A word that consistently makes it onto the list of the top 100 most common words in Italian is lavoro. It derives from the verb lavorare (to work), which in turn comes from the Latin ‘laborare’ (to toil). Because it is a masculine noun, lavoro takes the following definite and indefinite articles: il lavoroun lavoro …
Today’s word of the day is an indispensable piece of furniture found in most homes: the humble divano (couch, sofa, settee). It is a masculine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: il divanothe couchun divanoa couch i divanithe couchesdei divani(some) couches Alice si sta rilassando sul divano, sorseggiando una tazza di …
The Italian word serpente (snake) should be very easy to remember for English speakers, as it sounds and looks just like the synonym serpent. Serpente is a masculine noun whose plural form is serpenti. It takes the following definite and indefinite articles: il serpentethe snakeun serpentea snake i serpentithe snakesdei serpenti(some) snakes Here are a …
The word for an ornament that one fastens to clothing, either for decorative purposes or as a clasp, is spilla in Italian. It translates as either brooch or pin in English. Being a feminine noun, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: la spillathe broochuna spillaa brooch le spillethe broochesdelle spille(some) brooches Some different …
Lumaca is the name in Italian for all terrestrial (and sometimes marine) pulmonate gastropods that are either devoid of a shell, or carry a shell that isn’t visible to the naked eye. The English word for these creatures is slug. It is a feminine noun whose plural form is lumache, and takes the following definite …
The word capatina in Italian means a quick or flying visit. It is the diminutive form of capata (capata + -ina), which means exactly the same thing but, for some reason, isn’t used with the same frequency as capatina. capatina Because it is a feminine noun, capatina takes the following definite and indefinite articles: la …