Italian Word of the Day: Paura (fear)

The word for fear in Italian is paura and it derives from the Latin pavor meaning fear or fright. It can be combined with the verbs avere (to have), fare (to do/make) and prendere (to take/get) to create some extremely useful phrases: avere paura = to be scared (literally: to have fear) Non avere paura. …

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Italian Word of the Day: Elegante (elegant)

If you attend a party wearing an abito da sera (evening dress) or a smoking (tuxedo), there is a very good chance someone will compliment you on how elegante (elegant) you look! The word elegante is used in reference to both masculine and feminine subjects. It can refers to clothes but also manners and attitude. …

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Italian Word of the Day: Interessante (interesting)

As you might have already guessed by the similarities in their spelling and pronunciation, interessante is the word for interesting in Italian. The singular interessante becomes interessanti in the plural. The gender of the subject doesn’t influence the ending as it does with some adjectives. Trovo che questo libro sia più interessante dell’ultimo che ho …

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Italian Word of the Day: Ora (hour / now / time)

If you learn one Italian word related to time today, make sure it is ora (feminine, plural: ore)! One of the most common translations of this word is hour, as in the time unit of 60 minutes measured by the clock. Questa lezione d’Italiano dura quasi un’ora. This Italian lesson lasts almost an hour. A …

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Italian Word of the Day: Vacanza (vacation, holiday)

The word for vacation or holiday in Italian is vacanza (feminine, plural: vacanze). Derived from the Latin vacantia, it is used for both the fixed holiday periods between school terms and periods of recreation or leisure, often spent away from home. If you are referring to an extended period such as the summer break or …

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Italian Word of the Day: Pantofola (slipper)

No sooner do I get home from work than do I slip out of my work shoes and straight into my comfy pantofole, the word for slippers in Italian. Pantofola is a feminine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: This term applies to any comfortable indoor shoe, usually made of leather, cloth, …

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