{"id":384,"date":"2010-05-03T18:49:48","date_gmt":"2010-05-03T22:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/tuscany-umbria-cooking-vacation-blog\/?p=384"},"modified":"2019-04-23T22:55:08","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:55:08","slug":"5-favorite-words-italian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/5-favorite-words-italian\/","title":{"rendered":"My 5 Favorite Words in Italian"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p>Today I received a tweet from Melanie (<em>Twitter<\/em>: <a rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/italofileblog\" target=\"_blank\">@italofileblog<\/a>) at <a title=\"Italofile Blog\" rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.italofile.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Italofile Blog<\/a> asking me if I would be part of a mass-effort of Italy-focused bloggers to each provide a list of their <a rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.italofile.com\/2010\/04\/29\/favorite-italian-words-the-sequel\/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+Italofile+(Italofile)\" target=\"_blank\">five favorite Italian words<\/a>, along with a brief description citing why each was chosen.<\/p>\n<p>A bunch instantly popped into mind, and as I was thinking of them, I went to look at the <a rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.italofile.com\/2010\/01\/15\/five-favorites-italian-words\/\" target=\"_blank\">post that started the whole thing<\/a>, which had been written by Jessica (Twitter: <a rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/italylogue\" target=\"_blank\">@italylogue<\/a>)of<a rel=\"noopener nofollow noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.italylogue.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"> WhyGo ITALY<\/a> (another fantastic blog)&nbsp;and 2 of the favorites listed there were also among mine (Zanzara and Dai). &nbsp;Argh! &nbsp;So I had to think of a few more. &nbsp;No problem \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"878\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/5-favorite-words-italian\/attachment\/vertical\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"462,603\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"vertical\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-878 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical.jpg\" alt=\"vertical\" width=\"462\" height=\"603\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical.jpg 462w, https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical-400x522.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical-250x326.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical-200x261.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical-100x131.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical-76x99.jpg 76w, https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical-50x65.jpg 50w, https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/vertical-230x300.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 462px) 100vw, 462px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/5-favorite-words-italian\/#1_Boh_Bo\" >1. Boh!? &nbsp;(Bo)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/5-favorite-words-italian\/#2_Occhio_Oh-Key-Oh\" >2. Occhio (Oh-Key-Oh)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/5-favorite-words-italian\/#3_Pneumatici_Pah-Nay-Ooh-Mat-Eee-Chee\" >3. Pneumatici&nbsp; (Pah-Nay-Ooh-Mat-Eee-Chee)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/5-favorite-words-italian\/#4_Burino_Boo-Ree-No\" >4. Burino (Boo-Ree-No)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/5-favorite-words-italian\/#5_Fattoria_Fat-Toh-Ree-Ah\" >5. Fattoria (Fat-Toh-Ree-Ah)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/5-favorite-words-italian\/#In_Conclusionissimo%E2%80%A6\" >In Conclusionissimo&#8230;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Boh_Bo\"><\/span>1. Boh!? &nbsp;(Bo)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Without question my favorite Italian word, as evidenced in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/culture\/boh-perfect-italian-words-phrases-translate\/\">this post of the same title!<\/a> It means \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d, but means it with a certain attitude.&nbsp; It is much more powerful than \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d, and this is one word I use no matter the language I speak.<\/p>\n<p>It is important that when you speak the word \u2018Boh\u2019, you pur your hands out, shrug your shoulders and make a dumbfounded expression by looking up and fattening your lower lip.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_388\" style=\"width: 183px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/occhio.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-388\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-388   \" title=\"occhio\" src=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/occhio-300x245.jpg\" alt=\"Occhio (Eye or Watch Out!)\" width=\"173\" height=\"142\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-388\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Occhio (Eye or Watch Out!)<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Occhio_Oh-Key-Oh\"><\/span>2. Occhio (Oh-Key-Oh)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Occhio means Eye.&nbsp; Not so special, especially if you are speaking of someone\u2019s eye.&nbsp; But it also means \u2018<em>Watch Out!!!<\/em>\u2019, and when used in this sense, especially in a moment of urgency, it is often repeated.&nbsp; It all comes down to the sound one makes while exclaiming:&nbsp; Occhio! Occhio! Occhio!&nbsp; Come on, say it with me:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Oh-Key-Oh-Oh-Key-Oh-Oh-Key-Oh! <\/strong> <em>HOW FUN WAS THAT !?!?!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\">Now I have some friend from Padova who put their own spin on it thanks to their local accent.&nbsp; Ready?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-style: normal;\"><strong>Oh-Cho- Oh-Cho-Oh-Cho!<\/strong> Yeah, the entertainment never ends.