I struggle to learn Italian. It seemed easy at first, because so many words seem familiar. We hear a lot in everyday life in Australia. We are used to Italian food and Italian words crop up everywhere. Who hasn’t heard ciao, bella, pizza, vino etc?
Once you get further into the grammar it suddenly becomes much more difficult. There are so many tenses and the plurals and possessives are just awful. On the other hand Italian sounds wonderful when spoken well and there are some truly delightful words.
Here are a few of my favourites.
casalinga – So much nicer than housewife. My husband says I don’t linger around the house much.
mozzafiato – Breathtaking is a pretty easy word to work into an Italian sentence.
scarafaggio – Cockroach is not so easy to work in. I haven’t seen one here.
scombussolato – Mind you, discombobulated is a pretty good English word.
pazzo – It sounds a bit better than crazy.
scervellato – This is equally good in English – flibbertigibbet.
barboncino – What a lovely word for poodle.
chiacchiera – This sounds like what it means – chatter.
pettegolezzo – Take chatter a bit firther into gossip.
stupidaggine – I learned this when I was getting my drivers’ licence – foolishness.
brutto anatroccolo – Let’s hope the ugly duckling turns into a beautiful cigno – swan.
pappagallo – Parrot, hospital urinal or a man who bothers women in the street, pappagallino is a bugerigar and pappagallismo is bothering women the street – very handy word.
I love the way these words just roll off the tongue, once you learn how to pronounce them. Italian can sound great even when you are saying something unpleasant.
I love the quote from Emperor Charles V “I speak Spanish to God , Italian to women, French to men and German to my horse.”
I don’t know where English fits in, but clearly, Italian is the language of love. This quote comes from an excellent book about Italians, called appropriately “The Italians” by Luigi Barzini. I am rereading it and it has lots of really good stuff. If I find some other great quotes I will pass them on.
I find Italian musical! I absolutely love the way it sounds. Perfetto!
By: Anna Harrison on March 30, 2011
at 6:20 am
It is a very musical langage. I love the sound when it is spoken well – unfortunately that is not by me.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 6:22 am
I’m going to try and work those into my vocab, Deb.. :)
By: Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial on March 30, 2011
at 6:29 am
Scarafaggio and barboncino shouldn’t be too difficult in Australia.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 7:18 am
And in any language the word for ‘butterfly’ is attractive (as it is in English.) I can remember ‘farfalla’ because of farfalle pasta.
Working it into conversation is more difficult.
By: Richard Tulloch on March 30, 2011
at 6:33 am
Farfalla was almost included – it is a great word – great pasta as well.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 7:14 am
It’s a great language, and I really should learn it ( again!), as I am part Italian.
I love ragazza and pronto and aspettare – all words I have had intimate dealings with!
By: mary D on March 30, 2011
at 6:59 am
A friend of ours thought Pronto was hello as that is what people say when they answer the phone, so he was saying Pronto to all he met for a while.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 7:16 am
Haha there’s no mistaking it if I am called stupidaggine! :P
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on March 30, 2011
at 11:14 am
Stupidaggine – foolishness – could never be applied to you.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 11:36 am
At the end of a work week in Italy we would say ‘Buon Weekend’ to our colleagues. As for the pappagalli; they would say, in expressing their amorous ways, ‘I love you’ ….to a perfect stranger, of the tourist type, not Italian. Otherwise, it could earn them a ‘schiaffo’ (slap). Another great word, pronounced ski-ah-fo!
By: Caterina on March 30, 2011
at 1:02 pm
Schiaffo is inded a good word. I’ll remember that one.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 4:26 pm
At the end of the work week in Italy, we would say ‘Buon Weekend’ to our colleagues. And the pappagalli; well they often prefer to use English when flaunting their amorous ways ‘I love you’…to a perfect stranger!!
By: Caterina on March 30, 2011
at 12:13 pm
I often hear “weekend” used here. Some Italians like to throw the occasional English word about, much the same as we use Italians words sometimes.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 12:26 pm
You are right – Italian sounds so musical when it is spoken… rolling off the tongue. Why do Italians always look so passionate and energetic when they speak? They speak with their whole bodies!
By: Reggie on March 30, 2011
at 12:51 pm
Southern Italians are more likely to use their hands than those here in the north.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 4:27 pm
Oh, right – I did not know that! :-)
By: Reggie on March 30, 2011
at 6:40 pm
Northern Italians are a bit more reserved. I used to live in the south many years ago, it is much more theatrical down there.
By: bagnidilucca on March 30, 2011
at 6:51 pm
Sorry – I thought I deleted my first post…resubmitted it with a small addition.
