Our quizzes always seem to be popular, and we get lots of requests for more, so here’s one to finish off February with. All of the answers, or clues can be found in blogs that we’ve written this month.

Okay now … concentrate …

1. Eclisse del Cuore: in her version of the classic 80’s rock ballad ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, L’Aura sings:

Ci stringeremo eternamente
Ce la faremo se tu vorrai
Non sbaglieremo mai
Insieme cambieremo questa nostra realtà

What tense does she use to reinforce the sense of determination in this song?

2. The Curvy World: Elisa D’Ospina is a ‘curvy’ fashion model for ‘comfortable sizes’. In her interview she explains how she goes into schools to work with adolescents and help them appreciate their bodies. Asked how long her meetings with students last she replies: “Tendenzialmente gli incontri durano dalle due alle quattro ore”. Can you translate this sentence?

Hmmm, I’m sure I know the answer to this one …

3. To Be or To Have: in the passato prossimo the verb vivere (to live) can use either essere (to be) or avere (to have), but the meaning of vivere changes depending on which of these two auxiliary verbs you use. How would you translate the following two sentences, in order to convey this difference in meaning: “Giovanni è vissuto a lungo”and “Giovanni ha vissuto molto”?

4. Meet Bruna, the Mobile Tigelleria: Clara and Riccardo have started a new business in Rome: they make and sell tigelle, a kind of pancake originally from Modena. They sell le tigelle from an Ape, all decked out as a mobile Tigelleria. Why is their Ape called ‘Bruna’? answer in Italian please.

5. A Prickly Encounter: recently Serena saw due istrici crestate (two crested porcupines), the biggest European rodents. These animals are herbivores and are particularly fond of a certain fruit. What is it?

Why didn’t I study my Italian grammar?

6. A Romantic Italian Poem: The Tuscan poet Francesco Petrarca is considered one of the fathers of the Italian language, alongside two other Florentine writers. Who are they?

7. To Be or To Have – Part 2: How would you say ‘we flew from Paris to Pisa’ in Italian?

8. La Mattina Dopo il Carnevale: In this blog Serena wrote about something that happened when she was at school in Viareggio many years ago. She wrote “Il professore di Filosofia entrò, fece l’appello, ma non segnò gli assenti sul registro.” What tense does she use when recounting this memory and why?

9. Diamo i Numeri: Using the idiomatic expression given in this blog how would you say in Italian ‘shall we go out for a short walk’?

I know the answer to this one!!!

10. Favourite Italian Pastimes: Complete the following sentence: ‘il mio passatempo preferito è ……………………………..’

11. Our First Date: In this blog I used a typical Tuscan expression to say ‘cool’, what is it?

Now, dear readers, we really love receiving your comments, it helps us to understand your needs and to make our blogs even better. So please, have a go at this quiz and post your answers in the comments section. Don’t worry if you can’t manage all the answers, or if you make mistakes, no one is judging you, va bene?