Ecco il detto di questa settimana:  {Here’s this week’s saying.}

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“A goccia a goccia si scava la roccia.”

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Listen to pronunciation:

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Translation: Drop by drop, rock is eroded.

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Spiegazione (Explanation, a translation follows):
Questo detto italiano è una metafora: L’acqua, che è una sostanza “molle” non può intaccare la pietra che invece è dura e resistente. Ma cadendo goccia dopo goccia, l’acqua riesce, nel tempo, a scavarla!

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Il senso del proverbio è che con la perseveranza si ottengono risultati all’inizio inimmaginabili.

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Un altro modo di dire questo è che con la costanza, indipendentemente dagli ostacoli, si cambiano le cose.

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Translation:

This Italian saying is a metaphor: Water, which is a “soft” substance, cannot nick rock, which instead is hard and resists. But falling drop after drop, water, in time, succeeds in eroding it!

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The sense of the proverb is that with perseverance we can achieve results that at the beginning are unimaginable.

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Another way to say this is that with steadfastness, regardless of obstacles, things can be changed.

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This saying comes from the Latin proverb “Gutta cavat lapidem”, (“Drop erodes stone”).

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I challenge you to memorize this week’s phrase. Take me up on this, and treat yourself to a sense of accomplishment!

With perseverance, everything is possible!

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Do you have any favorite Italian proverbs you’d like to share?

I’d love to hear them — leave a comment below!

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L’autunno è arrivato!  Che bello!  (Autumn has arrived! How nice!)

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Here, a few autumn-inspired verbs for this installment of

I Verbi del Venerdì (The Verbs of Friday).

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Rastrellare ▪ Accorciare ▪ Riscaldare ▪ Ammirare ▪ Festeggiare ▪ Progettare

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Listen here for pronunciation:

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Pay close attention to the verbs with double consonants — to correctly pronounce them, pause for an extra beat on the double consonant.

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Here’s what they mean. Notice how for some, there’s a root word or a more common Italian word within the verb that you may already know — a good trick for remembering the meanings.

1. Rastrellare: to rake (noun = il rastrello). Example: Quando cascono le foglie dagli alberi sul prato, alcune persone le rastrellano. (When the leaves fall from the trees onto the lawn, some people rake them.)
2. Accorciare/Accorciarsi: to shorten/become shorter. (Root word = corto = short) Example: In autunno i giorni si accorciano. (In fall, the days become shorter.)
3. Riscaldare/riscaldarsi: to heat (oneself) or to warm up. (Root word = caldo = hot) Example: Quando il tempo fa più fresco è bello riscaldarsi davanti ad un bel fuoco caldo a legna. (When the weather is cooler, it’s nice to warm up in front of a nice hot wood fire.)



4. Ammirare: to admire. Example: In autunno ammiro i bei colori delle foglie mentre cammino per la campagna. (In fall, I admire the beautiful colors of the leaves as I walk through the countryside.)
5. Festeggiare: to celebrate. (Root word = festa = party) Example: Tanti persone festeggiano i giorni speciali che cadono in autunno: negli Stati Uniti c’è Halloween e il Giorno di Ringraziamento, nei paesi cattolici c’e` il Giorno di Tutti i Santi e il Giorno dei Morti. (Many people celebrate  the special days that take place in autumn: In the United States there’s Halloween and Thanksgiving. In Catholic countries, there’s All Saints Day and Day of the Dead.)
6. Progettare: to plan, organize. (Root word = progetto = project). Example: È anche commune in autunno di incominciare a progettare per le feste e le ferie invernali a fine anno. (It’s also common in fall to start planning for winter holidays and end-of-year vacations.)

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E tu? (And you?) Have you got any favorite Italian fall words? Or autumn activities? Please do share! Leave a comment below.

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Since this week started out with la Festa di San Gennaro (The Feast & Celebration of Saint Gennaro), patron saint of Napoli aka Naples, what better song for this installment of Musica del Mercoledì (Music Wednesday) than the traditional canzone napoletana (Neapolitan song) “Santa Lucia.”

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Borgo Santo Lucia, Baia di Napoli, in earlier days

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Dating back to 1849 and originally titled “Barcarolla,” the song became “Santa Lucia” when it was the first Neapolitan song to be translated into Italian during  il Risorgimento (the political and social movement that gathered different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy).

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Borgo Santo Lucia, Baia di Napoli, today

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The lyrics of “Santa Lucia,” which celebrate Borgo Santa Lucia, the picturesque waterfront district in the Bay of Naples, are the invitation of a boatman to take a turn in his boat, to better enjoy the cool of the evening.

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“Santa Lucia” has been covered by many artists over the years, but the 1916 recording  by Enrico Caruso, the great Neapolitan opera singer, is by many considered the definitive 20th century recording of the song. Other singers who’ve lent their voci (voices) to “Santa Lucia” include, Mario Lanza, Luciano Pavarotti, and even Elvis!

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Digitally remastered Enrico Caruso recording from 1916. Video also features remastered historical film clips of Caruso.

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Elvis sings “Santa Lucia.”  Video features scenes of beautiful Borgo Santa Lucia.

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Luciano Pavarrotti sings Santa Lucia.

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How about you?

Do you have a favorite canzone napoletana? Which of these three versions of “Santa Lucia” do you like best? Is there another one you like more?

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I’d love to hear from you — leave a comment below!

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More info on Santa Lucia here.

Proverbs, sayings, and idiomatic expressions are a rich way to learn new words and gain insight into the colloquial side of a language. Italian, like other languages, has a wealth of these enlightening expressions — some wise and others witty.

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Because they are usually brief, they can be almost like a mini lesson in themselves.
I challenge you to memorize this week’s phrase. Take me up on this, and treat yourself to a sense of accomplishment!

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(Here’s the saying for this Sunday.)

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“Chi dorme non piglia pesci.”

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LISTEN TO PRONUNCIATION:

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SPEIGAZIONE (EXPLANATION):

Literally translated this phrase in English is “He who who sleeps doesn’t catch fish.”

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Metaphorically of course, this proverb refers to opportunities missed (fish not caught) because one is some other non-productive activity (such as sleeping).

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The closest English equivalent is the saying “You snooze, you lose.”

The message in “Chi dorme non piglia pesci is also echoed in the English proverb, “The early bird gets the worm.”

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“Chi dorme non piglia pesci è un buon detto per l’autunno quando tutti stanno ritornando a scuola e hanno nuovi impegni. È  anche un buon ricordo di quanto importante è di puntare la sveglia ed andare a dormire presto!

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(“He who sleeps doesn’t catch fish” is a good saying for autumn when everyone is returning to school and has new tasks and commitments. It’s also a good reminder of how important it is to set your alarm clock and get to sleep early!)

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Buoni studi, sogni d’oro, e buona pesca!

(Good studying, sweet dreams, and good fishing!)

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What’s an Italian or English proverb that you like?

I’d love to hear it — leave a comment below!

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