Il tempo di un Caffe' - Thoughts on Italian Words

From Latin CATTUS  ESSERE AGILE COME UN GATTO — to be as agile as a cat ESSERE IN 4 GATTI —  To be 4 cats, to be very few people ‘C’erano solo 4 gatti allo spettacolo’- ‘There were only a few ppl at the show’ ESSERE DEL GATTO — to be ‘of the cat’, to be in a bad situation, problematic, almost hopeless ‘Siamo del gatto’ - ‘We’re screwed’ ESSERE COME IL GATTO E LA VOLPE — to be like the cat and the...

From Latin MUSCA = FLY ACCHIAPPARE LE MOSCHE - to catch flies, to do a useless job "Cosa devo fare?" "Prendi una mosca e falla ballare“ - "What can I do?’ ‘Get a fly and dance with her’” ESSERE NOIOSO/ FASTIDIOSO COME UNA MOSCA, to be annoying as a fly ‘Giovanni è fastidioso come una mosca: ha sempre da criticare!" - "Giovanni is as annoying as a fly: he’s always criticizing’ STARE A GUARDARE LE M...

From Latin PISCIS ESSERE SANO COME UN PESCE - to be as healthy as a fish NUOTARE COME UN PESCE - to swim like a fish, to be a perfect swimmer NON ESSERE NE’ CARNE NE’ PESC - to be neither meat or fish, to be in between, to not have a specific flavor, personality, etc ANDARE A FARE COMPAGNIA AI PESCI - to go keep company to the fish, to drown NON SAPERE CHE PESCI PRENDERE - literally not knowing wh...

From Latin CANIS FIGLIO DI UNA CANE!! Son of a dog!! VITA DA CANI, dogs’ life, bad life Lavorare, vivere, mangiare, dormire DA CANI — work, live, eat, sleep badly FA UN FREDDO CANE, it’s damn cold, literally a dog kind of cold UN MALE CANE! - A dog's pain ‘La gamba mi fa un male cane’ ‘My leg hurts like crazy’ COME UN CANE BASTONATO, as a beaten dog  ‘Quando gli ho detto potevo aiutarlo, Se n’è an...

From the late Latin ‘cranio, testa’, originally with the meaning of ‘shell, vase’, TESTA is the Italian for HEAD. La TESTA can be PICCOLA // GROSSA // A PERA // A PUNTA // BIANCA // PELATA // BIONDA // RICCIUTA TESTA DURA — hard head, stubborn  TESTA DI CAVOLO! TESTA DI C****! — CAULIFLOWER/ D*** HEAD! RIEMPIRE LA TESTA, To fill the head with something  ‘Mi ha riempito la testa di stupidaggini’  —...

PIEDE From Latin PES, PEDIS, it’s the Italian for FOOT! UN PIEDE can be LUNGO// CORTO// STRETTO// LARGO AI PIEDI DEL MONTE // COLLE at the foot of the hill  IN PIEDI = Standing, on your feet A PIEDI = by foot, walking ‘Tutti in piedi!’ — ‘Everyone stand!’, ‘Non mi reggo in piedi’ — ‘I can’t hold my self up’, said someone after one too many drinks IN PUNTA DI PIEDI — On tiptoe  ‘Se n’è andato in pu...

BOCCA   From the Latin BUCCA = cheek, it then acquired the new meaning of MOUTH La bocca, can be LARGA // STRETTA // REGOLARE // CHE ARRIVA AGLI ORECCHI, mouth that opens up to the ears CHE PARE UN FORNO, which looks like a oven  SDENTATA, with no teeth We have expressions like: A BOCCA PIENA , with a mouth full ACQUA IN BOCCA! Water in your mouth — don’t spill the beans, don’t share this secret!...

From Latin CAMBA, Greek cambè, which means curve, articulation.  Le gambe (plural) can be LUNGHE // CORTE // SOTTILI // DRITTE // STORTE FORTI // DEBOLI // ROBUSTE  ESSERE IN GAMBA, literally ‘to be in your legs’, to be in good health, strong, a very capable person! ‘Conosci Francesca? E’ davvero una ragazza in gamba: non solo va all’ Università, ha anche due lavori!’ — ‘Francesca is really smart:...

