Zio/Zia
uncle/aunt
In Italian, 'Zio' refers to the brother of one's parent (Uncle) and 'Zia' is the term for the sister of one's parent (Aunt). These terms can be used both to address them directly or to refer to them in third person, they are also often shortened to 'Zio' and 'Zia' when used in familiar contexts.
Example sentences using: Zio/Zia
Mio zio vive in Italia.
My uncle lives in Italy.
This sentence is a simple statement, telling us that the speaker's uncle resides in Italy. 'Mio' translates to 'my' and 'vive in Italia' translates to 'lives in Italy'.
Zia Maria fa il miglior tiramisu.
Aunt Maria makes the best tiramisu.
This sentence expresses an admiration towards Aunt Maria's skill in making tiramisu. 'Fa il miglior' translates to 'makes the best' and 'tiramisu' is a popular coffee-flavoured Italian dessert.
E' il compleanno di zio Mario oggi.
It's Uncle Mario's birthday today.
This is simply indicating that today is the birthday of Uncle Mario. 'E' il compleanno di' translates to 'It's the birthday of' and 'oggi' translates to 'today'.