Friday, October 10, 2025

Street Sign Language Lesson LV - Da non perdere

previous lesson | this lesson


In this round of Street Sign Language Lesson, we wander from Bergamo to Brescia and from Iseo to Asolo, discovering how Italian signs can be playful, bureaucratic, or even poetic. 

Bergamo da non perdere

Bergamo da non perdere
“Bergamo not to be missed”

This tourist map highlights da + infinitive, a classic Italian construction. Da non perdere literally means “to not lose,” but idiomatically it’s “not to be missed.” You’ll see this everywhere: un film da vedere (a film worth seeing), un libro da leggere (a book to read).


160 ANNI DI SÌ PER I NOSTRI TERRITORI. ECCO PERCHÉ ALL'OPS DI UNICREDIT DICIAMO NO
160 ANNI DI SÌ PER I NOSTRI TERRITORI. ECCO PERCHÉ ALL'OPS DI UNICREDIT DICIAMO NO
“160 years of yes for our territories. Here’s why we say NO to UniCredit’s offer.”

This is a poster we saw at Banco BPM. The acronym OPS threw us off. OPS is Offerta Pubblica di Scambio, a takeover offer one company makes for another. The background is this: UniCredit withdrew its Public Exchange Offer (OPS) for the acquisition of Banco BPM in July 2025 due to uncertainty over the approval of the Government's Golden Power and the long-time frame to obtain the final resolution of the matter. The offer, launched in November 2024, provided for the exchange of 0.175 UniCredit shares for each Banco BPM share, but was deemed inadequate and at a significant discount to shareholders by Banco BPM.

The Italian language often uses anni di + noun to encapsulate a legacy: anni di lotta (years of struggle), anni di esperienza (years of experience). The phrase—diciamo no—is a classic political slogan structure: subject + verb + emphatic particle.


Bizzi con l'Arrosticino - ti sfizi
Bizzi con l'Arrosticino - ti sfizi
“Bizi skewers - indulge yourself” or "Bizzi Arrosticini - the treat that hits the spot"

We saw this jolly kid’s face on a food truck when we pulled into the parking of Spaccio Dolciario Galbusera Tre Marie - Forcola (SO) en route to a hike. (See Val Grosina and Alpe Dosdè Two-Day Hike.)

The verb sfiziarsi comes from sfizio, meaning whim, fancy, or craving. Ti sfizi is second person reflexive: “you treat yourself; you indulge.” It’s playful, colloquial, and Romanesco/Central Italian in flavor. The rhyme between Bizzi (the company name) and sfizi is great marketing sing-song rhyme.

Arrosticini are a traditional dish from Abruzzese cuisine, consisting of small skewers of sheep meat cut into cubes, threaded onto wooden sticks, and grilled. They are prepared with mutton or young lamb, alternating lean pieces with fattier ones, then cooked over charcoal—preferably on a special grill called a fornacella—and eaten with the hands.


E VIETATO DI ABBEVERARE QUADRUPEDI
È VIETATO DI ABBEVERARE QUADRUPEDI
"Don’t let your dogs drink from this fountain”

È vietato + infinitive is the standard prohibition formula. But here we get di abbeverare instead of the more common abbeverare directly. So, strictly speaking, è vietato abbeverare would be more standard. The addition of di is a regional, bureaucratic flourish, or humorous flourish?

Quadrupedi—literally “four-footed ones”—is a formal, almost zoological term. Instead of cani (dogs) or animali, the sign raises the register, as if the fountain were a Roman law tablet.

We saw this sign in Asolo, in the province of Treviso.


Sono un vaso non un posacenere - grazie
Sono un vaso non un posacenere – grazie
“I’m a vase, not an ashtray – thank you”

In this sign spotted in Brescia, the vase speaks in the first person: sono un vaso. This anthropomorphic use in public notices makes the message more direct and polite. Compare: Non buttare i rifiuti ("don’t throw trash") vs. Io non sono un cestino ("I’m not a trash can"). The latter feels more human, and more shaming.

Also note the lack of punctuation between vaso and non un posacenere. In English we’d expect a comma or dash, but Italian signage often skips it, relying on rhythm.


spazio calmo
SPAZIO CALMO
“Calm space”

This accessibility sign designates a refuge area that people with disabilities should use during emergencies. We saw the sign near an elevator in a parking structure in Bergamo.

