Tag Archives: Learning Italian

Word of the Day: Pettegolezzi

Posted on May 31, 2012 by

Pettegolezzi means items of gossip. Juicy details. The lowdown. The chatter, the chit-chat. And other nouns of the sort. It comes from the Italian noun, pettegolo, or gossiper. In other words, the one who gossips. It can also be used … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Spicci

Posted on February 1, 2012 by

Ever try paying for something in Rome with a 50 euro bill and NOT get a dirty look? Forget a 50, what about a 20 euro bill? Them Roman cashiers, they sure don’t like big bills.  But more than that, … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Mammone

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

Something you notice right away in Italy is the power of the Italian mom. Not to say that other cultures do not have the typical ‘mom’ figure as well (e.g. my own Jewish mother), but for some reason, the mammas … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Scemo

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

Coming from the Italian verb, scemare, or to decrease, or wane, scemo means: idiot, fool, stupid, dim-witted, silly, twit, dumb… It’s not particularly nice to call someone a scemo (pronounced shehmo), but let’s be honest, sometimes you just gotta. Scemo can be used in … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Figo, and co.

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

Want to say that something is ‘cool!’? Or maybe you want to point to a guy and say ‘he’s hot!’? The word in Italian would be: figo, pronounced feego. (Depending on the Italian region, one may say ‘fico‘ instead of … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Schifo

Posted on January 23, 2012 by

Pronounced in English, ‘skeefo,’ it is, fo sho, one of the most fun words to use in Italian. Somewhat onomatopoeic in my opinion, it means;  disgusting, crappy, rubbish, awful, stinks, revolting. And if Urban Dictionary can indeed be used as a source, … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Squillo

Posted on January 19, 2012 by

Apart from sounding like some dirty act, ‘squillo‘ is one of the most useful words in the Italian vocabulary, in my opinion. What does it mean, you ask?! Well since there is no exact translation into English, it means, ‘call … Continue reading →

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Learning Italian

Posted on October 10, 2011 by

Whether you’ve just moved to Italy or are planning an upcoming visit, learning Italian can seem like a daunting task. Making it harder is the fact that many Italians in Rome speak at least a little bit of English. And, … Continue reading →

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