PdG

avere l'acqua alla gola

2010-02-08T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, avere l'acqua alla gola, which means: to be hard-pressed, to be in a tight corner. You use this expression when you're pressed for time or have some other urgency that beckons you!

See the expression used in its context below:

Giovanni ha l'acqua alla gola. Ha solo tre giorni per consegnare la relazione sugli amminoacidi e non ha ancora scritto niente.

Giovanni is in a tight corner. He has only three days to hand in the report on amino acids and he has not yet written anything.

il passaggio a livello

2010-02-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, il passaggio a livello, which means railroad crossing.

You can see the word used in its context below:

Purtroppo ho fatto tardi al lavoro perché ho trovato il passaggio a livello chiuso e ho aspettato che passassero tre treni!

Unfortunately I was late to work because I found the railroad crossing barred, and I waited for three trains to pass by.

sghignazzare

2010-02-06T05:00:00.002-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the intransitive verb, sghignazzare, which means to guffaw. To guffaw means to laugh loudly and/or boisterously.

The past participle is sghignazzato. Avere is used in compound tenses.

You can see the verb used in its context below:

Papà sghignazzava davanti alla Tv mentre stavano dando un film di Verdone, "Un sacco bello."

Dad was guffawing in front of the TV while they were showing Verdone's film, "Un sacco bello".

in tasca

2010-02-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the idiomatic expression, in tasca, which can mean: in the pocket, in the bag and is often used when referring to a sure or easy win.

See the expression used below in its context:

Il Milan aveva la vittoria in tasca ma si è fatto rimontare dal Palermo ed ha finito per perdere la partita.

Milan had the victory in the bag but were caught up by Palermo and finished by losing the match.

sfidare

2010-02-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the transitive verb, sfidare, which means to challenge or to defy.

The past participle is sfidato. Avere is used in compound tenses.

See the verb used below in its context:

Gli Stati Uniti hanno sfidato la Cina con la visita del Dalai Lama.

The United States has defied China with the Dalai Lama's visit.

allestire

2010-02-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the verb, allestire, which means: to fit out, to organize, or to mount. It can also mean to stage or to mount in the context of the theatre or an exhibition, such as staging a production/show or mounting an exhibition.

The past participle is allestito. Avere is used in compound tenses.

You can see the word used below in its context:

Giorgio ha allestito una mostra dei suoi quadri più belli. Peccato che però non sia venuto quasi nessuno a vederla!

Giorgio mounted a show of his most beautiful paintings. Pity that almost no one came to see it.

Rosa ha allestito la vetrina del negozio con gran gusto. Purtroppo ha dimenticato di mettere i prezzi!

Rosa fitted out the shop window with great taste. Unfortunately she forgot to put the prices!

la rosticceria

2010-02-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, la rosticceria, which means:

rotisserie

In Italy, le rosticcerie are shops where they serve the Italian equivalent of "fast food" such as arancini, pizza, calzone, and other gastronomic delights. You'll find them in almost every Italian city and town.

See the word used below in its context:

Di solito non ho tempo per un pranzo completo e compro qualcosa che posso mangiare al volo in rosticceria.

Usually I don't have time for a complete lunch, and I buy something that I can eat on the fly at the rotisserie.

il pasticcione, la pasticciona

2010-02-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, il pasticcione or la pasticciona, which means clutz, bungler, or muddler.

You can see the noun used in its context below:

Ad Antonio non piace servire ai tavoli perché ha paura di fare cadere i piatti e i bicchieri. Pensa di essere pasticcione.

Antonio doesn't like to wait tables because he is afraid of dropping plates and cups. He thinks he is a clutz.

digrignare

2010-01-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the transitive verb, digrignare, which means to gnash or to grind

The past participle is digrignato. Avere is used in compound tenses.

You can see the verb used in its context below:

Gianni non vuole mai dormire nella stessa camera con me! Dice che durante la notte digrigno i denti e non lo faccio dormire!

Gianni never wants to sleep in the same room with me! He says that during the night I grind my teeth, and I do not allow him to sleep.

a differenza di

2010-01-30T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the prepositional phrase, a differenza di, which means unlike.

