A colloquial adjective for someone whose behaviour or movements are clumsy is imbranato in Italian. The corresponding feminine form is imbranata whereas the respective plurals are imbranati (m) and imbranate (f).
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The word is thought to derive from the Venetian imbranà (imbrigliato in Italian) which literally translates as harnessed or tightened by the bridle but figuratively means to be bound or restrained. It was once part of the jargon of the Alpine troops, but has since become very widespread in colloquial Italian.
Luigi è un tipo imbranato. Giovanni, invece, è molto sicuro di sé.
Luigi is a clumsy guy. Giovanni, on the other hand, is very confident.
Like many adjectives, imbranato can also function as a noun, in which case it would translate as clumsy person, oaf or klutz.
Quella ragazza è proprio un’imbranata!
That girl is a real klutz!
A verb that derives from imbranato is the uncommon imbranarsi which is a synonym for confondersi (to get confused).
Some possible synonyms for imbranato include:
- goffo = clumsy, awkward
- impacciato = clumsy, self-conscious
- maldestro = clumsy, bumbling
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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.
