Idiom USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(inflated-sails-ly) • Successfully.
"Grande, il colloquio è andato a gonfie vele!"
"Yay, your interview was a success!"
Idiom USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(inflated-sails-ly) • Successfully.
"Grande, il colloquio è andato a gonfie vele!"
"Yay, your interview was a success!"
Slang USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(Who rubs of it) • You don't care about the gossip they're forcing you to listen to? If you're not afraid to sound a little too blunt, you can opt for "chi se ne frega".
"Chi se ne frega se si sono lasciati! Sono fatti loro."
"Who cares if they broke up! It's their business."
Word USED On Occasion BY Lombards and Swiss people
(n.) • (little female Spaniard) • It means "peanut".
"A Capodanno non possono mai mancare le spagnolette!"
"Peanuts can't ever miss for New Year's!"
Word USED Frequently BY Everyone
(n.) • This is what the Italian Swiss call their phones.
"Ho dimenticato il natel a casa! E adesso come faccio a chiamare Lucia?"
"I forgot my phone at home! How will I call Lucy now?"
Interjection USED Frequently BY Everyone
(interj.) • This is what you say when you don't have or don't know a good answer for the question they asked you. It could be translated as "I don't know".
"Che tempo fa oggi?" "Boh, non ho guardato il meteo."
"What's the weather like today?" "I don't know, I didn't check the forecast."
Interjection USED On Occasion BY Parents
This is the Italian version of Peekaboo, a game for infants. To play, the parent hides their face behind their hands and then pops back into the view saying the word bubusettete and so surprising the kid.
"Bubu...settete! Eccomi qui!"
"Peekaboo! Here I am!"
Idiom USED On Occasion BY Some People
(If it's not soup, it's wet bread) • This idiom is used when someone is left with only one obvious option after trying guessing the other, wrong one.
"Chi ha scritto la Divina Commedia?" "Petrarca?" "No." "Dante, allora." "Beh, se non è zuppa, è pan bagnato..."
"Who wrote the Divine Comedy?" "Petrarch?" "No." "Dante, then." "Well, if it's not soup, it's wet bread..."
Word USED Frequently BY Everyone
(v.) • (Plant it!) • Meaning "stop it", it's used when you want someone to quit annoying you.
"Non voglio più saperne dei tuoi scherzi! Piantala!"
"Enough of your pranks! Plant it!"
Uno, due, tre... Fante, cavallo e re!
Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Elderly people
(One, two, three... Jack, knight and king!) • This rhyme is something elderly people say when counting up to three, sometimes before getting up from a chair or sofa.
"Ah, mi fa male la schiena! Adesso mi alzo. Uno, due, tre... Fante, cavallo e re!"
"Ouch, my back hurts! I'll get up now. One, two, three. Jack, knight and king!"
Italian
Primarily the North,
Italy
Word USED Frequently BY Teens
(v.) • (to lemon) • To kiss someone with the tongue (to make out).
"Ho visto Gianni e Davide limonare su una panchina al parco."
"I saw John and David lemoning on a bench in the park."
syn
Slang USED Very frequently BY Young People
(n.) • Used between young people to say that something is lit and very cool.
"Questo libro è una figata."
"This book is lit."
alt
Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(and it seemed to you) • Exclamation you use when something that you had a feeling would happen actually happens.
"Mi hai riportato il mio caricabatterie?" "Scusa, me lo sono dimenticato." "E te pareva! È la terza volta che te lo scordi!"
"Did you bring my charger?" "Sorry, I forgot." "I knew it! It's the third time you forget!"
syn
Word USED Very frequently BY Young People
(adj.) • Something cool.
"Che figa questa borsa!"
"Such a cool purse!"
syn
alt
Expression USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(adj.) • Cool.
"Boia ganzo!"
"That's so cool!"
syn
Expression USED On Occasion BY Everyone
(a game for kids) • Something very easy to do.
"Lascia fare a me: è un gioco da ragazzi!"
"Let me do it - it's a game for kids!"
Word USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone
(n.) • (goose) • A girl acting in a foolish way. Often laughing too loudly or trying to get a boy's attention.
"Sei proprio un'oca quando fai così."
"You're such a goose when you act like that."
Standard Phrase USED Very frequently BY Some People
(at the half) • It means "at half past x" and there's no need to say what hour.
"Ci vediamo in piazza alla mezza?"
"See you in the square at the half?"
Italian
| Neapolitan
Naples,
Italy
Standard Phrase USED Very frequently BY Everyone
(v.) • You use "schizzechea" to say that it's drizzling.
"Sta piovendo?" "Solo un po'... Schizzechea."
"Is it raining?" "Just a bit... It's drizzling."
Submitted August 2020 by ottavio
Idiom USED On Rare Occasion BY Parents
(to have the tail) • Used when someone doesn't close the door when entering or leaving a room.
"Ma hai la coda? Chiudi la porta!"
"Do you have the tail? Close the door!"
Standard Phrase USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone
(It doesn’t rain on that ) • Used to say that there are no doubts about something.
"Agli italiani piace mangiare la pizza, su questo non ci piove."
"Italians like to eat pizza, it doesn’t rain on that."
