373 grado degree, grade, level, extent, rank. The phrase essere in grado di, meaning “to be able to”, is quite common and its meaning is not easy to guess. Think of to be up to the level of in English. Example, è in grado di usare questa macchina (“he’s able to use this machine”).

374 azienda company, business, firm, società. From Latin facienda (“to be done”) through Old Spanish hazienda, now spelled hacienda (“estate”, “firm”). Spanish tienda (“shop”) is etymologically unrelated but you can use it as a mnemonic. Example, un’azienda agricola (“a farm”, literally “an agricultural company”).

381 porre to put, to place, to set, to pose. From Latin ponere (“to put”), by contraction or loss of -ne-, according to Ottorino Pianigiani. Cognate with Spanish poner (“to put”) and French pondre (“to lay (eggs)”), and the root of English propose (but not the standalone word pose). In the sense of “to put”, this word is almost like mettere. But porre is more often used in abstract senses. Examples, porre / mettere le basi (“to lay the foundation”); porre una domanda (“to ask a question”); porre fine / termine a (“to put an end to”).

384 conto account; bill; count (n.), calculation. Examples, il conto per favore! (“the bill please!”); pagare il conto (“to pay the bill”); conto corrente (“checking account”, literally “current account”); rendersi conto di (“to realize”, “to become aware”, literally “to render oneself account of”); fare i conti (“to count”, “to do the math”); in fin dei conti (“after all”, “all things considered”, literally “in end of the accounts”); per conto di (“on behalf of”).

385 film film, movie. The only thing to note about this word is that its plural is also film. Example, due film (“two movies / films”).

387 strada street (cognate), road, via. 2015 stradale (adj.) street, road. From Latin strada (“paved road”) < Latin stratus (“paved”, “covered”). English street can be traced to Proto-Germanic *stratu, which was borrowed from Latin strada. A strada may be a larger street than a via, and via is usually used as part of a street name. Examples, strada principale (“main road”); fuori strada (“off road”); piano stradale (“road plan”); rete stradale (“road network”).

388 spesa expense (cognate), expenditure, cost, charge, spending. From Latin expensa. One source of Italian s- is Latin ex-. Not to be confused with spesso (“often”; “thick”, for which the fem. is spessa).

389 confronto comparison; confrontation. 2263 confrontare to compare, to match; to confront. Note the first meanings. Think of the literal meaning of bringing together (con-) some things to the front (-fronto), to do comparison. In fact, the meaning “to confront” is more commonly translated into Italian as affrontare instead. Examples, in confronto a / a confronto di / in confronto con (“in comparison with”, “compared to”); senza confronti / confronto (“without / beyond comparison”); confrontare mele e arance (“to compare apples and oranges”, an idiom that works in both English and Italian).

391 meglio (adv.) better, best. 588 migliore (adj.) better, best. 1250 migliorare to improve, to make better. From Latin melius and meliorem (“better”). Cognate with meliorate and ameliorate (“to make better”), Spanish mejor, French mieux. Note the vowel in the first syllable of the adjective and the verb is i, not e, due to lack of stress.

394 terzo third. From Latin tertius (“third”). Cognate with tertiary, Spanish tercero and French tiers (“third”).

397 mano hand. Cognate with manual, and with the first element of manicure. Note that the word is feminine in spite of -o ending, and that its plural is mani, not *mane. Examples, le mie due mani (“my two hands”); fatto a mano (“hand-made”, “made by hand”; note preposition a, not e.g. da); man mano che (“while gradually”, “in the process in which”; o is dropped in the first mano).

398 nascere to be born. 1622 nascita birth. From Latin nasci (“to be born”). Cognate with nation, nature, natal, Spanish nacer and French naître (“to be born”). The English words are from the participle of the Latin word or from Latin natio. English renaissance is from French, where re- means “again”, “anew”.

403 esprimere to express (cognate), to voice, to convey. From Latin exprimere (“to squeeze”; “to express”). Also cognate with Spanish exprimir (“to squeeze”), French exprimer (“to express”). Example, esprimere un desiderio (“to make a wish”, literally “to express a desire”).

404 ambiente environment. Cognate with ambient (as in ambient temperature), Spanish ambiente, French ambiant. Example, protezione dell’ambiente (“environmental protection”, protezione ambientale).

407 troppo too much / many; too. From Latin troppus (“herd”, “flock”). Cognate with troup or troupe, French trop (“too much”). A herd or flock appears to be many. Examples, ha troppo caldo (“it’s too hot”); c’è troppa gente / ci sono troppe persone (“there are too many people”; note the grammatically singular gente).