Ecco il modo di dire !!

Cork Skate

Ecco la moda di dire = Look at the figure of speech

Allora, facciamo una cosa e cosi impariamo un po. Devi scrivere una espressione in Italiano anche la traduzione.

Ok so, we'll do something and that way we'll learn a bit. You have to write an expression in Italian and the translation.

Io comincerò !!

I will start

***************************

Im bocca al lupo

This literally means 'In the wolfs mouth' but it translates to 'good luck.' This is offered up to someone to instill courage, since they are about to attempt a task that is very noteworthy (like sitting exams, going for a driving test, etc.). The well wisher offers this to their colleague and the response to it is "crepi il lupo" "I shall eat the wolf"

The Corinthian

"Fidarsi è bene, non fidarsi è meglio" - to trust is good, not to trust is better.

The Corinthian

Cork Skate wrote: »

This literally means 'In the wolfs mouth' but it translates to 'good luck.' This is offered up to someone to instill courage, since they are about to attempt a task that is very noteworthy (like sitting exams, going for a driving test, etc.). The well wisher offers this to their colleague and the response to it is "crepi il lupo" "I shall eat the wolf"

Actually, crepi comes from crepare, which means to die. So the response is really "that the wolf will die". The expression itself, I think is similar to the English "break a leg" in nature.

Cork Skate

The Corinthian wrote: »

Actually, crepi comes from crepare, which means to die. So the response is really "that the wolf will die". The expression itself, I think is similar to the English "break a leg" in nature.

Ti in grazio per questa !!

Got another one from 'Parola del Giorno'

Rompendogli la chitarra, Giorgio ha reso pan per focaccia a Francesco che, anni fa, gli ruppe l’amplificatore.

Which means ...

Breaking his guitar, Giorgio gave tit for tat to Francesco, who, years ago, broke his amplifier.

santosubito

Mi raccomando: remember, or don't forget (one of my favourite phrases).

santosubito

Or what about:

Adesso mi stai prendendo in giro...

Now you're just taking the mick out of me.

The Corinthian

santosubito wrote: »

Adesso mi stai prendendo in giro...

A shorter version of conveying the same thing is simply to say "provi?!" while giving the person a dirty look. It's not dissimilar to the Dublinese expression "are ye start'n", except that it's not also an invitation to fisticuffs.

One expression (originally Tuscan, I think) I remember is "lui/lei ha più corna che cappelli" - he/she has more horns than hair. This alludes to a cuckold's horns, when describing someone who has a spouse/partner who is repeatedly unfaithful.

Growing up I always found that certain words simply did not exist in English - at least that I was aware of or to my liking - that were available in Italian:

Simpatico. Well know word that exists in Italian, French, Spanish and even (bless them) German. Not in English. The slang term that someone is 'sound' is closest I've found.

Buffola. Other than a female buffalo (where proper mozzarella originates) it's a term, originally Roman, to denote an artistic turkey, such as a show, TV programme or movie - e.g. "Tron Legacy era una Buffola pazzesca".

kaki

"Che ne pensi?" / whaddaya think

"Sta in casa di Dio" / it's in the house of God (referred to houses, I thought for ages that it meant that the landlord was a God-botherer, actually it means that it's in the back-arse of nowhere

And one of my personal favourites:

"L'ospite e' come il pesce, dopo 3 giorni puzza" / Guests are like fish - they stink after 3 days.

The Corinthian

"Lui/Lei ha più corna di cappelli" ("He/She has more horns than hairs [on their head]").

This expression is in reference to the horns of a cuckold (someone who's spouse/partner is cheating on them).

In essence it means that their other half (or halves, if repeatedly unlucky in relationships) has cheated on them numerous occasions.

population

e molto in gamba

Literally means 'he or she is much in leg', so naturally the first time i heard it I was expecting to meet a really tall person:o

Anyway it basically means this person is an expert in what they do and therefore trustworthy in this capacity

jumpjack

Right title should be "ecco i modi di dire" rather than "ecco la moda di dire".
moda = fashion
modi di dire = idiomatic expressions

The Corinthian

jumpjack wrote: »

Right title should be "ecco i modi di dire" rather than "ecco la moda di dire".

Actually, there's a few ways the expression can be used, and the meaning differs drastically between them:

"ecco un modo di dire" = here is one way you say
"ecco il modo di dire" = here is the (only) way you say
"ecco dei modi di dire" = here are some ways you say
"ecco i modi di dire" = here are all the ways you say

moda = fashion
modi di dire = idiomatic expressions

While slightly off-topic, I'd have to say that these two are not entirely unrelated, as expressions (as with all languages) go in and out of fashion. An expression like "sette e più" (top marks) is at this stage a little archaic and would belong to my father's generation or earlier.

