Italian Word of the Day: Pianta (plant / sole / plan)

Italian word "pianta"

Are you a fellow plant enthusiast (success rate irrelevant)? Then pianta is one Italian word you’ll want to add to your vocabulary! But while it’s rooted in the botanical word, this little word has much more to offer, extending into other meanings, expressions, and useful related terms. pianta Grammatically, it’s a feminine noun: la pianta …

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Italian Word of the Day: Punto (dot / point / stitch)

Italian word "punto"

Punto in Italian is a super common word you’ll come across often, not just because it has many meanings, but because it appears in lots of idioms and everyday phrases. punto Grammatically speaking, it’s a masculine noun: In this article, I’ll show you the main ways to use this versatile word, from geometry to sports …

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Italian Word of the Day: Credenza (belief / cupboard)

Italian word "credenza"

There is a certain charm to the Italian word credenza (pronounced with a nice, rolling R), because it carries two completely different meanings, one abstract and one physical: it refers to the act of believing, yet it is also the word for a cupboard. These definitions might seem totally unrelated, but there is actually a …

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Italian Word of the Day: Sopportare (to bear / to endure / to tolerate)

Italian word "sopportare"

At first glance, sopportare looks like the English word support, so you might assume it means pretty much the same thing. Well, not quite. In Italian, sopportare actually means “to bear,” “to endure,” or “to put up with.” So if you proudly tell your Italian friends Vi sopporto! thinking you’re saying “I support you,” you’ve …

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Italian Word of the Day: Piano (slowly / flat / floor)

Italian word "piano"

If the first thing that pops into your head when you hear piano in Italian is tinkling keys and sweet melodies—fair enough. After all, piano is used in the English too! But in Italian, it plays many different roles: it’s an adjective, an adverb, and a noun too (il piano masculine singular and i piani …

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Italian Word of the Day: Gelosia (jealousy / envy)

Italian word "Gelosia"

Ah, la gelosia! That passionate mix of love, doubt, and a few overreactions we’d rather forget. In Italian, this word sounds and means pretty much the same as “jealousy” in English, but it hides another meaning that might just surprise you. Curious? Let’s find out what it is! Gelosia But first, a quick grammar note: …

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