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Pneumatici_Pah-Nay-Ooh-Mat-Eee-Chee\"><\/span><em>3. Pneumatici&nbsp; (Pah-Nay-Ooh-Mat-Eee-Chee)<\/em><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_389\" style=\"width: 199px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/pneumatici.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-389\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-389 \" title=\"pneumatici\" src=\"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/pneumatici-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Pneumatici (Tires)\" width=\"189\" height=\"142\"\/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-389\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pneumatici (Tires)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Tires.&nbsp; Yeah, just \u201cTires\u201d&nbsp; All of those syllables to learn the word \u201cTires\u201d.&nbsp; OK in fairness, the common word for tires is actually \u201cGomme\u201d (Go-May), but that was the first word I learned, and it stuck forever as the biggest waste of breath ever.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, when I learned the word \u201cGomme\u201d, I couldn\u2019t help but laugh, because the literal translation is\u2026 ready for it?&nbsp; Rubbers.&nbsp; \u201cI\u2019d like to buy some rubbers for my car\u201d\u2026 \u201cOf course you would, sir\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While I am on the word \u201cRubbers\u201d, I\u2019ll give one and all fair warning to never try to translate the word PRESERVATIVES without looking it up.&nbsp; Trust me, it won\u2019t go well.&nbsp; They will not understand that you are talking about preservatives.&nbsp; Instead, they will think you are talking about\u2026 ummm\u2026&nbsp; tires.&nbsp; Yeah, tires&nbsp;\ud83d\ude42 &nbsp;Get it?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Burino_Boo-Ree-No\"><\/span>4. Burino (Boo-Ree-No)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Burino is, I believe, Roman dialect.&nbsp;&nbsp; No, it does not mean \u201clittle butter\u201d.&nbsp; It basically translates to \u201cHick \/ Hillbilly \/ Country Bumpkin\u201d, but is used on a much broader scale.&nbsp;&nbsp; Essentially, whenever someone is so over the top that they become a characterture of whatever stereotype they embody, especially when they are out of their element.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine you are standing on the street and a car drives up that is lowered to within inches of the ground, has shiny metallic paint, a chain-link steering wheel, and a battery of 20\u201d subwoofers blasting from within\u2026&nbsp; <em><strong>A-Burino!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Get it?&nbsp; I thought so.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Fattoria_Fat-Toh-Ree-Ah\"><\/span>5. Fattoria (Fat-Toh-Ree-Ah)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>For the love of God, I have been speaking Italian for 25 years, and to this day something in me refuses to accept that Fattoria is not Italian for Factory.&nbsp; That it is the word for \u201cFarm\u201d is somehow even more difficult to accept, but there you have it.&nbsp; Old McDonald had a Fattoria, not a Fabrica (The actual word for Factory).<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"In_Conclusionissimo%E2%80%A6\"><\/span>In Conclusionissimo&#8230;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No, that is not a word. &nbsp;<em>I made it up.<\/em> The point is, that those are my five.&nbsp; I have so many more, that I am going to have to do a part due (two) at some point.&nbsp; I mean, seriously, who doesn\u2019t want to hear what I think of words like \u201cGinocchio\u201d and \u201cVillano\u201d?&nbsp; This is important stuff, I tell ya.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-auto kksr-align-left kksr-valign-bottom\"\n    data-payload='{&quot;align&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;384&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;valign&quot;:&quot;bottom&quot;,&quot;ignore&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;reference&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;count&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;legendonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;readonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;score&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;starsonly&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;best&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;gap&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;greet&quot;:&quot;Rate this post&quot;,&quot;legend&quot;:&quot;5\\\/5 - (1 vote)&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;My 5 Favorite Words in Italian&quot;,&quot;width&quot;:&quot;142.5&quot;,&quot;_legend&quot;:&quot;{score}\\\/{best} - ({count} {votes})&quot;,&quot;font_factor&quot;:&quot;1.25&quot;}'>\n            \n<div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n<div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 142.5px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" style=\"padding-right: 5px\">\n            \n\n<div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n                \n\n<div class=\"kksr-legend\" style=\"font-size: 19.2px;\">\n            5\/5 - (1 vote)    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today I received a tweet from Melanie (Twitter: @italofileblog) at Italofile Blog asking me if I would be part of a mass-effort of Italy-focused bloggers to each provide a list of their five favorite Italian words, along with a brief description citing why each was chosen. A bunch instantly popped into mind, and as I was thinking of them, I went to look at the post that started the whole thing, which had been written by Jessica (Twitter: @italylogue)of WhyGo ITALY (another fantastic blog)&nbsp;and 2 of the favorites listed there were also among mine (Zanzara and Dai). &nbsp;Argh! &nbsp;So I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_eb_attr":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[600,590,772,345],"class_list":["post-384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-italian-word","tag-italian-words","tag-language","tag-translation"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/horizontal.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.culturediscovery.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}