Italian Word of the Day: Lentamente (slowly)

In order to say slowly in Italian, all you have to do is take the feminine singular form of the adjective lento (slow) and add on the suffix -mente (which means -ly) to produce the adverb lentamente. Cammino lentamente perché mi fa male la gamba. I’m walking slowly because my leg hurts. An adverb that …

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Italian Word of the Day: Malato (sick / ill)

One of the most common adjectives in Italian for someone who is sick or ill is malato. The feminine form is malata and their respective plurals are malati and malate. Just like its English equivalent, it can describe ailing plants and animals too. If you are only suffering from a minor sickness, you can say …

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Italian Word of the Day: Trifoglio (clover)

The word for clover in Italian is trifoglio (masculine, plural: trifogli). It comes from the Latin trifolium which is the combination of the prefix tri- (meaning three) and folium (meaning leaf). If the word trifoglio sounds familiar, that’s because clover is also known by the alternative common name trefoil in English. An average of around …

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Pronunciation Guide: How to Pronounce “Focaccia” in Italian

Focaccia (feminine, plural: focacce) is a popular type of Italian flat bread composed of a mixture of flour, water, salt, yeast and olive oil, which can be cooked either in the oven or on the grill. Origin of the word: The Italian word focaccia derives from the late Latin focus which refers to cooking on …

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Italian Word of the Day: Pazienza (patience)

The Italian word for patience is pazienza (feminine, plural: pazienze). You can trace the origin of the word back to the Latin patienta meaning suffering. Learn with our video Some common verbs you’ll see used with pazienza include: Sto per perdere la pazienza! I’m running out of patience! In Italy, you will often hear the …

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