When speaking a new language, you’ll find that many things about it are different compared to the language you’re used to. Sounds, words, grammar, everything is...foreign? Well, yes, of course.  But maybe you haven’t yet thought about whether or not the sentence structure and word order are different, too.  First of all, what do we mean by that? We’re talking about the basic word order, the correct sequence of all the elements that form the basic structure of a sentence. If you compare the English and Italian sentence structure, you’ll definitely find differences that might create some confusion, especially when you get to negative sentences, questions, and complex phrases. But don’t worry about it; we’re here to help you with... Show more

Why is it important to study the most useful Italian compliments? Nothing makes people feel more important, appreciated, and good about themselves than compliments. By complimenting a girl, a friend, or a chef for their very good food, you set out to a good start in any relationship. Not to mention that the occasional compliment is an indispensable part of polite conversations. First of all, let’s remember that the two most basic Italian compliments are bello/a ("beautiful," "nice" ) and bravo/a ("good," "able" ). We’ll see how they can be used in different ways, and how you can fare bella figura, or "make a good impression," using these common Italian compliments and praise words. Table of Contents Ciao bella! Complimenting... Show more

Why is it important to study Italian gender rules? Unlike in English, gender in Italian is the first characteristic of every noun. In Italian, everything has a gender, and you need to know which gender it is to use a noun with the correct article, adjective, or pronoun. When you search for a word in an Italian dictionary, you’ll always find the gender next to it (m/f). You won’t find a neutral gender for Italian names, but from day one of your Italian class, you’ll start hearing that everything has to "agree." This means that all parts of the phrase have to be in accordance with the word gender (and number). So, here we go with a simple grammar guide about the gender of nouns in Italian. Table of Contents What is Word Gender? ... Show more

Italians are known for expressing their emotions and for being passionate, a little loud, and definitely creative. So, it’s no surprise that when Italians get angry—and they do get angry a lot—they will have a passionate, loud, and creative way to express their feelings. We know that angry people tend to express themselves with profanities and insults, but we’ll avoid parolacce ("curse words" ) and will give you instead a totally acceptable list of common Italian angry phrases and expressions useful for any occasion. Let’s start with learning how to say "angry" in the Italian language. Table of Contents Sono arrabbiato! ("I am angry!" ) Angry Orders Angry Warnings in Italian Angry Questions and Blames in Italian Getting... Show more

Italians celebrate International Labor Day with fervor, flair, and food! In this article, you’ll learn about the history of Labor Day in Italy, what events Italians hold to celebrate, and more. While you read, compare Italian celebrations for Labor Day with those in your country! Let’s get started. 1. What is Labor Day? Labor Day is about honoring workers around the world, celebrating economic and social gains workers have made, and demonstrating for even more rights and privileges. In Italy, Labor Day began near the end of the 1800s, particularly with the protest for an eight-hour workday in 1886 in the United States. However, this holiday was suspended during the years of the fascist regime in the early 1900s, finally... Show more

Being part of your family’s, friends’, and colleagues’ life events is important in having a loving and caring relationship with them. That’s why we at ItalianPod101 have listed the most important messages for life events in Italy: In this article, you’ll learn how to say Happy Birthday in Italian, Italian Christmas greetings, messages you can use in case of funerals or marriages, and much more. With our guide to life event messages in Italian culture, you’ll always know what to say. Table of Contents The Best Messages for Life Events in Italy Speak and Behave Like a Real Italian with ItalianPod101 1. The Best Messages for Life Events in Italy 1- How Do You Say Happy Birthday in Italian? Birthdays are very important for... Show more

Palm Sunday in Italy is a major occasion around the country, with many unique religious celebrations. In this article, you’ll learn the basics about Palm Sunday, Italian traditions for this holiday, and some relevant Italian vocabulary. Let’s get started! 1. What is Palm Sunday? On Palm Sunday, Italian Christians celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem as described in the Bible. According to the Bible, he entered riding a donkey and people from the city welcomed him by throwing down palm branches in his path. This took place exactly one week before his Resurrection from the dead, which is celebrated as Easter one week after Palm Sunday. In Italy, Palm Sunday is also largely associated with plants, particularly the palm... Show more

Giornata Internazionale della Donna, or International Women’s Day in Italy, is a major holiday celebrated throughout the country. In this article, you’ll learn how Italians honor the women in their lives and about the most common traditions for Women’s Day. Let’s get started. 1. What is International Women’s Day? In Italy, International Women’s Day may not be a public holiday, but that doesn’t keep people from finding ways to honor the women in their lives. Essentially, International Women’s Day is a reminder of the "discrimination" (discriminazione) and "violence" (violenza) women have faced in the past, and a day to celebrate the higher social position women have today. This festival was first celebrated in 1909 in the... Show more

Without conjunctions, we would be talking like robots, putting together a sequence of detached sentences. You might not realize this, but conjunctions are a very important part of our language. They have the important job of coordinating and linking phrases. So, let’s discover and practice the most commonly used conjunctions in Italian (including coordinating conjunctions in Italian), because these little bricks in your sentences will help you connect your Italian phrases and make your Italian conversation flow. And this is exactly what you’ll need to speak Italian like a pro! (See how I used conjunctions to link the last three sentences?) :) As you can see, even the most simple Italian conjunctions can make a huge difference. But... Show more

Every culture in the world have their own customs and etiquette regarding the most important aspects of social life: from dining to celebrations, from greetings to traveling, and so on. For someone coming from a different culture, they can be hard to understand and adopt, but they’re indeed an important element in communicating with the local population and learning their culture. In order to help you with this, ItalianPod101 has written a guide to the Italian customs and etiquette. With our Italian etiquette tips under your belt, you have no reason to be nervous when an Italian friend invites you to dinner or when you’re going to travel to Italy for business reasons. Everyone will remember you as the educated, nice foreigner who... Show more