Some words are very similar between Italian and English, and are often cognates, but sometimes there is a letter that seems to be missing and so if we follow our instincts, we might very well get it wrong. Let's look at some of the words that look like they are missing an N, or at least, if we follow our instincts, we might add it by mistake.

Ispirare

There is an example of this tricky phenomenon in a recent episode of Provaci ancora prof. In fact, little Livietta is still learning and she gets it wrong, so her father corrects her. He clearly understood what she was trying to say, but the word she used actually meant "to inspire."

Dai papà, alza la testa e fai resistenza

Come on Daddy, lift your head and press

mentre io ti spingo giù, ispirando forte.

while I push you down, inspiring deeply.

-Inspirando, con la enne, inspirando, ecco.

-Inhaling with an N, inhaling, that's it.

Captions 18-20, Provaci ancora prof! - S2E3 - Dietro la porta

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It's easy to get mixed up. In English the verb is "to inspire," but in Italian, it's ispirare. No N! To complicate matters, the verb inspirare does exist, as we see in the clip, but it means "to breathe in," "to inhale."

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Istruzione

Another word that sounds like the English word — almost — is istruzione (instruction, education). There's no N in the Italian word.

È arrivata oggi dal Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione.

It came today from the Ministry of Public Education.

Caption 23, Non è mai troppo tardi - EP 2

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Istante

This one is easy to understand, as it sounds kind of like "instant " but there's no N.

oppure qualcosa di sgradevole

or something unpleasant

da cui stiamo scappando all'ultimo istante.

from which we escape at the last moment.

Captions 38-39, Marika spiega - Espressioni con i capelli

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Or we have the adjective istantaneo. Plenty of N's there, but not at the beginning between the I and the S.

È un effetto chimico istantaneo, temporaneo,

It's an instant chemical effect, temporary.

Caption 24, Andromeda - Marmellata anti spreco

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Istinto

Però il mio istinto mi dice che non è così.

But my instinct tells me that's not how it is.

Caption 13, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP5 - Mondo sommerso

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Let's not forget the adjective form istintivo (instinctive) and the adverb istintivamente (instinctively).

Iscriversi

Yet another one, not exactly the same word as in English, but close enough, is iscriversi (to register). We might expect there to be an N (inscriversi), but that would be wrong. Also, if we think of the word "inscription" we get a closer match. Your name is "inscribed" in the register.

Olga ha deciso di iscriversi all'università

Olga has decided to enroll at the university

Caption 64, Provaci ancora prof! - S1E1 - Il regalo di Babbo Natale

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"Registration" or "enrollment" can be called l'iscrizione.

Istituto

Dopo la morte della mi' moglie, avrei dovuto metterlo in un istituto.

After the death of my wife, I should have put him in an institution.

Caption 52, Marika commenta - L'ispettore Manara - Espressioni toscane

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Note that istituto can mean either "institute" or "institution." Also, istituzione exists, as well as adjectives such as istituzionale.

There may be other words we haven't covered here. Feel free to write to us with suggestions, and we will add them to this lesson.

Here's another word, sent in by a Yabla subscriber.

Costruire

Poi settemila di materiale edile:

Then seven thousand in construction materials,

vernici, cemento, tegole... -Voleva costruire una casa, no?

paints, cement, roof tiles... -He wanted to build a house, right?

Captions 13-14, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP7 - Sogni di Vetro

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We also have the noun form costruzione.

Questa è una delle più importanti chiese della zona di Pisa,

This is one of the most important churches of the Pisa area,

la cui prima costruzione risale al decimo [sic: nono] secolo.

whose first construction dates to the tenth century [sic: ninth].

Captions 7-8, In giro per l'Italia - Pisa e dintorni

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Costituzione

Lo Stato Italiano ha una costituzione,

The Italian State has a constitution,

Caption 17, Nicola Agliastro - Le Forze dell'Ordine in Italia

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The verb costituire (to constitute) also exists:

Ma anche delle ville che potessero

But also villas that could

costituire un vero e proprio rifugio...

constitute a real refuge...

Captions 16-17, Meraviglie - EP. 5 - Part 13

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Something to look forward to and think about:

As soon as we start thinking of words that have unexpected spellings and pronunciations, we think of words that start with E. 

One common one that comes to mind is, of course, espresso, where we want to use an X instead of an S. In fact, there are numerous words like this one, so in a future lesson, we'll take a look at those. 

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