………………. Favorite Italian Words

{Foreword: I’ve been a bit ‘AWOL’ and remiss about blogging since the end of my Spring Italian classes — needed a bit of time away. But I am back — Eccomi! or ‘Here I am!’}

Ciao!

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As a self-professed grammar geek and word fiend, being asked to do a blog post on my five favorite Italian words (cinque parole italiane preferite) left me with ‘l’imbarazzo della scelta’… (literally meaning the ’embarassment of the choice’) as in Italian there are, as many know, an overwhelming number of amazing words to choose from.

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I decided to go with some of the first favorites that popped into mind.

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Ecco le mie cinque parole italiane preferite (Here are my five favorite Italian words):

1. 1. Cicciotto(a) /chee-choh-toh/– coming from the word ‘ciccio’, and meaning ‘chubby’ (but not fat). I like this word for a couple of reasons… it’s fun to say — I like the way it feels in my mouth, and by adding the ‘-otto’ suffix, it changes to a word used as a term of endearment or a nickname… reminding me of an old friend back in Italy that we used to call Ciccio or Ciccioto. It also reminds me of a student I once had (a Brazilian woman studying English) who would address me as ‘Teacher’. Owing to her lovely Portuguese accent, it came out sounding like ‘ciccia’ — as if every time she asked me a question she were calling me ‘Chubby’. It was hard to keep a straight face, and finally I had to insist she use my first name!
2. Ridimensionare, meaning to re-dimension or re-frame. This word is often used when one is in a state of upset over some situation. A friend might suggest, “Cerchi di ridimensionare” (Try to re-dimension) — an invitation to step back from whatever drama is at hand and re-frame or view it from a perspective that makes it easier to handle… in essence to ‘shrink’ the difficult situation in your mind’s eye  and make it easier to deal with. I love the concept.
3. Scommettiamo?, meaning ‘Shall we bet?, or Wanna bet? (from the verb ‘scommettere’, to bet). Used more often to line up in cahoots with someone over a forgone conclusion than to actually bet money, also to challenge someone’s idea. Example: Scomettiamo che anche questa volta Luigi ‘dimentica’ il suo portafoglio? (Wanna bet that once again Luigi ‘forgets’ his wallet?). Other phrases: ‘Ci puoi scommettere/ Puoi scommettere’ (You can bet/count on it.), ‘Ci puoi scommettere la testa!’ (You (can) bet your life!)
4. Pisolino, meaning ‘nap’. Phrase: ‘fare un pisolino’ (to have or take a nap). I think this is just the cutest word! It’s the only way to say nap in Italian (riposare = to rest, but it’s not quite the same). One funny thing about it is that the suffix ‘-ino’ usually changes a word to the diminutive. But in this case, ‘piso’ on it’s own is not a word. ‘Pisolino’ sounds like baby talk to my ears, and reminds me of ‘pisello’ or ‘pea’ — also a little thing. What’s cute, is that whether a person is 4 or 54, to take a nap they still have to say they’re going to ‘fare un pisolino’. To my ears it’s very sweet!
5. Scherzare, meaning to joke. (In musical terminology it means ‘a movement or passage of light or playful character’.) I think I love this word because (a) it’s fun to say, phonetically ==> /scaret-SAH-ray/, and (b) for its crazy-looking spelling. It’s also one of my favorite things to do — joke around. A few phrases: ‘Non scherzare!’ (Don’t joke!), ‘Scherzi?’ (Are you joking/kidding?), and ‘Sto scherzando!’ (I’m joking!). Also, ‘scherzi a parte’ (joking aside, seriously), ‘uno scherzo di natura’ (a freak of nature), and ‘fare uno scherzo a qualcuno’ (to play a joke on someone).

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What are your favorite Italian words? I’d love to know! You can share your favorite Italian words by leaving  a comment below in the “Leave A Reply” space.

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I was invited to write on this theme by fellow Italian blogger and friend Melissa Muldoon of Diario di una Studentessa Matta (blog post: ‘five favorite Italian words‘) as part of a meme to help share and promote Italian language learning, inspired by a post originating on the Italofile blog.

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