In both English and Italian, the word peace – or pace (feminine noun) in Italian – can refer to a personal state of tranquillity or the complete absence of hostility and violence on a larger societal scale. Vorrei che ci fosse la pace nel mondo. I wish there were peace on earth. In Italian, to …
The word for strength in Italian is forza (feminine, plural: forze). As you can see from the two examples below, it can refer to strength in both the physical and mental sense, just as in English. Abbiamo lottato valorosamente ma la forza dell’avversario era superiore. We fought valiantly but the opponent’s strength was superior. Andrea …
We’ve all experienced it — that drowsy sensation that sneaks up on you after a large meal. One minute you’re chatting and laughing with friends and family, and the next, you’re slumped back on the couch, struggling to keep your eyes open. Italians have a special word for the fit of drowsiness that occurs after …
The word pallina (feminine, plural: palline) in Italian is the diminutive form of the word palla meaning ball. Normally it would translate as little ball but in the context of Christmas, it can also be used to describe baubles that you hang on the Christmas tree. To specify that you are talking about Christmas baubles …
A call to a group of people to raise their glasses in honour of a person, thing, or event is called a brindisi in Italian – or a toast in English. Brindisi is an invariable masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Although the word is Italian, it derives from an old …
Today’s word of the day is part of our Italian Christmas Word Advent Calendar series. Each day throughout December, we’ll post a word that is related to the holiday season. Enjoy! The first day of the new year is known as Capodanno in Italian. It is composed of two words: capo (meaning head or top) and anno …