Learn some common Italian idioms
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What are some common Italian idioms? |
| Ofelia: And how are they used? |
| Michael: At ItalianPod101.com, we often hear these questions. |
| Picture this situation: Karen Lee and Anna Mancini are neighbors. Karen Lee hears an idiom she's not familiar with, so she decides to ask Anna: "What does "by eye and cross" mean?" |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: Cosa significa "a occhio e croce"? |
| Anna Mancini: Significa "più o meno." |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: Cosa significa "a occhio e croce"? |
| Michael: "What does "by eye and cross" mean?" |
| Anna Mancini: Significa "più o meno." |
| Michael: "It means 'more or less.'" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: So, the topic of this lesson is idioms or, in Italian: |
| Ofelia: Idiomi |
| Michael: An idiom is an expression with a meaning that is not evident from the words alone. It should not be taken literally. A good example is the English idiom, "a piece of cake," which means that something is done very easily. |
| We use idioms to more clearly illustrate or to stress the message we want to give. Now, let's look at a few common idioms in Italian. |
| Ofelia: Quattro gatti. |
| Michael: This literally means "four cats." but it has nothing to do with cats. It is slang for "very few people" or "barely anyone," For instance, you don't want only four cats to attend your party! |
| Now, it's your turn to practice. Repeat after the native speaker. |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] Quattro gatti. [SLOWLY] Quattro gatti. |
| [Pause 4 seconds] |
| Michael: Did you repeat that? Well done! Feel free to practice all the idioms with us. |
| Let's see now how to use this idiom in a sample sentence, |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] Oggi al lavoro eravamo in quattro gatti. [SLOW] Oggi al lavoro eravamo in quattro gatti. |
| Michael: It means: "Today, we were only a few people at work." |
| [3 seconds] |
| Ofelia: da cani |
| Michael: Our next idiomatic expression literally means, "from or of dogs" and it is derived from this saying: |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] fare una vita di cani. |
| Michael: "To live the life of a dog," |
| This idiom is known in English as "living a dog's life," Like almost everywhere in the world, stray dogs don't live a very high life on the streets in Italy. So, we use this shortened version of the idiom to describe a difficult life, or any miserable experience. |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] da cani [SLOWLY] da cani |
| [4 sec] |
| Michael: Let's hear what the idiom sounds like in a sentence. |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] Oggi sto da cani. Mi fa malissimo la testa. [SLOWLY] Oggi sto da cani. Mi fa malissimo la testa. |
| Michael: "Today I feel terrible. My head hurts so much." |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] Oggi sto da cani. Mi fa malissimo la testa. |
| Michael: Our next idiom is well known in English too. |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] Essere al settimo cielo. [SLOWLY] Essere al settimo cielo. |
| [4 sec] |
| Michael: Translated, it means "to be in seventh heaven," Just like the English, Italians use the idiom to express feeling extremely happy. It most likely has its origins in metaphysical worldviews from as early as the Mesopotamian era. In some Mesopotamian religions, heaven was seen to be divided into seven levels, corresponding with the seven classical planets orbiting earth. However, it is only in Islam and certain Jewish mystical traditions that the seventh heaven is considered to be the one closest to God and therefore a place of ecstasy. |
| Let's hear what the idiom sounds like in a sentence: |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] Sono al settimo cielo. ]SLOWLY] Sono al settimo cielo. |
| Michael: "I am in seventh heaven." |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] Sono al settimo cielo. |
| Michael: The next idiom is not a familiar one at all. |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] Acqua in bocca! [SLOWLY] Acqua in bocca! |
| [4 sec] |
| Michael: This literally means "Water in your mouth!" and it is an idiom meaning to keep something a secret. Do not talk about what you hear or witness if someone uses this idiom in a conversation. The image is clever because you cannot open your mouth when there's water in it! Its English equivalent is "Mum's the word," |
| Now, for the sample sentence. |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] È un segreto, acqua in bocca! [SLOWLY] È un segreto, acqua in bocca! |
| Michael: "It's a secret, keep it to yourself!" |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Now, let's take a closer look at the idiom from the dialogue. Do you remember how Karen Lee says "What does "by eye and cross" mean?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Ofelia as Karen Lee: Cosa significa "a occhio e croce"? |
| Michael: Here the idiom is |
| Ofelia: "a occhio e croce" |
| Michael: which literally means "by eye and cross," This is a reference to measuring the approximate position of something with the eye, where your coordinates are the two imaginary lines of a cross. The saying is said to have originated from the jargon used by silk weavers long ago. |
| Michael: The idiom could also mean "roughly speaking." "I guess ...." "give or take" or even just "I think," |
| Listen to what it sounds like in the sample sentence: |
| Ofelia: [NORMAL] A occhio e croce, forse ci vuole un'ora. [SLOWLY] A occhio e croce, forse ci vuole un'ora. |
| Michael: "At a guess, maybe it takes an hour." |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: So, to summarize—in this lesson, we learned that an idiom is an expression with a meaning that is not evident from the words alone. We also learned a few idioms in Italian. |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: Interestingly, many idioms are related to old habits and traditions, or legends. Let's consider the following idiom |
| Ofelia: mettere la mano sul fuoco [SLOWLY] mettere la mano sul fuoco, |
| Michael: which literally means "to put your hand on the fire," it seems to come from the Medieval custom of proving someone's innocence by asking them to put their hand in the fire. If they really were innocent, their hand wouldn't be injured. Another possible origin is a Roman legend, according to which a brave young man, known in Italian as |
| Ofelia: Muzio Scevola, |
| Michael: put his hand in the fire to prove that he behaved honestly. |
| You use this idiom when you want to assert that you're sure about something. It corresponds to the English "to stake one's life on something," or "to swear something." Let's see an example, |
| Ofelia: È possibile, ma non ci metto la mano sul fuoco. [SLOWLY] È possibile, ma non ci metto la mano sul fuoco. |
| Michael: "It's possible, but I wouldn't swear it." |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Ofelia: A presto! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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