Alesha Allen
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Alesha is an Oxford University graduate of Italian who lived and worked in Rome as a language teacher and PR consultant. Back in the UK, she now runs Alesha’s Italian Masterclass: group Italian courses and private lessons at Italian cafes and restaurants in London and Surrey. You can contact her at italianmasterclass@hotmail.com or through Facebook. Her website is www.italianmasterclass.co.uk.
Articles by Alesha Allen
Wed, 04/20/2016 - 01:25
Here are a few words and expressions to help you out when travelling by train - in treno - in Italy.
La stazione - Station
Il binario - Platform
L’ora…
Thu, 03/24/2016 - 11:18
When talking about the clocks going forward and backward, we can use the expressions:
- cambiare l’ora - change the clocks
- mettere un’ora in avant…
Wed, 02/24/2016 - 05:52
There is a general rule for plural and singular nouns in Italian:
- masculine singular nouns end in -o
- masculine plural nouns end in -i
- feminin…
Wed, 02/03/2016 - 08:25
The Italian word il biglietto has a range of meanings in English:
A ticket: At the station, airport, museum, theatre etc.
A note: A letter or piece o…
Thu, 01/28/2016 - 05:39
There are so many lovely things to eat while in Italy, you don’t want to miss a meal! The main meals in Italian are:
Breakfast: La colazione
Lunch: Il…
Mon, 01/05/2015 - 09:10
Having spent five winters in Rome, I never saw snow - la neve - like in the UK. However, I have spent a very wintery weekend in Venice a few years a…
Mon, 12/08/2014 - 02:00
Let's start with la Festa dell’Immacolata, as today, December 8th, marks exactly that, la festa dell’Immacolata Concezione in Italy. This is a public…
Sat, 11/29/2014 - 04:00
We all love a good Italian caffè (coffee) when visiting Italy, but if you fancied a tea (and tea is more popular among Italians than you many think!)…
Sat, 10/18/2014 - 03:30
I always encourage my students to go to Italy whenever possible, even if just for a weekend, so they can be immersed in the Italian language. Recently…
Sat, 09/27/2014 - 04:00
[Photo: panorama italiano]
As a general rule, in Italian feminine words end in -a and masculine words end in -o. However, there are always exceptions…
Sat, 09/20/2014 - 04:00
We all like to take advantage of a bit of shopping when on holiday, especially when visiting Italy. I love going to the supermarket and stocking up on…
Mon, 06/09/2014 - 09:01
Il tavolo is ‘the table’, in the sense of a piece of furniture. However if ‘the table’ is prepared for a meal, it becomes la tavola.
At home, when foo…
Sat, 05/03/2014 - 03:00
In one of my Italian lessons, a few of my students were telling stories and joking about younger men hitting on them, and asked me for the relevant vo…
Sat, 04/26/2014 - 03:00
Fare il ponte is an Italian expression which literally means 'to make a bridge'. However, it has nothing to do with builders and engineers! It is used…
Sat, 04/19/2014 - 02:15
Auguri comes from the verb augurare which means ‘to wish’. Auguri literally means ‘well wishes’ and can be used:
- to say happy birthday, in fact the…
Sat, 04/12/2014 - 03:00
Albero da frutto means ‘fruit tree’, although for some fruits, once you learn their name, you also know the name of its tree:
La mela, il melo - Apple…
Sat, 01/11/2014 - 04:30
The five senses - sensi - in Italian are:
La vista: Sight
L’udito: Hearing
Il gusto: Taste
L’olfatto: Smell
Il tatto: Touch
The verb sentire can be us…
Mon, 12/23/2013 - 05:03
Over the Christmas period, some of us will be taking holidays, so the word of the week is ferie, holidays.
The typical period of ferie in Italy is dur…
Sat, 11/16/2013 - 07:00
You can never get tired of Italy, however if you ever feel tired or sleepy during your trip in Italy from all the walking and sightseeing and eating,…
Sun, 10/06/2013 - 06:00
If something is stressing you out in Italy, you could say you don’t care or, more colloquially, you don’t give a damn.
In Italian this would be:
No…