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Italian Language/Questions Answered by Expert Francesco Marchesani
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Da Vinci Quote Translation | 2/3/2012 |
| Q: I have been searching the net for both the Italian and Latin translations of the following Leonardo ... A: I have to apologize, I had absendmindedly mistranslated your quote! Punisce is of course the correct ... | |
| use of "Ne" | 2/2/2012 |
| Q: I saw the sentence "I'm looking for a jacket" written two ways: "Cerco una giacca." and "Sto ... A: Ne means "of him/her/it/them", "from him/her/it/them, "about him/her/it/them": it is a pronoun that ... | |
| proper verb for "looking" | 1/29/2012 |
| Q: I saw the sentence "I'm looking for a jacket" written two ways: "Cerco una giacca." and "Sto ... A: "Looking" is translated in many different ways, depending on the preposition it goes with. So, in ... | |
| Medicis | 10/25/2011 |
| Q: I once was told that the reason why the Medicis had 3 balls as their symbol was because the founder ... A: I would say the polyorchidism claim is just an urban myth: actually, the number of balls in the ... | |
| in chiesa, al cinema. Per che e cosi? | 10/16/2011 |
| Q: Ciao, e grazie per il tuo aiuto! Quando si usa IN, A, AL? per essempio? vado in chiesa. vado ... A: Ciao, Le regole per usare a o in sono abbastanza complesse! Si usa a (o al, alla, ecc.) quando: - ... | |
| Italy | 9/24/2011 |
| Q: Mr. Marchesani, I'm fifteen years old and believe one should travel as much as they can as ... A: It's very nice to see somebody so committed to learning about Italy and its culture. Unfortunatel, ... | |
| my surname: ZRK | 9/22/2011 |
| Q: I hope you or your family is from Italy. Otherwise you choose to ignore this question. I recently ... A: Zrk is not an Italian surname; it might be slavic (Croatian/Serbian), since such so-called consonant ... | |
| English Translation | 4/30/2011 |
| Q: What is the English translation for "Alenia Aermacchi"? It is an aircraft company that makes ... A: the name Alenia Aermacchi shows the complex history of the company, with different acquisitions and ... | |
| song translation | 4/27/2011 |
| Q: I would love to have the song Chitarra Vogabonda translated in English or just the main idea of the ... A: there are four characters in this song: - the singer, who wanders around playing his guitar - a man ... | |
| surname | 4/26/2011 |
| Q: my mother's family was from Borsigliana, Italy. It is in Tuscany, her maiden name was Pellini. do ... A: Pellini is a rare surname, typically found in the area of Tuscany where Borsigliana is located ... | |
| song translation | 4/23/2011 |
| Q: I would love to have the song Chitarra Vogabonda translated in English or just the main idea of the ... A: here you are! A guitar plays in the night Singing it says love love The door doesn't open and on ... | |
| Italian | 4/11/2011 |
| Q: can you advise me I would like to write to my godmother and godfather. How do you say in Italian is ... A: comare and compare are regional / dialectal words for godmother and godfather. If you know your ... | |
| interrogative adjectives che and quale | 2/16/2011 |
| Q: I'm confused about when to use "che" and when to use "quale" as interrogative adjectives when asking ... A: quale usually implies a choice between options, che instead is used to ask questions about the ... | |
| preposition "in" with geographic names | 2/14/2011 |
| Q: When using the preposition "in" before a masculine singular name of a geographic place, do you also ... A: by rule, "in" should be always used with singular names of regions, countries, cities etc.: - vado ... | |
| How do I Say | 2/8/2011 |
| Q: I have three daughters and 9 grandchildren. I am retired but work part time as a locksmith. My hobby ... A: here you are the translation for your phrase: Ho tre figlie e nove nipoti. Sono in pensione ma ... | |
| surname | 1/30/2011 |
| Q: Looking for the origins of my nonno's surname,which was Marchesin, thank you! Diane A: Marchesin is a surname from the northern-Italian Veneto region (the -in ending is very common in ... | |
| translation of AL DI LA | 1/13/2011 |
| Q: The singer Jerry Vale sang Al Di La, and is probably the best known version here in the USA. In ... A: my translation of Al di la was a literal one to give the actual meaning of the lyrics, so it didn't ... | |
| pronomi oggetto diretto e indiretto | 1/12/2011 |
