If you are planning to live in Italy (or even just to come and visit), you are going to need to learn a bit of Italian to help you get around. I have written in the past about how lonely it can be to learn a language, but today I want to write something that…
Category: How to Speak Italian
Ciao? Not Now!
The first word we learn when we start taking an Italian course is almost always “ciao.” It means “hello” or “goodbye,” and it’s so ubiquitous that even people who haven’t taken an Italian lesson in their life know exactly what it means and how to use it. Or, so they think. Unfortunately, ciao isn’t as…
5 Italian Swearwords to Learn Right F#$@ing Now
Warning: If you prefer not to read harsh language, feel free to skip this post! If you are going to be living in (or even just traveling to) Italy, you will surely be hearing a lot of colorful language. And I’m not talking about references to il mare azzurro or una macchina rossa. I’m talking…
What Is an Onomastico?
Today’s blog is about another one of those things you might never know without having lived in Italy for a while, as I don’t believe we have them in the United States (and if we do, why didn’t anyone ever tell me??). The second or third time I came to stay with my pen pal-turned-boyfriend-turned-husband,…
How to Respond to 3 Common Italian Expressions
Since most of you don’t know me in real life, you might not know just how awkward I can be. I express myself much better in writing (which is, coincidentally, why I decided to become a writer), so when it comes to in-person interactions, things can get a bit embarrassing at times… especially when I’m…