Italian Word of the Day: Tuono (thunder)

Only a couple of days ago, we published an article about the word for lightning (fulmine) so it would be remiss of us if we didn’t talk about its partner in crime tuono (masculine, plural: tuoni) which is the word for thunder in Italian. Tuono derives from the verb tuonare (or the old literary variation …

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Italian Word of the Day: Cuscino (pillow / cushion)

In English, we have two separate terms to describe a cloth bag stuffed with soft material used as a comfortable support. The kind we use to support the head while sleeping or lying down is called a pillow whereas the kind placed on chairs and sofas is called a cushion. In Italian, both are referred …

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Italian Word of the Day: Cioè (that is / namely)

Today we’re going to talk about a little word with a very big meaning: the adverb cioè. It is a fusion of the pronoun ciò (this, that) and è, which is the verb essere (to be) conjugated in the third person singular of the present tense. Cioè is used to introduce detailed information, a correction …

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Italian Word of the Day: Potente (powerful)

The word for powerful in Italian is potente. If you have trouble remembering this word, I find it helps to create a mental link with the English term potent. The singular potente modifies both masculine and feminine singular subjects. In its plural form, it becomes potenti. As in English, potente can be interpreted in the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Invece (but / instead)

The function of a “linking word” in language is to join two ideas or sentences in order to help other people to understand the connections you are making when speaking or writing. One very useful linking word in Italian is invece which is used to: When invece presents two contrasting ideas, it tends to appear …

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Italian Word of the Day: Incinta (pregnant)

The Italian word for pregnant is incinta (feminine, plural: incinte). It derives from the Medieval Latin term incincta. Below are a few verbs you’ll frequently see paired with incinta: essere incinta = to be pregnant rimanere incinta = to get pregnant restare incinta = to get pregnant mettere incinta = to impregnate, to get (someone) …

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