Page 14 - Italian American Herald - January 2022

14 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | JANUARY2022 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD ITALIAN MADE FUN & SIMPLE
Our lesson this month is about the home. For a moment, let’s think about buying a home in Italy. You would need a very specific vocabulary. How would you say “hallway” or “cupboards?”
Whether you’re in a situation like that or you just want to be able to learn more Italian, here’s some vocabulary and phrases to help you have that conversation.
This month’s proverb
Italiano: Casa mia casa mia, per piccina che tu sia tu mi sembri una badia.
English: My home, my home, tiny as you may be, you seem a palace to me! English equivalent: There's no place like home!
Key Vocabulary
Apartment – l'appartamento Apartment building – il palazzo Attic – la soffitta
Balcony – il balcone
Bathroom – il bagno Bookshelf – lo scaffale Ceiling – il soffitto
Cellar – la cantina
Door – la porta
Doorbell – il campanello Elevator – l'ascensore
First floor – il primo piano Floor – il pavimento Furnishings – gli arredamenti Garage – il box
Garden – Il giardino / l'orto Hallway – l'ingresso
House – la casa
Nursery – la camera dei bambini Office – l’ufficio
Lamp – la lampada
Penthouse – l'attico
Roof – il tetto
Room – la camera
Staircase – la scala
Study – lo studio
Studio apartment – il monolocale Terrace – il terrazzo
Key Phrases
• Abitiamo al primo piano. – We live on the first floor.
• Il palazzo è molto vecchio. – The building is very old.
• Non c’è l’ascensore. – There’s no elevator.
• Abbiamo appena comprato una nuova
casa! – We just bought a new house!
• Ci siamo appena spostati in una nuova
casa/un nuovo appartamento. – We just moved to a new house/apartment.
• La casa ha due stanze da letto e un bagno e mezzo. – The house has two bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths.
Wall – la parete
Window – la finestra
Bedroom: “La Camera da Letto”
Bed – il letto
Closet – l’armadio
Nightstand – il comodino
Pillow – il cuscino
Dining Room: La Sala da Pranzo
Chair – la sedia
Table – il tavolo
Kitchen: “La Cucina”
Dishwasher – la lavastoviglie
Bowl – la ciotola
Cupboard – Armadietti/ armadietti pensili Fork – la forchetta
Glass – il bicchiere
Knife – il coltello
Refrigerator – il frigorifero
Sink – il lavandino
Spoon – il cucchiaio
Kitchenette – il cucinino
Living Room: “Il Soggiorno/il Salotto” Armchair – la poltrona
Couch – il divano
Painting – il quadro
Remote – il telecomando
TV–laTV
• Vieni, ti faccio vedere/ti mostro la casa. – Come on, let me give you a tour.
• L’appartamento ha tante finestre, quindi c’è molta luce naturale. – The apartment has a lot of windows, which means there is a lot of natural light.
• Questa stanza sarà il mio ufficio! – This room will be my office!
• La cucina è la mia stanza preferita. – The kitchen is my favorite room.
• Andiamo in cucina. – Let’s go to the kitchen.
PASSARELLI – This surname derives from the surname of a noble family from France. It is also said to be derived from a dialect word meaning strainer. It is registered in 17 of Italy’s 20 regions. It is mostly found in Calabria and least in Sardinia. Variations: Passarello.
PASSERINI – This surname derives from the Italian word for sparrow, “passero.” It is registered in Italy as a common surname.
It is registered in 19 of Italy’s 20 regions.
It is mostly found in Lombardia and least
in Molise. The lone hold-out is Basilicata. Variations: Passeri.
PASSTORE – This surname derives from the Italian word for shepherd “pastore.” It is very popular given that many present-day families with that surname had ancestors that were shepherds. It is registered in all of Italy 20 regions. It is mostly found in Puglia and least in Sardinia. Variations: Pastori, Pastorelli, Pastrello, Pastorini.
PATRICELLI – This surname derives from the first name Patrizio, derived from the Latin “patricius,” meaning of elevated social level. It is registered in only 14 of Italy’s 20 regions. Of those regions, it is mostly found in Campania. Variations: Patricello, Patricella.
PAVONE – This surname derives from the Italian word “pavone,” meaning peacock or
a vain person. It is very common and found in all 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Sicily and least in the Aosta Valley and Umbria. Variations: Pavoni, Paone, Pavonessa, Paonessa.
PEDICONE – This surname is from Italian word “piede,” meaning foot. The dialect word “pedencaune” means the part of the cut tree left. It is not common, as it
only appears in 11 of Italy’s 20 regions. Most prevalent in Abruzzo.
PELIGNI – This surname derives from the name of the pre-roman population of Peligni that lived in the Sulmona area in Abruzzo. It is rare and found only in and around Sulmona.
PELLEGRINI – This surname is from Italian word “Pellegrino,” meaning pilgrim. It is a very common surname that is present in all 20 regions. It is most common in Tuscany and least in the Aosta Valley. No doubt, the ancestors of these families were known for their pilgrimages to various religious shrines and devotion to their patron saint or the Virgin Mary. Variations: Pellerino, Pellerini, Pellegrinelli, Pellegrinetti, Pellegrineschi.
PELLICCIA – This surname is from Italian word “pelliccia,” meaning fur, which is used to indicate the job of the person. Therefore, the modern-day Pellicia family probably had ancestors in the fur business. The surname is present in all 20 regions, mostly in Campania. Variations: Pellicciotta, Pellicci, Pellizza, Pellizza, Pelizzi, Pelliccioni, Pellicciari, Pellizzoni, Pellizzari, Pelisseri
PELOSI – This surname is from the Italian nickname “peloso” meaning someone who has long hair or barb. This tells us the modern day families with this surname might be descended from the “barbarian” raiders that brought down the Roman Empire. It is
a popular surname present in all 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Lombardia and least
in the Aosta Valley. Variations: Pelusi, Pelos, Pelosini, Pelosin, Peluso.
In the February issue, look for a special Valentine-themed surname feature.
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.
Many English speakers make the mistake of using the preposition “a” when talking about going to or being in the kitchen. However, in Italian, you must use the preposition “in.”
• Passo molto tempo in giardino. – I spend a lot of time in the garden.
• Pitturiamo la settimana prossima. – We’re going to paint next week.
If you were painting the walls white, you would use the verb, “imbiancare.”
This month’s falso amico
It is pavimento. This one is really deceiving. It does not mean pavement. It means floor. In Italian pavement is marciapiede.