Becoming Italian Word by Word

Traveling in the Italian Language: Greetings

I Saluti

Greetings

The first word I saw on arriving in Rome was “Benvenuti!” (Welcome!). Everywhere I went, I heard Italians calling out saluti (greetings)—if not in person, then via their telefonini (cell phones). Friends and acquaintances salute each other with the most familiar of Italian words: ciao, which does double duty as “hi” and “bye.”

I learned its history years ago on my first trip to Venice . A waiter at the caffè where I came every day to sip espresso and watch the pigeons swoop across the Piazza di San Marco joked that my “ciao” sounded too Tuscan. Coaching me in the Venetian pronunciation, he explained that the word itself was a local invention.

In the glittering heyday of the city natives proudly refer to as La Serenissima, correspondents signed letters, “Il Suo schiavo” (your slave). Meeting on the street, acquaintances would bow and repeat the same ingratiating words. However, in the Venetian dialect, which softens the hard sound of sch (pronounced sk in other regions) to a chewy sh (as in show), Suo schiavo came out sciao, which melted into ciao as it migrated to other parts of Italy.

Italians use “ciao” informally with those they know by first name. A more polite greeting is “Salve!” According to my etymological dictionary, it dates back to the Latin of ancient Rome as a way of extending a welcome and  encouraging  frieds to make themselves at home. The first words of the Catholic prayer, “Hail Mary,” translate as “Salve Regina” (Hail Queen).

The salutation you’re most likely to hear in shops and restaurants is “Buongiorno” (Good day), generally used until lunch time, which is later in the south than in the north. From then on, the typical greeting is buonasera. But if an Italian injects a buonasera in the middle of a conversation, don’t get up to leave. It’s also an ironic way of signalling the end of a task or discussion—or of the impossibility of ever sorting out a thorny problem. As for la buonanotte, save your “good night” until you’re actually going to bed.

Italians we know sometimes take their leave with “ti saluto” or “vi saluto” (I salute or greet you, singular or plural). “Stammi bene!” (Stay well), our good friends say with a hug, kisses to both cheeks, and one ciao after another. “Ci vediamo!” (We’ll see each other!”)  we call out. And then, because we really do hate saying goodbye, we repeat the entire process all over again.

Words and Expressions

a dopo -- until later

alla prossima volta or alla prossima –- until the next time

a presto -- see you soon

a domani –- until tomorrow

addio –- a final, eloquent good-bye

arrivederci –- until we see each other again

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

Traveling in the Italian Language: Up in the Air

 

Un volo 

A flight

In order to prenotare un volo (reserve a flight), I check the orario (schedule) online to find un volo diretto (a direct flight). I look for posti disponibili (seats available) in classe turistica. (economy class), business class (same in Italian), or prima classe (first class). I usually buy un volo di andata e ritorno (a round–trip flight) rather than un volo di sola andata (one-way ticket).

I prefer un posto vicino al finestrino (window seat); my very tall husband, un posto vicino al corridoio (aisle seat). Given life's uncertainties, I hope I don't have to annullare or cambiare il mio volo (cancel or change my flight).

As the date of my partenza (departure) approaches, I double-check the franchigia del bagaglio (luggage allowance), il mio passaporto (my passport) and the orario di partenza (time of departure). The Italian phrase for check-in time is l’orario per le procedure d’accettazione, but, understandably, even native speakers say “check-in.”

I like to arrive early, with my biglietto elettronico (e-ticket) or carta d’imbarco (boarding pass) and my bagaglio a mano (hand luggage). I stay in the sala d’attesa (waiting room) until it’s time to go to the cancello di imbarco (departure gate). 

I’m relieved to hear the announcement that the plane is imbarco immediato (boarding now). I always worry about a ritardo (delay), especially if there’s a sciopero (strike)--whether of i controllori di volo (air traffic controllers), gli assistenti di volo (flight attendants), il personale di terra (ground crew) or i piloti (pilots). 

On board I know I must allacciare la cintura di sicurezza (fasten my seatbelt) before decollo (take-off). The assistente di volo (flight attendant) offers a cuscino  (pillow), coperta (blanket) and cuffie auricolari (headset)  so I can listen to music or watch a movie. However, since it’s a long flight, I prefer to schiacciare un pisolino (take a little nap). 

