basilico (masculine, plural basilichi), which is the word for basil. In the Tuscan dialect, it is pronounced with a double s (bassilico). It must not be confused with the similar sounding basilica, which is the name given to certain churches …
The word for sugar in Italian is zucchero (masculine, plural: zuccheri). It likely entered the language via medieval Latin from the Arabic word sukkar. Most people are familiar with the standard zucchero semolato (white sugar) or zucchero bruno (brown sugar) but there are also many other kinds of sugar in existence including: Ho usato lo …