One word for late in Italian is tardi, which should be very easy to remember as we have the same word in English, albeit spelt with a word-final ‘y’ instead of an ‘i’. Both the Italian and the English tardy can be traced back to the Latin tardus meaning ‘slow’. The expressions essere tardi (lit. …
In Italian, the portable device we use to make phone calls, browse the Internet, take photos and send messages, is called a cellulare. It comes from the Latin word cellularis, which in turn derives from the word cellula meaning ‘little chamber’. Cellulare is a masculine noun. The plural is cellulari. un cellulareil cellulare dei cellularii …
There isn’t an exact one-word translation in English for the Italian word refrigerio, but it can be best described as ‘relief from the heat’. It comes from the Latin refrigerium, a derivative of refrigerare meaning ‘to refrigerate / become cold’. Refrigerio is a masculine noun, and its plural is refrigeri. un refrigerioil refrigerio dei refrigerii …
The word for a parrot in Italian is pappagallo. It entered the Italian language from the Arabic babaġā via the Greek papagâs. Pappagallo is a masculine noun. The plural is pappagalli. un pappagalloil pappagallo dei pappagallii pappagalli Ieri ho visitato uno zoo e ho visto tanti pappagalli colorati. Yesterday I visited a zoo and saw …
The word for a hairdryer in Italian is asciugacapelli. Just like the English term, it is the combination of the verb asciugare (to dry) and capelli (hair). Asciugacapelli is a masculine noun and is invariable, which means that its plural form is the same as its singular form. l’asciugacapelliun asciugacapelli gli asciugacapellidegli asciugacapelli L’asciugacapelli ha …
The Italian word for a frog is rana. It derives from the Latin word of the same spelling. Rana is a feminine noun. Its plural is rane. la ranauna rana le ranedelle rane Among the most well-known types of frogs there is the rana rossa (common frog), rana toro (American bullfrog) and the rana verde …