The expression “I would like…” is extremely useful to know in any language. In Italian, one common way of translating this phrase is “Mi piacerebbe…” which literally means “It would please me…“ Mi piacerebbe andare al cinema questa sera. I would like to go to the cinema this evening. Similar to “Mi piacerebbe…” is the …
In situations where you aren’t entirely thrilled with the status quo or the outcome of a situation, but have resigned yourself to accepting it for what it is, you might want to use the phrase È così! in Italian. This expression usually translates as It is what it is! or That’s how it is/things are! …
If someone thanks you for a favour you’ve done, or apologises for a mistake they’ve made, there is one easygoing response that covers all the bases: Non c’è problema! (No problem!). It literally translates as there isn’t a problem. Caspita, ho dimenticato il regalo per Anna… – Non c’è problema. Lo prendiamo al ritorno. Darn, …
Is your Italian friend about to head off on a trip? Then today’s expression will definitely come in handy! The Italian phrase for Have a good trip! is Buon viaggio! Literally translating as good journey or good trip, it greatly resembles the French expression with which we are all familiar: Bon voyage! Buon viaggio, Alice! …
Today’s phrase is part of our Italian Christmas Word Advent Calendar series. Each day throughout December, we’ll post a word or phrase that is related to the holiday season. Enjoy! Americans greet one another with Merry Christmas! whereas the British tend to prefer Happy Christmas! but what about Italians? The Italian Christmas greeting you will hear most …
Chissà is an interesting word in Italian because it is an abbreviation of chi lo sa (literally, who knows it). The accent on the à tells you that the stress falls on the final syllable. When used on its own in response to a question, its closest translation is Who knows! or Goodness knows! in …