Cool italian words

Have you ever wondered how to say cool or trendy in the Italian language? Well, the adjective you’re looking for is fico, or figo as it is pronounced in the north. This slang term has become a popular expression to convey something stylish, attractive, or simply impressive. fico – figo cool / trendy Because it ... Read more

The word squarciagola in Italian, when preceded by the preposition a (at), is the equivalent of the idiomatic English expressions at the top of one’s lungs or at the top of one’s voice. Note that there is an equivalent expression in Italian: a pieni polmoni (lit. with one’s lungs full). It is a combination of ... Read more

One way of saying fearless or undaunted in Italian is impavido. It comes from the Latin impavidus which is a combination of the prefix im- and pavidus (coward). Impavido is the masculine form. The feminine version is impavida, and their respective plural forms are impavidi and impavide. Il principe impavido sfidò il drago per liberare ... Read more

The other day at the park, a man allowed his leash-less dog to bound up to my three-year-old, and had the nerve to tell me to keep an eye on my child (who was holding his grandmother’s hand at the time). Did I lose my cool? No, but I was *this* close! When you reach ... Read more The post Italian Idiom: Perdere le staffe (to lose your temper / lose control) appeared first on Daily Italian Words.

Voglia is a frequently used Italian noun that has various translations depending on the context, including desire, craving, longing or wish. Fewer people know that it also means birthmark, as we’ll discover further down. The word comes from the verb volere (to want). Voglia is a feminine noun. The plural is voglie. la vogliauna voglia ... Read more

A colloquial adjective for someone whose behaviour or movements are clumsy is imbranato in Italian. The corresponding feminine form is imbranata whereas the respective plurals are imbranati (m) and imbranate (f). Learn with our video The word is thought to derive from the Venetian imbranà (imbrigliato in Italian) which literally translates as harnessed or tightened ... Read more

In Italy, in addition to the three main meals – colazione (breakfast), pranzo (lunch) and cena (dinner) – there is a fourth that occurs between lunch and dinner called merenda. Like most words in Italian, merenda derives from the late Latin merere (to deserve), and literally means “things you have to deserve”. /me·rèn·da/ Merenda is ... Read more

One way of saying coward in Italian is vigliacco (masculine, plural: vigliacchi). There is also the feminine version vigliacca and its plural vigliacche. For once, we have a word that doesn’t derive directly from Latin but rather the Spanish bellaco meaning wicked or vile. It refers not only to those who, for lack of courage, ... Read more