| Q: We are supposed to substitute the correct pronoun for the words in italics in this sentence: Aiuta ... A: Actually the pronomi personali oggetto (called also complemento) are rather complicated: each ... | |
| Old Italian songs | 1/9/2011 |
| Q: A friend of mine from Sicily remembers only this line from a song she would like to find. I hope you ... A: "Tu scendi dalle stelle" (you descend from the stars) is one of the best known Italian Christmas ... | |
| Surname | 12/12/2010 |
| Q: my name is Kevin Giacuzzo and I am trying to find out the meaning/origin of my surname. I know my ... A: Giacuzzo comes from a medieval diminutive form (a nickname or a term of endearment) of Jacopo (J is ... | |
| residenze | 11/9/2010 |
| Q: Can you please tell me what type of hotel is "Residenze" Thank you, Rich A: the word Residenza used in a hotel's name has no special meaning and doesn't characterize any ... | |
| The hundred cities of Italy | 10/20/2010 |
| Q: who coined the phrase "The hundred cities of Italy"(Cento città d'Italia, and similar expressions) ... A: I don't think anybody (or at least, anybody famous) deliberately coined the phrase "Cento Citta' ... | |
| A sentence about Il nome della rosa | 10/5/2010 |
| Q: This sentence occurs in an article by Alberto Cadioli about INDR: E celebriamo questo romanzo come ... A: such a convolute and obscure phrasing is, unfortunately, very common in book reviews! Literally it ... | |
| ticket | 6/3/2010 |
| Q: Ciao, I searched for the equivalent of "ticket" in Italian and came across a couple of words: ... A: these are the various meanings of the words you found: biglietto: this is the "real" ticket, i.e. a ... | |
| I giorni della merla | 5/13/2010 |
| Q: I have two questions and I will be really grateful if you answer them. 1. "Merlo" seems to be the ... A: merla is the feminine (ending with -a) of merlo, which is, as you already know, a blackbird. Most ... | |
| Conjugation with more than one verb | 11/30/2009 |
| Q: I started learning italian 4 weeks ago and am having a little difficulty with some homework ... A: and compliments for such a good result after just 4 weeks of study! In Italian, qualcuno (somebody) ... | |
| Italian surnames ending in -engo | 11/5/2009 |
| Q: I am a Ukrainian and my name is Olexander Martinenko. During my very first visit to Italy, on my ... A: the information you have learnt is correct: many words in Italian have a Germanic (mainly Gothic or ... | |
| l'inferno canto I, line 103 | 7/4/2009 |
| Q: "Questi non cibera terra ne peltro" All English translations I've come across apparently take ... A: "questi" means "this one" (even though it looks plural, it is used as a singular pronoun; modern ... | |
| Italian slang | 6/17/2009 |
| Q: My question has more to do with Italian-Americanisms; in other words, taking American English words ... A: Italian-Americanisms are often based on dialectal words, more than standard Italian. Scupalone, is ... | |
| translation | 6/8/2009 |
| Q: Can you please help me translate the question below into English: “Lei poi che c'entra?” I ... A: "lei poi che c'entra?" can be translated as "what's her part in it?" or "does she has anything to do ... | |
| My Family, My Heart Translation | 6/2/2009 |
| Q: I was wondering if the phrase would translate properly in Italian. Im considering having this ... A: your phrase can be translated as "la mia famiglia, il mio cuore". It doesn't sound ridiculous at ... | |
| English to Italian Translation | 4/14/2009 |
| Q: My name is Megan and it would be a great help if you could translate the following phrase from ... A: here you are your translations! "Dio, dammi la serenita' di accettare le cose che non posso ... | |
| Andare & Vado | 4/7/2009 |
| Q: Buon giorno! What is the difference between andare and vado? I believe andare is "to go" but is ... A: you are right, andare means "to go" and vado is "I go". "I'm going" is translated as "sto andando", ... | |
| dialect lyric | 2/19/2009 |
| Q: I speak Italian fairly fluently, and am often asked by singers to translate lyrics. This one is ... A: "odassi" is a variant, used mainly in literature and poems, of "si oda" = may it be heard; it's ... | |
| una lacrima sul viso-bobby solo | 2/6/2009 |
| Q: Mr. Marchesani, I have always loved this song, some of my cousins who speak much more fluent italian ... A: Here you are! From a teardrop on (your) face I understood many things after so many many months now ... | |
| First Names | 1/31/2009 |