After atterraggio (landing) at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport (better known as Fiumicino for the nearby town named for a little river or fiume), I take a shuttle to the main terminal. I feel that I have truly arrived in Italy when I hear the announcement, “La navetta sta per arrivare.” (The shuttle—literally little ship—is about to arrive.) 

In the ritiro bagagli (baggage claim) area, I look for a sign indicating my flight number and the luggage carousel. Usually I rent a carrello (cart) to help with my bags. Once I waited, and waited, and waited but la mia valigia non è mai arrivata a destinazione (my suitcase never came). That’s when I learned another essential travel phrase: La mia valigia è stata smarrita. (My suitcase has been lost.) 

It turned up eventually, and I reminded myself that the rewards of travel outweigh its hassles. As Sant’Agostino (St. Augustine) observed very long ago, “Il mondo è un libro e quelli che non viaggiano ne leggono solo una pagina.” (“The world is like a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page of it.”) 

Words and Expressions 

agenzia di viaggio -- travel agency

viaggiare col cavollo di San Francesco -- to go on foot (on the horse of St. Frances)

viaggiare in un baule -- to travel in a trunk, that is, without seeing anything

fare un viaggio e due servizi -- to make one trip and two services or to kill two birds with one stone

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Click below for the lyrics of a classic that still makes our spirits fly:

Traveling in the Italian Language: Top Ten Phrases for Tourists

10 Phrases You Shouldn’t Go to Italy Without

If you're packing your suitcases and heading for Italy in the coming months, some practical phrases are sure to come in handy. And so I'm launching a series of posts on "Traveling in the Italian Language."  Let's begin with some essential and quintessentially Italian conversation starters:

*Common courtesies. You’re more likely to get what you ask for when you preface a request with “per favore” (please) and respond to any kindness with “grazie” (thank you).  Prego (literally “I beg”)  can mean, “You’re welcome,” or, in some circumstances, “by all means.”

*Salutations.  Although “ciao!”  has become world-famous, the more polite greeting is   “Buongiorno" (Good Day, used until after lunch or late afternoon, depending on the region) or “Buonasera” (Good Evening).  An alternative more common in the North than the South is “Salve!”  Take your leave with a cheery "Arrivederci!" (See you again! Goodbye!)

*Introductions. In Italian, you don't simply announce your name. You say, "Mi chiamo..." (I call myself).  To find out another person's name, ask, "Come si chiama?" (How do you call yourself?)

*How are you?   When asked “come sta?” you might reply "bene" (well),  "molto bene" (very well) or non c’é male (not bad). If asked “come va?” (how’s it going),  the most common answer is the Italian equivalent of  “okay”: “va bene”  (it’s going well).  A common alternative: “Tutto a posto” (everything’s in order).

*Asking for help.  If it’s a true emergency, shout “Aiuto!”  If you’d like help buying  a souvenir,  ask, “Scusi, può aiutarmi?" (Excuse me, can  you help me?)  If you need directions, say “Scusi, potrebbe indicarmi la strada per....” (Excuse me, can you indicate the way to...) To acknowledge the kindness of a stranger, say, “Lei é molto gentile” (You are very kind).

*Buying.  It’s possible to shop without words anywhere in the world, but the following phrases will serve you well in Italy: Quanto costa? (How much does it cost?)  Posso pagare con la carta di credito? (Can I pay with a credit card?)  “In cash" translates as in contanti.  If you want to try something on, ask “Posso provarlo/a?”

*Time.  To find out  the time, you ask “Che ora é?” (what is the hour?) or "Che ore sono?" (what are the hours?). Italy uses a 24-hour clock (sistema orario a 24 ore) so that 6:00 p.m., for instance, is 18:00 (diciotto). “Mezzo” refers to the half (3:30 is le tre e mezzo); "quarto," to 15 minutes. Le tre meno il quarto is 2:45; le tre e un quarto is 3:15).

*Weather. Everyone talks about it everywhere, but in Italian weather (il tempo) “makes” rather than “is.”  “Fa bello” (literally makes beautiful) means “It’s a nice day.” Weather can also fa brutto (ugly), freddo (cold) or caldo (hot).  On a sunny day, "c’è sole” (there’s sun). "Cloudy" translates as coperto (covered) or nuvoloso; “it’s raining,” as piove.

