{"id":18117,"date":"2019-04-25T21:15:44","date_gmt":"2019-04-25T19:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=18117"},"modified":"2019-04-25T21:15:44","modified_gmt":"2019-04-25T19:15:44","slug":"confusing-similarities-in-italian-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/confusing-similarities-in-italian-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Confusing Similarities In Italian Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

Italian, confusing? Surely not! ?
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The convolutions of Italian grammar can be overwhelming, but it’s often the subtleties that can be persistently confusing.
\nSuch as my two pet hates, two little groups of words that still occasionally trip me up after all these years. And I guarantee that they’ll trip you up as well, especially when you come to use them in the plural.
\nAndiamo a vedere qual \u00e8 il problema<\/strong> (Let’s see what the problem is):<\/p>\n

Group 1. mente – menta – mento<\/strong> = mind – mint – chin<\/span><\/span>
\nFortunately, these words are not often used in the plural<\/p>\n

the mind = la mente<\/strong>, plural <\/em>le menti<\/strong>
\nhai qualcosa in mente per stasera?<\/strong> = do you have something in mind for this evening?
\nmi \u00e8 venuta in mente un’idea geniale!<\/strong> = an ingenious idea has come to (my<\/em>) mind! (I’ve had an ingenious idea!)<\/p>\n

the mint = la menta<\/strong>, plural <\/em>le mente<\/strong>
\nla tisana di menta \u00e8 molto rilassante<\/strong> = mint tea is very relaxing
\na me mi piace la menta, specialmente la menta piperita<\/strong> = I like mint, especially peppermint<\/p>\n

the chin = il mento<\/strong>, plural <\/em>i menti<\/strong>
\nmentre mi facevo la barba mi sono tagliato il mento<\/strong> = I cut my chin whilst I was shaving
\nPaola ha il mento appuntito<\/strong> = Paola has a pointed chin<\/p>\n

Group 2. vite – vite – vita – vita<\/strong> = vine – screw – waist – life<\/span><\/span>
\nThese words are particularly confusing because they are frequently used in the plural<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Quando siamo arrivati in Italia il nostro terreno era tutto abbandonato, e le viti erano quasi selvatiche. Comunque, siamo riusciti a ricavarne due ceste d’uva.<\/strong> When we arrived in Italy our land was completely abandoned, and the vines were almost wild. However, we managed to get two baskets of grapes from them.
<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

the vine = la vite<\/strong>, plural <\/em>le viti<\/strong>
\nquesta settimana devo potare le viti<\/strong> = I have to prune the vines this week
\nho piantato una vite canadese in giardino<\/strong> = I’ve planted a Canadian vine in the garden<\/p>\n

the screw = la vite<\/strong>, plural <\/em>le viti<\/strong>
\nmi servono delle viti pi\u00f9 lunghe per attaccare la mensola al muro<\/strong> = I need some longer screws to attach the shelf to the wall
\nquanto \u00e8 lunga questa vite?<\/strong> = how long is this screw?<\/p>\n

the waist = la vita<\/strong>, plural<\/em> le vite<\/strong>
\nquesti pantaloni mi sono troppo stretti in vita<\/strong> = these trousers are too tight around the waist
\nho legato la corda alla sua vita<\/strong> = I tied the rope around his waist<\/p>\n

the life = la vita<\/strong>, plural le vite<\/strong>
\nnon ho mai visto una cosa cos\u00ec bella in vita mia!<\/strong> = I’ve never seen such a beautiful thing in my life!
\ndicono che i gatti hanno nove vite<\/strong> = they say that cats have nine lives<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Is English this confusing for Italians? Serena will share her thoughts on the subject in our next article.<\/p>\nCi vediamo quest’altra settimana!<\/strong><\/span><\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Italian, confusing? Surely not! ? The convolutions of Italian grammar can be overwhelming, but it’s often the subtleties that can be persistently confusing. Such as my two pet hates, two little groups of words that still occasionally trip me up after all these years. And I guarantee that they’ll trip you up as well, especially…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":18126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[474424],"class_list":["post-18117","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-italian-homophones"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t