The phrase is interesting because spazio calmo is not idiomatic everyday Italian, you’d expect phrases like zona di rifugio or area protetta. But spazio calmo is the official technical term in fire-safety regulations (Decreto Ministeriale 3 agosto 2015). It’s a literal borrowing from EU directives, where “calm space” is used in English.


TELO MARE COVERI
TELO MARE COVERI
“Beach towel by Enrico Coveri”

We instinctively read Coveri as “cover”—but it’s the brand, Enrico Coveri.  Another reminder of how cultural literacy can trip us up in the funniest ways.

Un telo mare is the standard phrase for a beach towel. Notice there’s no preposition: not telo da mare but simply telo mare. This is an example of a “bare compound” construction that Italian allows in set phrases: scarpe tennis (tennis shoes), pantaloni sci (ski pants).



transito consentito alle biciclette solo se condotte a mano
transito consentito alle biciclette solo se condotte a mano
“Please walk your bike”  

This sign was spotted along a pedestrian waterfront path in the town of Iseo, on Lago Iseo. The Italian wording is long and formal: literally, "Transit permitted to bicycles only if walked by hand." It’s the kind of precise and legalistic phrasing you’d expect in a municipal ordinance.

What struck us is that the English version on the same sign is more compact: "please walk your bike." Rather than spelling out the condition ("transit permitted only if…"), it flips the perspective and gives a direct instruction to the cyclist.

Why is this the case? Italian public signage often mirrors the syntax of regulations. The phrase transito consentito… echoes the language of traffic codes, where permissions and restrictions are spelled out in full.  On the other hand, English signage tends to favor brevity and direct imperatives: "Keep off the grass", "Mind the gap", "Walk your bike". The goal is quick comprehension over legal precision. Italian frames the rule from the authority’s point of view ("transit is permitted only if…"). English frames it from the user’s point of view ("you must walk your bike").   

We ran into this cultural sign difference when trying to check ZTL (zona traffico limitato) hours in Bergamo. The rules and hours were frustratingly not written from the perspective of someone simply trying to find out when they can drive into the upper city.

Other examples:

- Accesso consentito ai soli autorizzati* → "Authorized personnel only"
- È vietato fumare → "No smoking"  
- Transito vietato ai veicoli a motore → "No motor vehicles"

In each case, Italian uses a full verbal construction, while English compresses it into a noun phrase or imperative.  




Tuesday, October 7, 2025

Street Sign Language Lesson LIV – Grocery Store Signs

previous lesson | next lesson


This episode of Street Sign Language Lesson takes us to the supermarket, with detours into pest control, nuts, eggs, and linguistic play. As always, the fun is in the details and how a single word choice can reveal cultural nuance, marketing creativity, or just a good pun.


Bruschette pizzaola
Bruschette PIZZAIOLA
“Pizza-style bruschetta”

Bruschetta is the singular, bruschette the plural. Remember that hard CH sound in bruschetta, as in “cat”. Pizzaiola is a pizza maker, and its use here refers to pizza-maker-style sauce, a sauce or topping with tomato, garlic, and oregano.


Crocchette ricche in salmone fresco e patate
Crocchette ricche in salmone fresco e patate
“Dog food rich in fresh salmon and potatoes”

With food insecurity affecting millions in Italy, I have a hard time looking at dog food with fresh salmon. But look I did.

Crocchette is the term used for dog food, while crocchetta refers to dry animal food or biscuits for pets. The phrase ricche in is interesting: in English we’d say “rich with” or “packed with.” Italian often uses ricco di rather than ricco in, but marketing copy likes to bend grammar for effect.


Esca formiche Esca scarafaggi
ESCA FORMICHE, ESCA INSETTICIDA SCARAFAGGI
“Ant bait, insecticidal cockroach bait.”

Esca means “bait” (also “lure” in fishing). Fun fact: scarafaggio is also used metaphorically for something dirty or unpleasant, not just the insect....just like English.

Italian omografi are words with the same spelling but different meaning depending on accent. The difference between formìca and fòrmica is in the stress. formìca (accent on the second syllable) means ant (the insect). Plural: formiche. fòrmica (accent on the first syllable) means Formica®, the brand name of a laminated plastic material, widely used for tables, countertops, and school desks.


