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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: ‘Tregua’

You'll want to call a truce with this word.

Italian word of the day tregua
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

If you’re at a deadlock with an opponent and want to move forward, there’s one Italian word you’ll want to familiarise yourself with: tregua.

It means ‘truce’ or ceasefire, and is used to mean an armistice between warring factions or political opponents, just like in English.

Le due nazioni hanno dichiarato una tregua dopo anni di guerra.
The two nations declared a ceasefire after years of war.

Aspettiamo che concordino la tregua.
We’re waiting for them to agree to the truce.

It’s also the title of Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi’s acclaimed memoir and the sequel to his book ‘If this is a man’, translated directly as ‘The Truce’ in the UK and more loosely as ‘The Reawakening’ in America.

A man showing the circuitous route taken by Primo Levi on his return home from Auschwitz.
A map showing the circuitous route taken by Primo Levi on his return home from Auschwitz. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

But tregua has meanings in Italian than just ‘truce’.

It can also be used to refer to a break, respite or reprieve after a period of intensity – whether from extreme weather:

La pioggia non dà tregua.
The rain isn’t letting up.

Speriamo che questo caldo ci conceda un po’ di tregua.
Let’s hope this heat grants us a bit of a break.

Paolo Bonolis Avanti Un Altro GIF - Paolo Bonolis Avanti Un Altro Sdltv GIFs
 

Work:

Sta lavorando senza tregua.
She’s working relentlessly.

È una gradita tregua dallo stare seduto tutto il giorno davanti a uno schermo.
It’s a welcome respite from sitting in front of a screen all day.

Or individuals, including yourself:

Sono stremati, dovrebbe concedergli un po’ di tregua…
They’re exhausted, she should give them a break…

Dovresti darti una tregua.
You should cut yourself some slack.

See if you can get it into a conversation this week – but if not, don’t be too hard on yourself: datti un po’ di tregua.

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

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For members

ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: ‘Rimorchiare’

Here's an Italian word you'll want to pick up.

Italian word of the day: 'Rimorchiare'

If you’ve ever studied for your foglio rosa (provisional driver’s licence) exam in Italy, you’re sure to have come across the word rimorchio (trailer).

Theory test T/F question: ‘The width of the trailer must never exceed that of the vehicle pulling it.’

Credo che dovremo noleggiare un rimorchio per trasportare tutta la merce.
I think we might need to rent a trailer to transport all the goods.

And rimorchiare, along with the more formal trainare, means to haul or tow.

La barca è stata rimorchiata a riva.
The boat was towed to shore.

But rimorchiare isn’t just used to talk about vehicles. It also means to pick or chat someone up, or hook up with them.

Sono usciti per rimorchiare.
They’ve gone out on the pull.

Se n’è appena andata con un tipo che ha rimorchiato.
She just left with some guy she picked up.

A rimorchiatore is a tugboat, but can also mean a player/persistent flirt, and rimorchione/a also describes someone who’s constantly chatting people up.

got talent nina GIF by Italia's Got Talent

In some parts of the country, meanwhile, you might hear someone described as a provolone – a big tryhard or wannabe player.

That’s a wordplay based on the reflexive verb provarci, meaning ‘to try it on with’, and the famous Italian cheese. 

È un gran provolone ma non riesce mai a rimorchiare.
He’s a real tryhard but he never manages to pull.

Do you have a favourite Italian word or expression 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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