Pendolare is an interesting Italian word in that it can be classified as a noun, verb or adjective. Let’s begin by looking at its usage as a verb, as doing so will help us understand the meaning behind the noun and adjective. Pendolare is a regular -are verb that means to oscillate, to swing, or …
The pronominal verb raggomitolarsi is quite evocative as words go. The best word-for-word translation would be to wind oneself up like a ball of yarn but it actually means to curl up. It derives from the noun gomitolo which is the word for a ball of wool or yarn. Il gatto si raggomitolò accanto alla …
Demordere is a useful verb in Italian that means to give up, to give in, or to throw in the towel. According to Treccani, it is based on the French verb démordre of the same meaning. The combination of the verb mordere (to bite) and the prefix de- (indicating the removal, separation or estrangement of …
Today we’re going to be taking a look at the verb gironzolare, which describes the act of walking or moving around a place without any particular aim. Some possible English translations include to wander, to hang around or to loiter. As you might have guessed, gironzolare derives from the verb girare which means to turn …
The verb gattonare in Italian has two meanings, depending on whether you are describing a human being or an animal. When a human, or more specifically a baby, is the subject, gattonare means to crawl. Mia figlia ha cominciato a gattonare molto presto. My daughter started crawling very early. When talking about predatory animals such …
Has your other half’s snoring been keeping you up all night? Then maybe now’s a good time to learn the Italian verb russare! Derived from the term hrūzzan, it is one of many words that entered Italian via the Lombard language of Northern Italy. Learn with our video Since it is a regular -are verb, …