Remember that there are three types of prepositions in Italian: proper, improper and prepositional phrases. This one falls into the third category.

See it used in its context below:

A differenza degli americani molti europei credono che il governo statunitense sia meno trasparente nella propria politica estera.

Unlike Americans, many Europeans believe that the US government is less transparent in their foreign politics.

il parto cesareo

2010-01-29T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, il parto cesareo, which means Caesarian birth.

You can see the noun used in its context below:

I medici hanno preferito ricorrere al parto cesareo per zia Marcellina in modo da evitare complicazioni legate alla sua età avanzata.

The doctors preferred to resort to the Caesarian birth for Aunt Marcellina so that they avoid complications linked to her advanced age

il valore

2010-01-28T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, il valore, which can means:

value, such as an economic value, a worth that can be counted or appraised
valuable(s) such as jewelry, diamonds, etc.
worth or merit, often abstract
values, as in the positive or noble qualities of a person

You can see the noun used below in its context:

Mamma tiene i valori in una cassaforte in modo da nasconderli da eventuali ladri.

Mamma keeps the valuables in a safe so that she hides them from potential thieves.

La collana di mia nonna ha lo stesso valore di una casa ma non la venderò mai perché me l'ha regalata prima di morire e le ho promesso di lasciarla a mia figlia.

My grandmother's necklace has the same value as a house, but I will never sell it because she gave it to me before dying, and I promised her that I will leave it to my daughter.

La collana di mia nonna ha un grande valore sentimentale per me. Non la venderò mai a costo di patire la fame!

My grandmother's necklace has a great sentimental value for me. I will never sell it at the cost of going hungry.

Tante persone credono che Berlusconi non abbia a cuore i valori della famiglia perchè ha una vita sessuale alquanto promiscua.

So many people believe that Berlusconi does not have at heart family values because he has a somewhat promiscuous sexual life.

Contest and Giveaway -- Enter before February 1st!

2010-01-27T09:17:00.002-05:00

On February 1st, anyone who is a member of the Facebook Group for Parola del Giorno will be entered into a drawing for a free book. This year is the "Year of Becoming Better Readers in Italian", so for the next 12 months I will raffle off a free book each month that I think will help you become a better reader in Italian, help also in expanding your vocabulary, and providing some exposure for some great Italian authors.

This month I will give away a free copy of Fabio Volo's new book, Il tempo che vorrei. The winner will be drawn randomly from all Facebook members on February 1st. To become a member, click on the widget in the sidebar and join the group. It really is that simple!

la sniffata

2010-01-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, la sniffata, which means: sniff or snort.

You can see the noun used in its context below:

Mio cugino per combattere l'insonnia si fa una sniffata di gelsomino prima di andare a letto. A me sembra una grande stupidaggine ma lui dice che funziona!

My cousin in order to combat insomnia gives himself a snort of jasmine before going to bed. It seems to me a great nonsense but he days that it works.

il reato

2010-01-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, il reato, which means: crime or offense.

I stumbled across this word after reading about Cinzia-gate in La Stampa, a scandal that has plagued the day-to-day local government of Bologna for months:

«La città viene prima di tutto ma non ho commesso alcun reato», ha dichiarato il sindaco di Bologna prima di dimettersi.

"The city comes before everything but I committed no offense," declared the mayor of Bologna before resigning.

dare per scontato

2010-01-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, dare [qualcosa/qualcuno] per scontato, which means to take for granted.

See the expression used below in its context:

È sbagliato dare per scontato la presenza degli amici. L'amicizia va comunque coltivata costantemente.

It is wrong to take for granted the presence of friends. Friendship however should be cultivated constantly.

lo zucchero a velo

2010-01-24T05:00:00.002-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, lo zucchero a velo, which means icing sugar or powdered sugar.

You can see the noun used below in its context:

Dopo aver preparato i biscotti, mamma li ha spolverati con un po' di zucchero a velo.

