Word of the Week: FREDDO

| Mon, 11/03/2014 - 05:46
Snow in Madonna di Campiglio

Temperatures are starting to drop in Italy – il freddo sta arrivando! (cold weather is coming). Our Word of the Week therefore is freddo – cold.

To be cold is avere freddo (notice in Italian the word cold in this case takes the verb “have” rather than “be”).

It’s freezing cold is translated as fa un freddo cane (cane meaning dog).

When it’s cold it’s easy to get a cold, which in Italian is translated as raffreddore.

Freddo/Fredda is also used to refer to a person that is detached, not friendly.  

Calma e sangue freddo is an idiomatic expression to mean keep cool and collected.

Now practice with this 1969 song by Nada, “Ma che freddo fa”: