Winter (inverno) can be a gloomy time of year in Italy, but it is brightened annually by the arrival of carnevale (carnival), a festival that takes place during the week before Lent (quaresima) involving music, processions, dancing and people dressed up in elaborate costume. A fun saying you can learn in preparation for this beloved …
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 …
In Italy, it is common for people to wish each other Buona giornata! as a farewell greeting in the early morning or afternoon, or Buona serata! at around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. when the sun starts to set. So what about the time between morning and evening? Do Italians even say Good afternoon or …
If someone comes up to you and starts gloating about the fact that they won the lottery, you could a) be polite and say Che bello! (That’s great!), b) act genuinely happy for the person and say Sono felicissimo/a per te! (I’m so/very happy for you!) or c) let your sarcastic side loose and respond …
The Italian equivalent of the exclamative phrases Such is life! / That’s life. / C’est la vie! is Così è la vita! It is used to express acceptance or resignation in the face of a difficult or unpleasant situation in both a serious and jocular way. Così è la vita! Such is life! / C’est …
If you’ve just had a long conversation in Italian, it is important to know how to neatly wrap it up in a friendly and natural way that won’t offend your conversation partner. One closing phrase that suits this objective perfectly is Alla prossima! which translates as Until next time! Ciao ragazzi, alla prossima! Bye guys, …