Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 9, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the intransitive verb, pernottare, which means to spend the night.  The past participle is pernottato; avere is used in compound tenses. See the verb used below in its context: Mia moglie non vuole pernottare in questo albergo!  Crede che sia un posto orribile e ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 8, 2012, 8:45 am
Yesterday, we saw the verb, assistere (a), used transitively to mean to assist or to help.  It can also be used intransitively to mean to watch, to attend or to witness something, as seen below.   The past participle is assistito; avere is used in compound tenses. See the verb used below in i...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 7, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is going to cross over two days — it is the verb, assistere.  In the context that we will see today, it is a transitive verb.  As a transitive verb, it means to assist or to help.  Avere is used in compound tenses; assistito is the past participle. See the conte...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 6, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, la diapositiva, which means slide.  See the noun used below in its context: Quando andiamo a trovare i miei nonni, a loro piace mostrare le diapositive che hanno scattato durante gli anni: vacanze, feste, pranzi in famiglia e così via.  Che noia!  Non d...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 5, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, il motoscafo, which means motorboat.  See the noun used below in its context: Una delle mie scene preferite è in un film di James Bond. Quella in cui va in giro in motoscafo fra i canali di Venezia! One of my favorite scenes is in one of the James Bond f...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 4, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the adjective, appiccicoso, which means sticky.  When describing people, it can also mean clinging.  See the adjective used below in its context: I dolci che ho comprato in panetteria sono troppo appiccicosi e adesso le mani sono sporche!  Come mai mettono tutto ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 3, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, la briciola, which means crumb.  See the noun used below in its context: Questi biscotti secchi mi danno fastidio!  Quando li mangio, le briciole vanno dappertutto e sono anche difficili da masticare. These dry cookies are bothering me!  When I eat them...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 2, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, il balletto, which means ballet.  See the noun used below in its context: Lo Schiaccianoci è il mio balletto preferito!  Durante le feste mi piace andare al teatro e vedere i ballerini e i costumi.  Questo balletto mi mette sempre di buon umore per Nat...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Feb 1, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, il sacco a pelo, which means sleeping bag.  See the noun used below in its context: Quando Marco va in campeggio, non gli piace usare il sacco a pelo.  Preferisce dormire per terra e glielo diciamo sempre che è un pazzo!!  Come fa a dormire a terra?! W...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 31, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, essere al completo, which means to be fully booked.  See the expression used below in its context: Mio cugino mi ha avvisato che era folle andare a Capri senza aver prenotato.  Aveva ragione:  quando siamo arrivati tutti gli alberghi erano al ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 30, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, l’acquerello, which means watercolor (or in British English, watercolour).  See the noun used below in its context: Da bambino mi piaceva disegnare con gli acquerelli e lo facevo spesso insieme a mia sorella. I materiali erano economici e non era diffi...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 29, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, la corda, which means string, such as the string of an instrument, such as a harp or a violin.  See the word used below in its context: Le corde del violino sono logorate e stanno per rompersi! Non riesco a suonare lo strumento con le corde ridotte in ques...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 28, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, sperare in, which means to hope for.  See the verb used below in its context: Cerco un nuovo lavoro da sei mesi e non sono ottimista.  Spero in una risposta…ma non c’è ancora nulla di nuovo all’orrizonte!  Odio il mio lavoro e vorrei ta...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 27, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, l’impronta, which means mark or impression.  See the noun used below in its context: Il genio di Caravaggio ha lasciato un’impronta sull’arte, non solo in Italia, ma in Europa. Le sue influenze sono ben visibili nelle opere di Rembrandt e di Velazq...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 26, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, sfidare la sorte, which means to tempt fate.   In English, to tempt fate means to do something with involves a risk and might possibly cause something unpleasant happen or to bring bad luck upon yourself by talking too confidently about a situat...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 25, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the transitive verb, isolare, which means to isolate.  The past participle is isolato, and avere is used in compound tenses.  See the verb used below in its context: Marie Curie e suo marito hanno vinto il premio Nobel per la chimica nel 1911 per aver scoperto com...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 24, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the expression, Quanti ne abbiamo oggi?, which means What’s today’s date?  See the expression used below in its context: Sono andato in banca per sbrigare delle commissioni.  Ad un certo punto dovevo fare un assegno.  Mentre lo compilavo, non riuscivo a ricord...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 23, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the adjective/noun, esaltato.  As an adjective, it means hot-headed or fanatical.  When used as a noun, it can mean hothead or fanatic.  See the word used below in its context: I giornalisti scrivono che i manifestanti siano degli esaltati, ignorando che molte d...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Jan 22, 2012, 8:09 pm
