Una delle mie studentesse (one of my students), la simpaticissima Lisa DeLucchi, is living her sogno (dream) by spending sette settimane (seven weeks) a Firenze (in Florence), where she has affittato un’appartamento (rented an apartment) and si è iscritta (she has enrolled) a una scuola di lingua italiana (in an Italian language school).

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     I’m pretty certain Lisa’s adventure is a dream shared by many of my students and readers. Che bello allora (how nice then) that Lisa has graciously agreed to share her experiences in a series of guest blogs that I will be featuring here on my website, completo con delle fotografie (complete with photos).

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     Ecco il suo primo blog (here is her first blog post).  Auguri e grazie a Lisa! (Good wishes and thanks to Lisa!)  E a voi, buona lettura. (And to “y’all”, happy reading.)

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My dream journey has officially begun!  After a 13-hour flight from LA to Rome, a 5-hour layover to take a 20-minute flight to Florence and a wild taxi ride from the Vespucci airport to my apartment by a crotch-rearranging driver, I am safely nestled in my abode . I am both  cross-eyed with exhaustion and wide-eyed with excitement.

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My 3rd-story (4th in the US)  apartment is superbly located between the Duomo and Piazza Della Signoria, smack dab in the center of Firenze. It is within walking distance of every amazing sight this gorgeous city has to offer.  My first short stroll was to none other than the wine shop!  The owner was so friendly and we enjoyed a cheery conversation. I naturally left with 2 bottles of vino and some delectable snacks to enjoy while imbibing my first official “bicchiere di vino” in Italy!

I can already tell that I am most definitely an Italian by nature as well as by heritage.  I feel alive here with all of the bustling city noises and rather loud voices resonating up through my open windows.  Life really is more beautiful in Italia!

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Good night and good-bye from Firenze!

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Ecco some Italian vocabulary drawn from Lisa’s blog post:

1. a 13-hour flight: un volo di tredici ore
2. a 5-hour layover: uno scalo di cinque ore
3. exhausted, dead tired: esausto(a), stanco(a) morto(a)
4. excitement,  excited: emozione, emozionato(a)
5. to take a stroll: fare una passeggiata, fare due passi
   
6. a wine shop: un’enoteca
7. a snack: una merenda, uno spuntino, un boccone
   
8. a glass of wine: un bicchiere di vino

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Do you dream of an adventure like Lisa’s? We welcome your comments below!

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E’ arrivato quel momento dell’anno (It’s that time of year) — si torna a scuola! (back to school!)

Here, to build up your repertoire, una manciata di vocaboli italiani riguardanti la scuola (a handful of Italian words related to school): Prendete nota (take note)!

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Here’s how to say them:

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1. Si torna a scuola: Back to school
2. l’educazione: education
3. l’anno scolastico: academic year
4. la scuola materna: nursery school, preschool, kindergarten
5. la scuola elementare: primary, grade, or elementary school
6. la scuola media: middle school
7. la scuola superiore: high school
8. l’universita’: university, college
9. la scuola di lingue: language school
10. la tessera dell’autobus: bus pass
11. il banco, i banchi: school desk, school desks
12. i compiti: homework
13. gli esami: tests
14. i voti: grades
15. una mela per la maestra: an apple for the teacher

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Any words you’d like to add? Jump right in — I love to hear your comments! 

~Jodina

*FALL ITALIAN CLASSES NOW ENROLLING!!*

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“Word Bridge” (photo by Dutch artist Art Rock)

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    “How’s that?,” you say. Well, you might be a student of la bella lingua (Italian’s nickname, meaning, literally, the beautiful language) and speak it with some degree of proficiency, or, you may never have studied the language a day in your life…

Doesn’t matter, you still know un sacco di parole italiane (a sack, or a bunch of, Italian words)… Many words that have found their way into the English language—most of them even appearing in the English dictionary—are actually Italian. Here are a few examples:

Amore

Bambino

Bravo

Capisce

Cappuccino

Ciao

Espresso

Gelato

Mangia!

Mozzarella

Pasta

Pizza

Spaghetti

Tiramisu

Tortellini

Vino

True, many of these are related to food, but they are words, and you use them with ease and know what they mean – in other words, they’re part of your vernacular – you speak Italian!

