Proprio is one of those sneaky little Italian words that seems to pop up everywhere. In fact, I don’t think five minutes ever go by without me slipping a proprio into one of my sentences. Its sheer ubiquity, in addition to the fact that it can function as an adjective, adverb, pronoun, and noun, is precisely what makes it so tricky to translate accurately into English – but I’m ready to give it a go nonetheless!
proprio
PROPRIO = really / truly / at all
Let’s start with one of the easiest and most common translations: really or truly. In this case, it functions as an adverb and can be considered a synonym of davvero or veramente. Here are a few extremely common phrases you’ll hear in Italian where proprio means really:
- È proprio bello. = It’s really beautiful.
- Sei proprio gentile! = You’re really kind!
- Hai proprio ragione. = You are absolutely (truly) correct.
- Aver proprio voglia di = to really want to
Volevo proprio chiamarti.
I really did want to call you.
In the negative, you may see really as a translation, but it is just as common for it to be rendered as at all or in the least, similar to per niente in Italian.
- Non ne ho proprio idea. = I really have no idea. / I have no idea at all.
- Non capisco proprio. = I really don’t understand. / I don’t understand at all.
- Ma non se ne parla proprio! = Don’t mention it! (literally “But don’t talk about it at all!”) Note that this expression can also mean Absolutely not!
Non mi piace proprio.
I really don’t like it. / I don’t like it at all.
Easy so far, right? Let’s move on…
PROPRIO = exactly / precisely
Continuing with its adverbial uses, proprio can also mean exactly or precisely, making it synonymous with precisamente. Some other possible translations you’ll see include right or just. Regardless of the translation, just remember that is used to emphasise the accuracy of something, such as a number, location, or situation.
- Proprio così! = That’s it! / Exactly!
- Proprio per questo… = That’s exactly why…
- Non proprio… = Not exactly…
- Ho telefonato proprio cinque minuti fa. = I called exactly five minutes ago.
- Abita proprio qui vicino. = He lives right (exactly) here.
- Siamo proprio arrivati in tempo. = We arrived just (precisely) in time.
È proprio quello che cercavo.
It’s exactly what I was looking for.
PROPRIO = characteristic of / inherant to
Used as an adjective, proprio can be used to describe a trait or characteristic that is specific or inherent to a certain type of person, animal or object. Because it is an adjective, the ending must change in accordance with the gender and number of the object being described:
- proprio = masculine, singular
- propria = feminine, singular
- propri = masculine, plural
- proprie = feminine, plural
La socialità è propria dell’uomo.
Sociability is inherent to man.
PROPRIO = appropriate / suitable / fitting
Albeit far from the most common meaning, the adjective proprio can also function as a synonym for adatto, meaning appropriate or suitable. For example:
- Questo non è il posto proprio per parlarne. = This isn’t the appropriate place to discuss it.
Note that it may not be the most common way to use the word. My Italian husband, for example, would use adatto instead in the example above.
PROPRIO = one’s own
Whenever you want to emphasise that someone or something belongs or relates to the person or thing mentioned, you can use proprio, just as we use (one’s) own in English. In English, we need to use a possessive (his, their, etc.) but in Italian, this isn’t essential as it is already clear from the context to whom/what proprio refers.
- il proprio libro = one’s own book
- la propria casa = one’s own house
- i propri amici = one’s own friends
- le proprie idee = one’s own ideas
Ognuno deve fare il proprio lavoro.
Everyone has to do their own work.
È importante conoscere i propri limiti.
It’s important to know your own limits.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of common expressions that contain proprio used in this way:
- farsi gli affari propri = to mind one’s own business
- essere / sentirsi a proprio agio = to be / feel at ease (literally “at one’s own ease”)
- chiamare le cose col proprio nome = to call a spade a spade (literally “to call things by their own name”)
- conoscere come le proprie tasche = to know something like the back of one’s hand (literally “to know like one’s own pockets”)
- fare del proprio meglio = to do one’s best (literally “to do one’s own best”)
- mangiare a proprio piacimento = to eat to your heart’s content (literally “to eat to one’s own pleasure”)
- non essere farina del proprio sacco = to be copied / plagarised (literally “to not be flour from one’s own sack”)
- stare per conto proprio = to stay on one’s own
- tirare acqua al proprio mulino = to further one’s own cause (literally “to pull water to one’s own mill”)
AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION
As an adjective, proprio is often used instead of a possessive adjective when the possessor is the subject of the sentence:
Marco ha portato il proprio cane.
Marco brought his own dog.
Here, proprio refers back to Marco, the subject.
Compare this to…
Marco ha portato il suo cane.
Marco brought his dog.
Il suo could refer to Marco or potentially to another male person, depending on context, whereas il proprio explicitly points back to the subject.
All the examples above show proprio used as an adjective in the company of a noun, but it can also work as a pronoun meaning one’s own once again. In this case, it will always be used with the appropriate definite article:
- il proprio
- la propria
- i propri
- le proprie
Marco vede sempre i difetti degli altri, ma mai i propri.
Marco always sees other people’s faults, but never his own.
In the example above, we’ve used i propri for “his own” because it is referring back to i difetti (the faults/flaws), which is a masculine plural noun.
Finally, proprio can also be used as a noun, replacing words such as soldi (money), risorse (resources) or anything else that belongs to you or regards you personally. A few examples include:
- vivere del proprio = to live off your own means (literally “to live off one’s own”)
- spendere del proprio = to spend one’s own money (literally “to spend one’s own”)
- occuparsi del proprio = to take care of one’s own affairs (literally “to take care of one’s own”)
Difendere il proprio è un istinto naturale.
Defending what belongs to you is a natural instinct.
Before we bring this section to a close, I’d like to touch on an interesting use of proprio in the working world. The expression in proprio – literally “on one’s own” – describes someone who works independently or on their own – in other words, a freelancer or self-employed worker.
- mettersi in proprio = to start one’s own business (literally “to put oneself on one’s own”)
- lavorare in proprio = to be self-employed
FARE PROPRIO = to make one’s own
The verb fare (to do/make) loves to make an appearance whenever it can, and proprio is no exception!
Fare proprio generally means to make something one’s own, to adopt, or to embrace an idea, attitude, habit, or way of doing something. The expression is especially common when someone accepts and internalises an idea or principle, rather than simply agreeing with it.
- fare proprio un principio = to adopt a principle as one’s own
- fare propria un’idea = to adopt an idea as one’s own
- fare propri dei valori = to adopt certain values as one’s own
- fare proprie delle convinzioni = to adopt certain beliefs as one’s own
Ha fatto propria la filosofia dell’azienda.
He adopted the company’s philosophy.
As we’ve seen, proprio appears in a wide range of expressions, including plenty of idiomatic ones. Hopefully our article has helped make this word a little less intimidating!
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.
