Plurals: what a nightmare! Posted by Serena on Oct 13, 2008
Unlike most Western European languages, the Italian language pluralizes by changing the final vowel. But as we Italians are very creative and chaotic, we are not happy with just a couple of changes. Here I’ll try to make sense of the various possible plural forms which you might encounter whilst studying Italian: 1. The…
A trip to Le Cinque Terre Posted by Serena on Oct 11, 2008
Last summer I had the fortune to stay for a few days in Vernazza, one of the five small former fishing villages that form Le Cinque Terre (lit.: The Five Lands) in the Ligurian Riviera di Levante. We stayed in a small apartment on the first floor of an old building located in the harbor…
“Lei” part 2: a brief history Posted by Serena on Oct 2, 2008
Following on from Natasha’s blog, I would like to add a few historical notes. The use of Lei (lit.: She) as a form of respect goes back to the XVII-XVIII century, when it was common not to address somebody important directly, but to use abstract forms such as la Signoria Vostra. E.g. “Cosa pensa la…
Funghi fever Posted by Serena on Oct 1, 2008
I live in an area of Italy particularly famous for porcini mushrooms (boletus), the main ingredients for many Italian dishes. It’s the end of September, the season for wild mushroom hunting and funghi fever is reaching its climax. About two weeks ago we had a big rainfall that was greeted with joy by all the…
Not just the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Posted by Serena on Sep 25, 2008
Not just the Leaning Tower of Pisa! The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or Torre Pendente di Pisa, is set in the beautiful square called Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles), and it really is a miracle if you arrive there early on a cold crispy morning: the green of the grass lawn, the white marble…
Ordering a coffee! Posted by Serena on Sep 25, 2008
Ciao! My name is Serena and I’m the new Italian blogger. I thought I would start with a topic dear to all Italians: il caffe’! We like our coffee very concentrated, like a shot of adrenalin, so do not expect a pint mug, even when you order “un caffè lungo” or “americano”. I can’t start…
“Lei” – who in the world is she? Posted by Transparent Language on Sep 2, 2008
I hope I lured you in with the post about Venice. Now it is time to discuss some grammar. I know not everybody loves it, but it is, of course, impossible to totally avoid grammar in a language blog. However, I do not want to explain things that no one cares for. So I would…