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[Sidebar: Alternatively, many English terms have been co-opted into daily Italian speech. Among them: il computer, la mountain bike, l’hamburger, l’email, lo scanner, lo shopping, lo scotch (to say Scotch tape), lo yoga, gli short (shorts), il weekend.}

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Then there are the Italian words are so similar to English that they might as well be English, in the sense that you can guess them just by sight (perhaps even by sound). Here’s a sampling of those:

Aeroporto (airport)

Agosto (August)

Americano (American)

Aprile (April)

Attenzione (attention)

Autunno (autumn)

Blu (blue)

Caffè (coffee)

Cinema (cinema)

Communicazione (communication)

Concerto  (concert)

Corretto (correct)

Eccellente  (excellent)

Esatto (exact)

Fotografia (photography)

Frutta (fruit)

Idea (idea)

Importante (important)

Incredibile (incredible)

Informazione (information)

Insalata (salad)

Lettera (letter)

Novembre (November)

Ottobre (October)

Pigiame (pijamas)

Possibile (possible)

Ristorante (restaurant)

Scusi (Excuse me)

Settembre (September)

Tassì (taxi)

Tecnologia (technology)

Telefono (telephone)

Televisione (television)

Temperatura (temperature)

Treno (train)

All these linguistic similarities and borrowings from one language to another are evidence of both common Latin roots and the phenomenon of what I call language or linguistic crossover. Language crossover happens when people from different cultures and countries travel and mix, as is currently happening at a more accelerated pace than ever before, as our world becomes more interconnected with each passing day thanks to the expansion of the internet, social media, and other sharing methods made available by new tecnologia.

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Finally, if you’re also a Spanish speaker, you know even more Italian… So many Spanish and Italian words are nearly identical, with only a small change in spelling and pronunciation. Here’s a sampling:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove)

Acqua (agua)

Bagno (baño)

Banca (banco)

Bandiera (bandera)

Bianco (blanco)

Casa (casa)

Con (con)

Cucina (cocina)

Dentista (dentista)

Dove (donde)

Fiore (flor)

Gatto (gato)

Lampada (lampara)

Libro (libro)

Madre (madre)

Medico (medico)

Padre (padre)

Pane (pan)

Parola (palabra)

Quadro (cuadro)

Quando (cuando)

Quanto (cuanto)

Signora (señora)

Signore (señor)

Signorina (señorita)

Verde (verde)

So, there you have it. If you relish the idea of becoming bilingual (or trilingual), you’re well on your way—you’ve already got an eccellente head start on learning the world’s most beautiful language.  Alla grande! (Great, nice!)

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Che ne pensate? What do you think? How do Italian words and terms show up in your life? Leave a comment below!

Article previously published by Jodina as “You Already Speak Italian—Whether You know It or Not” in Viva l’Italia eZine, Summer 2011, at www.ItalyLocal.org.

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I recently held my first-ever official Italian cooking class.

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While it’s true that I’ve been informally teaching friends and family Italian recipes, tips, and cooking techniques for years… this was my first organized class… and it was a huge success — lots of fun and laughter, and most importantly: good food!!

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One of the stars of the class was the artichoke — featured in the recipe “Carciofi al cartoccio”, or Steam-Roasted  Arthchokes. Just like in Italy, artichokes in California  are plentiful this time of year.

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Being that it’s my birthday week, and as a tip-of-the-hat to Italian traditions whereby on your birthday YOU treat others to something (dinner, drinks, etc) (opposite custom as in the States), I’m going to share my favorite artichoke recipe with you.

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This tasty recipe will have you leccando i baffi (licking your plate, or literally “licking your whiskers”) and your friends asking for the recipe!

Info on upcoming Italian cooking classes

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Jodina demonstrating the recipe in Italian cooking class

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It’s easy; it’s foolproof, and here it is:

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Steam-Roasted Artichokes / “Carciofi al cartoccio”

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Note #1:  In Italian cooking, the term al cartoccio refers to oven-cooking food tightly sealed, usually in aluminum foil, or sometimes oven paper. The unique effect of this method is that while the food is roasting, it is also steaming because all the moisture and juices are sealed in — a technique I have dubbed “steam-roasting”.

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Note #2: Within an Italian menu, this recipe would find its place as a contorno, or side dish, served alongside a secondo piatto (second course) of meat, fish, or poultry.

