The word for fork in Italian is forchetta. It is the diminutive form of the word forca (pitchfork), which comes from the Latin furca. Here are the definite and indefinite articles that must be used with this feminine noun: la forchettathe fork una forchettaa fork le forchettethe forks delle forchette(some) forks A few different kinds …
The Italian word for a joke that is silly or tasteless, or that is supposed to come off as witty but falls flat due to its inappropriateness, is the feminine noun spiritosaggine. Often used in its plural form spiritosaggini, it derives from the adjective spiritoso which can translate as either witty or smart-alecky depending on …
Today’s word of the day is senso which is a noun that derives from the Latin sensus meaning ‘faculty of thought, feeling and meaning’. Senso is masculine, and the plural is sensi. The definite and indefinite articles it takes are as follows: il sensothe sense un sensoa sense i sensithe senses dei sensi(some) senses Senso …
A term used to indicate “good manners” in many languages across Europe is etiquette, such as the Italian etichetta, the Spanish etiqueta and the French étiquette. It can be traced back to the old French estiquier / estiquer, meaning “to drive, affix, attach”. Owing to the addition of the diminutive suffix -etta in Italian, the …
Allettante is an adjective in Italian that means tempting, attractive or inviting. It derives from the verb allettare (to entice, to attract), which in turn comes from the Latin allectare. When it modifies masculine and feminine singular nouns, the form remains the same, or in other words, the -e ending doesn’t change. For example: Il …
One of the very first Italian adjectives you should learn as a beginner is freddo, which means cold. ‘Freddo’ as an adjective As with all adjectives, the ending changes in accordance with the gender and/or number of the subject in question. Much like the English word cold, you can use freddo to describe anything characterised …