We talked about the Italian alphabet before, how it has only 21 letters and impossible vowels, and we started to look at some of the spelling rules. However, we didn’t look at one of the most feared feature, especially for its pronunciation: the doubles!

Let’s get back to our journey all around Italy discovering the many different dialects that this country has to offer. This month is the time to stop in Campania and Napoli, the birthplace of pizza and, of course, Neapolitan. First of all, let’s take a step back, because in order for us to understand what Neapolitan is and where it comes from we ne...

Languages. Sometimes they are so tricky. Sometimes you think you got it, you can get away with not knowing what the correct word is and just make it up by deducing from your native language, but then you meet them. They are the worst. They are responsible for many gaffes and every language has them. They are the false friends.

Italian is one of the richest languages, with its wide vocabulary and its melodic sounds. However, something is missing in Italian, something very important to the English language: some letters!

Let’s start our tour of the languages and dialects of Italy with one of the most spoken, especially abroad: Sicilian. Since 2010, Sicilian holds the official status of language and is spoken mostly in Sicily, which is in the south of Italy. According to the UNESCO, in fact, Sicilian is a “mother language” and it could be even older than Italian! Ye...

WTI Magazine #9    2013 Dec, 13Author : Alessandro Masi      Translation by:   The verb, used today mostly in the figurative sense, originates in games like bowling or billiards, in which you win by rejecting (bouncing) something. The latest news tells us of failures, rejections that threaten to undermine the entir...

  WTI Magazine #48    2014 November, 26Author : Manuela Bianchi for learnitalygroup.com      Translation by:   We begin today with a little anatomy. Have you ever wondered how do you call in Italian the five fingers of your hand? I'll reveal it now: "pollice" is the thumb, "indice" is the index finger, "medio" is the middle finger, "anulare" is...

  WTI Magazine #40    2014 July, 23Author : Manuela Bianchi for learnitalygroup.com      Translation by:   The arm and the mindThe human body can be another interesting starting point to discover the ways of saying and some of the most used phrases of our language. Today we'll talk about the word "braccio" (arm) that comes as always from our dea...

WTI Magazine #63    2015 June, 27Author : Berardo Paradiso      Translation by:   This past November, Eataly and the Italian American Committee on Education (IACE) launched the contest initiative "Short Food Movie at Eataly," an extension of the EXPO Milan 2015 "Short Food Movie" program themed "Feed Your Mind, Film Your Planet." Our IACE student...

  WTI Magazine #78    2016 April 15Author : Giosuè Prezioso      Translation by:   A friend of yours is going to hold an important seminar. You: "break your leg!"; a group of actors, stressed out, is going to start its play in less than a couple of minutes. You: "break your leg!". Before a given important appointment, event, or occasion, we usua...