Dizionario Combinatorio Italiano Hardbound

Published 2013.

Words are never used in isolation but in combination and not with any word but only with certain specific words. To use a language properly the appropriate combinations must be used. In Italian a piece of bread is a tozzo di pane, but is that the case for meat? Is a tozzo di carne an appropriate combination? If you want to make an appointment with somebody you should not say (as in English) fare un appuntamento but fissare un appuntamento. An Italian affronta una discussione (enters or tackles a discussion), but is it possible for him to say affrontare un'obiezione (to enter or tackle an objection)? Yes it is, as this dictionary shows. So every language has its own preferences in word combinations, misleading non-native speaker into making mistakes influenced by their own language.

This dictionary reconstructs the frame to which 6,500 Italian entries belong and aims to help non-Italian speakers with an advanced linguistic competence to find the appropriate word combinations for communicating in Italian. Moreover, this dictionary can also be useful for native speakers who want to improve their lexical choices in writing and speaking Italian, as for translators, business people, researchers, teachers, and students. The dictionary, contrary to ordinary monolingual and bilingual dictionaries, systematically lists (nearly 220,000) word combinations, with explanations and with examples (approx. 12,000) to demonstrate their usage.