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10 Italian food idioms and what they really mean

Italian is full of idioms that are borrowed from the kitchen, and once you spot them you'll notice them everywhere. In this episode Francesca takes you through 10 everyday food idioms, from someone who's "like parsley" and turns up everywhere to the moment an omelette is already made and the damage…

Jul 6, 2026•10 min

5 things you didn't know about the verb 'potere' in Italian

You probably already know that 'potere' means "can" or "to be able to", but there's more to this everyday Italian verb than meets the eye. In this episode, Francesca shares five things you might not know about 'potere', from using the conditional to sound more polite to meeting 'potere' as a noun,…

Jun 22, 2026•8 min

Italian pasta names: a pronunciation guide

Pasta is the perfect way to practise some of Italian's trickiest sounds. In this episode, Francesca works through pasta names to help you get those gn, gl, ch and gh sounds right, with a few tasty facts thrown in along the way.➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode.➡️ Get free…

Jun 8, 2026•9 min

5 things you didn't know about the verb 'volere' in Italian

You probably already know that volere means "to want", but there are still a few secrets hiding in this everyday verb. In this episode, Francesca shares five interesting things to know about volere, from the tricky 'gl' sound and using it as a noun to choosing between ho voluto and volevo in the…

May 25, 2026•7 min

Allora, dai, boh: 5 Italian words you'll hear every day

Francesca walks you through five tiny Italian words that come up in real conversations all the time: "allora", "dai", "boh", "figurati" and "magari". Each one carries a lot of meaning, and learning to use them naturally is one of the fastest ways to sound more Italian. Which one will you start…

May 11, 2026•8 min

5 things you didn't know about the verb 'dovere' in Italian

Francesca goes beyond the textbook meaning of "dovere" and explores five nuances of this everyday Italian verb. You'll look at double conjugations, two different auxiliaries in the past tense, the less familiar meaning of "to owe", and the noun "il dovere". How many of these did you already know?➡️…

Apr 27, 2026•6 min

5 small changes to improve your Italian

Francesca walks you through five common mistakes that are easy to fix but make a real difference to how natural your Italian sounds. From choosing between "favorito" and "preferito" to understanding why Italians say "mi lavo i denti", these are practical changes you can start using straight away.➡️…

Apr 13, 2026•9 min