After having prepared the cookies, mom dusted them with a bit of powdered sugar.

evangelizzare

2010-01-23T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the verb, evangelizzare, which means: to evangelize.

The past participle is evangelizzato, and avere is used in compound tenses.

The Pope recently used this verb when he talked about using the internet and means of communication in order to spread the Church's doctrine:

Oggi i giornali italiani hanno scritto che il Papa vuole usare nuovi media, come internet, per evangelizzare e per porre i media al servizio della Parola di Dio.

Today Italian newspapers reported that the Pope wants to use new media, like the internet, in order to evangelize and to put media to the service of the Word of God.

lo spettro

2010-01-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, lo spettro, which can mean: ghost or specter (spectre in British English).

Literally, it can refer to a ghost. Figuratively, it can refer to a looming threat -- something that looks to happen but hasn't quite taken form yet (like that of a ghost!).

See the expression used in its contexts below:

Lo spettro degli esami incombeva sul povero Giorgio che proprio non aveva voglia di studiare.

The specter of exams was looming over poor Giorgio that really he had no desire to study.

Quando Maria ha visto lo spettro sulle scale, ha gridato e poi è svenuta.

When Maria saw the ghost on the stairs, she screamed, and then she fainted.

circoscritto

2010-01-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the adjective, circoscritto, from the verb, circoscrivere, which means: localized or contained.

You can see the adjective used in its context from the example below:

Per fortuna l'influenza ha avuto un raggio d'azione circoscritto. Solo due persone su mille hanno contratto il virus.

Luckily the flu had a limited range. Only two people out of one thousand contracted the virus.

ipotizzare

2010-01-20T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the transitive verb, ipotizzare, which means: to hypothesize, to conjecture.

The past participle is: ipotizzato. Avere is used in compound tenses.

See the verb used below in its context:

Uno studio condotto presso l'Università del Texas a Dallas ipotizza che l'appendicite potrebbe essere la conseguenza di un'infezione virale.

A study conducted at the University of Texas in Dallas hypothesizes that appendicitis could be the result of a viral infection.

l'utente web

2010-01-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, l'utente web, which means: web user, internet user.

You can see the expression used in its context below.

Il governo tedesco ha avvertito gli utenti web di non usare il browser, Internet Explorer, dopo che la Microsoft ha ammesso che esiste una grave falla di sicurezza.

The German government warned web users not to use the browser, Internet Explorer, after Microsoft admitted that a grave security flaw exists.

travolgere

2010-01-17T09:35:00.002-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the transitive verb, travolgere, which means:

to sweep away
to carry away

The past participle is travolto. Avere is used in compound tenses.

You'll often see the verb used to describe people or things being "swept away" by natural disasters, such as a flood, but you'll also see this used figuratively, for example, a top grossing movie (read this: http://www.corriere.it/cinema/10_gennaio_16/paranormal-activity-ulivi_8555a16e-02d2-11df-8bfd-00144f02aabe.shtml) that has swept/carried away profits at the box office, as seen in the context below:

Il nuovo film, Paranormal Activity, ha travolto il box office o e ha incassato 7000 volte quanto è costato.

The new film, Paranormal Activity, carried away the box office with its success and earned 7000 times as much as it cost.

sloggiare

2010-01-16T05:00:00.002-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the intransitive verb, sloggiare, which means: to clear out, to head out.

The past particle is sloggiato. Avere is used in compound tenses.

You can see the verb used in its context below:

Ho passato troppe ore davanti al pc... ora sloggio e vado in centro a fare compere.

I spent too many hours in front of the PC...now I clear out and go downtown to shop.

rendere pan per focaccia

2010-01-15T05:00:00.002-05:00

Today's Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, rendere pan per focaccia, which means: to give tit for tat.

The past participle for rendere is reso. Avere is used in compound tenses.

You can see the expression used in its context below:

Rompendogli la chitarra, Giorgio ha reso pan per focaccia a Francesco che, anni fa, gli ruppe l'amplificatore.

Breaking his guitar, Giorgio gave tit for tat to Francesco, who, years ago, broke his amplifier.