In our previous lesson we talked about the difference between giorno and giornata. We learned that saying buona giornata is a nice thing to say when taking one's leave. 

When saying goodbye, we can replace giornata with another -ata word, perhaps one more specific to what the other person is about to do.  For example, we want to wish someone a good ride (on horseback) as in the example below, or, if they are taking a walk, we can say buona passeggiata. 

Va bene. -Buona giornata. Buona cavalcata. -Buona cavalcata. Buona giornata e buon lavoro. -Grazie.

All right. -Have a nice day. Have a nice ride. -Have a nice ride. Have a nice day, and good luck with your work. -Thank you.

Captions 14-16, Fratelli Taviani La passione e l'utopia - Part 23

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Note: The -ata ending can't always be applied. If someone is about to get back to work or start on a project, you might say, buon lavoro, as in the example above (NOT buona lavorata!). We don't really have the equivalent in English, except for perhaps, "Have a good work day," but in Italy, buon lavoro is a very nice and very common thing to say to someone you're taking leave of. And if they are going to take a nap, you might say, buon riposo (have a good rest).

A common ending that gives some movement to a noun: -ata.

Let's take a closer look at this -ata ending or suffix. We'll find it on a great many nouns. One helpful thing to keep in mind is that it's always feminine. It is usually connected in meaning to the root noun, but has more movement to it. 

l'onda - l'ondata

L'onda (the wave) is what you see in the sea or ocean.

L'odore del mare, il, il suono delle onde... eh? -Sì.

The smell of the sea, the, the sound of the waves... huh? -Yes.

Caption 16, Professioni e mestieri Psicoterapeuta corporale e Naturopata

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We also have the waves of sound and energy, and when we are on the air, for example on the radio or TV, we say, Siamo in onda (we're on the air).

Ma non c'è tempo per provare, tra cinque secondi andiamo in onda.

But there's no time to rehearse, we're on the air in five seconds.

Caption 70, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 20

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L'ondata (the surge, the onrush)

We use ondata to describe a wave in motion. It's often used figuratively.

Dopo il suo primo devastante arrivo, la peste, la morte nera continuò a colpire con varie ondate negli anni, decimando la popolazione,

After its first devastating emergence, the plague, the Black Death continued to strike in various waves over the years, decimating the population,

Captions 1-2, Meraviglie EP. 3 - Part 7

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A noun with an -ata ending can come from a verb, too.

In many cases, verbs come from nouns, and nouns also come from verbs. So a noun ending in -ata might come from a verb just as easily as from a noun, for example, when we mentioned cavalcata, above, it came from the verb cavalcare (to ride a horse).

il volo - volare - la volata

With un volo, you are in flight, but with la volata, you are moving quickly.

Assomiglia a un volo nel cielo.

It resembles flying in the sky.

Caption 21, Inno all'acqua un bene prezioso da difendere

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Ho fatto una volata (I tripped and fell-- through the air) 

Ho fatto una volata a casa (I rushed home for a moment)

More nouns with an -ata ending:

la girata (a short walk) [from the verb girare (to turn around), but we also have the noun un giro]

una nottata (the duration of a night - from when you go usually go to bed until the morning) [from the noun la notte]

una sgridata (a scolding) [from the verb sgridare]

la nevicata (the snowfall) [from the verb nevicare (to snow), but also the noun la neve (the snow)]

una chiacchierata (a chat) [from the verb chiacchierare (to chat)]

Certo che da una semplice chiacchierata, sei riuscita a capire tutto di Malvina, eh?

Just from a simple chat, you were able to understand everything about Malvina, weren't you?

Captions 1-2, Il Commissario Manara S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 17

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This is just a small sampling of nouns ending in -ata. Let's stay on the lookout for more, and if you see more words like these in videos, let us know, and we will add them to the list!

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