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Ingredients (per artichoke):

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• Carciofi or artichokes – 1
• Limone or lemon – ½
• Aglio or garlic – 1-3 cloves
• Olio d’oliva or olive oil – about 1 ½-2 tblsp
• Sale or salt – a pinch

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Preparation:

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Preheat oven to 425°

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1. Grab artichoke by stem and cut off approx top 1 in, then cut off stem. If desired trim pokey bits of outer leaves.
2. Put artichoke in a bowl to catch all juices
3. To prevent browning, squeeze juice of ½ a lemon over the cut parts
4. Use hands to open out and separate the artichoke leaves a bit
5. Use knife to poke down thru the center of the choke to open it up a bit
6. Drizzle about 1 ½-2 tblsp olive oil into the cracks and crevices between leaves
7. In the middle (purple part) insert garlic clove(s)
8. Sprinkle over top a big healthy pinch of ground sea salt (or kosher salt)
9. Place in center of a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and drizzle over the juices from the bowl and tightly wrap the artichoke. Repeat with a second piece of foil.
10. Be sure to wrap tightly to prevent the air escaping and to hold in the moisture.

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Cook for approx 1 hr, 20 min

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Foil-wrapped artichokes just out of the oven

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When cool enough to handle, unwrap and eat. If desired, dip in melted butter.

(Optional: use roasted garlic cloves to make garlic butter.)

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Buon appetito!

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I’ll bet you’re on your way to the store right now for some fresh artichokes — Let me know how they turn out!

Leave comments on artichokes, Italian cooking, and anything else below!

Uova di Pasqua: Italian Easter eggs.

Rather than receiving baskets filled with candy,

Italian children receive large, elaborately wrapped,

hollow chocolate eggs with a surprise gift(s) inside.

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I found the following anonymous poesia (poem) on filastrocche.it, a website in Italian for Italian children and their parents — featuring jokes, activities, etc. related to holidays and other special days — a great study tool.

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I used the poem in my Italian Conversation & Study group, and they enjoyed it so much that I decided to share it on my blog. The translation is mine. Enjoy.

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Buona Pasqua!

Happy Easter!

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Nei miei sogni ho immaginato

In my dreams I imagined

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un grande uovo colorato.

a big colored egg.

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Per chi era? Per la gente

Who was it for? For the people

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dall’Oriente all’Occidene:

from the Orient to the Occident (West)

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Pieno, pieno di sorprese

Full, full of surprises

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destinate ad ogni paese.

meant for every country.

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C’era dentro la saggezza

There was inside wisdom

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e poi tanta tenerezza,

and then lots of tenderness,

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l’altruismo, la bontà,

altruism, goodness,

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gioia in grande quantità.

joy in great quantity.

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Tanta pace, tanto amore

Much peace, much love

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da riempire ogni cuore.

to fill every heart.

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I wish everyone — however you celebrate this time of year —

Love, Health, and Abundance.  Auguri!

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Did you enjoy this poesia? How do you celebrate this time of year? I’d love to hear your comments below!

Charlie Sheen prende in giro un programma di cucina (CS spoofs a cooking show)

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L’altra sera in classe, uno studente ha cominciato di parlare di Charlie Sheen. (The other evening in class, a student started talking about Charlie Sheen.)

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Oddio ho pensato, finora  ero completamente riusciuta ad evitare i sordidi dettagli della star del momento nel mondo dei pettegolezzi. (Good grief I thought, until then I’d managed to completely avoid the sordid details of  the star of the moment in the world of gossip.)

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Va bene ho detto alla classe, ma se volete parlare di Charlie Sheen (Carletto Lucentezza in Italian!) perlomeno facciamolo in modo che vi aiuti ad imparare l’italiano. (Alright I said to the class, but if you want to talk about Charlie Sheen, at least lets do it in a way that helps you learn Italian.)

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Ditemi qualche verbo che vi viene in mente quando pensate a lui. (Tell me some verbs that come to mind when you think of him.)

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E così il più famoso mascalzone del giorno ha finalmente potuto servire ad uno scopo utile…(And in this way, the most famous ‘bad boy’ of the day finally got to serve a useful purpose…) 

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… La bizzarra storia di Carletto Lucentezza ha ispirato una bella lezione di coniugazione di verbi italiani nel presente indicativo. (… The bizzarre story of Charlie Sheen inspired a great lesson in conjugating Italian verbs in the present indicative tense.)

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* V I N C E N T E ! *(WINNING!)

