Archive for the year 2012
Il Linguaggio del Giardinaggio Posted by Serena on Mar 2, 2012
In my last gardening blog La mia battaglia col giardino I had intended to give you a bit more gardening vocabulary … but full of enthusiasm, after what seemed like an interminable prigionia invernale (winter captivity), I got a bit carried away, and ran out of space! Dunque, in compensation, this is going to be…
Si Impersonale – Part 2 Posted by Serena on Feb 29, 2012
A few days ago I wrote about the impersonal pronoun ‘si’: Si Impersonale – part 1 Today I’ll continue by looking at some other aspects of the si impersonale. 1. Verbi Riflessivi (Reflexive Verbs) Let’s see how the si impersonale is used with reflexive verbs. Take for example the reflexive verb riposarsi (to rest oneself)…
La mia battaglia col giardino Posted by Serena on Feb 27, 2012
O.K. so it’s only the end of February, and perhaps we’re being a bit over optimistic, but it’s 18 degrees Celsius today, and after il ventaccio gelido, la neve e il ghiaccio (the horrible freezing wind, the snow, and the ice) that has imprisoned Serena, myself (Geoff) and five crazy cats within our little house…
Una Tazza di Tè all’Italiana Posted by Serena on Feb 23, 2012
To understand this blog you’ll need two things: 1. a reasonable knowledge of Italian, and 2. a sense of humour! Salve, sono Geoff, il marito di Serena, e per quelli che non lo sanno già, sono inglese. Abito qua in Italia ormai da un po’ di anni ed è stata una sfida interessante, a volte…
Si Impersonale – Part 1 Posted by Serena on Feb 22, 2012
Si dice che al finesettimana avremo temperature primaverili (They say that at the weekend we’ll have spring like temperatures). In Italian we often use the impersonal pronoun ‘si’, known as si impersonale. It is commonly translated in English as ‘one’, but can also mean ‘they’, ‘you’, or ‘it’ in an impersonal sense. To clarify, let’s…
La Scaramanzia Posted by Serena on Feb 20, 2012
Scaramanzia, nella superstizione popolare, significa: parola, formula, gesto, o azione di scongiuro contro il malocchio o la sfortuna (Scaramanzia, in popular superstition, means: word, formula, gesture, or action to ward against the evil eye or misfortune). Hence: dire qualcosa per scaramanzia; toccare ferro per scaramanzia (to say something for good luck; to touch iron –…
La Disfida dei Falò Posted by Serena on Feb 19, 2012
The tradition of the winter falò (bonfire) is common in many parts of Italy, including the area where we live, Lunigiana in the northern tip of Toscana centred around the medieval town of Pontremoli. The falò tradition goes back to the pagan festival of welcoming back the light after the darkest days of the year…