*Illness. “Sto male” means “I’m feeling bad.”   Common travellers’ complaints  include headache (mal di testa), stomach ache (male di pancia),  fever (febbre) and pain (dolore).  If you're allergic to anything, be sure to say, "Sono allergico a..." 

*Compliments. Memorize at least one of the following: Che bello!  (How beautiful!) Che meraviglia! (How marvelous!)  Favoloso! (Fantastic!).  With any luck, you’ll have many occasions to unfurl these words of praise and delight.

Other Useful Words and Expressions

Sono americano/inglese/ francese/spagnolo, etc. -- I’m American, English, French, Spanish, etc.

Non ho capito -- I didn't/don't understand

Può ripetere, per favore? -- Can you repeat, please?

Parla inglese? -- Do you speak English? 

Come si dice......in italiano? -- How do you say ...... in Italian?

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

The Italian Language in the Kitchen

il linguaggio culinario

the language of cooking

Just about every Italian I know seems a born cuoco/cuoca (cook, masculine or feminine) who can cucinare (cook) like a master chef. One reason may be that even il vocabolario gastronomico (the gastronomic vocabulary) is yummier in Italian. In English, for example, I would add sugar in order to sweeten a dish. An Italian would zuccherare so as to addolcire un piatto.

Here are some other tasty linguistic examples:

*to slice: affettare

*to brown: rosolare

 *to butter: imburrare

 *to flavor: insaporire

*to simmer: sobbollire, cuocere a fuoco lento

*to flour: infarinare

*to put in the oven: infornare

*to take out of the oven: sfornare

*to coat with breadcrumbs: impanare

*to mix: mischiare, mescolare

*to grate: grattugiare

*to stir-fry: saltare

*to brown, to fry on a low heat: soffriggere

*to whisk: frullare, montare, sbattere

*to crumble: sbriciolare

 *to rinse: sciacquare

*to sieve (flour, sugar, etc): setacciare, passare al setaccio

 *to sear, to blanch: scottare

 *to stew, braise, simmer: stufare

  *to poach (usually eggs): affogare (literally to drown)

Even cooking utensils (utensili) sound more intriguing in Italian. Rather than boring pots and pans, an Italian cuoco orchestrates a meal with a pentola (pot) , tegame (saucepan), padella (frying pan), coperchio (lid), colapasta (colander), mestolo (ladle), frullatore (electric mixer), and grattugia (grater).

A measuring cup takes on new stature as a caraffa dosatrice or misurino. A mere food processor sounds futuristic as a robot da cucina. Simply getting a grip on a mezzaluna (two-handed chopping knife in the shape of a half moon) is empowering. What vegetable wouldn't be proud to meet its fate in a passaverdure (food mill) or on a tagliere (chopping board)? And who could resist the call of the schiacciapatate (potato masher)?

Il linguaggio culinario doesn’t stay just in the kitchen. “Cosa bolle in pentola?” (What’s boiling in the pot, or cooking?) Italians ask when they want to know what's going on. Gotten yourself into a mess? You’ve made an omelette (fatto una frittata). Have a crush on someone? You’re cooked (cotto).

The expression I’m always happy to hear in an Italian kitchen: A tavola! / Tutti a tavola! (It’s ready! Let’s eat!)

Words and Expressions

cucina a gas -- gas cooker

cucina economica -- kitchen range

libro di cucina, ricettario -- cook book

cuocere al microonde -- to microwave

tostapane -– toaster

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language.

Click below for three tips for making an irresistible risotto:

Celebrating Mamma in the Italian Language

La festa della mamma 

 Mother's Day 

Every year as the dark, cold winter gave way to the bright rebirth of Spring, the ancient Romans paid tribute to their gods of fertility. One holiday, Matronalia, was dedicated to Juno, the queen of the gods, and children gave gifts to their mothers on this day.  

Traditionally la festa della mamma in Italy fell on May 8. The current practice of celebrating Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May (la seconda domenica di maggio) started in 1957.  

