Italian word of the day Bis

Italian word of the day: 'Bis'
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond
You won't have to ask what this word means twice.
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Today's word was requested by a reader who was left puzzled by its usage, most of all in Italian newspaper headlines.

It's one of those words that you're unlikely to learn in Italian class, but you will encounter it sooner or later if you live in Italy.

Bis is a curious little adverb which is used to talk about anything from Italian laws to sporting events to theatrical performances.


The Treccani dictionary notes that the original use of bis was to mean 'encore', and says that you may still hear the exclamation 'bravo, bis!' at Italian theatrical and musical performances.

Il pubblico chiedeva un bis cos; calorosamente che l'attore ha deciso di recitare una scena aggiuntiva.

The audience demanded an encore so enthusiastically that the actor decided to perform an additional scene.

You can use it in other contexts too when talking about repeating or doing something again, such as in the Treccani dictionary's food-related example:

Squisita questa torta: farei volentieri il bis

This cake is exquisite, I would gladly make another one.

It is also used where in English we might put a 'B' or describe something as 'version two'. After all, it's derived from the Latin term for 'twice'.

While you won't hear it used that often in spoken Italian, bis is often used by newspaper headline writers as shorthand for 'second time' or 'second version', and you'll come across it on both the front and back pages.

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