Italian Word of the Day: Stato (state / condition / status)

Italian word 'stato'

Stato is one of those words you’ll hear everywhere, and sooner or later, you’ll need it too. Take a look at this sentence: Siamo arrivati nello stato di New York proprio il giorno in cui è stato dichiarato lo stato di emergenza.  We arrived in the state of New York on the very day the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Seme (seed)

When I’m not working in front of the computer or working out at the leisure centre, I take great pleasure in tending to our local community allotment. Every year we plant different kinds of verdure (vegetables) to share with our community fridge – though admittedly some years have been more successful than others! On occasion …

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Italian Word of the Day: Pirata (pirate)

Italia word "pirata"

Recently my son has become obsessed with the iconic film Muppet Treasure Island, which is celebrating its 30 year anniversary this year. Come vola il tempo! (How time flies!) If you haven’t seen it, it is definitely worth watching for Tim Curry’s performance. alone. One adorable mistake he always makes when talking about the pirates …

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Italian Word of the Day: Banda (marching band / gang / stripe)

Italian word "banda"

What do a marching band, a group of thieves, and your Wi-Fi signal have in common? The Italian word banda! Yep, this little word covers a surprising number of meanings. Depending on the context, it can refer to an ensemble of musicians, a criminal gang, or even internet bandwidth – and that’s not all. banda …

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Word of the day: Succedere (to happen / to succeed)

Italian word "succedere"

At its core, succedere is a verb that helps us talk about things that happen. But it doesn’t stop there. succedere Before we look at how to use it, there’s one important grammar point to keep in mind: succedere always pairs with essere (to be) in compound tenses (è successo). This is important, because using …

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Italian Word of the Day: Taccheggiatore (shoplifter)

The other day, my son and I were in the living room, playing shop with his stuffed animals. At one point, he pretended that one of the toys walked out of his supermarket without paying for an apple, and in that moment, I realised I didn’t have a clue how to translate the word shoplifter …

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