La mamma italiana is part of her family’s life every day of the year--as was mine (above), even though she was 100 percent Polish. Men may hold the highest political offices, but the person at the helm of the family—the strongest Italian institution—is Mamma. Grown men called mammoni (big mama’s boys) remain at home well into their thirties (and sometimes beyond). Mammismo (“momism”), some contend, stems from a son’s belief that nothing could ever compare with amore materno (motherly love). 

Mothers inspired the most common—and versatile --expression in Italian: Mamma mia! You can translate it as “My God!”, “How great!”, “Oh no!”, “Incredible!” and hundreds of other ways—depending on context and inflection. A wide range of human emotions--from surprise to shock, delight to disbelief, joy to horror--can be conveyed in these two words. 

To help children of all ages express their love for Mamma, Italian websites post “auguri” (best wishes) for la festa della mamma. Here are some exampes: 

*”Le rose sono rosse, le viole sono blu, e tu sei la mamma migliore di quaggiù.” (Roses are red, violets are blue, and the best mamma down here is you.) 

*”Mamma, sei la mia vita, sei come un raggio di sole che al mattino mi sveglia con felicità e come la dolce luce di una stella, che la sera accompagna il mio sonno.” (Mamma, you are my life. You are like a ray of sun that awakens me with happiness in the morning and like the sweet light of a star that accompanies my sleep in the evening.) 

*”Mamma, sei la cosa più bella e dolce che la vita mi potesse donare. Ti voglio bene!” (Mamma, you are the most beautiful and sweetest thing that life could give me. I love you!) 

Dianne Hales  is the author of  LA BELLA LINGUA: MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH ITALIAN, THE WORLD’S MOST ENCHANTING LANGUAGE. 

Words and Expressions 

“come mamma l’ha fatto” -- literally as his mother made him: completely naked, in his birthday suit 

casa madre -- mother or head office 

scena madre -- main scene, the most dramatic and revealing scene in a movie or play 

cocco di mamma --mama’s boy, mammone

madre in affitto -- surrogate mother  

le gioie della maternità -- the joys of motherhood 

Click below for a classic tribute to an Italian mamma: 

How a Chocolate Kiss Is Like an Italian Mamma

Il Bacio Perugina e una mamma italiana

The Perugina “Kiss” and an Italian Mom

How is a world-famous chocolate made in Perugia like an Italian mother?

In a delightful essay published in a collection called Italianità, the author Alessandro Guerriero explains that Il Bacio Perugina is like una mamma italiana because:

*non cambia mai (it never changes).

*è un po’ troppo dolce (it’s a little too sweet), ma non priva (but not lacking) a certain tartness.

*come una mamma italiana d’altri tempi (like an old-style Italian mamma), it is ricca di sentenze (rich in sayings) che non servono assolutamente a nulla (that serve absolutely nothing) but make you smile. (Click here for some samples of frasi dei baci Perugina.

*come una mamma Italian d’altri tempi con gli abiti della festa (like an old-style Italian mom dressed in Sunday clothes), it is un po’ sognante (a little dreamy), un po’ futile (a little frivolous), un po’ fane’ (faded) but you become fond of these things because they make her stand out tra migliaia di altre mamme italiane (among millions of other Italian mothers).

*come una mamma italiana di altri tempi vestita con gli abiti della festa (like an old-style Italian mom  dressed in party clothes), it’s nice to encounter her ma non tutti giorni (but not every day).

*come tutte le mamme italiane è da prendere a piccole dosi (like all Italian moms she should be taken in small doses), altrimenti provoca “maldipancia” insormontabili (otherwise she provokes an insurmountable tummy ache).

Of course, there are many other types of kisses, including a mother's baci affettuosi (affectionate kisses). Friends might exchange a bacino or bacetto (little kiss), but you'd reserve a bacio sulla bocca (kiss on the mouth) or a baciozzo (slang) or bacione (hearty kiss or smooch) for a romantic partner. A date usually ends with a bacio della buonanotte (goodnight kiss). Lovers say goodbye with a bacio d’addio (parting kiss). But there's one type of kiss everyone want to avoid: il bacio della morte (the kiss of death).

