Advertisement

Italian Word of The Day Supported by: Fluente logo For Members

Italian expression of the day: 'Di solito'

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Italian expression of the day: 'Di solito'
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond"

Here's a phrase Italian language beginners usually overlook.

Advertisement

When we want to say "usually" in Italian, it is easiest to reach for the adverb usualmente - which helpfully sounds very similar. 

We have an easy time recognising the meaning of Italian (regular) adverbs which simply have the Italian -mente suffix tacked on instead of the English -ly.

While there are plenty of Italian false friends to beware of, usualmente is one that means what it seems to.

Advertisement

But it's a shame to keep using that one word when Italian has at least half a dozen others, including normalmente, comunemente, ordinariamente, tradizionalmente, and abitualmente.

And one slightly different phrase you'll hear used often in spoken Italian is di solito (pronounced 'di-SOL-i-toh').

It too is an adverb, and it means the same thing as usualmente: usually, or ordinarily.

- Di solito rientro a casa verso le sei.
- I usually get home at about six o’clock
 
- Il parco, di solito, è pieno di famiglie.
- The park is usually full of families.
 

Advertisement

 
You can use the similar adverb solitamente in much the same way. 
 
- Le immagine solitamente sono di bassa qualità
- The photos are usually of poor quality
 
- Non bevo molto vino solitamente.
- I don't usually drink much wine
 
 
Both come from the word solito, meaning "usual":
 
- vediamoci domani alla solita ora
- See you tomorrow at the usual time 
 
Solito comes from the Latin verb soleo, meaning "to have the habit of ". But unlike with the other (also Latin-derived) synonyms above, this one hasn't made the journey across into English.
 
 
It's also how you'll ask for your "usual" at the coffee bar once you've become a regular.
 
- il solito per favore
- the usual please
 
 
Do you have a favourite Italian word you'd like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

Anonymous 2022/11/03 21:24
The only English word I know that comes from the Latin solēre is insolent (adj.)/insolence (noun). An insolent person does not behave as they should or are expected to--they're acting "unusual", which in English implies being obnoxious or arrogant. (the Latin adjective is īnsolēns)
Anonymous 2020/09/29 23:57
It's di SO-li-to, not di SOL-i-to.<br /><br />Just saying...

See Also