Mine is: lussuoso

It means luxurious. Doesn't it roll off the tongue just right? I am inventing new luxurious things just to make the sentences.

Wathc the false friend here. In italian there is also lussurioso, which means... Lustful, lewd!

Oh, how to choose just one favourite word in this most melodious of all languages?

Whenever possible I try to work "cucchiaino" into conversation. I'm not sure why, perhaps because it was hard for me to learn how to say it: Koo-kee-i-EE-noh. Unfortunately it means "teaspoon" so it is not always pertinent in everyday conversation!

I also like the word "centralissimo" when referring to hotels or something that is super-centrally located.
- Marie

Alice: Is this like my MIL who, when first married more than 40 years ago, moved to Bologna. She went to the Poste and asked for a pen, except she pronounced it without the additional n...so pena instead of penna.

I could say something was lewd, too.

Crescentina... because it makes me hungry everytime I hear it.

One of my favorite Italian words is allora. Not that it is particulalrly melodious, it just makes me smile when I hear an Italian use it, often with hand accompanient. It means, "then' or "well then" when it's time to transition to another subject. It sounds so much more charming then next or OK then!

Great fun topic.
Mine is:
chiacchierone
No other reason than saying it seems to convey its meaning..."chatterbox".
No offense jnini!

Allora also means "so" .. making it probably the most versatile word in the Italian language.

quote:

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Originally posted by Vespertine:
Allora also means "so" .. making it probably the most versatile word in the Italian language.

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My friend Anna Maria uses allora in English and i sincerely hope no one ever corrects it out of her speech. I love it when after a sentence, she pauses and says "and so." So cute.

I love deciderebbero, present conditional of decidere Speaking of being lewd
, I have always said I love how Italian feels in my mouth.
Pat

gioielleria

Speaking of present conditional, I've always been partial to raggiungerebbero

Spallorditiva! is my favourite (although I can't remember if that's the correct spelling).

I can't even remember exactly what it means; I just like the sound. I think it means something like fantastic! or wow!.

My faves change all the time. Managgia is a current one, because it means nothing but is expressive. Fu is another, but because it makes me giggle every time I try to use it. I work all around it so I won't laugh.

Actually mannaggia is derived from male t'en aggia, which is southern dialect for male ne abbia, which basically is a way to wish that another person catches a very bad illness. So basically mannaggia means "a pox on it".

[Of a girl and her dictionary.]

Mine is actually two words:

Perche no

The way they say it and the expression at the same time is just amazing.

One of my favorite songs is Enzo Jannacci's "Vengo anch'io". It uses your favorite word(s).

Si potrebbe poi sperare tutti in un mondomigliore.
Vengo anch'io. No, tu no.
Dove ognuno, sì, e' già pronto a tagliarti una mano
un bel mondo sol con l'odio ma senza l'amore
e vedere di nascosto l'effetto che fa.
Vengo anch'io. No, tu no.

My favourite word is

"abastanza" it just sounds good...!

but I love allora too.
Wendy

Extremely interesting discussion. Thanks for the info on "managgia." This may well be the last Italian blasphemy remembered from my youth that previously I did not fully understand.

My favorite: altrettanto=same to you Useful when somebody makes a comment to you and you can't tell if they are being nice or mean.

Least favorite: paraurti=car bumper Few Americans get the "ur" sound right. When the rolling "r" hits the "t" sound - forget it. I will never say this word correctly even after having practices it a couple hundred times. My mouth still cringes. Go ahead...give it a try. Paraurti has sort of become my nickname in the small town where I spend my time in Italy.

Even the Italians can't say it: psicologo=psychologist This is my profession in America. Sometimes I like to stir up trouble by getting a couple Italians to say this word. They invariably start squabbling amongst themselves because each one thinks that he/she is correct and the others don't have it right.

I've always had a real hell of a time with specializzazione. Took me awhile to get it and even then I would still mess it up sometime (of course I'm a student so I was always having to tell people "ahh si', letteratura italiana e' la mia specializzazione") :P

Both my grandmom and I can't pronounce Lufthansa. If always comes out as "lutfansa".

Now that I am "in the throws" of getting this, I can't say it: cittadinanza. I CAN say it, I just have to stop before I say it every time.

PS Rar: what the? What is raggiungerebbo (I can't even type it!)

PATACCA ...
A patacca is a fake gucci bag.
A patacca is a thailandese rolex.
A patacca is that leather coat that you discover is not leather.

Definitely "allora"...I love the sing song way it's said, and the fact that it's used so often and without much thought...just a nice filler word sometimes.

raggiungere is a verb meaning: to attain or reach

I knew it was a verb, I just was too lazy to go look up the infinitive.

As in: I would like to attain fluency in Italian.

My word won't make anyone's list as a beautiful or musical word but it's my favorite because I hardly hear it spoken anymore and, when I do, it reminds me of my childhood:

quote:

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merenda

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...the little snack when you come home from school in the afternoon.

The word brings back nice memories of my mother and the snacks she'd have for me: slices of raw apple (she sprinkled the slices with a little salt - I've never seen anyone else do it and I haven't done it since my childhood, but it sure was tasty then), Ritz crackers with peanut butter, orange segments, tomatoes warm from the garden...good stuff!