Referring to someone or something as "un mito" (amazing, fantastic - literally a 'myth' or 'legend') is an expression that appeared in the late eighties and early nineties, became annoyingly popular (and overused) and has since fallen somewhat out of fashion.

An interesting expression that has changed twice in the last century is the one for being broke; "non ha cinque centesimi" (he/she does have five cents).

The Italian Lira was subdivided in cents, which were still in use until after World War II, when inflation resulted in their being phased out. When this happened, the expression became "non ha cinque lire" and remained so until the adoption of the Euro when the expression reverted back to the original (although the 'cinque lire' version is still heard, just as you'll hear mention of other defunct currencies, such as Scudi, in some dialects and slang).

jumpjack

The Corinthian wrote: »

Actually, there's a few ways the expression can be used, and the meaning differs drastically between them:

"ecco un modo di dire" = here is one way you say
"ecco il modo di dire" = here is the (only) way you say
"ecco dei modi di dire" = here are some ways you say
"ecco i modi di dire" = here are all the ways you say

No, it's a completely different thing.

You can say same thing in many different ways, and this translates in "puoi dire la stessa cosa in molti modi diversi", but it's a completely different matter than the "idiomatic expressions", which translate into "modi di dire"; same words, totally different meanings.

Italic sentence has literal meaning.
Bold sentence is an idiomatic expression.

Italic "ways" above could also be translated by "fashions"... just to make things a bit more complex!

The Corinthian

jumpjack wrote: »

You can say same thing in many different ways, and this translates in "puoi dire la stessa cosa in molti modi diversi", but it's a completely different matter than the "idiomatic expressions", which translate into "modi di dire"; same words, totally different meanings.

The thing is that "modo di dire" is not so specific, but refers to a/the way to say something (grammatically, idiom, socially, etc). To be more specific, if pedantic, an idiomatic expression is not actually a "modo di dire", but an "espressione idiomatica".

But returning to the variants I gave, but translating them as (idiomatic) expressions this time:

"ecco un modo di dire" = here is an (idiomatic) expression
"ecco il modo di dire" = here is the (idiomatic) expression
"ecco dei modi di dire" = here are some (idiomatic) expressions
"ecco i modi di dire" = here are (all) the (idiomatic) expressions

jumpjack

As you like.

EmmaAstra

auguri!
Meaning 'congratulations', can also be used to wish somebody happy birthday or congratulate them for an achievement, for example, graduating from university or getting a job.
:cool:

magochre

population wrote: »

e molto in gamba

Literally means 'he or she is much in leg', so naturally the first time i heard it I was expecting to meet a really tall person:o

Anyway it basically means this person is an expert in what they do and therefore trustworthy in this capacity

Ah, I had understood it to mean he/she's on the ball.

EmmaAstra

magochre wrote: »

Ah, I had understood it to mean he/she's on the ball.

I think it means that too

ironingbored

Some Italian sayings are fantastic.

Off the cuff...

"Mi fa venire il latte alle ginocchia"

Literally (I think) means "he/she makes milk come out of my knees."

The correct translation could be any of:

He/she wrecks my head
He/she bores me to tears

population

Mangiapane a Tradimento

Literally 'bread eating at betrayal'.

Means somebody is akin to a parasite who takes every opportunity to take advantage of a situation to their benefit often at the expense of others kindness. I suppose a 'leech' would be our equivalent

magochre

ironingbored wrote: »

Some Italian sayings are fantastic.

Off the cuff...

"Mi fa venire il latte alle ginocchia"

Literally (I think) means "he/she makes milk come out of my knees."

The correct translation could be any of:

He/she wrecks my head
He/she bores me to tears

Beautiful, I love it...

The Corinthian

"Un famoso sconosciuto."
This expression refers, literally 'a famous unknown', to an obscure person in film, television, literature or even history. You'll hear it occasionally in relation to 'one hit wonders' or the stars of B-movies.

"Tira più un pelo di f**a che un carro di buoi"
I've censored one of the words as it is a somewhat vulgar term denoting the female genitalia. However it is a very old expression that translated means "the hair from a p***y pulls harder than a cart of oxen". Too true.

"Tutte belle cose"
A pretty common expression used, typically as part of a good bye, wishing the other party "all good things [to come to you]".

