Italian Prepositions: The Many Meanings of “Da”
If you’ve ever studied Italian, you’ve probably realized that prepositions are one of the trickiest parts of the language. That’s because English and Italian prepositions don’t match up perfectly: there’s no neat one-to-one correspondence. Take the preposition da, for...
Italian Comparatives: using ‘che’ or ‘di’
What’s a ‘comparative’ in Italian? The Italian comparatives express how to say more then, less than, the same as. We call this comparativo di maggioranza: La casa di Maria è più grande di quella di Lucia – Maria’s house is...
Dovere, avere bisogno, servire, bisogna: The Difference
In this post, I want to discuss the differences between three Italian verbs that are often confused. Each of them expresses a need in English. However, they are used in different contexts and are not interchangeable. What’s the difference between dovere,...
49 Italian Words and Phrases for Cooking
The kitchen in Italy is, without any doubts, the most favorite room in an Italian household. Having a big, bright and fully-equipped kitchen is the dream of every one of us! Why so? The kitchen for Italians is not just a place where you get some food ready and run...About
Ciao! I'm Serena, and I'm the creator of Smart Italian Learning. I am the head teacher of a small language school. We offer online, in-person and video courses for Italian learners, with a focus on adult English native speakers. Our courses are based on our passion for teaching and our experience as long-term adult language learners. You can meet us online, or in person in Rome.