Familiare - familiar: same meaning?

By Sigrid Lee

There are true cognates, where an Italian word sounds like an English word and they indeed mean something very similar. Then there are false cognates, or so-called "false friends" that look similar but mean 2 different things. In this lesson, we'll explore a word that is both. There is a fine line between the meanings, so we always have to be aware of the context. The word is familiare, an adjective that can mean both "having a connection to the family" or, as it looks to English speakers, "familiar." We don't necessarily think of the connection between "family" and "familiar," but in Italian, the connection is pretty strong.

In the following example, the meaning of familiare is a mix, or rather, it could be both. The atmosphere is familiar to him because he is Italian, but it also reminds him of his family, his childhood.

L'atmosfera che si sente nel ristorante Pinocchio è un'atmosfera familiare e quindi, la musica italiana, la cucina genuina del mio paese, il nome Pinocchio che mi fa ricordare la mia infanzia, tutto mi fa sentire a casa.

The atmosphere that one feels in the Pinocchio Restaurant is a family kind of atmosphere. And so, Italian music, the genuine cooking of my country, the name Pinocchio that makes me remember my childhood, all this makes me feel at home.

Captions 50-55, Adriano Pizzeria Pinocchio - Part 1
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Adriano is living in Dublin, so when he walks into his favorite pizzeria, he feels like he's home. "Home" can mean home, where his family lives, or it can mean home, as in his home country. Or, it can mean feeling at home, or comfortable.

In the following example, it's clear we're talking about the family.

La nostra azienda è un'azienda a conduzione familiare che venne acquistata dal mio bisnonno nel millenovecentoquattro.

Our company is a family-run company that was purchased by my great grandfather in nineteen hundred and four.

Captions 5-6, L'Italia che piace Esperienze Gastronomiche - Part 9
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Familiare can also be a noun, meaning "family member" as in the following example.

Vuole che Le dica ora, o preferisce aspettare la presenza di qualcuno, un familiare?

Do you want me to tell you now, or do you prefer to wait for the presence of someone, a family member?

Caption 32, La linea verticale EP 7 - Part 2
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And of course, familiare can also mean familiar as in the next two examples.

È avvenuto con qualcosa che a noi sembra molto familiare e innocuo: la pioggia.

It happened with something that seems very familiar and harmless to us: rain.

Caption 41, Meraviglie S2EP1 - Part 6
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È veramente un paesaggio familiare, ma come vedete il clima può cambiare in un attimo, essere avvolti da una bufera o vedere il cielo azzurro.

It is truly a familiar landscape, but as you can see, the weather can change in an instant, to be enveloped by a storm or see the blue sky.

Captions 18-20, Meraviglie S2EP1 - Part 12
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We hope you become more familiar with the adjective and noun familiare! Thanks for reading!

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Topics False Friends Vocabulary

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