Words and Expressions

mandare un bacio -- to throw a kiss

sbaciucchio -- continual kissing, smooching

sbacciucchiarsi -- to be always kissing one another,  to smooch, to canoodle (if anyone remember this word)

baciamano -- hand-kissing

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Click below for a tribute to an Italian mamma:

Celebrating May Festivals in Italy

Le feste di maggio 

May festivals 

"Aprile con il fiore, maggio con il colore,"  Italians say, "April with its flower, May with its color.” A rainbow of Italian colors, sounds and flavors is on full display during le feste (festivals) of May. If you’re heading to Italy this month, you can cheer the drivers in the famous Mille Miglia (1000 mile) car rally, celebrate Pinocchio’s birthday in Collodi (Tuscany) or sip Chianti at the wine festival in Montespertoli. Here are some other not-to-be-missed festivities:

*Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, one of the oldest music festivals in Italy, features opera, concerts and dance. The outdoor performances at night often end with dazzling fireworks displays. While in Florence, be sure to go the city’s famous Iris Garden, open to the general public only in May. You’ll gain an entirely new appreciation for the root of Florence’s Italian name: Firenze, derived from the Latin for “to flower or blossom.”

*Giro d’Italia, the largest cycling event of the country, begins on May 5 and eventually climbs the famous Passo dello Stelvio to finish at the summit for the first time in the history of the event.

*Corsa dei Ceri (Race of the Candles). The stony, silent town of Gubbio in Umbria explodes into frenzied excitement every May 15. Three teams of men run up and down its steep streets carrying Ceri, gigantic wooden constructions, each weighing about a thousand pounds and bearing a statue of a saint on top. The Ceri and the Corsa dei Matti (Race of the Crazy Ones, as it's nicknamed) may date back to the twelfth century, when Gubbio was miraculously spared from the forces of Frederick Barbarossa. Its citizens credited Sant' Ubaldo, who died on May 16,1160, for its salvation, and the town has held a ceremony on the eve of his death since the Middle Ages. The celebration culminates with La Tavola Bona, a banquet for 700 people, including the "crazy" Ceraioli or candle-bearers.

Other options include:

*Calendimaggio, a series of medieval and Renaissance spettacoli (shows) with concerts, dances, archery, flag-waving, cross-bow displays and torch-lit processions, held in Assisi in early May.

*La Barabbata, a procession in which men wear costumes and carry tools representing the traditional trades while white buffalo pull floats displaying the fruits of the trades, celebrated May 14 in Marta on the shores of Lake Bolsena.

*La Festa di San Domenico, a procession on the first Thursday in May in Cocullo in the Abruzzi, highlighted by the carrying of a statue of the town's patron saint covered with live serpents.

*Sposalizio dell’Albero, the wedding of the tree, on May 8 in Vetralla in northern Lazio, in which townspeople decorate a couple of oak trees with garlands and plant new trees in a ceremony that asserts the town's domination over the forest.

*Infiorata di Noto, a huge festival with flower petal art displays and a parade in Noto, Sicily, during the third weekend of May.

*Il Palio di Ferrara, a historical horse race dating from 1279, run the last Sunday in May, with events every weekend of the month, including a procession with over 1000 people in Renaissance costumes on the Saturday night before the race.

Words and Expressions

festeggiare -- to celebrate, welcome, entertain

festaiolo -- party animal, merry maker

il festeggiato / la festeggiata -- the guest of honor

festino -- banquet, party, feast

festicciola -- get-together, gathering, small party

far festa a qualcuno -- to welcome or greet someone warmly

guastafeste -- party pooper

Dianne Hales is author of LA BELLA LINGUA: MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH ITALIAN, THE WORLD'S MOST ENCHANTING LANGUAGE.

Click here to listen in on a Maggio Musicale concert in Florence:

Comforting Words in the Italian Language

le condoglianze

condolences

Sooner or later we all enter seasons of loss (perdita) and sorrow (dolore, dispiacere) when we mourn (piangere) for a loved one. The emotions (sentimenti) are the same (gli stessi) throughout the world, and words of compassion (parole di cordoglio), although different in every language, can do much to ease the way through the grieving process (elaborazione del lutto).

Writing an obituary (annuncio funebre) or eulogy (necrologio) is always wrenching for anyone in mourning (in lutto). Composing a condolence letter (lettera di condoglianze) to comfort (dare conforto, confortare) a friend or acquaintance in deep grief (molto addolorato) can also be difficult.