GIALLO  GIALLO = yellow, from French JAUNE GIALLO can be LIMONE (lemon)/ ORO (gold)/ ZAFFERANO (saffron) / CANARINO (canary). We also use GIALLO  to talk about a LIBRO GIALLO or a FILM GIALLO (a yellow book or yellow movie) meaning a DETECTIVE STORY (mystery, crime).  It comes from a long-running series of pulp crime-mystery novels known as 'Il Giallo Mondadori', named such for their bright yellow...

ROSSO ROSSO:  a fantastic color. Il colore della passione MATITA or PENNA ROSSA = Red pencil o pen SEMAFORO ROSSO = Red traffic light VINO ROSSO = Red wine ROSSO come il FUOCO = Red as fire ROSSO = PALLIDO (pale), ACCESO (bright), FIAMMEGGIANTE (flaming)  ROSSO COME UN PEPERONE = as red as a bell pepper or come UN POMODORO = as a tomato. ROSSETTO = lipstick REGIONI ROSSE (red regions)n and PARTITI...

BIANCO From the German BLANK (connected with the word BLANK in English) = white, untouched, blank. BIANCO COME LA NEVE BIANCO COME IL LATTE  BIANCO COME UN CENCIO, as white as a rug  MOSCA BIANCA, white fly VOCE BIANCA// VOCI BIANCHE, kids voices,  falsettos UNA SETTIMANA BIANCA, white week literally, is a skiing week DARE CARTA BIANCA, to give a white card, to give somebody full freedom to operat...

VERDE From the Latin VIRIDIS, from the root of VIRERE = to be vigorous (of plants) Think about the adjective VIRILE in relation with strength What can be VERDE? IL SEMAFORO = green traffic light GLI OCCHI = the eyes VERDE DI PAURA = green of fear VERDE DI RABBIA O BILE = green of anger or bile VERDE D’ INVIDIA = envy green ESSERE AL VERDE or RESTARE AL VERDE = to end up with no money TELEFONO VERD...

VIA   VIA (V-I-A), from Latin VIA, coming from the verb VEHERE, to transport.  VIA is the Italian for the word STREET, or WAY.  That’s the same root of WAY and the two words have, in fact, a lot of common uses. VIA (or VIALE, boulevard, when the street is bigger) is the way we call our streets.  If you’ve ever been to Italy, you have read streets names like  VIA NAZIONALE VIA TORNABUONI VIA DELLA...

PIAZZA From the Latin PLATEA = wide street, from greek PLATEIA = PLATUS = wide  LETTO A DUE PIAZZE,  a queen or king bed, a bed for two NON URLARE! NON SEI IN PIAZZA! Don’t yell, you’re not in piazza!!  NON VOGLIO METTERE I MIEI PROBLEMI IN PIAZZA, I don’t want to put my problems out on the piazza, I don’t want to share them publicly SCENDERE IN PIAZZA, to go down on the streets, to take the stree...

From greek APOTHEKE = storage,warehouse BOTTEGA DI MERCIAIO, sewing goods, DI FERRAMENTA, hardware, FORNAIO, baker BOTTEGA DI MICHELANGELO, or BOTTEGA DI DONATELLO, del BERNINI, and all the other big ones.  DI BOTTEGA,  a piece, an artwork that wasn’t probably made by the main artist himself but by his students. CHIUDERE LA BOTTEGA, closing the business ,  HO CHIUSO BOTTEGA ALLA 6, I cose the shop...

MARCIAPIEDE  From French MARCHER= to walk and PED = foot  STARE SUL MARCIAPIEDE, to be on the sidewalk),  CAMMINARE sul marciapiede, to walk on the sidewalk MARCIAPIEDE STRETTO, narrow or LARGO, big BATTERE IL MARCIAPIEDE, literally meaning to beat the sidewalk, exercising prostitution. SEMAFORO From the greek SEMA= sign, signal and FERO= port.  LE PERSONE IRRESPONSABILI PASSANO CON IL SEMAFORO RO...

