Adverbs phrases are units formed by two or more words which create an adverbial meaning. For example:
‘Ho conosciuto un uomo all’antica.’
‘all’antica’ = ‘a man of old’, an old-fashioned man
Here are some other common Italian adverb phrases:
fino ad ora [until now]
all’insaputa [without somebody’s knowledge]
ridere a crepapelle [to laugh till one’s sides ache]
alla cieca [blindly]
di malavoglia [reluctantly]
a poco a poco [inch by inch]
a squarciagola [at the top of one’s voice]
alla buona [folksy]
in seguito [later]
per tempo [in time]
or ora [just now]
in fretta e furia [with breathless haste]
in gran parte [mostly]
a bizzeffe [abundantly]
poco alla volta [piecemeal]
al dettaglio [retail]
all’ingrosso [in bulk/wholesale]
alla rinfusa [higgledy-piggledy]
Back to Italian lesson on: adverbial phrases