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Eccone i verbi ispirati da Carletto Lucentezza

(Here are those verbs inspired by Charlie Sheen):

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Here’s how to say them:

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First conjugation/-are verbs:

1. recitare = to act (in the sense of TV or theater), e.g., “Charlie Sheen ha recitato in vari film e programmi televisivi.” (Charlie Sheen has acted in various films and TV shows.)
2. drogarsi = to use drugs, to drug oneself, e.g., “Lui parla apertamente di drogarsi.” (He speaks openly about using drugs.)
3. rovinare = to ruin, e.g., “Le sue azioni stanno rovinando la sua reputazione.” (His actions are ruining his reputation.)
4. tifare = to cheer on or root for. One student said, “Facevo il tifo per Charlie, ma ora è troppo sopra le righe.” (I used to root for him Charlie, but now he’s gone too far.)
5. approfittare = to take advantage or make the most of, e.g., Lui approfitta della situazione.” (He takes/is taking advantage of the situation.)
6. ignorare = to ignore, e.g., È quasi impossibile ignorare la bizzarra storia di Charlie Sheen.” (It’s almost impossible to ignore the bizarre story of Charlie Sheen.)

Second conjugation/-ere verbs

1. deludere = to delude or let down, e.g., “Charlie Sheen ha deluso i suoi fans.” (Charlie has let his fans down.)
2. offendere = to offend, e.g., “Le sue azione offendono molte persone.” (His actions offend many people.)
3. ricevere = to receive, e.g., Lui riceve 2 millioni di dollari per ogni episodio di Due uomini e mezzo.” (He receives $2 million for each episode of Two and a Half Men.)

Third conjugation/-ire verbs:

1. impazzire (impazzirsi) = to go mad, crazy, e.g., “Charlie Sheen si è impazzito.” (Charlie Sheen has gone crazy.)
2. dire = to say, e.g., “Dice delle cose che non hanno senso.” (He says things that don’t make sense.)
3. capire = to understand, e.g.,  “Il pubblico non capisce il suo strano comportamento.” (The public doesn’t understand his strange behavior.)

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Due uomini e mezzo / Two and a Half Men, in Italian

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What do you think of Charlie Sheen?

What verbs or vocabulary does he bring to mind for you?

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Leave your comments below the sign-up/updates form!

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Italy turned 150 today, which might surprise you. With so many ancient ruins and all the Renaissance and other historical works of art… you might wonder how the country could be so young.

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And your surprise would be completely comprehensible. The land we now know as Italy was once home to the Roman empire and much later witness to the end of the dark ages and birthplace of the Renaissance or golden age of art and culture.

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Italian hero General Giuseppe Garibaldi

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But as an actual country, Italia has only been around for 150 years. It was in 1861 that General Garibaldi, under orders of the then Re (King) Vittorio Emanuale, king of strongest kingdom in Italy at the time (located in Piemonte and pertaining to the  Savoy) led the Italian unification campaign il Risorgimento. Il Risorgimento (“The Resurgence”, a political and social movement to agglomerate different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy) successfully unified and liberated the peninsula from foreign domination (at that time from the Bourbons and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the last in a long line of foreign dominators). Thus Italia was born.

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Garibaldi & his army of red shirts, or ‘camicie rosse’

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At that time, there were vast regional differences in culture and language throughout the Italian peninsula, a land mass which is also very geographically diverse. Though Italian did exist as a language (that had started to develop and be crafted following Dante’s works), relatively few of the new Italians spoke their now national language with ease.

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In large part, many regional differences (as well as antagonisms and rivalries) still exist today. And most Italians have a strong regional affinity and identification. It is not uncommon to find people who identify themselves first as Roman, Venetian, Tuscan, Pugliese, Siciliano, etc. and then as Italian. And many still speak the dialect of their region, province, or town.

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Somewhere in the 1950s, as television became more widespread in Italy, so did a growing general knowledge and familiarity with the standard language. Today it would be very uncommon if not impossible to find someone who has gone through the public education system in Italy that does not speak Italian.

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And though there may still be regional antogonisms, the anniversario dell’Unità d’Italia (anniversary of the  unity of Italy) is a time to remember past struggles, celebrate the resulting freedoms, and to look forward to a future that both honors regional richness and a national unity and identity consisting of a patchwork of this rich regional tapestry, united perhaps by the love of art, culture, and cuisine that are so much an integral part of this beautiful and diverse country.

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Any comments and observations are welcome — Leave them in the Reply section under the Updates/Sign-up form below.

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Auguri Italia! 

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Mimosa Flowers

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March 8th is International Women’s Day. This day is observed widely in many countries around the world. Oddly, it is not observed in the United States. In fact, the first time I’d heard of it was shortly after I’d moved to Italy.

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In italia la Festa della Donna si festeggia l’8 di marzo.  (In Italy, Women’s day is celebrated on March 8th.)

