1.) Qual è il tuo piatto preferito? - What’s your favorite Italian dish? 2.) Cosa prendi? - What are you getting? 3.) Che tipo di vino è? - What type of wine is this? 4.) Non ci sono mai stato/a! - I’ve never been here before. 5.) Come si chiama quel ristorante? - What’s the name of this restaurant? 6.) Prepari i piatti italiani a casa? - Do you make Italian food at home? 7.) Cos’hai fatto oggi? - What did you do today? 8.) Cosa faremo domani? - What are we doing tomorrow? 9.) Brindiamo! - Let’s cheers! 10.) A cosa brindiamo? - What are we toasting to? 11.) Mamma mia questa è la cosa più buona che abbia mai assaggiato in vita mia! - My goodness, this is the best thing that I’ve ever tasted in my life! 12.) Credo proprio che questo diventerà il mio ristorante preferito… - I really think this will become my favorite restaurant… 13.) Cosa hai comprato al mercato? - What did you buy at the market? 14.) Sei andato/a a quale museo? - Which museum did you go to? 15.)Ho comprat...
Ciao mia cara, Come stai? È veramente un sacco che non ci sentiamo. Senti, mi sei venuta in mente perché ho sentito che hanno aperto un nuovo locale che sembra molto carino vicino Piazza della Repubblica e che stanno facendo degli aperitivi promozionali. Insomma si prende un drink, si mangia qualcosa, e costa sette euro ma mi hanno detto che il cibo è molto buono. Allora mi domandavo se per caso eri disponibile per andare insieme a provare questo nuovo posto. Così nell’occasione facciamo due chiacchiere e mi aggiorni un po’ sulla tua vita perché veramente è passato troppo tempo e non ci siamo più sentite. Anch’io ho sacco di cose da raccontarti - Ho cambiato casa, ho fatto delle modifiche sul mio lavoro. Insomma ci sono tante novità però te le vorrei raccontare faccia a faccia perché di fronte a uno spritz si parla sempre meglio, no? E quindi… questa è la mia proposta, io sono abbastanza flessibile in questi giorni, quindi fammi sapere tu come sei messa. D’accordo? U...
While I firmly believe that we should infuse romance and lots of pepper -- as the Italians say -- into our love lives every day, it’s not so bad that we have one day a year to do something a bit more special. (Plus, I like getting chocolate, so I won’t be the first to complain about the commercialization of love.) In another article, one of our contributing writers, Hannah, shared romantic Italian words and phrases with you. Then, I gave you some pointers on what to say in the bedroom (in the classiest way, of course). We’ve talked about what to say on the first date (and what to say when you don’t want to go on a date at all). We’ve even covered what it’s like to date an Italian -- both from the perspective of non-Italians and native ones. All in all, we’ve really done a thorough job of covering love. But, love being how it is, there is always more to say about it. So, this time around, we (that is, Rachel, Carlotta & I) thought we would make this list a little steamier. The...
Ripetere does indeed mean to repeat. Avocado means avocado. There have been many a time where I’ve guessed a word relying solely on English and have added an Italian ending… and I’ve been right. And there have been many other times where I’ve guessed based solely on my English and have been very, sometimes embarrassingly, wrong. I’m guessing I’m not the only one. That’s why I thought it could be interesting to put together an episode of some of the most common false friends in Italian - the words that seem friendly because they’re so close to English but then turn around and trick you. 1.) Ultimamente - Recently, lately - I thought it meant ‘ultimately’, ALLA FINE 2.) Camera - Room - Not photography camera, macchina fotografica 3.) Casino - mess - Not casino where you gamble 4.) Preservativo - Condom - NOT a preservative (conservante) in foods or like jam (marmellata) 5.) Attualmente - now, currently - NOT actually, in realtà 6.) Le terme - thermal baths - NOT school term...
There is something so satisfying about learning swear words in another language. That’s why so many new language learners rush to ask native speakers how to say things like, “f*** you” and “you’re an idiot.” After Rachel wrote this article with 8 swear words to add sass to your Italian vocabulary, we thought it would only be fair to follow up with another list of insults. They range from affectionately rude (like to tease your friends) all the way to when you’re really angry, or when you’re incazzato nero (totally pissed off). Some basic vocab for you: -- Gli insulti - Insults -- Insultare - To insult Affectionately rude -- Sei pazzo(a)? - Are you crazy? -- Sei diventato pazzo(a)? - Have you gone crazy? -- Sei impazzito(a)? - Have you gone insane? -- Ci sei cascato come una pirla! - You fell for it like a stupid person! If there’s an “a” in parentheses, it means that this adjective can be masculine or feminine. Remember that adjectives also change in number in Italian. If...
