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LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOD, BUT WITHOUT ‘CIBO’
Here is a tip for those who are studying Italian and want to sound more Italian. We do have the word ‘cibo’, which means ‘food’, in our Italian dictionary, but we hardly use it. In fact, we use other words or expressions, depending on the situation. On an ordinary day we use the words ‘da […]
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LA GOCCIA SCAVA LA ROCCIA…
You have been studying Italian for a while and you are fluent or almost fluent, BUT… then again, the same mistakes keep cropping up during your conversations and you want to get rid off them. Listen up and let me know what you think! Usually, students (myself among them) who speak more than one language […]
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Al fresco, outside or locked up?
We laughed so much the other evening with my students about this expression… Al fresco! I found out that two students named their golf team ‘Al fresco’ and after reading this story you will know why it is so funny. You use the expression ‘al fresco’ to say that you want to eat outside, but it […]
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‘Hai una bella figura’ or ‘hai fatto una bella figura’, which one is the right Italian expression?
Frequently, and especially during our Conversation Classes, the expression ‘bella figura’ crops up when we are talking about how someone looks so as to pay a compliment. This is probably because you have the word figure in English which, among many other meanings, refers to ‘the shape of the human body and especially a woman’s […]
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Mi mangio la pizza, mi guardo un film… mistakes or what?
Many of my students stumble over this particular use of the reflexive form which is not academic or formal but, nonetheless, sounds truly Italian. In Italian we use some verbs which are called ‘Riflessivi’ or ‘Reflexive’ such as, lavarsi (to wash oneself), pettinarsi (to comb oneself), radersi (to shave oneself) and so on. The majority […]
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Do not say Buona Fortuna, for goodness’ sake!
If you want a piece of advice, do not ever say ‘Buona fortuna’ to an Italian person, unless you don’t like him or her very much! Buona fortuna means good luck, but, in Italy, it is strongly believed that if someone tells you buona fortuna before a test or any other occasion, he or she doesn’t […]