| Q: Fracenso, I'm am about to have twins. A boy and girl. I'd like to name my son after my great ... A: the most common name for which Gino is a diminutive, is Luigi (=Louis). Other options can be Luigino ... | |
| Trevellin family name, Italian? | 1/22/2009 |
| Q: ever since I was little I have always felt that my last name 'Trevellin' did not sound really ... A: Trevellin is indeed an Italian family name: in the Veneto region most names end with an -n instead ... | |
| Translation | 1/20/2009 |
| Q: I'm considering getting a tattoo in Italian dedicated to my family, Unfortunately having never ... A: first of all, sorry for the delay in my answer. I would translate your phrase as "Per chi amo. Per ... | |
| plurals | 11/3/2008 |
| Q: can you kindly give me the plural of the following la giornata lo stivale l'isola la macchina la ... A: Here you are: la giornata - le giornate lo stivale - gli stivali l'isola - le isole la macchina - ... | |
| De and de | 11/1/2008 |
| Q: There was an earlier question posted on this site regarding the use of a capital or lower case d in ... A: actually there's no true reason why a name should be spelled De or de, it's mainly a matter of ... | |
| mia per sempre | 10/30/2008 |
| Q: i am having great difficulty finding a site to provide the english translation of the italian song ... A: I've translated it for you: You my only life You my only heart Inside how many hearts will you ... | |
| le infinite domande | 10/23/2008 |
| Q: Salve Francesco Io imparai la tua bellissima lingua soltanto con i 2 volumi del libro "la lingua ... A: Ciao, e ancora complimenti per il tuo italiano buonissimo! Un sito molto utile e' ... | |
| My daughters last name | 10/21/2008 |
| Q: My daughter's last name is Cha. Many people think it's Asian because it sounds Asian. My ... A: actually Cha is not an Italian name: following Spanish (and English) pronunciation, it's Italian ... | |
| difficolta linguistiche nei romanzi italiani | 10/15/2008 |
| Q: Caro Francesco Salve Leggendo il secondo capitolo del romanzo Pinocchio ,mi e' capitato un ... A: Complimenti per il suo italiano, e' veramente molto buono! Pinocchio contiene molte parole ed ... | |
| how do i translate these 2 phrases | 9/20/2008 |
| Q: how do i translate MY FAMILY MY LIFE and JUSTIFY YOUR EXISTANCE into italian and possibly latin. ... A: I would translate the two phrases as: MY FAMILY MY LIFE: Italian: la mia famiglia e' la mia vita ... | |
| my last name | 8/28/2008 |
| Q: Everyone in my family says my last name differently. Can you tell me the Italian pronunciation of ... A: -cia is pronounced like "CHA", for example in "chastity" or "charme", but the A has to be pronounced ... | |
| English to Italian translation | 8/26/2008 |
| Q: I'm looking to translate "let go," as in to let go of an emotion, to Italian. Can you please help? ... A: Actually they are the same thing: lasciar andare is the infinitive form (to let go), while lascia ... | |
| translations please? | 8/16/2008 |
| Q: "live for love" "love rules without rules" and "live life" ANSWER: Hello, here you are: live for ... A: "vivere" means "to live", while "vivi" means "live!" (imperative). Since you want a tattoo out of ... | |
| translation | 8/11/2008 |
| Q: Greetings Francesco. Am trying to help a friend learn the Italian spelling of the English phonetics ... A: that's not easy to guess... but I think your friend's relatives might call themselves "marchigiani", ... | |
| My last name | 7/1/2008 |
| Q: My last name is Manes. It is pronounced (Mah-ness) People always tell me I am not italian because my ... A: Manes is an existing Italian surname; you can check its location in Italy on the following website: ... | |
| last name | 6/27/2008 |
| Q: every one tells me my last name is Italian, my last name is patrono what does it mean and were did ... A: Patrono is, most probably, from the Puglia region, in southern Italy; it comes from Latin patronus = ... | |
| some sentences | 6/11/2008 |
| Q: Ciao!, i've been searching for some sentences for so long, I was wondering if you could maybe help ... A: Ciao, here you are your translations: 1. la tua galleria e' davvero bella 2. sai che non ti ... | |
| Please Help! -- English to Italian phrase translation | 3/31/2008 |
| Q: I'm hoping you can help me translate this phrase from English to Italian. - let the light shine in ... A: I'd translate "let the light shine within" as lascia che la luce risplenda dentro di te (you - ... | |
| marciano etc. | 3/28/2008 |
