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stento

hardship

noun STEN-toh Rare

Also means

difficulty

Usage Note

Stento most commonly appears in the plural stenti to mean 'privations, hardship': vivere di stenti (to live in poverty). In the singular, a stento is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'barely' or 'with difficulty': capisce a stento l'italiano (he barely understands Italian). The two uses have quite different registers, so learners should note the distinction.

Examples

"Capisce a stento quello che dici."

Natural Translation

He barely understands what you are saying.

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