Italian words are music to my ears. There are so many words in the Italian language that I love. These words keep me close to Italy and by learning them, I feel encouraged to talk even if that means making mistakes and learning each day. Continuing the series, here are still some more of my favorite Italian words!
Still More Charming Italian Words I Love
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Sinistra: the direction Left
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Altrettanto: love the sound of it. It means likewise
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Truccarsi: To put make up ;
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Ecco: Here is, here are, there is, there are.
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Fazzoletto: Handkerchief. Never has a word been prettier
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Garbuglio: Just like it’s name it means muddle.
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Zerbino: Doormat. Very cute isn’t it?
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Smeraldo: It means the jewel Emerald. Quite easy and lovely.
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Bacio: A peck of kiss <3 need I say more??
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Ciccione: Fat and chubby 😀 Haha!
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Bugiardo: A little liar 😉
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Azzurro: The color Blue.
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Abbastanza: Sufficient.
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Pezzetto: Pieces.
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Leggermente: Somewhat, lightly.
When this post on “Charming Italian Words” was started, I had no idea it would be so popular. So grazie Mille a tutti! Thank YOU very much everyone!
My favorites from the list are ciccone, leggermente and fazzoletto 🙂 And yours??
Further Reading:
Read my experience of Learning Italian
Learn Italian by Watching Movies
Check out Lucrezia Oddone’s YouTube channel
61 Comments
Learning Italian with Cinema- II | Italophilia
May 5, 2018 at 4:57 pm[…] Still More Charming Italian Words that I Love […]
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March 14, 2017 at 2:47 pm[…] via Still More Charming Italian Words that I Love — Italophilia […]
Ishita
March 14, 2017 at 4:54 pmThanks so much
fkasara
October 4, 2016 at 5:02 pmLovely blog, congrats! 😊It’s always interesting for me to see how foreign people perceive my country and I love to read about favourite words!
“Doppie” are always tricky for non-Italians, so it’s very brave of you to choose these words! Just pay attention to “altrettanto” and “azzurro” which need respectively double t and double r.
Speaking of “garbuglio”, I have to say that it’s not a really common word in the spoken language ( I guess it is used only in Tuscany); “ciccione” is surely a word with a lovely sound to it, but it’s quite rude to say ciccione to someone! 😅
Great work!
Sara
Ishita
October 4, 2016 at 5:47 pmThank you Sara for your beautiful words and perspectives. I’m sure I’d feel the same way about someone if they were crazy for Hindi. Yes the spellings are tricky and over all Italian isn’t an easy language. I’m trying though 🙁 🙂
fkasara
October 4, 2016 at 5:51 pmYou’re really good, don’t worry! 😀
Ishita
October 4, 2016 at 5:55 pmGrazie;)
Vino Travels
August 27, 2016 at 1:53 pmGood luck in your language learning journey. I’ve been studying it for years. Let me know if you’ve ready or suggest any good easy reading Italian books.
Ishita
August 27, 2016 at 1:57 pmGrazie cara. I’m just trying to cope with my course book. I do have a basic Italian book with exercises of past, present and future. It’s called certificato di Lingua italiana by Carlo Buldrini.
Ishita
August 27, 2016 at 1:58 pmHow well do you speak?
Vino Travels
August 27, 2016 at 2:01 pmI made it to the upper intermediate class. I can do pretty well but am not means fluent. I think that takes living there honestly or immersion at home which is hard to do
Ishita
August 27, 2016 at 2:05 pmImmersion at home is toughest. I agree. We end up speaking Hindi n English most of the time in class. Someday I really want to go there for a few weeks and learn Italian..
Vino Travels
August 27, 2016 at 2:09 pmI’ve always wanted to do an immersion there. Maybe one day…..I was using the Italki weekly to talk with natives. Now that the little one has come I haven’t had a chance but I’m teaching him and got him some children’s books so that’s fun.
Ishita
August 27, 2016 at 2:18 pmOne day. We can plan something together. Heard there are great schools in and around toscana region and in bologna. Aww must be fun!
Vino Travels
August 27, 2016 at 5:45 pmThat would be great! What level are you at?
Ishita
August 27, 2016 at 5:46 pmI will start the intermediate. Which is level B I guess? Completed level A last week.
L. M. B.
August 26, 2016 at 12:00 pmInnamorato … the most feeling word ever ! 😉
Ishita
August 26, 2016 at 12:33 pmOh totally <3
JohnFlynnTravel
August 23, 2016 at 7:06 pmIn my experience “Il piccolo coso è rotto” is one of the most useful sentences in Italian.
Ishita
August 24, 2016 at 2:51 pmWhat does it mean fully? Grazie
JohnFlynnTravel
August 24, 2016 at 3:03 pmThe little thingamajig is broken.
Very useful in any damage/repair situation, I’ve found.
lindaravello
August 23, 2016 at 2:07 pmCiao Ishitia, I am in my last day in Italy, and have not had goos internet access, so I am way behind reading your post and beginning from the most recent going back…….Me too, I LOVE the word ‘sinister’
I am off to read some more – Lindy x
Ishita
October 10, 2016 at 12:44 pmCome stai, Linda? I hope you are well and in marital bliss 😉
lindaravello
October 15, 2016 at 3:18 pmMolte bene grazie Ishita, e tu come sta?
We are hoping to buy a house in the Bourgogne, so really busy, not much time to blog…….nothing definite yet, but will keep you posted. Bisous
Ishita
October 16, 2016 at 8:45 pmBene grazie 🙂 Lovely! Complimenti 🙂 I hope you settle soon.
