Italian Word of the Day: Aria (air)

Air – or aria (feminine, plural: arie) in Italian – is fundamental to all life on earth. Without air, or more specifically oxygen (ossigeno), the human body can only survive for a few minutes before it begins to fail. In addition to being the means by which winged animals and machines fly (volare), it is …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Figlia (daughter)

The Italian word for daughter is figlia (plural: figlie) which is the feminine equivalent of figlio (son). Ho una figlia e due figli. I have a daughter and two sons. It can also refer to young girl in general, or even an adult woman, in compassionate or affectionate statements. Povera figlia, come ti sei ridotta! …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Unico (unique / only)

If you want to talk about something that is one of a kind, you can use the word unique in English, which translates to unico (masculine, plural: unici) and unica (feminine, plural: uniche) in Italian. La voce di Freddy Mercury era unica. Nessun altro cantava come lui. The voice of Freddy Mercury was unique. Nobody …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Vino (wine)

Like food, wine plays a very important role in Italy’s commerce and culture. Mangiare (eating) together is a fundamental part of Italian social life, and whether you’re at a restaurant or someone’s house, a bottiglia (bottle) of wine is always on the table. The word for wine in Italian is vino (masculine, plural vini). As …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Benvenuto (welcome)

The word welcome – as in the polite and friendly greeting you use upon someone’s arrival – can be translated as benvenuto in Italian. The end of the word changes depending on whether you are addressing a man, woman or multiple men and women. Benvenuti alla mia festa! Welcome to my party! The same word …

Read more

Italian Word of the Day: Pane (bread)

If there is bread on the table, I can’t help myself – I’m going to eat it all, right down to the very last crumb. I’ve been a bread lover since childhood and when I was 3 years old, I refused to eat anything else. Living in different countries has allowed me to taste different …

Read more