“Nelle occasioni tristi bisogna usare le parole con cautela e discrezione” (on sad occasions it is necessary to use words with caution and discretion), say linguists Valeria della Valle and Giuseppe Patota in Le parole giuste (The Right Words). Above all, you want to “evitare di urtare, involontariamente, la suscettibilità e la sensibilità di persone già provate dal dolore" (avoid upsetting, involuntarily, the susceptibility and sensitivity of people already troubled by suffering).

Many people use a standard phrase such as “Vi esprimiamo le nostre sentite condoglianze” (We express to you our most “felt,” or sincere, sympathy). However, the authors advise avoiding “la parola condoglianze o, peggio ancora, espressioni logore come vive condoglianze” (the word condolences or, still worse, worn expressions such as “heart-felt” condolences). 

It is better to communicate your sympathy and friendship in modo breve (in a brief way), they advise, because in sad circumstances it is possible for words to diventare troppe (become too much). Avoid "lunghi discorsi di tono celebrativo o commemorativo" (long discussions in a celebratory or commemorative tone). The loss (scomparsa) of a loved one should not become an occasion per far sfoggio di retorica (for showing off rhetoric).

Speak or write from the heart, with phrases such as:

*Ti sono vicino -- I am close to you. I’m with you.

*Vi siamo vicini -- We are close to you (plural).

*Partecipo al tuo dolore -- I share in your sadness.

*Siamo con voi -- We are whole-heartedly with you.

*Inviamo queste parole con profonda commozione, profondo dolore -- We send these words with profound emotion, profound sorrow.

I professori (the professors) recommend the same simplicity (la stessa semplicità) in responding to condolences, for example:

*"Grazie per l’affetto dimostrato” -- Thank you for the affection you’ve shown.

*“Grazie per esserci stati vicini”  --- Thank you for having been close to us.

Personally, I thank all of you who have sent comforting words, in English and Italian, to me following the loss of my beloved father. Rimango molto commossa (I remain very touched.)

Words and Expressions

lutto stretto -- deep mourning

piangere un amico –- to mourn (weep for) a friend 

vestirsi a lutto –- to dress in mourning (black)

trigesimo –- thirtieth day after death

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA, My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language.

Click below for a tribute to a "great spirit":   

Celebrating Rome's Birth and Birthday

Buon compleanno a Roma!

The eternal city is celebrating another year.  If you’re in or near the city on April 21 and 22, you can enjoy the festivities -- special events at the Circus Maximus (once site of chariot races), concerts, gladiator displays, a parade, and  fireworks over the Tiber.

If I could be there, I’d head for the oldest part of Rome: the Palatine hill, named for the goddess Pales, patroness of shepherds—and the oldest part of Rome. In the eighth century B.C., the leader of a tribal settlement in central Italy ordered that the newborn sons of a disgraced Vestal Virgin be tossed into the Tiber. Their cradle, drifting downstream, washed ashore at the base of the Palatine hill.

According to legend, a lupa (she-wolf) suckled the twins Romulus and Remus. However, their nursemaid may well have been human. Lupa was slang for prostitute, and brothels were known as lupinaria. During ongoing excavations on the Palatine hill, archaeologists recently discovered what could be the original lupercale, the cave that sheltered the twins and that later served as a shrine for their worship.

In 753 B.C., after the boys had grown to maturity, they decided to build a new town on the banks of the Tiber. A violent argument erupted between them, and Romulus killed his brother Remus. Taking command, Romulus gave his name to the settlement that would grow into a great empire.

Over the centuries the Palatine hill, with its tranquil setting and splendid views, attracted rich and powerful residents. Octavius, later adopted by Julius Caesar, was born on this sacred site in 63 B.C. When the Senate proclaimed him Augustus, Rome's first emperor, he moved to a house near the small structure known as Romulus's hut. His successors, the emperors Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius, built much grander homes atop the Palatine. Visitors to these mansions called them palazzi—the root of the word for "palatial" residences in French (palais), Spanish (palla) and English (palace).

