Before or after uttering a common saying or proverb, Italians often like to drop in the idiomatic expression come si suol dire, much in the same way English speakers might make use of the expressions as they say or as the old saying goes. This idiom allows the speaker to prepare the listener or reader …
Have you ever found yourself with so many great options that you can’t decide which one to choose? If so, this idiomatic phrase will come in handy! Avere l’imbarazzo della scelta To be spoilt for choice Avere l’imbarazzo della scelta is the equivalent of the English idiom “to be spoilt for choice”. Both expressions mean …
I’ve never been much of a drinker, but many of my friends – especially at university – would spend their weekends knocking back cocktails and wine, dancing the night away as they tried to forget the results of the previous week’s exam. If you ever find yourself having indulged a bit too much, here’s a …
I’m sure the vast majority of us have arranged to go out with someone, either on a date or just as friends, only to be left staring impatiently at our watch, waiting for that person to show up. In English, we might say that we’ve been “stood up” whereas in Italian, you can expect to …
Is there someone in your hometown who always seems to turn up wherever you go? You’re at the supermarket picking up bananas, and there’s Mr. Jones in the next aisle, comparing breakfast cereals. Later, you head out to a restaurant, and who walks in just as you’re eyeing the pasta menu? Mr. Jones, of course, …
In Italian, a straightforward way to say to waste is with the verb sprecare. You can use it for all sorts of situations – wasting food (sprecare cibo), wasting time (sprecare tempo), or wasting money (sprecare soldi), just to name a few. But if you’d like to add a little flair to your Italian, try …