Neil3030

The Corinthian wrote: »

"Un famoso sconosciuto."
This expression refers, literally 'a famous unknown', to an obscure person in film, television, literature or even history. You'll hear it occasionally in relation to 'one hit wonders' or the stars of B-movies.

"Tira più un pelo di f**a che un carro di buoi"
I've censored one of the words as it is a somewhat vulgar term denoting the female genitalia. However it is a very old expression that translated means "the hair from a p***y pulls harder than a cart of oxen". Too true.

"Tutte belle cose"
A pretty common expression used, typically as part of a good bye, wishing the other party "all good things [to come to you]".

Having lived here for nearly 6 months I am shocked that it's taken this many posts before a rude expression featuring a reference to a sexual organ!

My favs so far:

Spacca di brutto! (Means, literally, it breaks or it splits in an ugly/heavy way. Basically means: It rocks!)

Sto c*zzo (Short for questo c*zzo, literally meaning "this d*ck". Basically meaning, "what the 'f' are you on about")

Sta m*inchia (exact same as above, I think m*inchia being of sicilian origin; I like to alternate between the two)

Fuori come un balcone ("outside like a balcony", meaning a person is bonkers. Very similar to the Irish expression, "crazy out the door.")

Cucchiarella - Sicilian dialect for wooden spoon. Dunno why but it's my favourite word in Italian, or quasi Italian, if you will.

[EDIT] How on earth could I foget: Bombolone e' il cappuccio, per favore

jumpjack

The Corinthian wrote: »

"Tutte belle cose"
A pretty common expression used, typically as part of a good bye, wishing the other party "all good things [to come to you]".

It's actually "tante belle cose", not "tutte". (sounds like "so many good things")

seachto7

Hi all,

Una domanda se posso...

I am looking for two things. The first is an expression in Italian to say "carpe diem". I know most of the world will just say "carpe diem" but is there a similar expression in Italian to say this?

Also, years ago, a colleague in Rome gave me a little book on Roman slang. I cannot for the life of me find one online, but if I had the name, which I forget, maybe I could search some more.

Can anyone help?

Grazie e ciao

Barry

The Corinthian

seachto7 wrote: »

I am looking for two things. The first is an expression in Italian to say "carpe diem". I know most of the world will just say "carpe diem" but is there a similar expression in Italian to say this?

Yes, it's "carpe diem". Given Latin's historical relationship to Italian and the Italian educational system, Latin is as much if not more used in the Italian vernacular than the English.

jumpjack

The Corinthian wrote: »

Yes, it's "carpe diem". Given Latin's historical relationship to Italian and the Italian educational system, Latin is as much if not more used in the Italian vernacular than the English.

Not at all!
I think one Italian out of 10 would understand you when hearing "carpe diem"; mostly you would be get in reply a "EH?? "


Italian for "carpe diem" is "cogli l'attimo", which in English sounds like "seize the moment" (rather than the day).

For roman slang, look for Trilussa author (very old).
Or use this google search.

Example result:
http://roma.andreapollett.com/S8/espidiom.htm

Please don't use these idiomatic expressions "at random" unless you know what you are saying! :D

seachto7

Grazie for the two replies..

There was a joke going around years ago when a journalist said to Francesco Totti "carpe diem", and he said "sorry, I don't speak English".

I used to hear an expression, amongst others, in Rome:

"Ma quanto ne sai!" The answer would be "na cifre". My spelling is probably wrong.

Or a very spoilt child would have been called "er pupo", and toilet was "er cesso" as in "do sta er cesso"....... ah, bella boccea!

jumpjack

seachto7 wrote: »

and toilet was "er cesso" as in "do sta er cesso"....... ah, bella boccea!

Oh my god! :D

The Corinthian

jumpjack wrote: »

Not at all!
I think one Italian out of 10 would understand you when hearing "carpe diem"; mostly you would be get in reply a "EH?? "

Odd. I was talking to my cousin last week and by coincidence that very term came up and there was no issue, and I've never had problems using Latin terms, or receiving them, in the past.

Maybe I don't know enough analfabeti.

seachto7 wrote: »

There was a joke going around years ago when a journalist said to Francesco Totti "carpe diem", and he said "sorry, I don't speak English".

Almost all of the Totti jokes are bases upon his now legendary illiteracy though. Another one that comes to mind is that he stops his car at a traffic light and a young beggar comes up to him and peads "Un Euro! Io ceceno!", to which Totti replies "fammi vedere dove e ceniamo per un Euro insieme!".

population

Is 'Quando Mai' used outside of the South? I was in Milan recently and said it in a conversation with a barman and he didn't seem to get it? Maybe I got the context wrong or something?