Archive for 'Uncategorized'
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!…
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…
Italian Quiz – September 2015 – Gli Animali Posted by Geoff on Sep 16, 2015
Dear Readers, we’ve been making a few changes to the e-mails that you receive from us in order to make it easier for you to comment on the articles. These changes were implemented on Monday at around the time that this quiz was originally published, and it’s possible that some of you may have missed…
A Fresh Summer’s Rain Posted by Serena on Aug 12, 2015
It’s raining! After weeks and weeks of unbearable heat, the rain has finally brought us a breath of new life. It’s like a sudden awakening of the senses that only a master of words such as Gabriele D’Annunzio can render in an authentic way. In his famous poem La Pioggia nel Pineto (The Rain in…
A Nice Cuppa In Piazza Posted by Geoff on Aug 10, 2015
The setting: a sultry evening at the beginning of August, La Piazza di Groppodalosio, a small group of friends and neighbours sit chatting and savouring the first threads of cool air as they make their serpentine way through the overheated village. A small blessing at the end of a long torrid day, one of the…