Latest / Learn Italian with Fexingo / Italian Winter Holiday Phrases
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Italian with Fexingo, Luna. I hope you're feeling festive. Luna: Oh, definitely. We just talked about winter clothes, and now I'm thinking about the holidays. What's on the menu today? Lucas: Today we're going to learn some phrases that are perfect for the winter holidays. Things you might say at a Christmas party or when you're celebrating the new year. Luna: I love that. I feel like I always want to wish people well, but I only know the basics. Lucas: Well, let's start with the most famous one. Buon Natale. That means 'Merry Christmas'. Luna: Buon Natale. Buon Natale. I've heard that one. It sounds so nice. Lucas: It does. And you'll hear it everywhere in Italy during December. People say it to each other all the time. Luna: So if I meet someone on Christmas day, I just say Buon Natale? Lucas: Exactly. And they'll probably say it back to you. Let's try it in a little scene. Say you're walking into a shop. Luna: Buon Natale! Lucas: And the shopkeeper smiles and says Buon Natale to you. It's so warm. Now, what about the new year? Luna: Oh, is it Felice Anno Nuovo? Lucas: That's right. Felice Anno Nuovo. Happy New Year. Felice means happy, and Anno Nuovo is new year. Luna: Felice Anno Nuovo. Felice Anno Nuovo. I like how 'felice' sounds. Lucas: It's a beautiful word. You can use it for many things. But with the new year, it's perfect. So on January first, you'll say Felice Anno Nuovo. Luna: And what if I want to talk about the holidays in general? Like, 'I love the holidays'? Lucas: Then you'd say Le feste. Le feste means 'the holidays' or 'the festivities'. For example, Amo le feste. I love the holidays. Luna: Le feste. Le feste. So it's plural, right? Lucas: Yes, because there are multiple days of celebration. Christmas, New Year's, maybe Epiphany. All of those together are le feste. Luna: Got it. So I could say something like, Le feste sono belle. Lucas: Oh, that's very good. Le feste sono belle. The holidays are beautiful. You're already putting it together. Luna: I've been practicing, you know. But I still need help with the gifts. How do you say 'gifts' in Italian? Lucas: That's i regali. I regali. Regali is gifts or presents. Luna: Regali. I like that word. It sounds so festive. So, I regali sono sotto l'albero. The gifts are under the tree. Lucas: Perfect. I regali sono sotto l'albero. That's a great sentence. You're ready for Christmas morning. Luna: But what about the toast? I always want to say something when we raise our glasses. Lucas: Ah, that's brindiamo. Brindiamo means 'let's toast' or 'we toast'. You might say Brindiamo al nuovo anno. Let's toast to the new year. Luna: Brindiamo al nuovo anno. That's lovely. Brindiamo. I feel like I'm at a party already. Lucas: You basically are. And you can use brindiamo any time you want to propose a toast. It's very social. Luna: So, let me see if I can remember all of them. Buon Natale, Felice Anno Nuovo, le feste, i regali, brindiamo. Lucas: You've got it. Let's do a quick review. Buon Natale. Luna: Buon Natale. Lucas: Felice Anno Nuovo. Luna: Felice Anno Nuovo. Lucas: Le feste. Luna: Le feste. Lucas: I regali. Luna: I regali. Lucas: And brindiamo. Luna: Brindiamo. Lucas: Perfect. Now, you know, we've been doing this podcast for a while now, and we've never asked for anything in return. We deliberately don't run ads on these episodes because we want you to focus on learning, not on commercial breaks. Luna: That's true. It's just us, talking about Italian, and that's it. I love that about this show. Lucas: If you want to support that choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's completely optional, but it helps us keep going. Luna: And it's a great way to say thanks. But for now, let's get back to the festivities. So, I'm going to a New Year's party tonight. What should I say when I walk in? Lucas: Well, you could say Buon Natale, but since it's New Year's, you'd say Felice Anno Nuovo. Or you could just say Brindiamo and lift your glass. Luna: I'll definitely use brindiamo. But what about when I'm leaving? Do I say something special? Lucas: You can just say Buonanotte, which is goodnight, or if it's late, you might say Buon anno, which is a short way to say 'have a good year'. Luna: Oh, that's nice. Buon anno. I'll remember that. So, let's do one more practice. I'll say the phrase, and you tell me what it means. Lucas: Sounds good. Hit me with it. Luna: Le feste sono belle. Lucas: That means 'the holidays are beautiful'. You already said that, and it's perfect. Now try this one: Brindiamo alla nostra amicizia. Luna: Brindiamo alla nostra amicizia. That means 'let's toast to our friendship'? Lucas: Exactly. You're a natural. And with that, I think we've covered everything for today. Remember to practice these phrases, and they'll become second nature. Luna: I will. And I'll be using them at the party tonight. Thanks, Lucas. And thanks to all our listeners for hanging out with us. Lucas: Yes, thanks for being here. We'll see you next time for more Italian with Fexingo.