Tag: Italian vocabulary

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Italian verb girare, explaning some of the meanings it can have. Today, I’d like to focus again on the verb girare because in Italian there are many idiomatic expressions that require this verb. So, let’s learn some of them. 1. Far girare le scatole Far girare le scatole, or even more informally, far girare le palle, is an Italian idiom that means to piss someone off. Ex: E’ stato talmente maleducato che mi ha fatto girare le scatole/palle He was so rude he pissed me off The words scatole and palle…

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Sometimes a simple verb you know, like girare – to turn – can actually surprise you. Indeed, it’s one of those Italian verbs that can have more than one meaning. Do you think you know all the meanings it can have? If you’re not sure, don’t worry, you’re in the right place because today I’m going to list some of the meanings of the Italian verb girare. Are you ready to increase your knowledge of the Italian language? Let’s start. 1. To turn The first meaning of the verb girare is to move something around a central point. Ex: La…

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Ma che scherzi? Davvero non conosci la parola scherzare? That’s a pity because the Italian verb scherzare has many uses in Italian, and it’s one of the words Italians use pretty often. So, today I’m going to teach you the uses of the Italian verb scherzare. 1. To play cheerfully The first meaning of the Italian verb scherzare is to play cheerfully. Ex: I bambini scherzavano nel prato con il cane The children played with the dog in the lawn 2. To be kidding If you said something to someone just for fun and you didn’t really mean what you…

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Did you know that in Italian there are some words that carry opposite meanings? It’s as if the same word could mean both black and white. Confusing? Well, not so much if you can grasp the right meaning from the context. Let’s see four Italian words that carry opposite meanings and some examples of their usage. 1. AVANTI Avanti is an Italian word that can mean two opposite things. In fact, avanti can indicate something that happens after a particular date, time, event, etc. Ex: D’ora in avanti niente più bugie From now on no more lies However, avanti can…

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When you want to master a language, it’s important that you start using words Italians use daily. So, I thought it was a good idea to list all the meanings of three incredibly common Italian words: anzi, appunto, comunque. 1. Anzi The incredibly common Italian word anzi has two main meanings as a conjunction. a. Anzi can be used to say that something is the opposite of what has just been stated, or that you feel or think the opposite of what has just been stated. Ex: No, non ho freddo, anzi, stranamente oggi sto morendo di caldo No, I’m…

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