“If I spoke Italian, I’d be in Italy in a minute.”

Bonnie Badelia, an American actress

Italian and English belong to different language groups: Italian is a Romance/Romanic language and English is West Germanic. Even so, they have a lot in common. For example, the most common word order is the same – subject + predicate + object. As for the vocabulary, the number of Italian loanwords used in the English language is pretty large. It should be noted that Italian bears the closest resemblance to Latin. And about 80 percent of the entries in any English dictionary are borrowed mainly from Latin (source). Speaking of numbers, 45% of all English words have French origin (source), and French is a Romance language, just like Italian. All of these facts suggest that Italian and English have more in common than we might think. Interestingly, even the name a major English-speaking country has Italian origin – America is named after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.

But, perhaps, the majority of Italian loanwords are related to music (Italian is the language of classical music), cuisine, art and architecture.

MUSIC 

In fact, there is a huge number of Italian music terms used in English. That’s because many important early composers were Italian. See the table below to know some of the most commonly used terms:

Word	Meaning / picture	Example
Bass [beɪs]	the lowest range of musical notes, or a man with a singing voice in this range	He sings bass. In fact, he is his country’s leading bass.
Cello [‘ʧeləu]		I play the cello.
Concert	a music performance	I’m playing in a concert at the church hall next Friday.
Diva [‘diːvə]	a very famous female singer	She is an opera diva.
Duet [dju’et]	a song or other piece of music sung  or played by two people	I heard you singing duets after dinner once.
Impresario [ˌɪmprɪ’sɑːrɪəu]	a person who arranges  different types of public  entertainment	He is a famous theatrical impresario.
Maestro [‘maɪstrəu]	a man who is very skilled at playing or  conducting music	His technique is that of a maestro.
Piano		I’m learning to play the piano.
Solo	alone, without other people	He used to play with a group but now he’s going solo.
Violin [ˌvaɪə’lɪn]		She plays the violin with great expression.

CUISINE

We have the Italians to thank for numerous coffee terms which we use or hear every day (read Coffee English to learn or brush up on interesting coffee vocabulary). Apart from espresso, Italy is home to many tasty dishes popular all over the world. Many foods have names of Italian origin as well:

Word	Meaning / picture	Example
Broccoli [‘brɔkəlɪ]		If you are trying to eat healthier, vegetables like broccoli should be at the very top of your grocery list.
Cauliflower [‘kɔlɪˌflauə]		Cauliflower is one vegetable that deserves a regular rotation in your diet.
Grappa [‘græpə]	a type of Italian brandy	Grappa is a uniquely Italian drink.
Lasagne (British English) / lasagna (American English) [lə’zænjə]	thin, wide sheets of pasta, or a dish consisting of layers of this combined with two different sauces	Lasagne are wide, flat pasta, and possibly one of the oldest types of pasta.
Macaroni [ˌmæk(ə)’rəunɪ]		Macaroni and cheese is a popular dish in North America.
Mozzarella [ˌmɔtsə’relə]	a soft white Italian cheese	True mozzarella cheese is made from water buffalo milk.
Pepperoni [ˌpepə’rəunɪ]	a spicy pork / beef sausage, used especially on pizza	Pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky, and bright red in color.
Pistachio [pɪ’stɑːʃɪəu]		Pistachios are a great source of healthy fats, fiber, protein, and various nutrients.
Pizza [‘piːtsə]		The term “pizza” was first recorded in the 10th century.
Risotto [rɪ’zɔtəu]	a dish of rice cooked together with vegetables, meat etc.	There are many different risotto recipes with different ingredients.

ART & ARCHITECTURE

Word	Meaning / picture	Example
Apartment (mainly American English)	flat	I don’t have the keys to the apartment.
Balcony [‘bælkənɪ]		Let’s have a drink on the balcony.
Caricature [ˌkærɪkə’tjuə]	a picture, description, or imitation of a person in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect	There have been some efforts to produce caricatures automatically using computer graphics techniques.
Fresco [‘freskəu]		Michelangelo’s famous  frescoes are in the Sistine Chapel /ˌsɪstiːn ˈtʃæpəl/.
Graffiti [græ’fiːtɪ]		When graffiti is (more formally “are”) done without a property owner’s permission it is considered vandalism.
Grotto [‘grɔtəu]	a small cave, especially one that is made to look attractive	Archaeologists are still searching for the entrance of the grotto.
Madonna	a picture or model that  represents Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ	Madonnas are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
Replica [‘replɪkə]	an exact copy of an object	A replica is an exact reproduction.
Veranda [və’rændə]	a raised, open area, often covered, attached to the front or side of a house	Every evening they sat on the veranda drinking wine.
Villa [‘vɪlə]	a house, usually in the countryside or near the sea	They have a villa in Portugal.

Of course, there are many more English words that are actually Italian: novel, scenario, orange, sepia [‘siːpɪə], costume, jeans, stiletto, lagoon, archipelago, riviera [ˌrɪvɪ’eərə] and bank, carton are all of Italian origin. Some of them  entered the English language through French.

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