While scrolling back through our older words of the day, I was shocked to discover that I’ve never written about one of my favourite words, addirittura. I believe now is the time to right that wrong!
addirittura
even / really
Addirittura is an adverb derived from the archaic phrase a dirittura, where dirittura means direction. Its most basic meaning is even, and it can be used as a synonym for words like persino and nientemeno.
Ha addirittura deciso di trasferirsi in un altro paese per realizzare il suo sogno.
He even decided to move to another country to fulfill his dream.
La notizia era così incredibile che addirittura i giornalisti sono rimasti senza parole.
The news was so incredible that even the journalists were left speechless.
That being said, I often find that even isn’t always the most fitting translation in certain contexts. In English, we might choose different terms to emphasise something surprising or unexpected, or simply make use of our intonation to express surprise. Consider the following sentences, for example. While even could work in some cases, I believe the adverbs and expressions I selected better capture how we would express ourselves in English.
- Il suo comportamento era addirittura terribile. = His behaviour was downright awful.
- Il ristorante era così affollato che abbiamo dovuto aspettare addirittura un’ora per un tavolo. = The restaurant was so crowded that we had to wait a whole hour for a table.
- Sono così felice che addirittura ho pianto di gioia. = I was so happy that I actually cried with joy.
- Durante il viaggio, abbiamo visitato posti così belli che addirittura abbiamo deciso di restare più a lungo. = While on our journey, we visited such beautiful places that we chose to stay longer, if you can believe it.
The important thing to remember about addirittura is that it serves to emphasise an extraordinary or unexpected fact.
But this isn’t where addirittura‘s story ends. It is also widely used as an interjection in response to a surprising statement. Some common translations include:
- You don’t say!
- No way!
- Really?
- Seriously?
- No kidding!
Li ha bloccati su Facebook. – Addirittura?
He blocked them on Facebook. – Seriously?
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.
