Italian Word of the Day: Vivere (to live)

Italian word 'vivere'

Do you love life, even when it gets you down? Then it’s time to learn one of the most essential verbs in Italian, vivere (to live)! vivere to live Here is how it is conjugated in the present tense: io vivo = I livetu vivi = you live (informal)lui vive = he liveslei vive = she livesLei vive …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Burro (butter)

What do Italians call that deliciously creamy substance we love to spread on toast in the morning? The answer is burro (butter)! burro butter Burro, derived from the Old French burre, traces its origins to the Latin butyrum and the Greek bṹtyron, a combination of bûs (cow) and tyrós (cheese) according to the Devoto-Oli Italian …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Dolciastro (sickly sweet / cloying)

The adjective dolciastro, which derives from the more commonly known adjective dolce (sweet), refers to anything that is sweet in flavour, but not pleasant. Some possible translations include sickly sweet or cloying. Adjectives such as dolciastro always agree with the noun they describe, which means that they have to demonstrate whether they are masculine, feminine, …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Lavandino (sink / washbowl)

The word for a sink in Italian is lavandino. A word of northern origin, it is a derivative of the word lavanda meaning ‘wash‘ or ‘washing‘. lavandino It is a masculine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Oh no, il lavandino è intasato! Abbiamo uno sturalavandini? Oh no, the sink is …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Scodinzolare (to wag its tail)

Italian verb 'scodinzolare'

You may be as surprised to learn as I was that there is a single verb in Italian that means “to wag its tail” in Italian which is scodinzolare. scodinzolare to wag one’s tail Scodinzolare is a regular -are verb, so it can be conjugated in the following manner in the present tense: (io) scodinzolo …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Incantevole (enchanting / charming)

italian word incantevole

Incantevole is a beautiful Italian word used to characterise a person, place, or thing that exudes enchantment or charm. incantevole enchanting / charming It is derived from the verb incantare, meaning “to enchant” or “to bewitch”, which in turn comes from the Latin incantare, a derivative of cantare (“to sing”) with the prefix in-. Being …

Read more