Whenever my mom and I take my son to school, he enjoys playing hide-and-seek behind the walls and buildings that line the streets, adding a bit of excitement to our daily stroll! His penchant for this game inspired me to write about the word nascondere, which translates to to hide. nascondere to hide /na·scón·de·re/ – [nasˈkondere] The word originates from the Late Latin (i)nabscondĕre, composed of the prefix in- and abscondĕre, through aphaeresis (the omission of the initial sound of a word). Nascondere is an -ERE verb which is conjugated in the present tense in the following manner: io ..read more

My son is currently obsessed with trucks of all sorts, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of his favourite words in Italian is guasto. It is used when something, such as a machine or vehicle, stops working as it should. guasto broken / faulty /guà·sto/ – [ˈgwasto] Guasto is the past participle of the verb guastare, meaning to break or to spoil. When guasto is used as an adjective, it can be translated in numerous ways including broken, out of order, damaged, broken down or faulty. The masculine, feminine and plural forms are as follow: guasto (masculine, singular) guasti (masculin ..read more

In the Italian language, conveying the feeling of tiredness extends beyond a simple “sono stanco / sono stanca.” Italians are known for emphasising their expressions – often accompanied by distinctive hand gestures – making it challenging for foreigners to grasp every nuance of the language. With that said, let’s delve into some of the commonly used ways to express ‘tired‘ in Italian. 1. Sono stanco morto Feminine equivalent: Sono stanca morta Stanco morto isn’t just a way to express tiredness in Italian; it serves as the ultimate statement when you’ve completely depleted your energy reserve ..read more

The soft curly hair forming the coat of a sheep, goat or camel is known as wool in English, or lana in Italian. lana wool /là·na/ – [ˈlana] Lana, which is a feminine noun, is derived from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. Below are its definite and indefinite articles: la lana = the wool le lane = the wools una lana = a wool delle lane = some wools The expression di lana (of wool) is used to describe things that are made of wool such as clothing and blankets. The adjective lanoso (wooly / woolen), in a similar manner, describes things that are either made of wool ..read more

My son, during his swimming lessons, is happy to do anything the teacher tells him to do expect dive into the water. The word for a dive or plunge is tuffo in Italian. tuffo dive / plunge / dip /tùf·fo/ – [ˈtuffo] Tuffo is derived from the verb tuffare (to plunge / immerse), which interestingly enough, comes not from Latin but from the Lombardian *tauff(j)an. Related to tuffare is the reflexive verb tuffarsi, meaning to dive (or literally “to immerse oneself”). Being a masculine noun, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: il tuffo = the dive i tuffi = the dives un tuffo ..read more

I’m sure we’ve all encountered gossip or news at some point in our lives that has left us gaping in disbelief. In Italian, there’s a fantastic idiom you can employ to capture that feeling—rimanere di stucco—which essentially means being flabbergasted / dumbfounded. rimanere di stucco to be flabbergasted / dumbfounded Stucco is the Italian word for plaster, stucco or putty, so the literal translation of the idiom is “to remain of plaster.” According to Franco Ciarleglio, author of Adagi con brio, this expression draws a comparison between the fast-setting quality of plaster and the sudden ..read more

These four little words starting with b- are known to most students of Italian from the very beginning of their learning process, and sometimes even before that. At the same time bene, buono, bravo and bello are very easy to confuse and their correct usage, especially during a spontaneous conversation, can take a long time to master. Don’t feel frustrated, though; patience is the key, and sometimes, even if you make a mistake, context can help you. However, it’s a virtuous thing to aim for accuracy, and this article is intended to be a reference to clarify the meanings of these words. So save ..read more

Marachella is a lovely-sounding Italian word that denotes a forbidden action, carried out in secret, that can be considered forgivable once discovered. In English, we can translate this word as mischief, prank or trick depending on the context. marachella mischief / prank / trick /ma·ra·chèl·la/ – [maraˈkɛlla] Marachella is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: la marachella = the trick le marachelle = the tricks una marachella = a trick delle marachelle = some tricks According to Treccani, marachella is derived from the Hebrew meraggēl (explore ..read more

Today, I propose we veer away from idiomatic expressions and delve into a well-known Italian proverb closely tied to the Easter season: Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi. Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi! This proverb suggests that while spending Christmas (Natale) with your parents is important, Easter (Pasqua) allows for more freedom in choosing your company—whether it’s family, friends, or even enjoying the holiday solo if you prefer! You might wonder why the proverb mentions i tuoi instead of i tuoi genitori. This is because in Italian, i miei (mine), i tuoi (yours), i suoi ..read more

Easter, known as Pasqua in Italy, stands as a cornerstone of the nation’s festive calendar alongside Christmas. Think of it as a mosaic of traditions, flavours, and spirituality, culminating in joyous celebrations, with schools closing their doors and families eagerly anticipating the reunions that await them. Insieme al Natale, Pasqua è la festa più importante del calendario italiano, un vero e proprio mosaico di tradizioni, sapori e spiritualità che danno vita a bellissime celebrazioni. Le scuole chiudono e le famiglie si preparano per riunirsi e festeggiare insieme. You might have heard th ..read more