This week’s phrase was inspired by the refrain of Zitti e Buoni, the song that won 2021 edition of the European Song Contest. Written by Italian rock band Måneskin, it is dedicated to the widely misunderstood and misjudged Generation Z, to which the band members belong. Siamo fuori di testa! We’re out of our minds! …
The Swedish band Abba may have made the expression popular around the world, but Italians have been using Mamma mia! as a mild expression of surprise, joy, annoyance, disappointment, anger and fear for years. It can translate in numerous ways in English including Oh my goodness! Wow! and Oh man! to name a few. Mamma …
If you and a friend go to a restaurant, but the waiters are slow and the dish you ordered doesn’t float your boat, you might describe the restaurant with the phrase: Non è un granché! It’s nothing special! / It’s not all that great! This phrase is used to say that you don’t particularly like …
A question you can expect to hear when visiting friends and family in Italy is Vuoi qualcosa da mangiare? which translates as Do you want something to eat? Vuoi qualcosa da mangiare? Do you want something to eat? Let’s take a quick look at the four words that make up this phrase: vuoi Vuoi is …
The best way to translate the phrase I don’t think so in Italian is, quite simply, Non penso which literally means I don’t think. The phrase is composed of two words: non is used to give a negative sense to a sentence, especially in front of a verb. It is the equivalent of not in …
If you are an English speaker living in Italy, it is important to let people know that you are currently learning the Italian language. Otherwise, some people, however well-intentioned they may be, might assume that you’d rather speak in English or try to practise their English on you. The best way to translate the phrase …