Starting on Monday, January 22, the taxis in Rome will be on strike from 8am to 8pm and conducting demonstration at the Circus Maximus.  The ironic thing is…it won’t be hard to find the taxis.  It will just be hard to find them actually taking fares around the city.  This was preceded by demo...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 22, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the intransitive verb, sospirare, which means to sigh.  Even though sospirare is an intransitive verb, it takes avere in compound tenses; the past participle is sospirato.  See the verb used below in its context: So che mia madre è arrabbiata quando sospira, fa u...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 21, 2012, 8:55 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the adjective, inquieto, which means restless.  See the adjective used below in its context: Mario è molto inquieto recentemente. Non riesce a dormire e quando lo fa ha spesso gli incubi. Sono convinto che sia per colpa del troppo stress accumulato. Mario is very ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Jan 21, 2012, 5:00 am
A reader of my blog emailed me a few weeks ago, asking how she might prepare for her first trip to Rome, and I thought that her question would make a great post for the blog.  Preparing for your first trip to the Eternal City can be a daunting one, and many travelers feel overwhelmed by all the inf...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 20, 2012, 8:41 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb, assaggiare, which means to try, as in to taste something.  The past participle is assaggiato.  See the verb used below in its context: Annalisa: Maria, hai assaggiato quella torta?!  È una delizia! Annalisa: Maria, did you taste that cake?  It is deli...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Jan 19, 2012, 8:45 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the transitive verb, intraprendere, which means to undertake.  The past participle is intrapreso, and avere is used in compound tenses.  See the verb used below: Quando Mario ha cominciato a leggere “Guerra e Pace” non aveva capito che stava per intraprendere...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Jan 18, 2012, 3:24 pm
When people ask me for advice about going to Rome, I’m always asked where the best places to eat are, where to stay, and things that they can do. If you’re heading to Rome and do not speak the language, finding places to hang out that aren’t “tourist traps” can be difficult to find. Many h...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Jan 15, 2012, 3:04 pm
This week in Rome antitrust investigators put the kibosh on a “donation” made by Tod’s to help fund the restoration of this symbol of Rome (read the article here). This halt to funding could not come at a worse the since this week more cracks and damage have been found on the monument and mor...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Dec 2, 2011, 12:00 pm
Anyone who is a fan of Rome should be reading Andrea Palladio’s treatises on Rome — he wrote three of them: one about Ancient Rome, another about the churches, and third about the stations of the cross. Personally, the first treatise is the most interesting, but the other two are equally worth r...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Nov 10, 2011, 9:23 am
Strikes in Italy can be quite common, and the transit sector is notorious for their strikes.  Recently, a friend of mine went to Rome and lamented about how it was hard for him to see and do all of the things he wanted on his short trip there.  In light of that conversation, I wanted to talk about...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Nov 1, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the adjective, sopravvalutato, which means overrated. See the adjective used below in its context: Per me il film, Titanic, è molto sopravvalutato.  A parte i grandissimi effetti speciali e la buona recitazione dei protagonisti, trovo che sia stato troppo lodato....
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 31, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the expression, gettare le perle ai porci, which means to throw pearls to swine.  It refers to the act of giving something to someone who is unable or unwilling to appreciate it.  See the expression used below in its context: Marina vuole andare da “Ciro” a Mer...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 30, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the expression, essere una mosca bianca, which means to be rare or to be a rarity.  It is often used to describe people (it can also describe things, too) who are unique or a rarity, perhaps because of their actions, their generosity, passion, etc. See the expressio...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 29, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, essere una capra, which means to be ignorant. Use this expression when someone doesn’t understanding something or someone is being a bit dense.  See the expression used below in its context: Annalisa è una capra: il professore le ha spiegato ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 28, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, andare in bestia, which means to fly off the handle or to blow a fuse. Someone who blows a fuse or flies off the handle is a person who loses their temper.  See the expression used below in its context: Lascialo stare a Carlo! Quando è di cat...