Ordering Pizza I really like pasta (cacio e pepe is my favorite), gelato (fragola, every day all day), and cheese (pecorino forever and ever), but pizza? I love pizza. For the first few weeks that I lived in Rome, the only people I knew were the ones who sold pizza. (If you’re ever in Monteverde in Rome, my favorite pizza al taglio shop is the one on Viale Villa Pamphili.) For those of you who aren’t familiar with a pizza al taglio shop, it’s basically a place where they make large sheets of varieties of pizza and when you walk in, they cut a piece off for you, hence the “al taglio” part. They also have delicious fried things like arancini, supplì and depending on the location, roasted chicken and potatoes.r To help you navigate this experience with more ease and confidence, here are some phrases to know. -- C’è qualcosa con... (il pesto)? - Is there something with (pesto)? -- Vorrei / Prendo un pezzetto di quella con il prosciutto. - I would like / I’ll talk a little piece...
I’m back to talk to you all about how to use the Italian words “poi” and “così.” I would describe both of these as “connector words,” or words that you use to easily and fluidly connect two sentence pieces together. Let’s start with “poi.” ROUND #1: POI Popular definitions of “poi,” as defined by WordReference & Context Reverso, are: -- Then -- After -- Furthermore -- Additionally -- Later (on) / Afterwards -- Next -- Plus And, of course, here are some examples to help you get a better idea of how you’ll use it in conversation. WAY #1: Then -- E poi, mi ha baciato. - And then, he kissed me. -- Prima sono andato in Italia, e poi sono venuto in Grecia. - First I went to Italy and then I came to Greece. WAY #2: Next / Plus / Furthermore / Additionally -- ...poi penso che dovremmo andare in Toscana. Che ne pensi? - Next I think we should go to Tuscany. What do you think? -- E poi, Gal Gadot è un’attrice incredibile. Per questo penso che il film era magnifico. - And plus,...
How do you “fare complimenti” to a person in Italian -- whether it’s for how good they look, what they’re wearing, their language skills, or just to be polite and show your appreciation? APPEARANCE -- Sei in gran forma! - You're in great shape! -- Quanto sei bello/a. - You’re so handsome/beautiful. -- Ti vedo bene. – You look good. -- Ha un bell'aspetto. - He looks good. -- Hai un bell'aspetto, sei in ottima forma, e sei intelligente. Sei il pacchetto completo! - You have good looks, you're in excellent shape, and you're smart. You're the complete package! -- L'hai visto? È bellissimo, no? - Did you see him? He's really gorgeous, right? -- Sei molto raffinata nei movimenti. - You’re really delicate in your movements. -- Emma è la classica ragazza acqua e sapone, ha davvero un bel viso anche senza trucco. - Emma is the classical natural beauty, she has a really nice face even without make up! -- Marco mi incanta quando parla, è così colto! - Marco fascinates me when he tal...
Rachel and I walked behind Giacomo, Mary, and Hannah as we snaked our way through the Sant'Ambrogio market in Florence. Giacomo, our cooking teacher and chef, was leading us to a vegetable stall to buy ingredients for the meal we were going to make that afternoon. Deep, red radishes and green lettuce covered with droplets of water stood on display with signs displaying il prezzo, l’origine, la varietà, and la categoria. I watched him pick up cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, placing each in their own brown bag before handing them to the fruttivendolo. If you’re in Italy, I’m 110% sure that you’re going to run into some kind of open market, whether that’s inside or outside. And when you do (hopefully when you’re on our Not Your Typical Tourist Language Immersion Retreat), what are you supposed to say and do so you get what you want and avoid making una brutta figura? Here’s a quick guide on vocabulary, phrases to know and the etiquette to follow. Basic Market Vocabulary First,...
ITALIAN Rachel: Hai bisogno di qualcosa dal supermercato? Carlotta: No, no, dai, non ti preoccupare. Rachel: Macché! Tanto, oggi vado al supermercato comunque. Have you ever heard an expression like the one above that starts with “tanto?” You might already know that “tanto” means “a lot” but obviously in this case, that translation doesn’t make much sense. I hear all the time that this sentence structure is confusing! So what does “tanto” mean when used this way? It’s simple, so let me demystify it for you. In this example, “tanto” is used a bit like, “really,” “anyways,” or “as” in English. So for example, in the previous dialogue, the conversation might have looked something like this: ENGLISH Rachel: Do you need something from the supermarket? Carlotta: No, no, come on, don’t worry about it. Rachel: Nonsense! Really, I was going to the supermarket today regardless. Other Examples of “Tanto” 1.) Non abbiamo fretta, tanto andiamo in macchina ci metteremo al ma...