| Q: I gather that “marciano” is simply an adjective meaning “connected with St. Mark”. Is that its only ... A: marciano has a double meaning: connected to St. Mark the evangelist (San Marco), or connected to ... | |
| Basili | 3/12/2008 |
| Q: My last name is Basili. I know there is a region in Italia called Basilicata.. do you think there ... A: your last name is actually connected to Basilicata, even thought in an indirect way: Basileus, in ... | |
| could you translate this 2 italian for me please!!! | 3/5/2008 |
| Q: "Forever young and free. Heart. Soul. Body. Mind." A: here you are your translation: "Per sempre giovane e libera. Cuore. Anima. Corpo. Mente." I assume ... | |
| Wedding Thank You in Italian? | 3/3/2008 |
| Q: i need help!. I am writing our wedding thank yous and i need a couple in Italian. Something along ... A: You can write something like this: Grazie per avere partecipato al nostro matrimonio. Speriamo che ... | |
| Translation | 2/24/2008 |
| Q: I've been looking at all your answers and hoping you could help me translate this into Italian for a ... A: here you are the translation for your friend: Ciao bello, come stai? Mi manchi moltissimo, mi sento ... | |
| Italian Music | 2/22/2008 |
| Q: I am restoring 1940-1950 78 rpm records my grandfather recorded. I was able to decipher most of his ... A: even though I'm not a big music expert, please try and send samples of the music; it would be also ... | |
| language | 2/4/2008 |
| Q: can you translate, 'believe in love'. I know there's different dialects so whatever is the most ... A: even though there are many dialects in Italy, I'll give you a translation in standard Italian, which ... | |
| last name origin | 1/24/2008 |
| Q: Can you solve our family name mystery. My last name is "Piantaggini" My grandfater came from ... A: it's never easy to find the correct etymology for a name, however the easiest choice for Piantaggini ... | |
| Italian phrase | 1/21/2008 |
| Q: I am wanting to get an Italian saying as a tattoo. In English it will mean "Lover of God" but I ... A: you can say "amante di Dio": amante has the same usage as "lover" in English, meaning a sexual lover ... | |
| Mariotti | 11/30/2007 |
| Q: I love my Italian last name, Mariotti, but never know what it means. I can never find it on any ... A: the origin of Mariotti is from Mario, through the deminutive Mariotto (=little Mario) which was ... | |
| Italian pronunciation of "dessert" | 11/29/2007 |
| Q: This question concerns the pronunciation of the word "dessert" in Italian. Is the "t" at the end of ... A: dessert is sometimes pronounced as it was an Italian word, that is including the final t, but this ... | |
| Verb Evolution | 11/28/2007 |
| Q: I am an old student of the Latin language and a recent student of the Italian. It helps me to see ... A: since the conditional tense is not present in Latin, the Italian language developed it from a mix of ... | |
| meaning of word | 10/24/2007 |
| Q: can you please help me with the meaning of agenzia A: "agenzia" means agency, but can also mean board, branch, with the same meanings these words have in ... | |
| roccolta raccolto | 10/21/2007 |
| Q: Can you please help me to understand the difference between the words "raccolta" and "raccolto" - ... A: "raccolta" is the act of collecting something, and usually needs a specification term, such as in ... | |
| "o" and "oppure" | 10/20/2007 |
| Q: Can you please explain what is the difference between "o" and "oppure"? Thank you very much. ... A: gramatically there's no different between "o" and "oppure", both meaning Or. However, since ... | |
| Ergastolo and edicola | 10/19/2007 |
| Q: What is the origin of these two words, please? -- ergastolo (for life sentence) and edicola (as in a ... A: "latitante" is from the verb "latitare" = to be hidden, to be at large. It's from the same very in ... | |
| Ergastolo and edicola | 10/12/2007 |
| Q: What is the origin of these two words, please? -- ergastolo (for life sentence) and edicola (as in a ... A: Ergastolo comes from the Latin Ergastulum, and Greek Ergasteion (= working place); for the Romans, ... | |
| last name | 10/3/2007 |
| Q: i want to know which part of Italy my last name "Maione" came from ANSWER: Hello, Maione comes, ... A: Vanuccio can be an Italian last name, it's nowadays not present in Italy. Maybe it was mispelled ... | |
| last name | 10/2/2007 |
