In celebration of Thanksgiving, we’ve chosen ringraziamento (masculine, plural: ringraziamenti) as today’s Italian word of the day. Formed of the verb ringraziare (to thank) and the suffix -mento, it translates as thanks / thank-you, thanksgiving or gratitude. Below are some useful verbs you’ll often see paired with ringraziamento: fare i (propri) ringraziamenti = to thank, …
Infradito is a type of summer shoe in leather, rubber, straw or plastic, in which the sole is secured to the foot by a strip (called a toe post) that passes between the big toe and the second toe. In English, we call these shoes flip-flops, thong sandals or toe-post sandals depending on the style. …
Pupazzo (masculine, plural: pupazzi) is the Italian word for any model or toy that represents the form of a person or animal. Puppet is just one possible translation but stuffed toys, dummies, figurines, and dolls may also be classified as pupazzi. The word is a combination of the term pupo (another word for puppet and, …
The Italian word for luxury is lusso (masculine, plural: lussi). Both English and Italian terms can be traced back to the Latin luxus meaning ‘excess‘. Some common verbs you’ll often see paired with lusso include: Andare in vacanza è un lusso che non tutti possono permettersi. Going on vacation is a luxury that not everyone …
The word for friendship in Italian is amicizia (feminine, plural: amicizie). It derives from the Latin amicitia of the same meaning. A few common verbs you’ll see used with amicizia include: Ho fatto amicizia con la signora anziana che vive nella casa accanto. I’ve made friends with the elderly lady who lives next door. Metaphorically …
Dolce vita or la dolce vita is Italian for the sweet life but when combined into a single word, dolcevita, we get the term for the kind of sweater Americans call a turtleneck and the British call a polo neck. What’s interesting is that dolcevita apparently gets its name from the 1960s film by Fellini, …