15
votes
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Use of the indefinite article in Italian vs. English
The rules are significantly different, which is why Italians speaking in English often get their articles wrong. Good news for you: the other way round is much easier.
As a thumb rule, if you have an ...
- 2,673
12
votes
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Ma che sei grullo?
From the Treccani vocabulary:
grullo agg. [etimo incerto], tosc. – 1. Sciocco, semplicione; si dice soprattutto di persona che ha scarsa vivacità d’intelletto e di chi per eccessiva ingenuità si ...
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9
votes
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Applying an adjective to a masculine AND a feminine word
In Italian, masculine + feminine = masculine plural: e.g., il tavolo e la sedia bianchi. It is probably more common to encounter this construction with a copula (il tavolo e la sedia sono bianchi), ...
- 3,231
8
votes
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When is it appropriate to say "Ciao ragazzi"?
The Zingarelli 2017 reports for the word ragazzo also the following meaning:
(fam.) uomo adulto (spec. come appellativo rivolto ai membri di un gruppo, oppure con tono di familiarità).
Similar ...
- 267
8
votes
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Come faccio a distinguere quand'è che “torta” corrisponde a “cake" e quando a “pie”?
I must admit that, as an Italian, I am not sure about the difference between “cake” and “pie” (apart from specific cases). In fact, I find the two images quite similar and both look like particular ...
- 35.9k
8
votes
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Chi ha chiamato Mario? = "Who did Mario call?" or "Who called Mario?"
Yes, it's ambiguous and usually understood from the context. The ambiguity ensues from the fact that both "chi" and "Mario" are in the third person, so the verb could be referring ...
- 4,259
7
votes
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What is an appropriate translation for "Remove Follower"?
If by "follower" you mean a social network friend (e.g. twitter users), we're using "Rimuovi follower". You can leave "follower" as is if you don't need a complete translation.
- 244
7
votes
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Equivalente italiano dell'espressione "early+name of day"
Non c'è molto meglio che ricorrere a una perifrasi: “la mattina di mercoledì”, “mercoledì, nelle prime ore della mattinata” (o qualcosa di più specifico se lo sapessimo, come “all'alba di”) e simili.
- 35.9k
7
votes
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Any etymological relationship between the Italian "eh" and the (mostly Canadian) English "eh"?
The word "eh" doesn't have any meaning by etymology, it is just an exclamation.
I cited the link that you posted:
"Esclamazione che può esprimere VARI SENTIMENTI."
It hasn't a meaning by itself, ...
7
votes
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Dropping Demonstrative Pronouns
You can either use the demonstrative or not, but we don’t usually use “quello”: we use ”questo”, and above all “’sto”, the aphaeretic form of “questo” common in everyday, informal speech and in ...
- 1,871
7
votes
Why does "mi piace" mean "I like" instead of "he/she/it likes me"?
You are just used to the English construction, but I'm not sure if it is more natural than the other. Compare with the English sentence Basketball pleases/interests/attracts me. What is the action ...
- 3,231
6
votes
We all know what the Pantheon is and means, don't we?
I don't think there are other terms that satisfies both your conditions: effective and common. But there are similar expressions or words that are as effective but not as common:
l'aristocrazia
il ...
- 353
6
votes
Bravo, brave, or bravas?
When you say “Bravo”, you don't refer to the meal (or the music played, or whatever). You are saying that the person itself – chef, actor, musician, pupil – is bravo, that is, good at doing whatever ...
- 35.9k
6
votes
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What is the closest equivalent to the English "good to go"?
For a toaster you could say
È a posto, può andare
meaning it’s ready to go into operation again.
For a person you could say
Pronto a partire
or simply
pronto
meaning you’re ready to ...
- 20.3k
6
votes
Wither on the vine
The Cambridge Dictionary says:
If something withers on the vine, it is destroyed very gradually,
usually because no one does anything to help or support it: When the
new resort was built, the ...
- 20.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Mi Amore? Is this correct?
The correct translation depends, unsurprisingly, from context. The following is a rough set of indications, with the caveat that there no absolute rules, just guidelines
If you want to use it as an ...
- 11.7k
6
votes
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Commas to separate city and country?
None of those. That is a peculiar English usage, often even with well-known cities (such as “Washington, D.C.”).
In Italian, it is far less common having to specify the country a city is in: for ...
- 35.9k
6
votes
Accepted
"Colpo di espresso" = "shot of espresso"?
As a native Italian speaker, I've never encountered the expression "colpo di caffè espresso" (please notice the Italian word is "caffè", with a double "f"). In general, ...
- 1,201
5
votes
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Prepositions vs Preposizioni
The concepts of a preposition in Italian and in English are the same. Just consider two standard dictionary definitions: for English:
a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and ...
- 35.9k
5
votes
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Qual è la differenza tra Scusa e Scusami?
There are no difference, you can just choose the one that sounds better. "Scusami" literally means "excuse me" and "scusa" means "excuse", but "me" is implied anyway (at least when "scusa" is used as ...
- 1,252
5
votes
Use of the indefinite article in Italian vs. English
Your translations are correct. In particular, in Italian the indefinite article can never have plural meaning (although it can have collective meaning), as in English. Sometimes you can use the ...
- 1,252
5
votes
Accepted
Writing a friend a birthday wish in Italian...?
It should be:
Possano oggi e tutti i tuoi giorni essere pieni di avventure meravigliose, energia creativa e molte occasioni per brindare!
(Google missed some singular/plural agreements.)
As for ...
- 35.9k
5
votes
Accepted
Il sostantivo "manufatto" è il participio passato di un verbo irregolare?
No, è solo un aggettivo (e, in altri contesti, un sostantivo). Come si può leggere sui dizionari (per esempio sul Treccani), deriva dalle parole latine manu factus, cioè “fatto a mano”.
Un po' fuori ...
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4
votes
How to translate bank address details in Italian?
You could translate "Bank Address" in a more pertinent "Indirizzo Filiale" but they are basically the same.
I agree with you regard "Account Address". I would translated it more as "Indirizzo ...
- 41
4
votes
The use of "Tuo" as a sign off in a letter
Signing off with "Tuo nome" is something I'd reserve for people you are actually close to: friends, girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband. Even to friends it feels too intimate, though something like
...
- 753
4
votes
Equivalente italiano dell'espressione "early+name of day"
L'equivalente più prossimo - benché probabilmente meno usato in italiano - credo sia l'espressione "nel primo mattino", "di primo mattino", "nelle prime ore di".
"Di primo mattino" è il più prossimo ...
- 522
4
votes
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"Come si scrive il tuo nome": why "si scrive" instead of "si scrivi"?
If I understand correctly, you ask why this phrase uses the third person conjugation instead of the second person conjugation even when you address someone directly. The answer is simple: because the ...
- 5,118
4
votes
Use of the indefinite article in Italian vs. English
Your translation is ok. In Italian we may also use in the plural the "partitivo": Noi siamo dei ragazzi.
The main difference I remember in English vs. Italian articles is that we don't have the ...
- 2,643
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