HelsinkiBudapest
August 22, 2016 at 9:41 pmMum’s the word. Promise! 😄
HelsinkiBudapest
August 22, 2016 at 6:29 pmWait until you get into swearing and other expressions. Have to admit, always had a fascination with how swear words tie in with sacred concepts. I used to speak Italian, but forgot almost everything. It comes back though. My favorite is sinistra. Like someone said above, interesting to note the connections to the devil et al.
Ishita
August 22, 2016 at 8:06 pmI know quite a few swearing words but shhhhhhh 😉 I hope you can get back to learning it and speaking it again. Love sinistra too. Xo
Tanja
August 22, 2016 at 2:15 pm🙂 did you try the chocolate pralines Baci?:)
Ishita
August 22, 2016 at 8:05 pmyes when I was in Perugia that was all I ate 😉
littleredroaminglass
August 22, 2016 at 8:36 amGrazie!
I’ve been teaching myself Italian for about a year now, and spent 3 weeks there this past Spring. I miss it dearly and following your blog gives me a small taste of it until I can get back there. Lovely post! I think I shall find a way to use Fazzoletto this week. =)
Ishita
August 22, 2016 at 10:55 amWe have a similar story. I went again in spring too this year. Learning since a year too 🙂 I’m happy I could help. Keep coming more!
Stacy di Anna
August 21, 2016 at 6:34 pmAll such fantastic words, it’s hard to pick a favorite! Fazzoleto has a special memory for me, Iearned it years ago from my little 5-year-old cousin while driving around in Puglia, and I have never forgotten it! Un bacio a te!
Ishita
August 21, 2016 at 7:20 pmHow cute. Nice 🙂 un grande abbraccio!
afarawayhome
August 21, 2016 at 2:44 pmbugiardo sounds like someone who can’t be trusted 🙂
Ishita
August 21, 2016 at 2:58 pmTrue 😀
Lyn
August 21, 2016 at 6:56 amMany of these words are new to me. My favourite in this list is Abbastanza.
Ishita
August 21, 2016 at 9:16 amI love it too 🙂 learning the language I come up with new words on n off.
kiki1469
August 21, 2016 at 4:33 amNice list! I like smeralda, because I long to go to the Costa Smeralda in Sardegna. One day….
Ishita
August 21, 2016 at 9:15 amAhh💜 a story along helps to learn the word easily. Lovely!
fromdreamtoplan
August 21, 2016 at 1:54 amAgain, as an italian, it’s so interesting to see how “normal” words for me are actually unusual for others or sound strange, great post!! 🙂
Lisa | http://www.fromdreamtoplan.net/
Ishita
August 21, 2016 at 9:14 amThanks for dropping in your blog cara. Any favorites from thus list?
fromdreamtoplan
August 21, 2016 at 1:39 pmBacio is definitely a word I really like! 🙂
Ishita
August 21, 2016 at 2:58 pmMe too 😀
Weekend Adventures
August 21, 2016 at 12:12 amThe most beautiful language!
Ishita
August 21, 2016 at 9:14 amI absolutely agree on that 🙂
mygirlspot
August 20, 2016 at 8:28 pmI always love the greeting “Salve.” There is something really wonderful about a greeting attributed to Cesare.
Ishita
August 20, 2016 at 9:30 pmI love it too. Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Valorie Grace Hallinan
August 20, 2016 at 6:27 pmI’m left handed, so I know the word sinistra. Which in the Latin means sinister or of the devil, which is how left-handed people were once viewed!
Ishita
August 20, 2016 at 7:03 pmI had no idea about its origin..thank you 😃
Ruma Dak
August 20, 2016 at 4:28 pmTruccarci!!
Ishita
August 20, 2016 at 4:30 pmLove it too!
travelrat
August 20, 2016 at 2:31 pmCiccione means ‘fat’? Isn’t that Madonna’s last name? I wonder if she knows? 😀
Ishita
August 20, 2016 at 4:18 pmHaha. It means chubby n fat .. that’s what I know 😉 lol!
Manja Mexi Movie
August 20, 2016 at 2:25 pm“Altretanto” (mind single last ‘t’), “abbastanza” and “pezzetto” all roll off the tongue in a truly lovely way and I notice they are much used by the natives in Roma. There are some here I didn’t know before, such as “zerbino”, “truccarsi” and “garbuglio”. The one I most often use myself is “eccolo”, “eccoli”, “eccomi”, and “eccoci”. Let me teach you the longest and most useless word in Italian (if you don’t know it yet): “Precipitevolissimevolmente”.
Ishita
August 20, 2016 at 4:19 pmOmg! That last word. I need to see how to pronounce. Thank you. Keep sharing. noted the single t 😉 glad I could teach you a few!
Ishita
August 20, 2016 at 4:22 pmWhat does it mean?
Manja Mexi Movie
August 20, 2016 at 4:27 pmI just asked amore and he said: “Fast. Or quickly.” Hahhahah. To pronounce it imagine that it is made of these words: precipite (stress on first i) + volissime (stress on first i) + volmente (stress on first e).
Ishita
August 20, 2016 at 4:31 pmI’d rather use something else 😂😂 any other word instead of this 😉
sunnydaysinseattle
August 20, 2016 at 1:20 pmLearning Italian with you. Thank you ❤️
Ishita
August 20, 2016 at 1:22 pmI’m so glad I can help. Thank you <3