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Italian Word of The Day Supported by: Fluente logo For Members

Italian expression of the day: 'A mo' di'

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Italian expression of the day: 'A mo' di'
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond"

The way in which you use this Italian phrase is important.

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Previously, we've discussed the use of mo in Italian to mean 'now', arising as an abbreviation of the Latin word for now, modo.

The mo in today's phrase a mo' di looks similar, but instead it's an abbreviation of the Italian word modo, meaning style or manner.

A mo' di therefore means 'by way of' or 'in the manner of'.

A mo' di esempio, ti racconto una storia...
By way of example, I'll tell you a story...

Ecco una copia della sua lettera, a mo' di spiegazione.
Here's copy of her letter, by way of explanation.

Dobbiamo farlo veloce e con precisione, a mo’ di chirurgo.
We do it must quickly and precisely, in the manner of a surgeon.

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Notice there's an apostrophe at the end of mo' - that's to show the word is an abbreviation of modo. You could theoretically say a modo di, but it sounds a bit stiff and formal.

The phrase also means "as" or "like", when you're using one thing as something else.

Usava il giornale a mo' di ombrello per proteggersi dalla pioggia.
She was using the newspaper as an umbrella to shield herself from the rain.

Sto usando questo maglione a mo' di cuscino per il viaggio in campeggio.
I'm using this jumper as a pillow for the camping trip.

Finally, a mo' di can mean "in the guise of", when talking about dressing or styling a person or thing in a certain way.

Era vestito a mo' di prete, così è riuscito a accedere al monastero.
He was dressed like a priest, and in this way he managed to gain access to the monastery.

Si vestiva a mo' di strega per andare alla festa di Halloween.
She dressed up as a witch to go to the Halloween party.

And that's what we've got for you, by way of explanation.

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