The Italian word for surprise is sorpresa (feminine, plural: sorprese), which is the past participle of the verb sorprendere (to surprise). Both the English and Italian terms can trace their origin back to the medieval Latin verb superprehendere (to seize). Surprises can be broadly divided into two categories: belle sorprese (nice surprises) and brutte sorprese …
The Italian word supermercato (masculine, plural supermercati), which is modelled on the English supermarket, is a combination of two parts: the prefix super- (meaning in this case excellent, top quality) and mercato (market). Some of the major supermarket chains (catene di supermercati) in Italy are as follows: Auchan Bennet Carrefour Conad Coop CRAI Esselunga Eurospin …
The word for teacher in Italian is insegnante. Derived from the verb insegnare (to teach), it can be used to talk about both male and female teachers. The difference between masculine and feminine can be highlighted by the indefinite article or an adjective: Marco è un insegnante di arte mentre Sofia è un’insegnante di fisica. …
Just as English speakers use the words tummy and belly to informally refer to the area between the ribs and the pelvis, Italians also have an informal name for this part of the body: pancia (feminine, plural: pance). Note: A more formal context would require the use of ventre or addome to refer to the …
The word assaggio (masculine, plural: assaggi) in Italian refers to a small portion of food or drink taken as a sample. In English, it is best translated as taste, but other possibilities include sip (when talking about drinks), bite or nibble to name a few. Combined with the verb fare (to do / make), you …
The word for whale in Italian is balena (feminine, plural: balene), which comes from the Latin balaena. When talking about a young whale calf or balena giovane, the diminutives balenottero or balenotto are used. Whales are amongst the largest marine mammals (mammiferi marini) on earth, and are characterised by their streamlined hairless bodies, horizontal tail …