On ancient maps, three words indicated what lay beyond Rome’s hills: “Hic sunt Leones.” (Here are wild beasts.)   Rome changed everything, bringing civilization—laws, roads, urban planning, public works, even indoor plumbing--to an untamed world. But the glory of ancient Rome faded. What endures to this day is the Rome of the popolino (the little people).

Descendants of the empire’s tough-fighting, rough-talking legions, romani de Roma (those who lived in the city for seven generations) invented their own dialect anthem: “Lassatece passà, semo romani!” (Let us pass; we are Romans!) The imperious words were so often followed with a punch or a dagger thrust that a Roman wasn’t considered a Roman until he had “crossed the step”--the one at the door of the city’s oldest prison, Regina Coeli.

The imprint of the Roman empire remains on everything from coins to monuments, tombs, and temples. The manhole covers of Rome are still emblazoned with S.P.Q.R., the Latin abbreviaton for the Senatus Populusque Romanus, the senate and people of Rome. Italians joke that it really stands for "Sono pazzi questi romani." (These Romans are crazy.)

Words and Expressions

Roma non é stata fatta in un giorno –- Rome wasn’t built in a day

alla romana — to go Dutch or split the bill

romanico –- romance language

Paese che vai, usanza che trovi –- When in Rome, do as the Romans do. (Literally, the country that you go to, the customs that you find.)

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language.

Who can resist this classic ode to Rome?

It’s a Dog’s Life in the Italian Language

Che vita da cani!

It’s a dog’s life!

“Non c’era un cane,” a friend said, describing a village so deserted that there wasn’t a dog (a soul). Usually you find every sort of dog in Italy: cane da caccia (hunting dog), cane da guardia (watchdog), cane da guida (guide dog for the blind), cane da salotto (lap dog), cane lupo (German shepherd), cane da pastore (sheep dog), cane poliziotto (police dog), cane da slitta (sled dog), even a cane antidroga (anti-drug or sniffer dog) at the airports. In every town you see signs that warn “Attenti al cane!” (Beware of the dog). In a canile (dog or animal shelter), you can find many an adorable (cucciolo di cane (puppy), like the pasta-loving one above.

Dogs show up in other forms in Italian. A cruel, heartless, worthless person simply is un cane—and may treats a friend or loved one come un cane (like a dog). A solitary soul seems solo come un cane (alone or lonely as a dog). A bad singer howls come un cane (like a dog). If you’re in terrible pain, you’d say “Mi fa un male cane” (loosely, I feel like a bad dog). Two people who don’t get along are come cane e gatto (like dog and cat—at each other’s throats). A freezing day fa un freddo cane (is dog cold), while any bad weather seems tempo da cani (weather for dogs).

“Non svegliare il can che dorme.” (Don’t wake up a sleeping dog, Italians advise -- in other words, let sleeping dogs lie. English speakers may live in a dog-eat-dog world, but Italians realize that “cane non mangia cane” (dog doesn’t eat dog—or powerful people never hurt each other). They also know that some impossible missions are as futile as trying to drizzar le gambe ai cani (straighten dogs’ legs). Keep trying, and you might end up feeling fortunato o benvenuto come un cane in chiesa (as lucky or as welcome as a dog in church). If so, no one would blame you for saying, “Porco cane!” (slang for “Holy mackerel!” or “Bloody hell!”)

When I first started studying Italian many years ago, I learned only the polite “Lei” form of address.  I honestly figured  that as a tourist I might not need  “il tu,”  the informal you.  Then  I went jogging on a country road in Tuscany.

An agitated man ran up to me and explained that his dog was trapped in a steep ravine. He could push  him from behind, but would I call the dog to come to me? He, of course, addressed me in the respectful “Lei” form.  And I, knowing no other, did the same with the dog. 

The man nearly fell over laughing at the sound of my oh-so-polite imprecations, which translated as, “Mister Dog, would you please be so kind as to come to me?” The dog  just barked even louder -- a good thing, I figured, since can che abbaia non morde (barking dogs don’t bite). 

Words and Expressions

 guinzaglio -- leash

cane barbone –- poodle, spaniel

cane di Terranova –- Newfoundland dog

cane randagio –- stray dog

menare il can per l’aia – lead the dog around the yard or beat around the bush

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

Click below to meet a beloved Italian cartoon dog: