Vocabulary – Page 3

Three Essential Verbs for Beginners to Learn in Italian

What are the two verbs that all Italian students learn first when they attend a course? “Essere – to be” & “avere – to have” These are both important verbs to learn in order to start putting sentences together. That being said, if you want to have more flexibility in what you can say early…

How to Conjugate Italian Reflexive Verbs in the Past Tense

You’ve learned how to conjugate reflexive verbs in the present tense (you clever student, you) and now you’re ready to tackle the past tense. Which, lucky for you, won’t be so complicated since you’ve got the fundamentals down. BUT, before we get started, I must be honest and tell you that reflexive verbs aren’t the…

Dialogue: Olive Oil Tasting in Orvieto

At The Iceberg Project, we believe the only way you can truly learn a language is by using it in real life. (We also believe that having a bottle of wine in your house at all times is a must.) To help you get that real-life experience, we put together this dialogue for you. It’s…

Dark Master: Coffee Culture in Italy

Before we can even begin to talk about coffee, let’s just get one thing straight. Coffee in Italy is espresso (soft sounding “s”) not eXpresso. It’s a common mistake. I’m not judging you, but it’s one that makes Italians cringe, and if you love the stuff, it’s only polite that you get the pronunciation right…

3 Conversational Ways to Use the Verb Trovare

While the verb “trovare” is often taught as “to find,” don’t let that one-shade definition fool you. Just like in English, the verbs in Italian do more than one job. (Aren’t we so lucky?) I’ve talked before about how many nuances verbs like “perdere – to lose,” “mancare – to miss,” and “fare – to…

Question Words in Italian

One way that you can extend conversations in Italian even as a beginner student is by asking A LOT of questions. While there are a variety of structures for asking questions (like this one for asking about likes and dislikes), there are some basic vocabulary words for you to use for simpler questions. These are…

20 Phrases for Making a Phone Call in Italian

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts. When I stayed in Viterbo for a week during my most recent trip to Italy, I used Air B&B and stayed at this cute little apartment called Gli Archi. Before arriving, my mother and I were…

3 Main Ways to Use the Word Proprio in Italian

This episode’s audio doesn’t exist, and we have technology to blame (poof! gone into cyberspace!). Instead of listening to this episode, feel free to use the notes below to learn more about the topic. And if you’re like, “CHER, NO. I NEED THIS EPISODE,” then let me know in the comments below. I’ll put it…

Merry Christmas: Italian Style

Christmastime is my absolute favorite time to be in Italy. Being a country that is over 96% Catholic, it often seems like the entire country is celebrating. The festivities last for almost a month with the season officially starting on December 8th, with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. In Florence, where I live, this…

22 Must-Know Vocabulary Words for Making Dessert in Italian

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts. I love dessert… …at all times of the day and particularly before dinner because it makes me feel rebellious. To continue on with our cooking words from the article on pasta, here is a recipe on…

20 Ways to Make Your Holiday Season More Italian

If you love this time of year and all things Italy, but you’re having trouble finding time to study for Italian during the holidays, this article is for you! Sometimes at this time of year as family, friends and travel obligations distract us, it’s easy to let our commitment to studying fall to the side….

How to Talk About How Awesome (or Horrible) That Movie Was in Italian

One of the most exciting “field trips” I took when I lived in Italy was to a nearby town to watch the riveting final installment of the “Twilight” series: Twilight, Breaking Dawn Part II. Even though I wasn’t Twilight’s number one fan (okay, I admit, I might have read all of the books in high…