If you are in a hurry to get from point A to point B, you may prefer to take a scorciatoia (feminine, plural: scorciatoie) – the word for shortcut in Italian – rather than the long way around.
The word is a combination of the verb scorciare, which means to shorten, and the instrumental suffix -oia.
The way you would say to take a shortcut in Italian is, quite literally, prendere una scorciatoia.
Conosco una scorciatoia che ci farà risparmiare mezz’ora.
I know a shortcut that will save us a half an hour.
In addition to denoting a faster-than-average route, it may also refer to a quicker way of achieving a certain goal.
L’intervento non è una scorciatoia per dimagrire, ed è importante continuare a seguire una dieta sana ed equilibrata.
The operation is not a shortcut to help you lose weight, and it is important to continue to follow a healthy and balanced diet.
In computing, both the English shortcut and the Italian scorciatoia also denote a fast keyboard command that lets you perform an action in an accelerated way.
A far less common synonym of scorciatoia is accorciatoia which comes from the verb accorciare (to shorten).
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.
