The Italian word for a person one does not know or with whom one is not familiar is sconosciuto if you are talking about a man or sconosciuta for a woman. It is the past participle of sconoscere, a relatively uncommon verb meaning to disown or not want to recognise. The respective plurals are sconosciuti …
The word for a person who habitually tells lies is bugiardo in Italian. The feminine form is bugiarda whereas the plural forms are bugiardi and bugiarde respectively. It is a combination of the now-obsolete verb bugiare (to lie) and the suffix -ardo. (Note that the standard verb for to lie is mentire in modern Italian.) …
A word that many English speakers find confusing when they first start learning Italian is parente (masculine and feminine, plural: parenti). Despite bearing a strong resemblance to the English word parent, it actually means relative or family member in modern Italian. Both parente and parent derive from the Latin parens whose meaning is the same …
One of the most common terms for someone who dislikes hard work, and consequently limits himself to doing only what is strictly necessary is scansafatiche. In English, some of the closest translations would be lazybones, idler and slacker to name a few. It is formed of two parts: the verb scansare (to avoid, dodge) and …
Do you know someone who can talk the hind legs off a donkey? If so, you’ll definitely be keen to learn today’s word of the day! Chiacchierone is what you would call a very talkative man, with the best English translation being chatterbox or talker. The feminine and plural equivalents are as follows: Mio padre …
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 …