Are you someone who loves a good natter? If so, there is no better verb than chiacchierare, the Italian equivalent of to chat or to make small talk. It even sounds like the concept it describes, wouldn’t you agree?
chiacchierare
to chat
According to Treccani, the origin of this word is indeed onomatopoeic.
Unlike parlare, which is the generic verb to talk, chiacchierare implies the kind of lighthearted conversation you might have with a friend over coffee, or the brief exchange you might have with a neighbour before you leave the house.
Although its spelling and pronunciation are somewhat daunting, it is actually a very regular -ARE verb. Here is how it conjugates in the present tense:
- io chiacchiero = I chat
- tu chiacchieri = you chat (informal, singular)
- lui chiacchiera = he chats
- lei chiacchiera = she chats / you chat (formal, singular)
- noi chiacchieriamo = we chat
- voi chiacchierate = you chat (plural)
- loro chiacchierano = they chat
One mistake learners tend to make early on in their studies is pronouncing the Italian sound combination chia as “cha” rather than “kya” and chie as “che” rather than “kye.” Chiacchierare contains both, so just be aware of this potential stumbling block! (You can visit our complete article on how to pronounce the letter C in Italian here!)
Mi piace chiacchierare con i miei amici davanti a un caffè.
I like chatting with my friends over coffee.
Although chiacchierare works just fine as a verb, it is also very common to hear the expressions fare due chiacchiere and fare quattro chiacchiere. Chiacchiera is simply the noun form of chiacchierare – meaning chit-chat or small talk – so what you are literally saying is to do/make two chit-chats or to do/make four chit-chats.
In questo episodio, faremo due chiacchiere sulla lingua italiana.
In this episode, we will have a chat about the Italian language.
Did you know that…
Chiacchiera is also the name given to a special kind of a Carnival pastry (fried dough dusted with sugar). You can find out more about them in our article about foods eaten on special occasions in Italy!
While mostly used to describe innocent exchanges, chiacchierare and chiacchiera can also be used to refer to a less dignified kind of small talk, or in other words, gossip. A synonym for this in Italian is fare pettegolezzi or pettegolare.
Non ascoltare le chiacchiere dei colleghi. Sono solo gelosi.
Don’t listen to the gossip from your colleagues. They’re just jealous.
Someone who is naturally very talkative – or unabashedly loose-lipped – is known as a chiacchierone (male) or chiacchierona (female) in Italian. This word can be used in a neutral or affectionate sense, describing someone who is a bit of a chatterbox, or it can be pejorative if the person in question cannot mantenere un segreto (keep a secret) for the life of them.
You can also opt for the rather cute sounding diminutive form chiacchierino, a word I use to describe my chatterbox of a son all the time!
Che chiacchierone che sei!
You are such a chatterbox!
Yet another derived term is chiacchierata, which is another noun that translates as chit-chat or small talk. However, I would say that chiacchierata has a more positive connotation than chiacchiera, referring mainly to lighthearted conversations between friends. You’ll often see it accompanied by the adjective bella, meaning nice in this case.
Io e Luisa abbiamo fatto una bella chiacchierata ieri sera.
Luisa and I had a nice chat last night.
Two other possible terms you might encounter are chiacchiericcio, a noun meaning chatter, and chiacchierato/a, an adjective meaning talked-about.
C’era un gran chiacchiericcio in classe.
There was a lot of chatter in the classroom.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
