Learn Italian Cognates— The last of our Italian/English Best Friends!

Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Learn Travel Italian.com

As we’ve discussed  about Italian -English cognates before… anyone who has studied Italian for even a short time has probably noticed how many Italian words are very similar to English. This is because both languages have words with origins that date back to the Latin language spoken by the Romans. These words are called cognates—words that have a common origin and a similar meaning.

Italian-English cognates can be the best friend of one who is trying to learn either language. But beware! Not all words that sound alike have the same meaning in both languages. There is a pattern, though, and if you can recognize the different groups of cognates, your vocabulary will greatly increase with very little effort.

For words that are similar in Italian and English, the stem of the word will provide a clue to the actual meaning, and the ending will also follow a common pattern.

See how this works below with an excerpt reprinted from the grammar section of our Conversational Italian for Travelers  textbook, courtesy of publisher Stella Lucente, LLC.

For an easy-to read reference book on grammar, the same section is found in the  reference book Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Grammar.

 

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Grammar Note: Cognates

Adjectives Ending in -oso(a), -ia, -ica

 

Many adjectives that describe personality traits are cognates that end in –oso or -osa in Italian, which corresponds to the English -ous.

ambizioso(a)	=	ambitious
corragioso(a)	=	courageous
curioso(a)	=	curious
generoso(a)	=	generous
nervoso(a)	=	nervous
spiritoso(a)	=	funny, witty, facetious

 

 

The ending –ia in Italian is equivalent to the ending –y in English.

archeologia	=	archeology
biologia	=	biology
famiglia	=	family
filosofia	=	philosophy
fisiologia	=	physiology
geologia	=	geology
psicologia	=	psychiatry
radiologia	=	radiology

 

 

The ending –ica in Italian is equivalent to the endings –ic or –ics in English.

musica	=	music
politica	=	politics
repubblica	=	republic

                                    

If you can think of another cognate to add to these lists, please join our Conversational Italian! Facebook group and leave a post, or leave a message below. I’d love to hear from you!

 

Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Grammar

Available on Amazon.com and www.Learn Travel Italian.com

Learn Italian Cognates—More of Our Italian/English Best Friends!

Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Learn Travel Italian.com

Anyone who has studied Italian for even a short time has probably noticed how many Italian words are very similar to English. This is because both languages have words with origins that date back to the Latin language spoken by the Romans. These words are called cognates—words that have a common origin and a similar meaning.

English/Italian cognates can be the best friend of one who is trying to learn either language. But beware! Not all words that sound alike have the same meaning in both languages. There is a pattern, though, and if you can recognize the different groups of cognates, your vocabulary will greatly increase with very little effort.

For words that are similar in Italian and English, the stem of the word will provide a clue to the actual meaning, and the ending will also follow a common pattern.

See how this works below with an excerpt reprinted from the grammar section of our Conversational Italian for Travelers  textbook, courtesy of publisher Stella Lucente, LLC.

For an easy-to-read reference book on grammar, the same section is found in the reference book Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Grammar.

 

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Grammar Note: Cognates

Adjectives Ending in -zione, -za, -izziare, -ia

 

The ending –zione in Italian is equivalent to the ending –tion in English. All nouns with this ending are feminine and take the definite article la, which means the. Make the plural as usual, by changing the –e at the end of the noun to an –i and use the definite article le, as in “le lezioni.”

applicazione	=	application*
attenzione	=	attention
informazione	=	information
lezione	=	lesson
nazione	=	nation
prenotazione	=	reservation
situazione	=	situation

*Note: In order to describe the process of filling out a form to apply for a position, do not use applicazione, which does mean application, but is a “false friend” if used in this way!  Instead, use the phrase “fare una domanda.”  A work application would be “la domanda di lavoro.”      

 

 

 

The ending –za in Italian is equivalent to the ending –ce in English.

eleganza	=	elegance
importanza	=	importance
influenza	=	influence
violenza	=	violence

 

 

The ending –izzare in Italian is equivalent to the endings –ize or –yze in English.

analizzare	=	analyze
organizzare	=	organize
simpatizzare	=	sympathize

 

 

If you can think of another cognate to add to these lists, please join our Conversational Italian! Facebook group and leave a post, or leave a message below. I’d love to hear from you!

 

Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Grammar

Available on Amazon.com and www.Learn Travel Italian.com

Learn Italian Cognates—Even More Italian/English Best Friends!

Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Learn Travel Italian.com

Anyone who has studied Italian for even a short time has probably noticed how many Italian words are very similar to English. This is because both languages have words with origins that date back to the Latin language spoken by the Romans. These words are called cognates—words that have a common origin and a similar meaning.

English/Italian cognates can be the best friend of one who is trying to learn either language. But beware! Not all words that sound alike have the same meaning in both languages. There is a pattern, though, and if you can recognize the different groups of cognates, your vocabulary will greatly increase with very little effort.

