Bring something to read.
Start with a built-in sample or import a TXT or EPUB book. Pick a section and settle into the Italian.
An Italian reading companion · Public alpha
Stay with
the story.
Read Italian that interests you. When a word slows you down, take a closer look—then find your way back to the page.
Free to try. No account needed. Built for curious readers.
A moment in Italian01 / Leggere
Vorrei passare il pomeriggio qui, con un libro e un po’ di tempo.
Word Lens · Example
passare
to pass / go by
Context matters. With a period of time, passare can mean “to spend.” Here: spend the afternoon.
One word, several uses
Passing by, spending time, handing something over, or switching from one thing to another: the words around passare matter.
Italian first. Room to explore.Your books. Stored in your browser.A work in progress. Made with care.
A little help, close to the text
Follow your curiosity.
Keep your place.
Passato brings reading and language support together. You choose when to pause, what to explore, and when to keep going.
Look a little closer.
Open Word Lens for meanings and usage notes. Explore a sentence with Breakdown, or listen with your device’s Italian voice.
Return to the story.
Mark a word as familiar or still learning, save your place, and carry on. The reading stays at the center.
The latest chapter · 0.6.0-alpha.2
More than
a one-word answer.
Our latest Word Lens update adds 99 reviewed headword entries to the existing dictionary layers, with clearer meanings and notes about how words are used.
Follow the project on GitHub ↗- Meanings with room for nuance.Labeled alternatives keep different uses visible.
- Small notes that make a difference.Constructions such as cercare di get their own explanation.
- Sources you can inspect.Original dictionary senses and attribution stay available.
- Honest about uncertainty.Reviewed headword meanings are starting points, not automatic sentence translations.
Before you turn the page
A few things
to know.
Is Passato ready to use?
Yes, as an experimental public alpha. You can read, import books, and explore the language tools now. Coverage and contextual explanations are incomplete, and features will change as the project develops.
Does it understand every word in context?
No. Word Lens combines local dictionary layers with reviewed meanings and notes. The latest reviewed entries match exact headwords; other forms use the existing lookup. It does not reliably choose the right sense for every sentence. Morphology, constructions, and other contextual clues are active areas of research.
Where do my books go?
Books imported into the web reader stay in that browser’s local storage; they are not uploaded to the Passato host. Keep your original files: clearing browser data can remove local books. Online articles and media still require connections to their sources.
Can I use it on my phone?
Open the reader in your mobile browser. On iPhone, use Safari’s Share menu and choose Add to Home Screen from the reader page. After the first successful load, the reader shell and imported books can work offline. Available voices depend on your device.
Where do the definitions come from?
Passato combines several language resources with project-reviewed learner guidance. The latest dictionary additions credit reader.dict and Wiktionary contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Find the complete acknowledgments in the reader’s Sources & licenses panel or the data license notes.
Un’altra pagina?
One more page. See where it takes you.