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Quiz: Blame It On The Cat! Posted by Geoff on Apr 20, 2015
All seven of our cats are bilingual, after all, they’ve grown up in a bilingual household. Actually, due to their relatively limited vocal capacities some words are easier for cats in English than in Italian. Miiiilk, for example, is much easier for a feline to pronounce than latte. It’s something to do with the length…
Strategie Contro L’Allergia Ai Pollini Posted by Geoff on Apr 16, 2015
I’ve decided to write today’s article in Italian without an English translation. I’ve kept it short and fairly simple, but if you do run into difficulties you can use the ‘Leave a reply’ section at the end of the post. In fact, your comments are very useful as they help us to identify your needs and hence…
aaa … aaa … aaa … tishoo! Posted by Geoff on Apr 13, 2015
I love nature, but for some reason nature doesn’t love me! If bees can spend all day with their proboscis stuck in flowers and not suffer any adverse consequences, why is it that I can’t even stick my proboscis out of the door without exploding into a salvo of sneezes that would put the guns…
All About ‘-ing’ Posted by Geoff on Apr 8, 2015
In English, we make extensive use of the suffix ‘–ing’. In Italian, however, there are a number of different ways in which ‘–ing’ can be translated. Let’s have a look at three of the most common ones: 1. Il Gerundio = The Gerund a. sto scrivendo un articolo = I’m writing an article b. stiamo…
La Primavera è Balzata Posted by Geoff on Apr 2, 2015
La Primavera è Balzata … what on earth kind of title is that Geoff! Well, if you’re a regular follower of our blog you’ll know by now that Geoff’s mind works in mysterious ways. Currently, I’m having a phase of re-reading some of my favourite old books which I brought over with me years ago…
Tourists, Beware Of What You Wear Posted by Geoff on Apr 1, 2015
If you’re planning on taking a vacation in Italy this year then pack wisely. New tourist dress code regulations (Regolamentazione dell’Abbigliamento Turistico), which come into effect at the beginning of April 2015, could mean that many visitors to il Bel Paese will be in for a nasty, and expensive surprise if they don’t pay careful…
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes … And Our Wallets! Posted by Geoff on Mar 30, 2015
Here’s a little article which I found in the Italian press the other day. The article itself is not exactly headline material, but it does serve as a useful tool for a bit of grammatical analysis. Rather than translate everything, I’ve picked out some key grammatical point and elaborated on them. N.B. to those of…