Italian Word of the Day: Infatti (in fact)

The Italian word infatti is a useful conjunction whose purpose is to confirm, prove or justify a previous statement, much like the English terms in fact, as a matter of fact and indeed. Learn with our video Here is an example that shows how infatti can be used in a sentence. Non mi piace il …

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Italian Word of the Day: Rompiscatole (pain in the neck)

Rompiscatole is what you would call a person who is a pain in the neck, nuisance or pest in Italian. It is made up of two components – the verb rompere (to break) and the plural noun scatole (boxes) – so literally it translates as box-breaker! Learn with our video It is important to note …

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Italian Word of the Day: Albero (tree)

Today is Arbor Day (La Festa degli Alberi), a holiday dedicated to planting trees, so what better word to choose as ‘word of the day’ than albero (masculine, plural: alberi). It comes from the Latin arbor of the same meaning. Learn with our video Some verbs that often appear alongside albero include: L’Etiopia ha annunciato …

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Italian Word of the Day: Guarigione (recovery)

The Italian word guarigione (feminine, plural: guarigioni), which comes from the verb guarire (to recover / to heal), describes the return to a normal state of health following an illness or injury. It is usually translated as recovery but can also mean curing or healing. You can describe a person’s recovery in a number of …

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Italian Word of the Day: Furbo (cunning / clever)

The adjective furbo in Italian is used to describe a person who is good at avoiding deception and traps, getting out of dangerous situations, or working a situation to his or her advantage. In English, you could describe such a person as cunning / sly / crafty if you are being critical of them, or …

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Italian Word of the Day: Sottobicchiere (coaster / mat)

The word for a mat or coaster that you put under cups, mugs, bottles and glasses to avoid staining or wetting a surface is sottobicchiere (masculine, plural: sottobicchieri) in Italian. It is the combination of two words: sotto meaning under or underneath and bicchiere meaning drinking glass. Sottobicchieri can be made of various materials, including: …

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