Italian Phrase: Mi chiedo perché. (I wonder why.)

Today’s Italian phrase will come in handy whenever you find yourself wondering about the mysteries of the universe! Mi chiedo perché. I wonder why. As is customary, let’s break it down into its component parts: Mi chiedo The verb chiedere means to ask but if you drop the -e of its infinitive ending and add …

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Italian Phrase: Che cosa vuoi? (What do you want?)

Surviving as a foreigner in Italy involves learning lots of basic Italian phrases. One that you simply cannot live without is Che cosa vuoi? which means What do you want? Che cosa vuoi? What do you want? Learn with our video Let’s break the phrase down into its component parts: che cosa Che cosa is …

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Italian Phrase: Hai un minuto? (Do you have a minute?)

In both Italian and English, a common way of informally asking to have a quick word with someone is: Hai un minuto? Do you have a minute? This phrase breaks down in the following way: hai The second person singular present indicative of avere (to have). It is pronounced /ai/ without the /h/. un The …

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Italian Phrase: Ho sete! (I’m thirsty!)

Last year, we covered how to say “I’m hungry!” in Italian, so today we’re going to look at what to say when you’re feeling a little (or very) parched! Ho sete! I’m thirsty! Let’s break the phrase down into its component parts: ho The first person singular conjugation of avere (to have). Note that Italians …

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Italian Phrase: Ciao, amore mio! (Hello, my love!)

Valentine’s Day may be over, but there’s never a bad time to learn a romantic Italian greeting, wouldn’t you agree? Ciao, amore mio! Hello, my love!Hi, my love! Let’s break it down into its component parts: ciao Ciao is a standard informal greeting in Italian that translates as hello / hi when you meet someone …

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