L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano T he Italian word q u a l s i a s i ( k u a l - s e e - a h - s e e ) i s a c o m - m o n l y u s e d a d j e c t i v e a n d p r o n o u n meaning "any," "whatever," or "whichever," depending o n c o n t e x t . I t i s u s e d t o express indifference among a set of possibilities or to i n d i c a t e t h a t a s t a t e m e n t applies universally within a group. For example, "Puoi s c e g l i e r e q u a l s i a s i l i b r o " t r a n s l a t e s a s " Y o u c a n choose any book." It derives from the fusion of quale ("which") and siasi, a form of sia (the subjunc- tive of essere, "to be"), effec- tively meaning "whatever it may be." The form qualsiasi is therefore the contraction of quale si sia, and it origi- n a l l y a p p e a r e d i n o l d e r f o r m s l i k e q u a l s i s i a a n d qualsiansi. When placed before the noun, it stresses indiffer- ence or open possibility, as in Puoi scegliere qualsi- asi film ("You can choose any film"), or Accetto qual- siasi proposta ("I'll accept any proposal"). When used after the noun, on the other h a n d , i t o f t e n t a k e s o n a more limited or even dis- missive sense, implying o r d i n a r i n e s s o r l a c k o f 1 wine 3 (feminine of) silent 7 (I) stay 8 (plural of) new 9 caves 13 west 15 (feminine of) your 16 date, that specifies the time 17 life; waist Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 face 2 (he/she) swims 4 one 5 air 6 insect 10 nights 11 north 12 home; house 14 east v a l u e : f o r i n s t a n c e , U n a persona qualsiasi ("Just an o r d i n a r y p e r s o n " ) o r U n libro qualsiasi ("A book of little importance") Be careful about the dif- ference between qualsiasi a n d q u a l u n q u e . E v e n though they are often used i n t e r c h a n g e a b l y , s o m e s p e a k e r s p e r c e i v e qualunque as slightly more literary or emphatic. Still, in contemporary spoken and w r i t t e n I t a l i a n , b o t h a r e s t a n d a r d a n d b r o a d l y accepted. I n i n f o r m a l l a n g u a g e , qualsiasi may also be used elliptically or for emphasis, for instance, we say È un tipo qualsiasi to note that " H e ' s j u s t s o m e g u y " o r "He's nobody special". Simi- l a r l y , w e s a y U n a m a r c a qualsiasi va bene, when we d o n ' t r e a l l y c a r e w h i c h brand is picked. This capacity to deliver b o t h u n i v e r s a l i t y a n d insignificance makes qualsi- asi a flexible and expressive term, widely used in mod- ern Italian. Compra qualsiasi pane, basta che sia fresco. Buy any bread, as long as it's fresh. C h i a m a m i a q u a l s i a s i ora. C a l l m e a t a n y t i m e . LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Qualsiasi: the little word that covers every option © Dreamstime.com 1 table 2 to run 3 door 4 shirt 5 hand 6 face 7 to hold 8 three 9 head 10 home 11 school 12 to eat 13 friend 14 light 15 to drink A C R O S S D O W N ITALIAN WORD SEARCH The solution to these word games will be available on the next edition. Games courtesy of Lexis Rex

• Cover