Grammar structures and other delights

Superlatives
One of the things I love about the Italian language is the ability to make superlatives out of every word. For example, you can add -issimo to just about any word to make it stronger. You can even turn a superlative like “sempre”, which means “always”, into a super-superlative: semprissimo!

This does lead to some interesting situations when a regular adjective is just not enough. In a way, it is offensive to a beautiful girl if you merely describe her as “bella”. You have to at least call her “bellissima” or, preferably, go one step further with “la piu bellissima” or you can even double up and say “bellissimissima” (this is rare, and sounds ridiculous to my ear).

Boh.
Sometimes in English, instead of saying, “I don't know,” a person will make a sound derived from that phrase and shrug their shoulders. I hope you know the sound that I mean. The Italian version of this sound is in no way related to the actual phrase for “I don't know” which is “non lo so”. Instead, the Italian sound is made with a slow puffing of the cheeks that emits the low sound of “Boh.” It is occasionally repeated over and over, making a motor boat sound, which I cannot help but laugh at. When I return to the states, don't be surprised if I say “Boh” to you; I don't know what's going on over there.