Gli uomini regalano i fiori, solitamente le mimose, alle colleghe di lavoro e a tutte le altre donne importanti nelle loro vite… mamme, sorelle, fidanzate, ragazze, ecc. (Men give flowers, usually mimosas, to their female colleagues and to all the other important women in their lives… moms, sisters, fiances, girlfriends, etc.)

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Mimosa Cocktails

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Contrary to popular belief, the mimosa is not just a popular cocktail made from succo d’arancia (orange juice) and champagne, though I suspect this drink was inspired by the true mimosa. The mimosa is the fragrant and fluffy yellow pom-pom-like flower of the acacia tree.

California is full of these trees this time of year, as is Italy, which is why this flower is so common on this day.  I love the smell of these flowers — their fragrance zooms me straight back to wonderful memories.

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Here are a few Women’s Day auguri (greetings) for a mini vocabulary lesson:

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Listen & Practice Your Pronunciation!

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1. “Questa mimosa è bella come te che splendi e profumi nel giorno della tua festa.” (This mimosa is as beautiful as you that shine and are fragrant on your special day.)
2. “Auguri a tutte le donne del mondo ed in particolare alla mia che è la più bella che ci sia!” (Good wishes to all the women of the world and in particular to mine who is the most beautiful there is!)
3. “La donna è la colonna portante del mondo, senza te tutto crollerebbe e la nostra famiglia andrebbe in rovina… Grazie donna, grazie mamma.” (The woman is the main supporting column of the world, without you everything would collapse and our family would go into ruin… Thank you woman, thank you mom.)

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Women’s Day is a celebration of all that is wonderful about women, and it is a day to pause and reflect on the accomplishments and importance of the role of women in our world. It is also a moment to consider improvements and changes needed to better the quality of life of women in general, and especially of women and girls whose rights and life conditions are extremely compromised or perilous.

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Remember to give an extra hug or shout out to the women who matter in your life today. And remember also the women whose lives are not what they could be. We’ve come a long way baby, ma c’è ne ancora di strada da fare! (there’s still a ways to go!)

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Have you heard of Women’s Day before? Do you celebrate it? Which mimosa do you prefer, the flower or the cocktail? Leave a comment beneath the sign up form below!

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L'amore è nell'aria (Love is in the air)

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In onore della stagione d’amore e il giorno di San Valentino (in honor of the season of love and Valentine’s Day), dedico questa puntata del blog ad alcuni proverbi, frasi e una canzone d’amore italiani (I dedicate this blog post to a few Italian love proverbs, phrases and a song).

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To all my readers, romanticoni e non (‘big romantics’ and not), this Valentine is for you!

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Con affetto,

Jodina

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Proverbi & Citazioni (Proverbs & Quotes)

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Listen & Practice Your Pronunciation

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1. L’amore non conosce misura. (Love does not know measure. Similar to ‘love knows no limits.’)
2. Il cuore è una ricchezza che non si vende e non si compra, ma si regala. (The heart is a ‘wealth’/treasure that is not sold or bought, but that is given.)
3. Di tutte le arti maestro è l’amore. (Of all the arts, love is the master.)
4. Amare significa correre con il cuore verso l’oggetto amato. Giovanni Paolo I (Love means to run with your heart toward the object of love.)
5. L’amore è cieco, ma vede lontano. (Love is blind, but it sees far.)

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“L‘amore è nell’aria” (Love is in the Air) by Zucchero

I Testi (The Lyrics)

Non va’ via
Questa mia
Azzurra poesia
Non va’ via
In un mondo che non c’e’
Resta mia
Dentro giorni misteriosi…….
Non va’ via
L’amore e’ nell’aria
Sta con me
L’estate x te
Non va via
E’ l’amore che torna
In mia e tua sola compagnia!
Sta con me
Questa mia
Decente melodia
Sta con me
Dentro cattedrali di luce
Non va via
L’amore e’ nell’aria
Sta con te
Sorella d’estate
Non va’ via
E’ l’amore che torna
X me, x te, a farci compagnia!
She’s coming
She’s coming
Yeah she’s coming
Se ti ascolti capirai…che
Non va via
L’amore e’ nell’aria
Sta con me
L’estate x te
Non va’ via
E’ l’amore che torna
Non va’ + via
L’amore e’ nell’aria
X me, x te, a farci compagnia
Sta con me
Non va’ via…non va’ via!.

