Archive for January, 2010
Smog Blog Posted by Serena on Jan 29, 2010
The word ‘smog’, as you can probably tell, is not an Italian creation, but we have certainly become experts at producing it! ‘Smog’ is an amalgam of two English words: smoke, and fog, and was originally coined to describe the appalling, asphyxiating conditions in London when the smoke from thousands of coal fires, and factory chimneys combined…
Colloquial Italian – 3: Proprio, Senz’altro, Volentieri Posted by Serena on Jan 26, 2010
In my ‘Colloquial Italian’ blogs (see: Colloquial Italian – 1 and Colloquial Italian -2) I choose words that we Italians use all the time in everyday speech, but which are often overlooked in language classes and text books. Here then are another three words that you will hear a lot in Italy, and which, if you learn to…
Cantanti Italiani Contemporanei – Teresa De Sio Posted by Serena on Jan 23, 2010
Teresa De Sio is an outstanding cantautrice (singer-songwriter) firmly rooted in the Italian folk tradition. Her distinctive powerful and passionate voice, which combines typical Neapolitan folk tonality with refined contemporary overtones, is instantly recognizable. Born in Napoli on the third of November 1955, De Sio initially contemplated becoming an actress, the chosen career of her…
Numeri Ordinali Posted by Serena on Jan 20, 2010
Numeri ordinali (ordinal numbers) indicate, as the name suggests, order, succession, or classification. These numbers are regular adjectives, and therefore change gender and pluralize depending on the noun to which they refer. The following list shows the ordinal numbers in their masculine singular form: primo – first secondo – second terzo – third quarto – fourth quinto – fifth sesto –…
Più o di più? Posted by Serena on Jan 17, 2010
Sometimes readers ask me questions which I feel are better answered with a new blog because they deal with important grammatical points. I was recently asked the question: “what is the difference between ‘più’ and ‘di più’?” Probably the best way to illustrate the difference between the two is with a few examples: “Mario ha studiato di…
Numeri Cardinali Posted by Serena on Jan 14, 2010
Here’s a blog that will be useful both for beginners and more advanced students who need a bit of revision. Numeri Cardinali (Cardinal Numbers) don’t change from masculine to feminine except for ‘one’. The word piatto (plate), for example, is a masculine word and therefore if we were asked: quanti piatti ci sono sul tavolo?…
Cantanti Italiani Contemporanei – Jovanotti Posted by Serena on Jan 11, 2010
In this series dealing with cantanti Italiani contemporanei (contemperory Italian singers) I hope to give you an insight into some of the great Italian singers/musicians that are on the scene today. First of all, let me say that I don’t really like the kind of simplistic pop music that drones on all day on local radio stations and is…