The 10 best words in the Italian language

Studying languages at university left me utterly unprepared for real life in Italy, mainly because we focus more on the literature side of things than actually speaking words. I arrived armed with several ways of saying 'alas' in fourteenth century Tuscan, and, for inexplicable reasons, a lot of tree related vocab, but unable to decipher the average Italian menu - hardly the best tools for making friends.

On the plus side, perhaps out of pity for the fact that my chat in Italian was comparable to that of a medieval and socially challenged tree-hugger, most of the Italians I've met have been all too eager to help me learn their language.

Mostly this has involved laughing at my accent (no change there, then) and helping me craft the perfect insults and hand gestures necessary to confront the drivers who try to run me over each day, but I've also learnt lots of new words. Some are more useful than others, some are just really quite funny, and I'm 99% sure none of them were used by Dante. These are my ten favourites so far.

"vestirsi a cipolla" 
= to wear several layers of clothing
This literally means "to dress oneself like an onion", and I first heard it from my host mum in a discussion about English weather. She innocently enquired 'But don't you have to dress like an onion during English winter?', which, frankly, baffled me. At first I thought she'd got us confused with the French (who all go around on bicycles in stripy tops and onion garlands, so I've heard) but eventually it transpired that she was talking about jumpers and winter coats rather than vegetables. Makes sense when you think about it, sort of, and it's a cute little phrase.

"che figo/fico!"
= how cool!
This is used all the time. It literally means 'what a fig!' but in Italian can describe anything from a snazzy scooter to the British monarchy to your outfit. But it is a compliment - you just have to be careful the final 'o' doesn't come out as an 'a', or you're saying something entirely different...

"gattara"
= crazy cat lady
I've seen a fair few candidates for this description whilst out and about in Rome, so it's not surprising they have their own word for it. The Italians already find it hilarious that I'm called Cat (Catherine is a bit much for them as it tends to morph into 'Cazzzzzerina'), so I'm doing everything I can to stop this becoming my new nickname.

"beccare qualcuno"
= to hit on someone
'Beccare' means to peck, so this seems particularly appropriate having witnessed the insistence of certain Italian menfolk.

"avere una faccia tosta"
= to be tough/determined
I've heard this used a lot in the context of young people in Italy at the moment, who are faced with soaring unemployment rates in the wake of the economic crisis. It literally means 'to have a tough face' and sort of makes it sound like the Italians are planning to deal with the problems in their economy by way of a staring contest or something.

"sbrodolone" 
= someone who is a messy eater
I love how Italian manages to convey certain ideas in a single word, usually one which is lots of fun to say. This one comes from the verb 'sbrodolare' meaning to spill or dirty, so together with the suffix 'one' it translates as 'a big spiller'. Brilliant.

"stare fuori come un balcone"
= to be out of it like a balcony
This can mean 'out of your mind' (like the more commonly used 'fuori di testa') but in Rome seems to be used mostly to mean 'drunk'. It reminds me a bit of Michael McIntyre's 'gazeboed' sketch, and I hope to introduce it to the English language.

"limonare" 
= to make out with someone
Granted, 'lemoning' sounds a lot nicer than most English slang for kissing - the abolition of the word 'snog' is long overdue - but that doesn't make it any more normal. An alternative verb I've heard used is 'pomiciare', which literally means 'to polish with a pumice stone' and really doesn't inspire much confidence in Italian kissing techniques.

"precipitevolissimevolmente"
= as fast as you can
One of my favourite things about Italian is the endings which modify word meanings - for example, 'accia' meaning 'bad', so a 'parolaccia' is a swear word and 'linguaccia' is sticking your tongue out, and 'issimo' meaning very'. It sums up the Italian tendency to go a little overboard; nothing's ever 'fine' or 'OK' here, it's always 'benissimo!' or 'bellissimo!' which can be tricky for a Brit to come to terms with, trained as we are to reign in all emotions and apologise at any given opportunity. Apparently this is also the longest word in modern Italian - try saying that precipitevolissimevolmente.

And finally...

"Boh!"
It roughly means 'I don't know', but must be delivered along with your finest dumbfounded expression, palms upward, eyes wide and generally looking as though the person you're conversing with has just asked you to explain string theory. It's so much fun to say, and if you perfect this, you are basically a fully fledged Italian.