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Keith P. posted an article on Italian Literature & Culture - Oct 27, 2011, 9:30 am
Electronic books are the wave of the future. With the advent of the iPad/iPhone, Kindle, Nook and many other devices, reading ebooks has become a convenient way to take books with you on the go.  I myself love reading ebooks on my iPad -- the screen is easy to read, I mark my last page read, and be...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 27, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, mettere il carro davanti ai buoi, which means to put the cart before the horse (literally: to put the cart in front of/before the oxen). Someone who puts the cart before the horse tends to put things in the wrong order or has the wrong priorities...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 26, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno continues our animal theme with the noun phrase, il cavallo di battaglia, which means strong suit or forte, in other words, something that one excels at.  See the expression used below in its context: La lingua giapponese non è il mio cavallo di battaglia! Studio da ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 25, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb phrase, dormire come un ghiro, which means to sleep like a log.  Un ghiro is a dormouse, an animal that spends a majority of its time sleeping, sometimes six months or more! See the expression used below in its context: Rumori? Luce provenienti da altre st...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Oct 24, 2011, 9:55 am
Starting Wednesday, October 26th at the Ara Pacis in Rome will be an exhibition honoring the actress, Audrey Hepburn, and her “three lives” in Rome — that of a mother, an actress and her work as an ambassador for UNICEF. The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of arguably one of most famous ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 24, 2011, 5:00 am
For the next ten days we are going to look at expressions in Italian that make use of animals!  Today’s Parola del Giorno is the expression, in bocca al lupo, which means good luck or break a leg (literally: in the mouth of the wolf).  When someone says this to you, it should be immediately fo...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Oct 23, 2011, 5:18 pm
Abbeville Press has just released a new booked called The History of Rome in Painting.  This magnificent tome is a selection of hundreds of works that feature the Eternal City.  The book, while heftily priced at $185 (this is the special price…next year, the cost of the book will go up to $235)....
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 23, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the intransitive verb, atterrare, which means to land. The past participle is atterrato.  Avere is used in compound tenses. Spesso noi italiano, quando l’aereo atterra e giunge a destinazione, ci lasciamo andare ad un applauso. Non ho mai capito perchè! Often ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 22, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the intransitive verb, decollare, which means to take off. The past participle is decollato.  Avere is used in compound tenses (essere, too, is acceptable but is less common). See the verb used below in its context: Prima di decollare gli steward ci spiegano le is...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 21, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, il controllore, which means ticket inspector. Remember, when you enter a form of public transport in Italy, you must validate your ticket!  In Rome, for example, once you validate the ticket at the start of your first journey, you can typically re-use this ...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 20, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, il binario, which means track.  See the noun used below in its context: Il treno per Napoli parte dal binario Uno. The train to Naples departs from track 1.
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 19, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun, la crociera, which means cruise.  See the noun used below in its context: Domenico e Margherita hanno fatto una crociera per il viaggio di nozze e hanno visitato molti paesi del Mediterraneo che non avevano mai visto come Turchia e Portogallo. Domenico a...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 18, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun phrase, il bagaglio a mano, which means carry-on luggage/bag or hand luggage. See the word used below in its context: Quando vado fuori per pochi giorni preferisco portare sull’aereo solo il bagaglio a mano. When I head out for a few days, I prefer to br...
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Keith P. posted an article on Knowing Rome - Oct 17, 2011, 9:49 am
Ciao amici! I just wanted to write a short little post about this weekend’s violent protests in Rome. From reading the news reports, it seems that peaceful protests by demonstrators angry over the Berlusconi government  were “hijacked” by an anarchist group (see this Wikipedia post on “bla...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 17, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the the noun phrase, l’albergo a cinque stelle, which means five star hotel. See the noun phrase used below in its context: In genere le persone ricche vanno negli alberghi a cinque stelle. Io, invece, quando vado in vacanza, scelgo spesso gli ostelli o i B&B per r...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 16, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the noun phrase, il biglietto di sola andata, which means one way ticket.  See the noun used below in its context: Ho comprato un biglietto di sola andata per Milano perché non so quanto tempo debba trattenermi lì. I bought a one way ticket to Milan because I don...
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Keith P. posted an article on Parola del Giorno - Oct 15, 2011, 5:00 am
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, lasciar perdere, which means to give up or to forget. See the expression used below in its context: Lascia perdere Francoforte! Se vuoi andare in Germania vai a Monaco oppure a Berlino. Sono città molto più belle e interessanti da vedere e vive...
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