ACQUA From the Latin AQUA = water ACQUA pura, pure // dolce, sweet water (fresh water)// salata, salt water // limpida, clear // torbida, murky ACQUA A CATINELLE, basin/washbowls of waters, for when it’s raining profusely  L’ACQUA VIENE A DIROTTO, another way to say that the rain is pouring PRENDERE L’ACQUA, ieri ho preso l’acqua mentre andavo a lavoro, I got water// I got rain while I was going t...

FUOCO From Latin FOCUS = fire, flame METTERE A FUOCO, to focus, in photography but also in everyday life  NON RIESCO A METTERE A FUOCO, I can’t focus, concentrate  AVERE LE MANI/FACCIA/GAMBE A FUOCO, to have hands, face etc on fire, very hot METTERE TROPPA CARNE AL FUOCO, to put too much meat on the fire, bite off more than you can chew  SETTIMANA DI FUOCO, usuale used to define a very hectic week...

TERRA From Latin TERRA = dry part, as opposed to water part. Earth,  world, as a globe, but also ground, land CADERE PER TERRA//  MI È CADUTO IL CELLULARE PER TERRA, I dropped the phone on the ground BUTTARE A TERRA, to throw in the ground SDRAIARSI PER TERRA , to lay down on the ground ESSERE A TERRA, to feel down, to have a low morale  OGGI SONO A TERRA, Today I feel down TERRA NATALE, motherlan...

ARIA   from the greek AER = AIR.  L’ ARIA can be fine (thin) // leggera (light) // grave, pesante (heavy) // calda o fredda // tiepida (warm) or gelata (freezing) È BELLO MANGIARE ALL’ ARIA APERTA , It’s great to eat open air, outside ODDIO, QUI MANCA L’ARIA, Oh God, the air is missing here! There’s no air or NON C’È UN FILO D’ARIA , there’s not even a strand of air CHIUDI LA PORTA, C’È CORRENTE D...

VIAGGIO from the Latin VIATICUM (travel supply), then TRIP, TRAVEL. È STATO IL VIAGGIO PIÙ BELLO DELLA MIA VITA, it was the best trip of my life SIAMO IN VIAGGIO, we are en route/traveling BUON VIAGGIO! Have a great trip! VIAGGIO DI NOZZE, Honeymoon FARE UN VIAGGIO A VUOTO, to do a trip for nothing SE IL RISTORANTE È GIÀ CHIUSO QUANDO ARRIVIAMO, AVREMO FATTO UN VIAGGIO A VUOTO, If the restaurant i...

ESTATE from Latin AESTAS, -ATIS, from AESTUS = HEAT. DOVE VAI QUEST’ESTATE? QUEST’ESTATE VADO IN BRASILE! Where are you going this Summer? Im going to Brazil  AMO L’ESTATE! I love summer! L’ESTATE NON DURA MAI ABBASTANZA, Summer never lasts enough  ESTATE can be AFOSA, (SULTRY) PIOVOSA (RAINY), TORRIDA (SCORCHING), CALDA (HOT) I got a few proverbs for you guys  SE NON C’È INVERNO NON C’È ESTATE, t...

MARE   from Latin MARE = SEA  QUEST’ANNO PASSIAMO L’ESTATE AL MARE, this year we’ll spend the summer by the sea (beach) CI SONO TANTI PESCI NEL MARE, there are many fish in the sea ADORO L’ODORE DEL MARE, I love the smell of the sea but also UN MARE DI SCARPE , a sea of shoes, a lot of shoes TI VOGLIO UN MARE DI BENE, I love you a lot C’È UN MARE DI GENTE OGGI IN CENTRO, there’s a lot of people do...

SABBIA   from Latin SABULUM = SAND Examples: IL BAMBINO COSTRUISCE CASTELLI DI SABBIA  the kid is building sand castles MI SENTO UN GRANELLO DI SABBIA NEL DESERTO, I feel like a grain of sand in the desert  QUELLA PROMESSA È STATA SCRITTA SULLA SABBIA, that promise was written in the sand Verb ‘INSABBIARE’, literally to COVER UP WITH SAND LA POLIZIA HA INSABBIATO LE PROVE, Police covered up the ev...

Introducing 'Il tempo di un caffè - Thoughts on Italian Words'  A fast paced 3 minutes morning chat to deepen your knowledge of Italian and satisfy your Italian curiosity. All levels can enjoy it!