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Gigia And The Grape Jam Posted by Serena on Oct 9, 2015
The setting: Geoff and Serena’s kitchen. The characters: Serena and Gigia the cat. Gigia, seduta sul tavolo della cucina mentre osserva Serena al lavoro con pentole, bilancia, colapasta e uva, tanta uva: “Questa è l’uva che tu e Geoff avete raccolto stamattina sull’orto?” Gigia, sitting on the kitchen table whilst observing Serena at work with…
It’s All The Same Posted by Serena on Oct 5, 2015
… è sempre la stessa storia = it’s always the same old story … study, study, study! Yes my friends, but it’s worth it in the end! So, without further ado, here’s something else for you to study: how do we say ‘the same’ in Italian? Well, there are three main ways: 1. stesso/i/a/e: the…
In a Shoe Shop in Italy Posted by Serena on Sep 30, 2015
The setting: It’s the end of the summer, shops are advertising very attractive saldi di fine stagione (end of season sales). A young lady is browsing the windows of a very expensive negozio di calzature (shoe shop), obviously tempted by l’occasionissima (the fantastic bargains). She enters the shop ……. Commessa: “Desidera signora?” Shop assistant: “Can…
In a Bookshop in Italy Posted by Serena on Sep 23, 2015
Lats week we took a visit to la biblioteca (the library) in a small town in Italy. Today we’re going to una libreria (a bookshop) to buy some … books! And beware of the ‘false friend’, libreria, which sounds so much like library. Libraio: “Buongiorno, desidera?” Bookseller: “Good morning, may I help you?” Cliente: “Buongiorno!…
Italian Quiz – September 2015 – The Solutions Posted by Serena on Sep 18, 2015
This blog is dedicated to Elaine, the only person in the whole wide world who had a go at our September quiz! Elaine, when you come to Pontremoli you can collect your prize: a beverage of your choice at a local bar, okay? As for the rest of you …. no treats for you! We…
At the Library in Italy Posted by Serena on Sep 17, 2015
Based on a True Story! Here’s a bit of useful library jargon for you in the form of my memory of our first visit to our local library. The setting: a small public library on the first floor of a semi derelict XVII century building hidden in a desolate part of a sleepy Italian town…
Perdindirindina … What The ….? Posted by Serena on Sep 10, 2015
In our recent blog You’re Learning Italian … Really?! we looked at the expression addirittura, which is a polite way of expressing surprise or disbelief. We also have at our disposal a veritable arsenal of less polite ways of expressing those sentiments. Let’s look at the really ‘naughty’ ones first shall we? (readers: “yes please…