Le nostre arachidi americane
Le nostre arachidi americane
“Our American peanuts.”

Peanut butter is still not widely used in Italy. We introduced some Italian friends to it on a camping trip (A Hike Around Lake Silvaplana), and they were hooked. According to Nutrionex, “Americans annually consume an average of 7 pounds of peanut butter per person”, while “Europeans consume [...] about 0.5 pounds a year”.

As for peanuts in Italy, you see them every now and then as snacks with aperitivo drinks and maybe a dish decoration.

Arachidi is the plural of arachide (no, it’s not a spider). Why is “American” written on the packaging? Because peanuts aren’t native to Italy—they’re imported, and the label indicates their origin. The possessive le nostre (“our”) is a marketing trick: it makes imported peanuts feel like part of the family.


Noci che noce
NOCI CHE NOCE!
“Walnuts that… wow!” (literally: “Walnuts that walnut.”)

Staying with the nut theme, how about this wordplay? Noce is both the singular “walnut” and the third-person singular of the verb nuocere (“to harm”). But here it’s a pun: “Nuts that are really something” or “Nuts that knock your socks off.”


Olive verdi snocciolate
OLIVE VERDE SNOCCIOLATE
“Green olives, pitted.”

Snocciolate literally means “de-stoned.” The root is nocciolo (pit/stone).

Notice the family of words: noce (walnut), nocciolo (pit), nocciolina (peanut). We're keeping the nut/stone theme rolling, aren't we?


Risparmio anti spreco Scadenza a breve
RISPARMIO ANTI SPRECO, scadenza a breve
“Anti-waste savings, short expiration.”

Spreco is wastefulness or squandering. Anti-spreco is a buzzword in Italy now, tied to sustainability. Scadenza a breve means “soon-to-expire.” Shops mark down products close to their sell-by date. It’s an example of how language reflects cultural shifts: frugality and eco-consciousness appearing in supermarket signage.


Uova fresche
UOVA FRESCHE da galline allevate a terra
“Fresh eggs from barn-raised chickens”

Straightforward, but worth noting: uovo (singular), uova (plural) is one of those irregular plurals that switch gender. Un uovo (masculine), but due uova (feminine). Italian learners often trip over this, so the egg carton becomes a grammar lesson.

Allevate a terra literally means “raised on the ground,” i.e. not in cages. It’s one of the standard EU labeling categories for eggs:


allevate in gabbia = caged hens
allevate a terra = barn-raised (indoors, but free to move on the ground)
all’aperto = free-range (outdoor access)
biologiche = organic (with stricter feed and welfare rules)

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Patterns in Professional Titles in Italian


Six professions in Italy.

Why is anesthesiologist anestesista in Italian while biologist is biologo? We asked this very question to an Italian friend and she said she really didn’t know why. Like us with English, she knew what was correct but not why.

Well, as in everything in Italian, there are patterns to the “why” but always with exceptions.

The –ista/ologo pattern


The difference between anestesista and biologo in Italian comes down to how professional titles are formed based on linguistic roots and conventions. Italian uses different suffixes to form nouns that describe professions. For these two suffixes:
  • -ista: Often used for roles or specialists in a particular field or practice. -ista comes from Greek/Latin -istes (“one who does or practices”)
  • -ogo/-ologo: Typically used for scholars or scientists in a discipline. -ologo comes from Greek –logos (“discourse, study”)

anestesista

  • Derived from anestesia (anesthesia), which comes from Greek anaisthēsía meaning “lack of sensation.”
  • The suffix -ista implies someone who practices or specializes in a technique or method. So, an anestesista is someone who administers anesthesia, a practitioner.
  • This term applies to both men and women practitioners. Don’t forget to change the article. For example, il giornalista / la giornalista.

biologo/a

  • Comes from biologia (biology), from Greek bios (life) + logos (study).
  • The suffix -logo (from logos) implies someone who studies or is an expert in a field. So, a biologo is someone who studies life, a scientist.
  • Notice the feminine form: la biologa. Some professions have become gender-neutral.

In short, medical practitioners like anesthesiologists are often labeled with -ista because they perform a specialized function. Researchers or academics like biologists are labeled with -logo because they study a field in depth.