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And now, some Frasi d’amore italiane (Italian Love phrases) you can use to woo your valentine…

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1. • Buon San Valentino (Happy Valentine’s Day)
2. • Ti amo. (I love you. Used only for romantic love.)
3. • Ti adoro. (I adore you.)
4. • Amore mio (My love, my beloved)
5. • Tesoro mio (My treasure)
6. • Ti voglio bene. (I love/care about you. Used for all types of relationships: family, friends, lovers.)
7. • I tuoi occhi brillano come le stelle. (Your eyes shine like stars.)
8. • Sei bella come una rosa. (You are as beautiful as a rose.)
9. • Per sempre (Forever)
10. • Per sempre tua/o (Forever yours)
11. • Sono pazza/o di te. (I’m crazy for you.)
12. • Anima mia (My soul)
13. • Sei incredibile. (You’re incredible.)
14. • Sei bellissima/o. (You’re beautiful.)
15. • Sei un dono. (You are a gift.)
16. • Sei stupenda/o. (You’re fantastic.)

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Now that you know what to say, send an Italian card from Kisseo online Italian cards, but before you go, show me some love, and leave a comment below letting me know you liked this post.

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Grazie, siete fantastici!  Buon San Valentino!

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Perhaps one of your new year’s resolutions is to migliorare (improve) in italiano. As a way to expand and improve your vocabulary of Italian words, I thought it might be useful and interesting to share some of the new Italian words that have come up in recent conversations with my students.

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Do you have any secrets for committing new words to memory? Many of my students use flashcards that they make using index cards. This is an excellent method for increasing your vocabulary, especially because they’re easy to take anywhere and to review in those little ‘dead’ spaces of time (waiting in line, or for the bus, the microwave, the doctor, the kids, or the light to turn green, etc, etc, etc).

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"Parole" is the Italian word for "words"

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I read recently that researchers have found that it’s necessary to repeat a new word 160 times before it becomes lodged in your memory and part of your ‘repertoire’.  Wow.  160 does sound like a lot of times.  But, since many experts of psychology tell us that our inner dialog mostly consists of the same thoughts over and over (many of them supposedly not so positive), why not mix it up and repeat some new words over and over?  It sure would be a more productive use of our tendency towards being mentally repetitive!

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At the end of the blog, please let me know if you’ve found this useful. And, of course, please share any new Italian words that you’ve come across recently!

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Listen & Practice Your Pronunciation:

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1. Originariamente = (adverb) originally, initially. E.g., Originariamente il vestito di Babbo Natale era verde, non rosso come siamo abituati a vederlo. (Originally, Santa Claus’ suit was green, not red as we are used to seeing it.)  Note: ‘Originalmente’ is not an Italian word.
2. Avere senso = (verb phrase) to make sense (lit. to ‘have sense’). E.g., Questa storia non ha senso. (This story doesn’t make sense.)
3. Avere ragione = (verb phrase) to be right (lit. to ‘have reason’). E.g., Elena ha ragione e Luigi ha torto. (Elena is right and Luigi is wrong.)
4. Avere torto = (verb phrase) to be wrong/ in the wrong/ mistaken; see example for #3.
5. Acciacco = (noun) infirmity, ailment, complaint, ache, pain. E.g., ‘gli acciacchi della vecchiaia’ (the infirmities of old age); ‘essere pieno di acciacchi’ (to be full of aches and pains.)
6. Nemmeno = (adverb) not even. E.g., Non l’ho nemmeno visto. (I didn’t even see him.) (Conjunction) not… either, neither, nor. E.g., Tu non lo vuoi? Nemmeno io.’ (You don’t want it? Neither/Nor do I. Or, I don’t either).
7. Ogni altra volta, Ogni altro giorno/ mese/ anno, ecc = (adverbial phrase) Every other time, every other day/ month/ year, etc. E.g., Il mio proposito quest’anno è di andare in palestra ogni altro giorno. (My intention/goal/resolution this year is to go to the gym every other day.)
8. Gioioso = (adjective) joyous. E.g., Vi auguro un gioioso anno nuovo. (I wish you a joyous new year).
9. Proposito = (noun) goal, aim, intention; see example for #7.
10. Propositi per l’anno nuovo = new year’s resolutions, E.g., Quali sono i vostri propositi per l’anno nuovo? (What are your new year’s resolutions?). If you’d like, please write about them below, in Italian or in English.  The comments section is below the sign-up form.

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Auguri a tutti per un fantastico 2011 pieno di propositi realizzati! (Best wishes to all for a fantastic 2011, full of accomplished resolutions!)

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