Il primo appuntamento complicato tra Will e June
B1 Italian listening practice · Standard Italian · Curated for intermediate learners
What does “lunatico” mean in Italian?
On an awkward first date, one admits to writing about their mood swings (sbalzi d’umore), and the other teases: «Non ti faceva così lunatico» (“I didn’t think you were so moody”). Lunatico means moody or temperamental, literally “moonstruck.”
It comes from luna (“the moon”), on the old belief that the moon’s phases sway our moods, the same idea behind English “lunatic,” though the Italian is far milder: a lunatico is changeable and unpredictable, not insane. A useful, slightly poetic way to describe someone whose temper turns with the tide.
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this B1 Italian listening practice listening practice?
General Italian frequency
Spoken Italian frequency
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In Italian dating and relationship talk.
- ▸Describing someone unpredictable: “che tipo lunatico!”
- ▸In Italian dubbed dramas and rom-coms.
- ▸Alongside sbalzi d’umore (“mood swings”).