What does “lunatico” mean in Italian?
Il primo appuntamento complicato tra Will e June
B1 Italian listening practice · Standard Italian · Picked for people who know some
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.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this B1 Italian listening practice video?
How common in written Italian
How common in spoken Italian
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸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”).