12/10/08 - -Isc Type Italian Verbs
Most Italian verbs are regular verbs, meaning they are conjugated following a regular pattern. But there is a special group of third conjugation Italian verbs that requires the suffix -isc- to be added to the stem of certain tenses.

11/26/08 - Beware False Friends in Italian
There are many types of Italian friends, for example: amici del cuore (close friends), amici fraterni (fraternal friends), and amici d'infanzia (childhood friends). One type of Italian friend to beware of, though, is the falso amico.

10/29/08 - Italian Language Week: Italian in the Piazza
That's the theme chosen for the eighth annual "Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo" (Italian Language in the World Week), which will take place from October 20th to the 26th in Italy.

10/15/08 - Fra Virgolette
Italian quotation marks (le virgolette) are sometimes treated as an afterthought in the classroom and in textbooks, but to English-speaking natives reading Italian newspapers, magazines, or books, it's fairly obvious that there are differences in both the symbols themselves and how they are used.

09/17/08 - La D Eufonica
In the Italian language la d eufonica is an euphonic phenomenon, in both spoken and written Italian, in which the letter d is appended to the words a (to, at, in), e (and), and o (or) when the following word begins with a vowel.

09/03/08 - iPhone Apps for Italian Language Learners
If you're one of the many iPhone owners who have been part of iPhone mania, there's another reason to fare il tifo (support, cheer on). You can learn Italian with iPhone apps!

08/20/08 - Standard Italian (Not) Spoken Here
Standard Italian. That's what's spoken in Italy, and that's what you study in textbooks. Otherwise, why would you study it? In fact, the reality is a bit more complicated.

08/06/08 - Linguality Italian Book Club
Reading Italian literature can be demanding for non-native speakers since frequently referring to a dictionary can become tedious. Fortunately, there's a new way to read recently published Italian fiction and nonfiction almost as effortlessly as reading books in English—the Linguality Italian Book Club.

07/23/08 - Italian Holidays
Italian holidays, festivals, and feast days reflect Italian culture, history, and religious practices. Some Italian holidays are similar to those celebrated throughout many other parts of the world, while others are unique to Italy.

07/09/08 - Every Tom, Dick, and Sempronio
Every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Ever hear someone use that expression to indicate multiple unspecified people? In Italian, the analogous phrase is: ogni Tizio, Caio, e Sempronio.

06/25/08 - Names For Italian Inhabitants
Romans come from Rome. Sardinians come from Sardinia. And Venetians come from Venice. But how do Italians refer to themselves in their native language?

06/11/08 - Italian Modifying Suffixes
Sometimes an Italian noun can be modified to express a particular quality without using a qualifying adjective. These nouns are created by taking the root of the noun and adding a suffix. Italian nouns formed this way are called i nomi alterati (altered, or modified, nouns).

05/28/08 - Forgotten Italian Subject Pronouns
Usually one of the first Italian language lessons that beginners study is Italian subject pronouns. Too often, though, there's a whole subset of Italian subject pronouns that's given scant attention.

05/14/08 - Va' All'Inferno
While the sentiment isn't simpatico, sometimes you're forced to proclaim it: Go to Hell! It could be in response to a perceived insult, a misdeed, or an instance of road rage. Whatever the reason, there are a number of nuanced ways to express your wrath in Italian.

04/30/08 - Verbi Pronominali
Ever encounter a verb such as curarsene or avercela and wonder about the ending? Italian pronominal verbs (verbi pronominali) are verbs conjugated with two different pronoun particles and are often used idiomatically.

04/16/08 - Arrivederci AP Italian Language and Culture
Discontinue AP Italian? After only being offered as an advanced placement course for the past three years, Advanced Placement Italian Language and Culture is slated to be eliminated after the May 2009 test.

04/02/08 - Italian Addventures
Ready for an Italian addventure? That's not a misspelling. An "addventure" is a type of collaborative interactive fiction in which many authors contribute to a story. It's a phenomenon that has grown recently with the introduction of technology such as wikis and other content management systems that make it easier for groups to contribute or modify text.

03/19/08 - The One-Two Punch: Italian Verbs and Prepositions
If you've learned how to conjugate Italian verbs, you'll soon discover that there's another important part of the grammatical puzzle to master: what simple prepositions follow certain Italian verbs and expressions.

03/05/08 - Home Is Where the Hearth Is
Houses in Italy run the gamut from the modest to the extravagant. There are many surviving villas and Renaissance palazzi (palaces) that were originally built by popes, dukes, and wealthy traders.

02/20/08 - Italian For Travelers
Taking a trip to Italy and want to learn Italian? Whether you're sight-seeing in such world-famous cities as Florence, Rome, and Venice, on a business trip in Milan, or reuniting with family, there are a multitude of ways to improve your Italian before traveling to Italy.

02/06/08 - The Italian Phonetic Alphabet
The Italian phonetic alphabet is used to sound out the spelling of a word in Italian. By convention there are certain cities (or alternate terms) that are most commonly used to refer to each letter of the Italian alphabet.

01/23/08 - Think Like An Italian, Speak Like An Italian
If you want to learn Italian, forget your native tongue. If you want to achieve competency in Italian, you must think like an Italian—and that means getting rid of the helpers that are really hindrances and standing on your own two (linguistic) feet.

01/09/08 - Italian By The Numbers
If you travel to Italy and don't speak Italian, it seems as if everyone is speaking...Italian! But in fact, there are several different languages spoken in Italy, as well as a number of dialects.

More Features...

2009 Weekly Feature Articles
2008 Weekly Feature Articles
2007 Weekly Feature Articles
2006 Weekly Feature Articles
2005 Weekly Feature Articles
2004 Weekly Feature Articles
2003 Weekly Feature Articles
2002 Weekly Feature Articles
2001 Weekly Feature Articles
2000 Weekly Feature Articles
1999 Weekly Feature Articles