For words that are similar in Italian and English, the stem of the word will provide a clue to the actual meaning, and the ending will also follow a common pattern.

See how this works below with an excerpt reprinted from the grammar section of our Conversational Italian for Travelers  textbook, courtesy of publisher Stella Lucente, LLC.

For an easy-to read reference book on grammar, the same section is found in the  reference book Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Grammar.

 

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Grammar Note: Cognates

Adjectives Ending in -ista, -ologo(a), -ore, -essa/ice, -ario

Chapter 9 of Conversational Italian for Travelers Just the Grammar contains examples of the many different types of jobs available today.

Many of the words that describe the professions in Italian and English are cognates—they have a common origin, share a common stem, and have equivalent endings. The Italian ending will be invariable for some professions, as it is in English, but for others, it will change to reflect the gender of the professional

The ending –ista in Italian is equivalent to the ending –ist in English. The –ista ending is invariable, but the definite article (il, la, or l’) will change to reflect the gender. For more than one professional, change the –a ending to the plural –i for men and –e for women and use the plural definite articles (i, gli, or le), of course!

l’artista	=	artist
il farmacista	=	pharmacist	=	la farmacista
il pianista	=	pianist	=	la pianista
il socialista	=	socialist	=	la socialista
il turista	=	tourist	=	la turista

 

The masculine ending –ologo and the feminine ending –ologa in Italian are also equivalent to the ending –ist in English.

il biologo	=	biologist	=	la biologa
il geologo	=	geologist	=	la geologa
il psicologo	=	psychologist	=	la psicologa
il radiologo	=	radiologist	=	la radiologa

 

The ending –ore in Italian is equivalent to the ending –or in English. You will notice that these nouns refer to masculine professions. The corresponding profession in the feminine is either –essa or –ice. 

l’attore	=	actor	=	l’attrice
il conduttore	=	driver/chauffeur	=	la conduttrice
il dottore	=	doctor	=	la dottoressa
il professore	=	professor	=	la professoressa

 

The endings –aria and –ario in Italian are equivalent to the ending –ary in English.

il segretario	=	secretary	=	la segretaria
il salario	=	salary
il vocabolario	=	vocabulary

 

If you can think of another cognate to add to these lists, please join our Conversational Italian! Facebook group and leave a post, or leave a message below. I’d love to hear from you!

 

Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Grammar

Available on Amazon.com and www.Learn Travel Italian.com

Learn Italian Cognates—More Italian/English Best Friends!

Kathryn Occhipinti, MD, for Learn Travel Italian.com

Anyone who has studied Italian for even a short time has probably noticed how similar to English many Italian words are. This is because both languages have words with origins that date back to the Latin language spoken by the Romans. These words are called cognates—words that have a common origin and a similar meaning.

English/Italian cognates can be the best friend of one who is trying to learn either language. But beware! Not all words that sound alike have the same meaning in both languages.  There is a pattern, though, and if you can recognize the different groups of cognates, your vocabulary will greatly increase with very little effort.

For words that are similar in Italian and English, the stem of the word will provide a clue to the actual meaning, and the ending will also follow a common pattern.

See how this works below with an excerpt reprinted from the grammar section of our Conversational Italian for Travelers  textbook, courtesy of publisher Stella Lucente, LLC.

For an easy-to read reference book on grammar, the same section is found in the  reference book Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Grammar.

 

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Grammar Note: Cognates

Adjectives Ending in -ale, -ico, -etto, -atto

 

 

Here are more examples of cognates—words that have a common origin and a similar meaning in Italian and English. Recognizing these words should greatly increase one’s vocabulary with very little effort!

 

The ending –ale in Italian is equivalent to the ending –al in English. 

originale	=	original
personale	=	personal
speciale	=	special
tradizionale	=	traditional

 

 

The ending –ico in Italian is equivalent to the ending –ical in English.

classico	=	classical
fisiologico	=	physiological
politico	=	political
tecnico	=	technical
tipico	=	typical
turistico	=	touristy

 

The ending –etto in Italian is equivalent to the ending –ect in English. 

corretto	=	correct
dialetto	=	dialect
diretto	=	direct
perfetto	=	perfect

 

The ending –atto in Italian is equivalent to the ending –act in English.

contatto	=	contact (to touch)
	=	to know someone (in a business)
contratto	=	contract
fatto	=	fact
tratto	=	tract of land/pamphlet
tratto digestivo	=	digestive tract

 

 

If you can think of another cognate to add to these lists, please join our Conversational Italian! Facebook group and leave a post, or leave a message below. I’d love to hear from you!

 

Conversational Italian for Travelers: Just the Grammar

Available on Amazon.com and www.Learn Travel Italian.com