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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: ‘Sussurrare’

Whisper it, but this might be one of the most beautiful words in the Italian language.

Italian word of the day: 'Sussurrare'
Photo: DepositPhotos

Italians are not exactly known for keeping their voices down.

But when they do, you might like to know that the Italian verb meaning ‘to whisper’ or ‘to murmur’ is the delightfully onomatopoeic sussurrare.

– Sussurralo

– Whisper it

Hear it pronounced here.

Sussurrare can also be used to talk about rumours and furtive gossip:

– si sussurra che..

– it’s rumoured that…

– gli sussurrò qualcosa all’orecchio

– he whispered something in his ear

Sussurro is the noun meaning “a whisper”:

– Non più di un sussurro

– No more than a whisper

Otherwise, you can use the equally onomatopoeic verb bisbigliare (try repeating it out loud quickly).

– È sgarbato bisbigliare davanti a noi.

– It’s rude to whisper in front of us.

– Non serve bisbigliare

– There’s no need to whisper

With words this beautiful, it’s worth finding ways to use them as often as possible – no matter how loud your family is.

Do you have an Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

Member comments

  1. I love the “word of the day”. It is so fun to be able to use these words correctly and to keep a full phrase in your head to be used at the right moment. You might consider putting them in altogether in an ebook.

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For members

ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘Al volo’

We’re sure you’ll learn this Italian phrase in no time.

Italian expression of the day: ‘Al volo’

If you’ve ever found yourself at an Italian airport and looked up at the departure board, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with the word volo, which is the Italian equivalent of ‘flight’ – but also the first person singular of the verb volare (to fly) in the present tense.

And if you’re a fan of classical music, you may of course have heard of Italy’s famous opera trio Il Volo (‘The Flight’).

But what do Italians mean when they say they’re going to do something al volo (hear it pronounced here)? 

Much like its closest English equivalent, ‘on the fly’, al volo has very little to do with aircraft or flying as it’s one of the most common Italian phrases to say that you’re doing something ‘quickly’ or ‘readily’, often without having prepared it or thought about it much beforehand.

Facciamoci una pasta al volo e poi usciamo.

Let’s cook some pasta on the fly and then get out.

Ho dovuto preparare la presentazione al volo perché non mi avevano avvisato della riunione.

I had to put the presentation together on the fly as I’d not been notified of the meeting. 

But usage of al volo is not limited to practical actions or tasks you may do quickly and without much thought. 

In fact, you can also pair it with the verb capire (understand), comprendere (comprehend) or imparare (learn) to say that you grasped something ‘immediately’ or ‘in no time’, meaning you won’t need any further explanation. 

Tuo figlio capisce tutto al volo. Ha un grande futuro davanti a lui, a mio parere.

Your son understands everything in no time. He’s got a great future ahead of him, in my opinion.

And if you haven’t fully understood or grasped something on your first try (which is painfully likely when dealing with Italy’s infamous red tape, even for locals), don’t worry: you’ll always have the option to ask a domanda al volo, or a ‘quick question’, to clear up your doubts. 

Another popular way to use the phrase is in relation to big opportunities, whether that be in life, in education or at work. So an opportunity that va presa al volo must be seized immediately as it’s too good to be missed. 

Finally, if you’re planning on watching Euro 2024 matches on Italian TV over the next month, you may hear football commentators use al volo multiple times while analysing a match as colpire la palla al volo means to strike it while it’s in the air, or ‘volley’ it.

Do you have a favourite Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day: download our app (available on Apple and Android) and then select the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

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