This pattern holds across many common professions:

  • -ista professions - anestesista, automobilista, artista, autista, batterista, capitalista, ceramista, chitarrista, ciclista, comunista, dentista, dietista, farmacista, fiorista, fisioterapista, giornalista, linguista, ottimista, pacifista, pianista, regista, saggista, stilista, surfista, terrorista, tennista, violinista

  • -logo professions - archeologo, antropologo, astrologo, astrobiologo, biologo, cardiologo, criminologo, dermatologo, etimologo, filologo, ginecologo, meteorologo, oncologo, psicologo, reumatologo, sociologo, teologo, urologo, virologo, zoologo

Exceptions to the –ista/ologo pattern


-ista for theorists or ideologues
  • Not all -ista words are “practical” jobs. Some are about belief systems or schools of thought.
  • Examples: marxista, futurista, pacifista where it’s about adherence to an ideology, not a profession.

-ologo for practitioners
  • Some -ologo terms are used for people who also practice, not just study.
  • Examples: cardiologo is both a medical doctor and an expert in cardiology; odontologo (dentist) is a practitioner, not just a researcher.

Doublets with subtle nuance
  • Some fields have both forms, with subtle differences.
  • Examples: psicologo (trained psychologist) vs. psichiatra (medical doctor specializing in psychiatry) where the suffix difference signals training and scope; musicista (musician in general) vs. musicologo (musicologist, academic study of music).

Historical accidents
  • Some suffix choices are just tradition.
  • Examples: farmacista (pharmacist) could have been farmacologo, but farmacologo now means a researcher in pharmacology, not the person behind the counter.

-ogo forms are rarer
  • These usually appear because the word is a compound from Greek where the “lo” has been dropped or never existed (mago from Latin magus, pedagogo from Greek paidagōgós). Most modern scientific or academic professions keep the -ologo form.
  • Examples: mago, demagogo

Over the centuries, meanings have blurred. As well, there are professional role changes where some former –ologo jobs come more hands-on –ista roles. Prestige may also influence whether some fields prefer –ologo over –ista.

The big picture


Yes, -ologo/-ogo and -ista cover a huge slice of Italian profession names, especially in science, medicine, arts, and sports. But they’re far from the whole picture. There are other endings like -tore/-trice, -iere/-iera, -aio/-aia, -ente, and -ico/-ica, which also account for a large number of professions, many of them very common in everyday life.

Here's a broader rundown of profession names in Italian:

 
Suffix Common in… Examples
-ologo / -ogo Science, medicine, academia biologo, cardiologo
-ista Arts, sports, politics, medicine giornalista, dentista
-tore / -trice Arts, leadership, skilled trades scrittore, direttore
-iere / -iera Service, hospitality, retail cameriere, infermiere
-aio / -aia Traditional trades fornaio, calzolaio, tabaccaio, lattaio
-olo / -ola Traditional trades fruttivendolo, pescivendolo, pizzicagnolo
-ente Education, leadership, politics insegnante, presidente
-ico / -ica Science, politics, technical fields medico, tecnico
-ario / -aria Administrative, clerical, trades bibliotecario, segretario
-ante Arts, service, activism cantante, commerciante, manifestante
-essa Traditional feminine forms professoressa, dottoressa, studentessa

