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1500 questions
10
votes
5 answers
"Long overdue" in Italian
How does one say that something is long overdue in Italian?
For instance, is it correct to say something like "Fa molto tempo che sia in attesa"?
user509
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10
votes
3 answers
"Venire a prenderti" vs. "venirti a prendere"
L'altro giorno, parlando con la mia ragazza, mi sono imbattuto in una frase che sembra pronunciabile in due diversi modi (probabilmente uno dei due è errato a livello formale):
Vorrei venire a prenderti alle 18:00;
Vorrei venirti a prendere alle…
matteopuc
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10
votes
1 answer
"diciannovesimo" vs. "decimonono" vs. "nonodecimo"
Qual è la differenza tra questi aggettivi numerali, usati per indicare un numero ordinale? Ovvero, quali sono le migliori indicazioni d'uso (quando usare una forma, e quando un'altra)?
Hari
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10
votes
2 answers
Difference between 'vuotare' and 'svuotare'
Is there a difference in context or connotation between the verbs 'vuotare' and 'svuotare', both meaning 'to empty'?
user145
10
votes
3 answers
Which one is correct: "ho dimenticato" or "mi sono dimenticato"?
I always thought that dimenticare follows the same past forming rule as other mind verbs like pensare (ho pensato), ragionare (ho ragionato), credere (ho creduto).
In Italy I encountered the form mi sono dimenticato and I was puzzled. Why is this…
symbiotech
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10
votes
6 answers
Is ‘cosare’ equivalent to the generic use of ‘do’ in English?
I'm a little bit ahead of my Italian lessons, but I hear people using forms of cosare, but don't fully understand it. I'm trying to figure out what it means in English (or even Spanish, although English is my native tongue). The closet thing I could…
Giambattista
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10
votes
2 answers
Qual è la regola grammaticale nell'uso di "stampa" nella espressione "le conferenze stampa"?
Perché non si dice "Le conferenze stampa" e non si dice "Le conferenze di/da/della/delle stampa/e" o non si dice "Le conferenze stampe". Qual'è il ruolo grammatico di "stampa" in questa espressione. Mi ricordo che avevo visto altre espressioni del…
Johnny
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10
votes
3 answers
Uso transitivo del verbo "votare" in senso elettorale
Alcuni dizionari riportano il verbo votare, nella sua accezione più comune, quella che si riferisce all'esprimere preferenza elettorale per un partito o per un candidato, sia come transitivo che come intransitivo.
Per esempio, il dizionario del…
martina.physics
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10
votes
1 answer
"Al riguardo di" and "a riguardo di"
The Italian-English dictionaries undoubtedly translate al riguardo di as "about (smth.)", "regarding smth." (for example, here and here). A short search on Google brings more than 1 mln. cases with the same meaning.
However, the Treccani dictionary…
I.M.
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10
votes
2 answers
Are "mattina" and "pomeriggio" also adverbs?
Clearly "mattina" and "pomeriggio" are nouns. For example "la mattina ha l'oro in bocca" uses "mattina" as subject of the phrase.
However, when I say "Ci vediamo domani mattina" is "mattina" an adverb like "domani"? If not, isn't it missing a…
Sklivvz
- 2,752
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10
votes
2 answers
Usage of accented vowels in words that have same spelling but different meaning
Is it mandatory to write accented vowels to differentiate words that are written in the same way but that have different meanings?
For example is it correct to write:
Ieri ho mangiato una pesca
Oggi vado a pesca
or should I write:
Ieri ho…
Andrea
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10
votes
1 answer
Can "sciò" be used for person? If so, in which cases can it be considered acceptable?
I remember my grandmother saying sciò to keep away an animal that was getting too close to something or somebody, whatever it was a cat, a chicken, or a dog.
Can that exclamation be used also for a person? If the answer is positive, in which cases…
apaderno
- 3,856
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10
votes
6 answers
Is "essere dietro a [infinitive]" widely understood as "star [gerund]"?
In Lombardy, I often hear phrases like sono dietro a cercare qualcosa to mean sto cercando qualcosa.
Is that widely understood, or is there another way to translate the Present Progressive used in English?
To my hears, sono dietro a [infinitive]…
apaderno
- 3,856
- 14
- 38
10
votes
2 answers
The use of the spellings -zz- vs. -z-
Is there any reason why some words are spelled with -zz-, but others are spelled with -z- between vowels?
My understanding is that either spelling can correspond to either of the following two consonant sounds: a long voiceless affricate [t.t͡s] or…
Pax
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10
votes
3 answers
What does "cazzuccio" mean?
I am reading Zerocalcare, and I am stuck at this word.
http://www.zerocalcare.it/2018/10/09/quando-i-vecchi-salgono-nella-tua-macchina/
Third picture from top, the male character responds to his mother's comment on how dirty his car is, by…
user1936