Donna (plural donne) is a common first name given to women in the English language, but did you know that it actually means woman, lady or female in Italian? Donna takes the following articles: la donnauna donna le donnedelle donne It was originally an honorary prefix meaning lady of the house and is the equivalent …
The Italian word for sister is sorella (plural: sorelle). Sorella is a feminine noun and takes the following articles. la sorellauna sorella le sorelledelle sorelle Ho due sorelle – una più grande e una più piccola. I have two sisters – one older and one younger. The official terms for older sister and younger sister …
I’ve always found it surprising how quickly children grow. One minute they’re in diapers, getting ready to take their first steps, and the next, they’re packing their bags for college! The word for child or boy in Italian is bambino (plural: bambini) whereas girl is bambina (plural: bambine). These words are used to describe any …
The very last king to rule Italy was Umberto II of the House of Savoy. Immediately following the 1946 referendum to abolish the monarchy and the transformation of Italy into a republic, he was exiled to Cascais on the Portuguese Riviera, having reigned for a mere 34 days. Umberto II’s departure marked the end of …
We already covered how to say “grandma” (nonna) in a previous article, so now it’s time to talk about the other half of the grandparent team! The most common way to say grandpa or grandfather in Italian is nonno (plural: nonni which can mean either grandpas or grandparents). Your paternal grandfather is your nonno paterno …
Like many other nations, the family plays a central role in Italian culture. The further south you go, the more sacred the concept of family becomes. Famiglia is the translation of family in Italian. It is a feminine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: la famiglia una famiglia le famigliedelle famiglie The …