L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano T h e r e i s a u s e f u l Italian word for t h o s e m o m e n t s when you are pre- p a r e d t o p u t a n argument to rest: indubbia- m e n t e (een-doob-beeha- m e h n - t a i ) . I t m e a n s " u n d o u b t e d l y , " " w i t h o u t question," or "certainly," and it tells the listener that, as far as you are concerned, the matter is settled. You might use it to praise an excellent meal, agree with a friend's assessment, or acknowledge a fact that is difficult to dispute. T h e w o r d c o m e s f r o m i n d u b b i o , " c e r t a i n " o r " b e y o n d d o u b t , " i t s e l f descended from Latin indu- bius: the negative prefix in- joined to dubius, "uncertain." Add -mente, the ending that turns many Italian adjectives into adverbs, and you have indubbiamente. This construction is inter- esting because the idea of doubt remains visible inside the word, even though the prefix removes it. The same L a t i n d u b i u s g a v e I t a l i a n dubbio, and is related to the verb dubitare, "to doubt." In conversation, indubbia- mente is often a little more emphatic, and sometimes more formal, than sicura- mente or certo. Compare È sicuramente bravo ("He's c e r t a i n l y g o o d " ) w i t h È 1 south 3 fights 6 built 7 wave 8 year 11 (they) smile 12 love 13 anger Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 juice 2 wish 3 their 4 triangles 5 echo 9 (he/she) smells (of something) 10 (he/she) says 11 (he) is (going, staying etc.) indubbiamente bravo ("He's undoubtedly good"): the sec- ond sounds like a judgment supported by evidence, per- haps after hearing the person perform. It is useful in writ- ing, too, when admitting a point before introducing a qualification: È indubbia- mente una buona idea, ma costa troppo ("It's undoubt- edly a good idea, but it costs too much"). The word estab- lishes agreement without requiring you to agree with everything. It can also stand alone as an answer. Ask È stata una bella serata? ("Was it a lovely evening?"), and Indubbia- m e n t e ! i s a n e n t h u s i a s t i c "Without a doubt!" You will also hear it at the beginning o f a s e n t e n c e , w h e r e i t a n n o u n c e s t h e s p e a k e r ' s position before the explana- tion has even begun. Though the English "indu- bitably" is a close relative, it sounds rather old-fashioned today; "undoubtedly" usu- ally makes a better transla- tion. Questo è indubbiamente il m i g l i o r g e l a t o c h e a b b i a assaggiato quest'estate! This is undoubtedly the best gelato I've tasted this summer. La visita è stata indubbia- mente interessante, anche se il museo era affollato. I n d u b b i a m e n t e : w h e n t h e r e i s n o room for doubt © Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com 1 to drink 2 to eat 3 to talk 4 shirt 5 one 6 woman 7 man 8 head 9 to hold 10 two 11 father 12 mother 13 school 14 to run 15 three 16 book 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 LA VITA ITALIANA TRADIZIONI STORIA CULTURA

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