Mattino (masculine) and mattina (feminine), both of which translate as morning in English, are two words of different genders that derive from the same Latin adjective matutinus. They indicate the part of the day between dawn and noon. Their respective plurals are mattini (masculine) and mattine (feminine). Knowing which word to use and when can …
In both Italian and English, a common way of informally asking to have a quick word with someone is: Hai un minuto? Do you have a minute? This phrase breaks down in the following way: hai The second person singular present indicative of avere (to have). It is pronounced /ai/ without the /h/. un The …
The word for today in Italian is oggi. It derives from the Latin hŏdie which itself is a contraction of hoc die (on this day). Ieri mi hai detto che l’incontro si sarebbe tenuto oggi, ma in realtà ho scoperto che si svolge domani! Yesterday you told me the meeting would be held today but …
January, or gennaio in Italian, is the month that marks the beginning of the new year. Despite the days being short and the weather cold, it is a wonderful time to visit Northern Italy if you enjoy skiing and hiking in the mountains. Gennaio is the first month (primo mese) of the year according to …
What better way to bid farewell to what has been a rather trying 2020 than by talking about the word for end in Italian, which is fine (feminine, plural: fini). Both this word and the English word finish can be traced back to the Latin finis of the same meaning. As in English, fine can …
Although the word alba (feminine, plural: albe) in Italian can translate as either dawn or sunrise in English, it is technically closer in meaning to the former because it denotes the first appearance of light in the sky as night transitions to day. It comes from the Latin alba, which in turn derives from the …