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Italian word of the day: ‘Focolaio’

This topical word will help you make sense of Italy's headlines.

Published: 11 August 2020 17:35 CEST

Italian word of the day: 'Focolaio'

Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash

Many of us might never have learned the word focolaio if it weren't for the coronavirus pandemic.

The word comes from the Latin focus, meaning 'fireplace' (the same root gave Italian its word for fire, fuoco). So un focolaio is quite literally 'a hotspot'.

In molte regioni italiane sono stati accertati negli ultimi giorni diversi nuovi focolai di coronavirus.
New coronavirus hotspots have been identified in several Italian regions in recent days.

Doctors use it figuratively to describe the main site of a disease or injury.

il focolaio infettivo
the centre of infection

il focolaio di frattura
the fracture site

By extension, it's also used for the place where something – usually bad – begins, like a 'hotbed' or 'breeding ground'.

un focolaio di rivolte
a hotbed of revolt

un focolaio di corruzione
a breeding ground for corruption

Since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, focolai (plural) have made their way into Italian headlines as people hunt for details of each new flash point.

While the term really refers to a place or site, in this context it's sometimes easier to translate it as 'outbreak' or 'cluster'.

'C’è un nuovo grosso focolaio nel mantovano'
'There's a large new outbreak near Mantua' – a recent headline in Il Post.

Find out where Italy's latest focolai have been identified in this article.

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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.

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