| Q: i want to know which part of Italy my last name "Maione" came from A: Maione comes, most probably, from the area around Naples, where the highest number of Maiones live ... | |
| Vivaldi Cantata translation | 9/25/2007 |
| Q: I am asking you for a translation of a cantata I am singing because I have noticed you have ... A: here you are my translation of Vivaldi's cantata, hoping I'm not ruining it's gracefullness :-) ... | |
| translation | 9/23/2007 |
| Q: Can you please translate the following for me: "Dove sono le informazione" ... A: "informazioni", in this context, is usually understood as "ufficio informazioni", so it's a kind of ... | |
| Translation | 9/17/2007 |
| Q: Can you help me translate this? My trip to Rome was very scary. It was difficult to understand the ... A: here you are your translation: Il mio viaggio a Roma e' stato pauroso: era difficile capire ... | |
| italian language courses in pavia | 9/5/2007 |
| Q: perhaps why). I am a total beginner and need to learn quickly as have just moved to Pavia. Having 3 ... A: you can go to the British Institutes, they have courses of Italian for foreigners. Address is: corso ... | |
| Loreto | 8/7/2007 |
| Q: Please, what is the correct pronunciation of the place name “Loreto”? (In particular, what kind of E ... A: O is spelled in Italian as in English "mOst", E instead is something like "lEt", "sEt" etc. Loreto ... | |
| Translation | 8/6/2007 |
| Q: I would appreciate if you could translate the following messages I have recieved into English for ... A: Here you are the translation: Grazie tesoro ti adoro a dopo. Baci. Thank you dear (lit. ... | |
| question! help please | 4/24/2007 |
| Q: i want to get a cool tatoo in italian.. "la dolce vita"? is that [the sweet life]? piccola is ... A: yes it's correct Italian, even though, for some reason, it doesn't sound very very right... ... | |
| Learning Italian | 4/14/2007 |
| Q: I am an adult learner, and have been studying Italian for a few months now. So far, I have been ... A: your problem with translating sentences from English to Italian is common to every learner of a ... | |
| web sites | 11/6/2006 |
| Q: Ciao Franceso, Im trying to teach myself Italian and was wondering if there were any free websites ... A: Ciao, there are not many free course of Italian onlone... but you can try this one, from the RAI ... | |
| Last Name Origin | 10/29/2006 |
| Q: The only other question I have is that my grandmother said she spoke with family members that still ... A: Are you sure your relatives in Italy carry the name Sylvestris (with y) and not Silvestris (with i)? ... | |
| Last Name Origin | 10/28/2006 |
| Q: My entire family can trace their roots to Italy. My Mothers maiden name is Daddino. However, my ... A: Silvestri (and Silvestris - many Italian names end with a consonant, often -s or -n) is a very ... | |
| corregere la grammatica | 10/27/2006 |
| Q: ciao sono un canadese che sta imparando la lingua italiana. devo scrivere un componimento ed vorrei ... A: just a few corrections well needed, well done! La prima cosa che mi viene in mente quando le parole ... | |
| More phrases to use with a girlfriend | 10/19/2006 |
| Q: I would like to know some more phrases I can use with my girlfriend, such as: "Thank you for last ... A: Here you are some phrases: thank you for last night = grazie per la notte scorsa. I love waking up ... | |
| Italian grammar | 10/12/2006 |
| Q: Vorrei sapere se si potesse dire: "Il telefono e' cominicato a squillare." Oppure si puo' dire "Il ... A: Salve, "cominciare" puo' avere due usi (transitivo e intransitivo), come i seguenti esempi: ... | |
| an italian good luck charm? | 10/7/2006 |
| Q: I use to work in Little Italy in Toronto and an Italian friend of mine had this key chain which was ... A: your friend's talisman includes various traditional Italian good luck charms: - an horseshoe (as, in ... | |
| Italian sentence | 8/17/2006 |
| Q: In the Italian phrase book that I am studying, there is one sentence that confuses me. It is in ... A: the Italian sentence is correct... and the English one too! The English sentence uses "unless... ... | |
| help translate into an italian love letter | 7/5/2006 |
| Q: Francesco, After spending a month in Italy, I met a gorgeous italian man (go figure!) and would like ... A: What a lucky man, to receive such a nice letter :-) Caro mio Paolo, buon compleanno! Sono riuscita ... | |
| Tristezza | 6/23/2006 |
| Q: I am a music student learning some music from Francesco Paolo Tosti. I have not been able to find a ... A: Here it is! Guarda; lontan lontano (Look, far far away) muore ne l'onde il sol; (the sun dies in ... | |
