Italian Word of the Day: Buffo (funny)

Buffo is a wonderfully useful adjective that means funny, amusing or odd in English. Below are the masculine, feminine and plural forms: It is almost always used to describe someone or something that makes you smile or laugh, or that you find ironic or peculiar. Quel pagliaccio è molto buffo. Mi fa morire dal ridere! …

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Italian Word of the Day: Re (king)

The very last king to rule Italy was Umberto II of the House of Savoy. Immediately following the 1946 referendum to abolish the monarchy and the transformation of Italy into a republic, he was exiled to Cascais on the Portuguese Riviera, having reigned for a mere 34 days. Umberto II’s departure marked the end of …

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How to Say “Grandpa / Grandfather” in Italian – Nonno

We already covered how to say “grandma” (nonna) in a previous article, so now it’s time to talk about the other half of the grandparent team! The most common way to say grandpa or grandfather in Italian is nonno (plural: nonni which can mean either grandpas or grandparents). Your paternal grandfather is your nonno paterno …

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Italian Word of the Day: Essere (to be)

One of the first verbs all serious learners must master in Italian is essere which is the infinitive verb for to be or to exist. Because it is an irregular verb, it isn’t as easy to conjugate as regular -are, -ire and -ere verbs such as mangiare (to eat), venire (to come), and vedere (to …

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How to Say “To Eat” in Italian – Mangiare

Eating in Italy is so much more than just ingesting food. It is about friends, family, generosity, being with the people you love, sharing happiness and creating important moments together. It is a celebration of the ordinary around a table of good food. One of my fondest memories of eating in Italy is from a …

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Italian Word of the Day: Sognare (to dream)

A dream is an involuntary succession of random images, emotions, and sensations that normally occur during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep when brain activity is at its highest. Sometimes you might wake up from a deep sleep and remember every detail of your dream, whereas other times, they fade from memory as …

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