One of the most useful words you’ll come across in the Italian language is bisogno (masculine, plural: bisogni). On its own, it translates as need or desire but when combined with the verb avere (to have) and the preposition di (of ) or the conjunction che (that), it corresponds to the verb to need. The …
The word for sunset in Italian is tramonto (masculine, plural: tramonti). Derived from the verb tramontare (to set, fade, wane), it is a combination of the word monte (mount) and the prefix tra-. The latter normally means between, but in this case, the definition is closer to beyond. Together they form ‘to go beyond the …
The way to say to sleep in Italian is dormire. If you have trouble remembering this word, I find it helps to think of the closely related English term dormitory which, of course, refers to a large bedroom where many people sleep. Because dormire is a regular -ire verb, it conjugates in the following manner: …
The word for bank in Italian is banca (feminine, plural: banche). Banca and its masculine form banco are two Italian words that derive from the same etymology: the Germanic bank meaning bench. While banco has more or less retained its original meaning throughout the centuries (desk, work bench), the feminine banca came to be used …
The way you would say to tell off or to scold in Italian is sgridare. It is a derivative of the verb gridare meaning to shout or yell. Se faccio tardi mamma mi sgrida! If I’m late mom will tell me off! From this word we get the noun sgridata (scolding, telling-off) which may be …
The word for what we call a stroller, baby buggy or pushchair in English is simply passeggino (masculine, plural: passeggini) in Italian. It is a derivative of the word passeggio meaning walk or stroll. Unlike a carrozzina (pram, baby carriage), which is essentially a baby cot on four wheels, a passeggino is an upright seat …