| last names | 6/10/2006 |
| Q: What are some examples of Italian last names that do not end in a vowel? A: most names in the region around Venice, in the northeast of Italy, end with a consonant (usually a ... | |
| translation please | 3/30/2006 |
| Q: ..I am working on an art piece about women who have survived breast cancer. I need the phrases: "My ... A: here you are the translations: "my body is my temple" Italian: il mio corpo e' il mio tempio Latin: ... | |
| correction translation | 3/28/2006 |
| Q: it is possible to correct this translation from english to italian? I translate it myself but I ... A: your translation is mostly correct: Molti anni fa, negli anni '50, i giovani avevano molta più ... | |
| Italian language | 3/19/2006 |
| Q: Can you translate for me, literally and colloquially, the question Que pasticcio? A: "che pasticcio!" can be translated as "what a mess!". Pasticcio is, literally, a dish made with ... | |
| Italian Genealogy | 2/21/2006 |
| Q: I am interested in Italian genealogy - especially since that is my family background. My ... A: Gencarello/i is variant of Giancarello, meaning "son, descendant of Giancarlo" or also "little ... | |
| Anema e core and quando, quando | 2/17/2006 |
| Q: I like to sing and sing Italian songs in particular. I also like to understand the lyrics so as to ... A: here you are the two translations; actually, Anema e core is Neapolitan dialect, not Italian: Let's ... | |
| Translation | 1/12/2006 |
| Q: I am writing a novel about the 3rd Crusade and need a little help making sure my Italian ... A: here you are the translations: 1) Non of you may leave = nessuno di voi può partire 2) I seek a man ... | |
| Italian language compared to the English language | 9/29/2005 |
| Q: I am attending college and I am trying to do a paper about the Italian language. My background is ... A: please excuse me for the delayed answer, I hope I can be still helpful! Find some informations about ... | |
| Venezia | 7/10/2005 |
| Q: Salve Francesco, I visited Venice in 1986 and have wanted to go back ever since. I can afford to ... A: I don't know any US travel agency, I'm sorry for it. However, I've read good comments about this ... | |
| Italian prepositions | 7/1/2005 |
| Q: I teach singing in Italy every summer. I get frustrated because I can translate many songs and ... A: actually preositions are one of the most difficult gramatical features of the Italian language! You ... | |
| The Italian song | 5/27/2005 |
| Q: Can you translate phonetic Italian? Oh ma la oh oh me giova oh pe dolae gia po va po e sha me co oh ... A: actually the Italian Song means... nothing! Jon and Vangelis invented a language (they called this ... | |
| language | 4/4/2005 |
| Q: i was wondering if you could give me an opinion on this question? what are the advantages of ... A: I think that studying a new language can be helpful for two reasons: first, it helps you meld with ... | |
| prepositions | 3/1/2005 |
| Q: buongiorno! i have a question about when to use 'in' and 'a' i do not understand why there is a ... A: usually "a" means "at", it's used when you need to talk about moving around, going somewhere etc. ... | |
| Greetings of endearment | 2/16/2005 |
| Q: I understand a gentleman may use the greeting "ciao bella" for a lady. Is there an equivalent or a ... A: actually "ciao bella" is used by young people, or people who know each other very well, since it ... | |
| Pronounciation of Attimi | 1/31/2005 |
| Q: I want to name my portrait studio by an Italian name. I was considering Moments or Beautiful ... A: "moments" literally translates as "momenti" (i = ee as in employEE), so "beautiful moments" can be ... | |
| Italian Surnames | 11/29/2004 |
| Q: Why do some Italian last names not end in a vowel? I know several people of Italian descent of ... A: in the Veneto region, the local dialect often drops the final vowel of a word. this is expecially ... | |
| gaining fluency | 10/26/2004 |
| Q: Salve Francesco, I am a law student and have an opportunity to take courses at La Sapienza and also ... A: Ciao Linda, and please excuse me for the delay in my answer. Actually I don't know any good software ... | |
| abbreviations | 8/16/2004 |
| Q: I can't find what the Italian abbreviations are for the days of the week. The abbreviations for the ... A: you can use these abbreviations for the days of the week, and for the months of the year (please ... | |
