Wednesday
Sep052007

another set of useful italian idioms

Eccovi ragazzi, more useful Italian idioms. C4N!

alla buona
simply, unpretentiously

guardare al centesimo
to pinch pennies

a conti fatti
everything considered

Fa proprio per me.
It's just my cup of tea.

di buon mattino
bright and early

Wednesday
Aug292007

idioms based on clothing terms

Here you go guys, another flashcard set featuring handy Italian idioms, this time based on clothing terms. C4N!

Avere un asso nella manica.
To have an ace up one's sleeve.

Sbottonarsi.
To open up.

Nascere con la camicia.
To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth.

Attaccare il cappello al chiodo.
To settle down (especially in a wealthy marriage).

Essere in manica larga.
To be lenient, to be generous.

Sudare sette camicie.
To work really hard, make a big effort.

Wednesday
Aug222007

idioms with fare

Here you go ragazzi, better late than never - another flashcard set devoted to the many idioms with fare. C4N!

Fare un buco nell'acqua.
To fail in an attempt.
 
Fare castelli in aria.
To build castles in the air (dream idly and vainly).

Fare baldoria.
To make merry, have a ball.

Fare venire la barba.
To bore to death.

Fare a scaricabarile.
To pass the buck.

Fare una brutta figura.
To make a fool of oneself, look bad.

Wednesday
Aug152007

easily confused words

Ciao amici! For this week's Italian vocab update I decided to try something different - words that are easily confused. Either because they're false cognates (i.e. words that have different meanings from the English words they look like), or because they look too similar to other Italian words with different menaings. You'll see what I mean! Buono studio.

l'educazione
upbringing, good manners

maleducato
rude, ill-mannered

l'istruzione
education (as in schooling)

sciogliere
to untie, undo, release, dissolve, melt, loosen up

scegliere
to choose

la scogliera
cliff

sono
I am / they are

sogno
I dream, or il sogno = the dream (noun)

il sonno
sleep (noun)

suono
I play (an instrument) / sound (noun)

spingere
to push

spegnere
to turn off (e.g. lights)

spendere
to spend

squagliare
to melt

Tuesday
Aug072007

more mixed italian vocab

Here's another mix of really useful Italian vocab flashcards. Tell your friends! C4N (Ciao for now!)

riprendersi
to recover

legarsi a qualcuno
to become attached to somebody

tenerci a
to be fond of, keen on

lo spavento
fright

abbagliare
to dazzle

accorgersi di
to notice, realize

raggiungere
to reach, achieve

accogliere
to receive (guests), welcome

giungere (a)
to arrive, to succeed, to join

cogliere
to pick, catch, seize

raccogliere
to pick, harvest, collect, gather

sfruttare
to exploit

fregare
to cheat (a person)

lo spasso
fun

andare a spasso
to go for a walk

le scartoffie
papers (e.g. junk mail)

incavolato
angry, irritated

un sorriso a trenta denti
a big grin

Di che si tratta?
What's it about?

Si tratta di...
It's about...

aggiungere
to add (e.g. ingredients to a mix)

Tuesday
Jul312007

more assorted italian vocab

Ciao guys, here's another mixed bag of random words I come across while reading Italian novels, words that seem like they'd be useful, or seem distinctively Italian (as opposed to obviously latinate to English speakers). Enjoy and share!

il fazzoletto
handkerchief, headscarf

trascinare
to drag

stracciare
to tear

sciagurato
unfortunate

brontolare
to grumble

prendere qualcuno in giro
to pull someone's leg

disposto
ready, disposed

aggiungere
to add (e.g. an ingredient to a mix)

affrettarsi
to hurry

stordito
stunned

lo starnuto
sneeze

il chiacchierone
someone who talks a lot (or too much)

sfogarsi
to give vent to one's feelings

la scorciatoia
shortcut

Tuesday
Jul242007

italian eating establishments

Here you go amici, some explanations of the names for various types of Italian eating establishments. Buon appetito!

bar
A bit like what we might call a cafe here. Coffees, pastries, but also wine, grappa and snacks. One on every corner, not all with tables. A good example in Toronto is Bar Novecento on St.Clair.

paninoteca
"Sandwich bar." (Mr. Sub Italian-style!)

osteria
Low priced inn-style place where you get hearty, flavourful food.

trattoria
Medium priced. Like the osteria and taverna, it too is authentic and favoured by locals. Try Seven Numbers on the Danforth.

taverna
Food quality below trattoria level. Serves drinks too.

ristorante
These can get pricy, though prices vary. Check the menu outside.

pizzeria
Pizza joint also serving pasta and salads. The closest thing in Toronto is Terroni.

tavola calda
Literally "hot table." More of a fast food or take out joint.

Tuesday
Jul172007

random italian words and phrases

Salve ragazzi. There's no theme to this week's Italian vocab flashcards, just an assortment of words and phrases, many of which however I consider to be uniquely Italian, in that they often lack an obvious easy English translation.

le mutande
underwear
 
la cannuccia
drinking straw
 
sputare
to spit
 
l'imbroglione
con artist
 
piagnucolare
to whimper
 
Su, dai!
an expression used to exhort, incite, insist or encourage
 
dare retta a
to take somebody's advice
 
fare fine (as in "Che fine ha fatto?")
to end up
 
farsi strada
to make one's way in the world
 
sistemarsi
to settle down, find a job, home, spouse
 
il rimbambito
a person in his dotage
 
sbrigarsi
to be quick
 
scivolare
to slide or slip
 
lo schiaffo
slap
 
esagerare
to exaggerate, overstate
 
i quattrini
money
 
il brivido
shiver
 
sentirsi a disagio
to feel uncomfortable, self-conscious, uneasy, embarrassed
 
trovarsi bene
to feel at home, feel well, comfortable
 
fare il solletico a
to tickle
 
sentirsi al proprio agio (as in "Mi sento a mio agio") (can also be used with essere or trovarsi)
to feel at ease, comfortable, well, at home, in one's element

Thursday
Jul122007

weather idioms + coffee types in italian

Ciao guys, a bit of a mix this week - some colourful idioms for describing the weather, plus a list of coffee types in Italian. Click the link for online flashcards or hit the printer icon below for a hard copy. Ciao for now!

