https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed To become an Italian citizen, you may need to prove your language skills. Do yours make the grade? https://www.thelocal.it/20220825/test-is-your-italian-good-enough-for-citizenship Thu, 25 Aug 2022 15:01:46 +0200 test-is-your-italian-good-enough-for-citizenship Italian is widely known to be tied to its Latin roots - closer than any other language, in fact. So it might come as a surprise to know that the Italian language also has Germanic influences. Here are ten Italian words that come from German. https://www.thelocal.it/20210507/from-beer-to-hairdryers-10-italian-words-that-come-from-german Fri, 07 May 2021 19:15:20 +0200 from-beer-to-hairdryers-10-italian-words-that-come-from-german Change just one vowel and you can make a blunder that will have everyone blushing or in bouts of giggles. What are the biggest slip-ups you've made in Italian? https://www.thelocal.it/20210513/that-building-has-such-a-lovely-boob-tell-us-your-biggest-italian-gaffes Thu, 13 May 2021 19:22:22 +0200 that-building-has-such-a-lovely-boob-tell-us-your-biggest-italian-gaffes By now it's likely you've learned some vocab related to Covid, viruses and vaccinations. But what if you start experiencing symptoms or are called up for your jab? Here are the phrases to help you navigate your medical care in Italian. https://www.thelocal.it/20210317/covid-19-the-essential-italian-you-need-to-know-for-getting-tested-and-vaccinated Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:22:49 +0100 covid-19-the-essential-italian-you-need-to-know-for-getting-tested-and-vaccinated Why might your Italian friends think you have ham over your eyes? Why shouldn't you give back bread? Author Michele Segalerba explains these and other culinary expressions. https://www.thelocal.it/20181011/italian-food-idioms-explained Thu, 11 Oct 2018 13:46:09 +0200 italian-food-idioms-explained What is Italy's 'legal time', and when does it start? https://www.thelocal.it/20210326/italian-expression-of-the-day-ora-legale Fri, 26 Mar 2021 17:37:08 +0100 italian-expression-of-the-day-ora-legale Is language learning through immersion still possible during a pandemic? Despite social distancing and reduced opportunities to practise ‘la bella lingua’, there are still ways to take your Italian to the next level. https://www.thelocal.it/20210205/learning-italian-in-lockdown-how-to-boost-your-language-skills-during-covid-19 Fri, 05 Feb 2021 14:16:50 +0100 learning-italian-in-lockdown-how-to-boost-your-language-skills-during-covid-19 Even the most competent of Italian speakers will occasionally slip up, and the majority of native speakers will be forgiving as long as you’re making the effort. But here are ten mistakes that are sure to grate on the ears of your Italian friends. https://www.thelocal.it/20190601/ten-common-language-mistakes-italian Sat, 01 Jun 2019 11:19:55 +0200 ten-common-language-mistakes-italian We bet it'll be a relief when you finally understand this word. https://www.thelocal.it/20201203/italian-word-of-the-day-ristori Thu, 03 Dec 2020 15:19:46 +0100 italian-word-of-the-day-ristori Dropping a few English words into your Italian conversation may seem like an odd thing to do, but for some Italians these 'anglicismi' are the height of cool. Here's how to use them. https://www.thelocal.it/20200221/ten-english-words-that-make-you-sound-cool-in-italian Fri, 21 Feb 2020 10:12:50 +0100 ten-english-words-that-make-you-sound-cool-in-italian This medieval word is back on everyone's lips in the time of Covid-19. https://www.thelocal.it/20201022/italian-word-of-the-day-coprifuoco Thu, 22 Oct 2020 19:42:33 +0200 italian-word-of-the-day-coprifuoco Why might you see this phrase all over Italian headlines? https://www.thelocal.it/20201007/italian-expression-of-the-day-all-aperto Wed, 07 Oct 2020 19:08:26 +0200 italian-expression-of-the-day-all-aperto The Italian language is loaded with colourful (and downright bizarre) ways to express a point. Here are ten particularly imaginative pearls of wisdom. https://www.thelocal.it/20200813/ten-italian-proverbs-to-live-by Thu, 13 Aug 2020 16:49:49 +0200 ten-italian-proverbs-to-live-by This topical word will help you make sense of Italy's headlines. https://www.thelocal.it/20200811/italian-word-of-the-day-focolaio Tue, 11 Aug 2020 19:35:29 +0200 italian-word-of-the-day-focolaio Is Covid-19 feminine or masculine in Italian? Italy's official language guardians have spoken. https://www.thelocal.it/20200703/is-covid-19-masculine-or-feminine-in-italian-heres-what-the-language-guardians-say Fri, 03 Jul 2020 18:14:41 +0200 is-covid-19-masculine-or-feminine-in-italian-heres-what-the-language-guardians-say Here's why even Italians are looking up this word in the dictionary. https://www.thelocal.it/20200427/italian-word-of-the-day-congiunti Mon, 27 Apr 2020 19:36:48 +0200 italian-word-of-the-day-congiunti Let's hope we start seeing more of this word. https://www.thelocal.it/20200303/italian-word-of-the-day-guarito Tue, 03 Mar 2020 15:41:23 +0100 italian-word-of-the-day-guarito If you make even a slight effort to speak Italian, chances are you’ll have uttered at least one of these already today. https://www.thelocal.it/20160414/the-strange-history-behind-five-everyday-italian-words Thu, 14 Apr 2016 16:02:59 +0200 the-strange-history-behind-five-everyday-italian-words Use this handy word to keep up with your Italian family tree. https://www.thelocal.it/20200206/italian-word-of-the-day-consuocero Thu, 06 Feb 2020 18:40:45 +0100 italian-word-of-the-day-consuocero Messaging your Italian friends is about to get that much easier with a new emoji representing one of Italy's best-known hand gestures. https://www.thelocal.it/20200203/italian-hand-gesture-new-emoji Mon, 03 Feb 2020 14:21:01 +0100 italian-hand-gesture-new-emoji