The word for backpack, knapsack or rucksack in Italian is zaino (masculine, plural: zaini). lo zainouno zaino gli zainidegli zaini It refers to any bag with shoulder straps, including those carried by hikers, soldiers, and school children. Non mi serve una valigia. Lo zaino è più che sufficiente. I don’t need a suitcase. The backpack …
The Italian word pietra (feminine, plural: pietre) can be translated as either rock or stone in English. It comes from the Greek word πέτρα (pétrē). As you can see from the two examples below, pietra is used to talk about both the compact mass formed by natural mineral substances, as well as the smaller fragments …
The word joke has three main translations in Italian. The one you choose depends on the kind of joke in question. The first, which is our word of the day, is battuta (feminine, plural: battute). It refers to any kind of comment that is intended to be witty or humorous. With the exception of battute …
Just as there are numerous terms for the humble garbage can in English including trash can, rubbish bin, wastepaper basket and dustbin, so too are there many in Italian! One of the most diffused terms is bidone (masculine, plural: bidoni). It can be used on its own or followed by della spazzatura / dei rifiuti …
Today’s “word of the day” couldn’t be more timely with news about the coronavirus dominating every headline across the world. The Italian word virus (masculine, plural: virus) is written the same as in English but is pronounced quite differently as you can hear from the audio clip below. The word comes from the Latin virus …
The word for wife in Italian is moglie (feminine plural: mogli), which comes from the Latin mŭlier meaning woman, wife or mistress. Ho conosciuto mia moglie dieci anni fa. I met my wife ten years ago. By making it diminutive, you get the word mogliettina which roughly translates as wifey or little wife in English. …