Fa un caldo terribile!
It's terribly hot!
 
Il sole spacca le pietre!
The sun is splitting the rocks!
 
Fa un freddo cane!
It's terribly cold!
 
Fa un freddo/un caldo da morire!
It's deadly cold/warm!
 
Piove sul bagnato.
It rains on the wet. (Used when something good happens to someone who doesn't need it, e.g. a millionaire wins the lottery.)
 
Piove a cielo aperto.
It's pouring.
 
ristretto
very strong, concentrated espresso
 
doppio
double espresso
 
lungo
espresso diluted with water so it's weaker
 
corretto
espresso with cognac, sambuca or grappa
 
cappuccino
espresso with frothy milk
 
caffelatte
espresso with lots of milk
 
macchiato
espresso with a drop of milk
 
latte macchiato
milk with a touch of espresso
 
caffè americano
American coffee but stronger
 
decaffeinato
decaf
 
caffè
espresso

Tuesday
Jul032007

on the phone

Italians love their cell phones (you'll hear their cheerful "squilli" everywhere), and whether to call home or book a room you'll need to make a "telefonata" at some point while in Italy. This week's tutorino Italian vocabulary flashcards will help. Don't forget to "give us a ring" for live Italian lessons in Toronto. Ciao for now!

Dove si comprano le schede telefoniche?
Where can I buy a phone card?
 
Posso usare il telefono?
Can I use your phone?
 
Ha il telefonino?
Do you have a cell phone?
 
Qual è il prefisso di Venezia?
What is the code for Venice?
 
Vorrei fare una telefonata…
I'd like to make a phone call…
 
…a carico del destinatario.
…collect.
 
È occupato.
It's busy.
 
Non risponde nessuno.
There's no answer.
 
Pronto, sono Bill.
Hi, it's Bill.
 
C'è Gino per favore?
Is Gino there please?
 
Chi parla?
Who's calling?
 
Ha sbagliato numero.
You've got the wrong number.
 
Un attimo, prego.
Just a moment please.
 
Vuole attendere in linea?
Would you like to hold?
 
Gli/le dica che ho chiamato per favore.
Please tell him/her I called.
 
Vorrei lasciare un messaggio.
I'd like to leave a message.
 
Riproverò più tardi.
I'll try again later.
 
Gli/le dica che ha chiamato Bill.
Please tell him/her Bill called.
 
Mi può richiamare?
Can he/she phone me back?
 
Il mio numero è…
My home number is…
 
Il mio numero al lavoro è…
My work number is…
 
È caduta la linea.
We were cut off.
 
riattaccare
to hang up

Tuesday
Jun262007

idiomatic reflexive verbs and verbs always used with pronouns

Today's Italian vocab flashcards - brought to you by tutorino, the most popular way to learn Italian in Toronto - will help your Italian sound more local. You won't find these terms in writing much, but listen for them on Italian TV, which you can find plenty of clips of on Youtube. Ciao for now!

Wednesday
Jun202007

italian idiomatic expressions

Ciao guys! This set of flashcards on Italian idioms - brought to you by tutorino, where Toronto learns Italian - will help you sound like a local. Ciao for now!

Tuesday
Jun122007

expressing opinions in italian

Hi guys. This week's Italian vocab flashcards will give you phrases and terms you can use to express opinions. Terms like however, therefore, that is to say, according to me, etc. Check them out and you'll see what I mean. Ciao for now!

Tuesday
Jun052007

irregular italian future stems

Hi guys, this set of flashes will help you internalize some common Italian verbs with irregular stems in the future. Ciao for now!

Wednesday
May302007

idioms with fare

This week's tutorino Italian vocab flashcards will teach you some of the many Italian idioms that use the verb "fare". Happy studies!

Tuesday
May222007

shapes

Ciao guys! This week's Italian vocab flashcards will help you describe things with reference to their basic geometrical shapes. Enjoy and share!

Tuesday
May152007

bonus vocab - the days of the week

There are seven of them in Italian, just like in English - here are the days of the week. The only main difference is that they're not capitalized in Italian. And all Italian days of the week are masculine except Sunday. Ciao for now!

Tuesday
May152007

approximate numbers

Ciao cari! Here's a flashcard set on the Italian terms for approximate numbers. For instance, if you're not sure how old someone is, but you think he's "roughly 30", the term is "una trentina di" - Avra' una trentina di anni. This set will teach you the rest of these terms. Ciao for now!

Tuesday
May082007

months in italian

From gennaio to dicembre, this week's Italian vocabulary flashcards will help you learn the months in Italian.

Tuesday
May012007

italian ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)

Ciao cari! Here's an Italian vocabulary flashcard set on the ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.). These are considered adjectives, so they agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe. If you don't master them the first time, try a second and third. Ciao for now!