L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano I n I t a l i a n , a p p o s t a ( a p - p o h - s t a h ) i s a s m a l l b u t v e r y e x p r e s s i v e w o r d , u s e d c o n s t a n t l y i n everyday speech to indicate intention. At its core, it means that something was done delib- e r a t e l y , n o t b y c h a n c e . Because it is so common, it often appears in emotionally charged contexts, like expla- nations, justifications, accu- sations, but it can also be neutral and practical. F r o m a n e t y m o l o g i c a l p o i n t o f v i e w , a p p o s t a c o m e s f r o m t h e o l d e r expression "a posta," mean- ing "for a specific purpose" o r " w i t h a s e t a i m . " O v e r time, the two words merged into one, following a pattern s e e n i n m a n y f r e q u e n t l y u s e d I t a l i a n e x p r e s s i o n s . Today, apposta is the stan- d a r d f o r m , w h i l e a p o s t a s u r v i v e s m a i n l y i n f i x e d expressions such as a bella posta, which adds emphasis and often suggests calcula- tion or insistence. I n e v e r y d a y I t a l i a n , apposta is most often used with the meaning "on pur- pose." A very common sen- tence is L'hai fatto apposta, which translates as "You did 1 of the 6 to use 7 and (before a vowel) 9 (I) teach 10 baths 11 axe 12 hair 15 to the; at the 16 land 17 you (formal) Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 (plural of) of the 2 he 3 spiders 4 to sit 5 January 8 horse 9 insects 11 others 13 from the 14 (you/tu) hate it on purpose," often imply- ing blame or suspicion. Just as common is its defensive counterpart, non l'ho fatto apposta! ("I didn't do it on purpose!") a phrase heard e v e r y w h e r e f r o m s c h o o l playgrounds to adult con- versations. The word can also mean "specifically" or "just for," when the focus is on inten- tion rather than blame. For e x a m p l e , S o n o v e n u t a a p p o s t a p e r t e m e a n s " I came specifically for you," stressing that the action was planned with that precise goal in mind. In this sense, apposta shows effort and purpose rather than intent to cause harm. Finally, apposta is fre- quently used in expressions that underline coincidence or irony, such as neanche a farlo apposta, which rough- ly means "as if it had been d o n e o n p u r p o s e , " o f t e n referring to an unlikely or awkward coincidence. L'ha detto apposta per farmi arrabbiare He said it on purpose to make me angry. Neanche a farlo apposta, l'ho incontrato proprio lì. As if on cue, I ran into him right there. LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Apposta: when what you do… is not by accident © Antonio Guillem | Dreamstime.com 1 man 2 to listen 3 shirt 4 river 5 boy 6 mother 7 book 8 face 9 to drink 10 light 11 Monday 12 two 13 one 14 heart 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

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