Not all words now used for this purpose indicated originally speed, but were expressions of mood, which, evolving over time, changed sense.
Italian |
English |
| grave | Music: extremely slow and solemn Grave e pesante Everyday: worrying, concerning Questo è un fatto molto grave/ This is a very worrying fact. |
| largo largamente |
Music: very slow and broad Largo religioso Everyday: used in place names in cities: piazza Largo Allinari. |
| larghetto | Only used in music |
| adagio | Music: Slow Adagio solenne Everyday: slowly. only used in writing entrare adagio/enter slowly. |
| adagietto | Only used in music |
| andante | Music: not very slow andante con variazioni Everyday: From the verb andare/to go: walking. Replaced in speech by camminare/ to walk. Not usual in everyday speech. |
| andantino | Only used in music andantino cantabile |
| moderato | Music: moderate speed Assai moderato Everyday: moderate Paolo in politica dice di essere un moderato/Paolo claims to be a moderate in politics. |
| sostenuto | Music: sustained, without slackening Allegro sostenuto Everyday: from sostenere/to claim Paola sostiene di essere arrivata a l’ora/Paola claims to have arrived in time. |
| allegretto | Only used in music Allegretto e leggero |
| animato | Music: animated Everyday: animated Un essere animato/a living being. |
| allegro allegramente |
Music: relatively fast. Everyday: from allegria/happiness, joy. Little used Un vino allegro |
| allegrissimo | very fast |
| vivo vivace vivacemente |
lively Allegro vivace can be used alone Vivace assai/allegro vivo |
| vivacissimo | Music: very lively Everyday: very lively |
| veloce | Music: fast. Everyday: fast. La pasta si fa veloce/the pasta is prepared in a moment |
| presto | Music: fast, quick |
| prestissimo | Music: very fast. Everyday: very early Giovanni si è alzato prestissimo/Giovanni woke up very early |
-etto and –ino are diminutive particles, so an adagietto is
a small adagio; and andantino is a small andante.
-issimo and -one is an augumentative. Prestissimo is more than presto.
-ante and -ente are adverb endings: lento = slow, lentamente = slowly.
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