Riuscire and Potere. The Difference.
In my experience as an Italian language teacher, students often struggle with the verb riuscire because of its widespread use in informal Italian. The reason is that the Italian verbs potere and riuscire are both frequently used in English with “can” and so,...
Volta, Tempo, Ora: The Difference
Ora, tempo, volta all express, in different ways, the idea of time in English. However, they can’t be used interchangeably, and there’s a stark difference between them. So, what’s the difference between these three words? Volta Volta (or volte, the...
Mentre and Durante: The Difference
Mentre Mentre is a conjugation that is always followed by a verb. In English, the equivalent of mentre is “while.” This word always requires the use of a verb conjugated in the present, past, or future. Mentre and the past A note goes to the use of the...
What’s the meaning of ‘ancora’ in Italian?
How to Use “Ancora” in Italian Ancora is one of those words used in a number of different ways in Italian—and it’s very common. As always, when learning something new, it’s paramount to consider the context and the sentence in which the word is used....
‘Cosa’ and ‘Quale’: The Difference
Because the interrogative word “Quale?” is sometimes translated into English as “Which?” and sometimes with What?, it’s frequently confused with Cosa?, Che? or Che cosa? which are more common translations of What? Cosa? = What? Cosa...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.