More Beautiful Italian Words

The quest continues for more beautiful Italian words. It’s been a few months since we talked about Italian words. I figured it was time for another dose.

This is an ongoing quest. Endless, really.

You may remember More Favorite Italian Words and before that Lovely Italian Words.

Here are some more new favorites. As always, clicking the links will enable you to hear the Italian pronounciation – and really, who wouldn’t want to do that?

dondolare {swing, rock}

evviva! {hurray}

chiocciola {scroll}

stranieri {strangers, foreigners}

azzurro {blue}

principessa {princess}

magari {maybe}

assolutamente {absolutely}

Riomaggiore {a town in the Cinque Terre}

fagiolini {string beans}

solamente {only}

piccolo {little one}

esatto {exact}

arrivassero {they arrived}

frigorifero {refrigerator}

però {but, however}

meraviglioso {marvelous}

uffa! {sigh of distress}

stuzzicadenti {toothpick}

Dimmi, what are some of your favorite Italian words? Share in the comments!

Marcia Mazochia-Harms
March 1st, 2010
Fantastic words! Thank you for posting them with pronunciation!

You are so very welcome. Have fun listening – that’s my favorite part!

Paula Russell
March 1st, 2010
Thanks, Robin, these are lovely. Here are a few of mine:

sfarfallio – flickering (as in on a TV or movie screen)

menefreghismo – an ‘I couldn’t care less’ attitude

trabalante – shaky

Great Italian words Paula! That’s why I love doing these posts- I always learn a few new ones for my collection

.-= Paula Russell´s last blog ..Save $400 on The Best of Tuscany Tour =-.

ER
March 1st, 2010
I’ve always liked the words that sound great even though they mean something … not so great:

Schifo – gross
Stronzo – A**hole
Fatti cazzi tuoi – um, I’ll let you look it up

Oh, I enjoyed your list – always good to know a few slang swear words in Italian

Sophie
March 2nd, 2010
Farfalla – butterfly

And a little off topic (i.e. not Italian): Butterfly is a lovely word in so many languages.
French: Papillon
German: Schmetterling
Arabic: Farasha
Persian: Parvaneh
Portuguese: Borboleta
Spanish: Mariposa
Swedish: Fjäril
… and in my own language (Norwegian): Sommerfugl (literally “summer bird”)

Farfalle is definately a pretty one. And thanks for the translation in other languages! I like ‘Mariposa’ .

Eleonora
March 2nd, 2010
Being fluent in both English and Italian doesn’t stop me from loving some words for their mere sound. Italian is such a visual and poetic sounding idiom!

Anyhow, here are some flowery sounding favorites:
TRASECOLARE: to be dumbfounded, gobsmacked (a word I love in English too!)
FANNULLONE: layabout, slacker, lazybones, flâneur
ACQUOLINA (in bocca): mouthwater

Lovely, simply lovely. Thanks for sharing Eleonora – those are all new to me! I love flowery Italian

.-= Eleonora´s last blog ..Spaghetti alle Vongole =-.

Catherine Azzarello
March 18th, 2010
Someday. I’m going to learn Italian again. It’s so mellifluous!

Apparently, I understood and spoke quite a lot when I was a toddler and my Italian grandmother lived with us. Sadly, when she died, my father stopped speaking Italian–he had grown up fighting the stigma of immigrant parents–and I lost my budding bilingualism.

Erica
August 10th, 2010
I love Italian in general and have been learning it assiduously!
Some great words and there are SO many more!

- Senti- for hey listen to me I’ve got something to say
- Basta – enough
- Sfortunatamente – Unfortunately
- Va bene _ they use this for everything
- Piacere – with pleasure
- Benissimo – very good
- Stranissimo – very strange

Jerri
June 19th, 2011
My husband lived in Italy for awhile and I have learned a few from him or listening to his family talk. You all me tined some great ones. One of my favorites i chise is for the way it rolls lff the tongue and the silly vision it conjplease have never seen it written so please excuse spelling I use “Porcca mizeria.” Literally “pig’s misery” and used as means of expresing exasperation.