The Italian word supermercato (masculine, plural supermercati), which is modelled on the English supermarket, is a combination of two parts: the prefix super- (meaning in this case excellent, top quality) and mercato (market). Some of the major supermarket chains (catene di supermercati) in Italy are as follows: Auchan Bennet Carrefour Conad Coop CRAI Esselunga Eurospin …
If you happen to make some Italian friends whilst travelling around or living in Italy, at some point in the conversation you can expect them to inquire about your place of birth. The informal way to ask this question is: Di (of) + dove (where) + sei (second person of verb essere ‘to be’)? Where …
The word for crossroads in Italian is bivio (masculine, plural: bivi). Like the English equivalent, bivio has both a literal and figurative meaning. In the literal sense, it refers to the place where two roads meet, whereas in the figurative sense, it denotes the point at which a crucial decision, which will have significant consequences, …
When I lived in Turin, I always looked forward to paying a visit to my local panetteria (feminine, plural: panetterie), which is the Italian word for bakery. In addition to various types of homemade bread (pane), the counter was always piled up with breadsticks (grissini), pastries (pasticcini), slices of focaccia, farinata and pizza, and various …
The word for bank in Italian is banca (feminine, plural: banche). Banca and its masculine form banco are two Italian words that derive from the same etymology: the Germanic bank meaning bench. While banco has more or less retained its original meaning throughout the centuries (desk, work bench), the feminine banca came to be used …
When English speakers (or more specifically Americans and Canadians) hear the word bar, they tend to think of an establishment that primarily serves alcohol, or alternatively, the counter in a pub or restaurant where one can order refreshments. The term derives from the metal or wooden barrier that is located along the length of the …