Italian Word of the Day: Figlia (daughter)

The Italian word for daughter is figlia (plural: figlie) which is the feminine equivalent of figlio (son). Ho una figlia e due figli. I have a daughter and two sons. It can also refer to young girl in general, or even an adult woman, in compassionate or affectionate statements. Povera figlia, come ti sei ridotta! …

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Italian Word of the Day: Unico (unique / only)

If you want to talk about something that is one of a kind, you can use the word unique in English, which translates to unico (masculine, plural: unici) and unica (feminine, plural: uniche) in Italian. La voce di Freddy Mercury era unica. Nessun altro cantava come lui. The voice of Freddy Mercury was unique. Nobody …

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Italian Word of the Day: Vino (wine)

Like food, wine plays a very important role in Italy’s commerce and culture. Mangiare (eating) together is a fundamental part of Italian social life, and whether you’re at a restaurant or someone’s house, a bottiglia (bottle) of wine is always on the table. The word for wine in Italian is vino (masculine, plural vini). As …

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Italian Word of the Day: Benvenuto (welcome)

The word welcome – as in the polite and friendly greeting you use upon someone’s arrival – can be translated as benvenuto in Italian. The end of the word changes depending on whether you are addressing a man, woman or multiple men and women. Benvenuti alla mia festa! Welcome to my party! The same word …

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Italian Word of the Day: Pane (bread)

If there is bread on the table, I can’t help myself – I’m going to eat it all, right down to the very last crumb. I’ve been a bread lover since childhood and when I was 3 years old, I refused to eat anything else. Living in different countries has allowed me to taste different …

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Italian Word of the Day: Niente (nothing / anything)

English speakers are taught from an early age that putting more than one negative in a sentence is grammatically incorrect. In fact, I’m sure my English teacher would have spontaneously combusted had I ever written “I don’t have nothing,” in one of my essays! Not so in Italian! In the language of love, it is …

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