Can you think of anything more delicious and soul-satisfying than a freshly baked loaf of homemade pane (bread), still warm from the oven? I certainly can’t!
In the Italian idiomatic expression essere buono come il pane (literally “as good as bread”), the goodness of bread extends beyond its taste to represent someone’s kind, loving and generous nature. Just as bread nourishes our bodies, a good-natured person nourishes our souls with their warmth and compassion.
Maria è buona come il pane, sempre pronta ad aiutare gli altri.
Maria is a person as good as bread, always ready to help others.
The interesting thing about the adjective buono is that it has a dual meaning in this expression. On one hand, it can be used to describe food as delicious or tasty. For example:
- un buon gelato = a tasty ice cream
- una torta molto buona = a delicious cake
On the other hand, it can also describe someone as good-natured, kind, and honest. In fact, buono (and its feminine form buona) can even be used as a noun to refer to a good person!
- Giovanni è sempre stato buono con lei. = Giovanni has always been kind to her.
- i buoni contro i cattivi = the good guys against the bad guys
Who in your life is “as good as bread”? The next time you see them, be sure to let them know!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