| Salve | 7/27/2004 |
| Q: I cannot understand the meaning of some of these sentences from a book I'm reading and was hoping ... A: here you are my translations: -Credo di non averlo mai avvertito prima, vivendo con lui, se non in ... | |
| pronounciation | 7/15/2004 |
| Q: I just purchased a beautiful boat and I want to name her tramonti bei. How do you correctly say it? ... A: Tramonti bei is not correct... I'd say bei tramonti, or tramonti belli (both meaning beautiful ... | |
| Root names | 6/22/2004 |
| Q: Ok, I know that 'Marriotti' is an Italian name. My last name is Marriott. but Marriott appears to be ... A: most probably, Marriott is an English name with a French origin: it is recorded as Mériot, Mériat, ... | |
| allergy translation | 6/14/2004 |
| Q: I will be travelling to Tuscany in a week for my honeymoon and I have one problem...I am allergic to ... A: you can write this on a piece of paper for the waiters: Sono allergico alla frutta secca: mandorle ... | |
| Italian Phrases | 6/12/2004 |
| Q: I am writing a book based on Italian Characters, I need some phrases that I can use. Such as "Boy ... A: I'd translate "boy what's wrong with you?" as "che c'è che non va?" ("what's wrong?") or "hai ... | |
| origins of GILEO | 5/2/2004 |
| Q: I hope you can help! I must say, I have a rather tough question. My great-grandafther's birth name ... A: I don't have many informations for you: nowadays the Gileo surname has disappeared in Italy. It was ... | |
| Love sentences | 4/5/2004 |
| Q: I would like to have some Love sentences translated in Italian. I have tried to translate it by ... A: here you are your translations: I miss you so much --> mi manchi tantissimo I am longing to hold ... | |
| Help with spelling/translation | 3/30/2004 |
| Q: Marchesani, I've heard this Italian word all my life, but I have no idea how to spell it or what ... A: I'm sorry, I cannot understand such a word! It must be some dialectal word, since there's no Italian ... | |
| surname TUA | 3/22/2004 |
| Q: I know that TUA means "yours" in Italian. But I can't understand how it was applied as a surname. ... A: Tua is a surname mostly found in the Piedmont region (area around Turin). It is not related to ... | |
| Italian phrases | 3/10/2004 |
| Q: I am writing a book and one of my characters is an Italian man in his 40's. He's in love with a ... A: here you are a few translations for the phrases you want to use: I love you, my darling Ti amo, ... | |
| Italian Surnames | 6/13/2003 |
| Q: I have a question about Italian surnames. I am half Italian and my maiden name is "Maio". I have ... A: Italian surnames were born during the Middle Ages, as a way to identify people after the Roman name ... | |
| translation | 1/31/2003 |
| Q: I found this phrase on a vintage travel poster of a fox walking through the snow Sii Furbo! ... A: that phrase was probably part of a campaign to promote winter holidays, so it means "be clever, go ... | |
| song translation | 12/7/2002 |
| Q: Marchesani, My question concerns the song Al Di La. I know that translations of songs rarely carry ... A: Al di là (Beyond) I couldn't believe it was possible For these words to be said: Beyond the most ... | |
| Help with spelling/translation | 9/19/2002 |
| Q: Mr. Marchesani, I am an Italian-American who is compiling a cookbook of my family's recipes, most ... A: believe it or not, there's a website devoted to pizzelle! www.pizzelle.com The word pizzella ... | |
| rolling r's | 7/26/2002 |
| Q: My name is Chrissy and I am just starting to learn to speak Italian, the only problem is that I ... A: Rolling r's can be quite difficult if you are not used to it, even some italians cannot do it ... | |
| I need a song translated.. | 7/21/2002 |
| Q: I hope this isn't too much or come off as completely stupid, considering translating the words will ... A: here you are the translation: it's not literal, because some expressions are not used in talian as ... | |
Italian Language
Answers by Expert:
Francesco Marchesani
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I`m interested and have deep knowledge in Italian history, traditions and culture. I can answer your questions on my country`s language and literature, as well as Latin language and literature.
Experience
I live in Pavia (northern Italy, near Milan) and have strong interests in my country's history.
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