Before anyone jumps on me for writing about what is essentially a North American tradition, let me take a moment to say that I know Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in Italy, nor does it show any sign of taking root in Italian culture. That said, I felt it was important to cover this greeting because a …
If you want to express absolute disbelief in Italian, an exclamation you simply cannot afford not to learn is Ma dai! Ma dai! Oh, come on! / Seriously? Ma is the word for but, whereas dai is a catch-all exclamation used when: It is in this final sense of the word that the expression Ma …
If you plan to eat out at a restaurant in Italy, it is very important to know how to order food and drink. In this article, we’ll be looking specifically at how to order a glass of wine in Italian. Vorrei un bicchiere di vino. I would like a glass of wine. Let’s take a …
If you want to tell someone that the answer they have given is correct in Italian, you can use the phrase Hai ragione. Let’s take a quick look at how this phrase is formed: hai is the second-person singular form of the verb avere (to have). It literally means you have. The pronoun tu (you) …
When I first started learning Italian, the verb whose usage confused me more than any other was piacere, which means to like. To understand why this verb is so confusing for English speakers, let’s take a look at our phrase of the week: (Tu)* mi piaci! I like you! *Note: personal pronouns like tu are …
This week’s Italian phrase can sound romantic, sweet or desperate depending on how it is said, and to whom it is directed! Ho bisogno di te! I need you! Ho bisogno di In Italian, needs are expressed using the construction avere bisogno di which literally translates as to have need of. It can be followed …