Word of the Day

Pazzo (pah-tsoh) means crazy, and you’d be crazy to think it’s not a popular word.  It comes from the word pazzia, a noun as poetic as  it is unsettling — in all languages — associated as it is to mental …

Subito (soo-bee-toh) means “soon, “now,” or “immediately.” It is used in a variety of very common expressions so learning how to use it can be very handy! As always, it comes from the Latin subitus, an adjective similar to the …

Basta (bah.stah) is one of those words that change their meaning depending on the voice intonation you choose. A peremptory “Basta!” is a strong order one cannot refuse to follow, while a softer, questioning  “Basta?” is as gentle as a …

Cavolo! (cah-voh-loh) is one of those words you often don’t know whether you can or cannot say in public. When you were a child, your mom likely disapproved of you  using it, while, as an adult, you understand it comes …

Cioè (tcho-eh) is one of Italy’s most common intercalari, those words we like to throw here and there while we talk, but hey! It has a real meaning,  too.  Cioè is the  contraction of two  words, ciò, this/that, and è, …

The Fall is, without a doubt, the favorite season for a pantofolaio (pahn-toh-foh-lah-ee-oh), because they can do what they prefer, without being judged by society: staying in, coffee in hand, eating cookies and watching tv.  The word comes from pantofola, …

If they tell you sei un fannullone (pronounced fahn-nool-loh-neh) you should either reconsider the people you hang  with or your work ethics.  While fannullone may sound pretty funny, with  all those double  consonants and the –one ending — doesn’t it …

Aspetta! What do you really know about the word aspetta? Well, we certainly know that aspetta (ah-speht-tah) comes from a mix of two Latin words, expectare, which means to wait (the same meaning of aspetta in Italian) and aspectare or …

I believe that when someone says you are a buona forchetta you should take it as a compliment. In the end, why wouldn’t you? To be  a buona forchetta (boo-oh-nah for-kai-tah) doesn’t simply mean to be a good  eater, it …

Speranza (spe-rahn-zah), what a beautiful word. It means  “hope” and  it comes from  the Latin  spes, a noun of the fifth declension, one that kids in school never managed to remember.  Before being “speranza,” it was speme in Italian and, …