Loan words manager, DJ, coach

Crystallized forms pilota, guida, modello/a


-tore / -trice
  • Meaning: Often from Latin -tor/-trix, used for roles defined by an action or function.
  • Pattern: Masculine -tore → Feminine -trice.
  • Notes: Common in formal and literary registers.
  • Examples:
    • attoreattrice (actor)
    • direttoredirettrice (director)
    • scrittorescrittrice (writer)
    • traduttoretraduttrice (translator)
-iere / -iera
  • Meaning: Often service, trade, or craft professions.
  • Pattern: Masculine -iere → Feminine -iera.
  • Notes: Common in hospitality, retail, and manual trades.
  • Examples:
    • camerierecameriera (waiter/waitress)
    • infermiereinfermiera (nurse)
    • banconierebanconiera (counter clerk)
    • portiereportiera (doorman / concierge)
-aio / -aia
  • Meaning: Often small-scale trades, shopkeepers, or craftspeople.
  • Pattern: Masculine -aio → Feminine -aia.
  • Notes: Feels more colloquial and tied to traditional trades.
  • Examples:
    • fornaiofornaia (baker)
    • pizzaiolopizzaiola (pizza maker)
    • gelataiogelataia (gelato maker/seller)
    • calzolaiocalzolaia (shoemaker)
    • ferramentaioferramentaia (hardware store owner)
-olo / -ola
  • Meaning: Often denotes specialized roles, especially in food preparation, craftsmanship, or informal trades. The suffix can carry a regional or colloquial flavor, and is sometimes used interchangeably with -aio/-aia depending on dialect and context.
  • Pattern: Masculine -olo → Feminine -ola
  • Notes: Common in culinary professions and traditional crafts. Some forms may overlap with -aio/-aia, but -olo/-ola tends to feel more expressive or idiomatic in certain regions.
  • Examples:
    • pescivendolopescivendola (fish seller) 
    • fruttivendolo → fruttivendola (green grocer)
    • pollivendolo → pollivendola (poultry dealer)
    • pizzicagnolo → pizzicagnola (delicatessen shopkeeper)
-ente
  • Meaning: From Latin -ens/-entis, often for roles defined by a state or ongoing function.
  • Pattern: Same form for masculine and feminine; article changes.
  • Notes: Very common in modern job titles; gender-neutral in form.
  • Examples:
    • insegnante (teacher)
    • dirigente (manager/executive)
    • presidente (president)
    • assistente (assistant)
    • docente (docent)
    • paziente (patient)
-ico / -ica
  • Meaning: Often from Greek/Latin adjectives turned into nouns for professions.
  • Pattern: Masculine -ico → Feminine -ica.
  • Notes: Many -ico professions are also adjectives (politico = political).
  • Examples:
    • medicomedica (doctor)
    • meccanicomeccanica (mechanic)
    • tecnicotecnica (technician)
    • chimicochimica (chemist)
    • politicopolitica (politician)
-ario/aria
  • Meaning: Often from Latin nouns or adjectives, used for professions, roles, or people associated with a place, duty, or function.
  • Pattern: Masculine -ario → Feminine -aria.
  • Notes:
    • Many -ario words can also be adjectives meaning “related to” or “pertaining to” something (parlamentario = parliamentary).
    • Some professions in -ario are less common in modern usage, replaced by other forms (e.g., farmacario is archaic).
    • The ending -ario is productive for roles tied to institutions, offices, or responsibilities.
  • Examples:
    • segretariosegretaria (secretary)
    • bibliotecariobibliotecaria (librarian)
    • farmacariofarmacaria* (rare; more common: farmacista)
    • notarionotaria (notary)
    • proprietarioproprietaria (owner)
-ante
  • Meaning: From Latin -ans/-antis, often for roles or agents defined by an ongoing action or function (present participle origin).
  • Pattern: Same form for masculine and feminine; article changes.
  • Notes:
    • Derived from the present participle of verbs, so meaning is often “one who [verb]s” (e.g., cantarecantante = one who sings).
    • Gender is usually marked only by the article (il cantante / la cantante).
    • Some -ante words are more common as adjectives but can be used as nouns for professions or roles.
    • In modern usage, -ante is productive for describing people by their activity rather than formal job title.
  • Examples:
    • cantante (singer)
    • commerciante (merchant/trader)
    • viaggiatoreviaggiante* (traveller) – rare; more common as adjective or participle
    • manifestante (demonstrator/protester)
    • insegnante (teacher) – can also be in -ente, but some verbs form in -ante
    • practicante (trainee/intern)
Loan words
  • Used as is from other languages.
  • Examples: DJ, manager, coach, business, weekend, meeting from English. Movida from Spanish. Karaoke from Japanese.

Crystallized forms 
  • Words that entered the Italian language as lexical terms, sometimes derived from another Italian word and fixed in the language.
  • Examples: pilota (pilot), guida (guide), modello (model)

What about porcaro? Stallaro?

Yes — porcaro and stallaro are both historically attested Italian profession nouns, but they’re not common in modern everyday speech.
  • Porcaro — literally “swineherd” or “pig keeper,” from porco (“pig”) + the occupational suffix -aro.
  • Stallaro — “stableman” or “person in charge of a stable,” from stalla (“stable”) + -aro.

Both are old-style rural job titles, more likely to appear in historical documents, dialect, or as surnames than in contemporary job ads. Today you’d more often hear:
  • allevatore di suini (pig farmer) instead of porcaro
  • stalliere (stable hand) instead of stallaro