By: Caterina on March 30, 2011
at 1:03 pm
Oh the language of love, everything even the awful words sound sexy. Im going to have a crack at using some of these words in my every day. :)
By: Anna Johnston on March 31, 2011
at 12:26 am
If you wish I can pass on some very handy curses.
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 5:00 am
All those words sound wonderful. I wonder what people would say next time I fill in a form, Occupation= casalinga. I hate the term housewife.
Even cockroach sounds better in Italian.
By: cityhippyfarmgirl on March 31, 2011
at 2:31 am
Casalinga is great isn’t it? I’d much rather be a casalinga than a housewife or worse, hausfrau.
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 5:10 am
My wife and me have just booked our first of many intensive Italian lessons to prepare for our retirement in Italy. Looking forward to include the above words.
By: paul on March 31, 2011
at 2:39 am
That’s great! We went to school for a while too. I think formal lessons are a great idea. You have more fun if you can understand what is going on. I’m sorry I will miss you as well. I know you will like Rosi and Adriano.
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 5:12 am
Ragazza – I noticed Mary D liked the word ragazza – what does it mean? One of my most very favourite pieces of music ever is by Luciano Pavarotti it’s named ‘Caruzo’. I can’t understand a word of it but it’s so passionate and heart rendingly beautiful. Una ragazza is one of the phrases in it. In my mind it’s sung in an empty Piazza, with only the moon for light and audience.
By: Jan on March 31, 2011
at 4:23 am
Una ragazza means a girl. Perhaps he is standing in an empty piazza singing to a girl he quite likes, but she has un ragazzo, a boy.
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 5:14 am
Oh..how I can relate to this post! Close to my heart of the hardships of learning to speak and write Italian. True Italian is easy compared to all the dilects.!
By: Yvette on March 31, 2011
at 4:43 am
I used to live in the south near Sorrento, where my first husband’s family spoke a dialect which I found impossible to descipher. I find the grammar very difficult. I am still using mostly present and passato prossimo.
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 5:20 am
You can add the name “Mirella” I heard that it is an italian name:) so my mom wanted me to have a name in the “language of love” like you said lol lol lol lol.
nice post Deb!
By: mirellamccracken on March 31, 2011
at 5:23 am
Mirella is a beautiful name. We have a Mirella in the village. My name here is Debora and there are a couple of those as well.
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 6:14 am
She’s BEAUTIFUL. It’s interesting and strange how different the statue looks from different angles. Also interesting that we both wrote about similar places today, in a way.
By: The Daily Cure on March 31, 2011
at 9:52 am
You know what they say about great minds.
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 9:59 am
Me too!!! I LOVE scombussolato!! But scervellato I’d never heard…and I have so many occasions to use it! Thank you thank you!
By: The Daily Cure on March 31, 2011
at 9:54 am
It’s a great word in both Italian and English isn’t it?
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 9:57 am
I have two favourite words to add to your list: basta and gamberi.
Basta – because it can be used in so many situations and just makes sense. Plus because it doesn’t translate to English usage well – my Italian students learning English always try to finish their sentences with ‘and… stop’ and it doesn’t quite sound the same.
Gamberi – because it just sounds cool (not to mention that they are delicious)!
By: Tali on March 31, 2011
at 6:12 pm
Basta, abastanza, enough is certainly a good word and gamberi, prawns, are delicious.
By: bagnidilucca on March 31, 2011
at 7:20 pm
I am sure you know this…. Elephants Yeah! as my all time favourite misheard Italian phrase video here http://www.rathergood.com/elephants
I love Italian, though mine is very basic school stuff from over thirty years ago, I love the way that the pronounciation follows the rules, once you have learnt them, there are very few exceptions. i barboncini sono addormentato thanks for the new words xx
By: Joanna @ Zeb Bakes on March 31, 2011
at 10:23 pm
I had not heard this. It is hilarious – thanks for the link. The pronounciation in Italian is not the problem (though some listening to me may disagree) it is the wretched grammar I struggle with.
By: bagnidilucca on April 1, 2011
at 5:19 am
I love their body languages. :D
By: rommel on January 1, 2012
at 10:04 pm
Ha ha!German to my horse,so true.!lol.
By: marellasunny on July 7, 2012
at 3:23 am
I particularly like that quote.
By: Debra Kolkka on July 7, 2012
at 10:03 am
[…] much I just adore gorgeous and unusual words – so of course I just loved Jennifer’s and Debra and Liz’s lists of their favourite Italian words. […]
By: This month's round-up of luscious links for curious quaintrelles! on September 1, 2013
at 10:15 am